Champion Creed
Chapter 883: 293: Under the glorious victory, the crisis is emerging (seeking monthly tickets)

Chapter 883: 293: Under the glorious victory, the crisis is emerging (seeking monthly tickets)

Jason Kidd’s Nets were hit hard in the first quarter.

At the end of the first quarter, the Nets allowed the Hawks to score 35 points, trailing by 10 points!

In the past few seasons, if something like this happened, there was only one possibility: a Roger explosion.

As a superstar, Roger once created a feat of scoring 27 points in a single quarter in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals and hit eight three-pointers in a half.

If you didn’t watch the first quarter and only knew the score and point difference, you would surely think Roger delivered another explosive scoring performance.

But actually, Roger only scored 6 points in the first quarter.

However, he dished out 6 assists!

This is quite a frightening statistic. A player scoring 20 points in a single quarter does not necessarily mean his team’s offense is smooth. It might even indicate that the team is so helpless it has no choice but to rely on one man’s solo play.

But if a player provides 6 assists in a single quarter, it clearly shows how smooth their offense is and how unstoppable the team is in the first quarter.

Moreover, the Hawks’ smooth offense never paused for even a second during the first quarter, including the transition phases. Even when Dream came off the bench and Roger took a brief rest, the Hawks did not slow down in the slightest.

Tyronn Lue would immediately speed up the pace once he got the ball, accelerating without waiting for Dream to set up.

Even if only four players could participate in the offense, they were determined to increase their possessions.

20 years later, people would say of this Hawks team: their offensive speed is second only to the great LeBron!

Although very subversive, this strategy worked, as the Hawks maintained extremely high efficiency in their offense whether it was the starting lineup or the transition phase.

Scoring 35 points in the first quarter, such a transformation left everyone dumbfounded.

Not only was the result surprising, but the Hawks’ offensive excitement brought Atlanta fans an unprecedented thrill.

The seamless fast breaks, wonderful passes, and frequent dunks turned Philips Arena from a solemn champion’s hall into a crazy rock concert venue.

Last season, the Hawks lineup was also small, but they were more of a conventional half-court team, playing slow-paced offense and defense. With Scottie Pippen’s declining defensive pressure, the Hawks found it hard to play the “pressure-create turnovers-counterattack” game, resorting to grind-out half-court plays to solve problems.

This year, with Big Ben leaving, and the team bringing in the aging Dream, everyone thought the Hawks would slow down even more, but they did the opposite.

NBC commentator Matt Lauer was ecstatic just like the fans: “This is an unexpected transformation, Atlanta Hawks are not passing up any fast-break opportunities. Of course, it is very physically demanding, but the Hawks this season have an extremely outstanding bench depth. We can look forward to the Hawks extending this dazzling offense for four quarters, and continue to enjoy this visual feast!”

Matt Lauer had previously been an NCAA commentator, having more interest in NCAA than the NBA.

Because NCAA tactics are more diverse, less reliant on star players, and seem to have more variables.

If you follow NCAA closely, you’ll know that most high-pick players actually didn’t achieve stellar results during March Madness, while some March Madness MOPs didn’t necessarily have high picks.

This proves that NCAA plays more as a team and is more de-emphasized on star players.

And those tactics that shine in the NBA, like the Princeton, Triangle Offense, or UCLA Screens, were first popularized in college before being adopted by NBA coaches.

NCAA is simply a valuable cultivation pool for the entire American basketball ecosystem.

As for the NBA, tactics are certainly plentiful, but not fresh enough, basically using leftovers from the NCAA.

Moreover, since the stars are too strong, the more crucial the moment, the simpler the tactics become, letting the stars solve the problems.

Matt Lauer doesn’t like this style of basketball, too few variables, lacking innovation, with solitary combat.

But tonight, his first NBA national broadcast commentary totally changed his view of the NBA.

Even in NCAA, it’s hard to see such a crazy fast-break strategy!

“The most incredible thing is that most of the Hawks’ attacks are completed within seven seconds!” Matt Lauer continued to add.

Mike D’Antoni’s “Seven Seconds or Less” philosophy has been completely absorbed by the Hawks, making this the most wonderful night of his life, the most fulfilling moment.

He proved that his seemingly crazy theory could indeed make a team’s offense unstoppable.

And Lenny Wilkens is marveling at Roger’s limitless potential.

Some players are only suitable for one system, only succeeding in that one system.

But some players have their own system; having their own system doesn’t mean they are naturally suitable for a specific system, but rather they can adapt to every system and perform well.

Roger, initially a pure scorer when he entered the league, has transformed through one summer into a player capable of leading a fast-paced team, successfully getting the Hawks to play completely different games from last season.

This change is correct; the Hawks’ defense indeed worsened, Kenyon Martin scored 8 points in the first quarter, all through beast-like slam dunks in the paint, which is the consequence of losing the DPOY.