Although the combination of Harden, Cousins, Rondo and Gay does not have a perfect chemical reaction, relying on their individual strengths, they can still occupy a place in the declining Western Conference. However, when they face each other

When it comes to stags in the east, the situation is different.

Let's not talk about anything else. Rondo, who is 1.85 meters tall, already has a big head when he sees Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is 2.11 meters tall. How can he guard against this thing?

Of course, the Kings will not really let Antetokounmpo bully Rondo wantonly. Small forward Rudy Gay and Rondo switched defenses, but this was only a drop in the bucket.

Gay is not an excellent defender. Although his physical fitness is excellent and he is among the first-class among small forwards, he is by no means qualified in terms of defensive attitude and defensive awareness, not to mention that he is facing a

Antetokounmpo who is stronger than him in terms of height, weight, and strength?

More importantly, Antetokounmpo is not the strongest person on the Bucks yet. What should Kevin Durant do?

The Kings' guard against Durant is Cauley-Stein, a first-year rookie who is averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds per game this season.

Wang Xiao has a bit of an impression of this player. In the future, he will average 12.8 points and 7 rebounds per game at his peak.

Cauley-Stein's defense is better than his offense. As a 2.13-meter-tall center, he has quick feet, can switch defenders when facing pick-and-rolls, and is also very good at protecting the frame.

In this Kings team, he is the blue-collar guy in the paint who does the dirty work.

Letting him defend Durant is the most appropriate arrangement the Kings can make, but it is still far from enough for Durant.

After playing in the league for 9 years, Durant has faced all kinds of powerful defenders. No matter how active a first-year rookie is in defending, he cannot pose a threat to him.

As soon as the game started, the Bucks took over the offensive initiative.

The Kings' defensive intensity was difficult to limit the Bucks' scoring. Durant, Antetokounmpo and others continued to rely on their personal abilities to score points.

But the Kings' ace Harden has encountered a little trouble.

Thompson and Harden are also old acquaintances. Although Thompson only came to the Wizards after Harden was traded by Wang Xiao, as a shooting guard over the years, he and Harden have not played against each other once or twice.

Thompson had to admit that Harden is a very powerful player with comprehensive skills and cunning play, and he can't defend him one-on-one. So Thompson simply let go of the defensive distance, preventing breakthroughs but not shots, and letting Harden shoot from the outside.

.

Over the years, three-pointers have become one of Harden's main scoring methods, but his three-point shooting percentage is not stable and has been hovering around 35%.

For comparison, James' average three-point shooting percentage per game in the regular season this season is 36%, and the Bucks' old player Oladipo, who is extremely unstable in three-pointers, has a shooting percentage close to this value.

Of course, the number of three-point shots taken by Oladipo and Harden per game is very different and cannot be compared, but this also shows that Harden's three-point shooting efficiency is not very high, and it is completely worth a try.

Thompson clearly tried the right thing.

Harden didn't feel very good today. He made several step-back three-point shots, all of which were iron-clad. Using a quick counterattack after grabbing rebounds, the Bucks widened the point difference to more than double digits in one fell swoop.

The Kings called a timeout, and then began to adjust their tactics after re-entering the court. Cousins ​​began to touch the ball more often, and it was obvious that the opponent wanted to attack from the inside.

If there is any obvious shortcoming in the Bucks' top five, it can only be mentioned inside defense.

Jokic is definitely top-notch in terms of offense and support organization, but he is a bit lacking in defense. He is basically unable to guard against pick-and-roll tactics because of his slow footwork. However, in one-on-one defense, relying on his height and weight

Advantage, Jokic can basically guard most centers in the league.

Of course, this does not include Cousins.

In today's era when the league's top centers are withering away, there are not many outstanding offensive centers in the NBA. Most of them are blue-collar centers like DeAndre Jordan, Whiteside, and Drummond. Even the former No. 1 centers are

The first center, Howard, gradually lost the explosive power he relied on due to injuries and age, and began to gradually evolve into a blue-collar center.

The only center at the center position this season who can average 20+10 points per game is Marcus Cousins.

When Cousins ​​began to take over the ball inside and launch a strong attack, Jokic's pressure immediately doubled.

Wang Xiao noticed this situation, but did not take any action.

It is rare for Jokic to meet a strong opponent, and it is necessary for him to feel and experience it. After all, there will still be several strong inside centers in the league in the future.

For example, Anthony Davis, the brother with thick eyebrows, or Hao Peng, Wang Xiao’s disciple, who has the David Robinson growth template card.

Of course, the main reason for letting things go is that the Bucks took the initiative in the game.

Even if Cousins ​​has the upper hand in a one-on-one duel with Jokic, his scoring efficiency is far less than that of Durant and Antetokounmpo.

As a center who can average 20+10 points per game, Cousins's shooting percentage is not qualified, hovering around 45% all year round, and his career shooting percentage is only 46.1%, which can be regarded as the lowest among outside players.

Qualified, but not among post players.

In the final analysis, the reason why the Kings can stand out in the Western Conference is because of James Harden instead of Cousins ​​​​. In another time and space, when Cousins ​​​​led the team alone, the Kings never even entered the playoffs. Cousins ​​​​

It was only after joining Chaoyong in the 18-19 season that he frantically joined Wang Chaoyong and made his first playoff appearance in his career.

…

In the first game, there was no suspense. Even though Cousins ​​scored 27 points and 11 rebounds in front of Jokic, the Kings still lost the game 99:113.

Under Thompson's full coverage, Harden performed abnormally in the first half of the game. He gradually regained his feeling in the second half and his performance returned to normal, but by then it was already too late.

Throughout the game, Harden took 19 shots and hit 7 goals, including 2 of 7 three-pointers, 5 of 12 two-pointers, and 10 of 11 free throws. He scored 26 points and 6 assists.

It is very rare to get such data against Thompson's high-intensity defense, but as the core and leader of the Kings, this is obviously not enough.

This also directly caused the Kings to be in a state of lagging throughout the game, without any counterattack to chase points.

Although it was only the first game of the series, this game had already made many people see the huge difference in strength between the two teams.
Chapter completed!