Chapter 179 On-Court Showdown

On the court, Kidd originally wanted to use a fast break to disgust O'Neal, who was still swaggering and celebrating in the Mavericks' half.

However, facing the Heat's four-man help defense led by Su Feng, Kidd froze as soon as he dribbled past half court.

Because in that instant, Kidd realized...

Even he needed some time to decipher the Heat's four-man help defense.

At the top of the arc, after Nowitzki moved to the free throw line area, the Heat's retreating quartet quickly switched their defense to man-to-man.

It was just a pity...

Under Kidd's command, the Heat were still caught by the Mavericks with that only sliver of opportunity.

At the right 45-degree angle, one step inside the three-point line, Howard received an assist from Kidd and hit a mid-range jump shot during the Heat's defensive rotation.

6 to 8.

From initiation to completion, Kidd perfectly demonstrated his unique court vision to the world.

But...

In Kidd's opinion, the Mavericks had lost this possession.

Because, if the Mavericks couldn't use fast break opportunities to wear down O'Neal's stamina...

Then what was the point and meaning of their fast break offense just now?

As a high-basketball-IQ player, Kidd knew very well that in this series, more than the gains and losses of one or two possessions...

In reality, the real deciding factor between the Mavericks and the Heat was whether the Mavericks could exhaust O'Neal to death like the Raptors did back then.

And once the Mavericks couldn't control O'Neal on the court...

Then what awaited them was more than just O'Neal's anger.

American Airlines Arena, Heat possession.

Watching Su Feng summon Fathead Fish again to screen for him, at this moment...

Kidd felt unwell.

Because although he bypassed O'Neal's high wall at the first opportunity...

But...

The instant Su Feng chose to drive the ball to the other side...

Kidd couldn't possibly create multiple shadow clones, could he?

Helplessly, Chandler had to switch defensively with Kidd at the high post.

And then...

Kidd, who thought Su Feng would use his speed advantage to force his way past Chandler, nearly threw up.

Because...

On the court...

Su Feng actually passed the ball to O'Neal.

Kidd: "..."

Seriously!

My dear brother, with such a great mismatch opportunity, how could you, with your style of play similar to Kobe's, choose to pass the ball?

At the top of the arc, watching O'Neal use a shark collision on Kidd after receiving the ball...

Unfortunately.

It was just that Su Feng couldn't hear Kidd's inner thoughts at this moment.

Otherwise...

Su Feng would definitely tell Kidd...

That Kidd seemed to have some misunderstandings about him and Kobe.

Inside the Mavericks' paint, because Chandler had been drawn away from the defensive zone by Su Feng...

Therefore, even if Kidd cried and shouted, he could only watch helplessly as O'Neal did whatever he wanted in front of him with arms thicker than his own thighs.

Bang, swish!

6 to 10.

On the court, after scoring 8 consecutive points for the Heat, O'Neal admitted that he was indeed enjoying himself tonight.

And on the Mavericks' bench...

Davis decisively called a timeout.

"John, have you already thought of a way to solve Shaq?" Brown asked with surprise.

"I have absolutely no clue about that.

However, in this situation, as the head coach, even if you have no clue, you have to interrupt the opponent's rhythm first." Davis said, looking back at Brown.

Brown: "..."

"What adjustments do you think they'll make to their defense?"

And on the Heat's bench, as soon as Su Feng returned to the sideline, Riley eagerly handed the tactical board to him.

"I think... in this situation, John doesn't have many good options besides switching to a zone defense, right?" Coach Su said calmly, analyzing to his "assistant coach" Riley.

"That's what I think too, so after this timeout, I plan to bring up Manu and Kyle, what do you think?" Riley smiled after nodding.

"I think you're right, Pat.

Because compared to defense, like we discussed before, in this series, offense is the best defense." Su Feng replied after pondering for two seconds.

On the court, after the timeout, the game continued.

On the Mavericks' bench, watching Riley take the initiative to make substitutions, Davis didn't know why, but at this moment, he felt like he had been ambushed.

The Mavericks' offensive possession.

Because the Heat had replaced Butler and Payton, Kidd successfully exploited Korver's defensive weakness and passed the ball to Finley.

And "Ghetto Jordan" didn't waste this valuable one-on-one opportunity.

Because...

In the NBA, who wouldn't abuse Korver in a one-on-one situation?

However, coming back...

As soon as the Mavericks' zone defense was set, Su Feng, who had positioned himself at the free throw line in advance, quickly found Korver lurking at the left wing 45-degree angle through quick ball movement.

Swish!

In the Heat's playoff journey this year, thanks to having two of the most dominant players in the league, Korver made 24 of 35 three-point attempts, with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 68.5%.

Therefore, once you give him an opportunity on the court...

It's basically the same as giving the Heat free points.

"John... are we really going to continue playing zone defense against the Heat's shooters?" On the sideline, Brown was already breaking out in a cold sweat, looking at the Heat's new outside combination consisting of Ginobili, Su Feng, and Korver.

Upon hearing this, Davis shrugged and said calmly, "In this situation, we can only choose to bet that the Heat's other players will miss those sure shots."

On the court, Mavericks' offense.

Nowitzki faced off against Haslem one-on-one.

Haslem, who was tricked by the Little Driver's slow footwork, wanted to slap himself.

But...

From Su Feng's perspective, Haslem's defense wasn't bad.

Nowitzki's absolute speed had nothing to do with the word "fast."

However, his rhythm when playing was his specialty.

In the future, there would be another player in the NBA who looked like they were playing in slow motion.

And coincidentally...

That player, like Nowitzki, wore the Mavericks' jersey.

On the court, it seemed like Haslem's move forward was stupid.

But Su Feng knew...

If Haslem hadn't pounced just now, Nowitzki would have chosen to pull up directly from the outside.

Inside the Heat's paint, after Nowitzki scored two points for the Mavericks with a slow three-step layup, Davis turned to Brown on the sideline and said, "You see, compared to just now, at least we've exchanged the Heat's defensive intensity for a decrease by playing zone defense, haven't we?"

Looking at Davis, who was calm, Brown nodded.

"Basketball is like life.

Sometimes, you have to make trade-offs because of the situation.

I know that Pat must have thought that we would play zone defense after that timeout just now.

So, in order to help Shaq get more space, he would definitely bring in more reliable shooters.

However, in this Heat team...

Besides Su, who is more reliable than Kyle Korver and Manu Ginobili?" Davis added, patting Brown on the shoulder.

And now...

Mike Brown finally understood...

Why Cuban was willing to offer the man in front of him a sky-high annual salary of four skins.

Because...

John Davis could see the distant future more than Phil Jackson and his ilk.

In the first quarter, after the Mavericks and Heat went back and forth, the home team Heat had a slight lead.

On the court, the score for the first quarter was 33 to 38.

On the Heat's side, O'Neal made 7 of 9 shots in the single quarter, and efficiently scored 18 points and 5 rebounds, including free throws.

And Su Feng, who tormented Kidd for the entire quarter, scored 6 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds.

The data couldn't fully reflect Su Feng's control over this game tonight.

Anyway, you just needed to know...

At the end of the first quarter, Kidd wanted to hire Yao Ming in disguise to break Su Feng's legs.

Of course, the premise was...

That Yao Ming could actually reach Su Feng's knees when he jumped.

In the second quarter, the Heat changed their lineup to Mourning, Ariza, Su Feng, Ginobili, and Alston.

And on the Mavericks' side, it was a second unit consisting of Bradley, Nahura, Howard, Terry, and Kidd.

In this year's Sixth Man of the Year selection, although Terry ultimately lost to Ginobili, in Su Feng's opinion, the Jet was also worthy of the honor.

In the regular season, Terry averaged 16.5 points for the Mavericks, took 9 three-pointers per game, and could make 3.6 of them.

And in the playoffs, Terry's average score increased to 18.5 points due to increased playing time.

Moreover...

In the Mavericks' playoff journey this year, Terry's touch was as hot as if he had touched magma.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Terry scored the Mavericks' first three-pointer of the quarter from the outside through a classic high pick-and-roll play.

On the left side of the arc, after using a screen to come around, it seemed like Terry was preparing to set a screen for Kidd.

But in reality, on the other side, "Big Bamboo Pole" Bradley was already in place.

On the court, after going around Kidd, Terry quickly rushed to the right.

At the same time, Bradley also screened Ginobili for Terry.

In front of the television, Raptors fans who were watching the game because of Su Feng and Davis' relationship suddenly shed tears.

Because the play that Terry ran on the court just now...

Was one of the classic plays that Davis designed for Su Feng and Carter during the Raptors era.

American Airlines Arena.

Looking at the Mavericks' thick lineup...

Su Feng couldn't help but feel sorry for Nash and his Warriors, who were swept out in the Western Conference Finals.

Because even Su Feng, the God of Basketball...

He didn't dare to guarantee that the Heat could 100% win this shootout with the Mavericks.

However...

Now the question was...

How terrible did "Little General" Johnson have to be to lead this Mavericks team to be as terrible as they were last season?

In the future, on the Internet, many keyboard warriors would often can't help but criticize these NBA coaches' mysterious operations on the court.

But in fact...

This group of keyboard warriors was actually right.

Because if most coaches in the NBA could be decent, how could people like Riley be able to brag all day long?

For Mavericks fans...

Fortunately, Kidd already had a championship at this time, so last summer, when he chose to force the management, Cuban chose to stand on his side and brought in Davis to coach.

And for Su Feng...

Looking at Davis, who was still growing after leaving him...

Su Feng felt that the Heat's dynasty path in the next few years would be even more difficult.

On the court, Heat's offense.

At this time, Kidd, who was responsible for stacking armor and taking hits tonight, really wanted to ask Su Feng...

Were your legs really made of steel?

At the top of the arc, facing Su Feng's lightning raid, Kidd reluctantly followed up, dragging his aching ankles and knees.

However, at that instant...

Who would have thought that Su Feng would actually choose to brake!

In that instant, Kidd couldn't defy science and forcibly reverse his body's center of gravity.

But Su Feng forcibly pried open Newton's coffin and completed an emergency stop.

Asking if you don't understand...

Was everything that happened at this moment science? Or was it not science?

Near the free throw line, Su Feng hit a mid-range fadeaway.

36 to 40.

On TNT, Barkley, who saw this scene, said with emotion: "In my opinion, if you are required to defend Su on the court... then you will definitely have no game experience."

On the court, after rubbing his sore knees...

For a moment...

Kidd couldn't help but start to miss the years when he was teammates with Kobe.

Because in Kidd's opinion...

No matter how much Kobe could brick shots...

At least in defending Su Feng, he definitely wouldn't let himself share the burden for him.

Tonight was definitely one of the most heartbreaking nights for Jason Kidd since entering the NBA, except for being swept by the Raptors back then.

Because the situation where he used his size and experience to bully his opponents...

Tonight, it was reversed.

On the court, after Terry scored another three-pointer for the Mavericks...

Coming back, Su Feng, who successfully got position in the low post, started his post-up mode.

And in front of the TV...

Paul, who had originally agreed to go to the isolation room with James, Wade, Anthony, and others, was now comfortable...

Isolation?

That didn't exist.

For Paul, no matter how isolated he was before, at this moment, there was only happiness on his face.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Pound!

Pound hard!

Damn it, Jason Kidd!

American Airlines Arena, after using absolute strength to pry open Kidd, Su Feng turned and hit a jump shot.

On the Mavericks' bench, watching this extremely cruel scene, Brown asked with a guilty conscience, "John... Jason, he...

Can he really persevere?"

Upon hearing this, Davis patted Brown on the shoulder after thinking for a while and said, "Don't worry, Jason will definitely be able to persevere.

Because...

He is a natural warrior."

A...

A natural warrior?

On the sideline, listening to Davis' extremely trusting tone of Kidd, Brown immediately felt a lot more at ease.

However...

At this moment, Brown didn't notice that Davis didn't dare to look him in the eye when he was talking to him.

And if Big Ben was on the Mavericks' bench at this moment...

Then Big Ben would definitely use his painful experience to tell Brown...

Back then, in order to trick him into defending O'Neal...

Davis had praised him like this before.