Head coach Scott Skiles makes final pregame arrangements.
"Boys, this game is our last chance. Not to mention the fourth game, this is our last chance. We can't lose anymore. We have no way out. We have worked hard all season.
, I think everyone is not here to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
We must win this game. In our home court, we should defend its honor and tell everyone with victory that Milwaukeeans never admit defeat!"
All players are very aware of the situation the Bucks are facing now. As long as they lose again tonight, this series will be won by the Knicks.
Not to mention G4, if they are really behind 0:3, the Bucks need to win four games in a row to win the final victory, which is really difficult.
It is basically impossible, because if they have the strength to win four games in a row, then there will be no chance of them not winning any of the previous three games.
Jennings roared: "We must win!
!”
After the roar, everyone will enter the venue.
Bogut is injured, and now the Bucks' second-in-command Jennings is at the back of the team.
Although Jennings is a rookie, he has won the trust of the team like Lian Dao, and his status in the Bucks is second only to Bogut.
Appear in turn!
G3 starts the fight quickly!
After experiencing fierce battles in the previous two games, both sides are relatively familiar with this.
In the Bradley Center Arena, amid the cheers and cheers, the Bucks' morale reached its peak.
Scott Skiles made another change to the starting lineup this time.
Brandon Jennings, John Salmons, Carlos Delfino, Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, Kurt Thomas.
At the fourth position, Luke Richard Mbah a Moute was promoted by Scott Skiles, and Lian Dao was still impressed by this second-year player.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a defensive warrior with outstanding wingspan, tenacious defense, speed and enthusiasm. The most important thing is that he defends the third position very well.
Scott Skiles brought him up, and Lian Dao also knew that he was using it against him.
The reason why Scott Skiles did not mention him as a starter in the first two games is because Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has obvious shortcomings.
The rebounding is average, and the defensive interior is not strong enough; the offensive end is close to invisible, and he cannot shoot or finish the offense. When he is on the court, the team is basically in a four-on-five situation.
That's why Scott Skiles didn't put him in the starting position before.
But this time, the Bucks were on the edge of the cliff, and Scott Skiles was ruthless. He would rather sacrifice some offense and must limit Lian Dao on the defensive end.
…
In the first quarter of the game, the Knicks all fired, and Holiday showed his personal breakthrough ability in this game.
Lian Dao, who performed superbly in the first two games, was restricted by the Bucks this time.
From the beginning of the game, whenever Lian Dao got the ball, he was always double-teamed by Luc Mbah a Moute and Carlos Delfino.
Lian Dao hits the ball very quickly when he is double-teamed. He always plays in the most reasonable state.
Since Luke Richard Mbah a Moute basically has no shooting ability, David Lee shrinks to the inside to deal with the Bucks' outside breakthroughs at any time.
The Bucks also knew that they had lost their inside advantage, so after the start, they continued to use pick-and-rolls to fire outside.
John Salmons, who had been silent for two games, took the lead in the first quarter of G3 and threw two three-pointers in the opening game.
Subsequently, Jennings broke through the pick-and-roll and hit a mid-range jumper.
The Knicks were actually lagging behind for a while.
Moreover, Millsap was fouled twice by Kurt Thomas, so D'Antoni was forced to the bench and replaced by Milicic.
As a 14-year veteran in the league, Kurt has very rich experience on the defensive end.
Kurt Thomas is nicknamed "Crazy Eyes" and "Dirty Kurt". He has average talent and his strong low defense has allowed him to gain a foothold in the league.
When he was young, he was not afraid of his opponents at all when facing off against Duncan, Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Garnett, and even O'Neal. Even if he could not limit his opponents, he would not let them take shots easily and comfortably.
At the age of 37 this year, he can still find a place in the league by virtue of his calm mind and excellent interior defense.
Moreover, Kurt Thomas has a very good mid-range jump shot, and his effective mid-range and long-range killing range can be expanded to about 18 feet.
This provides support for the small players on the outside to pass back after penetrating and breaking through. As long as the defenders can attract the opponent's penalty area defense, Kurt Thomas' mid-range shooting will be a nightmare for the opponent.
The Bucks, who returned to their home court, really showed their will to fight against the odds, especially the pick-and-roll cooperation between Jennings and Kurt, which was able to tear apart the Knicks' defense every time.
Kurt Thomas did not go straight to the basket after a high pick-and-roll like other center players. Instead, he took a step back, received a pass from the defender, and then shot a jumper one meter inside the three-point line.
Doing so can attract the Knicks' interior defenders, open up the basket, and create more opportunities for Jennings to break through.
If Milicic doesn't come out to cover, Thomas, who is in the open position, can easily hit two points. With a stable mid-range shooting percentage, he will not easily waste Jennings' pass.
In the first quarter of G2, the Bucks cooperated like this and clung to the score.
However, in the second quarter, the Bucks failed to limit Lian Dao's crazy scoring, so the game lost suspense early on.
This time, Bucks head coach Scott Skiles would rather sacrifice part of the offense and replace Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, but also want to restrict Lian Dao on the defensive end.
So far, the restrictions on cheap rice have been very good.
But the reason why the Knicks were able to reach third place in the Eastern Conference this season was not due to luck.
Although Lian Dao was restrained, others stepped forward.
In addition to Holiday's breakthrough, David Lee's mid-range shooting has also become a weapon for the Knicks to score.
Especially when Lian Dao contained the Bucks' defense, David Lee hit 4 consecutive mid-range shots.
With 1 minute and 12 seconds left in the first quarter, the score on the field was 26:26.
The Knicks called a timeout.
There was a lot of noise at the Bradley Center, and the Knicks also received a lot of boos on the court.
Bucks fans know very well what this game means to them, and the Bucks can no longer afford to lose.
Therefore, they also tried to give the Knicks as much interference as possible.
"Today's Bucks really performed exceptionally. A 37-year-old veteran, Kurt Thomas, stood up in this game. From this point, it can also be seen that in the playoffs, a player with rich playoff experience
The veteran has a great impact on the team, especially since he made Millsap sit on the bench early due to a foul."
"This also poses a challenge to the Knicks' interior defense. Without Millsap in the interior, Lian Dao constantly needs to return to the interior to help defend. Milicic is still slightly behind in defensive experience when facing Kurt Thomas.
Childish."
"Although the Bucks have played very well and they restricted Lian Dao, they still did not take the lead. Lian Dao occupied too much of the Bucks' defensive attention."
"Holiday and David Lee got a lot of opportunities, which allowed the Knicks to still hold on to the score in the first quarter."
Barkley and Kenny Smith analyzed the situation on the court.
Both are NBA stars, and there is no problem with their professional abilities. Although their usual commentary is a bit funny, once it comes to professional analysis, their professional skills are also revealed.
Players from both sides make round adjustments.
Here's the Knicks.
Chris Duhon, Larry Hughes, Lian Dao, Gallinari, David Lee.
On the Bucks side it was.
Brandon Jennings, Jerry Stackhouse, Carlos Delfino, Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Yinlyasova.
Kurt Thomas was replaced. After all, you can't expect a 37-year-old veteran to stay on the court for a long time.
Carlos Delfino and Luke Richard Mbah a Moute were not replaced on the bench. Scott Skiles still hopes to use these two to attack Lian Dao and block him in the second quarter.