From sparring to superstar

Chapter 301 299. These two teams actually attacked!

Pistons attack.

Billups slowly advanced to the frontcourt and saw Ray Allen being stuck by Li Ao. After Ray Allen took advantage of Ben Wallace's screen, he was roughly blocked by Matt Halprin. Li Ao bypassed the pick and roll in time. Chasing back to Ray Allen...this senior and junior's ability to defend off-the-ball pick-and-rolls is simply amazing!
He looked at Artest and Gerald Wallace who were fighting hand-to-hand on the other side... Has Angel City really changed its offense and defense in the new century?The Clippers are so lucky!
This second-year player of the Clippers is not only strong, but also moves fast and has excellent flexibility. Although his strength is slightly inferior to the 108 kilogram Artest, he has good defensive awareness and high enthusiasm. Special cuts, reverse runs, and around the pile can't get rid of Gerald Wallace's entanglement.

Ray Allen was restrained by Lee Ao, which Billups expected, and Artest was entangled by Gerald Wallace, which was far beyond his expectation.

Billups gestured toward his teammates and started playing singles.

Bibby's defense was meticulous and not too active.

His basic defensive skills are actually quite good and he has a correct attitude, but his speed is average, his explosive speed is poor, and his lateral movement is relatively poor. He was very aggressive in his first year in the NBA, but his defense was poor and he was not so active. If he defended honestly, the effect would be better. Some, at least most of the time, don't hold back.

He is not very active in defense now, but he actively chose to defend in this way.

After Billups feinted and changed, he was surprised that he didn't get away from this opponent with mediocre defense!
Regardless, Billups took a three-point shot against Bibby's defense... The ball was not in the rhythm, but it went in!

When the Clippers attacked, Bibby continued to initiate a pick-and-roll attack with O'Neal, taking advantage of O'Neal's cutting threat to send the ball to Li Ao again.

Ben Wallace showed that he is even better than Garnett in assisting defense. Li Ao was stuck as soon as he turned around after receiving the ball. The rough confrontation gave Li Ao room to shoot. nothing.

Li Ao decisively gave up the second shot of the 'perfect warm-up', raised the ball and stretched his hand straight.

Ben Wallace stretched out his hand... and started swearing in his mind.

He was on the inside. Even if he stood on tiptoe and stretched out his hand, he couldn't reach the opponent's wrist, but he didn't dare to jump. If he jumped, he would definitely be passed.

The ball was protected, Li Ao seized the opportunity, flicked his wrist, and passed the ball to the center.

Matt Halprin cut in the middle from behind the top arc. Okur pressed forward to catch it, but the target of Li Ao's pass was not Matt Halprin. The ball was a thrown pass. After crossing an arc, O'Neal cut open and caught the ball.

Okur turned around and pressed forward in time... O'Neal Jr. pushed Okur away and made a layup.

Carlisle on the sidelines sighed, the Turkish center's experience was too poor.

Okur showed very good low-post defensive talents, mid-to-long-range shooting talents in the summer league and preseason games, and even has good potential in passing and controlling.

But they are only potentials, that is, their combat power is too poor. At this stage, apart from his height, wingspan, and awareness of blocking defenses and interfering with shooting, Okur has other weaknesses. He is not heavy enough, and he lacks experience in defensive choices...

Carlisle felt sorry for Ben Wallace. In the round just now, Ben Wallace first blocked Bibby's advance, then interfered with Matt Halprin's movement, and finally blocked Li Ao, all in vain. .

The Clippers' five young starters under the age of 5 also gave Carlisle a headache. Without Jordan, the Clippers' starting scoring stability has declined, but they are better able to run and have richer tactics.

Moreover, these five people have a tacit understanding and are very courageous. If Okur makes the right defensive choice for this ball, Li Ao will most likely make a mistake in passing the ball, but he dares to pass it!

He also did a good job in taking advantage of the inside. Instead of stupidly using O'Neal to attack the inside, he made good use of O'Neal's threat to attack the frame, using Bibby's ability to distribute the ball, Li Ao's support ability, Matt Halprin made good use of his ability to intersect and move, and the inside and outside lines were glued together...

The Pistons are so weak inside that they are undefended, and that's just because they are facing O'Neal. Facing other teams, Ben Wallace can still single-handedly give the Pistons an excellent interior defensive performance.

If Carlisle is given a qualified rim-protecting starting center, he can prevent the Clippers' offense tonight, but he didn't.

That being the case, let's attack!

Billups and Carlisle on the court made the same decision.

Billups' advancement speed is still very slow, but he moves very quickly after launching the attack.

Bibby was doing what he was supposed to do. When the opponent made a shot, he stayed close and if he was passed, he moved toward the opponent who was vacated by his teammates who were covering up, and left the rest to his teammates.

O'Neal Jr. covered the basket, Li Ao assisted in defense, and Matt Halprin also did a good job in switching defenses.

But Billups had outstanding vision and found a gap to pass the ball to Ray Allen.

Ray Allen caught the ball and used Ben Wallace's pick-and-roll. Faced with Gerald Wallace, he switched defenses and faked a breakthrough to shake the opponent away. He took off and hit the mid-range shot!

Li Ao's mouth twitched, these two words Pistons and offense were actually connected together!
Li Ao didn't go to the game alone last night. His father, Vivian, and the team's Gentry, Jordan, and Odom also went.

After watching the game, when they went to the coffee shop to discuss the game, what they talked about most was not how strong the Pistons' perimeter group was, but how the Pistons had turned into an offensive team!
It's not that the Pistons don't defend well enough and don't pay attention to defense, but that when they encounter problems, they give priority to using offense to solve the problem.

And the style of play changes quickly and well!
Some coaches need a lineup that perfectly suits his tactics in order to coach well.

Some coaches adjust tactics based on the actual lineup, or even change the entire system, and still manage to coach well.

Carlisle clearly belongs to the latter.

Several people were thankful that the three-way deal between the Pistons, Bucks, and Magic took long enough and was only completed in August. By that time, all the high-quality role players inside had been snatched away.

Otherwise, with Joe Dumars' popularity, it won't be a problem to find a few good inside substitutes.

When the Pistons acquired Ray Allen, teams with meat-shield centers were all open to the Pistons. The Pistons' internal signings failed to be completed at the same time as the introduction of Ray Allen.

After testing for two rounds, Li Ao understood how Kobe felt last night.

The three guys on the outside of the Pistons, Artest cuts in and compresses the defense, Ray Allen responds, and Billups plays the main attack. Their playing styles are adapted and their abilities are outstanding. With Ben Wallace's screen, they are impossible to defend!

Then let’s face it!
As the game progressed, the fans at the scene and in front of the TV were shocked.

Clippers and Pistons, when these two team names are put together, the first reaction of fans is - can the total score in the game exceed 150 points?

Unexpectedly, the two teams actually fought an offensive battle!

It's not that the two teams didn't defend. On the contrary, both teams were trying their best to defend, but they couldn't.

After playing against each other a few more times and becoming familiar with the opponent's style of play, the situation may be different.

The Pistons rebuilt their core lineup and their style of play changed drastically. They have only played two games in the new season. The Clippers have no reference for the defensive end, so it is very difficult to defend; it is not easy for the Pistons to defend. The Clippers defend against the Pistons. Terminal defects are exploited very well.

The two teams defended actively, which played a role in making the opponent's offensive end more varied... and the game became more interesting. It was purely a coincidence.

Halfway through the first quarter, the score between the two teams was 19 to 18. The Pistons led the Clippers by 1 point and entered the official timeout.

...

In the first half of the quarter, the five young players of the Clippers were beaten to the point of numbness, and the outside stars of the Pistons were also uncomfortable. In this half of the quarter, except for Carlisle, who replaced Okur with Rebrasha after playing 5 minutes, the other four players They didn't dare to move.

Li Ao was able to maintain the stability of his offensive actions when playing alone against Artest. Carlisle felt numb when he thought of that scene.Artest is shorter than Li Ao and weighs more than Li Ao. He is still a strong man, but he does not have much advantage in terms of strength!
The wild physical fitness of Gerald Wallace, who was born in the Trojans, also left a deep impression on Carlisle.

However, Carlisle expected Artest to be unable to guard against Li Ao's singles.

Artest is still young and will turn 10 in 23 days. According to team doctors and trainers, Artest still has more than 10 pounds of room to increase his weight without affecting his mobility and flexibility. He has potential on the defensive end. Still big.

Gerald Wallace's ability to stick close to Artest and attack the frame is not the reason why the Pistons did not have an advantage.

Carlisle's eyes were on the opposite point guard - this player was the guarantee for the continuity of the Clippers' firepower in the first half of the quarter.

He noticed Bibby's performance in the playoffs last season. This player's performance did not fluctuate much when playing against the Jazz, Lakers, Kings, and Magic!

It's the same tonight. Billups' defense is much better than the point guards of those teams, but Bibby's performance is still stable.

It's easy to say that you should do your job well and don't do unnecessary things, but there are only a handful of players who can do it!

At the end of the offseason, the Clippers renewed Bibby's contract with a five-year, $5 million contract, which was met with many doubts, because Bibby only averaged 5000 points and 12 assists per game in the regular season last season. In the playoffs, he was better. Averaged 6 points and 15 assists per game.

It's true that the Jazz made a high bid first and raised Bibby's market price, but the media and fans felt that it was a double evil. After losing to Jordan again, the Jazz management wanted to punish the Clippers. Agree with this price.

Carlisle thinks Bibby is worth the salary. If Billups is not introduced, he will definitely suggest Joe Dumars to increase money to grab people.

Looking away, Carlisle's expression became solemn. He originally thought that their team's perimeter substitute lineup was the strongest in the league.

After the introduction of Billups and Ray Allen, their two starting guards last season, Atkins and Michael Curry, became substitutes, plus Collis Williams, Jon Barry, Huber Te Davis...If you want to attack, you have to attack, if you want to defend, you have to defend, who else!
Carlisle replaced Billups, Michael Curry, Artest, Ben Wallace, and Danny Manning.

The Pistons' four core players were supposed to lead the team in pairs after entering the rotation, and this was the case even against the Lakers.

But Carlisle didn't dare to make substitutions like that tonight, so he felt at ease only if he kept at least 3 players.

Looking at Yalic, Li Ao, Jordan, Odom, Jaylon Collins on the opposite side...the damn Clippers actually let Jordan come on the bench!
Fortunately, Billups, Ray Allen, and Ben Wallace are all in their prime, and Artest is young and strong. Back-to-back games have little impact on their physical strength. Only then did Carlisle dare to face the fast team with a terrifyingly deep lineup. The fleet rotates like this.

Pause back, and the game continues.

As Carlisle thought, Jordan playing as a substitute, even if he is almost 40 years old, is like a dimensionality reduction blow.

Jordan plays the main offense, Odom instigates the triangle offense, Yaric transfers, Li Ao supports, and Jaylon Collins eats the cake. The Clippers' triangle offense is stronger than last season!
Carlisle: My family, who knows? A rookie of the Clippers plays like Ron Harper in the triangle offense.

Good defense, accurate passing, outstanding tactical skills, and high confidence...

Looking at Yalic's outstanding performance in the team's offense, Carlisle had the same feeling as Zen Master a few days ago - the Clippers are also very lucky.

In 2000, a player was selected at random in the second round. It was really a random selection. After the first round of the selection that year, each team did not know who to select in the second round. Most teams were based on the draft prediction list given by the media. Ranked in order...the Clippers drafted the world champion.

The best sixth men this year are all players who average 10 to 15 points per game. They are very strong on the bench, but they are still in the bench category.

When Jordan is physically strong, his scoring ability is the best among starters and even stars.

Carlisle has attached great importance to it. With three of the four major stars left, the Pistons still couldn't beat the Clippers in this half of the quarter.

In terms of offensive firepower, the Clippers' lineup is even stronger than the starting lineup!

As for the Pistons, Ray Allen was replaced. Although their offensive firepower is still strong, it is not as strong as the starting lineup facing the Clippers' stronger defense.

快船队轰出了半节20比16的比分，首节打完，快船队以38比35反超活塞队3分进入节间休息！
...

The Clippers and Pistons scored more than 70 points in total after the first quarter. Not to mention the fans saying it was incredible, the veteran players of the two teams were a little confused when they saw the score after entering the intersection break.

They played against each other last season, and it would be nice to have this score in halftime.

Billups and Ray Allen didn't think there was anything wrong. They couldn't guard against it, so the scores were naturally high.

Billups was the super sixth man when the Timberwolves scored wildly and performed as a top team last season. Ray Allen has always played offensive basketball with the Bucks.

Ray Allen is the Pistons' leading scorer and Billups is the second leading scorer. If they don't mess up, their teammates' offense will not mess up.

After experiencing the championship journey last season, the young players of the Clippers have learned to stay calm no matter what situation they encounter. If they play too many games, they will inevitably encounter situations that exceed their expectations. What they need to do at this time is to go smoothly. Take advantage of the current game situation and maximize your advantages.

After the interval, the Clippers and Pistons continued their battle.

The Clippers pursued the victory and scored 10-7 at the beginning of the second quarter, extending their lead to 6 points, leading 48-42.

At this time, Ray Allen stepped forward and broke through to beat O'Neal 2+1 to stabilize the situation.

In the middle of the second quarter, the two teams entered the anxious stage. Billups scored 6 points during this period, and Bibby scored 7 points. Neither of them allowed the other team to lead the team to an advantage in the anxious stage.

At 8 minutes and 22 seconds of the second quarter, Li Ao hit a fadeaway jumper against Artest's defense, starting a surge of points. He scored 4 goals in a row and scored 9 points. He went on a 9-4 run and beat the Clippers. After being chased down to only 1 point, the lead was re-opened to 6 points.

Seeing that the Clippers were about to take a clear lead in the half, Ray Allen stepped forward and hit two three-pointers. Billups took advantage of Ray Allen's containment. , fed Ben Wallace two cakes in a row, and beat the Clippers 10-5...

第二节比分34比36，快船队以72比71领先活塞队1分结束上半场。

After halftime, Carlisle walked out of the tunnel with a solemn look.

I had a slight advantage in the second quarter, but he didn't feel that I had the advantage.

The same goes for Billups and Ray Allen, who are on the court with Collis Williams, Okur, and Ray Brascha.

The forward pair of Artest and Ben Wallace played the entire first half and were the key to their advantage in the second quarter, even more important than the soaring backcourt duo, but now it's time to rest.

On the opposite side... the combination of Bibby, Li Ao, Jordan, Matt Halprin, and O'Neal Jr. came on the court.

This is the Clippers' championship lineup last season!
The Clippers had two main lineups in the first half. In the eyes of Billups and Ray Allen, those two lineups were not as strong as this one!

At the beginning of the third quarter, Billups singled out Bibby and made a mid-range shot from the free throw line.

During the transition between offense and defense, Li Ao caught the ball in the high post and turned around to drive past Collis Williams, rush into the paint, leap high, and smash the ball into the basket through Rebrasha!

The attack continues!

(End of this chapter)