Less than 5 minutes into the first quarter, O’Neal was substituted by Riley for Moning.
Although the Heat intentionally slowed down their offensive pace since the beginning of the ga, and O’Neal’s model advantage allowed him to efficiently screen for Wade at the top of the key, Riley couldn’t accept the Heat’s zone defense being cut through like a sieve by the Warriors during the set plays.
The Heat’s zone defense has always emphasized disciplined execution, using teamwork to mitigate the damage inflicted on their interior.
Riley’s protégé Spoelstra is an expert in zone defense.
During the ga, Riley often adjusts the Heat’s zone defense setup based on Spoelstra’s suggestions, disrupting the attacking team’s rhythm with seamless switches to man-to-man defense.
Before the finals began, Riley’s biggest concern was O’Neal’s slow mobility being unable to keep up with the Warriors’ high-speed rotations during offense.
However, O’Neal’s excellent performance in the first three rounds of the playoffs gave Riley a glimr of hope.
In Riley’s eyes, even if the Heat’s defense loses so points because the Warriors curb O’Neal, it’s irrelevant. This Heat team, full of championship pieces, needs soone on the court who can relieve pressure off Wade’s offense, akin to Scottie Pippen, more than ever.
This is precisely the Achilles’ heel of this Heat team.
They only have "Zhao Yun" who cos and goes seven tis, without "Zhang Fei" standing firm at the water, breaking the bridge.
Those championship pieces on their roster have their own characteristics, but on the finals stage, relying solely on "Zhao Yun," how can the Heat possibly rescue "Ah Dou"?
Therefore, Riley had no choice but to bench O’Neal, because he must ensure the Heat can use high-quality defense to slow down the Warriors’ scoring montum in the ga.
Otherwise...
No matter how he motivates Wade, Wade will sooner or later collapse on the court from exhaustion.
At Oracle Arena, O’Neal, benched while shooting 0-for-2 and contributing nothing on offense, wore a complex and even struggling expression.
If you must ask him what his biggest contribution to the Heat was tonight, Pat Riley, notoriously cold and selfless, would surely tell you that it’s fortunate O’Neal didn’t cry or cause a scene when he returned to the bench, sparing the already overwheld him and the Heat coaching staff from an additional burden.
Indeed, not creating a scene is already O’Neal’s biggest contribution to this Heat team.
"This kid is indeed skilled at breaking through zone defenses, luckily his teammates aren’t much better than ’D-Wade’. "
On the Heat’s bench, with Moning taking the field, the Heat successfully staved off several Warriors offensive pushes, allowing Riley to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Due to Joe Crawford allowing both sides to use more physical defense to limit each other’s offensive initiations tonight, only blowing the whistle for the teams’ stars when necessary,
Hence, when faced with the Heat’s zone defense, the other Warriors players were inevitably tested.
Qin Yue did an outstanding job as the Warriors’ commander in chief, but his teammates, who need to combine to transform into Pippen, frequently squandered scoring opportunities on the court.
Golden State’s "Ray Allen" Richardson is a typical streaky shooter.
Generally speaking, such players have a striking feature: they often play more recklessly as the ga progresses.
However, when they can’t get crazy...
You must also tolerate their bricks on the court.
Baron Davis and Ron Artest need no further ntioning, as West pointed out earlier, this Warriors team’s biggest weakness lies in their lack of a reliable second-in-command.
Hence, they could blast past the Mavericks and the Spurs, yet still lose two ho gas in the Western Conference Semifinals.
As the first quarter concluded, 23 to 27, the Heat gradually reduced their score gap with the Warriors.
However, during the break between quarters, Riley, who initially intended to stagger O’Neal’s appearances, beca conflicted when he saw the Warriors wasn’t planning to rest Qin Yue.
Riley couldn’t understand why Montgory, who consistently let Qin Yue rest half a quarter in the Western Conference Finals, suddenly changed the Warriors’ rotation strategy.
But in fact...
The physical condition of Qin Yue in this ga... also greatly exceeded Montgory’s pre-ga expectations.
Could Qin Yue have undergone a genetic mutation, with his stamina suddenly extending overnight?
Of course not.
Since the first quarter, apart from a few initial offensives, Qin Yue has been diligently cracking the Heat’s zone defense, and with the slow pace of this ga, after playing the entire quarter, Qin Yue didn’t feel any fatigue at all.
The facts prove that a slower ga pace is truly a paradise for all giants.
Conversely, teams like the Suns, with their relentless transition offense, would always leave Qin Yue, who averaged over 40 minutes per ga in the Western Conference Finals, utterly exhausted.
Tonight, since Qin Yue was feeling good, naturally, Montgory had to keep him on the court.
At this mont, Riley bit his lip and said to O’Neal, "He’s played the entire first quarter, surely you can’t score nothing in front of him?"
In the second quarter, when O’Neal was substituted with around 7 minutes left, Riley was teary-eyed.
Because before being subbed out...
O’Neal actually scored a point via a free throw.
Once O’Neal got deep enough in the paint, even Qin Yue, who could apply unlimited pressure on him during the ga, couldn’t stop him every possession.
But fortunately, alongside Qin Yue stood Troy Murphy, a hardcore player aptly dubbed the "next Lambier".
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