When pride still matters

Chapter 419: Will he miss that time?
At halftime, the Sonics led the Celtics by 19 points.

This is something Celtic supporters will be familiar with.

The defensive effect cannot be exerted when throwing a mouse in the away game. The intensity exerted like at home is restricted by the referee. How can it be better than attacking? Although they clearly have a lineup that can play well offensively, Rivers' chicken soup not only gives players confidence, but also depends on their own touch on the offensive end. Chief assistant Thibodeau is a defensive maniac and is not good at coaching offense.

"The Celtics have some problems. If they are not solved, it will be difficult for them to become a convincing championship team." Jeff Van Gundy said bluntly, "Why did their defense fail on the road? Why did their defense fail? The offense seems to lack flexibility? Why do teams with two great point guards often fail to complete simple fast breaks? The first question may be related to the home and away game, but the second two questions are the responsibility of the coaching staff. The team seems to be in disarray on the offensive end, and the coaching staff needs to make the most changes.”

Van Gundy pointed to deep-rooted issues with the Celtics.

But if Rivers could have solved the problem, he would have solved it long ago.

On the other side, George Karl accepted the midfield interview with some ease.

When an ABC reporter asked him how he viewed the resurgence of young players, he smiled and replied: "It's nothing surprising. They are all NBA players and they can't play poorly in every game."

"Fry and Michael (Reed) had a conflict in the first half, was there a problem between them?"

"I don't know," Carl said, "but when you put the names Frye and Michael together, I can vaguely hear the roar of the shells."

Carr's criticism of Rivers was implicit.

Thibodeau still pays attention to the details on the defensive end. As a coach, the only thing Rivers needs to do during the game is to call timeouts and cheer up the players in time.

Then, Yu Fei said: "As long as they notice you, you can use your advantage to disrupt the inside line and then run to the outside line."

“What do you think about the Celtics not winning on the road during the playoffs?”

"But there's KG on the inside."

Until this season.

The last question is also the most interesting.

Durant thought to himself, the Celtics' insiders are not just KG.

He just said that this problem cannot be solved by the players. As for "what do the Celtics' coaching staff do for a living", that is something that the media has to ask.

Karl really feels that this is God blessing Seattle.

When he walked into the locker room, he happened to see Yu Fei holding a tactical board like a coach and making gestures in front of Durant.

There was no problem with Durant's performance tonight, but it was still a bit rigid.

Rivers suddenly coached a great team. Since there are so many veterans, just like high-end ingredients that only require simple cooking, he does not need to instill complex concepts. As long as he pours chicken soup over and over again, the veterans will mingle.

"I don't know, I really don't know." Karl smiled, with a hint of sarcasm in his smile. "There's a saying that's been true in basketball for years - the defense will never betray you. You know, the Celtics are a great defensive team that's unique in the league and no other team can match them on the defensive end. Comparatively, as good as the Detroit Pistons were a few years ago, you won't see the Pistons struggle as much as they do on the road. Why doesn't the defense betray us? Execution. When you're strong at home and struggling on the road, I think there must be some problems that the players can't solve."

Because he was accused of racism, Karl had to apologize, but the feud between him and Rivers was also forged.

If they want to defend well, it is very likely that Kendrick Perkins or P.J. Brown will pair up with Garnett in the paint.

"If they put pressure on you on the outside, you have to find a way to set a screen for the people around you and then rush inside."

When Rivers was a retired player who was working in the media because he was good at dealing with the media and had a eloquent mouth, plus the bonus brought by his skin color, he was directly parachuted into the head coaching position. Karl said that this was the luck brought by his skin color. , and was besieged by a group of people.

"That's your role. As long as you have his attention, he won't have time to deal with anyone else."

Originally, the SuperSonics, as a team full of young people, were very likely to be confused by a team like the Celtics with old players. However, with Rivers here, the Celtics' advantage in depth of the lineup cannot be eliminated. Play to the maximum, and there will be problems with on-the-spot arrangements.

At the earliest, Karl could still abuse Rivers' magic in the first round. Then McGrady, who was born with hidden health problems, suffered unknown injuries. He suffered injuries for many years and applied for a trade because the Magic had no help. By the time Rivers became the head coach in Boston, his team no longer had any competitiveness, and it was redundant for Karl to even look at him.

He was completely in his comfort zone. What is his comfort zone? Just stand outside and watch out when nothing happens, and every move depends on the command of Yu Fei and Roy.

Therefore, Yu Fei wanted him to move on his own.

"It's not just that you can go inside."

Karl said suddenly at the door.

Everyone looked at him, and Karl walked over and said to Durant: "If you encounter a mismatch, for example, Rondo suddenly confronts you, you can eat him. If you encounter Kendrick Parker, Kimson or P.J. Brown, or David Lee's switching defense, can also win with your speed."

Durant asked like a good student: "What if KG is out of position to guard me?"

"Shoot him (pass the ball)." Yu Fei said before Karl could say anything.

So everyone looked at Yu Fei again.

Yu Fei said matter-of-factly: "If you try to escape as soon as you see KG, you will never be able to defeat him. Even KG will find it difficult to block your shots. I think you can try."

"Is it really okay?" Until this moment, Durant felt that he was not Yu Fei's puppet.

Yu Fei looked at the other young people: "Not just KD, you also have to stand up. Don't forget that we are 19 points ahead. Isn't such a big advantage just for you damn young brats to waste? Here we are. I shoot boldly! No matter if it's KG or someone else from the Celtics standing in front of you, you have to kill him!" All the young people in the locker room were excited.

Kwame Brown was delighted: "So, I can apply to play Kevin Garnett in the low post?"

"This." Yu Fei said, "Be careful!"

"Da Fei, you don't believe me?"

"I believe you, but not completely."

The locker room became joyful.

Karl just smiled, feeling like Rivers now. No, he is not even as good as Rivers now.

Rivers is probably feeding his players chicken soup right now, but what about him? Da Fei has already finished the work in the locker room for him.

In the second half, the Celtics unsurprisingly increased their defensive intensity, especially the defense against Yu Fei and Roy was greatly upgraded.

But what the Green Army didn't expect was that the Sonics' main attackers at the start of the second half were not Yu Fei and Roy.

Durant, who was allowed to attack independently, was full of confidence. Since the team led by 19 points, his offense had no psychological burden at all.

What the veterans fear most when beating rookies is to let the young guys show off their momentum.

But the Sonics' momentum picked up from the beginning of the second half.

Durant dribbled the ball in a high-profile way and rushed towards Reed who was defending him. The set of actions was as surprising as the rookie version of Yu Fei.

Reid himself is not an excellent defender. Although he has the will to defend, the effect is not good.

Durant surprisingly shook him away and collected the ball for a jumper.

This scene is what Durant looks like in Yu Fei's memory.

For Fei, this is how Durant should play.

Durant took the lead and then dunked on a fast break during a defensive counterattack. The SuperSonics soon expanded the point difference to 20 points.

After that, the demons started dancing wildly.

Durant even dared to hold the ball and play in isolation. Brown considered himself to be no weaker than others. Being ravaged by the top insiders in the Western Conference in consecutive series has seriously affected his reputation as the self-proclaimed number one insider in the league. He boldly asked for the ball. , forced a back-up hit on Garnett. Why is it said to be forceful? Because Garnett was not guarding him, but Brown insisted on blocking him with his back.

However, compared with Durant playing Reed in isolation, it is exponentially more difficult for Brown to hit Garnett in the low post. After moving to the Celtics, Garnett chose to gain weight in order to be able to switch to the fifth position at any time. During this period, he could even guard Yao Wei alone in the low post, and it was really easy to kill Brown.

But Brown didn't forget who he was and couldn't force the ball, but chose to pass the ball to Marion at the last moment, which indirectly proved that there was a reason why he was called Weber II. Although it was a staggering pass, But as long as he insists this is part of the plan, who's to say it's not?

Marion leaped high, stretched out his ape arms, and scored a dunk.

The Celtics' chances are being extinguished. There is no chance of a reversal tonight. Every professional on the scene knows that the big score is about to reach 2-2.

When Durant starts playing one-on-one, when Brown clumsily impersonates Chris Webber, and the two strongest Sonics have the time to watch the show on both sides of the perimeter, you know the Celtics have lost their edge.

The dual-core driven SuperSonics suddenly turned into a multi-core team. From Yu Fei's third game against the big core, to now using the power of his own big core as a guide to guide other teammates to show their true strength, George Karl's ideal The Sonics are fully awakening.

Then, the Celtics, who made frequent mistakes in the chaos, finally placed Michael Redd in front of Fei like a sacrifice.

"Where are you going to escape now?"

Yu Fei shouted, holding the ball and attacking Reid's strong side. Reid just tried to resist and was knocked to the ground. The impact was not much worse than that of James.

Reed looked back and saw that the superior bastard had already entered the paint area, like a god coming down from the earth, and scored a dunk on Garnett's head that made the Key Arena boil.

"At this moment, will Michael Reid remember that the all-powerful No. 44 was his teammate?" ESPN's Mike Breen said, "Will he miss that time?"

No, Brynn, Reed hated that time.

Especially this moment.

When Yu Fei won a great victory, when he was completely defeated.

It's like vindicating what the media said about him.

"Without Frye, Michael Redd is just a mediocre player."

How profound, how terrible, how unbearable?

But suck it up, Reed, because you can't win tonight.

(End of this chapter)