The older superstars of the NBA

Chapter 839: Playing against the Raptors in the semifinals 3

The Toronto Raptors' marking of Zhao Feiyang began in the second half.

After Danny Green and Kyle Lowry's first raid produced results, the Raptors began to focus on continuing this defensive tactic. It was also from this time that Zhao Feiyang gradually fell into a difficult offensive situation.

Fortunately, his mind was very flexible, and he immediately chose to transfer the ball to Zach LaVine in this situation. Not only did he take the initiative to help LaVine attract double-teams, he also went out of his way to help LaVine cover and create opportunities.

The Raptors had already been on guard, so they deliberately blocked LaVine's offensive line and only allowed LaVine to take shots from the outside.

At first, LaVine's three-point shooting percentage was pretty good, but as the third quarter entered the second half, LaVine's touch became more and more erratic, and he even threw "three-no-stick" balls that shouldn't be there. .

Due to his mistake, the New York Knicks also missed the opportunity to stabilize the situation. By the end of the third quarter, the score between the two sides was reversed again.

The Knicks and Raptors tied 85-90.

The Knicks, who were originally leading, were 5 points behind their opponents.

call out.

The referee's whistle sounded and both sides entered rest time.

After returning to the bench, Zhao Feiyang immediately ran to head coach Norman Thomas before he even had time to take a sip of water.

"Coach Norman, let me go to the second position! I can play without the ball... This way their double-teaming will have a limited effect on me..."

Seeing that Zhao Feiyang was covered in sweat, head coach Thomas also took the initiative to bring a towel and handed it over, "Zhao, don't worry, take a rest first, I will arrange it right away..."

Thomas was also very efficient and quickly made adjustments to the lineup.

Zhao Feiyang was indeed moved to the No. 2 position, but LaVine, whose performance was sluggish, was replaced, and Jeremy Lin temporarily replaced him.

In the inside position, DeAndre Jordan and DeMarcus Cousins ​​partnered.

call out.

The referee's whistle sounded and the final quarter arrived.

After playing again, the Knicks still maintained their main lineup, but they had changed several people. On the other hand, on the Raptors side, Kawhi Leonard and others are still struggling to support themselves. Lowry cannot rest, and the main players in other positions are basically struggling to support themselves.

It was also at this time that the gap between the Raptors and the Knicks became apparent!

In terms of the depth of the bench, there is a gap between the Raptors and the Knicks, especially in the choice of inside players.

Snapped.

The Knicks gave the ball away.

Jeremy Lin advances with the ball, and the Raptors continue to double-team, and Zhao Feiyang is still the target of focus.

After the ball passed half court, Jeremy Lin followed the tactics arranged by coach Thomas and actively signaled Jordan to come up and cover. Jordan mentioned the high pick-and-roll, and Jeremy Lin took the ball and dribbled into the basket.

When the Raptors players stepped up to replace Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lin threw the ball up with an empty pass. Following up, Jordan jumped up and dunked the ball in with two hands in mid-air.

There were cheers outside the stadium.

During the entire offensive process, Marc Gasol on the Raptors' side was completely unable to stop it, and Pascal Siakam on the side was blocked by Cousins. Even if he saw the problem, he had no chance to destroy it. Pass and receive the ball together.

It's the Raptors' turn to attack.

After the ball passed half court, Lowry broke into the basket with the ball and passed the ball after encountering interference. The basketball is given to Leonard in the corner of the wing.

Leonard continued to play singles. Facing Adrian who was coming up, Leonard seized the opportunity and took another step back.

Swish.

A precise three-pointer hit the basket steadily.

Adrian was also devastated by Leonard's goal.

"Damn it! How did he do it? I've already blocked his sight..."

Adrian was extremely depressed.

Although he has already shown a hint of star potential, it is just that his starting point is too low, so there seems to be a lot of room for improvement.

In front of top stars like Leonard who have already proven themselves through fame, Adrian undoubtedly still has a long way to go.

After the start of the fourth quarter, the Knicks' strong inside line gradually became the key to their pursuit of points. After a series of internal and external connections, the Knicks quickly narrowed the score gap to about 3 points.

Although the Knicks have many methods on the offensive end, it must be mentioned that their restrictions on Leonard have not had any effect.

call out.

The referee's whistle sounded, the Raptors called the next timeout, and the players from both sides took a break.

With only 59 seconds left in the game, the score was 116 to 118, and the Knicks were 2 points behind.

On the electronic scoreboard, Leonard became the highest-scoring player in the game. He scored 37 points alone and played for 40+ minutes. It can be said that the Raptors would not be able to support today without him. to the final time.

Ranked behind him is Porzingis. As the Knicks' first insider, his playing time is also the highest among forward players.

He scored 26 points, 14 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots.

It can be said that it is his support in the interior that ensures the Knicks' advantage when facing the Raptors.

As the core of the team, Zhao Feiyang only scored 40 points after playing nearly 21 minutes in this game.

It seems that 21 points is not much, but his assist data is as many as 14 times.

Compared with Porzingis's contribution on the surface, Zhao Feiyang's contribution seems to be less obvious.

However, just because he successfully contained the opponent's perimeter defense, Lowry and Green only scored 20 points together.

Both of them are the main defenders of the Raptors. It is undoubtedly unusual to only get this kind of data under such circumstances.

The too much energy they spent on Zhao Feiyang was actually the real reason for such data.

From this perspective, Zhao Feiyang's contribution is no less than Porzingis. It can be said that without him to contain the opponent's main force, Lowry and Green can play freely.

At that time, the Raptors probably had more than just a lead.

call out.

The referee's whistle sounded and the timeout ended.

Players from both sides appear again.

The Knicks serve.

This time Zhao Feiyang came up to control the ball. After getting the ball, he dribbled the ball over and signaled others to move. After reaching the top of the arc, he encountered Lowry who came up to guard him closely.

Seeing the Raptors give up the double-team at the last moment, Zhao Feiyang's mind immediately became active.

He calmly observed the situation on the court, and when Jordan mentioned the high post screen the next moment, Zhao Feiyang took the opportunity to rush straight to the basket.

He is very fast and can reach the penalty area in almost one breath.

When Gasol moved to cover and pounce on him, Zhao Feiyang did not hesitate and directly chose to leap high and slam the ball into the basket with a one-handed dunk.

boom.

The ball went in.

118:118.

The two sides were tied with 43 seconds left.