lcionline Chapter 496 Show time
Chapter 496 Show time
Unlike the Warriors, the Cavaliers don't employ as many complex tactics. Whether it was Lue leading the team before or Larry Drew leading it now, their offense has always been simple and direct. They simply give the ball to the star player, and the others handle simple catch-and-go finishing. When the star player gets tired, the guards run pick-and-rolls, and whoever receives the ball handles it. This style of play is also common in many other NBA teams, revolving around star players' isolation plays with role players providing support.
The Clippers were the same last season. This season, the Clippers have added an offensive system brought by Budenholzer, which allows the team to switch between superstar basketball and team basketball, naturally raising the floor.
Simply put, if you consider the regular season and playoffs as two separate games, then team basketball is better suited for grinding the regular season, while superstar basketball is better suited for grinding the playoffs.
The logic is simple: in the regular season, defense isn't as targeted, and there are more games, so team basketball can effectively reduce the burden on star players and minimize over-reliance on them. However, in the playoffs, with targeted defenses, team basketball becomes less effective, and star-studded basketball is more likely to succeed.
This is why, when Coach Buden was with the Hawks, the departure of Jia Fei meant the team lost its superstar, which meant that even though he could make it to the playoffs with team basketball, he couldn't go far in the playoffs.
Jiao Zhixi dribbled the ball over and passed it to the Running Man member.
The Running Man player is holding the ball and facing Paula's Pepper.
"You eliminated me back then, now it's my turn!" Paojiao smiled, revealing his neat white teeth.
The Running Man member remained expressionless. He was already 34 years old, and after all the twists and turns, it felt as if he had returned to the feeling he had when he first left the Knights. He couldn't refute it...
Indeed, the current Cavaliers are inferior to their opponents in every aspect. The suspense of this Finals is even lower than when he first reached the Finals, which is very unfriendly to his goal of challenging for the title of the greatest player in NBA history. It's no wonder he was unhappy.
But then again, even if it weren't the Clippers who came out of the West, but the Warriors instead, would they have won the championship? Even if it were the Rockets, could they have beaten them?
This season's Cavaliers were never among the top contenders for the championship. In fact, if it weren't for his relentless performance in the playoffs, the Cavaliers might not have even had a chance to reach the Finals.
Love is calling for the ball in the low post.
The Running Man members are quite willing to pass the ball; here he is, passing it to Love.
Love dominated Gallinari from the low post.
Both players are officially listed as 208cm tall, but the Italian striker is clearly taller than the Eros. Therefore, it's obvious who is exaggerating their height.
Love tried to overpower Gallinari, but it looked like he couldn't quite manage it. He eventually opted for a turnaround jumper, but unfortunately, it missed!
But TT has offensive rebounding ability!
TT has an exceptional nose for offensive rebounds. While his consecutive jumps are average, his powerful, charged jumps are truly impressive. Combined with his excellent positioning with his large backside and skillful hands, he can grab rebounds over many 7-footers.
Olynyk's rebounding ability is generally average, and he gets robbed of rebounds by players like Tristan Thompson.
TT's finishing ability around the basket is quite average; he's not as good as DeAndre Jordan in that respect. If Jordan grabs an offensive rebound in the paint, even if he can't dunk, he can still draw a foul.
But TT knows his own limitations! He knows his offense isn't good, so he doesn't take reckless shots, but instead passes the ball to the leader, Running Man, at the top of the key.
The Running Man cast continued to set up passes for Love.
Love continued to attack Gallinari, and this time he finally drew a foul using a fake move!
"It looks like Love is having a tough time against Gallinari in the low post!" Wang Meng said.
Yang Yi twirled his pen and said, "Don't be fooled by Gallinari's frequent use of the small forward position; he's tall! He's a solid 208cm tall, while Love is even shorter. Now that he's lost weight, he can't rely on his weight to push the ball in, so he can only shoot!"
Love stepped up to the free-throw line and calmly made both shots, giving the Cavaliers a point.
Beverley brought the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei dribbled the ball and attacked JR, signaling Gallinari to come up and set a screen.
With the Clippers' five perimeter players positioned, the Cavaliers' interior defense was completely stretched thin.
Like Kyrie Irving before him, JR is decent at one-on-one defense, but he gets completely lost when screened, seemingly clueless about how to defend, like a headless fly. Especially when playing directly against big men, he doesn't know whether to switch, delay, or double-team.
Love's defense against pick-and-rolls is a disaster. He can't switch on them, and while he can delay, he's too slow to recover, making it a one-off effort. Compared to Green, his defense is worlds apart. As an inside player, whether switching on the perimeter or helping on defense, it's a disaster. His rim protection is practically nonexistent. There are very few inside players who can protect the rim better than him.
Love's only redeeming qualities on the defensive end are his size, which allows him to hold his own against shorter, stockier centers, and his rebounding. He's a really good rebounder, with excellent positioning and a very skillful hand.
It's often said that Horford is a "basketball illiterate detector," while Love is the kind of player who's obviously a stat-padder, and once the defensive intensity hits in the playoffs, his true colors are immediately revealed.
JR and Love are both seasoned veterans who knew Jia Fei posed a significant threat, so they chose to attack him from both sides.
But Jia Fei was not so easy to double-team. He easily passed the ball to Gallinari, who was in an open position, through the double-team.
Gallinari received the ball so comfortably that the opponent's rotation was too slow to keep up, giving him plenty of time to aim and shoot!
The three-pointer went in smoothly!
This was the first three-pointer of the game, with Gallinari's basket giving the Clippers a three-point lead!
The Cavaliers are on offense. Running Man drives hard after a screen and passes to JR!
JR received the ball and unleashed a three-pointer—but missed!
TT grabbed an offensive rebound and poked the ball out of bounds...
JR's performance has been declining since winning the championship. He's 33 years old and has always been unpredictable, sometimes playing brilliantly and sometimes poorly. Now he's even more unpredictable, often having one brilliant game followed by three terrible ones.
Beverley dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei has the ball, and Gallinari comes up to screen again.
Jia Fei used the screen to break through directly, passing between Love and JR!
Jia Fei drove straight to the basket, and Running Man and TT had no time to recover and protect the rim!
The screams from the crowd have already started, Showtime!
Jia Fei jumped up and performed a walking version of a folding dunk in mid-air!
Wow—even in a dunk contest, this would be a near-perfect move, from the jump height to the execution, let alone in a real game.
2:7, the Clippers started strong offensively, completely dominating the Cavaliers.
The Staples Center reached its first climax, with thunderous cheers from the fans in the stadium, and Ballmer, who was watching the game from the sidelines, had a happy smile on his face.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this game is a complete stomp. Unless the Cavaliers have an explosive shooting night, how can they compete with the Clippers with this kind of defense?