Legendary star

Chapter 691 Another victory

"Anfernee, we won, we won."

As the whistle sounded at the end of the game, Chris Duhon, who came off the bench at the end of the fourth quarter, immediately rushed to Anfernee Hardaway's side, wanting to celebrate his career with his idol The first finals victory in .

Due to the rise of Tony Allen and the unshakable sixth man status of Sarunas Jascovicius, Chris Duhon did not have much playing time in the Pacers. For this point, Chris Duhon It is also very clear that he does not have the tough and excellent defense of Tony Allen, let alone the offensive talent of Sarunas Jaskovicius, so as the playoffs continue to deepen, Chris -Duhon's playing time is also getting less and less, because as the opponent is getting stronger, his contribution and role to the team are getting smaller and smaller. Even before the start of the finals, Chris Duhon was in Doubt if I can play in the finals.

Because it was only a second-round pick, Chris Duhon only signed a 1+1 contract with the Pacers after being selected by the Pacers. After the end of this season, Chris Duhon will become A restricted free agent, so Chris Duhon is also very much looking forward to showing himself in the finals, so as to win himself a good contract extension. If he helps the Pacers win the championship this season, then Chris Duhon doesn't need to think about his career anymore, because a rotation player of a championship team will be a favorite wherever he goes, so he played 12 minutes in the first game of the finals Chris Duhon of time, after the game, it was really quite emotional.

"Okay, Chris, this is just one victory, and we will win three more games." Compared to Chris Duhon, who was so excited because he played in the finals for more than ten minutes, Anfernee Hardaway is very calm now. After all, Anfernee Hardaway was also the one who led the Magic to the finals, although in that finals the Magic was shaved by Olajuwon, who was at his peak Bald, but Anfernee Hardaway has seen big scenes anyway, and he won't lose his composure like Chris Duhon.

Although not as excited as Chris Duhon, Anfernee Hardaway's heart is not as calm as the expression on his face. To put it bluntly, the reason why Anfernee Hardaway accepted the Pacers' invitation is only One goal, that is the championship, because of continuous injuries, Anfernee Hardaway has long been on the verge of retiring, but like all old players, Anfernee Hardaway also hopes to be able to retire. Before wearing the championship ring, the Pacers' crushing victory over the Mavericks in the first game of the finals also made Anfernee Hardaway see the dawn of the championship.

Don't talk about Anfernee Hardaway, basically all Pacers players, after winning the first game, can feel that the championship is getting closer and closer to them, and then on June 6 After the second game of the Japanese series, the Pacers have only one feeling, that is, the championship is already in their pocket.

On June 2006, 6, the second game of the Finals between the Pacers and Mavericks was played again at the Banker Life Arena. Due to the loss of the previous game, Avery Johnson gave up double control in this game In the lineup, Adrian Griffin replaced Devin Harris in the starting lineup, and at the same time, he replaced the "Western No. 10 center" Eric Dan Peel.

I have to say that Avery Johnson's starting lineup in the second game of the finals was really bold, because Avery Johnson used it to replace Devin Harris and Eric Dampier. Derean Griffin, and Desagana Diop, are engineer-type defensive players whose contributions on the offensive end are almost negligible. In addition, Josh Howard is also regarded by Avery Johnson. It is used as an outside defensive arrow. Among the five starting players, there are three full-time defensive engineering players. It's a defensive battle.

Although Adrian Griffin is basically negligible on the offensive end, Adrian Griffin is not a player like Devin Harris who is so iron that he dare not shoot. Adrian Griffin But he has a very good mid-range and long-range jumper, so after Adrian Griffin replaced Devin Harris, the Pacers had to give up the partial three-defense and two-defense defensive strategy.

On the defensive end, Avery Johnson also changed his strategy of defending Meng Xu alone in the first game, and used Josh Howard and Adrian Griffin to double-team Meng Xu, leaving Tony - Allen, with Tony Allen's offensive ability, even if he is left empty, his threat is not great.

Adrian Griffin's strength obviously can't withstand Meng Xu, but how to say this is also a double-team. If Meng Xu chooses to attack under the double-team, his offensive efficiency will be somewhat reduced. , Adrian Griffin top, Josh Howard around, this is basically the strongest defense that Avery Johnson can come up with.

However, after the start of the game, when Meng Xu gave up possession and switched to off-ball tactics, Avery Johnson's defensive strategy was completely miscalculated. Although Tony Allen's organizational skills are average, he is still the Pacers' main point guard. In addition, the Mavericks did not have a targeted defense against Tony Allen, so in today's game, Tony Allen actually scored a career-high 15 assists, of course most of them were It was given to Meng Xu.

After Meng Xu changed to playing off the ball, he showed a stronger scoring ability. His weird off-ball running position and excellent sense of smell made Josh Howard and Adrian Griffin two, who could only Following Meng Xu's ass to eat ashes, and in front of precise jump shots again and again, the Pacers established a 19-point lead in the first half, and Meng Xu made 21 of 13 shots and 5 of 2 three-pointers. Among them, he made 8 of 7 free throws and scored 35 points in half the game.

And Desagina Diop, the big man who defended Tim Duncan with 7 of 1 shots in the overtime game of the seventh game of the Western Conference semifinals, is also miraculously absent today. Jermaine O'Neal, who was hit as a center It blows up.

Meng Xu couldn't be defended from the outside, and Jermaine O'Neal couldn't be defended from the inside. Even though the Mavericks' pick-and-roll tactics had improved somewhat, the Mavericks still couldn't win an away game against a defense that was still full of loopholes.

In the end, at the end of the game, 94 to 109, the away Mavericks lost the game again.

And the Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who was sitting on the sidelines watching the game, was obviously disappointed and depressed when he was photographed by the live broadcast camera.

This is the second time for the Mavericks to enter the finals after Mark Cuban acquired the Mavericks, but now the Mavericks have no hope of winning the cup. After losing two games in a row, the Mavericks have been forced to a dead end Well, if you can't find a way to deal with the Pacers, then the Mavericks will be humiliated and swept out.

(End of this chapter)