Chapter 883 Look Down on the Sun

In two consecutive games, especially against the Mavericks, Li Ba's performance was mediocre, allowing the entire league to see an opportunity. Through the crowd tactics on the offensive end, Li Ba's ability to assist on the defensive end can indeed be limited.

Of course, this tactic also has limitations. You must be good on the outside. Otherwise, your inside is full of people and you can't break through on the outside. You can only shoot from the outside. Facing the Suns' strong outside defense and you can't make the shot, you will lose. .

At the season press conference, reporters asked Li Ba.

"Iron Hammer, tonight I was blocked by two dunks and hit two, there were three turnovers, and I missed 7 times. Is it caused by the defense of Stoudemire and Dampier?"

An ESPN reporter asked.

Li Ba nodded and said: "In tonight's game, they were very attentive and dedicated. They paid a lot of attention to the game. It really affected me. I have to admit it."

The reporter asked: "Will it continue? What I mean is that if other teams pile up people in the paint on the offensive end, will your defensive performance be affected in the same way as these two games?"

"Of course, when there are more people, I am not invisible, and my movement will definitely be affected. But things have two sides. If there is a good side, there will be a bad side. We will make adjustments next and catch up. On the bright side, I believe we will do it. We have enough tactics to break this tactic, and there are no tactics in the world that cannot be broken," said Li Bada.

After these two games, ESPN updated its latest championship probability predictions.

The Lakers have lost two games recently, both back-to-back games, with 20 wins and 2 losses, ranking first in the league. Their chances of winning the championship have increased instead of falling, reaching 55%, an increase of 7 percentage points.

The sun ranks second at 38%.

The Grizzlies came from behind, ranking third at 36%.

Mavericks 4th, 33%.

This is the top four in the Western Conference. The original fifth-best Nuggets have recently lost consecutive games, with 13 wins and 9 losses. They are barely in the playoff ranks and have fallen out of the first-tier team.

The fifth place winner is the Heat, with 30%.

During the offseason, it turned out that the number one favorite to win the championship was the Heat. Because there were too many strong teams in the Western Conference, the Heat thought they had an advantage in waiting for work. However, after being double-killed by the Suns, the market has plummeted.

The Suns' chances of winning the championship were lowered due to the Heat's game against the Mavericks.

ESPN gave an explanation for the change in the Lakers and Suns' chances of winning the championship, saying: "It is impossible for the Lakers and Suns to meet in the first round. If one of the two teams finishes first in the regular season, then the other team will be fourth in the playoffs. , they will meet in the second round.

In our opinion, the second round of this season's playoffs will be an early finals. Whoever advances to the Western Conference Finals will have a probability of winning more than 80%.

So when the Lakers and Suns play against each other, according to the recent tactics of the Heat and Mavericks, Duncan and Artest can limit the Hammers' defense on the offensive end, while Yao and Kobe take shots from the edge of the paint, and the Suns will not be able to prevent the Lakers from scoring.

On the offensive end of the Suns, their three-pointers are not stable, especially since the Lakers have top defensive players like Kobe Bryant and Artest on the outside. They can target Battier and Ginobili, and the Suns' three-pointers Once the ball tactics fail to empty the Lakers, the Lakers must return to the basket and double-team the Hammers to weaken his efficiency on the offensive end.

At the same time, the Suns lost the fast break opportunity and were forced to play three-point shooting tactics to empty their opponents and ensure offensive rebounds. However, this would also reduce the offensive efficiency and fall into a vicious cycle.

We believe that as long as the Lakers copy the tactics of the Heat and Mavericks, the chance of winning the Suns is as high as 60%, and this is why we increase and decrease the chances of the Lakers and Suns winning. "

The Suns lost and Li Ba's performance was lower than before. Coupled with ESPN's statement, the public's expectations for the Suns' dynasty defense began to decrease.

Li Ba accepted a phone interview with ESPN. He said: "I can only say that your speculation about your chances of winning the championship is very bad. ESPN did not show professionalism and you over-exaggerated that tactic.

In fact, could it really limit me? Is there no tactic to crack? It's impossible even to think about. I want to tell you that you are wasting the public's trust in you and you are destroying your own brand. "

"Three-pointers, three-pointers, practice them all!"

In the Suns training hall, Frank shouted to Battier and the others.

When playing against the Mavericks, I didn't feel good from the outside, and my three-point shooting percentage was only 29%, which is too low. The outside line failed to complete the task of emptying the Mavericks, and Li Ba was double-teamed by many people at the basket. This was a loss. the most important reason.

Frank stared at Rondo. The rookie performed well, but he didn't shoot. He was left open throughout the game against the Mavericks, and all the pressure went to the Hammers, which made him very annoyed.

Tony Allen also didn't shoot, which is what annoyed him.

Kevin Martin had three points and didn't defend, which was also what annoyed him.

Assistant coach Tarot said on the side: "Frank, it seems that one inside and four outside can only be hit appropriately."

Frank nodded, frowned and said: "We can't find the most balanced point guard on both ends of the offense and defense. The best is the best."

"Rajan, be bold when passing the ball to the Hammers. Don't care whether he can see you or not. Don't care whether he notices you. It doesn't matter if you make a mistake. It's not yours."

He shouted at Rondo.

After training, Frank called Li Ba to discuss tactical issues with the coaching staff.

On December 25, 2006, the Suns played against the Lakers at home.

This is a Christmas war specially arranged by the alliance, and it attracts a lot of attention.

Prior to this, the Suns had won 4 more games in a row, with 22 wins and 4 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference.

The Lakers are 23 wins and 3 losses, ranking first in the league.

The records of the two teams are very close now, because they are both in the same division. Whoever gets the first place in the Pacific Division will not only have the home court advantage when they meet, but can also directly push the second place to the fourth place in the playoffs, so whoever Neither dared to relax.

The Suns lost the last game, but they are determined to win this game.

The two teams have 4 games to play in the regular season, and each game is very crucial. Once the winning rates of both teams are the same in the end, the winning or losing of each other will be of great importance.

In this way, it will test the depth of the lineups of both sides. Once the depth is not enough, the main players will fall into a fatigue battle. Even if they win the first place in the division, the gains may not be worth the losses.

On the 24th, the Suns came to Los Angeles, and Dayao, Daba, and Kobe were treating them.

"Congratulations, Hammer, I finally have a tactic that can restrict you." Kobe said excitedly.

"Are you out of your mind? Is this a new tactic? The Spurs used it in my rookie season and were eliminated by us. You should stop listening to the media and you will be fooled."

Li Ba said angrily.

Kobe was startled, thought for a moment and said, "What did you do then?"

Li Badao: "Do you think I will make so many mistakes in the entire series, and how many will be missed every game? Do you think we will always miss the outside shot?"

Or do you think Nowitzki can be so efficient throughout the series? Can you break out the entire series yourself?

Don't use the high points you get from the shooting to make up for it, it's useless. You can't beat us with a shooting rate of less than 50%, because you will lose on rebounds. My defense combined, that would allow us to average at least ten more shots per game than you guys. "

Kobe's face froze, and after thinking about it carefully, his expression became a little serious.

Dayao, who was originally very relaxed, became serious.