Hello everyone, I am Simon, one of the founders of The Clutch Time. This series will launch a weekly event of the week. It is expected to compile about 5 pieces of news, and will add my own personal notes and relaxed talk. Welcome to like it. NBA and basketball fans come in and chat together.
This week, we will first talk about the value of veterans, the undervalued Heat and the Heat's hidden MVP, and finally talk about the next step for the losing team.
【Podcast version】
The secret behind J.Murray’s explosion when full-strength J.Murray mode is activated – Simon's BallCast
- The secret behind J.Murray’s explosion when full-strength J.Murray mode is activated
- Kawhi Leonard leads outsourcing, Warriors' underrated reinforcements
- Postseason veteran value, Miami Heat’s hidden MVP/key factor
- The showdown between modern mythical beasts and the rise of the super generation aged 20-25
【Simon Weekly】
- 2020830-0906: The supreme showdown, the rise of the super generation aged 20-25
- 20200817-23: No home advantage effect and winners & losers
- 2020803-0809: A variant zone defense developed by Nurse, which makes Joe feel ashamed.
Important scenes still rely on veterans
When encountering a tough battle, you will really find that a veteran is like a treasure, especially a veteran with rich playoff experience. On the one hand, he can withstand the headwind and can influence the situation of the battle at critical times. Here are some of them: I watched the game and was very impressed by Lao Dang Yizhuang:
- In the fifth game of the second round of the Golden Nuggets, Milsap withstood the third quarter with 17 points and 6 rebounds. In the third quarter, he scored 13 points (4 of 5 shots). He used singles and drew fouls to help the team not be pulled away. Later reversal.
- Kyle Lowry in the sixth game of the second round of the Raptors, 33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3-point/field shooting percentage of 60%, played for 50 minutes, Lowry was basically showing how to do it to the extremely shocked Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. Play key games.
- Rajon Rondo, who played in Game 3 of the Lakers' second round, scored 21 points, 9 assists and 12 points in the fourth quarter. In the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, which decided the outcome, the Lakers went on a 7-3 spurt. Rondo first assisted Kyle Kuzma and LeBron for a layup, and then he hit his second three-pointer on the offensive end. His reputation in the playoffs is unequivocal.
- Jeff Green averages 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, field goal percentage of 51.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 43.1%, and his efficiency value is second only to PJ Tucker and James Harden. Green is really important in the Rockets' small-ball lineup. He needs to defend inside and act as a lubricant in offense.
He plays hard, has good positioning experience, has good emotional control, and encourages his teammates.
The underrated heat
The Heat defeated the Bucks 4-1 and entered the Eastern Conference, which was the biggest upset in the playoffs. The Heat are also the best team in the NBA playoffs and are the only team in the top 4 in offensive and defensive efficiency. , and the record of 8 wins and 1 loss is also the best.
Whether on or off the court, the Heat have always been a team that attaches great importance to team discipline. They rarely play in isolation (fourth from the bottom), but use constant running and shuttle, and use a lot of hand-off passes (first) and screens ( Fourth) and cutting without the ball (Fourth) to create gaps.
Next is the depth of the lineup. The Heat rotate about 9-10 players in each game. Five players score in double digits. They have senior ball handler Goran Dragic, and a wing group of Bam Adebayo and Andre Iguodala with both mobility and experience. , Jae Crowder, shooters Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and finally the offensive and defensive ace Jimmy Butler. Moreover, the depth of the second lineup is actually quite capable of competing for the championship. Needless to say, Iguodala, rookies Herro and Crowder have an outside shooting rate of over 40%.
Defensively, the Heat's defensive efficiency currently ranks third in the playoffs. Bam Adebayo is also the only player who can limit Antetokounmpo's true shooting percentage to below 40%. Under Adebayo's defense, Antetokounmpo's true shooting percentage The shooting percentage is only 36%, and the true shooting percentage this season is 61.2%. In the playoffs, Adebayo's defense could only score less than 0.8 points per round.
In the second round against the Celtics, who are mainly on the wing, Adebayo, Butler, Crowder and Iguodala will definitely pose a great challenge to the Celtics' young striker. Based on the Heat's state and lineup, I'm quite optimistic that the Heat can make it to the championship game.
Heat’s Hidden MVP
There are too many highlights in such a good performance, including Jimmy Butler at the critical moment, the rising Bam Adebayo, two shooters Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, bench key players Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk, etc. However, if you have to pick one The most important and amazing player, Goran Dragic is my only choice.
Before coming to the Heat, Dragic's career was a bit bumpy. He was selected at the end of the second round, was traded in less than three seasons, returned to the Suns after the rise of the Rockets, and became the biggest victim of the weird three-headed dog formation experiment after his big breakout. (He formed the starting three guards with Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe, and was traded to the Heat in less than half a year). After signing with the Heat for about (90 million in five years), he was said to be the next bad contract. Be favored.
However, Dragic slapped people who were not optimistic about him time and time again. In the 2010 playoffs, he scored 23 points in the fourth quarter against the Spurs, who initially had a low opinion of him. In 2014, he was selected to the third team of the year and won the annual improvement award. In the 2017 European Championship, he led Slovenia to win the championship and the tournament's MVP. He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2018 (20.3 points, 5.8 assists, 40.5% three-point shooting percentage), and again in the 2019-20 season. Make a splash in the playoffs.
During the offseason, the Heat were originally planning to trade Dragic to the Mavericks in order to reduce salary space, but later gave up because the two sides couldn't agree on the package of Joe (the Mavericks wanted to add Jones Jr. and Kelly Olynyk), but Dragic was not interested in this matter. I didn’t think much about it, I just thought it was part of professional business operations.
Although Dragic was no longer the core after Butler joined, and head coach Erik Spoelstra decided to give the starting point guard to undrafted rookie Kendrick Nunn because the second team needed core players to lead the team, Dragic had no complaints, "I'm talking to him. I thought about many ways to convince him before the conversation, but I didn’t expect that he would say no problem as soon as I opened my mouth." Spoelstra said, "I never think there is a difference between starting and coming off the bench, and I am not someone who complains. In the Heat, as long as I show If you have the ability, you will have enough playing opportunities, so I am not worried at all," Dragic said.
Dragic became the sixth man to average 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.7%. All data were better than the previous season. The usage rate of 25.9% was also the second highest in his career. "Goran is a team guy. Usually there are a lot of complaints about being benched at this level, but I have never heard Goran complain, even in private conversations." said an Eastern Conference scout.
"He is very similar to me. We don't talk much, but we are not afraid of competition. When we get on the court, he just wants to f**king kill you." Jimmy Butler said, "He is very protective of his teammates. As long as you suffer a loss, he will help you get it back." , this attitude earned me and the respect of the whole team.
In the playoffs, Nunn's return to practice after being diagnosed with COVID-19 was not ideal. Therefore, Dragic also took on greater responsibilities and was pulled into the starting lineup. Dragic completely exploded in the playoffs, currently averaging 21.1 points and 3.3 points per game. Rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 rebounds, 38.1% three-point shooting percentage and 53.5% true shooting percentage are career playoff highs. Dragic's team efficiency value when not on the court is 16, second only to Butler, and in the season Defensive efficiency ranked second among players who averaged more than 30 minutes per game in the postseason, ranking first on the team.
What's even more impressive is that Dragic was so good at critical moments, scoring second only to Jimmy Butler in the fourth quarter. In the fourth game of the first round, he made 1 of 6 shots in the first half. In the fourth quarter, when Butler was out due to a shoulder injury, he led the team to score 13 points and led the team to complete the sweep.
I personally feel that Dragic played in the playoffs like Manu Ginobili, who is more accurate from the outside. He is tricky to cut and sharp from the outside. Although part of the reason is that Crowder, Robinson and Herro all have a 40% three-point shooting rate, plus the designed double block. Or you can use your bare hands to create a large space for Dragic both inside and outside. Coupled with Butler's monster-absorbing ability, Dragic's explosion is completely based on the concept of water helping fish and fish helping water.
In the next round against the Celtics, facing the Celtics' faster forward and the struggle of Marcus Smart, whether Dragic can maintain his explosive state will be one of the indicators for the Heat.
Chris Paul to Bucks?
After the Bucks were defeated by the Heat,Giannis Antetokounmpo He has already issued a declaration that he will not leave the team and will even renew his contract in advance. Bucks general manager Jon Horst said that he will try to strengthen while maintaining the status quo. It is rumored that Chris Paul may be the main target. Well-known reporters Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst have both talked about this rumor.
If the Bucks can get Paul, it will definitely be an important reinforcement for the Bucks and Antetokounmpo. Although he is 35 years old, Paul's experience and court control are still very strong, and this year's playoffs will prove it again.
The question is, what chips do the Bucks have that the Thunder would want?
If it is determined to put Paul on the table, the Thunder will definitely enter the reconstruction process. The Bucks hold the 24th pick in the 2020 draft, but this may not be very attractive to the Thunder. The plan is more likely to be a three-way or four-way trade. And use Eric Bledsoe, who must leave after Paul comes, as another bargaining chip, and who the 30-year-old Bledsoe can attract is another big question.
If the pursuit of Paul fails, Fred VanVleet, who has outside attack power, is another option, but his experience and ball-handling effect may be several levels behind Paul. Paul thinks it is one of the best answers for the Bucks. Just think about how terrifying the pick-and-roll power of Paul and Antetokounmpo is. Both Roll and Pop cannot be ignored.
However, the most difficult point is how to trade and what kind of dishes the Bucks can serve. Perhaps first convincing Paul, who still wants to win the championship, and letting him lead the transaction is one of the most feasible directions.
2020 Best Defensive Team
first team
forward:Giannis Antetokounmpo
Forward: Anthony Davis
Center: Rudy Gobert
Defender: Marcus Smart
Defender: Ben Simmons
second team
Forward: Kawhi Leonard
Forward: Bam Adebayo
Center: Brook Lopez
Defender: Patrick Beverley
Defender: Eric Bledsoe
This list is more controversial because Jrue Holiday was not selected and Eric Bledsoe was selected. Many players have complained about Holiday, including Damian Lillard who believes that Holiday is the best defensive defender at present, and JJ Redick also believes that Holiday is more qualified.
Compared to Bledsoe, Holiday has more responsibility for defending the opponent's main players. In addition, the team's style is more focused on offense than defense, so he suffers more in terms of statistics. It can also be seen that in addition to the players' own abilities, defense also depends on the team's system and coaching style. Three Bucks were selected, two were selected by the Clippers, and the rest were selected by the Heat, Jazz, and 76ers, all of which are teams that pay more attention to discipline.
The singular point where Pascal Siakam became a superstar
The Raptors lost to the Celtics in the second round of the Eastern Conference. Pascal Siakam had to bear the greatest responsibility, especially in the critical moments of the last two games. He made 1 of 10 shots from the field. He made many mistakes with the ball on the offensive end. In the end, the opponent was ready as long as he saw him holding the ball. Run the fast break.
Siakam is currently at the crossroads of becoming a superstar. His defense is at least mid-level in the league. Coupled with his good offensive and defensive transitions and offensive steps, his jump shot is also a certain threat. Even if his progress has stagnated, he is still second on the team. As for the third-man striker, he is currently at the level of less than a star and above the top green leaves.
But if he wants to become a superstar and a team leader who can shoulder the responsibility, Siakam needs to improve his outside stability and increase his offensive methods. I think he has a chance at both of these points. Siakam is not afraid of shooting outside. He averaged 6.1 shots per game and a 36% shooting percentage. He needs to improve his stability at critical moments. In addition, he needs to protect the ball when cutting in, finishing methods, and mid-range. These are all fine-tuning actions. I believe in the training of the Raptors team. The team can help Siakam develop further.
