Chapter 71 A flash of inspiration

Author: Feng Yuanhua

Chapter 71 A flash of inspiration

Looking at the bench, Paul Westphal felt helpless. Unexpectedly, the entire team could only rely on a rookie.

There is no way, offense is not the strength of the Sonics, and once Gary Payton is not in good condition, he will be nowhere to be found.

As for replacing Wen Baker?

Given the physical fitness of Nowin Baker, the score after 30 minutes seemed like someone was missing on the defensive end.

Without enough rest time, the offense also had problems.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Cedric took the lead and made another extremely skillful breakthrough and layup.

This guy is in really good shape today.

In the first quarter, he scored 6 points on 3 of 5 shots. Now he scored 2 more points. It was already the Mavericks' first scoring point today.

Wang Hao was not polite. When it was their turn to attack, he immediately started running.

Michael Finlay has been rested, and now he is guarded by Hubert Davis, a defender.

Could it be that facing a player with a worse performance, Wang Hao would naturally not miss the opportunity to take advantage of him.

He is not demanding three-pointers, but uses the threat from outside the three-point line to directly break through inside.

It was easy to push Hubert away and hit the board under the basket to score.

I have to say that Bradley is really tall, but his movements are also really slow.

Cedric continued to score breakthroughs, but with Wang Hao's appearance, the score was not widened.

After Hubert was bullied for several rounds, Nelson couldn't stand it anymore and simply replaced him with Michael Finley.

Michael Finley is also a physical monster and is said to be one of the players who played the most 48 minutes in the NBA.

When the main players of both sides returned, the point difference between the two sides remained at 12 points.

For the Mavericks, the main lineup has been adjusted, and Cedric, who has performed well, continues to play.

With the return of the main lineup, the problem has arisen again, and the Sonics' inside line continues to be exposed.

Nelson finally saw the problem and directly told Nowitzki not to enter the paint and just float outside.

In this case, Horace didn't dare to shrink back.

As a result, Cedric and Michael Finlay have gained a lot of opportunities.

Although Wang Hao's defense was effective, the defender was passive after all. Without the help of his teammates, he couldn't defend him at all.

Wen Baker: I really want to help, but I really can’t.

The only good news is that Vin Baker is in good offensive condition and has successfully cooperated with Gary Payton to maintain scoring.

If Wang Hao and Brent Barry hadn't each scored a three-pointer in the last few minutes, the point difference would have widened.

51:63

Although the 12-point difference is quite a lot, at least there is still a fight to be had. If it really widens to 20 points, it will be like clocking out in the third quarter.

In the Sonics locker room, Paul Westphal had a straight face and looked a little unhappy.

He didn't speak because he didn't know what to say.

The problem is big and obvious, but there is no way to solve it.

Strengthening interior defense is no problem, but the problem is Wen Baker's defense!

If Vin Baker is replaced, what will happen to the offense?

No matter what, as long as Vin Baker is on the court, even if he doesn't touch the ball, the Mavericks won't dare let him go.

"Being behind by 12 points at half-time is not a big deal, we still have a chance.

Gary, I need you to organize the team, pass the ball more, and score more.

As for defense, everyone should be more active, don’t let the opponent break through easily, and protect our basket.”

…

Nelson is indeed a well-known coach in the NBA, and he seems to have already guessed the Sonics' tactical adjustments.

Nash and Cedric were substituted early, and the Mavericks mainly used pick-and-roll tactics.

Moreover, Nowitzki was on the pick-and-roll. After this guy finished the pick-and-roll, he ran to the three-point line.

After the Mavericks defender broke through, he faced Vin Baker directly, and the fight was not easy.

"Wen, be active, you have to defend."

"I understand, Gary!"

Gary Payton was very unhappy with Vin Baker's defense. In his opinion, it was easy to defend him!

If he hadn't been in bad shape today and his shooting percentage wasn't high, he would have had to have a good talk with Wen Baker.

It's not like the Sonics didn't make adjustments, such as switching defensive targets between Vin Baker and Horace.

As a result, the slow-moving Nowitzki beat Wen Baker to pieces and was completely unable to defend him.

In this case, the only option is to replace it again.

However, you still can't guard what you should be guarding, and you can only watch your opponent score.

Although the Sonics can also score points, they can't defend them. What will happen no matter how many points they score?

At 7 minutes and 21 seconds into the third quarter, the game was paused again, and the score between the two sides was.

65:78

With a 13-point difference, once entering the fourth quarter, the chance was gone.

To put it bluntly, although there is still enough time, the problem is that if there is no solution, everything will be in vain.

Looking at the bench, Paul Westphal was full of helplessness, unwillingness, and resentment.

Resentment towards the team's senior management.

He has long said that there are problems with the current team lineup and more players need to be introduced.

The result is just one sentence, internal excavation, how to do this?

At this moment, Paul Westphal's eyes unconsciously glanced at Wang Hao, and a thought came into his mind.

Wasn't this something he discovered internally?

"Wang, in the second half, I need you to help defend more inside. Is there any problem?"

Paul Westphal's voice sounded, and everyone was stunned. Wang Hao helped defend the inside.

This is not impossible, because in previous training matches, he did have excellent defensive performance.

However, as the defensive leader in the starting lineup, Wang Hao often needs to face the opponent's offensive core.

In a one-on-one situation where the opponent is the core of the attack, how can he think about assisting in defense? He has too much time to take care of himself!

It was at this moment that Paul Westphal had an idea and seemed to have discovered something?

"But Michael Finlay?"

It is naturally a good thing for Wang Hao that he does not have to defend his opponent's offensive core one-on-one.

His defense is not bad, but it is limited by his method experience and physical deficiencies.

Apart from physical confrontation, he has no advantages in speed and jumping.

However, assisted defense can avoid these disadvantages.

The only problem is, what to do with Michael Finley, who is opposite him? Someone has to guard him!

"Don't worry, others will deal with Michael!"

"Then there will be no problem, I will protect the basket."

Paul Westphal did not delay and immediately asked the assistant coach to communicate with the technical desk and replaced Brent Barry with Ruben Patterson.

After hearing this arrangement, Ruben Patterson immediately cheered up and swore secretly in his heart.

"No matter what, we must guard against that guy!"

Reuben Patterson, as a new player who joined the SuperSonics this year, is actually very valued.

However, with the appearance of Wang Hao, everything changed.

Wang Haocong, a player who was almost undrafted, stepped up step by step and even became the team's starter.

At the beginning, Reuben Patterson regarded Wang Hao as his main competitor, and his attitude was not very friendly.

Until now, I can't even hope to match it.

Except for Reuben Patterson, no one else can feel the difference at all.

He cares about every appearance and every opportunity.
Chapter completed!