From South China Tiger to NBA King

Chapter 197
In the training session after G3, the Pacers practiced defense. McMillan asked Thaddeus Young to imitate Jianghu's style of play, and others defended him.

Thaddeus Young's shooting was not accurate at all. He imitated the situation of being disturbed in the world, of course he was crazy.

Looks like the simulation doesn't work very well.

actually not……

McMillan used this method to give the Pacers players a psychological hint, making them feel that as long as they defend in this way, they can reduce the shooting rate of Jianghu.

As long as they understand the running route of Jianghu, it is enough to maintain self-confidence.

On May 5, the fourth game between the Celtics and the Pacers started at the Bankers Life Arena.

In this game, the Pacers maintained absolute defensive strength from the very beginning. Everyone's face was filled with silence and composure, like a pool of stagnant water.

In addition, they maintained a super high defensive intensity at the beginning of the game. With a strong mentality to win, it seems that the speed at their feet is much faster than before.

However, even if the hit rate is not high in the face of Jianghu, the Celtics still have more offensive points than the Pacers.

But Irving and Jaylen Brown's shooting percentages against single defenses and even open spots are not high, which is embarrassing.

It's not the first time for both of them to play in the playoffs, and they are in charge of defense. Oladipo and Boyang are all thinking about how to strengthen the defense. It is difficult for the offensive end to warm up once in a while.

The shooting percentage of the Pacers players is not high, and Stotts arranged for them to attack the basket with all their strength to address the shortcoming of insufficient height inside.The result was that the Celtics started with 4 fouls and 5 fouls, and the Pacers got a lot of free throws.

In this game, the Pacers' home whistle and star whistle are obvious.

Even the role player Stephenson was able to force a breakthrough and cause Irving's foul, making 8 of 7 free throws in the game.

The Pacers scored a total of 42 free throws in this game, while the Celtics only had 25, and more than half of them were obtained by Baynes, who had a low free throw percentage.

贝恩斯9投5中，罚球16中7，得到17分11篮板6次犯规。

在被严防加上各种犯规都不吹的情况下，江湖投出19投9中，三分球5中4，罚球5中5，得到了27分6篮板6助攻2抢断。

Neither Irving nor Brown shot more than 40% from the field. Only Rose could score as a substitute for the Celtics.Despite this, the Celtics still relied on Jianghu and Irving to score and tenacious defense to fight the Pacers to the last moment.

The Pacers won with difficulty by relying on Oladipo's mid-range shot and Sabonis grabbing an offensive rebound and making two free throws.

The Celtics scored 100 to 103 Pacers.

Jianghu failed to stand up at the last moment and score a key goal to help the team win. He didn't have a chance to make a mobile phone from the outside in the last minute. When he caught the ball, he was surrounded by two or three people and could only pass the ball.

Both Irving and Brown had good shots, and each missed a ball, which was disappointing.

If they make the shot, the Celtics win, even if the Pacers have the home whistle.

霍福德打的也差，出战42分钟，只得到14分4篮板3助攻4盖帽，还有全队最高的5次失误。

Horford also exposed some weaknesses in this game. He is only a threat when his shots are accurate. The opponent blocks the penalty area, and he is not much of a threat when his outside jump shots are not accurate.

Despite losing the game, the Celtics' defense against Oladipo was still very successful.

奥拉迪波打了42分钟，22投7中，三分球3中2，罚球16中10，得到26分6篮板8助攻，投篮命中率仅40.9%。

Oladipo's shooting percentage in the entire series is very average. The advantage is that he has increased the number of breakthrough points and assists, which has revitalized the whole team.If he doesn't make a breakthrough, the Pacers' role players will not be able to play, and it will be difficult to score 100 points.

The poor ball movement of the Celtics in this game has something to do with the fact that the Pacers players didn't even call out fouls and defensive referees when they were defending.

Jianghu sent out 6 assists, which is the person with the most assists in the team. Irving almost averaged 11 assists per game in the second half of the season, but it was difficult to pass consecutively in this game.

Opponent players continuously hit the back of Jianghu's hand heavily with their palms, and the referee can still ignore it completely

In the game, Rozier also failed to show the demeanor of a backup killer, and only scored a poor 8 points in this game.

Because the Celtics' overall shooting rate is low, Sabonis played 42 minutes and scored 10 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists, a wonderful quasi-triple-double data.

He grabbed 9 offensive rebounds, including the crucial offensive rebound at the last moment.

Sabonis saved the Pacers today. If he hadn't grabbed the offensive rebounds to create a second offensive opportunity and gave Bo Yang a shot, the Pacers would not have been able to win the game.

After all, how can the leader lead the team to win with only [-]% shooting?Oladipo's shooting percentage in these few games is indeed a bit far behind his regular season.

In terms of offensive efficiency, the Pacers are completely inferior to the Celtics.With all three important shooting percentages behind, they can win the game. The performance of Turner and Sabonis on the defensive end is also very important. The more important point is that the referee is really taking care...

At the press conference after the game, the two teams were actually quite harmonious in terms of speech, and there was no gunpowder-flavored spat.

But this game is indeed more intense than the previous games.

In order to score in this game, Jianghu also used Du Xiaoshuai's unique trick "Swinging Arms".

Turner was the one who was fouled by Jianghu and was very dissatisfied.

During the game, Jianghu had an air cut layup from the bottom line, and was pulled down by Turner in the air. This action was a bit dangerous, and Smart, a stunned young man, went straight up, almost triggering a large-scale conflict between the two teams.

Irving also received a technical foul for questioning the referee's penalty during the game.

The controversy in this field also includes the number of Oladipo's free throws.

His star whistle this time is too obvious. There are many confrontations at the same level. There is no whistle in Jianghu, and Oladipo will go to the free throw line.

League officials are very clear about one thing. If the Celtics sweep 4-0 and retain sufficient energy, the pressure on the Cavaliers will be great, and it will be difficult to win the series. The whole series said Uncertainty became very boring, and the ratings plummeted.

This is called "balance whistle", in order to favor the party behind.

Of course, the referees in the next game will not go as far as this one, just to prevent the Celtics from profiting at home.

If the Celtics' home whistle is also very strong, players can get started when defending, and the situation in the previous game is prone to occur. It will be even more difficult for the Pacers, who already lack offensive points, to score.

Of course, the Celtics fans were very dissatisfied. The local red necks in Boston were all clamoring to use sprayers to beat Silver into a sieve.

The sense of substitution of American fans for local teams is really not just talk. Many people have been Celtic fans for several lifetimes from their ancestors. Naturally, it is difficult to accept the loss of the home team emotionally.

But it's useless for the fans to be dissatisfied. Since the birth of human beings, there has never been absolute fairness in this world.

The NBA is another league that is particularly prone to unfair incidents.

The NBA's star whistle is no secret, everyone knows it, it's just that this situation has become more obvious after Stern's retirement.

In the press conference after the game, Jiang Hu was calm when evaluating the game and did not blame the referee for the problem.

"Although we lost this game, I think the advantage is always on our side, and even our advantage is getting bigger and bigger. I believe that in the next game, we will definitely win the series."

The reporter asked, "Why?"

Jianghu smiled and said: "Because we are young and have stronger athletic ability. In a 7-match 4-win match, the more matches the more unfavorable they are. They are still competing for rankings at the end of the season. Compared with us, their physical strength is at a low level. We are at a disadvantage. I think the key to victory in the next game is the first half, as long as we withstand their counterattack, the series victory must belong to us.”

What Jianghu said was actually unreasonable. There was no problem with Pacer's physical fitness, he was pure nonsense.

But he just said it.

He is putting psychological pressure on the Pacers players in this way, and it is best for some Pacers players to think that what he said is the truth.

But I have to say that the advantage mentioned by Jianghu does exist, and the Celtics have a lot of young people.

Jianghu and other young teammates have top-level physical fitness. Even if the schedule is tight, they can recover to their best condition after a day of rest.

Can Oladipo and Bo Yang recover so quickly?
Many players are often seriously injured in the regular season or playoffs because of poor recovery, and continuous combat will affect their competitive state.

Although the two of them are not very young, the task they undertake is much more difficult than that of Jianghu. The intensity of defense they have to face far exceeds the intensity of defense that Jianghu has to face.

What, why do you say? ? ?
Because Jianghu is facing them, and they are facing Jianghu...

Other Celtics players also accepted interviews with reporters.

Horford, who has always worked hard and didn't complain much, directly complained to reporters about the Pacers' small defensive moves, thinking that he had been treated unfairly.

He only grabbed 42 rebounds in 4 minutes of playing. From a ball blind judge to a soft guy who can't get stuck, it is indeed a bit too outrageous.

Horford's offense is not good. It can be said that the Pacers defended well, preventing him from entering the penalty area.

But he couldn't grab the backcourt rebound. Could it be that his luck was too bad and the ball didn't bounce in his direction?

No, it's because he was pushed around and lost his balance, and the referee didn't care, so how could he get a rebound...

Brown's mentality is very flat, but he has Jianghu in front of him, Irving and Horford, and it is not his turn to blame him for losing the game. The fans don't think he can play the same explosive performance as Jianghu. The highlight of one or two games in the series is worthy of the fans' expectations.

In his rookie season, he played as a substitute for one season. He didn't have the ball at all in the first three months of entering the league. At that time, all fans thought he was a parallel importer. Now he has surpassed expectations.

Owen said bluntly in an interview: "I am really depressed today, because we are fully capable of winning this game but losing. This feeling is not good. You know, I have always been a winner. .”

"But I am very confident in the next game. We have me and Jiang. The combination of the two of us can lead the team to defeat any opponent."

On the 9th, before the start of the team's training, Stevens called the players together for a meeting.

He once again emphasized the tactics for the next game, don't play fast, but press the tempo to hit the success rate.

"Tomorrow we will focus on positional warfare and reduce fast breaks. In positional warfare, Jianghu and Jay Chou will mainly attack, try to create opportunities for misplacement, and pass the ball to our teammates to reduce mistakes."

Stevens saw it through, the Celtics could not bring the Pacers into their most familiar fast-break rhythm.

Irving's defense against Oladipo will consume a lot of energy. If he is responsible for quickly dribbling the ball and launching a fast break, his state will definitely be affected at the end of the quarter.

Irving looked bored at the end of the game and missed a key shot with a good shot.

The coaching staff decided to simply grind the ground against the Pacers. Anyway, the effect of their fast break was not good, and they made too many mistakes.

Then the players focused on the ownership of the key ball. Stevens hoped that other people besides Jianghu could stand up and claim it, but everyone's eyes were on Jianghu, even Irving.

"Well, Jiang should be our number one key player."

Stevens also acquiesced, too lazy to let others stand up.

Next, if there is a key ball, even if the coach does not arrange it, the teammates will want to pass it to Jianghu to shoot.

Jianghu really didn't have a chance to make a move, and they would only consider making a move if it was passed on to others.

In addition, Stevens said that the next game will be to reduce the playing time of the substitutes, and it doesn't matter if they don't play.

Before the training started, Stevens talked to Horford alone for a while, telling him to be prepared, and he will have some different tactical changes in the next game.

During practice, Stevens set up an air cut routine for Horford.

Horford generally doesn't receive a pass from his teammates when he goes down, and if he receives it, he immediately hits the basket.

In the next game, when his teammates are shooting, he will not only have to catch and shoot the ball, but also increase some threats to the basket appropriately. There can be more tactical changes, and he can also grab offensive rebounds.

In the offseason in the future, Horford is a player that the Celtics must keep. Although he is 30 years old, his peak period is still a few years away. He is very good at the basket and defends in the middle and long distances, and he will work hard on the court .

Now no one at his age will use him as the core of the team, so he can't sign a maximum salary, but signing a contract with an annual salary of around 2000 million will be very cost-effective.

On the morning of the 10th, ESPN basketball experts analyzed the game and believed that the situation was somewhat unfavorable for the Pacers.

Jianghu and Brown, Smart, and Morris Jr. are stars whose athletic ability is better than that of the Pacers.As Jianghu said, the more games there are, the more physically disadvantaged the Pacers will be.

In addition, Oladipo's state is poor, and people are not optimistic about him at all. Many people think that he is not worthy of his fame.

As the core of the team, Oladipo shot less than 40% in the series. If others perform well, it is estimated that the Pacers have been swept out.

That night, the fifth battle between the two sides started!

"Welcome to Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. Before the Celtics and Pacers fought 2-7. Today's contest is especially critical. If the Celtics win, they will win the series. , If the Pacers win, they will tie the big score to 4 to 2. In a 3-game [-]-win game, [-]-[-] behind means there is still hope."

"Of course, they fell behind 0-3 at first. In NBA history, there have been 125 series of 0-3 behind. There has never been a successful comeback case."

"Yes, and in the entire history of basketball in the world, there is only one comeback from a 0-3 deficit. The player who completed that time was the star player of the team opposite the Pacers."

"As a person who has overturned others, Jiang Hu should also be very clear about how to avoid being overthrown by others."

After the live broadcast started, Yu Jia introduced the situation of the two teams.

Zhang Weiping said: "The Celtics are playing at home. As long as they defend the home court, they can advance. People say that the Celtics will benefit from a longer series, but I think other young people may not be able to." It might be more beneficial for the Pacers to withstand the pressure, so my idea is that Xiao Jiang should stand up and do what he did before, be a killer and kill the game."

"The night is long and there are many dreams, the truth of cutting the grass without removing the roots, and the spring breeze blows again, Xiao Jiang, as a native Chinese, should have heard the truth from a young age."

Yu Jia added:
"Yeah, of course we want the Celtics to get out of the game as quickly as possible."

"But judging from the referee's scale, the league doesn't want the Celtics to beat the Pacers too quickly. After all, the Warriors and Rockets in the West also lost a game in the second round."

Zhang Weiping said with a smile: "Those two teams are epic teams. If the two teams meet in the Western Conference Finals, no matter who wins, the losing team will create a tragic record. The Rockets will win 67 Falling in the Western Conference Finals, if the Warriors lose, it will be the four All-Stars of the season, including two MVP teams falling at the gate of the Finals."

"Yes, this year's playoffs are very exciting, both in the East and West. There are many strong teams. What's even more wonderful is that one of them is led by a player from China to compete with them. For Chinese fans It’s a good thing, for that matter.”

While explaining and discussing the game, the two teams started their final warm-up on the field.

When the players came out to warm up, the voice of the North Shore Garden reached a climax, and the fans began to abuse the Pacers players unscrupulously and frantically.

Brown and the rivers and lakes passed the ball and played an alley-oop dunk.You deduct one and I deduct one. If you are happy, I am happy.

The Celtics used this method to boost morale and continue to put psychological pressure on their opponents.

Why the warm-up show dunk?

Because we young people have nowhere to use their energy.We rested so well that we have endless energy every day, so I ask you if you are afraid?
Horford, who performed poorly on the field, liked Jianghu's proposal very much. He even made two alley-oops before the game.

Today he vowed to fight tougher.I'm fine, I take two steps?Not only can I walk two steps, I can trot, and I can jump!
All fans believe that Horford can also fly, because he has a flat frame on the top of his head when he catches the air...

In terms of momentum, the Pacers were overwhelmed by the Celtics before the game even started.All Pacers players are clearly aware of a problem, the physical fitness of the pile of goods on the opposite side is beast level, it is difficult to guard against.

Pacers players mainly practice jump shots, knowing that the Celtics will definitely shrink their defense in this game.

Oladipo was in a sluggish state during the warm-up, hitting iron repeatedly outside the three-point line.Stephenson's face turned a little ugly. He really wanted to win. If Oladipo is still as strong as in the previous games today, how can they beat the Celtics.

Stephenson's heart is on fire, and he can't let it out. Although he is a veteran player, he was in the team very early, went out for a circle and came back, but now the boss of the team is Oladipo, and Audi is playing badly. He can't start spraying yet, it will look very unteam.

But like this, he was almost suffocated.

(End of this chapter)