In the Lakers' 106-94 victory over the Magic, the watershed of the game appeared in the third quarter of 10 minutes and 40 seconds to 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and the Lakers exploded a wave of 23-0 in 8 minutes, directly rewriting the end of the game, so how did the Lakers' strong defense come about? Behind James' leadership role, It is crucial for Hohuid 3 to "fine-tune".
Howard had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks
After the start of the third quarter, although James hit two consecutive three-pointers, the Lakers still fell behind 55-56, and then the team's defense was able to freeze the Magic, and After James led the way, Howard made a major change in defense.
First, Howard's "shrinking" defense.
Throughout the first half of the game, when Wendell Carter and Wagner Jr. blocked and dismantled, Howard basically changed the defense directly, resulting in either the opponent directly three points, or passed to Lopez Jr., who directly attacked the basket, and in the next 8 minutes, Howard's defensive style was as follows:
Huo would retreat
Magic again to block the demolition, Howard basically chose to retreat, by Tucker, Westbrook and Bradley to pursue the defense, so that Howard can try to protect the paint, and even when little Lopez reappears, Howard first step for weak delay, and then immediately turn back to the paint area to defend against little Lopez, do not give him the opportunity to misplace the big fight, so that the Lakers protect the paint area.
Second, Howard "pinched" at the right time.
In the first half, Cole Anthony, Wagner Jr. and Harris could use the block to quickly play the ball, so that the Magic's inside and outside attacks played well, and in the next 8 minutes, Howard faced the block again, and his choices were as follows:
Hohuide's pinch attack interferes with the passing route
Wagner left arc top block demolition, Howard timely extended the long arm interference; as shown in the picture, this time Rose and Lopez Jr. blocked the demolition, Howard is also the first time to extend the long arm interference, the effect, the opponent forced by Howard's long arm interference had to adjust the top of the pass arc, continuous errors. In this quarter alone, the Magic had six turnovers, and the Lakers, who were 5-9 behind in the first half, took advantage of the turnovers to lead 8-2.
Third, Howard's active scramble.
Defense, in addition to physical confrontation and defensive skills, the most important point is the problem of awareness and enthusiasm, and Howard's defensive enthusiasm after the second half is obviously several times better than the first half, three typical pictures:
Howard actively spelled out moments
For example, in this defense, while Wei Shao was wrapping his opponent behind his back, Howard, as a long man, was able to bow and try his best to fight, which was one of the main factors for Wei Shao to finally complete the steal.
Howard's co-defense
Another example is this defense, Wagner Jr. has passed Tucker, Howard directly gave up his main defense of the little Lopez, the first time to come to assist the defense, blocking Wagner Jr.'s layup and return pass route, forcing him to pass to the bottom left corner, Westbrook directly steal.
Howard assisted in two consecutive defenses
The most typical scene as above, Howard first time to defend the free throw line of Wagner Jr., the latter hit the ground to find Lopez Jr., Howard and James joined forces to help Tucker to pinch the defense; López Jr. passed back to Wagner, Howard came back to supplement the defense, two consecutive defenses, the Lakers pressed the Magic this attack.
When Howard can guard the paint area, can clip the passer, and can continue to assist in defense, the team's defensive enthusiasm is constantly improving, coupled with James's two subsequent earth-shattering hats, the Lakers completely froze the Magic's offense in 8 minutes, and the team can complete the cornerstone of the reversal. How good was Howard's defense during this period? Look at two pieces of data:
1. Howard had 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in the first half, and 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in the third quarter.
2. Howard's efficiency value in the first half was -10, and in the third quarter, his on-field efficiency value was +12, which means that his field efficiency value in this quarter was +22, only inferior to James's +23.
Therefore, the Lakers can blast out a 23-0 offensive and defensive flow in 8 minutes to directly rewrite the trend of the game, behind James's excellent leadership role, Howard's change is indispensable, after all, he is the only one of the five people on the field, who does not have offensive weight, and can also work hard to fully invest in defense, which is too rare.