The Basketball Court Swordsman

Indiana Pacers, the first team in the league to break the Bulls with 72 wins. After the "oK combination" of the Los Angeles Lakers, the first team that can establish a three-game dynasty in the league. It is no exaggeration to say that the Indiana Pacers have been the face of the NBA in the past few years.

The Golden State Warriors, the second team in the league to achieve 73 wins in a single season, their style of play even changed the league's playing style, making the NBA officially enter the "small ball era." The year before last he won the first NBA championship in team history with a devastating offensive, and won 73 wins last season. After Durant announced his joining this season, people are also more optimistic that the Warriors can win the cup again after a year.

These two teams almost represent the highest level of the NBA in the past five years. Although LeBron James had won the championship and spoiled the game when he was 1 to 3 behind, people still think that this is an era of Pacers and Warriors.

But it is these two teams that have dominated the league for nearly five years, but they have never played in the playoffs. This situation is also very rare. Because the peak period of the two teams happened to be staggered in just 5 years.

During the Pacers' three consecutive championships, the Warriors were still a youth army that was not valued by people. At that time, Monta Ellis was far more famous than Curry. Green? Thompson? Under Mark Jackson, they are not yet glowing.

In the two years that the Warriors ruled the league, the Pacers were in disintegration and chaos. Jimmy Butler, Kawai Leonard, Al Horford, Ray Allen... the former champions have left one after another. Of course, the most important thing is that Henson Joe, the basketball godfather of Indianapolis, chose to retire.

Therefore, in the past two years, fans have discussed the most issues. If the Pacers are still at their peak and playing the Finals with the Warriors at this time, what will it be like?

But now, all this is really coming.

Since Henson returned from Chicago, he immediately devoted himself to preparing for the Warriors. A team that can reach the Finals 4-0 from the fiercely competitive West in three rounds is not at the same level as any opponent Henson has encountered in the past.

"Any previous opponent" here is not just those opponents that Henson eliminated this year. Henson even believes that his opponents during the last three consecutive championships may not be as strong as the Warriors.

Take a look, the Warriors have two MVP-level players, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson, the league's top offensive player. At the same time, he also has the most popular FMVP Andre Iguodala, and one of the core of the Warriors, Draymond Green, who can bring great contributions to the team on both ends of the offense and defense.

The luxury of the Warriors lineup is indeed beyond the reach of many teams. What's more, the Warriors also have a complete offensive and defensive system while ensuring a luxurious lineup. And everyone in the warrior formation can be perfectly integrated into this system.

In fact, this is the scariest part of the Warriors. They can combine team basketball with extreme personal abilities.

The Heat and Spurs who lost to Henson in the past have very distinct characteristics. The Heat have the most personally capable superstars, but the running-in between the Big Three and other role players is not a system. Spoelstra has not yet built the Heat into a whole.

More often, the Heat will end up depending on the personal abilities of the Big Three. As long as the Big Three are contained, the Heat will be basically misfired.

And Popovich's Spurs, although they are very integrated, must admit that the gDP at that time was not at the peak of individual ability. In the Spurs formation, there is no player who can kill the game on his own.

And this year's Golden State Warriors are more like a combination of the two. So watching the Warriors game video in the office, Henson had a headache.

In the regular season, he only played against the Warriors twice. The first time I was beaten and cried, and the second time I was enlightened by Sager, he gritted his teeth and won. The regular season record was 1 win and 1 loss against the Warriors.

But just two fights were not enough for Henson to fully understand the Warriors. Therefore, Henson needs to make adjustments while trying and making mistakes in the finals.

The last championship in the three-game winning streak, the Pacers are very easy to play against the Spurs or the Heat. Of course, this is the reason for the increase in the strength of the Pacers players, but on the other hand, it also shows that Henson is already very familiar with how to contain the Heat and Spurs. He can find a way to contain both without trial and error in the finals.

But this year is different. Henson must have played before knowing how to deal with the Warriors. Therefore, this time he will definitely lose some games in the finals. Similarly, the Warriors can only deal with the Pacers by trial and error. Look now, who can be the first to stop making mistakes.

"Henson, offense or defense?"

After Becky Harmon made a sound, Henson finally pulled out of his thoughts. Only then did he remember that his two assistant coaches were still sitting in the office.

"Defense!" Henson replied firmly, "Unless the brain is sick, otherwise we cannot play against a team that has both Curry and Durant. We must start with defense and destroy with aggression. They then wait for the opportunity to fight back. As for how to play this counterattack..."

"Continue to use rapid transmission?" McMillan put forward his own guess, but it was quickly denied by Henson.

"Trust me, the Golden State Warriors will cut off all our passing routes. People have always thought that the Warriors can win because of three-pointers, but that's only one of the conditions. The Warriors can win because they defend well. So, Don't expect to be able to play an easy fast break in front of the Warriors."

"What about then?"

"We need to have a player who can hold the ball and advance and then play alone, just like the Cleveland Cavaliers, four shooters open, and at the same time create a single opportunity for one person. This person must have strong singles ability, breakthrough lethality, and can run fast. attack."

When Henson finished speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up. How did Stevens teach him? Learn from other people's good tactics, and then improve them. The most classic example is that Henson used the elevator door tactics to create a lore, which defeated the Warriors who were coached by Mark Jackson.

Tomorrow, Henson will try the Cavaliers' "one star and four shot" style of play. The Warriors of last season were defeated by "One Star and Four Shots."

Be tough on the defensive end, then keep everything simple on the offensive end, and score efficiently while containing the opponent's scoring. This is Henson's strategy!

"So, who are you going to make Indianapolis' LeBron James?" McMillan asked curiously.

"Of course it is the player who makes James the most troublesome to play LeBron James." Henson smiled, and the afternoon's confrontational training has a theme.

Who is the Pacers player that James has the most headache? "League No. 1 James" Lance Stephenson must be on this list.

But if Henson's brain is not broken, Stephenson will certainly not be allowed to play James. After all, Stephenson has so many abilities. Let him play singles with the ball and four shooters away, and the Warriors estimate that they can take away the victory in only half of the game.

In addition to Stephenson, the second name to be on the list is undoubtedly Antetokounmpo.

In the just-concluded Eastern Conference Finals, picking out Antetokounmpo's blocking of James was enough to make a highlight.

Antetokounmpo just signed a 100 million yuan contract this summer, and he took the initiative to cut his salary. So there is no doubt that he is very sincere to the Pacers, and he is definitely willing to do his best for the Pacers in the playoffs.

Therefore, in the afternoon training, Antetokounmpo and the players received another strange task.

"I don't want to play any complicated offensive tactics, because in the game on June 1, you have to defend first. Lance, tell them what is meant by aggressive defense!"

As Henson said, Stephenson rubbed his hands impatiently. In training later, he will not be merciful.

"In addition to defense, our task is to attack quickly. After getting the basketball, hand the ball to Antetokounmpo as soon as possible."

At this point, everyone else scratched their heads. Shouldn't the ball be handed over to Paul for the first time?

Henson did not explain too much, so he implemented his plan. In fact, Henson's plan is not limited to this game, but has already looked at the entire playoffs. The first game and one star are just the first step of the plan.

Henson has not forgotten that he also possesses a "professional proficiency" skill, which has the effect of greatly improving a certain attribute of the player and lasting a game.

With his own strategy and the role of this skill, Henson believes that he will definitely be able to take the initiative in the finals!

After training in the afternoon, a piece of news about Draymond Green was posted on the Internet.

"I will make them regret it. This is absolute," Green said. "I think that is disrespect for me. I regard that as disrespect for me. Don't expect to attack the best defensive player to win the game. If Henson did that, he would look down on me. And I will make him regret it with actions."

Green’s remarks came from a reporter’s question: "In the last second before the end of the game, if the Pacers chose to attack you, how would you react?"

After watching this news and seeing Antetokounmpo's excellent state, Henson smiled slightly.

Then Mr. Draymond Green, in the first game of the series, I'll take you.