Champion, please stay!

Chapter 248, Section 246: The Rose with Thorns

The Grizzlies fielded a starting lineup of Rose, Ronnie Brewer, Gay, Marion, and Gasol.

The Knicks fielded a starting lineup of Duhon, Curry, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Chandler.

In the second game after Chandler joined, Ben Wallace should have been on the bench. Against the opponent's second unit, Wallace's defensive contribution was definitely stronger in most cases than against the opponent's starting lineup.

But the transition between generations needs a catalyst. We have to give the veterans face. Ben Wallace plays diligently and often mentors young interior defenders.

Tonight is a great opportunity. Marc Gasol is too tall, and Ben Wallace is at a disadvantage in terms of height. He will most likely be hit by a hook shot while sitting down. Chandler has officially become the Knicks' starting center.

At 8 p.m., the game started, and Yi Shui finally didn't have to jump the ball.

But Chandler was a little too excited in his first start for the Knicks and committed a jump violation... The Grizzlies went first!

Gay asked for the ball, and Rose gave him face, letting Gay take on his junior... His one-on-one fadeaway jumper missed, and David Lee secured the defensive rebound.

Curry received the ball and advanced to the frontcourt, initiating a pick-and-roll offense with Chandler... The pick-and-roll offense didn't go well, and Gay came out to defend the pick-and-roll, while Gasol switched to defend David Lee.

Gay's dislike of physical defense made him surprisingly effective at switching on Curry. He covered the shooting space, didn't blindly push forward, didn't jump easily, and was fast enough to keep up with Curry's pace.

Curry's tempo-based style of play is unusually ineffective against physically strong defensive players!
Curry didn't force a shot; instead, he drove to the right side of the free-throw line, pulled back out, and passed to Yi Shui, who was running from the right baseline around the basket.

Marion stuck to Yi Shui tightly. Yi Shui received the ball, turned and took a step back. Marion was knocked back and quickly pressed forward. Yi Shui seized the rhythm difference, turned and rushed forward... and was caught in a double-team by Marion and Ronnie Brewer.

Gasol moved to the center of the three-second zone, steadily holding off Chandler's cut-in while also covering the space on the left side of Yi Shuichuan's pass.

Yi Shui made a decisive move, grabbed the ball, and threw it while being sandwiched between Ronnie Brewer and Marion!
This time, he relied on his upper body and core strength to make the shot. The ball flew out with little arc, straight to the front of the basket, and then fell... into the basket!
The boos from the crowd suddenly stopped. The Grizzlies fans had no complaints about this shot. Marion and Brewer had definitely defended it well. Yi Shui's jump was even affected, but he still made the shot. It was purely due to his individual ability!

During the transition between offense and defense, the fans in the arena immediately went wild when they saw Rose receive the serve and advance the ball.

They have roses!
In an effort to defend Rose, D'Antoni specifically replaced Hughes in the starting lineup with Duhon, but Duhon's defense was largely ineffective against Rose's crossover dribble, allowing Rose to penetrate the paint.

Yi Shui stepped up, and Ross changed direction at high speed while moving, dodging Yi Shui and suddenly closing in.

Facing Chandler's help defense, Rose stopped in his tracks, took a step to the right to avoid Chandler, and jumped off his right foot to score a layup off the backboard!
Now it was Yi Shui's turn to be in a bind.

A year has passed, and the rose has transformed!

Last season, Rose was in his rookie year and was already very good by the end of the season, but he was still considered a 'rookie'. During the offseason, some media outlets did a 'ranking of the greatest rookies of the new century'. In the fan vote for the rookie guards, Rose ranked third, after Roy and Paul, with Wade fourth and Ben Gordon fifth.

By the end of his sophomore season, Rose had become an absolute All-Star, and possibly the third strongest offensive player after Kobe and Wade!
He possesses the same straight-line speed as Westbrook and James, but unlike them, his movements are not monotonous. Instead, he combines that straight-line speed with the ability to change direction during drives, similar to Wade and Paul!
However... when Yi Shui picked up the ball to serve, his gaze subconsciously drifted to Rose's legs as he retreated to defend.

The wear and tear from this playing style is so intense, even Paul wouldn't be this ruthless, let alone Wade.
When it was the Knicks' turn to attack, Curry continued to set a pick-and-roll, this time targeting David Lee.

As Curry expected, Gay was the one who came out to defend the pick-and-roll again. He immediately passed the ball after the screen to Yi Shui, who had moved to the free-throw line.

David Lee drove to the left, pressing Ronnie Brewer, while Curry pulled Gay to the right!

This time, Curry didn't initiate the offense with a pick-and-roll, but rather with a high-post pass and cut!

Yi Shui turned and threw the ball a step outside the free throw line. David Lee cut to the left side of the three-second zone to receive the ball and successfully drew Marc Gasol out of the restricted area, but!

After Yi Shui passed the ball, Marion immediately retreated to the right side of the restricted area and blocked Chandler who was cutting to the basket. David Lee's shooting space was blocked by Gasol, he couldn't drive to the basket, and his pass to the basket was intercepted by Marion. When he tried to pass back to the high post, Yi Shui was blocked by Ronnie Brewer who switched to guard him and didn't have a chance to receive the ball for a moment. Rose then came from the left corner to double-team and steal the ball...

David Lee had no choice but to pull himself up to the baseline and take a fadeaway jumper over Marc Gasol's interference... but it missed!
Fortunately, the situation turned around. Rose passed the ball to draw a double team, and Gay cut in to receive the pass but didn't attack the basket. Instead, he took a close-range floater, which missed.

The Knicks continued to try team offense. When pick-and-roll drives and high-post pick-and-rolls weren't working, they resorted to drives and dishes, plus sideline passes after wing screens...

As a run-and-gun team, the Knicks' primary goal at the start of the season is undoubtedly to get the team offense going, then speed up the pace and unleash a fast-paced whirlwind.

But after a few rounds of probing, the Knicks called a timeout.

Four minutes in, the Knicks trailed by 3 points, 6-9!
...

During the timeout, Yi Shui returned to the bench, feeling incredibly nervous.

Although he knew before the game that it would be tough, Yi Shui only truly understood why so many star players complained that they least wanted to play against the Grizzlies after facing them in person.

There wasn't a single Western Conference team in sight!

Both the Jazz and the Spurs have abandoned their purely defensive style of play in recent years.

After being crushed 1-4 by the Spurs in the 07 Western Conference Finals, the Jazz realized that simply relying on defense would not win them a championship. They also realized that there were stronger teams in the West who could play that style of play. So they started to adjust their style of play and became a pick-and-roll, drive-and-dish, pass-and-cut team.

After being defeated 4-1 by Kobe in the 08 Western Conference Finals and failing to defend their title once again, the Spurs abandoned their pure defense and relentless attacking style of play against Duncan. In the past two years, they have gradually adjusted and started an integrated offensive and defensive process with Duncan as the axis, Parker initiating the offense, and Ginobili responsible for the one-on-one plays in star duels.

Both of these traditionally tough Western Conference powerhouses have chosen to follow the trend of the times and embrace offense.

Not to mention Western teams, even Eastern teams have begun the process of 'moving away from pure iron-blooded style'.

The Hawks slowed down the pace and broke down the defense, but their wins also relied on that clumsy Princeton offense.

The Magic are a shooting team, and their defense relies on Howard to carry the system.
The Pacers also won by relying on their two star forwards who combined for 45 points per game; defense was just an aid to their offensive capabilities.

The Cavaliers, needless to say, focused on defense in previous years without achieving results, and this season they have been seeking a balanced offense and defense.
The Celtics, due to Garnett's serious injury and severe offensive decline, have been forced to move towards a purely defensive team. Rivers is also trying to rebuild the offensive system around Rondo, although it's only at the stage of having the idea, the intention is there...

The Grizzlies, a rising powerhouse in the West, have opted for a counter-trend, purely physical style of play!

Ronnie Brewer, Gay, and Marion, three players who are 201 cm tall, rotate endlessly between positions 2-4;

Center Marc Gasol has top-notch rim protection ability. Although his mobility is relatively poor, his lateral and vertical coverage area is extremely large. He can intercept and block the middle lane by standing in the three-second zone.

When Rose arrived in the NBA, although he no longer had the same defensive ability as he did in the NCAA, he still had good physical attributes and played directly under a defensive coach, so he maintained his defensive habits.

Under Lionel Hollins' defensive system, these players displayed a defensive style similar to a combination of the Celtics and the Magic, with strong rim protection and extremely quick perimeter help defense.

In the opening possessions, the Knicks' teamwork failed to connect, the ball was constantly forced to stop, and their fast breaks were also ineffective. The Grizzlies' 2-4 positions were very strong at blocking, keeping the pace firmly under control.

The Grizzlies started strong, shooting 3-for-7. The Knicks secured all the defensive rebounds, but only scored on a fast break when Yi Shui drove into the paint and forced a layup against the retreating Gasol!
After the timeout, the Knicks brought in a lineup of Curry, Webster, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Ben Wallace. Facing offensive difficulties, D'Antoni's response was naturally to adjust their offensive tactics and switch to a different approach.

Yi Shui certainly supports the head coach's choice, after all, their defense is just so-so, and there is no way to start with defense.

However, the effect of this adjustment... can be said to be nonexistent.

The Knicks improved their scoring, but not because they played their tactics better. It was simply because they gradually adapted to the Grizzlies' fast double-teaming and help defense at positions 1-4, making their passes less hasty and their shots more decisive.

They didn't do a good job of creating good shooting opportunities using tactics.

There will be open shots, but when Duhon and David Lee get long two-point shooting opportunities, they don't really count as opportunities.

Webster, with his slow footwork and poor ability to attack the basket, and Ben Wallace, whose offensive ability is zero, both failed to capitalize on opportunities to rush up and take on guards one-on-one.

In the last 8 minutes of the first quarter, the Knicks only scored 16 points.

The Knicks have had instances of low first-quarter scoring before, but that's usually due to a bad shooting night, a high turnover rate, or a tight schedule that prevents them from getting into the game. This is the first time this season that they've been so tightly guarded and unable to execute their tactics!
好在灰熊队的进攻表现也一般，罗斯5投3中、加上3中3的罚球拿到9分，全队也只有25分，低于尼克斯队首节场均失分。

The Knicks trailed the Grizzlies 22-25 going into the break.

...

The players were thoroughly exhausted by the Grizzlies, and the Knicks coaching staff was also annoyed.

D'Antoni never expected the Grizzlies' defense to be this 'pure'!
He had a good plan before the game: to use tactical coordination to move the opponent's defense around and gradually increase the pace. However, in reality, their rhythm was taken away by the opponent, and their role players were forced to receive the ball in unsuitable positions.

Yi Shui scored 4 out of 6 points in the first 4 minutes, and 7 out of 16 points in the next 8 minutes. Without Yi Shui's 11 points, it would have been a disastrous start.

Another point that gives D'Antoni a headache is Rose.

When their offense faltered, they played their defense very hard, holding the rest of the Grizzlies to just 6 of 15 shots, which was quite good.

But Rose's drives were beyond what their backcourt and rim protection could handle.

Chandler, Ben Wallace, Gibson, Anderson, and even Yi Shui, all focused on 'filling' the rim, and none of them were truly qualified 'carrying' players.

David Lee was quite effective against the straightforward styles of James and Westbrook.

Against players like Wade and Rose, they can only serve to occupy space.

While the players were wiping their sweat and drinking water, D'Antoni's mind raced, but he couldn't come up with a good solution.

If he had Nash and Yi Shui, he wouldn't have to worry about anything, but he only has Curry... Curry is good too, but he's still too inexperienced.

D'Antoni plans to use a regular rotation and stall for time, since the point difference won't widen anytime soon, and he can think things through slowly.

At this moment, a player number 13, who wished to remain anonymous, came to his side and said a few words.

D'Antoni was taken aback and asked, "You're confident?"

Yi Shui shook her head: "No, the rose has grown thorns, it's not so easy to pick it."

D'Antoni was about to refuse. With his extensive coaching experience, he knew that if you don't have confidence in making adjustments, it's best not to. He had seen countless times how blindly making adjustments could lead to a sudden collapse of the team, and he had also experienced it himself.

Yi Shui continued, "But it's not a loss to give it a try. It's just the regular season... If you succeed, it's yours; if you lose, it's on me."

Mustache: Okay...so direct! As expected of you, Yi, you're so cool.

Someone took the blame. D'Antoni didn't stick to his own opinion, mainly because the person who proposed the idea was Yi Shui, and it was hard to refuse. Moreover, Yi Shui often handled things well on the spot.

He called the team members together, rotated the lineup according to Yi Shui's ideas, and after thinking for a while, simply handed the tactics board to Yi Shui.

Yi Shui didn't refuse. After taking the tactical board, he asked Curry, "Are you confident you can score over Rose?"

Curry replied without hesitation, "Of course... but they don't need Rose to guard me."

Yi Shui: "It's okay, you should learn from James..."

...

The Knicks brought in a lineup of Curry, Webster, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Chandler.

The Grizzlies brought in a lineup of Rose, Gay, Sam Young, Marion, and O'Neal.

The Knicks' three All-Stars played the entire first quarter and continued playing into the second, and the Grizzlies did the same, with their core offensive lineup of Rose, Gay, and Marion also not getting a rest.

The second quarter began with the Knicks on offense.

Curry was attacking with the ball, and the defender guarding him was still not Rose, but Gay. Rose switched to guard Webster, Sam Young guarded David Lee, and Marion continued to harass Yi Shui.

Curry beckoned for a screen, and Sam Young prepared to switch, but David Lee didn't come out!
Webster led Rose to block Gay, and after breaking up the defense, Webster ran to the sideline and took Gay away.

Curry one-on-one against Rose!

When a primary school student says they're not afraid of roses, they really aren't!
Facing Rose's relentless and tight defense, Curry finally unleashed his rhythmic isolation play, faking a move to the left wing before driving to the high post and pulling up for a long two-pointer... and it went in!
Rose was frustrated by the defense. He could defend Duhon and Chalmers with ease, but defending Curry was like Westbrook playing with Curry every time!

In the transition between offense and defense, Rose received the free throw and aggressively pushed the ball forward.

If you can't stop Curry, then destroy him!

With Duhon, Chalmers, and Hughes all out on the opposing team, it's impossible to defend against him with Webster, who has mobility like an old man!

But as Rose advanced to the center circle, he was so surprised to see the opposing team's well-positioned defensive formation that he stopped in his tracks for a moment.

The player guarding the top arc on the other side wasn't Curry, but Yi Shui!

(End of this chapter)