I’m Really Playing Basketball

May 27, 2007, Amway Arena, Orlando.

In the first two away games, the Magic, which has lost two consecutive games, returned to their home court and will play the most important game for them this season here.

Two consecutive losses at the start of the away game means that for the Magic, G3 is either life or death. If they win, they will have a chance to change their destiny. If they lose, it will definitely be GG.

In the last round, they gave the Heat such a situation. In the end, the Heat used the madness and desperation of Wade and Yao Ming to push this series to the end and reach the tiebreaker.

The last round of Heat was tragic.

The last round of Yao Ming and Wade was tragic.

When they advanced, they were also full of respect for the Heat and Wade Yao Ming.

However, they never imagined that they would repeat the mistakes of the Heat in this round.

Before the game, they were supposed to come here with an aircraft carrier.

But in this small ditch in Shanmao, the aircraft carrier they were driving was about to capsize.

Faced with such a situation, the entire Magic team is definitely unwilling to accept it.

After defeating the Heat, they enjoyed the praise and aura of the whole world. How long will it take to throw away all these auras?

This contrast is so great that no one is willing to accept it.

Therefore, for the Magic, as long as there is any chance, they will not give up hope of winning.

Since the Magic's starting lineup and formation in the previous two games cannot win no matter what, they will of course have to change their formation in this G3 at home.

Although Rivers is not good at such things, it is impossible for an NBA team to have only one head coach in charge of tactics.

Yes, those tactical analysts of the Magic really couldn't help Rivers as the head coach during the game.

But outside of the game, it's still okay. In the past three days, the Magic players are resting and recharging their energy, while the Magic's tactical analysts are working overtime with Rivers and other Magic coaches on analysis. tactics for this series.

In the end, they got a conclusion that the whole world can guess, that is, to change Ginobili to the starting lineup.

Ginobili is in the starting lineup. This is something that the whole world can see. Of course, professionals like them will not work overtime and discuss it for three days.

For the past three days, their main discussion was who Ginobili should replace.

Parker?

Hamilton?

Prince?

Even Big Ben?

Definitely not.

Duncan can indeed have the ability to pick two inside, but the object of Duncan's pick two must be that kind of lightweight inside combination.

For example, Gasol and David West.

Or the likes of Tyson Chandler and Dior.

You let Duncan pick two in the paint, Randolph and Bynum, a heavy inside combination?

Then you really treat Duncan as Superman.

Therefore, if Ginobili wants to start, he can only find someone from the two outside lines of the Magic.

Hamilton is definitely not allowed to play. His shooting stability is very important to the Magic. He made 5 of 8 in the last game. When the Bobcats guarded him so tightly, there is really no one else who can achieve this efficiency and level.

No matter how difficult the defense is, every game can guarantee a small 20 points anyway.

Who can give up such a player?

In the end, the Magic's playwrights gritted their teeth and removed Parker from the starting lineup.

This decision is actually a very risky one.

Why do you say that?

Because Parker's defense against Paul was very successful in this series.

Don't look at Parker's offense in this series is really not very good, but his defense is really top.

In fact, in history, Parker has always been able to die together when he met Paul. This is really no joke.

In the two matches between Paul and Parker in history in 2008 and 2012, the two can basically be said to be 50-50.

You attack, I attack, we don't fight defense and attack, then none of us can defend the other.

You defend, I defend, we don't fight for offense and fight for defense, then none of us can think about it.

Well, when the two meet, it feels like they're fighting their own reflections in the mirror.

This time, in accordance with the requirements of the Bobcats and the Magic, the two of course fought for defense.

So Parker, who puts all his energy on the defensive end, is really good against Paul's defense.

On the contrary, it was Prince, the small forward who the Magic placed high hopes on. Chen Xiao's defense in this series was relatively a failure.

Although Chen Xiao didn't score high and didn't take many shots, his efficiency was really high!

In this case, if Parker is brought down to go to Ginobili, if Chen Ling doesn't suppress it and Paul lives, then...

This is really hard to imagine.

And this time can reflect the role of McGrady.

If there is McGrady, the Magic don't have to be so entangled at all.

With McGrady, let McGrady attack and defend against Chen Xiao, can defend against Chen Xiao, and can also put pressure on Chen Xiao on the offensive end, so there is no need to be so passive.

With McGrady and Ginobili coming up, even if Paul is not good at defending, he can also fight against the Bobcats with McGrady.

But Ginobili and Prince, can they play against the Bobcats?

Certainly not.

Because without McGrady, the Magic cannot have a perfect plan when they change passively.

Therefore, they can only gamble and fight, hoping that Ginobili, whom they have placed high hopes on, can create miracles for them.

On the court, amidst the huge boos of the Magic fans, the Bobcats and Magic players had already stood up on the court after warming up.

Duncan and Bynum are already standing in the middle circle ready to jump the ball.

In the previous two jump balls, Duncan and Bynum had one win and one loss.

This time, with two consecutive victories, Bynum, who was praised by the national media, was drifting again. Therefore, in this game, he lost the jump ball with Duncan because of lack of concentration.

After Duncan made the first attack for the Magic, Ginobili dribbled the ball forward. Paul, who would face Ginobili in this game, pressed Ginobili full court from the beginning of the game.

This is the tactical requirement of the Bobcats before the game. It was ordered by Jordan, not Paul's private action regardless of the defensive formation.

Why did Jordan do this?

Because Jordan feels that he should put more defensive pressure on Ginobili and make him consume more due to possession of the ball or organization, and cannot let him put all his energy into attacking as a sharp knife.

This 20-minute Jordan has become more and more famous in the NBA over the years.

Although he is the sixth man, not many people in the NBA now regard his strength as the sixth man's strength.

Normally, players like Kobe and Chen Xiao are compared with Ginobili.

That is to say, now the NBA has acquiesced that Ginobili's strength has reached the superstar level.

It's just that his superstar strength is not as stable and permanent as Chen Xiao and Kobe.

However, as long as he is on the court, there is nothing wrong with treating him like a superstar.

What's more, the whole world knows in this game that Ginobili will be the Magic's main attacker.

Yes, the whole world thinks that Ginobili is the main attacker of the Magic in this game. Fans think so, experts think so, and even Jordan and Chen Xiao think so.

So Ginobili will face tremendous pressure as soon as he comes up.

But the amazing thing is that under such tremendous pressure, Ginobili did not attack directly as soon as he came up.

After relying on Ben's screen to pass halftime, he took a step inside the three-point line and started a pick-and-roll with Duncan.

The pick-and-roll between Ginobili and Duncan is different from the pick-and-roll between Parker and Duncan. In the pick-and-roll between Parker and Duncan, Parker rarely attacks directly, but Ginobili is different.

Therefore, it is also more difficult to defend.

In addition, before the game, it was believed that Ginobili would be the main attacker of the Magic in this game, so not only Parker, but also Randolph, who was standing at the free throw line, had his eyes on Ginobili. body.

But Ginobili did not attack or break through, but chose to pass the ball.

After receiving Ginobili's pass, Duncan raised his hand and scored a long two-pointer.

Duncan's shot was not close, more than one step outside the free throw line, and Randolph blocked it symbolically.

In the previous two games, Duncan rarely made shots from this distance. Duncan has this ability, but Duncan and Garnett are different after all. This is Garnett's regular offensive area, while Duncan's regular offensive area is under the basket.

For example, Garnett can also play in the post, yes, but not often.

The same goes for Duncan.

However, Duncan shot this ball very resolutely.

Bang bang!

Although he didn't score, Duncan's attack and Ginobili's pass still shocked Jordan.

Surprised by Ginobili's cleverness, this kid knew that he would attack as soon as he came up. That would be a stone's throw against the Bobcats' defense. He could hit the ball, but it would be too painful.

If Duncan is open, his offense will be much more comfortable.

This Argentinian kid really doesn't have the recklessness of the black American players in the NBA.

Duncan, on the other hand, understood it quickly.

After understanding Ginobili's intentions, they cooperated quite well.

After catching the ball, he didn't even have any intention of passing it back, and just took action.

It was a miss, but it did serve as a reminder to the Bobcats, who were desperate to suppress Ginobili on defense.

You guys are really good at guarding me. It's hard for me to get good opportunities in the penalty area, but I can also shoot from the outside!

Don't really think that if you block my offense in the penalty area, I won't be a threat!

"In terms of feeling, Ginobili is even more of an organizer than Parker..."

Although Jordan still had the confident smile of a Zen master on the sidelines, he was secretly thinking in his heart.

Yes, Parker is more reckless than Ginobili, and he is not as clear-minded as Ginobili.

This is not to look down on Parker. The offense led by Parker is completely different from the offense led by Ginobili.

The offense led by Parker is huge, but Duncan will be much tired. With Parker, Duncan needs to use his brain.

With Ginobili, Duncan doesn't even need to use his brain. He can just be a tool man. Ginobili can do a lot of things.

Next to Parker, Duncan needs to consider where to block, how to block, and how to guide Parker to give the offense a chance.

With Ginobili, Duncan just needs to stand there and do nothing.

If basketball is a game of two people, Duncan and Ginobili are more suitable.

So the question is, why don't the Magic usually use Ginobili to partner Duncan?

Because basketball is a game for five people.

The Bobcats' offense, Ginobili, who had just sorted out the Magic's offense very easily and satisfactorily on the offensive end, was on defense before Paul even called the pick-and-roll. Ginobili defended too hard and Paul broke through. .

This made Big Ben and Duncan, who were entangled with Randolph and Bynum, unable to react.

That is to say, Paul did not dare to continue to break through the basket after one step past the free throw line, and chose to throw in the paint area, but the throw did not proceed.

In this time and space, because Ginobili didn't stay with the Spurs for a long time, and he didn't have that long to learn from Bowen, although Ginobili may be stronger offensively than in history because of Rivers' indulgence. .

But in terms of defense, Ginobili's defense is not only weaker, but also more undisciplined.

Because Rivers can't even blow dryer his precious apprentice Manu Ginobili.

And Parker also has this problem.

This space-time Parker's offense is also stronger and more comfortable, but the defense is also slightly worse.

Usually, Rivers indulged Ginobili and Parker, the two direct disciples who were played under his hands.

Lao Li is such a person, and he is very close to his direct descendants.

Brother Luo has been gone for so many years, and he has always thought of Lao Li.

And wheat.

After Maizi left Magic, he even criticized Dudu, saying that he failed to prevent him from leaving and did not try his best to prevent it from happening.

But towards Lao Li, Maizi really didn't say anything bad. For a person with such emotional intelligence as Maizi, this is rare.

Therefore, Lao Li may be a bit of a loser when it comes to coaching.

But as a person, Lao Li has nothing to be ashamed of.

It may be difficult for such a head coach to find a job in the NCAA, but in the NBA, a head coach like Lao Li will never be without a job.

Let's get back to the game.

Because of the tactics used by the Bobcats and Magic in this series, the paint is very crowded.

Therefore, Ginobili's aggressive defense that is easy to lose position will actually be much less harmful.

Especially when defending Paul, although Paul is shooting well now, like Parker, he is not that confident in his shooting yet.

The restricted area cannot be entered, and there is a slight lack of confidence outside, so the harm caused by a brief loss of position can be minimized.

As long as Ginobili is not allowed in front of Chen Xiao and Granger, Ginobili's problems on the defensive end can be minimized.

This is very beneficial to the Magic.

Therefore, seeing the Bobcats' offensive attack by Paul, Rivers on the sidelines also breathed a sigh of relief.

It was the Magic's turn to continue attacking.

This time, the Magic continued to play Ginobili and Duncan's pick-and-roll.

It was originally said before the game that Ginobili was the Magic's main attacker in this game.

But after the game started, why was Duncan still the main attacker?

That's right, in the first quarter of this game, Duncan took 6 shots, 4 of 6, and scored a game-high 11 points in the first quarter.

You know, the Magic only scored 20 points.

Ginobili, who had high hopes, only scored 2 points on 1 of 2 in the first quarter and did not attack at all.

This made Jordan's defensive plan to round up Ginobili before the game feel like an iron fist hitting cotton.

This made Jordan on the sidelines really smile on his face at this time, and he felt really MMP in his heart.

Of course, because Ginobili basically had no offense in the first quarter, after the first quarter, the Bobcats still led by 4 points, 24-20.

And just when everyone was like Jordan, even Rivers was fooled by Ginobili's operation.

In the second quarter, Ginobili finally broke out!

And it's not a small outbreak!

Instead, it explodes!

5 of 7 in a single quarter, 3 of 5 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, 15 points in a single quarter!

Remember, these points are all obtained during non-rotation time!

Ginobili was too smart, knowing that the Bobcats would not let Randolph and Bynum defend to the three-point line or even the free throw line, so he constantly used the pick-and-roll with Duncan to fend off Paul and then pull him outside to shoot three-pointers. .

Every time he hits a three-pointer and deliberately provokes Bynum and Randolph inside, it seems to be saying to them, let's see if you want to continue to hide in there.

Yes!

Ginobili's scoring and offense are not isolated. The purpose of his scoring is to relieve Duncan.

As long as Randolph and Bynum are extended, Duncan will have more space under the basket.

Duncan who has space to attack under the basket is the invincible Duncan.

Duncan's long-range shot was good in the first quarter, but it couldn't kill anyone.

But Duncan's basket can kill people. Chris Bosh was killed again and again!

30 to 28!

Under Ginobili's explosion, the Magic led the Bobcats by 2 points in the second quarter.

It may be a bit embarrassing to say it.

This is the first time in this series that the Magic have led the Bobcats in the second quarter.

The Bobcats' starting lineup that restrained the Magic and their strong rotation ability made the second quarter the Bobcats' performance stage.

As for Ginobili, this game changed everything.

If it weren't for Roy's explosive 6-of-6 scoring 10 points in this quarter, maybe the first half of the game would have been reversed.

It can only be said that if you only look at the performance in the first half, Ginobili's performance is really outstanding.

So much so that after the first half of the game, Jordan didn't take his eyes off Ginobili for a long time.

This player is really awesome!

"This knife is truly a monster!"

Demon knife, this is a demon knife!

He alone made the Bobcats inside and outside players extremely uncomfortable in the first half.

Ginobili performed so well in the first half of this game. Of course, the happiest person is Rivers, who is respected by Ginobili as his mentor.

Although trailing by two points in the first half.

However, this backwardness cannot be any smaller, and most importantly, the situation has really turned around!

"The situation between us and the Bobcats in this game is 50-50!"

Looking at the technical statistics in his hand, Rivers thought happily.

"Doug, Wonder Boy seemed a little quiet in the first half of this game, even quieter than the previous two games..."

etc? !

Wonder boy, Chen, he seems a little quiet?

"We are fighting a 50-50 battle with a lynx who lacks Chen..."

The assistant's words made Rivers, who was originally excited, feel like he was thrown into an ice bucket, and he passively launched an ice bucket challenge.

The teenager was laughing with his teammates.

But, it's so cold...