As long as the Nets do not meet the expectations of the fans, everyone's doubts about them, as well as the insults to the players, and the ridicule of the team owner's eyes, they will not stop for a day. I originally thought it was a space battleship, but I didn't expect to be like this ghost now. Many teams with worse configurations than the Nets still have better records than the Nets. What does this mean? The most immediate problem is that relying solely on stacking superstars is unlikely to produce results. When stacking giants, it is more necessary to consider the compatibility of the team, and whether the role of role players can fill the existing vacancies in the team. Only by filling in all the loopholes can the team have a chance.
You say Boss Cai doesn't understand this? That was certainly not possible, and he must have considered the question of suitability in advance. But he didn't take into account Owen's personality and the so many contingencies that came up intermittently during this time. For this, not only Boss Cai, most of the Nets management, and even fans have not thought of it. So when we talk about the Nets, we still have to be a little more or less rational, after all, no one knows what new operations Irving will have.
The Nets won the Cavaliers into the playoffs, and naturally need to think about how to deal with their opponents. The first round of the Green Army, to be honest, is a hard bone. It could even be argued that the Nets are unlikely to win over the Celtics. Because this is a team that has shown super morale this year, more than once when Lowe was not injured, someone has said that the Celtics are the biggest favorite in the East.
Although the Celtics were a bit sluggish in the middle and late stages, the overall posture remained upward. Especially now Tatum, it has basically evolved to a full body form. It can also be seen from the past few seasons that Tatum will continue to rise in the playoffs. For the Nets, how to limit Tatum and break into the current Celtics defensive system will be their most important questions.
The Celtics are a more balanced team, which is also a more difficult point. Equilibrium means that there are not many points that can be played. So the Nets must play more targeted, starting from any characteristic that may exist, to find targeted projects, so that they can disintegrate. The Celtics' outside quality is relatively average, so Nash will most likely not lay too much defensive force on the outside. Some people may say that the Celtics' three points this season are not OK? Indeed, the Celtics have the ninth-highest number of three-point shots in the league in the regular season, the eighth-highest number of shots per game, and can average 13.2 three-pointers per game. Note, however, that their shooting percentage is relatively low, averaging only 35.6% of three-point shooting per game.
At this stage, the Celtics are more people who can shoot three points, and the quality is generally lower. The Celtics can't find a focused three-pointer, so they can only rely on multi-point blossoming to solve the problem. From White to Horford, you can basically come to a few. It's just that this level of shot, to the playoffs of this defensive intensity, the probability is to punish the vacancy, in the case of someone to defend, the effect is estimated to be more general.
Second, the offense in the mid-range zone, the Celtics' main offense is focused on Tatum. As a result, Tatum's shooting percentage will directly determine the Celtics' status in the middle distance. If Tatum is in the same slump as before, it is estimated that the Celtics will have a harder time breaking the game. (At this time, you need to rely on White and Jaylen to shoot, but it is estimated that it is still difficult to pull a high level to play against the two middle-distance gods on the opposite side)
Three-pointers are average, and the mid-range relies on individual play, so if the Celtics don't have a higher-level team tactic on the offensive end, then the Nets' coping strategy is very simple, playing joint defense can be. The joint defense can be made up beyond the three-point line, and in the case of someone interfering, the Celtics' three-pointer is not so much of a threat. The contraction of the joint defense can also suppress the middle distance, holding the opponent's offensive momentum at the beginning, which can give the team the greatest first-hand advantage.
In fact, for the Celtics, there are two coping strategies. In addition to what we just said that can be cracked with high-level team conduction, the core strategy is the team's ability to tear defense. This ability is not concentrated, it comes from the threat ability generated by the player's impact on the inside line. For example, Tatum's interior confrontation ability that Tatum will upgrade in the playoffs every season, and Horford's punishment ability at the low level, these are good tricks to crack the joint defense. So when used properly, this can occasionally crack the Nets' blockade.
Why is it occasional? Because the Nets can't make it so easy for you every time. Everyone knows your coping strategy, are you not ready for anything, where silly waiting for you to attack? impossible. Therefore, the Nets will inevitably formulate special tactics for fixed opponents in case they need to be needed. Whether this strategy is useful or not needs to refer to an indicator: the ability of Celtic players to change positions. If they have enough tactics, enough skill, and specifically, Tatum has the ability to change sides when it comes to hitting the inside and make the Nets unable to hold it through, then the Celtics win. Quite simply, the more hole cards you have, the more confident you are.
Moreover, the Celtics are now estimated to want to follow the old path of James and Alphabet Brother and play a name tactic. This tactic requires the players themselves to have a strong ability to tackle the tough problems, and there is a weakness in the opponent's lineup that can be eaten thoroughly. The Celtics' strong point output is Tatum, which is understandable, after all, the ball is in Tatum's hands. The defensive weakness of the Nets side is most likely Curry Jr., otherwise it is Mi Shen. Tatum misplaced strikes, it is estimated that you can get good results. So in the first two games, the team will tentatively apply roll call tactics. If the effect is good, continue to enlarge and increase the proportion of this part. If the effect is not good, forget it, let Tatum practice again. Whether the Nets can hold this piece depends on Nash's coordination ability. After all, how to formulate this defensive system in the later stages is still decided by Nash.
Unable to defend the Celtics, the Nets will have a hard time winning on the offensive end. Defensive efficiency at number one in the league is no joke with you, even if you have Irving and Durant. And before we said, a game, how long do you want to rely on Durant and Irving? 48 minutes full, there are still six games behind, you think this is a life and death game? impossible. The Nets' idea of playing Celtic is to hold on to the impact, break the defense, and then it's a multi-point output!