Legendary star

Chapter 716 Crisis
"Meng, do you want to take a break in the second half?"

At the end of the first half, the Pacers returned to the locker room. Looking at Meng Xu who was sweating profusely, Rick Carlisle asked with concern. Meng Xu did not rest for a minute throughout the first half, especially It was in the second quarter that Meng Xu was even more aggressive on the offensive end. He took 1 shots in a single quarter, which was almost the same as the number of shots in a single game in the previous two games. Therefore, after returning to the locker room, Rick -The first thing Carlisle did was to ask about Meng Xu's physical condition. At the same time, since the Pacers' main force didn't have much rest throughout the first half, Rick Carlisle wanted to send Rotate the lineup and let the main lineup rest for a while.

"Rick - I'm fine. I want to continue playing in the third quarter." Putting down the towel in his hand, Meng Xu smiled at Rick Carlisle. Today's game is the most anxious and the most intense in the entire series It was a fierce game. From the second quarter, the Pacers and Wizards took the lead alternately, and neither of them could keep the lead for more than 1 minute. It can be expected that Arenas will not rest, but will He continued to play in the third quarter, so Meng Xu naturally didn't want to sit on the sidelines and watch Arenas perform. Of course, he didn't trust his teammates. The main reason was that Meng Xu's physical recovery speed was abnormal. There was a nearly 20-minute rest in halftime. Time is enough for Meng Xu to recover most of his physical strength.

"Okay then, you will lead the rotation lineup in the third quarter, but you will play the 2nd position, and the rest of the players on the field, Darko, Jeff, James, Chris." After communicating with Meng Xu, Li G. Carlisle took out the tactical board from behind, pointed at Darko Milicic, Jeff Foster, James Posey and Chris Duhon, and called them one by one, and arranged for them to pay attention to when they played next. things and essentials.

"Are these two guys iron men? There was no rest for one minute in the first half, and they will continue to play in the third quarter!" After the halftime break, when players from both sides appeared on the field one after another, Michaels looked at the front of the team. Some of Meng Xu and Arenas couldn't understand the tactical arrangements of the Pacers and Wizards.

Most NBA players have the physical ability to play the whole game, but the disadvantages brought about by playing too long are also obvious, such as slack attention at critical moments, deformed body movements, and decreased shooting percentage. Players who play more than 40 minutes must face it, so the first thing a qualified head coach should do is to control the playing time of the main players and try to maintain their physical functions at an optimal level. If it really comes to the time when the rotation players cannot be trusted, these main players will also need to bite the bullet and play the whole game. However, in today's game, whether it is the Pacers or the Wizards, they have not yet reached the point where they must play the full game. The level of the field, so Michaels will be a little difficult to understand the formation of the coaches of the two sides.

"It seems that this game will completely evolve into a duel between Gilbert and Meng Xu." For the Wizards and Pacers, the results of the first half of the game are acceptable, so their best choice now is Let the main players who have played the entire first half rest for a while, and send a substitute lineup to play, but they did not do so. Meng Xu on the Pacers side remained on the court, and on the Wizards side, Arenas And Antawn - Jamison also stayed on the court, seeing this lineup, Magic Johnson had a hunch that Meng Xu and Arenas were going to decide the winner in the third quarter.

For the reporters on the sidelines, today's game has already gone beyond the scope of an ordinary playoff game. The battle between Meng Xu and Arenas in the second quarter is what they are concerned about Focus, for them, the outcome of this game is no longer their concern. All they care about and expect is one thing, and that is whether the match between Meng Xu and Arenas will continue. will continue.

Arenas and Meng Xu, one is the top three players in the scoring list for two consecutive years, and the other is the NBA's three-time scoring champion. In the Wizards game against the Lakers in the regular season this season, Arenas had 60 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, and Kobe Bryant had 45 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. That earth-shattering matchup was all public opinion for a long time The focus of attention, so the reporters on the scene are very much looking forward to today's game, and they can also stage a vigorous scoring battle like the Wizards and the Lakers.

As the team that failed the opening jump ball, the Wizards had the right to kick off in the second half. When Arenas took the baseline ball from center Andre Blatche, he just turned around and took two steps forward. When he reached the middle circle, Arenas found that there was an extra Pacers player in front of him. Arenas looked up and saw that Meng Xu was standing in front of him with open arms.

Arenas, who was pressing and still dribbling the ball, looked at Meng Xu in front of him and was obviously taken aback for a moment, but then a smile appeared on the corner of Arenas' mouth.

Meng Xu's intention is obvious, that is, he hopes to separate Arenas from the Wizards' system by pressing Arenas all over the court, cut the connection between him and his teammates, and completely change the game. It became Arenas fighting alone, but at this moment, Arenas scoffed at Meng Xu's thoughts and plans. Originally, the Wizards' tactical arrangement in today's game was to let Arenas hold the ball and play singles. In addition, Arenas is now feeling hot, so Arenas doesn't care about Meng Xu's move.

"This guy is still stubborn." Seeing that his move not only failed to force Arenas to pass the ball, but also aroused Arenas' determination to play singles, Meng Xu knew that Arenas was going to take on Kobe and Iverson. that way.

Meng Xu's close defense is very oppressive and aggressive. When faced with Meng Xu's close pressing, ordinary players can easily lose a thousand miles. But today's Arenas is not an ordinary player. Constrained by his height of more than 2 meters, Meng Xu encountered some troubles when defending Arenas. The high center of gravity of his body caused Meng Xu to stick but not grab when defending Arenas, and Arenas Si is not the kind of guard with average physical fitness. He is definitely top-notch physical in the first position. Although it is not enough to face Meng Xu head-on, it also ensures that Arenas will not be easily crushed by Meng Xu.

Therefore, at the beginning of the third quarter, Meng Xu and Arenas got entangled in the backcourt. Meng Xu couldn't seal Arenas, and Arenas couldn't get rid of Meng Xu completely. Under Mison's cover, Arenas managed to drive the ball through the middle circle before the 8-second violation.

"As expected, he is the best defensive player of the four times. This guy's defense is too strong. If he had replaced another player, he would have directly intercepted the ball." Looking at Arenas who was struggling to dribble, Looking at the players sitting on the bench again, Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan shook his head helplessly. It wasn't that he didn't want to build a team-based team, but that these guys really couldn't believe it. All hopes were pinned on Arenas, and Eddie Jordan really couldn't think of any other way.

"Beautiful." While the worried Eddie Jordan was still bowing his head in thought, the Wizards players on the bench behind him jumped up from their seats one by one, looking up, Arenas, who had completed the attack, He was welcoming the cheers and applause of the audience with open arms.

In the attack just now, after protecting the basketball and advancing to the top of the arc with great difficulty, Arenas made an intention to turn his back and break through. However, after completing his back turn, Arenas directly retreated. One step, he made a direct jump shot almost two meters away from the three-point line. Arenas has made shots from this distance many times today and made them.

But looking at these crazy substitute players and spectators around, Eddie Jordan felt a sense of crisis. Although Arenas scored this goal, he scored in such a difficult way. Not a good thing for Nurse.

(End of this chapter)