The Orlando Magic's three-point offensive did not stop. After a slight interruption, it was restarted by Hedo Turkoglu, hitting two consecutive three-pointers, and finally opened up the score again. //High-speed update//
For the Sonics, the more difficult thing about defense is that the Magic team doesn't bother with you at all. They just take a shot after getting the ball. No matter how tight your defense is, as long as you don't affect his shot, He will throw the ball to the basket firmly.
The Magic's determination is hard to imagine. The Sonics' defense has repeatedly expanded, but there is still nothing they can do to get their three-pointers. Once the three-point tactic is turned on, it is so difficult to deal with, even with the Sonics' defense. There is nothing you can do about them.
However, the Sonics did not let the Magic open the score too much. After all, they have a deep foundation. Whether it is Yao Ming on the inside or Stephen on the outside, the scoring is very sure, although it is not as good as the Magic's three-pointer. So sharp, but also defensive and offensive.
Although the Sonics are on the defensive, they are not panicking. Stephen did not fight out to turn the tide as he did in the past, but has been organizing the team's offense and defense. It is still too early, but he wants to see what he can do with just one shot. With a three-pointer, Stephen didn't believe what the Magic could do and defeat the championship-level team he led.
Every championship team has at least one three-point shooter, such as Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs, Longley of the Chicago Bulls, Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Robert Horry of the Spurs, but it is a bit difficult to say that he can win the championship with three-pointers.
It should be said that it is not a little difficult, but extremely difficult. Three-pointers are difficult to defend and easy to attack, but they have the weakness of low shooting rate. They can be made up for through tactics or training, but they cannot make up for that much, so relying on three-pointers alone , the Magic's ability to reach this point is indeed an anomaly, but in the first two games, their three-point tactics did not have any effect, so Stephen wants to observe it personally now.
At the same time, it also means to avoid being sharp. Now, except for Dwight Howard, the Magic's three-pointers have almost all made several three-pointers. Except for Rafe Alston, whose shooting percentage is slightly lower, the others have made several three-pointers. His three-point shooting percentage was over 50%, especially Michael Pietrus, who was responsible for defending Stephen. His three-pointers were not very good, but he made two of two three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of 100%.
Even the Sonics would have difficulty resisting such an offensive. Driven by Stephen, the Sonics' defense has always been tough and tough. Although they have been lagging behind, the point difference has been widening and has never narrowed. signs, but the Sonics' defense did not collapse in the end, but persisted.
The Magic really want to beat the Sonics to death with one stick, but the Sonics are very flexible both offensively and defensively, especially their offense. Even if they are in a hurry under their own offensive, they can come back to attack. Still very stable.
This is the foundation of the team. Although it failed last season, the Sonics have become stronger after the playoffs. This season, the team has added new blood, all of whom are People who work very hard on both the offensive and defensive ends have made the team more united and more confident, so they can still maintain a normal game state despite the Magic's fanatical offensive.
Slowly, the first quarter of the game is almost over. At this time, the Sonics have been led by 11 points, and the Magic have scored more than 35 points. This has never happened before, but In the second half, their three-point touch had declined. If the Sonics' offense had not also had problems, they would have been close to the score long ago.
After Yao Ming came off the court, relying solely on outside offense, the Sonics also relied on touch. Although the degree of reliance was slightly less, the nature of outside shooting determined everything. After both sides' touch declined, the Magic still relied on touch. Trust their 3-pointer, and the Sonics start driving to the rim, trying to get closer to the rim.
But at this time, Dwight Howard's abilities began to show. Facing the Sonics' successive attacks, Dwight Howard was alone at the basket to deal with the attacks from the left and right, and he was not at a disadvantage. Anyone who wanted to To hit the basket, you have to break through the defense line of his big hands. Even Stephen almost missed his path.
Dwight Howard can become the number one defensive center in the league because of his defense against outside players attacking the basket and his defense against new inside ball-and-frame attacks. Moreover, his defense is mainly focused on blocking shots, unlike other players. People mainly focus on blocking others, so the data will naturally be very good.??, in essence, this is just a defensive direction, and the effect is not very good.
However, in this era, his defense is very useful, because with the modification of league rules, there are fewer and fewer traditional inside players, and Dwight Howard's weaknesses and flaws are less obvious, and his defensive characteristics have been But if you zoom in infinitely, it looks naturally very powerful.
Dwight Howard's technical characteristics and the Magic's outside three-point tactics complement each other. This is the factor for their success this season. This is also a combination of internal and external, but both the inside and outside have gone to an extreme. The inside is the basic They gave up the offense and focused on second tip-ins and offensive rebounds, while the outside focus was on three-pointers.
Today, inspired by the fanatical atmosphere at home, not only were their outside three-pointers outstanding, Dwight Howard also swept away the sluggishness of the previous two games and became excited. Coupard tried his best to restrict him, but failed Not that easy.
In the second quarter, Stephen began to gradually exert his strength, but his strength was not in scoring, but in defense and organization of offense. At this time, two rookies, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook, Driven by Stephen, he suddenly started to explode, and even started a pick-and-roll cooperation inside and outside, which was very rare before.
Russell Westbrook's breakthrough is very threatening, but his distribution threat after the breakthrough is even greater. As a point guard, he is only qualified in this aspect. What else is the overall view and passing vision? They haven't been cultivated yet.
Most of the assists of many scoring point guards come from this way. For example, Gilbert Arenas, such as Allen Iverson, break through and pose a threat, then distribute the ball and get assists, but most of them Sometimes they aim to attack the basket.
Russell Westbrook is also such a player, but Serge Ibaka is the target of his distribution. Many people are very puzzled when they see Serge Ibaka's beautiful mid-range shot. , how did this guy who looks like a rough guy at first glance master this move? If he can really keep doing this, he will add a powerful weapon to the Sonics team that already has good offensive power, especially one that can solve the problem. The SuperSonics currently have a problem with insufficient inside offensive power when Yao Ming is not on the court.
Eight points, for most players in the league, may be the number of points they can get in one game. For a small number of players, it may be the number of points they can get in one game. For Stephen, it is just In a small wave, relying on this small offensive, the Sonics narrowed the point difference to two points. At this time, Stan Van Gundy couldn't help but call a timeout.
But after the timeout, not only did it have no effect, but the Sonics launched a 7-0 offensive, leading the score by five points in one fell swoop. At this time, affected by emotional fluctuations, the three-pointer became more and more difficult. That's right, at this time, we should actually change our offensive method, strengthen defense, and choose a more efficient scoring method, but the Magic do not have this ability.
They rely too much on their three-pointers. Except for Jamal Nelson, others basically don't have very confident offensive methods, and Jamal Nelson is not very confident either, but he has no outside shooting ability. Faced with this situation, There is nothing anyone can do, not even the gods can save the day.