More Than One Way to Solve a Problem

During the half-time break, Stevens discussed Cousins' defensive issues with Brown.

In the end, the two defense-minded coaches failed to come up with any truly useful solution.

Cousins was simply too versatile. When he was in good form, it was no easy task to shut him down.

Perhaps they could only hope that Cousins' form would drop after resting for half the game.

In the end, Stevens pulled Tang Tian aside into his office.

"We don't need to think about how to defend him."

Tang Tian's words surprised Stevens.

"We only need to think about how to get him off the court."

Tang Tian's next words made Stevens suddenly understand.

It was a matter of perspective. When dealing with someone in great form, aside from stopping him, they could also force him out of the game.

Tang Tian had actually tried that approach in the first half, but Cousins had not taken the bait.

But beyond provoking him, there were tactical solutions as well.

With a direction in mind, the two discussed it and basically settled on their offensive approach for the second half.

After going over the details, Stevens hurried back to the locker room to make his tactical deployment.

When the second half began, Francis and Mutombo had left early on business, but Yao Ming and McGrady were still seated courtside.

The on-site fans were still fired up. The half-time break had not cooled their passion in the slightest.

Many fans noticed a change on the court: Bojan replaced Ariza in the starting lineup for the second half.

Stevens relied heavily on Ariza. That much was clear from how he had put Ariza straight into the starting lineup to regain his rhythm as soon as he returned from injury.

So while the adjustment did not look major, it