readytorunbook Chapter 973 From Optimism to Pessimism
Chapter 973 From Optimism to Pessimism
Chapter 973 From Optimism to Pessimism
June 1993, 6, the eve of the finals.
The Knicks trained as usual, and Louie convened the coaching staff to study and discuss Game1's game plan.
For the Knicks, Portland's image is fragmented.
On the one hand, the Blazers' dominance in the first half of the regular season was very impressive. On the other hand, after Louie caught their uncorrectable pigtails in the second game, they looked like iron heads from top to bottom, and they insisted on correcting this.
As a result, they lost consecutive games, not only losing Jordan's MVP, but also losing the home court advantage of the finals.
The Blazers accepted the fact that they had irreparable flaws around the time of the semifinals.
Then, let go of distracting thoughts and focus on amplifying your strengths.
As a result, the Blazers have not lost since then.
Zhao Yuanzheng stood up and explained the situation: "Since the playoffs, the Blazers have averaged 53% field goal percentage, ranking first; at the same time, it is worth noting that their average turnover rate has reached 15%, also ranking first; their offensive rebound rate has reached 31%.
These few data clearly outline the style of the Blazers.
The high shooting percentage shows that their offensive finishing ability is stable, and the players have strong personal abilities. In contrast, the number of turnovers is the first, which just shows that they are a team that pays attention to passing.At the same time, this is also a strong proof that the Blazers are no longer the team that can be defeated as long as one of Jordan and Barkley is blocked last year.
Then there are several other data.
The free throw rate is 27%, ranking first, and the opponent's field goal percentage is 46.4%, ranking fourth among the teams in the playoffs. Considering that their starters have obvious deficiencies on the defensive end, this data is very good; The player's style of play data.
The opponent's free throw rate can directly reflect the strength of the on-the-spot confrontation.
The higher the data, it means that the team pays more attention to physical confrontation on the defensive end.
At the same time, it also proved that they have "confidence" in the opponent's free throw percentage.
They believe that opponents cannot maintain a stable free throw percentage under the super physical confrontation.
After Zhao Yuanzheng listed the data, the teaching assistants in the conference room looked solemn.
"They looked unassailable," Tomjanovich said.
"Compared with us, Portland's offense and defense are more balanced, and there are excellent talents in every position." Thibodeau prepared for this. "However, even so, we still have a clear advantage in the interior. Although Portland has Larry Nance and Adavis Sabonis, two star-level players, we have more talents in the interior-Patrick, Sean, Dennis, Kevin, Harold (Yu Tiancan). As long as the game enters the consumption stage, Portland's interior will have problems faster than us."
Compared with last year, the Blazers actually only have one more Sabonis.
Just this one Sabonis, can he change the situation of being wantonly ravaged by the Knicks' insiders last year?
Obviously not.
Even if the peak Sabonis is here, Ewing is not afraid of him.
Since the playoffs, Kemp, who has continuously hit top power forwards, and Rodman, the three-time defensive player of the year, are terrifying existences for Nance and Clifford Robinson.
Therefore, Thibodeau's inside advantage theory is completely correct.
The inside line will be the life and death line of the game. When the Knicks hardly have an advantage in the three outside positions, the advantage that the inside line can obtain will determine the trend of the game.
"Rudy, what's your opinion?"
As far as Tomjanovich can see, he can't see farther than Thibodeau.
However, as the chief assistant coach who has followed Lui Jin for 10 years, if there is a feedback of "I am the same", it would be a drop in price, so he used reverse thinking to put forward a hypothesis: "Our inside line does have a clear advantage, but anything can happen in the game. If our inside line suddenly loses its threat, how can we sustain the game? What should our bottom line strategy be?"
Everyone didn't answer the question. It's better to have the answer to the question you asked yourself, otherwise Louis will scold your mother.
"Three-pointers." Tomjanovich said novelly, "If I remember correctly, our outside three-pointers are far behind No. 2 in terms of quantity and quality."
After all, he looked to Zhao Yuanzheng for proof.
"That's right." Zhao Yuanzheng nodded in response.
"The outside line is also our advantage, maybe we can choose to break from here."
Regardless of whether Tomjanovich is trying to deal with Louis, or really thinks that three-pointers are a way to break the game, his thinking has brought everyone a new direction.
Louie listened silently. No one in the room knew the Blazers better than him.
Because the Trail Blazers modeled their team on the Knicks.
And the Knicks building was slowly built by Louis after years of painstaking efforts.
It's like a duel with your younger self.
Everyone was discussing lively, and the old coach Doug Mo suddenly said: "We should not only see the good side of ourselves."
"Not bad." Zhao Yuanzheng continued, "MJ is the best player in the league. Charles Barkley proved last year that he can beat Sean and Dennis, and now he has joined Isiah Thomas."
Zhao Yuanzheng looked around, "Judging from past combat experience, John (Stockton) will most likely be suppressed by Isiah."
Thibodeau also became prepared for danger in times of peace: "At the same time, Portland's 'Verdun Line of Defense' has been honed for a season and has already become quite lethal."
The atmosphere of "I have the advantage" disappeared, and the pre-war meeting entered a pessimistic atmosphere of "this is still a tick".
Lao Mo's so-called disadvantages are not based solely on the player's ability.
"Portland's biggest advantage is that, except for Isiah, no one has ever succeeded. They gather for the championship, and they will sacrifice their own personal interests to win the championship. Compared with them, our players are too proud." Lao Mo pointed out amazingly, "We have won five championships. Me, the team atmosphere that I am for everyone, has not been seen in our games for a long time."
Lao Mo said it very euphemistically, but the real situation is even worse.
After five years of competition, the secret war between Wilson and Ewing has entered the stage of open competition.
The Knicks have hidden the shadow of honor for many years, and this season has also surfaced one by one.
From the name change to Mohammad Rauf, to the press conference accident that followed;
From Sean Kemp's contract extension to the current situation where most people are dissatisfied with their contracts;
The "Eden incident" was a flashpoint that exploded the unknown side of the Knicks.
Fans saw the ugly side of the Knicks star player, and Louie saw the crisis of the team's impending collapse.
The bad atmosphere formed by these things has always affected the Knicks.
This is also a question that Louis has been reflecting on in recent days.
He wondered when he had lost control of these things.
But he had no answer, and no matter how hard he looked back, he couldn't find a clue that pointed the finger at it.
He did make mistakes, but there shouldn't have been any fundamental mistakes that would have brought the Knicks to this point.
So why did the Knicks still become like this?
The truth frightened him—the Knicks were meant to be like this.
That's why Louie still thinks his Knicks haven't surpassed the Celtics led by KC Jones.
More difficult than conquering your opponent is conquering your inner demons.
At this time, the problems of the Knicks are all on the surface. If they can be solved, Louis will have solved them long ago.
Lao Mo was right to worry, but raising an unsolvable problem would not help them prepare for the war.
Louie called off the meeting.
Let them go their separate ways and go about their own business.
After walking out of the conference room, Louis came to the court.
Some players are practicing shooting, such as Miller.
This year, Miller officially surpassed Dell Ellis to become the league's top scorer.
However, to become as famous as Ellis, you still need to play a round of "Boston children dare not cry at night" series like the opponent did in the 1988 Eastern Conference finals, before you have the confidence to claim the number one.
Otherwise, Ellis will become like James after 2016.
It seems that there are several people who play better than him every season, but the king is still the king, and the fans also recognize him as the number one.
Dissatisfied?So how many champions do you have?
In fact, Ellis is also a heart disease of Miller.
Miller, one of the Knicks' most consistent starters, has few diehard fans.
Everyone likes Wilson, Kemp, Rodman but no one likes Miller.Because New Yorkers feel that Miller is not as good as his predecessor.
Dale Ellis' performance in the 1988 playoffs earned him a spot permanently in New York's professional sports pantheon.
Miller has never played like that.
Miller was also a high-profile individual, the polar opposite of Ellis' style.When those diehard fans of Ellis saw his virtue, they would inevitably feel hatred and turn into black fans.
Yes, in New York, Miller not only has few loyal fans, but also has a large number of black fans.
And the fan of these black fans is Spike Lee!
Evil fate!
Miller outscored Wilson 24-20 in a shooting contest.
Before he hit the 24th shot, he turned around and celebrated before the ball was scored.
"Coach, Benj's shooting can't compare to mine!" Miller said arrogantly.
Wilson just shrugged and smiled wryly, without arguing.
"If you can shoot so accurately in the finals, then you will be really amazing."
"Don't worry, coach, isn't it just the people in Portland? Benj's three-pointer shot them all last year. This year, I will replace them and let them see the strength of the three-pointer!"
Louie didn't respond to his words.
He believes that it is difficult to reproduce the series of miracles that Ellis performed against the sky in 1988, because it requires not only hard power, but also considerable luck.
Ellis hasn't been in that form since.
Never before have Miller's legendary moments come together in such a tight fashion.
However, it is certain that Miller's upper limit is higher than that of Ellis, so who knows what will happen in the future.
(End of this chapter)