NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 160 Pick-and-roll and jump shot (6000-word chapter)
In the first week of the new season, although the Knicks won all 4 games, their performance was quite satisfactory.

This is related to the fact that the opponents are not strong, and another part of the reason is that some teams seem to be more aggressive in offense.

Facing the Pistons, the Bucks scored 121 offensive points. On the same day, the Mavericks also beat the Warriors 120:97 away from home.

New York fans thought that Li You would easily win the Best of the Week. After all, his efficiency was too high, averaging 28.3 points per game and shooting 60.2% from the field!

As a result, after the NBA announced the Player of the Week for the first week, New York fans were silent.

In the three games in Week 1, the Bucks had 3 wins and 0 losses, and Sam Cassell successfully won the first Player of the Week.

场均29.0分2.7篮板9.0助攻1.3抢断3.3失误，投篮命中率为69.4%，三分球命中率为33.3%，罚球命中率为85.7%。

He averaged 33.7 minutes per game and played [-] minutes per game. This statistic really made many football critics dumbfounded.

Li You and Cassel played almost the same time, with slightly more rebounds and assists, but their efficiency was really not as good as that of the "Alien".

Cassel, who is not very good-looking, is always easily ignored by others. Winning the award this time can be regarded as a relief for himself.
On the night of November 11th, the Bucks challenged the Knicks away from home.

Also a team in the Three Musketeers mode, the Bucks, who had performed well since the start of the game, were suppressed at the start.

Larry Johnson looked a little depressed while sitting on the bench. When he woke up, his back was tense and his knees were sore. He had to sit out the game due to injury.

Three consecutive seasons of too many playoff games not only caused Ewing and Oakley to decline in physical condition, but Larry Johnson's condition this year is also very average.

Even after losing weight, "Auntie" still can't regain the form of the previous seasons, and even the post-up singles that she is good at in the low post have problems.

Madison Square Garden was still noisy, and Jeff Van Gundy stood on the sidelines with his arms folded.

Oakley's physical condition has declined, and the coaching staff has begun to consciously control the veteran's playing time.

At this time, there were 3 minutes and 36 seconds left in the second quarter. The Knicks got Rashard Lewis, and the coaching staff wanted to strengthen the offense.

The Bucks only scored 22 points in the first quarter, but in the second quarter, the opposite veteran Dale Ellis suddenly broke out and helped the Bucks score consecutive points.

At 43:50, relying on the advantage established by 33 points in the first quarter, the Knicks still maintained the lead.

Cassell was in average condition tonight. In the second quarter, he and Li You were on the same page and only returned to the court with 2 minutes and 4 seconds left in the half.

In the last round, the Bucks made a jump shot from beyond the three-point line. Under the shouts of coach George Karl, everyone in the Bucks quickly retreated.

It was difficult to score in the rotating lineup, and Li You was not in a hurry to attack after his appearance. Compared with previous seasons, the Bucks' defensive discipline is better, and Ray Allen has more shot rights.

Amid the cheers of the New York fans, Li You slowly moved across half court. Alan Houston slowly moved up from the left corner, but Kukqi immediately set up a high pick-and-roll for Li You.

The top of the arc was far away from the three-point line. Kukchi ran to the right side of Li You's body. When Glenn Robinson double-teamed Li You, who was holding the ball with his left hand, he quickly separated and moved to the right wing.

Facing the rapid double-teaming of Cassel and Robinson, Li You suddenly turned around after combining the ball, and then quickly threw the ball to the open Kukqi with his right hand.

The latter caught the ball without pausing, and immediately released the ball with his left hand and went straight to the basket. As a tall forward, Kukqi had a long stride and rushed to the paint area in two big steps.

As soon as Robert Traylor shrank toward the basket, Kukchi completed a pass from behind, and the basketball flew straight to the right corner. When Lewis received the ball, there was no one in front of him. He glanced for a while and made a three-pointer. A solid hit.

With smooth cooperation and beautiful assists, the New York fans cheered loudly for Kukchi.

The former Bulls' best sixth man is really not good at carrying the ball alone, but as an organization and support forward, he can perform brilliantly.

With Larry Johnson on hiatus, starting Kukqi has more opportunities to dominate the ball.

Head coach George Karl immediately requested a timeout and stood on the sidelines with a serious expression, obviously very dissatisfied with the defense in this round.

Li You, who was walking to the bench, high-fived Kukqi by the way, smiled and simply praised:

"Beautiful pass! You can also make open jump shots. Find your touch."

Kukic shook his head helplessly. After joining the Knicks, he shot poorly from open three-pointers in these games, hitting 4 of 0 in two consecutive games.

Unlike the Bulls, who usually attack in the low block, most of the Knicks' offense this year has been high pick-and-rolls.

If the insider who does not have the ability to attack independently wants to participate more in the offense, picking and rolling to eat the cake is a good choice.

“I’ll get used to it after playing a few more games!”

Looking at Jeff Van Gundy, Kukic finally responded in a low voice. Contrary to his expectations, the Knicks' offense was too "free."
After the timeout, the Bucks did not slow down the pace of the game. Cassel dribbled across the half court, and Glenn Robinson moved from the right corner to the right wing to receive the ball.

Swinging left and right, the moment he caught the ball, Robinson immediately released the ball with his right hand, broke through with a cross step, and went straight to the basket.

Kukchi slid a beat slower, and his position in the blocking area could not keep up with the opponent's rhythm. At this time, he simply adjusted his feet, rushed to the basket, and jumped to block the shot in advance.

Ben Wallace also quickly assisted in defense. With the two of them surrounded, even if his teammates were open, Robinson did not choose to pass the ball. Instead, he flashed in the air, dodged the defense and barely threw the ball to the basket.
The interference still worked. The basketball hit the basket. After landing, Ben Wallace took off a second time and grabbed the basketball that had just left the basket.

The Bucks had quickly retreated from defense at this time. Cassel no longer led the defense according to the coach's request, but quickly returned to the half court and took a position outside the three-point line in advance.

The Knicks' transition attack was also fast-paced. Lewis and Alan Houston immediately ran to the bottom corners on both sides, and Kukic also quickly moved to the left wing.

After Ben Wallace crossed the half court, he stood directly at the top of the arc. Cassel quickly moved again and stood in front of "Little Ben", ready to squeeze through the screen at any time.

Li You, who quickly rushed through the half court, did not suffer any delay. When his teammates had just settled down, he paused slightly outside the three-point line with the ball in his left hand, and then quickly pushed the ball to change direction.

After a drastic change of direction, Li You, who switched to his right hand, ignored Cassel who was sliding to defend, and the ball protector pulled away the opponent's left arm.

While taking advantage of the force again, Li You didn't slow down at all, flew close to the ground and went straight to the basket!
JR Reed, who was near the baseline on the right, discovered that Cassel had stumbled out of his defensive position and quickly retreated to the basket.

Before he had time to make a defensive move, JR Reed saw Li You, who was sprinting forward in three strides, already coming to the basket and dunking with one hand with his right hand!
"boom!"

The rim roared, showing the power of the dunk.

Watching Li You trotting all the way after completing the dunk, he returned to the half court in the blink of an eye. The two Bucks insiders looked at each other, and in the end they had no choice but to send a baseline kick.

Pick-and-roll, change of direction and acceleration, complete dunk, simple and crude offense, the visual impact is so strong that the New York cheers at the scene can't stop at all.

In the MSG commentary box, Walter Frazier looked at Li You, whose style has changed dramatically this season, and praised loudly:

"This is the secret to Lee's efficiency this season. The closer he is to the basket, the higher his shooting percentage. When the opponent defends his three-pointer, there will also be problems protecting the basket."

When the Bucks attacked, Ray Allen also rushed after receiving the ball. His 45-degree cut from the left wing caused a foul on Alan Houston, and he stood on the free throw line.

Commentator Mike Breen watched the Bucks' mutual back-and-forth offense without commenting too much:

"The Bucks' offensive pace has not slowed down in this quarter. It seems that the opponent's number of shots in this game has a chance to reach 85+."

If you want to play a high-scoring game, of course you must have fewer rounds. The Bucks' method of throwing the ball when they get it is a new attempt by head coach George Karl.

This year's offseason, Ray Allen did not return to Hartford, but invited his Bucks teammates to train together in Milwaukee.

It's a pity that Glenn Robinson didn't buy it at all and went to enjoy life, so Cassel followed suit.

Ray Allen, who made two free throws, also called on his teammates to get into position when he retreated. However, JR Reed, who was guarding the pick-and-roll this time, subconsciously chose to retreat to the defense.

At the top of the arc, Cassel failed to squeeze through Ben Wallace's screen immediately, and watched Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, succeed in a pull-up jumper at the three-point line.

At 45:58, the point difference suddenly widened to 13 points.

After making a mistake on the defensive end, head coach George Karl began to angrily yell at his players again. In the last few rounds of the half, the Bucks began to double-team again.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines looked a little helpless when he saw "Xiao Ben" spitting out cakes. His handwork at the basket was indeed a bit rough.

The two sides threw the ball at each other, and the result was a continuous strike. At the last moment, Li You picked up a long rebound in the frontcourt and assisted "Xiao Ben" to score in the second quarter, and the half game was completely over.

47:60, the point difference remains unchanged, both sides are somewhat dissatisfied with their performance.

The Knicks spit cake inside, and the Bucks missed the outside line and then threw it blindly. The content of the game was not exciting.

In the locker room, Artest, who has not played much time, is still full of energy:

"The opponent doesn't defend at all! We also have a chance to score 120 points tonight!"

Rashad Lewis nodded. The players on the bench were full of motivation and wanted to get more data.

Li You was a little troubled at this time. The quality of the cover was average and the inside offensive method was single. The Knicks had completely turned into a jump shooting team.

Pick-and-roll is also a technical job. Ben Wallace's screen quality fluctuates high and low. When encountering a team with good defensive discipline, it is very easy to be targeted.

Last season, there were still surprises, but with 82 regular season games this year, some routines will definitely fail.

Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff also knew this. The bald young coach returned to the locker room and repeatedly warned:
"Actively participating in the offense, we are already ahead. If there is an opportunity, we must be more decisive in ending it."

“Remember, everyone is responsible for scoring!”

With a big lead, the Knicks typically rotate more inside, with Jeff Van Gundy trying to find a lineup that is both offensive and defensive.

Rashard Lewis is effective on the offensive end, but has problems protecting the rim on the defensive end.

Artest actually likes to defend, but he is too motivated and always commits unnecessary fouls.

Kurt Thomas rebounded very well tonight, hitting open mid-range jumpers.

After trying it out for a while, Jeff Van Gundy found that Li You and Alan Houston were still the two who scored stably, while Kukic was the lubricant on the court, and the newbies were a bit unreliable.
The Knicks made frequent adjustments, the Bucks failed to seize the opportunity, and Cassel was no longer brave.At the end of the third quarter, Li You, who was passing the ball frequently, suddenly broke out. Taking advantage of the Bucks' single defense for several consecutive rounds, he succeeded in a quick single.

Head coach George Karl didn't care about the outcome of the game at this time, and shouted to Glenn Robinson to face Li You, and the Bucks also began to change the matchup.

Robinson, who just throws the ball when he gets it, performed very well in this quarter. On the offensive end, he faced Kuqi's defense and made a pull-up jumper.

After hearing the coach's instructions, Robinson began to defend Li You at halftime.

After a lot of pick-and-rolls, Ben Wallace finally found some sense. The quality of the screen at the top of the arc was very high, allowing Li You to shake off the opponent's pursuit with a dribble behind his back.

JR Reed learned his lesson and stepped forward immediately. Just as he moved his steps, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly changed direction with his hips. After lowering his center of gravity, he switched to his right hand and hit directly between the two of them.

Losing his defensive position again, JR Reed quickly turned around and hurriedly called on his teammates to help defend.

Li You suddenly slowed down when he broke through into the paint area and leaned towards JR Reed, who was accelerating and sliding. The latter subconsciously pulled and then quickly made a blocking action.

After jumping up, he realized something was wrong. Li You suddenly connected with the ball. After taking off with his right foot, he easily reached out and picked up the basket with his right hand holding the ball!

"Squeak! Swish!"

The referee immediately blew the whistle, and the basketball was thrown high into the net.

JR Reed subconsciously glanced at the position of Li You's ball, and then saw Traylor, who was assisting in defense, helplessly akimbo under the basket. He could only curse inwardly for a moment:
"Shet!"

JR Reed, who received his fourth foul, was substituted. The fans in the front row started to cheer loudly. The Bucks' two insiders were stunned.
Li You didn't care about scoring, but quickly pointed at Kuqi. There was a chance of mismatch in this round. The big striker should quickly post up the ball in the low post.

The score difference reached 16 points, and there was not much suspense in the game. Jeff Van Gundy simply hung up and discussed the lineup with the assistant coaches.

In the last quarter of the game, the main lineups of the two teams completely entered garbage time in less than 3 minutes.

Ray Allen was a little depressed after losing. When he met the Knicks, who had better defensive discipline, the team's offense failed.

Head coach George Karl's pie is no longer sweet. If he wants to become a championship team, he will probably not succeed just by relying on offense.
In the end, 95:116, the Knicks won the battle and handed the Bucks their first defeat of the season.

The high score made the New York fans cheer loudly. The hearty offense is indeed more beautiful than hand-to-hand fighting.

Alan Houston was in great form tonight, shooting 18 of 10, 6 of 2 from beyond the arc, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 26 points efficiently.

李佑17中10，三分线外6中3，罚球7中7，拿到30分6篮板8助攻1抢断1失误。

库克奇虽然三分球5中1，但最终却贡献了11分6篮板6助攻2失误1盖帽。

All the players on the field scored, and in a game with low defensive intensity, basically everyone worked bravely.

Most of the Knicks' iron-blooded defense disappeared. Although they won the game, Jeff Van Gundy didn't show a smile.

In the MSG commentary box, Walter Frazier noticed that the Knicks threw 26 three-pointers in one game.

Even though Li You's three-pointers were strictly guarded, the Knicks' three-pointer output has increased a lot compared to last season:

"Although there are still some problems on the defensive end, we can respond on the offensive end."

"Considering that the regular season has just begun and Oakley and Pat are still in the recovery period, I believe we will regain our defense in the following games."

Commentator Mike Breen looked at the technical statistics and could only give his blessing:

"Coach Van Gundy has made the Knicks play a different style of play, and the team will get better and better!"

"."

Ray Allen is competing with Glenn Robinson this season, both of them want to be the boss.

Ray Allen was very dissatisfied with the lazy Robinson. Fortunately, the conflict between the two was only between basketball, and head coach George Karl was also happy to see the competition between the players.

His friend flew to Charlotte overnight, and Li You could only send a text message to express his blessing. He couldn't help with the Bucks' internal relations.

In the second week of the game, the Knicks' schedule is relatively easy. After two days of rest, they will once again face back-to-back games.

After easily defeating the Celtics and Magic, they successfully won 7 consecutive victories!

After two away games, the Knicks didn't have a holiday over the weekend. Jeff Van Gundy decided to practice the team's defense and at least become a little tougher.
On the afternoon of the 13th, at the Tarrytown Training Center, assistant coach Thibodeau was dragging Artest into a little fuss. Most of the edited videos showed his unnecessary fouls.

"There is no need to steal the opponent. You have to trust your teammates. Defense is never one person's business. Many times what you need to do is to press the ball holder and send the opponent inside."

"Ben's defense is very fast. You need to communicate in time on the court. Ron, we hope you can take on more tasks."

Thibodeau's chicken soup has never been very good, and Artest didn't care. He just nodded when he heard the assistant coach's words.

For rookie players, the most important thing is playing time. If the defense can get more opportunities, Artest is also confident to squeeze into the rotation.

How to restore the iron-blooded defense of the past is a difficult problem for the coaching staff.

Neither Li You nor Alan Houston are excellent perimeter defenders. In the past, the Knicks relied more on quick rotations and flanking the opponent's core. However, the decline of Oakley and Larry Johnson has caused loopholes in the defensive system.

None of the new players are muscular players, and Ben Wallace and Kurt Thomas cannot support the entire defensive system.

Most of the training sessions were practicing offensive routines. Jeff Van Gundy also called timeouts continuously at this time and kept explaining the team's positioning.

After just running a few routines, the bald young marshal felt helpless. In his expectation, the quality of "Xiao Ben's" cover should be higher.

Taking advantage of the timeout to rest, Li You once again talked to "Xiao Ben" about the pick-and-roll:

"Ben, pay attention to the angle of the pick-and-roll and the timing of the pass. There is no need to open it too early. Your speed is not slow and you can easily receive some early passes."

"Facing some big men, your speed is faster, these are your advantages!"

During the Finals, Ben Wallace would split the ball early, then catch the ball and attack the frame quickly.

It's just that this kind of offensive routine can be used for two games in a series. After the start of the new season, most teams have already prepared, and the current routine is a bit out of order.

It is not difficult to restrict a forward, and "Xiao Ben" also discovered his own problems through these games.

Just listening to the pick-and-roll angle and the timing of the pass, Ben Hualai was a little confused. He played based on feeling. What Li You said was basically out of his consideration.

"Maybe if I just stand still during the pick-and-roll, would that be better?"

"You know, sometimes it's hard for me to finish around the basket."

Li You heard Ben Wallace's whispered suggestion, thought for a moment, looked at "Little Ben" who was scratching his head, and finally nodded helplessly. He had to eat one bite at a time. It was too late to make up for these basic things now.
Oakley and Ewing have been losing weight in the past half month.

The impact of too many rounds is more running. If the old guy wants to keep up with the rhythm of the game on the court, he must lose weight appropriately and strive to restore his physical condition.

Oakley's mentality is very good. Even though the outside world is saying that the Knicks' defense has dropped drastically, the old guy is still confident:

"It's just the regular season. Once we regain our physical condition, the team's defense will come back!"

"Pat, how are you feeling lately? The team doctor said he can play at the end of the month!"

After completing aerobic training, Oakley paid special attention to his old teammates, but Ewing was not as optimistic as his good friend. It was very difficult for him to lose weight:

"Perhaps the recovery period will be longer than I thought. It may take another two months to return to the original physical condition."

Looking at the troubled gorilla, Oakley realized the age of the other person, patted his shoulder, and the two stopped talking. Sometimes, you have to accept your own decline.

On November 11th, the Knicks challenged the Timberwolves away from home.

In this game, the Knicks' interior defense was completely penetrated for the first time in three seasons.

Faced with Kevin Garnett's repeated attacks, Oakley and Ben Hua did not withstand it, watching the other side grab and shoot, scoring points continuously.

Although Li You scored a game-high 40 points and Alan Houston also contributed 24 points, the rest of the team failed offensively and the Knicks suffered their first defeat of the season.

93:99, the big hole dug in the second quarter finally caused the Knicks to lose.

It was the first loss this season to a Western Conference team. Jeff Van Gundy looked a little ugly. The bald young coach knew that the boring media would start making sarcastic remarks again after the game.

There were only 11 turnovers in the whole game, and they took 8 more shots than the opponent. However, the free throws at 16:31 showed that the Knicks lacked aggressiveness in this game, and the shortcomings of the jump shooting team were completely exposed.

Smiling after winning, Kevin Garnett calls everyone "Bro" after the game!
Played 46 minutes, made 26 of 13, 4 of 2 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, scored the second-highest 35 points in the game, and also grabbed 14 rebounds.

Garnett, who has explosive athletic ability, let out a bad breath tonight and beat Oakley to death.

After defeating the defending champion, the fans of the Timberwolves did not leave the stadium at the end of the game and continued to cheer for the home team after the game.

"You can't beat me with a jump shot, Bro. Say hello to Oakley for me!"

The swollen Garnett hugged Li You and refused to let go. Oakley was in a bad mood. At this time, he would not go to the old guy to complain.

Li You was speechless. Most of Garnett's points in this game were jump shots. He also ate dumplings from outside the three-point line. He hit the opponent twice and simply joked:

"It's time to go back to New York next time we play. Believe me, you can win the championship with a jump shot!"

"."

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