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Chapter 363 - 168. Basketball Holy Land Fans Switching Sides Again (10,000 characters)_4

Chapter 363: 168. Basketball Holy Land Fans Switching Sides Again (10,000 characters)_4

Bickerstaff: "If the opponent’s defense is strong and we consume a lot of energy on the offensive end, I wouldn’t implement such a rotation strategy. It’s not good for stamina or health, and it would affect the physical reserves for subsequent games. The Knicks Team only has 8 players available to play, so they have no choice but to play like that, but we don’t need to."

But the defense of the Knicks Team is poor, and the energy we consume on the offensive end is actually not much. In the first quarter, when Jack was substituted after playing for 9 minutes, he was very relaxed. He shouldn’t have been taken out at that time. For such a game, I think he could play over 40 minutes without a problem, and Emeka could handle even more. Against the current Knicks Team, ensuring continuity in our attack is necessary, so it is essential for both of them to stay on the court continuously."

Jordan: "Is this a new strategy for us in the future when playing against teams with poor defense?"

Bickerstaff: "Boss, your suggestion is worth a try."

Jordan: (#￣～￣#)

Does the old man want to throw the responsibility on me? Ridiculous! Not only do I have to carry the blame thrown by the future star, but the head coach also throws a Schrödinger’s blame on me!

...

Bickerstaff and Jordan chatted quite easily, but the game was actually not easy.

They were all soaring to such extents, Zhang Yang scored 9 points on 4 of 6 in the first quarter, and 14 points on 5 of 10 in the second quarter, totaling 23 points by halftime. Felton and Matt Carroll also both scored 10 points. Three players scored double figures by halftime, yet they had no lead advantage at all.

He thought Jordan had a point—the Knicks Team, if they reached the playoffs, would indeed be a headache for anyone.

Thinking about his own team’s current ranking, Bickerstaff hoped that the injured players of the Knicks Team would all recover, and those suspended wouldn’t have any more issues...

In this regard, Zhang Yang and Bickerstaff were on the same page—long-time fans of the Knicks Team from 18 years ago came uninvited, wishing for all 15 players of the Knicks Team to maintain their health.

During the halftime break, the Grizzlies coaching staff emphasized the details to pay attention to on the offensive end, analyzed which exploitable points from the first half were not utilized. After the coaching staff made their placements, the players also actively discussed issues related to coordination.

In the second half, the game between the Grizzlies and the Knicks Team continued explosively!

With only those 8 players, the Knicks Team switched around, and the Grizzlies’ guard line—Zhang Yang, Felton, Rondo—either went up in pairs or all three together. In the frontcourt, Okafor didn’t sit out, Gerald Wallace, Millsap, Matt Carroll, and Jumaine Jones took turns playing.

The defensive strategic adjustments made by the Grizzlies during halftime proved effective; they performed better on blocking positions against the Knicks Team’s forwards and defending against three-point shots from the corners. Although they still defended poorly against other shooting areas of the Knicks Team, they were doing well in the two aspects they targeted, which limited the offensive capabilities of the Knicks Team to some extent.

For the Knicks Team, they couldn’t make changes in their defense, with only eight players. Marbury and Malik Rose were defensive, the other six were sieves, unable to adapt defensively but could only press on offensively. In the past eight games, they averaged 107 points offensively, which was vigorous, but also conceded an average of 104 points, the fourth highest in the league, with only the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Wizards allowing more than them, and even the Suns conceded ’only’ 103 points per game.

Not only did the Grizzlies adjust their defense appropriately, but their offense also improved. Although their three-point performance significantly dropped this quarter, they compensated with higher shooting success from mid-range and near the basket, continuing the firepower from the second quarter!

Zhang Yang played the entire third quarter, 6 of 10 shooting, including 0 of 1 from three-point range, plus 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, scoring 15 points. With him as the spearhead, the Grizzlies scored 35 points in the quarter while limiting the Knicks Team to just 28 points!

to 94, after three quarters, the Grizzlies secured a lead of 7 points!

But in the fourth quarter, the situation plummeted, and within the first three and a half minutes, the Grizzlies were outscored by the Knicks Team in a 12 to 6 run!

to 107, the Knicks Team closed the gap to 1 point, prompting the Grizzlies to call a timeout!

Bickerstaff was very annoyed, realizing he had overlooked one issue!

During the halftime break when he chatted with Jordan, they discussed the Knicks Team resorting to an 8-man rotation because they didn’t have more players available; this analysis was correct, and the rise of the Knicks Team this time was indeed accidentally successful, but they ended their chat without analyzing it thoroughly and overlooked something.

The Knicks Team, having played so many games with this lineup, had gotten accustomed to the 8-man rotation; the coaching squad’s lineup combinations, allocations of playing time, players’ permissions to shoot, and physical distribution were all already well-mastered.

Here on his side, his choice of an 8-man rotation lineup was definitely sound, considering the fierce offensive firepower in the third quarter.

Arrangements for player roles were also flawless, with Zhang Yang and Okafor always on the court; Zhang Yang was responsible for major output, Okafor handled solo inside plays, attracting attention, receiving, and defending; Felton, Matt Carroll, Jumaine Jones, the three who were shooting well tonight, kept at least one on the court; Gerald Wallace and Millsap played as needed.

Allocation of shooting rights was also okay; mainly Zhang Yang consumed a large number of shots, with the Grizzlies team shooting 21 times in the second quarter, he alone took 10 shots, and in the third quarter, the team attempted 22, he consumed 10 of them again.

But Bickerstaff’s rotation scheduling and the players’ own physical allocation, their first attempt at an 8-man rotation, was executed poorly!

Some players played too fiercely!

Take Okafor, for example; his defense was incredibly active, and every time the opponent approached the basket, no matter whether it was feasible to defend or not, he would desperately throw himself into it.