NBA: No. 1 Forward

Chapter 564: The Pacers' Metamorphosis

The game between the Mavericks and the Lakers also came to the match point. The Mavericks led the Lakers 3:1.

The Mavericks just need to win one more game for them to advance.

The super inside line composed of Yao Ming and Nowitzki is too great a deterrent to the Lakers.

Bynum's progress this season is indeed obvious, but Yao Ming is not bad either.

Except for the average performance in the first game, he scored 13 points and 8 rebounds.

In the other three games, Yao Ming scored 18 points and 13 rebounds, 24 points and 16 rebounds, and 22 points and 14 rebounds!

"Brother Yao, come on, there's only one more game left and you'll be in the semi-finals!"

After the game, Lian Dao called to congratulate Yao Ming, and boldly predicted that the Mavericks would eliminate the Lakers in the next game and enter the second round of the playoffs.

"Get out! Don't be a poisonous mother!"

Yao Ming scolded with a smile, why does he feel that **** Lian Dao is here to show off to him?

However, although Yao Ming talked about poisonous milk, he was also very confident in the next promotion of the Mavericks.

…

On May 10, the Pacers eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6.

Their game did not drag on to the seventh game. After adapting to the rhythm of the game, the Pacers broke out one after another in games g5 and g6.

In the end, they won two consecutive victories and directly eliminated the Atlanta Hawks.

The Knicks know the Pacers very well. There is no doubt that the core player of this team is Danny Granger.

As a player with the 17th pick in the first round of the 2005 draft, it is not easy for him to grow into a star of a team.

Granger has played for only one NBA team, the Pacers, in his career.

At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, the Pacers signed Granger to a five-year, $65 million contract.

And Granger lived up to the team's expectations of him. Not only was he selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the first time, but he also received the Most Improved Player Award at the end of the season.

But in the 2010-11 season, Granger's performance was unsatisfactory, mainly due to injuries.

This year's state did not recover, and eventually lost the All-Star Game.

The decline of the Pacers' star star is good news for the Knicks.

After all, the weaker the opponent is, the less pressure the Knicks will have to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Indiana Pacers were originally a strong offensive and defensive player.

But since Vogel took over the team, the team's defensive willpower has begun to increase.

At the same time, Vogel's defensive philosophy also has its own unique features.

He does not emphasize cumbersome filling, defense, and quick rotation, which rely too much on player awareness and experience.

[To be honest, I have recently followed up, changed sources, and have many voices for reading aloud. Both Android and Apple are available for .huanyuanapp. ?

What he emphasized was the player's personal defense, that is, the single defense ability.

Especially for outside players, they must ensure that their opponents will not easily get to the inside.

Even if it is broken through, it is necessary to create enough response time for the inside teammates.

Obviously, this defensive system not only has relatively high requirements for the single defense ability of outside players, but also has high requirements for inside players.

The five players on the field must have no defensive shortcomings.

But if one of them has a problem and can't keep up with the rhythm, it will directly affect the overall success or failure.

The Pacers did not have a good record last season, and most of them were concentrated on their offensive and defensive shortcomings.

Darren Collison's defensive ability did not meet Vogel's requirements, and Hansbrough was a little anxious in the face of the flexible inside.

Meanwhile, Granger has been unable to thrive offensively.

This also makes the Pacers not only unstable on defense, but also faces the problem of insufficient firepower on offense.

It can be said that the Pacers had problems on both offense and defense last season.

However, it depends on the reinforcement of the team and the ability of the team coach.

First, they traded from the Spurs to defend tough George Hill.

Secondly, the team signed David West in the offseason, which eased Hansbrough's embarrassment in the face of flexible insiders.

At the same time, Hansbrough's delegation to the bench also strengthened the depth of the Pacers' lineup.

Then, at the end of the season, Vogel mentioned the defensive tough George Hill to the starting lineup.

This decision is very bold.

George Hill, as good as he is defensively, isn't really a point guard.

He's a very mature offensive player who can pass the ball, but his first choice is mostly scoring.

But one thing I have to say is that George Hill's defense is better than Collison's.

The last is Paul George. He has improved a lot this season, and Vogel also entrusted him with important tasks.

This season, Paul George's tactical position in the team is second only to the boss Danny Granger.

These changes made by Vogel immediately activated the potential of this team.

Hibbert is the epitome of this change.

After the first round of the playoffs, Hibbert averaged 14 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

You know, his regular season averages are only 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Hibbert's stats in the playoffs were even higher than in the regular season.

Of course, the current Pacers still have many problems, especially when facing the Knicks, these problems will be magnified.

In particular, the decline in Granger's state, who is directly facing Lian Dao, is the biggest bad news for the Pacers.

However, Granger's decline also allowed Paul George to get more opportunities.

And "Pickled Pepper" is also growing very fast, ranking third among the most improved players this season.

However, whether Granger or Paul George, they are not the kind of superstars who can stand up and turn the tide at critical moments.

Needless to say, Granger's decline has been severe. Although "Pickled Pepper" has improved a lot this season, he is still far behind a superstar.

Therefore, this also caused the Pacers to have big problems in attacking and key balls.

It can be said that they lack an offensive core that can really influence the game!

Maybe Pickle at his peak can influence the game, but now Pickle is just an excellent second-year player.

So for the Pacers, D'Antoni is not seen as an opponent who can stop the Knicks from advancing.

Especially after D'Antoni discussed with the coaching team, he came to a conclusion.

As long as the Knicks play normally, they can easily beat their opponents in the semifinals.

This is not the arrogance of the Knicks, but a conclusion based on the real comparison of internal and external strength.

Hibbert is the Pacers' inside reliance.

Although Hibbert is known as "Black Yao Ming", his low-post offense and hooks can only be said to be at a normal level, not excellent.

There is no way to compare with Yao Ming.

Although Cousins' low-post offense has not yet reached its peak, it is better than Hibbert in comparison.

Although Hibbert has a height advantage, his wingspan is not as good as Cousins.

The key is that Cousins ??is comprehensive, he can do everything, and he is stronger and not slow.

Cousins, who was at his peak in history, was the number one center in the league. This is not a joke.

If Cousins ??hadn't fallen too quickly due to injuries, Embiid might not even be able to sit in the league's top center position.

Even though Cousins ??hasn't reached his peak yet, he still has an advantage against Hibbert by using his footsteps, technique and long-range shooting advantages.

Although Stoudemire's state has declined seriously this season, even in the first round, his performance was not very good.

But against David West, a player who is more than stable and not explosive enough.

Although it can't be said to be crushing, at least it can not lose the wind in the matchup.

Especially in the regular season match, Stoudemire's performance is also better than David West.

Historically, Stoudemire's real decline was the 2012-2013 season ~www.mtlnovel.com~ This season Stoudemire suffered from knee injuries, which made his state fall off a cliff.

In the end, he had no choice but to shorten his playing time, and even became the sixth man of the team.

Not to mention Lian Dao, who is basically the Knicks' strength against any team.

Even if Granger at his peak faced Shang Lian Dao, it would be impossible to stop him, let alone Granger who was in decline now.

D'Antoni's analysis is very simple. He believes that the Pacers rely on high-intensity defense and excellent personal defense ability.

Granger and Paul George are two tall and mobile outsiders.

Coupled with the low-key but outstanding George Hill, this set of perimeter defense without shortcomings makes the Eagles more stressed.

In addition, there is also David West, who is not top-notch defensively, but is also very good.

There is also a 2.18-meter Hibbert standing on the inside line, waiting to invite someone to eat hot pot.

Looking at it this way, the Pacers' strength is actually very strong.

However, D'Antoni didn't take it seriously...

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