Chapter 1075 Warrick, Who Steals the Spotlight, Why Is It All a Second Offense
In the first quarter 19-19, neither side scored 20 points. The Grizzlies can understand it, but this is rare for the Lakers. This is the second time this season that the Lakers have not scored more than 20 points in a single quarter. How stalemate the game was played.
"This first quarter seems like a dream back to 2005. It feels like the Pistons and Spurs are playing. Every ball must be defended first. Everyone puts their energy into defense. The young Grizzlies can play well. .” Yu Jia said.
Although it is a bit exaggerated, the Lakers and Grizzlies still can't reach the defensive strength of the peak Spurs and Pistons at the beginning, but this example also shows the audience's impression of the first quarter of this game from the side. The offensive matchup predicted before the game did not Appeared, but fought to defend.
Forget about the Lakers, their defense is already among the best. JK has always been the strongest defensive combination in the league. Coupled with the twin towers, the Lakers' defense is strong and layered. They scored 3 points in 1 of 4 in a single quarter from Mayo. 1 in the 6th quarter plus free throws to get 4 points shows how good JK's defense is.
What is surprising is the Grizzlies. The ESPN commentary bluntly said that this is the best defensive quarter in the history of the Grizzlies team. This is not an exaggeration, because the Grizzlies have never been a defensive team. No matter how many coaches and players they have changed over the years, what they advocate is offense, including when Gasol was there, they entered the playoffs consecutively and ranked fourth in the West by offense rather than defense. The biggest reason for not being able to make a difference in the playoffs. I didn't expect them to achieve the ultimate defense in this game!
I have to mention two people here. One is Gasol Jr. The Grizzlies replaced him at 5 and a half minutes into the first quarter and let him play center instead of Milicic. This was also the first time the Gasol brothers met in the NBA.
As we all know, Gasol Jr. was regarded as an addition to the deal between Gasol and Ji Feng, so when he appeared on the stage, some commentators joked that this was Gasol Jr.'s revenge against his brother and the Lakers .
Of course, no one took this seriously at the beginning. No matter how you look at it, Gasol’s ability and role on the court are higher than that of Gasol Jr., but unexpectedly, Gasol Jr. proved it in half a quarter. own abilities!
The first time he defended Gasol, he used his excellent body to resist Bynum's back, so that the latter failed to attack for two consecutive rounds, and was even almost blocked in the third round, which made Lakers fans Can't help but exclaim loudly.
You must know that Bynum has improved significantly this season. After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's careful training over the summer, Bynum is now definitely a veritable little shark. His back-up ability can definitely rank among the top three in the league, especially his weight. Big and powerful, tough to defend in the paint.
But Gasol can really resist Bynum alone, which is not easy, and what is even more surprising is his improvement of the entire Grizzlies defensive system. After he was on the court, the Grizzlies' inside defense suddenly improved. More than one level, even the breakthroughs of Ji Feng and Kobe were affected.
He even caused Ji Feng to make a breakthrough pass error. Ji Feng, who hit the inside line, did not expect Xiao Jia to appear in that position at all. The result of the forced pass did not form a tacit understanding. mistake.
Gasol always raises his arms at the basket to affect the opponent's shooting. Gasol is also an excellent help defender. Although he is a bit heavy, he moves well and can appear in the most suitable position to defend.
Bynum complained on the bench that Gasol was like a big white bear, which can be said to be very appropriate, and the existence of Gasol made up for the lack of defense by Mayo and Gay on the outside. Ji Feng scored 6 points in a single quarter and Kobe Bryant The 5 points in a single quarter were affected by this, and Bynum had a greater impact. He only scored 2 points in a single quarter. The biggest reason why the Lakers didn't open up inside was the biggest reason for not scoring in the first quarter.
However, despite the great role of Xiaojia, the Grizzlies most steal the spotlight in the first quarter or the person mentioned the least in the pre-match predictions, power forward Warrick!
Let’s look at his stats first. Warrick played 11 minutes in the first quarter. After missing the first shot, he made all 4 shots and scored a game-high 8 points and a game-high 7 rebounds. 7 rebounds in a single quarter is already the stats of a super center, but this is not counted. The most surprising thing is that among the 7 rebounds, there are 4 offensive rebounds, and all 8 of his points came from the second offensive score !
In the screen, the non-stop jumping Warrick also became the person who impressed the fans the most in the first quarter. Once he even took off three times in a row to grab a rebound. The ball drove Bynum almost crazy. After two consecutive high-quality take-offs, I felt that the rebound was stable, but I didn't expect that there was a tiger next door!
He really wanted to ask this guy if there are springs on his feet, why Mao can jump so much!
So although Gasol Jr. is the biggest contributor, Warrick is definitely the one who steals the spotlight the most. He caused the Lakers to be criticized by multiple commentators for rebounding problems during the break in the first quarter.
"Bynum only had 2 rebounds in the first quarter. He lost 4 offensive rebounds that should have been his protection range. This is why the Lakers were tied in the first quarter." - Hearn.
"The Lakers played well in the first quarter, but they didn't do well in one part. They lost too many rebounds." —Director Zhang
A problem that can be seen by the outside world, Zen Master can naturally see it, and he also emphasized this problem during the break.
"Protect that damn rebound for me! Bynum, Paul! You two are 6 centimeters taller than that kid, and you let him pick off so many rebounds on top of your heads!" Obviously, Zen Master Not satisfied with the performance of the inside twin towers in the first quarter.
"And you, Ji Feng! I know you want to kill Guy head-on, but the internal pressure is also great. You need to strengthen the protection of the team's internal lines, and don't let that guy Warrick play wild in our territory!" Zen Master said to Ji Feng again made a request.
"Understood, BOSS!" Ji Feng said after taking a sip of his drink, he had originally planned this.
Like many people, he didn't take Warrick seriously. After all, when Ji Feng was in the Grizzlies, that guy was just a third substitute who averaged 3 points and 2 rebounds per game, and often couldn't get a chance to play. Moreover, he is very introverted, so Ji Feng is not familiar with him. He did not expect that this game would give him such a big surprise.
Ji Feng also observed him after the first frontcourt board. Although this guy is thin and thin, he is also average for a power forward. The answer is that his physical fitness is really top-notch.
Especially the jumping, this guy takes off vertically, behind Bynum's head, and the speed of the bounce is fast, others jump once, he can jump three times!
If Ji Feng knew that his nickname was 'Helicopter', it shouldn't be surprising. This guy is best at jumping, and he is also a frequent visitor to the other five best balls besides Ji Feng.