Cavaliers VS Magic
The Magic lost a game with a good chance. Jarrett Allen is out injured and while the Cavaliers have proven in the regular season that they can win at the Twin Towers, the playoffs are a different game. The Cavaliers don't have Wade, there are not many opponents in the frontcourt, and the Magic front line has a dual core, and the whole team is full of vitality.
The Cavaliers started Okoro, and the rotation lineup was adjusted relatively largely, and TT replaced the center for time, and Niang was missing, and it took a short time for Merrill. Marcus Morris was reused, scoring 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and playing well on the offensive end, which helped a lot. Bickerstaff gave Mo close to 26 minutes, and the Cavaliers had a little better space than before. Strus finally got on track for four consecutive games, and Garland returned to his home court to be a man again. Tianwang Mountain was the best offensive game of the Cavaliers in this series, and even so, the Cavaliers' offensive efficiency of 107.2 was only passing.
The Cavaliers' defense could be more relegated than a slightly improved offense. Without Allen, it's not just a matter of a few minutes for TT, because Mobley has to top the No. 5 position, and the forward line has less of the strongest counterpoint. Okoro can top Banchero, but he is not tall enough to interfere with Banchero's shot, and Banchero's mid-range shot is a bit accurate. Morris Jr. is good enough for his size, but everyone knows his defensive level. Originally, Strus didn't take advantage of the point of defending Xiaowa, but now the two forwards can't match, and the knights are very dangerous.
There are two reasons why the knights were able to pass this game:
One is that the Magic went to the away three-point and collapsed again. In this series, the Magic's three away three-point shooting percentages were 21.6%, 25.7% and 29% respectively;
The second is that there is a problem with the Magic's offensive selection. In the fourth quarter, Banchero went on a rampage and shot with the ball. The Cavaliers were forced to change their alignment, leaving Mobley in direct charge of Banchero. It's still risky for the Cavaliers to defend like this, and their lineup on the court is Mobley, Morris, Strus, Mitchell, Garland. Mobley pulled to the upper line to lead the defense Banchero, and there was a possibility that he would be stolen behind him, and there was indeed a burst in the fourth quarter. If the magic can be used well, the knight will have a hard time.
But magic doesn't seem to have any flexibility. Banchero still insisted on playing Mobley, and the effect naturally did not go up. In the round for Wagner Jr., it was Banchero who covered and pulled Mobley to the front line of defense and dismantling, facing the Magic double forward. The Magic's last attack before the game lost suspense, Mosley did not call a timeout, and it stands to reason that he could take advantage of the Cavaliers' lineup with many defensive weaknesses on the court at this time, and not give Bickerstaff a chance to adjust. But the Magic still chose Banchero to cover, and the small tile rushed to Mobley to no avail, and the Magic lost the game.
The Cavaliers only have one Mobley counterpoint who can hold down the Magic double forward, and this person is still the center of the team, which can be described as lacking in skills. But Magic helped find a means for Mobley to use three people (anti-squad, anti-tile, and basket protection) to get the knight through the danger.
There is still a chance to tie seven in this series. The Magic won 70.7 percent of their home games in the regular season this year, but only 43.9 percent of their away games, and the huge difference in form between home and away games has also carried over into the playoffs. If Allen can't return, the Cavaliers' alignment is still there, and the Magic have to take advantage of this opportunity.
Knicks VS 76ers
The Knicks basically figured out an effective plan to defend Embiid:
During the Hatten period, the strong side was pinched, and the nearby rotation was used to test Embiid's ball;
During the Miro period, a large number of single defenses, increasing the intensity in the fourth quarter, will also do some pinch shots.
This Embiid was blown up. In the fourth quarter of G4, Embiid's performance of breaking the clamp was already thunderous, and G5 couldn't hold the ball steadily, but fortunately, Maxey gave his strength, as a strong side support point, so that Embiid got 9 assists, and his teammates were able to pick up some of the balls he was cut, so that Embiid's turnover number stayed at 9.
The Knicks didn't come up with a plan to prevent maxi from being effective. In the first three games, Thibodeau used OG to lead the defense of Maxi, and the effect was average. G4 began to put OG offline, which liberated OG's defense, and Embiid was also a direct victim. In the G5 game, OG had a strong sense of participation in the defense, and made many oblique stabs to contribute to the basket, steals, and key counter-attacking balls, almost helping the Knicks close the series with anti-rebound.
The question is, how to solve Maxi on the line, there is still no answer. The effect of Hart's defense was not good, and Thibodeau later changed to DiVincenzo to lead the defense, which was not much better. McBride, who was okay with leading Maxi in the previous transition section, couldn't prevent it in the back this time. Maxey breaks through chicly, shoots accurately, handles the ball more securely than Embiid, and his ability to hold the ball and block is far better than Embiid's singles. From the end of the fourth quarter, the ball was completely tilted in Maxi's favor, and it was also the key to the 76ers' turnaround.
In the last 28.9 seconds of the fourth quarter, Maxey scored a 3+1 and a three-pointer, contributing a legendary performance. The Knicks couldn't close the series with a six-point lead of less than 30 seconds — they also made two free throws in those 30 seconds — which was incredible. As long as they don't give the 76ers three points, the Knicks can't lose anyway.
What's more, before Maxey made those two three-pointers, the Knicks had a chance to make a dead-ball substitution, one on the 76ers sideline and one on Hart's free throws. The 76ers called a timeout for Thibodeau to be ready for him to play a penalty or switch to a small lineup to put two points and three points to defend.
Thibodeau didn't do anything, allowing Maxi to block and grab Miro for two balls. Miro is a good hand at defending Embiid, but he really can't do it against Maxi, it's not his problem, but Thibodeau's use of people is still not delicate enough.
In this round of the series, on the whole, Miro and McBride on the bench will be better than Hatten and DiVincenzo who start. This is not only because the two had the opportunity to beat the 76ers off the bench in the transition period, but also because their opposing defense and McBride's offense throughout the series were excellent. G5 Thibodeau has added two more minutes, and this adjustment based on the player's condition on the field can be regarded as some work.
But in terms of grasping the details, Thibodeau seems to be impressive, only seeing the player's defense leak will call a timeout, and then show a very unhappy expression.
The Knicks are very hard at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and they are not so targeted, and the optimization of strategy and employment has some luck components, such as G4 because there is no Miro, Hatten has 5 fouls, which triggered the pinch strategy, and Bojan, who performed poorly in the playoffs, triggered the short rotation of the Jedi Seven Samurai, and these 7 people are indeed high-level players.
But the choice of defensive rotation seems to only rely on the players to run hard, how to play on the offensive end, it all depends on Bronson's mood at the time, the whole game, Bronson from the inside out, blocking and dismantling shouted over and over, as if anyone can play, but at the critical moment because of impulsiveness to play Batum is unfavorable, resulting in a key mistake. It's a matter of choice for Bronson, and it's the side of Thibodeau that isn't clearly targeted on the offensive end.
This round of the series, going around and around, still fell to the score that matched the content of the game between the two teams. If the Knicks had closed the series today, the 76ers would have been somewhat wronged, because neither side should have a 4-1 result in strength and performance. Now it's at least a 4-2 score, which is fair.
Bucks VS Pacers
Very abstract game.
In the first section, the plot is similar to before. The Bucks are visibly unstoppable, and the Pacers can casually pass a few balls to have an open three-point opportunity. The Bucks changed to joint defense, but still missed three points. At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers led 31-23.
According to this script, the series was quickly over. In the connecting section, the Bucks put on a lineup of 2 guards + 2 forwards + 1 centers:
Beverly, Connaughton, Rice Bean, Gallinari, Portis
This lineup guarded a few shifts, and then the Pacers offense went out of power......
Ah......h
The combination of Lao Midou + Lao Jiali + Portis, this is the most hip-stretching frontcourt trio in the history of playoff defenses, right?
But the walker couldn't move.
From the second quarter onwards, the Pacers really couldn't shoot three-pointers. The Bucks have gradually understood in this series that their configuration can't do both inside and out, and they have to give the Pacers something. The Bucks' choice is, no matter what, I want to protect the basket defense, and the rotation missed the three-point line, admitting it.
The Pacers couldn't take advantage of the three-point opportunity and became less confident about pick-and-rolls and outside offense. From the middle of the second quarter, the offense sloped toward Siakam and Turner's low post, and the game became a heads-up between the two sides. Walkers didn't fight:
On the Bucks' side, Mi Bean and Portis scored single-handedly into mid-range shots, and Beverley, Da Luo, and even Connaughton could play singles and rebounds. Beverley is crazy this time, he can do Haliburton, Nembhard, and give Portis and Midou to the ball and assist, this time he is much better than Haliburton;
On the other hand, if the Pacers play the low post, the Bucks will pinch — the Pacers don't pinch the Bucks singles — and the result will still be a test of the Pacers' outside response.
In the middle of the third quarter, Carlisle followed G1's example and was dissatisfied with the players on the court, and in a fit of rage, he went up to Isaiah Jackson and put on a small lineup. The Bucks were happy, and it happened that I hit the ball in the low post, and this time I beat harder, and the rebounds were more happy. On the other hand, the Pacers' small lineup had no clue, and they encountered the Bucks taking out the "Elderly Square Dance Team" in the first half, and the lineup was relatively flexible.
The Bucks relied on three simple but effective methods: protecting the basket, changing the defense of the small lineup, and singles, and blew up the Pacers' more refined style of play. Of course, the Bucks' style of play is not easy to continue, their own mid-range shots, the three points on the opposite side, and one luck is not on their side, and the result is difficult to say.
But the Walker is really outrageously abstract. Haliburton caught Gallinari and hesitated to pass, only cheering for his teammates in the offensive game, and was beaten by Beverley and Connaughton on the defensive end, which is really unreasonable.
Also, from the previous game, Beverley defended Nembhard and handed Harry to Beasley. This may reflect that, in the old man's heart, Harry is actually not very scary.
There was no lead in the series, and Lao Li, who held the remnants of the formation, with the blessing of double BUFF, put the series in suspense. The Bucks have a lot of problems, but they still deserve a chance to fully demonstrate. Hopefully the G6 will see the letters and Lillard.