The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 390 - 204: The Strongest Team and the Strongest Player_2
Chapter 390: Chapter 204: The Strongest Team and the Strongest Player_2
However, facing the formidable Heat, his state was completely different from before, as he revealed his sharp fangs right from the start of the game.
"Defense! Defense!"
The mood of the fans was driven by Hansen’s scoring, beginning to cheer loudly for the home team in unison.
Durant’s off-ball movement was successfully restricted by the Grizzlies, but his movement also drew a considerable part of the Grizzlies’ defensive resources.
Wade took advantage of the situation to break into the basket and finished with Mysterious Steps past Little Gasol.
If James’s departure had benefited Bosh greatly, then Durant’s arrival had brought Wade immense benefits.
Wade had never before played with such a top scorer, and the offensive constraint allowed him not only to avoid playing hardball like before but also to face much less defensive pressure than previously.
In fact, the offensive combination of Wade and Durant alone had already caused the opponent to be pulled in different directions, not to mention the presence of a prime Bosh.
Compared to last season’s Heat, this was truly "The Big Three" at their peak.
Hansen continued to run pick-and-rolls with Little Gasol; this time, the Heat’s double team was more thorough, with Chalmers pinching in from the top of the arc.
Although Hansen had been coasting this season, he still scored more points than last season, which in itself showed how great his personal offensive threat was.
Hansen seemed to want to shoot before being double-teamed, but at the moment of lifting his arms to shoot, he threw a no-look pass to Conley at the top of the arc.
Although he acquired God’s Afterglow this season, giving him the ability to break double teams.
He did not start taking pleasure in high-difficulty shots just because he had that ability, nor did his teammates on the Grizzlies need him to do that.
After catching the ball, Conley saw Chalmers rushing back to defend, faked him out of his shoes, then took a step back to create distance before hitting a three-pointer.
The Heat might be the true peak Big Three, but the Grizzlies were the reigning champions at their peak, too!
Hansen missed an assist and gave Conley a high-five while retreating on defense.
to 5.
The Heat started with a roar, but the Grizzlies quickly responded in kind.
The match between the two peak teams had the fans shouting with excitement.
Halfway through the first quarter, the score was 18 to 16, with both sides closely matched.
At that moment, Hansen drove in, drawing a foul and preparing to shoot free throws when a whistle blew from the sideline. The Heat made a substitution, with Ray Allen coming in for Chalmers.
Hansen sunk both free throws, helping the Grizzlies tie the score.
But on the next play, Ray Allen used a screen from Perkins to catch and shoot a three-pointer from behind the arc, helping the Heat reclaim the lead.
If Curry was the fastest three-point shooter, then Ray Allen had the fastest release among catch-and-shoot players.
From catching to shooting, his release was lightning-fast; holding the active career record for most three-pointers made didn’t just come from years in the league.
Of course, what’s more important is that on this Heat team, with three superstars drawing attention, he wasn’t the defensive focus of the opponents, yet he was the sort who needed just a simple off-ball screen to score.
Due to his age, he was no longer a "Big Three" caliber player.
But the fact remained that last season with the Celtics, he still managed to contribute an average of 14.2 points per game, and with an average of 5.1 three-point attempts per game, he shot an impressive 45.3% from beyond the arc.
What’s more valuable was that despite last season, he still maintained a defensive level above the league average.
Such a player, signed by the Heat for only a $3 million mini mid-level exception, was a move whose impact was severely underestimated.
Or to put it another way, the Heat’s current lineup on the floor was their strongest.
With about ten minutes into the first quarter, the score was 26 to 20, with the Heat’s fierce firepower beginning to establish a lead.
At this point, both sides began to rotate players.
Heat: Norris Cole, Ray Allen, James Jones, Bosh, Haslem
Grizzlies: Jordan Crawford, Battier, Guy, Jamison, Little Gasol
Jamison back the basket against Haslem, completed a spin move, and scored with a hook shot.
On the return, Ray Allen caught a pass from Bosh on the perimeter and hit another three-pointer.
Jamison’s three-pointer attempt, after receiving a pass from Little Gasol on the perimeter, was off, but Guy shook off Jones and completed a put-back dunk.
However, Bosh responded by drawing a defensive foul on Little Gasol, went to the free-throw line, and made both shots, helping the Heat maintain their lead.
With the Heat’s Big Three team model, their bench strength inevitably couldn’t be strong, especially since the Thunders had taken key rotation players like Miller and McRoberts in previous trades.
But in reality, Coach Spoelstra maintained a superstar presence on the court through careful roster management, ensuring that the Heat’s bench rotation was still powerful.
Of course, it helped that Bosh had bulked up and regained his low-post threat. Last season, Bosh was also part of the bench rotation, but because he didn’t pose enough of a low-post threat, he couldn’t drive the team’s offense.
And when the second quarter started, Spoelstra subbed Bosh for Durant, letting Durant work the low post to initiate the offense.
This move, a skill Durant developed during his time with the Thunders, posed even greater of a threat with the Heat.
After all, the Heat didn’t have a Westbrook, and with Cole, Allen, and Jones, they had a pure spacing lineup.
Less than three minutes into the second quarter, and the score was 40 to 30, with the Heat extending the margin to double digits in a burst of energy.
