Misalignment in offense has always been the biggest headache for defenders. Since the attacker takes the initiative, once a misalignment occurs, it will be very troublesome for the defender to deal with it, whether it is a small attack against a large one or a large attack against a small one. The pick-and-roll tactic is obviously the tactic most likely to cause mismatched offense. Once there is a mismatch, for example, if a tall center faces a short point guard, his height and weight advantage can be completely crushed on the offensive end; another example, if a short guard faces a tall center, he can use flexible footsteps to wash out the opponent.
For the defensive side, it is obviously best if a player can adapt to multiple positions. Traditional centers in the NBA are gradually declining, and all-around forward players are beginning to emerge. A large part of the reason is that they are more flexible when defending.
The average swingman can defend from the 1st to the 3rd position. For example, Pierce can defend from the 1st to the 4th position without any problem, while James can defend from the 1st to the 5th position. Durant can also do this. This type of player can ignore misplaced defense changes. They can defend the point guard on the opposite side, and they can also defend the center on the opposite side, so almost no one will criticize their defense. . Some basketball experts even believed that James represents a development trend in basketball. The positioning of future players will become increasingly blurred and more versatile. Some experts even predicted that the current position of basketball players will gradually become more and more versatile. Disappear, there will be no center defender in the future, but five "James" will appear on the court at the same time.
There are also some big men who can misplace defenders. The defense of Duncan, Nowitzki and Garnett is enough to hinder many defenders' attacks. It is much more difficult for a small man to defend a big man out of position. After all, basketball is a sport that relies more on height. Although being taller does not mean that you will play basketball better, height is undeniably an advantage.
There are two ways for a short guard to defend a tall center. One is to go around to prevent him from catching the ball, and the other is to disrupt the opponent's dribbling rhythm. But in a one-on-one situation, the defender defending the center from the front is basically doing a useless job, because he cannot defend him at all, and the height gap is an insurmountable gap.
However, in today's game, Zhang Guan did not use tactics such as bypassing or interfering. He allowed Blazek to catch the ball, then defended from the front and simply blocked the shot. With a height difference of more than 20 centimeters, Zhang Guan Guan was completely ignored.
After encountering consecutive blocks, Blazek also realized that this was a trap set by Zhang Guan for himself. He also saw Zhang Guan's extraordinary bounce and speed. When Dragic passed to him again, Blazek seemed He was timid and didn't dare to shoot rashly.
"Although he is receiving the ball in an open position, he doesn't dare to shoot at all. This situation is really bad!" Brezelin looked at the basket in front of him hesitantly. He really wanted to shoot, but he knew that Zhang Guan was standing next to him. Watching with eager eyes, once he really shoots, Zhang Guan will definitely step forward to block the shot.
Blazek took a deep breath, and the next moment, he chose to dribble toward the basket.
"I am a center, not a shooter. Although I can shoot, it does not mean that I can only shoot. I have many offensive methods!" Blazek thought to himself.
Under normal circumstances, when there is an open space, shooting is definitely the first choice. The closer to the basket, the easier it is for a defender to appear. However, due to Zhang Guan's super jumping, Blazek gave up the opportunity to shoot open shots and chose Attack inside.
It is also a very common tactic for big players to attack the inside after the pick-and-roll. Stoudemire is very good at this tactic, especially in cooperation with Nash, he completely ravaged the NBA's inside. Although Blazek does not have the amazing offensive power of Stoudemire, he is also a top inside player in the international arena.
Just when Brezek was a little complacent, Zhang Guan also started to move, and he appeared on the path forward of Brezek.
"Zhang Guan? A mantis trying to use his arms as a cart!" Blazek curled his lips in disdain. He felt that in the next moment, Zhang Guan would be knocked away by him, and at the same time, the referee would call him a blocking foul.
After all, there is a height difference of more than 20 centimeters and a weight difference of 40 kilograms between the two. When Blazek has already started, even if Zhang Guan commits a foul, he may not be able to stop Blazek's progress.
Blazek came close to Zhang Guan, and the two people's bodies came into contact. However, Blazek felt as if he had hit a wall, and he had to stop.
The referee next to him puffed up his cheeks. He hesitated for a moment, but did not blow the whistle. This ball could be called a blocking foul by Zhang Guan, or it could not be called a foul. It can be explained regardless of whether it was called or not, but the referee Ultimately he chose not to blow the whistle because he saw Blazek stop.
If Zhang Guan was knocked down by Blazek, the referee would not hesitate to call a block by Zhang Guan, but Blazek stopped, which gave the referee a reason not to call a foul.
"Do you think I'm an idiot? A center broke through to the basket, but was blocked by a point guard. How is this possible? Blazek can't even carry a defender! This must be Blazek's way of thinking Fake a whistle, I am the referee, how can I be led by the players, I will not be fooled!" When the referee thought of this, his bulging cheeks deflated again.
…
"What's going on? Zhang Guan was actually blocked!" Blazek lowered his head in surprise and looked at Zhang Guan, who was only as tall as his chin, with confusion in his heart.
At this time in the game, no matter how confused he was, it was impossible for Blazek to stop and think. He quickly turned sideways, preparing to use his back technique.
European insiders are not bad at post-up skills, not to mention that for traditional centers, post-up singles can be said to be a special skill. Blazek's post-up singles skills are not bad, although in the NBA, Blaze Ke is not the core of tactics. When faced with a group of muscle sticks, his post-up singles cannot show much power, but facing a defender, Blazek is still very confident that he can beat the opponent.
When defending a post-up, you either have a height advantage or a strength advantage. If you are shorter than others and at a disadvantage in terms of strength, you will definitely not be able to defend against a post-up. Just like defending O'Neal or defending Dayao's post-up singles, apart from praying and the opponent's poor touch, there seems to be no particularly useful method. Compared with Brezek, Zhang Guan is shorter and lighter, so Brezek thinks he will win Zhang Guan.
Blazek started dribbling, once, twice, three times, four times... After the basketball came into contact with the ground again and again, it bounced up again and again, making a rhythmic sound, but Blazek's body stayed in place. The ground did not move. To be precise, Zhang Guan was holding him firmly, preventing him from moving forward even half a step.
"What's going on? I can't hold him up, I can't hold him up at all! I can't hold up a defender!" Blazek couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. He thought he would crush Zhang Guan, But now it has completely stagnated.
"What is Blazek doing? Why don't you rush to the basket?"
"Is he practicing dribbling? There is only Zhang Guan behind him, so rush in and score!"
When the other Slovenian players saw this scene, they began to get anxious. They didn't know that Brezek had worked very hard, but he still couldn't stand it, so they didn't understand that Brezek kept dribbling with his back, but couldn't. The act of taking half a step forward.
Being unable to move even half a minute made Blazek a little anxious. He exerted more force, and Zhang Guan also noticed this. He took advantage of Blazek's inattention and violently stole the ball away.
"Quick break!" Zhang Guan shouted, and the other members of the Chinese team all started to move, while the Slovenian players also began to defend.
It is obviously impossible for Blazek to catch up with Zhang Guan's speed, so when Zhang Guan advanced to the frontcourt with the ball, China formed a good opportunity for a three-on-two frontcourt.
Nakba returned to defense very quickly. He quickly returned to his own half and blocked Zhang Guan's progress immediately. However, Zhang Guan noticed Sun Yue, who was completely unmarked. At this time, he was heading towards the basket. He ran down, raised his hand high at the same time, and started asking for the ball.
"Whoosh!" Zhang Guan pushed with one hand, and the basketball was accurately passed to Sun Yue, who was closest to the basket. Sun Yue took a step after receiving the ball, then jumped high and completed the attack with a two-handed dunk. .
The Chinese team led Slovenia by 10 points, which was a double-digit difference. Coach Zhidovic called a timeout without hesitation.
"What are you doing? I don't know what you were thinking about just now, but now in the middle of the game, all you can think about is the game." Zhidovic shouted at Blazek, Obviously Zhidovic also believes that the goal just now was Blazek's fault.
Other players also looked at Blazek, some with questioning looks, while others looked blaming. Everyone feels that facing a defender and using a post-up but still not being able to hit the basket is definitely Blazek's problem.
Blazek felt that he was more unjust than Dou E. He said: "Coach, that Zhang Guan is very powerful. He has been moving very hard towards the basket, but I can't move at all!"
"You lost to Zhang Guan in terms of strength? Do you think this is a reasonable excuse?" Zhidovich curled his lips disdainfully, and then added: "You are a big center with a height of more than seven feet!"
"Coach, what I said is true. If you don't believe it, you can try someone else!" Blazek said aggrievedly.
And Blazek's aggrieved expression fell into the eyes of coach Zhidovic, which made him even more angry.
"It's just that you don't want to make progress, and you are giving me such a ridiculous excuse! Huh, do you think I dare not replace you?" Coach Zhidovich wanted to fight here, and a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he said: "You give me I stay on the bench, reflect and reflect, let’s make a substitution!”
…
After the timeout, the Slovenian team replaced Blazek with a backcourt player, and then replaced Radovic at the center position. As a result, although the height of the Slovenian team has decreased, the firepower in the backcourt has increased.
However, Dragic was still at an absolute disadvantage when facing Zhang Guan, so he chose to continue playing pick-and-roll.
This time, Radovic was paired with Dragic. Although he is not as tall as Blazek, he has a strong body and good shooting ability.
However, if Zhang Guan can cover Blazek, he can also cover Radovic, which makes Radovic afraid to shoot rashly. After receiving the ball in the pick-and-roll, he made the same choice as Blazek, taking advantage of the mismatch opportunity to attack the basket with the ball.
However, his experience was the same as Blazek's. He hit a wall, which was Zhang Guan's body. After being surprised, he chose to use a post-up singles, but was blocked by Zhang Guan, and he couldn't even take half a step. Unable to advance, Zhang Guan made another swift interception and launched a fast break. With three players in the frontcourt and two, the Chinese team scored two more points.
"What is Rakovich doing? After playing in Russia for several seasons, can he not even know how to play post-up singles?" Coach Zhidovich yelled angrily, but the next second, he suddenly thought, Rakovich Qi's performance was exactly the same as Blazek's just now.
"Is what Blazek said true? Zhang Guan is strong enough to carry an inside center?" This idea flashed through Zhidovic's mind, but the irrationality made him reject it instantly. this possibility.
Perhaps because he did not want to believe this, Zhidovic did not make any tactical adjustments. On the field, the Slovenian team became more and more passive. In the blink of an eye, the score gap exceeded 15 points and was heading towards 20 points.
…
"Whoosh! Bang!" Nakba's three-pointer hit the basket.
Almost at the same time, a cry came from the Chinese team: "Get rebounds!"
Roughly standing up, showing agility befitting his age, he jumped high, grabbed the basketball with both hands, and firmly controlled the ball.
"The game is over!" Nakba suddenly looked disappointed. At this time, there was less than twenty seconds left before the end of the game. However, he did not score the goal, and the Slovenian team also lost the capital to make a comeback.
The current score is 76 to 68, with China leading by eight points. If Nakba had made the shot just now, the five-point difference would have been a chance to comeback by using foul tactics. But now, using foul tactics, even if China only scores one free throw, the point difference will become nine points. It will take three three-pointers to equalize, and during this period, China will not be able to take any more points. This simply couldn't be done in the last twenty seconds, so the Slovenian team had lost the game.
The general free throws did not disappoint. At the critical moment, he made two free throws and widened the point difference to double digits.
Next, during Slovenia's offense, China did not provide too strong defense, allowing Slovenia to increase the score to 70 points, and the final score of the game was fixed at 78-70.
Four years later, the Chinese team once again defeated Slovenia in the World Championships, but this time it was not relying on a buzzer beater, but relying on sheer strength.
This time it is not a group stage, but a knockout round.
The Slovenian team stopped in the top 16, while the Chinese team successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Championships.
China's next opponent will be the host Turkish men's basketball team.
(End of chapter)