Chapter 536: Full-Scale Attack

There was a lot of booing at the scene, some people shouted "Payton soft knees", and even shouted "soft egg", trying to anger this once tough player.

But Payton obviously didn't care, his face was full of laughter, showing that this veteran who is about to end his career is in good shape!

Personality? Temperament?

Only ignorant teenagers believe that.

This thing is like your life, you have to be hard when you need to be hard, but you also have to be soft when you need to be soft!

If you have to be tough all the time, even an 18-year-old young man can't stand it.

And seeing this guy smiling in the face of boos, Kidd knew that today's incident might be a little different from what he imagined.

With rich experience, absolute basketball IQ and overall view, and extreme psychological quality, he even let go of his so-called personality.

Such Payton, from a certain level, is probably not inferior to his peak combat power!

The morale of the Supersonics is rising, but the Cavaliers' morale has fallen due to the setbacks.

...We have to open up the situation as soon as possible!

Before the free throws, the two sides exchanged the ball.

The Cavaliers' defensive strategy was quite clear from the beginning. They used the personal strength and cooperation of Wade and LeBron to block Lin Dong with two defenses and one defense. O'Neal guarded the inside, and Kidd and Artest were responsible for blocking the outside of the Supersonics.

In theory, this is undoubtedly the best defensive method.

The double attack of LeBron and Wade proved to be effective against Lin Dong during the Olympics. Even if Lin Dong really exceeded everyone's imagination and had the ability to break through the encirclement of the two, it must be after the battle was completely heated, and the consumption of Lin Dong's physical strength would be unimaginable.

But in the first half, as long as there was a blockade of the James-Wade connection, the Supersonics could hardly force Lin Dong. If they really had to fight, the Cavaliers would be happier. After all, it must also mean that the overall hit rate of the Supersonics could not be very high.

In addition to Lin Dong, Kidd and Artest's blockade of the Sonics' perimeter was enough. Even if O'Neal had to face two people at the basket, Chandler's strength was not enough and he could only be counted as half at most. Sakuragi Hanamichi's offense was far less powerful than his defense and could only be counted as half. Then a 150-kilogram shark was enough to deal with it all.

At least in theory, the Cavaliers had enough reasons to defend against the Sonics' offense!

At this time, the Cavaliers quickly deployed a defensive formation.

Payton held the ball, and Kidd didn't dare to approach within half a step this time. The old guy was still powerful. It was obviously an impossible task to completely extinguish and block the opponent with one shot, so he had to plan for the long term.

Letting go of the distance of one step, Kidd was not afraid of Payton's strong shot. First, there was room for interference in this position. Second, Payton's outside shooting percentage this season was not high, just over 30% of the league average, and the number of shots was not many. If he really dared to force a shot, it would be equivalent to giving the Cavaliers a chance.

Although it is difficult to block Payton's pass if he lets go, it is the only way to prevent both penetration and shooting. Just pay attention to the changes in the Sonics' offensive formation...

While thinking this, Lin Dong has already rushed towards Payton.

The pick-and-roll of the god combination?

When they first appeared, this move was indeed unbeatable, but now... LeBron and Wade followed closely, and there was a gap between the two that could be shrunk at any time, which was left for Kidd to change positions.

At the moment of passing each other, the three people cooperated closely, not only leaving no loopholes for Kidd and Lin Dong to stagger.

Isn't this a white pick-and-roll? What's the point?

When several people staggered past, Lin Dong didn't even have a chance to connect the ball!

Mike Brown's mouth on the sidelines curled up slightly. The Cavaliers will never underestimate the enemy just because Payton is old. There will never be a lack of tactics and responses that should be prepared. Even if it is a real god pick-and-roll, you will be pressed back to the original position!

But the next second, the basketball was still passed, but not to Lin Dong, but to Sakuragi Hanamichi who suddenly pulled out from the inside to the right.

All the doubts were answered at this moment.

Lin Dong did not come to pick and roll with Payton, he was purely running to test the strength and weakness, and pulled Wade and LeBron, the two defensive stalwarts originally deployed by the Cavaliers on the right side of the court, directly to the left area, and the right side at this time...

Wade and LeBron followed Lin Dong on the left, Artest watched Iguodala at the left baseline, Kidd blocked Payton at the top of the left three-point arc, and O'Neal was still guarding Chandler under the basket.

The entire right half of the Cavaliers' backcourt was empty!

Empty?

This can no longer be called an empty position, this is called an empty half of the court!

All the Cavaliers were stunned at this moment, including Mike Brown on the sidelines, but then they subconsciously thought: Sakuragi Hanamichi has no outside shooting ability. This guy shot 7 three-pointers last season, but only made 1 of 7 shots. What if he got a wide open space on the right outside? No need to worry!

O'Neal under the basket subconsciously wanted to jump out, but Mike Brown shouted in time: "Don't move!"

O'Neal immediately reacted. Sakuragi Hanamichi had no outside shooting ability, so he could shoot whatever he wanted. He didn't need to jump out. If he really jumped out, he would leave Chandler an empty basket under the basket, which would be a real gift.

O'Neal immediately stopped the urge to start, and then he saw Sakuragi Hanamichi rushing into the inside with the ball.

Everyone in the Cavaliers felt relieved.

See, even if this guy doesn't have a 3-pointer, he still has to play inside? He has to go back to the inside to fight with O'Neal.

With O'Neal's current weight, he can fight two at once, not to mention his teammates will help him out depending on the situation.

But before everyone in the Cavaliers could finish thinking about this, they saw Sakuragi Hanamichi rushing forward and then stopping in a hurry.

But he was at a 45-degree angle outside the free throw area...

--The Cavaliers' tight defense is similar to our rotation defense, with an absolute blockade of four points. Once they are aligned, we will have a hard time!

--They think O'Neal can defend two at one, so we can fight two against one? No, that's not safe enough. The safest way is to split them up and let us fight one against zero!

——Sakuragi, it is better to master one move than a thousand moves. If you use your 45-degree angle shot well, you can force O'Neal to come out to defend you. Once O'Neal comes out of the inside, you can pass the boxing champion to score at the basket, and then take the lead in tearing a hole in the Cavaliers' defensive sky!

——As long as you tear this hole, the Cavaliers' defense will be in chaos, and all of us will be released, and then defeat them in one fell swoop!

Although his independent offensive ability has always been average, in the absence of defense, the emergency stop jump shot is just a daily training item for Sakuragi Hanamichi.

The 45-degree angle on the outer edge of the right free throw zone has an indescribable beauty for Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Perhaps it was because of the task assigned by Coach Anxi that summer, he practiced 20,000 shots with the help of the Sakuragi Army and Haruko; or perhaps it was because the accuracy of this angle brought him an inexplicable confidence after coming to the NBA.

Whether you say it is metaphysics or his talent is only 45 degrees.

Sakuragi even waited for O'Neal to see if he was going to jump out. After seeing that O'Neal didn't react at all, Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes were only focused on the huge basket in front of him.

Bend your knees and lift your waist.

Whoosh!

Sakuragi Hanamichi's body bounced up lightly, stretched straight in the air, and then held the ball with his left hand and pushed it gently with his right hand...

Swish!

The ball went in, 0:4!

"Fuck!" Mike Brown on the sidelines couldn't help but curse inwardly, only remembering that Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't have an outside shot, but forgot that this guy had a mid-range shot.

He seemed to particularly prefer that point. According to the distribution statistics of his scoring points in each game, except for under the basket, this guy's mid-range shot at a 45-degree angle in the right free throw area was the most accurate!

"Pay attention to the weak side defense!" Mike Brown shouted with his hands in front of his mouth on the sidelines: "Don't let the red-haired man shoot from the mid-range on the right side of the free throw zone! He is only accurate at that point! Cover! Cover!"

The meaning is very clear. If Sakuragi Hanamichi gets such a mid-range open space on the left, it doesn't matter, but at the 45-degree angle on the right, O'Neal has to dive and must not let him shoot, and everyone else has to react and make corresponding cover defense.

The Cavaliers have the ball.

The two consecutive attacks made the WIN Arena a little unhappy. The cheers in the stadium were accompanied by some sounds of knocking on the railings, which seemed to vent the fans' dissatisfaction and anxiety, and also gave the Cavaliers players considerable fighting spirit.

You can't let the Supersonics score 3 at the beginning?

This ball must be scored! After scoring, we can talk about the defense problem.

Kidd was obviously much more cautious in controlling the ball this time. He didn't dare to play tricks in front of Payton. He honestly controlled the ball and organized the game honestly.

It can be seen that although the Cavaliers lost two goals in a row, when they stabilized their position, at least on the offensive end, they were still difficult to resist.

The interlaced movement of LeBron, Artest and Wade not only moved Lin Dong away from the defensive center of gravity, but also LeBron's clever pull outside forced Sakuragi Hanamichi to withdraw from the inside.

This guy's current basketball awareness is no longer comparable to the previous two seasons. Where the opponent's strengths and weaknesses are on the court are clear in LeBron's eyes.

Although he still doesn't have the courage to face the current Lin Dong, LeBron has a vague feeling that he is only one step away from Lin Dong's realm... That is not a breakthrough by hard training or anything else, but to defeat him once on the court!

No matter what way, no matter what means!

The Asian is now like a huge experience bag. As long as he can defeat Lin Dong once, he can cross the invincible threshold and become the real basketball god of the NBA!

At this time, the counter-running pull-up was like a stroke of genius, cutting directly into the weak side position of the defense that might be fleeting under the Sonics' tight defense.

LeBron has a three-pointer, if he dares to let it go, it would almost be equivalent to giving away points.

Kidd seized the opportunity to pass to O'Neal under the basket. Although Chandler clenched his teeth and stared with bloodshot eyes, he jumped up to block it with all his strength, but he was still easily squeezed away by O'Neal.

Strength?

One is O'Neal who has gained weight, and the other is Chandler who has lost weight for two years because of a broken leg. The strength between the two is simply like a world of mud and mud. The two are not on the same level in the positional battle under the basket, just like an adult bullying a child.

A slam dunk under the basket broke the Cavaliers' scoring drought and also ushered in endless cheers from the fans at the win arena.

2:4, it seems that the Cavaliers are still behind, but the dunk that stabilized the morale just now has mobilized the atmosphere of the court, as if it has also brought the Cavaliers' morale, which had just dropped, back to the peak, but...

Supersonics have the ball.

Payton and Lin Dong used the same trick again, and the Cavaliers' right side formed a weak side position again, and Sakuragi Hanamichi was pulled out again.

Mike Brown next to him understood that the Supersonics used a trick that was easy to use and took advantage of it!

It was indeed a bit unsolvable. Unless you give up the two-on-one against Lin Dong, Iguodala on the left baseline will never move. You must keep someone to watch. If Lin Dong moves again, the Cavaliers' defense will completely follow the rhythm of the Supersonics... No!

O'Neal under the basket obviously realized this. Seeing that Payton and Sakuragi Hanamichi had revealed the passing route, he did not wait for Sakuragi Hanamichi to catch the ball this time. He turned around and rushed directly towards Sakuragi Hanamichi, but the next second...

A faint smile hung at the corner of Payton's mouth.

This league calls me DPOY and the Glove every day, but I forget that I am also a historical point guard!

Organizational ability and passing ability, if I really focus on this, I will never be worse than Kidd!

At this time, pretending not to see O'Neal's outside jump, Payton turned right with his back to the basket, and while controlling the ball with his right hand, he further opened up a more open passing line between him and Sakuragi.

Kidd himself is a master of passing, not to mention that he has his back to the basket, and it is impossible for him to see O'Neal's move. He is very familiar with this kind of pass that pulls space, and he almost instinctively blocks it, but the middle is leaked.

Everyone thought Payton would pass the ball to Sakuragi Hanamichi, but Payton made a big swing under his crotch, and while his center of gravity was still leaning to the right, the basketball had already been pulled to his left hand.

Kidd was shocked, and it was too late to block it back.

Bang!

A ground pass, the basketball was instantly passed to Chandler under the basket.

O'Neal had not yet jumped far when he felt Payton's pass and was shocked. He immediately pulled back his center of gravity and rushed towards Chandler.

The distance was not enough, but the momentum was enough.

"Roar!" O'Neal roared, trying to suppress Chandler in terms of momentum, to make him afraid, to make him dare not jump, and to make him slow down by half a second.

But what he saw was a ball of fire in Chandler's eyes.

O'Neal, who rushed back, was like a running locomotive, as fierce as the one that broke his leg.

But so what?

This is an empty basket.

This is an empty basket created for him by his teammates with all their efforts, and he was still under the basket!

If you can't even score such a ball, if you are afraid of even this, then you don't deserve to be a player. Chandler even feels that he is unworthy of the title of "tough guy"!

Tough guy boxing champion!

Lin Dong's words floated through Chandler's mind, and then he suddenly jumped up and ignored O'Neal who rushed back.

Boom!

With a dunk, the basketball was smashed into the basket.

2:6!

O'Neal braked in time, looking at Chandler who was roaring on the ground, his expression was a bit complicated. He just wanted to scare Chandler, but he really didn't want to give this poor man another life-destroying blow.

To put it bluntly, the incident of breaking Chandler's leg back then actually left a shadow on both of them.

If Chandler was weak and afraid, he would be easily killed by O'Neal with 30% of his strength.

But if Chandler was strong and tough! Then the one with the shadow was destined to be O'Neal.

He didn't want to hurt this man again, he didn't want to be criticized by all the fans again, and he didn't want to win by blasting his opponent out of the game, then he would be timid in the confrontation!

"Hahaha! A tough guy!" Sakuragi Hanamichi ran over and had a bear collision with Chandler.

The Supersonics showed their power across the board!