Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 49 Big Victory!A good start to the Western Conference Finals!Terry: I seem to see my tits!
On May 5, the first game of the Western Conference Finals between the two sides was played at the home court of the Grizzlies.

Before the game, the league held a short MVP awards ceremony on the spot.

Pau Gasol took the trophy from Stern and thanked Lu Yong, who arranged offensive tactics around him.

Every game in this round of the series is broadcast live across the United States, with far more attention than the Pistons and Cavaliers in the East.

Even the domestic CCTV5 will broadcast the whole process live.

Yu Jia, a well-known domestic commentator, said: "The Grizzlies are very strong this season. They only lost one game in the first two rounds of the series. The joining of assistant coach Lu Yong has greatly increased the offensive firepower of this team. Ranked first in the league in points per game, even more fierce than tonight's opponent, the Mavericks."

Director Zhang said with a smile: "Lu Yong proved his coaching level as early as in the summer league. The reason why Grizzlies coach Fratello failed to win the best coach is because the judges felt that the improvement of the Grizzlies' offensive firepower was the result of Lu Yong. Thanks to the bravery. With 64 wins in the regular season but not being the best coach, Fratello is really unlucky this year."

Memphis live commentator Jalen Spaulding also analyzed the game before the game.

"Today the Mavericks star forward Josh Howard was out due to injury. Things are not good for the Mavericks. The strength of both ends of the offense and defense has been weakened. Facing the Mavericks without the second scorer, the Grizzlies' odds of winning tonight Big, after all, they have an advantage in regular season matches."

Partner Merkel said: "Nowitzki is under a lot of pressure now. Only him and Terry are left in the Dallas Trident. It is not easy to take away the victory in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. I hope he can deliver a good performance tonight. .”

After the players warmed up, the two teams announced their starting lineups.

Grizzlies five: Amare Stoudemire, Mike Miller, Ariza, Swift, Gasol.

Mavericks five: Harris, Terry, Stackhouse, Nowitzki, Dampier.

Josh Howard missed G1 due to injury, and the sixth man, Stackhouse, took his place to ensure that the Mavericks' offensive firepower would not be disconnected.

The Grizzlies won with a jump ball in the middle circle and the game started.

Gasol stood at the top of the arc and held the ball, and the high position supported Dampier out of the penalty area.

Swift on the weak side was not idle, and immediately looked for opportunities to cover Mike Miller and help Mike Miller get rid of the ball.

The two teams played against each other three times in the regular season. The Mavericks were very familiar with Mike Miller's catch-and-shoot style, so they moved very quickly when defending.

Mike Miller's catch-and-shoot is already a regular offensive method for the Grizzlies. If it weren't for the limited tactical status, he would definitely surpass Gasol to become the team's scoring leader.

Mike Miller caught the ball and was stuck by Terry. He broke through from the left to attract the help defense, and quickly transferred the ball to Swift who made an air cut.

Swift caught the ball in the middle and beat Nowitzki hard, using his physical fitness to rush to the basket, wiped the board from close range and made a layup. 2 to 0.

Gasol standing in a high position can not only play the role of the ball, but also pull the Mavericks center Dampier out of the penalty area, creating a better breakthrough environment for his teammates.

Swift's offensive skills are rough, but Dirk Nowitzki, who was born in Europe, doesn't need skill.

Nowitzki didn't reach out this round, knowing that it was useless to reach out.

Once passed by Swift, relying on his take-off height, it is better to pray that Swift will not hit the blue sky.

The Mavericks rank second in offensive firepower among the 16 playoff teams this year, and they are a typical team that relies on offense to win.

Because the Mavericks' defensive efficiency also ranks second to last among the 16 playoff teams, only slightly better than the Hornets, which ranks eighth in the Western Conference during the regular season.

The Mavericks seriously missed people in the first round of the opening game. Without Josh Howard, they couldn't even do a good job of defending.

Among the starting five, only big center Dampier is good at protecting the frame, and the other four are better than each other.

The Mavericks attacked, Nowitzki broke through with the ball at the left corner, and was double-teamed by Stoudemire, and it was the unlucky Devin Harris who was emptied on the outside.

This is how the Grizzlies defended three times in the regular season, double-teaming Nowitzki, and emptying Devin Harris, who made less than [-]% of his three-pointers.

After being stunned by Harris, he pinched his nose and recognized it. In short, Nowitzki is not allowed to be supernatural in any case, and his offense must be choked.

Nowitzki scored after being double-teamed, and Harris didn't dare to shoot a three-pointer with a wide open opportunity, so he took a step in and scored a two-point jumper. 2 to 2.

Harris is very clear that the Grizzlies are deliberately trying to let him go. He shoots three-pointers too badly.

In the Grizzlies battle, Stoudemire played a pick-and-roll with Gasol at the top of the arc, went right and broke through to the basket, and passed the ball from behind to Mike Miller who ran out at 45 degrees.

Miller catches and shoots the ball from outside the three-point line, turns up the arc to avoid Terry's block, and shoots the three-pointer accurately through the net bag, whoosh! 5 to 2.

Yu Jia sighed: "The offense of the Grizzlies is too smooth. Except for Trevor Ariza who ambushed in the bottom corner to open up the space, the other four can create opportunities through a lot of movement and breakthrough points. This game is not good for the Mavericks. beated."

Director Zhang said: "Pau Gasol's performance in this year's playoffs is worthy of being the MVP of the regular season. He can not only score by himself, but also assist his teammates, including the tactical role of attracting defense after a pass is also very great."

"Of course, the role of Mike Miller cannot be ignored. He is a great threat from beyond the three-point line and is the league's three-point leader in this year's regular season."

The Mavericks attacked, and Swift put Nowitzki on close defense.

Although the height of the top defense suffers, but with its amazing bullet speed and take-off height, Swift can still play a very good interference role.

Fratello never expected Swift to defend Nowitzki alone. As long as Nowitzki's physical strength is consumed, it is a successful defense for the Grizzlies.

Nowitzki caught the ball with his back on the right side, leaned twice, and quickly turned over and shot a jumper before Stoudemire on the weak side pinched.

Swift jumped very high, the long arm successfully interfered with the shot, and the backcourt rebound was protected by Gasol.

The Grizzlies attack, and Stoudemire moves to the weak side after passing the ball and takes the defense away.

Pau Gasol held the ball at the top of the arc to observe his teammates, stood still and cooperated with Mike Miller to play a classic hand-to-hand pass.

Mike Miller received the ball horizontally and was blocked by Stackhouse. In the next second, Miller quickly transferred the ball to Ariza in the left corner.

The latter catches the ball and throws it when he is open. Stackhouse is too far away to defend, so he can only reach out for a gesture.

The arc of the ball is very high, and Ariza steadily made an open three-pointer, whoosh! 8 to 2.

The Grizzlies fans at the scene stood up and yelled, convinced by the Grizzlies' unreasonable offense.

The Grizzlies' three-pointers are very decisive. As long as the opportunity arises, even the role players will not be soft.

The most important point is that the absence of Josh Howard has caused the Mavericks' already stretched forward defense to become even more stretched. There is not even a person who is good at helping defense, and the Grizzlies played a smooth team offense at the beginning .

"Little General" Johnson couldn't think of a solution, so he could only sit on the court and worry, with ridiculously poor adaptability.

Even if Josh Howard is on the court, the Mavericks are still difficult to defend, but the ability to assist defense on the flanks is slightly stronger.

Because the center position of the Mavericks is the biggest loophole, a blue-collar player like Dampier suffers from Gasol's technical star. Being pulled out of the penalty area is a piece of wood, and anyone who passes by can get kicked.

Dampier defends out, and Gasol's high position assists his teammates to easily get into the paint.Dampier shrunk after defending the pick-and-roll, and Gasol was able to shoot in place with two points long, without worrying about no chance to score.

After playing for 7 minutes, Gasol, Mike Miller, and Stoudemire scored consecutively, 22 to 11, leading the Mavericks by double digits.

Little General Johnson really had no choice but to see Dampier being madly targeted by the Grizzlies, so he could only replace him with tears in his eyes.

Let the white insider Austin Crohill, who is 2 meters tall and weighs 06 kilograms, appear on the stage, sacrificing height to improve the mobility of the lineup.

The result is that the Mavericks' mobility has indeed become faster, but the defense in the penalty area has become even more hip, and there are no players who can protect the frame at all.

Croshere is a veteran who entered the league with the 97th overall pick in the first round of 12. He averaged 10.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his peak season, which is not bad, but protecting the frame has never been his strong point, and it can even be said to be his weakness.

In the highest season of his career, Crozier was only able to send 0.7 blocks. This season, the tactical status of the Mavericks has dropped sharply, and the average blocks per game is only a pitiful 0.1. shock.

If Josh Howard is here, the Mavericks don't have to worry too much. Now that Stackhouse is playing the starting small forward, the offensive firepower is guaranteed, but the protection of the penalty area is even worse.

The Grizzlies used a smooth team offense to hold down the Mavericks, and the point difference was quickly opened.

After the first quarter, 38 to 23, the Grizzlies led by 15 points.

Pau Gasol scored 8 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a single quarter, perfectly explaining what an all-around fighter is.

In the second quarter, the main players took a rest, and the Grizzlies' substitute group continued to show off, playing a wave of climax under the leadership of veteran Eddie Jones.

Even if "Little General" Johnson let Jason Terry stay on the court to lead the team, he failed to stop the Grizzlies' offensive.

Terry played poorly today, only made 7 of 2 shots in the first quarter, and only scored 5 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists, all supported by Nowitzki.

Facing Deng Tai-Jones in the second quarter, he also felt cold, and hit the iron continuously with three-pointers, as if he saw that he was too milky.

The Grizzlies, relying on a large number of cross-screens and catch-and-shoot shots, firmly controlled the situation and crushed the Mavericks from the beginning.

In fact, Terry, as the second in charge, got a lot of single-handed opportunities tonight, but he couldn't grasp it, and dragged the team into the abyss step by step with the iron.

Without Josh Howard, the Mavericks' offensive and defensive strength has been greatly reduced. Nowitzki alone can no longer hold on, and the game is about to lose suspense.

Nowitzki returned to the court after only a 3-minute break, and used a jumper to help the team close the point difference, trailing by 18 points and entering the second half.

In the third quarter, Eddie Jones teamed up with Lowry to break out, and it rained a three-pointer from the outside, directly beating the Mavericks with a 12-3 climax.

Nowitzki couldn't sing with one hand, and even his back molars were almost shattered sitting on the court.

The Mavericks couldn't stop the Grizzlies' offensive bombardment. Even if the main defense was a three-pointer, the Grizzlies guard scored a lot of points.

Merkel commented: "Josh Howard unfortunately missed the All-Star this year. The loss in the first game of the Western Conference Finals further highlights his importance. Without Josh, the Mavericks' striker strength has declined, and their offense and defense He can't organize an effective offense on both ends, and his weight as the second scorer on the team is still rising."

Josh Howard is not a scorer. He is positioned as an all-around fighter in the Mavericks. He can play a huge role on both offense and defense. Many contributions cannot be seen from the data.

Spalding said: "The Grizzlies are now playing steadily and cooperating sharply. Both lineups have the backbone to affect the game. Even if Josh Howard makes a quick comeback, the Mavericks will not be able to play well in this series."

In the last quarter, the Grizzlies sent Lowry, Deng Tai-Jones, Warrick, Rudy Gay, and Reggie Evans, a lineup of young people, and played a full-time training.

This lineup is full of young people, full of impact in running and fast break, showing the terrifying depth of the Grizzlies' lineup, which makes "Little General" Johnson even more depressed.

A few players didn't have much playing time in the playoffs, and they started to work hard when they played, without considering the issue of physical distribution at all.

The Grizzlies' frequent fast-break counterattacks made the Mavericks players exhausted on both ends of the offense and defense, and they could only watch the point difference be further widened.

The Grizzlies' positional battle is not bad, whether it is Rudy Gay's breakthrough with the ball or the three-point shooting of the outside double guards are very threatening.

Don't be afraid if you can't make a shot, Reggie Evans' passion is all about rebounding.

Fans can often see his 1V3 scene under the basket, almost making Mavericks backup center Austin Croshere bully and cry, and almost snatched the basketball, shouting loudly: Give me the ball, I want to go home!

A few minutes later, Mike Miller and Gasol both debuted again.

They teamed up to play an 8-0 climax to close the game, and G1 of the Western Conference Finals completely entered garbage time.

At the end, 126 to 97.

The Grizzlies got off to a good start with a 29-point home victory.

A total of 7 Grizzlies scored in double figures, and even the rough guy Reggie Evans scored 6 points.

保罗-加索尔出战33分钟，17投9中，罚球6中6，得到24分11篮板7助攻2盖帽，常规赛MVP不是白拿的。

Marksman Mike Miller also performed well, making 15 of 8 shots and 12 of 6 three-pointers. He scored 22 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, the team's second-highest score.

The third player who scored 20+ points was not "Little Flying Squirrel" Stoudemire, but Eddie Jones, who was hot off the bench, made 10 of 8 shots, 5 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 20 points, 2 rebounds and 1 efficiently. With one assist and one block, he played the best game of this year's playoffs.

For the Mavericks, only three players in the team scored in double figures, including Terry, who was sleepwalking throughout the game and only made 17 of 5 shots.

诺维斯基22投9中，三分球5中1，罚球4中4，得到全队最高的23分8篮板3助攻1抢断，大量的协防包夹让他打得很不适应。

斯塔克豪斯14投6中，三分球3中0，罚球2中2，拿到14分5篮板1抢断，表现马马虎虎。

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace watched the game on the spot. He thought it would be a tough battle against the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals, but it turned out that G1 won so easily, he still finds it unbelievable.

If the Grizzlies can maintain this state in the next few games, the city of Memphis will surely fall into madness.

Because the fans saw the hope of sweeping the Mavericks 4-0!
(End of this chapter)