The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 522 - 260: Return to Memphis

After two days of warm-up training, the Cavaliers began to enter the tactical training phase.

The traditional "One Star and Four Shooters" tactic revolves around a core player in the low post.

Olajuwon or Howard, when holding the ball in the low post, would draw a double team and then pass the ball out to the perimeter.

This style, primarily relying on posting up, requires relatively less stamina and easily attracts double teams, which in turn creates plenty of opportunities through tactical plays.

Hansen’s threat in the low-post back-to-the-basket is also significant. If paired with four shooters, for instance, when Conningham is at the power forward position, they could utilize this method.

However, considering the team’s defense, with Thompson as a mobile interior player excellent at help defense, the Cavaliers need him in the starting lineup.

So more often, a more accurate description of the Cavaliers’ on-court strategy would be "One Star, Three Shooters, One Cake."

In this tactic, Hansen’s offensive approach is primarily through face-up drives.

Irving is also a face-up type player, and his main role is in this system as well.

This actually somewhat resembles what Hansen knows from "history" as the "Magic Ball" Rockets.

But the difference is, they wouldn’t be as extreme as the "Magic Ball."

The "Magic Ball" forsakes mid-range shots, pursuing efficiency to the extreme, but if you encounter a cold shooting night from the perimeter, or say the referees target your drives with their whistles, you are then completely shut down.

However, both Hansen and Irving possess mid-range shooting abilities. Especially Hansen’s versatile offense is much stronger than Harden’s, making it very difficult for opponents to target effectively.

This is another reason why the Cavaliers need Thompson in the starting lineup.

Because whether it’s mid-range or three-pointers, there will be times when players go cold, and that’s when Thompson, with an average of 3.5 offensive rebounds per game in his career, can play a significant role.

Of course, this involves many tactical details.

For example, player positioning, where Hawes hardly ever goes into the post on offense and is usually positioned at the top of the arc.

This not only pulls the opposing center out but also enables Hawes to get back on defense in time.

Another detail is in tactical initiations. Besides one-on-one drives, there will also be pick-and-roll initiations.

And depending on whether it’s Thompson or Hawes setting the pick, there will be different tactical directions.

The principle behind "One Star and Four Shooters" is simple, but Malone practiced all variations of the tactic.

Only through thorough preparation will the Cavaliers be able to find the most suitable one come game time.

Time flies, and it’s already October.

Hansen’s villa in Cleveland is under construction, and the Cavaliers are embarking on their new season journey.

The first preseason game took them to Indiana to challenge the Pacers.

The Pacers were the team second only to the Heat in strength in The East over the past two seasons but suffered a major blow this summer. Paul George, who had just signed a 5-year supermax extension with the team, encountered a Livingston-type leg fracture during a warm-up game for the American Dream Team in preparation for the World Cup.

However, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse, and the other cores of the Pacers are still present, so their strength cannot be underestimated.

It was in this game that the Cavaliers first showed their cutting edge.

The Pacers’ previous defensive system was multidimensional, with George Hill, Allen, and George on the perimeter, and West and Hibbert inside. To score, you’d have to peel off layers of defense.

With George out for the season, and Lance Stephenson, who did not get along with the team last season, joining the Bobcats, Solomon Hill, the 23rd pick last year chosen by the Pacers, replaced him, and his defense is not bad either.

Preseason games focus on practicing tactics and integrating the team, and the Cavaliers used more pick-and-roll initiations.

Allen’s ability to navigate around screens remains top-notch, but the Cavaliers have two offensive initiators.

However, the biggest victim on the court was neither George Hill nor Solomon Hill but Hibbert.

Although Hawes is slow, his pick-and-roll ability is not poor.

Last season, he averaged 1.11 and 1.07 points per pick-and-roll with the 76ers and the Cavaliers, respectively, which ranks highly in the league.

And this is mainly due to his ability to shoot threes after setting the screen.

The Pacers defended by going over the screens, as Hibbert mismatches against either Hansen or Irving would never be able to keep pace.

Then Hawes would start firing from the perimeter.

In the first five minutes, he received four passes outside, sinking two of them and also assisting Irving with a three-pointer when the Pacers’ help defense rotated.

Hibbert’s paint protection is impressive, even with the constraints of the "Verticality Rule," he is still among the top interior defenders in the League. However, faced with the Cavaliers’ style of play, he became like "Gao Yuanyuan," virtually absent on defense.

And tonight, with Hawes off to a good start, the Cavaliers’ perimeter was on fire. In the first half, they took 14 shots from beyond the arc, hitting seven of them, with a 50% success rate.

At the end of the half, the Cavaliers led the Pacers by as much as 15 points at 61-46, fully demonstrating the explosiveness of this scoring method.

Hansen scored only 12 points in the half, but also had 4 rebounds and 5 assists. According to ESPN’s standards, he is looking to become an all-around scoring guard this season.

The second half of the preseason game is essentially for training purposes, and the Cavaliers’ starters scarcely played, with Hansen resting early.

During this time, James Johnson had some standout moments on the court, especially in defensive fast-break situations, with both his defense and fast breaks being highlights.

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