The semifinals of the playoffs are not only a basketball game, but also a comprehensive competition of strategy, psychology and physical strength.
In the third round of the matchup, the Guangdong team, under the leadership of Zhou Qi, showed a strong combination of its profound tactical literacy and the player's individual ability, Zhou Qi not only blocked strongly under the basket, but also frequently fired outside the three-point line, showing his unique ability as a center position, Guangdong's rapid conversion and outside projection ability, making the Liaoning team's defensive end look stretched.
In the face of Guangdong's fast break and outside firepower, Liaoning tried to relieve the pressure by strengthening the interior defense and improving the rebounding competition. Unfortunately, due to the poor performance of key players, this strategy did not fully work, and Liaoning must find a more effective strategy in the next game, otherwise they will face the danger of being eliminated.
The performance of the two key players, Zhao Jiwei and Zhang Zhenlin, was far from expectations, and their sluggishness directly affected the team's offensive and defensive transitions and scoring efficiency, especially against a well-rounded opponent like Guangdong, where shortcomings in every link could become the fuse for losing points.
As a veteran of the team, Han Dejun should have been the pillar of the team's interior line, but his performance in this series was slightly mediocre. What's more serious is that Li Xiaoxu's unrivaled injury made the Liaoning team's interior line even more stretched, which is undoubtedly a huge blow to the upcoming game, but fortunately, Liaoning announced late at night that Li Xiaoxu was not ruptured at the Achilles tendon, and the injury may not be as serious as imagined.
Guo Allen, who returned from Spain from injury, may be a ray of life for the Liaoning team in the next game, he can not only improve the team's backcourt strength, but also bring more tactical options to the team through his rich experience and excellent ball control ability, but Guo Allen's health and personal willingness are the two major variables of the comeback. Whether he's fully recovered from his knee injury and whether he can handle this intense playoff level after not playing for a long time is unknown.
However, if Guo Allen can come back and play at a normal level, his presence will greatly improve the morale and actual combat ability of the Liaoning team. This will be a significant advantage for the next games, but it seems unlikely that this is possible at the moment, otherwise the first three games would not have been missed in a row.
The biggest challenge for Liaoning is how to overcome injuries and poor form within the team, with key actions including adapting tactics to the current form of the players, improving the team's overall defensive efficiency, and bringing out the best in key players. Li Xiaoxu's injury adds a lot of uncertainty, but it could also be an opportunity for young players to step up, and although Liaoning young players don't have much experience in the competition, they may be able to do wonders at key moments. At this time, I have to mention Du Feng's foresight, and he continued to use young players frequently in the regular season, so that Guangdong's bench depth does not have to worry at all.
Regardless of the outcome of this series, Liaoning's performance in this Liaoning-Guangdong game will have a profound impact on the team's future, and every response of the team will become the cornerstone of future strategic adjustments, and Liaoning's coaches and management need to pay close attention to the team's performance and learn from it in order to better cope with similar challenges in future games.