The Pope of Basketball Community

Van Gundy emphasized defensive tactics and made substitutions, sending Starks, Houston, Mills, Johnson, Oakley.

Ben Wallace rested, and he didn't want to see Big Ben make free throws at the last moment.

The game continued, Jordan broke through with the ball from the outside, the Knicks shrank to the penalty area together, and only Starks followed Cole.

No matter how strong the star is, it is useless if his teammates can't pull him away. Van Gundy's defensive arrangement is very clear, which is to double-team Jordan.

Jordan plunged into the crowd, jumped up and turned around and passed the ball out of the perimeter. Pippen shot a three-pointer with no defense at 70 degrees to the left. The ball bounced out of the frame and Oakley grabbed the rebound.

Pippen's excellence lies in his versatility, point forward, and outstanding defense, but his offense has always been mediocre, so his career statistics are not very beautiful.

Pippen reached his peak when Jordan retired, averaging 38.3 minutes per game, scoring 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals, shooting 49.1% from the field, 32% from three-pointers, and 66% from free throws.

Not only is the COSCO shot unstable, but Pippen also lacks lethality. The average of 5.7 free throws per game in a single season is the highest data.

Pippen missed several games this season, and his state has declined significantly. He averaged 40 minutes per game in the playoffs, only 16.8 points, 7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.1 steals, shooting 41.5% from the field, 22.8% from the three-point range, and 67.9% from the free throw.

Such Pippen will naturally be targeted. Van Gundy is good at studying the opponent's data and arranging defensive tactics according to the characteristics of the players.

He decisively asked to double-team Jordan, stare at Cole, and let the other three shoot. Burrell doesn't have to worry, if Pippen and Kukoc receive the ball, they can still rely on rotation to supplement the defense.

Pippen felt cold today. After this shot, he made 1 of 6 three-pointers and made 7 of 18 overall. The shooting percentage was poor.

The Knicks attacked in a position, and the hearts of Bulls fans, players, and coaches all rose to their throats. The Knicks missed the point guard at the last moment, and Starks and Kerr faced up.

The four opened up, with Oakley and Burrell stuck in the low post and preparing to grab a rebound, and the other three stood still. No matter who the Bulls helped defend Starks, they passed the ball and left open.

Starks has rich experience, controlling the ball and pressing the rhythm. He started with the ball in the last five seconds, dribbled the ball continuously to the right and changed direction. A three-point jumper with a little fadeaway.

Cole was not completely shaken away, but his physical fitness was not good enough. He moved to the middle and had no time to take off, and the ball had already flown to the basket.

Starks' reputation is far from being comparable to that of Jordan and Pippen, but his shooting ability is actually better than the two stars. He had a good chance to single out Cole. He grasped it and scored! 85 to 82.

"Zen Master" Jackson was depressed. He replaced Cole in order to play a role on the offensive end and improve the success rate of the attack, but it turned out to be a weakness.

On the sidelines, Van Gundy and Yang Rui stood up and clapped their hands vigorously, allowing Starks to serve as the point guard. Yang Rui proposed a one-on-one with the ball, a key three-pointer.

If Ward or Charles is replaced, the defense will work, but the offense can only be soy sauce.

Jordan was singled out with the ball and was double-teamed in the low post. Johnson responded and zoomed out to Kukoc.

Mills went to make up for Kukoc in the middle, a little slower, and under slight interference, Kukoc's three-point jumper also missed the basket.

In the first half, the Knicks were single-handedly defending Jordan, and Kukoc barely got a chance to make a move. In the second half, Jordan started to hit the iron and distributed the ball to his teammates, but Kukoc was in a sluggish state and was used to relying on Jordan in the first half.

After this shot, he made 4 of 12 shots and 1 of 5 three-pointers. He performed poorly and only scored 9 points.

Oakley stuck Burrell and helped Johnson get the rebound. The penalty area was blocked and the Bulls didn't have a big man, so they couldn't squeeze in. It was difficult to grab an offensive rebound.

The players automatically adjusted and changed positions on the court. Kerr went to the corner to defend Mills, and Pippen mainly defended Starks. Just dribbling the ball across the half court, Starks would have to waste a lot of energy. He directly called paused.

Unlike international basketball, a major feature of the NBA is that players with the ball can call a timeout on the court, as long as the team has enough timeouts. Van Gundy has instructed that if the scoring point is marked to death, the defender decisively stops and arranges a tactic to ensure the success rate.

After the players left the field, Van Gundy asked Yang Rui: "Do you really want to do this?"

"Do you think the Bulls would dare to deploy Langley at this time? Jackson certainly wouldn't. Even if Langley did, at most he would score two points. We're still ahead." Yang Rui said seriously.

Van Gundy nodded, and said loudly, "Stephen played, Charles rested, and the four on the offensive end stretched beyond the three-point line to attract the defense, creating opportunities for Larry to single out in the low post. Larry, it's up to you!"

What is audacity?

The Knicks don't want a center at the critical moment, Stephen Jackson at 203CM is the first height. He is the main small forward in the team, can break through, can shoot three-pointers, and has strong mobility.

As long as the Bulls don't play Longley, Jackson's defense against Kukoc is very successful.

So far this season, this is the 10th game between the two sides. The Bulls have suffered from the Knicks' three-pointers several times, so they really dare not switch to a high center at this time.

Yang Rui's tactics refer to the Warriors VS Cavaliers in the 2015 Finals. The Warriors don't use Bogut, let the two-meter Green guest center, and Iguodala guest power forward. The Cavaliers can only play small balls and dare not send high center forward Mozgov.

Maybe Mozgov can score a double-double, but the Cavaliers will definitely not be able to defend against the Warriors' outside offense. They shoot two-pointers and three-pointers at the same time. The Warriors must have made a profit.

Zhang Lili was surprised and said: "It's on the stage. Jackson, who just turned 19, replaced Oakley as the center forward. This is really..."

Sun Zhengping also couldn't believe it: "In this crucial game, the Knicks dared to use a new player. Jackson played longer than Bowen. He only scored 4 points before. What are you asking him to do now?"

Zhang Li sighed: "If the Knicks win, this game will be remembered in history. None of them is taller than 205cm today."

The foul ball was issued, and Starks passed it to Jackson in the middle, pulling away with Houston and Mills, attracting the defense from outside the three-point line.

Bulls fans are going crazy, what is the position of the newcomer? Organization center?

Kukoc came out of defense, Jackson held the basketball with his back to delay the time, and in the last 8 seconds, he moved to the right, took a step inside the three-point line, and hit the ground to pass the ball to Johnson, who was stuck behind his back and asked for the ball at 45 degrees.

Johnson hit Burrell hard with his back twice, turned around and took the ball with both hands. Burrell was experienced and did not take off, so he raised his hands to interfere.

Johnson took a step forward and took off again, deep into the basket. Burrell weighed only 100 kilograms and was at a disadvantage in strength. He was squeezed and couldn't jump up.

Johnson staggered and missed the shot, but the referee blew his whistle and made two free throws.

Johnson withstood the pressure amid the boos of the home fans and made two free throws, 87 to 82.

With only 27.2 seconds left, "Zen Master" called a timeout, and the score was hard to catch up.

When off the court, the players high-fived Yang Rui and Van Gundy one by one, and the Knicks won overall.

There is no best player, only the most suitable tactics.