NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 218 Strategically Frenzied Targeting

Jiao Zhixi dribbled the ball over and passed it to Gao Yuanyuan, who was calling for the ball in the low post.

Gao Yuanyuan chose to sit in the low post against Antić.

The Hawks certainly wouldn't choose to double-team him. You may be called "Black Yao Ming," but you're not the real Yao Ming! Obviously, you're just tall and strong. Your low-post skills are nonexistent... You might be able to play against a finesse center like Bosh, and of course, you might be able to play against Antic, but even if I let you play against him and you single-handedly beat us to death, we'd accept it.

Gao Yuanyuan's lower body strength isn't actually that strong; she's far behind the chairman in that aspect. Antić is a bit slower, but he's not skinny, and his weight is still greater than Bosh's, after all, he's a proper center.

Gao Yuanyuan couldn't squeeze in, so she tried to hook her arm around someone—of course, nothing happened!

Jia Feifei grabbed the rebound, quickly pushed the ball up, and passed it to Korver on the other side!

Korver received the ball and faked a shot, sending Stephenson out of bounds!

Korver calmly sniped the ball, sinking the 3-pointer with ease!

3-0, the Hawks score first!

The Pacers attacked, and Paul George, with the help of a screen, pulled up for a jump shot and hit it back.

Teague dribbled the ball over, and Jia Fei and Korver made off-ball runs, shifting the Pacers' defensive formation.

Jia Fei made a quick run and suddenly cut inside!

Teague immediately passed the ball, and Jia Fei suddenly turned and flicked the ball to Antić at the top of the arc!

Wideopen!

At this moment, Gao Yuanyuan, who had already retreated to the penalty area, could only watch as Antić sniped the three-pointer!

The ball went in perfectly!

The Hawks have hit two three-pointers to start the game 6-2!

Yu Jia remarked, "Coach Buden's offensive setup is really targeted. All the screens are set up at the high post, which is designed to exploit Hibbert's slow movement and inability to defend. Once the Pacers' three-point shooting gets going, it will be very difficult for them to defend."

Su Qun nodded: "You'll find that all five Hawks players are outside the three-point line, and all five of them can shoot threes. Teague and Jia Fei drive and dish, and the other three players respond. You have a big center, so I won't go to the paint to attack you; I'll just shoot you with threes and see if you can come out."

Fortunately, the Pacers' offense remained consistent. Paul George used a screen to exploit Antić's slow footwork and hit a pull-up jumper!

Even if both sides score, 3 points is 1 more than 2 points, and after two rounds, they are leading by 2 points!

Teague dribbled over and continued the pick-and-roll with Antić.

Jiao Zhixi chose to go around the screen, because he knew your three-pointers weren't very good.

Teague passes the ball to Antić!

Jia Fei circled out and, with the help of Milner's off-ball screen, handed the ball to Antić!

Taking advantage of Antić's delay, Jia Fei accelerated and drove straight into the three-point line!

Gao Yuanyuan not only can't defend outside the paint, but he's also bad at switching and helping on defense. His strength lies in defending big centers in the low post and protecting the rim. But if the opponent doesn't go to the paint, his presence becomes very minimal.

Facing Gao Yuanyuan, who was hiding in the penalty area, Jia Fei set up his Italian cannon and fired a powerful shot!

The Hawks led 8-4, hitting consecutive shots. Their offensive tactics against Gao Yuanyuan had reached an outrageous level.

Pacers head coach Frank Vogel frowned on the sidelines. The core of his defensive system is big men, and it was precisely because of Gao Yuanyuan's presence that he was able to go toe-to-toe with the peak Heat's Big Three in the past two seasons. Gao Yuanyuan protected the rim in the paint, which greatly affected the running man and the big man's drives to the basket. On the offensive end, she could also get a strong rebound in the low post.

But the Hawks completely defied expectations, using a five-outside formation, fast passing, and a combination of drives and kicks – it was incredibly difficult to handle them.

It's not uncommon to see centers who can shoot three-pointers, but it's rare to find one like Antić who never enters the paint and either shoots from mid-range or long-range or sets screens at the top of the key for handoffs. This kind of European inside player has excellent skills and a strong team mentality, making him a nemesis for big men like Gao Yuanyuan.

Paul George missed a mid-range jump shot, but Jia Fei's screen-setting speed was very fast, clearly interfering with his shot!

Gao Yuanyuan grimaced as she tried to grab the rebound, but she only managed to get a touch on the ball by relying on her height!

Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, launched a fast break, and then passed to Korver!

The Pacers fans' hearts jumped into their throats...

Fortunately, Korver's three-pointer missed!

But... the rebound for the three-pointer was a long rebound! The rebound was grabbed by the trailing Milwaukee, who easily scored a mid-range shot, giving them a 10-4 lead!

The Pacers have called a timeout!

Coach Vogel couldn't stand it anymore. His team was being led by the nose on both offense and defense. His defensive system seemed to have no effect on the Hawks, who mainly used a five-outside formation. Moreover, due to the Hawks' tall lineup, they were also unable to get back on defense in time, allowing the opponent to launch a series of fast breaks, resulting in a chaotic defensive situation.

Pacers fans at Bankers Life Arena seemed somewhat worried. This Hawks team was clearly not as easy to deal with as their previous opponent, the Bobcats. Kemba Walker of the Bobcats was indeed difficult to guard, but the team had players like McGee with terrible shooting skills that could be exploited. On the other hand, the Hawks had a five-outside lineup and a star player like Jia Fei on the team, making them a completely different level of opponent.

Yu Jia asked, "Mr. Su, what adjustments do you think the Pacers should make to break down the Hawks' offense?"

Su Qun adjusted his glasses and replied, "With all five players standing outside the three-point line, you can't strictly guard them all because the offensive space is too open. A slight drive creates a shooting opportunity. This raises the question of trade-offs: do you protect the rim or try to contest the three-pointers? With the opponent's outside shooting so accurate right now, simply guarding the rim isn't enough. You should try to contest the three-pointers, but that's where Hibbert comes in—he can't contest them!"

After the timeout, the game resumed.

Coach Vogel made adjustments to the defense, assigning David West to guard Antić and delay his high pick-and-roll. Gao Yuanyuan was to move out of the paint to contest the opponent's mid-range shots. If the opponent did drive into the paint, the weak-side players would drop back to delay the shot and wait for Gao Yuanyuan to return to protect the rim.

On offense, focus on penetrating the opponent's paint. Have David West guard Millskinson and Gao Yuanyuan guard Antić. On the perimeter, have Stephenson overpower Korver.

Antić is strategically important to the Hawks, so he doesn't make hasty decisions, preferring to let Gao Yuanyuan score some points rather than committing fouls easily.

The Hawks' defense is extremely flexible; they can quickly collapse to the basket to limit the opponent's two inside players, and also rush out to defend the opponent's three-point shots.

The Pacers are not a team with high three-point production and accuracy. Neither Jiao Zhixi, Paul George, nor Stephenson are true shooters.