Nakba wanted to step up and take on the team's scoring responsibility, but Zhang Guan stepped forward earlier, taking the lead with a fast break layup after a steal.
Dragic shook his head in frustration. This goal was entirely his responsibility. If his passing error had not been intercepted by Zhang Guan, it would not have caused Zhang Guan's fast break later.
"It's okay, don't worry, Zhang Guan's speed is really fast. If it were anyone else, he would have been intercepted." Nakba stepped forward to comfort him, hoping to make Dragic easier.
But Dragic could feel that Zhang Guan's steal was not as simple as it seemed.
In the Phoenix Suns, Dragic, as a substitute defender, is not the core of the tactics, and the team rarely arranges pick-and-roll tactics for him, so Dragic is more of a firepower addition to the bench. , rather than a passer. But this does not mean that Dragic's passing level is poor. In fact, as a European defender, his passing level cannot be that bad.
Dragic is still very confident in his passing ability, and the interception that Zhang Guan just made was completed from the front. This cannot be accomplished simply by being fast, but also requires accurate judgment.
"Zhang Guan correctly judged my passing route in advance, so he was able to complete this kind of steal." Dragic took a deep breath, and he suddenly felt that Zhang Guan might be more difficult to deal with than rumored.
…
The game continued, and the smart Dragic felt the pressure brought by Zhang Guan in the first attack, and his playing style became conservative. In many cases, he even chose to pass the ball just after halftime. Give it to Nakba, who then completes the attack.
Nakba can only be regarded as a qualified substitute in the NBA. Especially his excellent performance in shooting has made him an excellent shooter. The team also needs him to contribute more from beyond the three-point line. . But in the Slovenian team, Nakba, as the core of tactics, has to shoulder the important task of organizing the offense, and Slovenia's tactical system can also activate Nakba's assist ability. So Nakba decisively took over the responsibility of Dragic's point guard and began to direct the team's offense.
Brezek and Dayao were locked into each other. Facing the taller Dayao, it was obviously impossible for Brezek to take on the offense. Dragic was completely at a disadvantage when facing Zhang Guan, so in addition to himself, Nakba could only rely on two teammates, Zupan and Rakovich.
Zupan is obviously the best choice to end the offense. Although this deaf player is at the small forward position, he is tall and heavy enough to play power forward, so he has an advantage in matchups. At the same time, Zupan has good skills and a high golf IQ. The key is to focus on playing. As an offensive terminator, this kind of player has a relatively high success rate in scoring.
As the initiator of the attack, Nakba did not hesitate to choose Zupan as the main energy output point. Zupan lived up to expectations, making sudden shots and scoring eight points in the blink of an eye.
As for the Chinese team, it was not Zhang Guan who took the lead but the United Arab Emirates.
After the first goal, the next four attacks were all completed by the United Arab Emirates. Although they only scored four points on two of four shots, they twice caused fouls by the Slovenian defensive players and scored two points with free throws. Let Arab Lian temporarily become the highest scorer in the Chinese team.
The player facing the UAE is Rakovich, which is also the main reason for the outbreak of the UAE.
Although Rakovich has never played in the NBA, he was drafted by the NBA in 2007, just like Arab League. Arab League is the No. 6 pick and belongs to a relatively high position in the lottery, while Rakovich is Rookie No. 60, the last among all rookies.
Since Ah Lian entered the NBA, he has been questioned. Many American media or basketball commentators believe that his performance is not worthy of the No. 6 pick. Therefore, among the No. 60 picks in the same period today, Ah Lian Lian Lian is very eager to play a dominant performance. He wants to prove that he is absolutely worthy of the position of No. 6 rookie.
If the No. 6 rookie cannot beat the No. 60 rookie in the same period, even if he is only half-matched, he will definitely be regarded as a "parallel import". Of course, the Arab League does not want to be known as a "parallel import", so he appears to be a "parallel import" in the offense. Extremely positive and determined. UAE, who has the advantage in height and skills, caused Rakovich to get two fouls in the middle of the first quarter.
In NBA games, players who commit two fouls in the first quarter will definitely be replaced by the coach, and they will even be used more cautiously in the second quarter. NBA rules require six fouls before you are sent off, while international basketball rules require five fouls before you are sent off. The difference between this one foul and the other makes the opportunity to foul more precious. Therefore, receiving two fouls in the first quarter was even more fatal.
Rakovich was replaced by the Slovenian coach immediately after receiving his second foul. The Slovenian team does not lack players at the fourth position. In addition to the bench, Zupan and Nakba in the starting lineup can also play at the fourth position, so Rakovich may not be able to play in the second quarter. Opportunity.
The two sides tied at 10-10 in the middle of the first quarter, which seemed to be evenly matched, but in fact it was Slovenia that obviously suffered because one of their main players had to sit on the bench temporarily due to two fouls.
…
Coach Zhidovic was very dissatisfied with the team's performance. He called a timeout, but did not arrange the next tactics. Instead, he poured chicken soup for his disciples.
"Have you forgotten how we lost to the Chinese team in the World Championships four years ago? We were defeated at the last second. We worked hard for the whole game and were about to win, but when we were about to win, We lost the game at the last moment!" Coach Zhidovich roared loudly: "You must remember that we are Avengers, and Avengers should be full of anger and move forward courageously instead of being timid like cowards!"
Coach Zhidovic obviously hopes that the players can play more aggressively, which is also a disguised expression of dissatisfaction to Dragic. In the view of coach Zhidovic, Dragic faced Zhang Guan, Playing too conservatively.
Dragic felt the coach's eyes staring at him, and he could hear the extra meaning in coach Zhidovic's words. He knew that if he didn't show a stronger performance, he might lose the coach's trust in him.
When the game started again, Dragic showed more courage. Facing Zhang Guan's defense, his offense was more decisive, with breakthroughs and shots, but unfortunately, the ball was not scored.
Facing Zhang Guan's defense, even Kobe did not choose to break through, but chose to make a jump shot, so Dragic was even less likely to break through Zhang Guan's defense. In terms of body, Dragic is far inferior to Zhang Guan, and he cannot forcefully break through like a tank; in terms of speed, Dragic is also far inferior to Zhang Guan, and he cannot use his speed to get rid of Zhang Guan.
If the breakthrough is unsuccessful, Dragic can only force a shot. This is also an offensive method that Dragic is very good at. Dragic's shooting percentage last season was as high as 45%, and his three-point shooting percentage was even more. Reaching 39%, these two statistics are among the best among NBA guards. He relied on this weapon to secure his position as the Suns' substitute guard.
The three-point line in international basketball is closer, so the shot should be easier to make, but it is not just Zhang Guan who puts too much pressure on Dragic, but also Dragic's own touch is too poor. His shots all missed the basket, and he was even blocked by Zhang Guan once.
Dragic is not the kind of player who is good at pull-up jump shots. The shooting methods he is good at are: one is a jump shot after preparing to catch the ball, and the other is a mid-range step-back jump shot, but the former requires the cooperation of teammates, such as pick-and-roll. The latter's action frequency is relatively slow, which is also a flaw in Dragic's mid-range shooting skills.
Last season, Dragic often used step-back jumpers, but since then everyone has become familiar with his technical characteristics and knows that his step-back jump shots are slow, so they have more targeted responses. In today's game, Dragic's opponent is Zhang Guan, a player who can run fast and jump high. His slow movements have become a fatal flaw in Dragic's shooting.
Because Dragic failed to attack several times in a row, the Chinese team took this opportunity to open up the score and gain a 5-point lead.
At this time, Dayao's playing time came and he was replaced, roughly replacing him at the center position.
The approximate height is two centimeters shorter than Brezek, and the physical confrontation cannot bring pressure to Brezek. This allows Brezek to finally be able to play. In just three rounds, Brezek scored four points. Enter the account. However, roughly in the fourth round, he responded with a long-range three-pointer, which made Blazek look ugly.
A rough three-point shot opens, which means that Blazek's defense has to chase beyond the three-point line. When facing Yao before, Blazek only had to stay at the basket and defend. After all, international basketball rules do not allow defense for three seconds, and this is where the strength of big centers lies under international basketball rules. But now Blazek, a 216 cm tall center, is forced to appear on the three-point line to defend, which undoubtedly weakens the advantage of the big center.
Blazek ran to the three-point line and gave Zhang Guan a chance to break through.
Before that, Dayao and Blazek stayed in the paint and already occupied a lot of space. If two power forwards were added, the basket would become even more crowded, which is not conducive to the backcourt players. breakthrough. But now that there are two big centers missing, Zhang Guan instantly gains a huge breakthrough space.
Zhang Guan did not miss this opportunity. Once Blazek was roughly pulled out, he immediately chose to break through, and it was the kind of breakthrough without any fancy, relying solely on body and speed.
Dragic once again became a victim. He knew clearly that Zhang Guan was going to break through, but he couldn't guard Zhang Guan. However, he wanted to guard Zhang Guan, so when his speed and body were not as good as him, he could only Choose an eye-catching defensive method and use larger movements to stop Zhang Guan.
When the whistle sounded, Dragic received two fouls at the end of the first quarter because of his lack of composure. There is no doubt that he is unlikely to appear again in the first half.
Both starting players received two fouls, and Slovenia's road to revenge seemed extremely bumpy. Even though the Slovenian team has a deep basketball background, the substitutes were still not as strong as the starting players after all. The first half of the game ended At that time, China maintained a 7-point lead at 42-35.
…
In the locker room, the players of the Slovenian team lowered their heads and looked very frustrated. In front of them, coach Zhidovic had a gloomy face, as if he had just returned from hell.
"Look what you guys look like? We're only 7 points behind, and there's still half-time left. We only need three or four goals to overtake the score! What are you so frustrated about?" Coach Zhidovich said, Pushing away the tactical board, he continued: "In the second half of the game, we must change. We have to play our own style. I need you to move and cooperate with each other! Especially you, Golan."
Coach Zhidovic looked at Dragic and then said: "What I need is a commander, not someone who can only run around and shoot blindly. As a point guard, you must calm down and direct this situation." It’s a battle, so you can’t stay the same. Since you can’t make a shot, don’t waste the opportunity. You can try other methods, such as playing pick-and-roll with your teammates. That is the method you are best at and that is your sharpest. weapons. Remember, a smart player must know how to hide his weaknesses while putting his strongest weapon at the forefront!"
…
In the second half of the game, both sides once again replaced their starting lineups.
The Slovenian team changed its tactics. In the first attack, Dragic cooperated with the leader Rakovich in a pick-and-roll.
Rakovich was the most depressed player in the first half. After only playing five minutes of the game, he was forced to take a rest due to two fouls. He was also filled with anger. In the second half of the game, he seized the first opportunity to attack and took advantage of the opening after the pick-and-roll and successfully scored a three-pointer.
As a Slovenian inside player, although he looks like a powerful inside player, Rakovich still has the ability to shoot three-pointers. Among European insiders, nine out of ten can shoot three-pointers. Rakovich Qi is no exception.
Under Dragic's command, Nakba and Blazek also passed the pick-and-roll defense one after another, and each scored two points. However, China only scored one goal in these three attacks, and the difference between the two sides was reduced to less than two points.
Dayao's pace is still somewhat unable to keep up with the frequency of pick-and-roll defense changes. Especially after Blazek also joined the pick-and-roll, Dayao was even more unable to cope with the defense changes after the pick-and-roll. Deng Huade hesitated for a moment and decided to replace Dayao first. At this time, how to deal with Slovenia's pick-and-roll tactics became a difficult problem for Deng Huade.
(End of chapter)