Healthy basketball, starting from eating the old Lakers F4

Chapter 169: Break the inner demon and win the first playoff game!

Also a rookie, Chris Duhon plays, not as burdened as Ben Gordon.

Originally, if a second-round pick wants to perform well, he needs more ball rights and more opportunities.

Chris Duhon only took one shot in the first quarter, and his shot was poor.

After finally getting back on the field in the second quarter, Duane was heavily defended by the Pacers again. Chris Duhon, as a member of the Bulls' youth army, naturally had to step forward to break the deadlock.

As a result, Chris Duhon took advantage of no one to guard him, shot a lot of three-pointers in wide open spaces, and then hit the ball with bang bang.

The Pacers didn't pay attention at first, and even continued to put pressure on Chris Duhon like they did when they let Ben Gordon go.

After all, the Pacers protected a lot of rebounds after getting "help" from Chris Duhon.

It was also with the help of Chris Duhon's continuous iron work that the score difference was quickly reduced to 3 points.

It can be said that the Bulls' scoring advantage established by Duan's personal strength in the second quarter was completely defeated by Chris Duhon in less than 2 minutes.

Many Bulls fans at the scene had objections to Chris Duhon and shouted in unison for Scott Skiles to replace Chris Duhon.

However, both Scott Skiles and Duane support Chris Duhon to continue to seize open shooting opportunities and try his hand.

Because both Duan and Scott Skiles knew that Duan could not be alone in C for the whole game.

The Bulls must have someone to put the ball into the basket, help Duen share the offensive pressure, and help Duen open up space.

Heaven pays off!
As a second-round pick, Chris Duhon is indeed a bit less talented, but he still has no problem shooting.

With a lot of ball rights and shots, Chris Duhon slowly found his touch and finally made a three-pointer.

The Pacers didn't care about this. They only made one out of five shots. It's just a blind cat encountering a dead mouse!

However, immediately after Chris Duhon made two of three three-pointers, the Pacers paid attention.

It was with Chris Duhon's three-pointer that the point difference was widened to more than 5 points.

Moreover, consecutive goals also prove that Chris Duhon's touch has been fed.

For this reason, the Pacers had to use Reggie Miller to guard Chris Duhon.

When Chris Duhon saw someone coming to defend him, he stopped playing mindlessly and instead passed the ball to Andres Nocioni who was left open.

Andres Nocioni had also made two shots before, but he couldn't find the touch at first, but this time he also encountered luck. As time went by, the basketball finally stumbled into the basket.

The Bulls blossomed more on the outside, and the situation on the court was suddenly reversed.

And Du En also relied on smoking in the bottom corner without the ball, and his physical strength recovered a lot.

When Duen returned to the top arc to get the ball, the Pacers tried to continue to flank Duen without the ball, preventing Duen from catching the ball.

Then Chris Duhon broke through with the ball without saying a word, and passed the ball to Luol Deng. The latter broke through again. O'Neal was forced to defend, and then was fouled by Luol Deng.

With more than 3 minutes left in the second quarter, O'Neal finally committed his fourth foul, and Carlisle could only put O'Neal on the bench in advance.

It can only be said that the two fouls Duen committed before were too critical.

The Pacers are completely different teams with or without O'Neal!
The next three minutes or so just proved this point.

When Duen got the ball in the backcourt, the Pacers didn't have a strong defensive player under the basket. They didn't dare to double-team Duen in the frontcourt, and they also didn't dare to double-team Duen from outside the three-point line in the backcourt.

Wusheng Jackson was forced to defend Duen alone, but Duen used the screen to break directly into the paint and feed Tyson Chandler under the basket and Luol Deng who was cutting through the air.

Without O'Neal Jr., Duane's offensive threat and organizational ability were completely unleashed, and the Pacers' defense was full of loopholes and ineffective.

It can only be said that with Artest suspended and the Pacers still missing O'Neal, the Pacers do not have the potential for the playoffs at all.

Because this Pacers not only have poor offense, but also have ridiculously poor defense inside.

Martial Saint Jackson wanted to take the lead, but was suppressed by Du En himself.

There is only Reggie Miller at the end of his career, and his offensive level is also very average.

Shooting is more than just muscle memory!
As people age, their legs age first. A big reason for shooter-type players' unstable shooting at the end of their careers is lack of leg strength.

Many stars still have baskets in their prime, but after knee or ankle injuries, their shooting ability plummets.

The fundamental reason is that changes in jump height and lower limb strength have a great impact on shooting.

In his early years, Westbrook still had a zombie jump shot. He was seriously injured and returned to the factory again and again. Although his physical fitness seemed to be getting more and more explosive, his shooting ability was gradually diminished.

As strong as Durant and Klay, Achilles tendon rupture also reduced their shooting ability a lot.

Tonight's Reggie Miller is no longer at his peak and has the ability to create super moments like Miller Time.

Relying on the work of Wu Sheng Jackson and Reggie Miller, the Bulls quickly expanded the point difference to double digits under the connection of Du En.

43 to 56, the Bulls players entered the locker room with a 13-point lead.

The luxurious meal ordered by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf for everyone before the game has been waiting in the locker room for a long time.

"Ben, don't care too much about the gains and losses in the first half, you are still one of my most trusted brothers.

Let's eat some together. Only by replenishing your physical strength can you perform better in the second half.We have only one purpose tonight, and that is to win! "

Originally, Du En planned to drink one or two bottles of glucose to pay for it.

However, O'Neal went beyond plan in the first half and accumulated four fouls.

And after the first half, the Bulls had already led by 13 points, which made Duan want to pop the champagne at halftime.

It has to be said that the last three minutes of the first half fully demonstrated that the Pacers are a paper tiger.

As long as the Bulls take care of O'Neal, the Pacers will be finished.

Of course, Du En did not study the thoughts of his second-round opponent in advance. Today, Du En is still prepared for danger in times of peace and has not relaxed his vigilance against the Pacers.

In order to win tonight's game and the entire series more reliably, Doan must activate Ben Gordon.

Ben Gordon is originally a big-hearted player, and he is also a rookie with very good immediate combat ability.

If Duane wants to break out of the Eastern Conference, Ben Gordon will become more and more important in the next playoffs.

"Boss, I will not let you down."

Although Ben Gordon has not gotten rid of his inner demons, now that the Bulls have gained a considerable advantage, Ben Gordon cannot help but feel proud and relaxed a lot.

After Du En comforted Ben Gordon, he chatted with other teammates for a few more words before letting go and eating more.

By the playoffs, a 13-point lead was already quite significant.

After the halftime break ended and the third quarter resumed, Duan was not prepared to let the team play a fast break.

It's also because the Bulls took the initiative to put pressure on the pace of the game, and the Pacers played really anxiously.

O'Neal Jr. intended to use offense to consume Du En, but Du En was not in a hurry to take action in the third quarter.

Dunn first used Luol Deng as a pawn to test the Pacers' defensive strategy and see how they could protect O'Neal.

Sure enough, the Pacers used forwards like James Jones and Jeff Foster to create a moving wall in front of O'Neal Jr.

In the third quarter, O'Neal Jr. seemed to be only responsible for offense and blocking shots at the basket.

After roughly understanding the Pacers' offensive and defensive priorities, Duane took the initiative to run to the sidelines and suggested to Scott Scales to increase the height of the lineup and use the forward group to strangle O'Neal.

Duane returns to the second position and Josh Smith returns to the field.

Next, the Bulls played a pick-and-roll on the offensive end, and the forwards on the defensive end double-teamed, limiting O'Neal's scoring.

As a result, O'Neal Jr. could not show much influence on both offense and defense. Although other Pacers players scored some points, they could not limit the Bulls' scoring.

As an inside player, O'Neal Jr. is destined to be unable to compete with Duan.

In the third quarter, Duan played very rogue. When O'Neal was on the court, he mainly connected the team and only occasionally caught the ball from the outside.

It wasn't until more than three minutes into the third quarter that O'Neal Jr. came off the court to rest, and then Duan took the ball and swung it.

"I played the entire quarter, so this isn't considered a staggered trip, right?"

The Pacers' forward group cannot limit Duen. After all, Duen can not only combine sudden shots, but also pass the ball.

By the end of the third quarter, the score on the court was 67 to 84. The point difference between the two teams had widened to 17 points. The Bulls were basically able to win tonight's game.

However, the Pacers did not give up the game, and the Bulls took the opportunity to train. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Duan rested off the court.

However, it was precisely because of the early rest that Duen was forced to clock out in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, Ben Gordon felt like he had overcome his inner demons and found himself again.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, I directly showed the attitude that the boss is no longer in charge.

Regardless of Anthony Johnson or Reggie Miller, Ben Gordon regained his killer instinct, attacked indiscriminately, and scored 13 points in a single quarter.

Ben Gordon, who also relied on his courage to play hard in garbage time, scored 17 points in the game, and became the second-highest scoring player in the Bulls' win in G1 tonight.

The highest scorer was naturally Duan who clocked in the third quarter. He made 25 of 12 shots from the field, 5 of 2 three-pointers, and 11 of 10 free throws, scoring a high score of 36 points.

If it weren't for the third quarter, Duan would definitely have scored 40+ points tonight.

However, in his debut in the playoffs, he was able to score 30+ points in three quarters. Duan is worthy of being the boss of the second team in the Eastern Conference.

91 to 106, the Bulls won G15 with a huge advantage of 1 points, thus proving that the second place in the Eastern Conference is genuine.

Of course, the biggest good news for the Bulls is the changes that have occurred in the rookies while winning.

The Pacers can't win with O'Neal alone, and the Bulls can't win with Duane alone.

The key to the Bulls' win tonight is that Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni, and Ben Gordon stepped up one after another.

As for Tyson Chandler and Josh Smith, they also played better and better in the garbage time of the fourth quarter.

It is foreseeable that as the playoffs progress and they accumulate more experience in playoff games, their strength will inevitably grow and their performance will get better and better.

Because they have no shortage of talent, and the playoffs are the stage for NBA players to showcase their talents!
(End of this chapter)