On the 21st, the first round of the playoffs began.The Bulls played at home against the Magic, and Skeys unexpectedly lined up the starting lineup of David Lee, Lewis, Lore Deng, Wang Jun, and Hinrich.Chandler wasn't injured, but the Bulls wanted to attack with all their might, so they played small-ball tactics.The Magic are the starting lineups for the regular season: Nelson, Hill, Turkoglou, Tony Barty, Howard.As soon as it opened, the Magic were dragged down by the Bull's speed.Hill is nominally a swingman, but his speed is no longer suitable for playing a point guard, making it difficult for him to defend Wang Jun.Hill has stayed healthy this season by changing his style of play, attacking less with the ball and running more off the ball.To put it bluntly, he is not as desperate as he used to be, and accepts the reality that he has been reduced to a role player.Peak Hill is like a pictured, weakened version of LeBron with a jumper.LeBron's jumper is bad enough, he's still a weakened version, and it's only a matter of time before he gets hurt.Now Hill has practiced shooting during his recuperation, mainly in the mid-range shot.It's better to play as a role player for a few more years than to retire early.Hill's current style of play can't pass Wang Jun, and he can't avoid the Bulls' change of defense.Lore Deng defended Tekoglou, Hinrich played against Nelson and kept David Lee and Howard one-on-one in the low post.It's all about getting the Magic drop ball to Howard heads-up.Howard was named an All-Star this season, and some say that Nelson is alone and doesn't give Howard the ball.Many fans followed and scolded Nelson, thinking that if Howard had the ball, the stats would be better.This game made Magic fans realize that they were wrong.It's not that Nelson is alone, it's that Howard's offensive efficiency with the ball is too low, whether it's a face-frame jumper or a low-post back-to-back shot, the efficiency is low.Howard struggled to hit David Lee in the low post, and turned around twice in a row to shoot wide.From the action, it can be seen that he is going to hook his hand, but the shot looks like throwing the discus Magic to win the game by relying on the outside three-pointer, Turkoglu organizes the forward, and Nelson's breakthrough is by no means Howard's heads-up.Teammates take turns shooting on the periphery, and Howard may also grab the rebound in the front court and score easily on the second offense, sometimes it is directly a supplementary dunk.If Howard had attacked better, the 2006 World Championship Dream 7 would not have been hated.His only way to do this is to run, cover his teammates, and then cut inside, catch the ball and dunk or rush to the front court to rebound.In the five minutes of the first quarter, David Lee was replaced with two fouls, and Chandler came on to strengthen the defense.Howard made 3-of-6 shots and 2-of-6 free throws, scoring 8 points that seemed good, but it took 9 rounds to get it, averaging less than a point per shot.ESN's McBrin commented on the game: "If the Magic let Howard keep attacking like this, they will definitely be swept and lose very badly."
There are more than 50 players in the league who have played more than 200 times in the back, basically including the main centers of all teams, and there are some excellent backup centers. ”In fact, it's not just Howard who does nothing in the low post, there are very few low-post killers in the league at present, which has a lot to do with the change in the league's rules.With the massive use of joint defense, it has become increasingly difficult to attack in the low post because there are more defenders in the low post.The best way to score on the inside is to run around the court a lot, cover and catch the ball and misplace.It's a pity that Howard can't shoot high in the middle, not to mention the wrong shot on the periphery, most of the short shots are iron.Howard's good stats are largely due to the fact that he has been sent to the free throw line again and again, shooting only 586 free throws, and even worse, he is averaging 19 assists and 39 turnovers per game.He draws the defense into the low post and does a terrible job of passing the ball to the outside.All in all, he is a defensive blue-collar who averages 176 points, 123 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, and his statistics are very beautiful.In the second half, in order to strengthen the offense, the Magic replaced Milicic and used Barty as a cold bench, but it had no effect.Milicic is now just an ordinary inside lineman, he doesn't dare to fight alone, he can't prevent it, and he always gives people a feeling that he can't let go.The Bulls led by 28 points in the third quarter, and the main players left work early.Duhon, Barnes, Lore Deng, Amundsen and Webber maintained the advantage until the end, 108-85.Howard made just nine of his 17 free throws.Wang Jun played 28 minutes and scored 20 points, mainly on the periphery, but he didn't exert any strength at all, and the whole team of 6 scored double-doubles.After a day of rest, the two sides played the second game, and the Magic made adjustments, giving Milicic, Arroyo, and Durin more opportunities.Playing as a back two off the bench wants to strengthen the attack.The Bulls suppressed the Magic with only one change, and Wang Jun came back two minutes early to bring a substitute, and immediately singled out Arroyo to collapse.Backup point guard Redick was too poor to match, his arm span was too short, and his interference shot was poor, and the coach did not dare to let him play.The veteran Hill is the Magic's top perimeter defender, and Ariza can defend him on the bench, but the coach is dissatisfied with his poor shooting and rarely lets him play.The Bulls' offense was almost all on the outside, Webber, David Lee, and Lewis got more playing time, and the offense barely went to the basket, and Howard's beast blocking ability could not be fully played, and he was forced to go out to defend the shot.Similar to the last game, the Bulls took a 27-point lead in the third quarter and went into garbage time.Howard cut back on his shots and played worse than he played, with only 12 points and 11 rebounds.After the next two battles in Orlando, the Magic didn't cause any problems for the Bulls.No one on the team could attract the bag, Nelson couldn't get past Hinrich, and Turkoglu singled out Lore Deng and was killed on the perimeter.Turkoglu met his nemesis, the two were about the same height, Roldeng was faster and had a longer arm span, and the Turk didn't have a good chance of breaking through or shooting.Howard is the only one who has a physical advantage, and foul tactics against him are enough.The Bulls have six interior players on the playoff roster this time and are not afraid of foul trouble.Howard's free throw shooting percentage in the playoffs is worse than in the regular season, and the more free throws he doesn't score, the more pressure he puts on, and he can't make free throws when he's in a hurry.3 of 11 free throws in the second game and 6 of 16 free throws in the third game, how can this touching shooting rate be worthy of the core third game, the Magic lost 77-108 at home.In the fourth game, 90-106, the Magic lost by 16 points, which was already their best performance, relying on the excellent hand of Nelson and Hill.4-0, the Bulls eliminated the Magic cleanly and advanced to the second round.The other three series in the East were also swept and became a big spectacle this year.The Cavaliers eliminated the disorganized Wizards 4-0, and James made a breakthrough in the record.The Pistons swept the Heat 4-0, the Heat's interior defense was poor, and Hamilton and Billups played a game.The only person who played well for the Heat was Wade, who averaged only 15 points and 8 rebounds per game.The Celtics defeated the Raptors 4-0.Not only did Pierce and Ray Allen maintain a very good condition on the outside, but Al Jefferson also blew up Bosh, averaging 225 points and 12 rebounds in the four games of the series, which shocked fans.To prevent a hunk like Jefferson, Bosh is too thin.The substitute Bagnani is not as good as Bosh, and if he goes to Nesterovic, he can't defend the outside.Jefferson also had 163 points and 112 rebounds in the regular season this year, and he seems to be already a star insider.s: