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Chapter 672 - 284. Shaking down McGrady, key score!_2

Chapter 672: 284. Shaking down McGrady, key score!_2

As McGrady’s three-point shot from full court missed, the first quarter ended with the Bobcats leading the Rockets by 25 to 18!

Heading into the break, Carlisle looked at the 7-point difference...

He knew before the game that this would be a tough match. Although they managed to take a lead with a 7 to 2 run into the official timeout, he did not relax, preparing himself for a seesaw battle.

While the strategy of high-post playmaking, passing to the wings to create opportunities in the middle, was effective, it mainly relied on long shots. As the game progressed, due to physical exertion and impact of resistance, it was inevitable that shooting accuracy would decrease.

The Rockets’ rim protection and perimeter defense rotation were damn strong this season. As long as they stick to that kind of defense, Carlisle really didn’t have many good options. After all, the new tactics had just started to be officially used, and there were only so many set plays and variations he could arrange. More variability would come from the players’ own adjustments on the court.

Unexpectedly, the opponents made some crazy adjustments... Regardless, Carlisle’s pressure dropped sharply.

Carlisle couldn’t suppress a smile at the corners of his mouth, while Thibodeau was about to split open, having made another mistake in adapting on the fly!

Thibodeau had been working in the NBA for 15 years, starting in ’92 as a video coordinator for the Knicks, and in ’94, his skills were recognized by the "Mastermind," who promoted him to a coaching intern. He was a protege of the "Mastermind," but he only spent one year as an assistant under him. In ’95, the "Mastermind" jumped ship to join the Miami Heat. The one who really mentored him was his senior, Jeff Van Gundy.

The coaching style, one could say, was a spitting image of Jeff Van Gundy’s.

For example, relying on mature players, David Wesley had a very outstanding performance in the ’05-’06 season with the Rockets. With precise three-point shooting, strong defense, and steady passing, he averaged 9.9 points per game and had the best three-point performance on the team, hitting 1.4 three-pointers per game at a 36.5% shooting rate. But in the summer of ’06, the Rockets, to save on luxury tax, weren’t even willing to offer him a minimum salary. Wesley had to join the Knight for a year where he barely had a chance to show off, and this summer he returned to his hometown of San Antonio, ready to retire.

Once Thibodeau became the head coach, he went to San Antonio personally to bring this veteran back because he was comfortable using him... David Wesley didn’t disappoint him either; having taken a year off, he played 27 minutes per game at the age of 37, averaging 7 points, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and hitting 1.2 three-pointers per game at a 35% rate, old but stalwart.

But Thibodeau’s coaching philosophy and his senior, Jeff Van Gundy, had a huge difference. Van Gundy was famously "affectionate" towards star players and was willing to reduce the playing time of players who were not in good physical condition or had hidden injuries. For example, last season, McGrady’s playing time plummeted to a new low since he became a starter, averaging 35 minutes; Yao Ming never averaged 35 minutes per game under Van Gundy.

Thibodeau was different; right from the start, he had McGrady playing 39 minutes per game, returning to his Orlando Magic days playing time. This was not like his senior brother but more like his teacher, Pat Riley, who had only coached him for one year.

Besides this, Thibodeau also differed significantly from Van Gundy in another way; Van Gundy rarely made adjustments during the game, or you could say, dared not to. Thibodeau was different; perhaps because he saw his senior brother Van Gundy being dramatically overturned in the playoffs several times for not daring to make adjustments, he always actively used his brain to make adjustments when encountering problems.

It’s just that sometimes, really, it’s better if that brain doesn’t work...

...

Coming into the second quarter, Carlisle rested Zhang Yang and continued to rest Felton, with Okafor also being replaced. He deployed a lineup of Rondo, Alan Anderson, Mike Miller, Hill, and Muhammad.

The team offense unfolded around Mike Miller’s long shooting, with Rondo driving and distributing, Hill coordinating, Muhammad setting screens, and Alan Anderson cutting to the basket or hanging on the wing for pass and shoot opportunities.

Although the offense still revolved around medium and three-point shooting off screens, the play style was completely different from the tactics centered around Zhang Yang. The core of this strategy was Rondo’s penetration and distribution.

The second unit’s trio of Mike Miller, Rondo, and Hill played for half the quarter. During that time, only Felton replaced Alan Anderson on the court at a little over 3 minutes into the second quarter, and Perkins replaced Muhammad to strengthen wing shooting and rim protection. In this half of the quarter, the Bobcats... played just okay, scoring only 9 points.

Thibodeau reverted to his conventional style of play in the second quarter, stopped overthinking, and followed his senior brother’s path, playing defensively and doing quite well.

But Carlisle didn’t rush to make adjustments just because he lost the lead. When it was time for the trio to rest, he let them rest.

Compared to a tense seesaw battle, with a lead of more than five points, not only did the Bobcats team have a psychological advantage, but the coaching staff also had a greater margin for error when making roster changes and strategical arrangements, as well as when the players on the court made their own adjustments.

Indeed, maintaining continuity in the lineup, although the Bobcats’ offense wasn’t doing well, their defense was reasonably good. In over 6 minutes, they only allowed the Rockets to score 12 points, and this was done without Zhang Yang and Okafor on the court.

Although they lost 3 points in half of the quarter, the Bobcats were still leading by 4 points, 34 to 30, over the Rockets as they entered the official timeout.

When play resumed after the official timeout, Zhang Yang and Okafor, back on the court, quickly completed two inside plays. First, Okafor drew the defense in with a close-ranged face-up isolation before passing out, allowing Zhang Yang to score with an up-and-under layup; then Okafor, after an isolation play, passed out to Zhang Yang, who, from the left side, made a close pass to the outside, where Millsap, one step inside the free throw line, received the pass and hit the mid-range jumper.