662: Finisher under the basket
Siakam is a flexible big man who can shoot, has some offensive ability with the ball, and can defend. Of course, he's also the Pacers' knife when switching offense. He grabbed the rebound, made a transfer, made a big dunk, and then continued to defend and that's what most people think of Siakam.
But Siakam can do more than that. One thing that many people overlook is that he can score 1.362 points per game under the basket, which is already better than 82% of players in the league. His true shooting percentage of 68.4% can also be said to be excellent.
Siakam is not a simple pie-eating player, he has a lot of ball-handling skills, whether it is a forward or backward turn, he can always find the advantage of misalignment.
Others will ignore this, but Henson will not. The stats are all written in front of Henson's eyes, and he knows exactly what his players can do. So, he's also willing to let his players do what they're good at.
Siakam's back-to-back conversion points on the court allowed the Pacers to close the deficit to three points. After that, the Raptors were in charge of head coach Nick. At Nas's reminder, he began to pay attention to their return speed.
That quickly became evident on the court, and when VanVleet made a long-range shot from the outside, the Raptors immediately began to retreat.
They gave up the frontcourt rebounding scramble and started to retreat as soon as their teammates made a shot. In this way, no matter how fast the Pacers counterattack, they will not be able to play an effective transition.
Although "Van Jordan" missed the long-range shot this time, when Siakam grabbed the rebound, the Raptors' defensive formation was already in place, and he could not continue to play a good dunk.
So, Siakam handed the ball to Brogdon. But Cameroonians know that their opportunities have not been cut off.
Once again, the Pacers were locked in a positional battle, with Leonard pressing George close to him before he could catch the ball. The commentators had to sigh at Leonard's defensive ability, and he prevented George from even receiving the ball.
But Brogdon didn't let that overwhelm him and handed the ball back to Siakam very skillfully.
Siakam held the ball in the bottom right corner, and Anunoby immediately spread his arms. Siakam's two dunks just now have angered Anunoby. So this time, Siakam will face the opponent's toughest defensive stance.
Anunoby originally wanted to prevent Siakam from breaking through, but he didn't expect Siakam to do that, but took two big strides and leaned directly against Anunoby, and he wanted to play with his back alone!
"Siakam is going to single Anunoby with his back!?" Kevin. Harlan was a little surprised, because the whole world knew that Anunoby was not easy to mess with. Did Siakam do this of his own volition or Henson's arrangement?
Siakam continued to push into the penalty area, rarely showing his back-to-back skills as he rarely got a chance to play alone. But just because he rarely shows it doesn't mean he's not good at it.
The sweat that flows silently off the field can always turn into a reward when you need it most.
After pushing into the box, Siakam suddenly turned to the left, as if ready to make a move. Anunoby immediately stuck to it and jumped to his feet. He wants to use a volleyball cap to make the No. 43 in front of him taste great.
But when Anunoby jumped high, he didn't get the block as he wanted. Because Siakam didn't make a move at all, his turn was just a feint!
After flying Anunoby, Siakam immediately turned in the opposite direction. This beautiful low step allowed him to completely shake off the defense. Siakam then hooked up and put the ball firmly in the frame.
Siakam was rough when he first entered the league, but now he has a soft touch that is the envy of most big men.
The margin instantly became only 1 point, and the Raptors fans fell silent. Because, they have already watched that No. 43 score 3 goals in a row!
'Nice footwork, Siakam played smart. Anunoby thinks too simplistic about his opponent, and Siakam doesn't just switch dunks. After scoring six points in a row, Siakam's sudden power changed the situation of the game. ”
Kevin. Harlan nodded approvingly, and the game started to get interesting.
"Defend, defend! Keep on the defensive! 'After Siakam's goal, Henson didn't let his guard down. He yelled on the sidelines to remind his players to keep their nerves on the edge.
So, Siakam again, the guy was completely excited, and rewarded Ibaka with a big risk.
It was also Leonard's breakaway and then passed the ball to Ibaka under the basket. Ibaka is also near the basket and can score points by jumping up and putting the ball in.
However, as soon as he took off, he felt a huge pressure behind him. Then, the basketball was pressed to the rebound. It was Siakam, who made the block straight from Ibaka's back. Once this guy gets excited, the power is amazing.
Anunoby immediately defended when he saw this, and he gritted his teeth, he was bound to make Siakam pay in this defense.
Siakam blocked and advanced down the middle with the ball, while Oladipo and Brogdon were on either side. Siakam looked left and right, wanted to pass the ball, but didn't have a good passing route.
So this guy simply gritted his teeth and plunged directly into the interior line with the basketball, he wanted to attack in person!
"Come and die!" Anunoby roared and jumped to block, and the two forwards of similar size collided hard in the air.
It can be seen that Siakam's center of gravity has been tilted, and this time the confrontation is still too fierce for him, and Anunoby is very brave in defense.
But with the center of gravity completely lost, Siakam's shot was not crooked. He threw the basketball to the basket in the last minute before his body fell, and scoring in the duel was not a point that Siakam was afraid of. His strong physique ensures that he can continue to score in the confrontation.
The referee's whistle blew for a foul on Anunoby. However, a second after the whistle, the basketball went straight into the net!
Two points are valid, and there is a penalty! Pascal. Siakam's finishing ability under the basket surprised all Toronto fans!
"It's in again, and it's going to be a free throw. Can anyone tell me what's going on on the field!? Anunoby, a defensive giant, has no way to take Siakam? ”
Kevin. Harlan was shocked, he didn't expect Siakam to play so well. Consecutive shots, consecutive scores. It must have been Henson's strategy, and once again, Henson's strategy worked.
Siakam's appearance almost made up for the gap left by Antetokounmpo's absence! The depth of the Pacers' roster has once again shocked the whole league!
Everyone can fight when they come up, and they are not easy to mess with. That's the Pacers, that's Henson. Joe's Legion.
At the free throw line, Siakam hit a free throw steadily. So far, he has led the Pacers to complete the comeback for the first time!
After Siakam's free throw, Nick. Nas hurriedly called out the game to a halt. He didn't want to see his advantage swallowed up like that, and he needed to do something to stabilize the situation.
But to be honest, Henson isn't bullish on Nick. Nass pause effect. If Henson were to comment on the Raptors, this team was good everywhere, but the head coach was weaker.
Even Popovich would have been tricked by Henson, let alone a single Nick. Nas.
After the players came off the field, Henson patted Siakam the shoulder. This guy didn't disappoint him, and his day-to-day efforts turned him from a rough rough guy to an all-around scorer, and Siakam's superb footwork on the inside must have surprised the world just now.
At this point, the Raptors' strongest defensive gate other than Leonard has been challenged, and Henson has reason to believe that Leonard will focus some of his energy on Siakam. In other words, he couldn't be 100% committed to defending George.
But even so, Leonard's defense was still a big problem for George. So next, Henson needs to get his hands dirty on the back line.
So, Henson walked up to his "bench bandit" Rose. Rose's eyes are now much more confident than they were at the start of the season, and Henson can't believe that this guy was thinking about retirement a few months ago.
But fortunately, I stopped all this. Every time I think about this, Henson still feels a sense of accomplishment.
"Derek, you take Brogdon. You and Oladipo, I need you to use your impact to attack those two defenders who are only 1.83 meters tall. ”
There's nothing wrong with Brogdon, but in terms of impact, it's really not as good as Rose. The former rookie of the best is more of a projection defender.
What Henson needs now is impact. Sending two 1.83m "sending points" on the court, Henson would be too sorry for Nick if he didn't use it. Nas's "good intentions".
When Nick. When Nurse found his defense collapsing all but that of Leonard, that was when the Raptors' defense was completely shattered.
When the time comes, Henson will make everyone realize that what is called a good team is that the coach is too weak.