Chapter 222: War (2)

On the evening of May 18, 2003, New Jersey, it was a sunny and beautiful summer night. New York State and New Jersey, the two most densely populated places in the United States, illuminated the night sky. People who worked hard throughout the day for work can finally sit in front of the TV and watch an NBA Eastern Conference finals game that still looks forward to. Of course, the more fortunate guys can watch the opening game leading to the finals series on the spot.
Leon and the Celtics will take a bus and arrive at the arena half an hour before the start of the game. The staff on the scene have been scorched a long time ago. If the players cannot arrive on the scene in time to participate in the game, the NBA staff It was a major mistake. Leon seems not to be rushed, the Celtics players are all at ease. Paul Pierce is wearing a white T-shirt and khaki trousers, with huge headphones on his head listening to music. Entering the aisle, Antoine Walker was dressed in gray and black loose casual clothes, holding a CD player in his hand.
In the face of some reporters who came up, Leon avoided all the interviews without answering. He would not tell them that the Celtics were late on purpose. They dragged the training time in the New York-rented stadium until one and a half hours before the start of the game. They left the stadium under the repeated urging of the team leader and stepped on the spot to reach the Continental Airlines Arena.
In the dressing room, the players hurriedly changed their jerseys. There was no time to talk, no time to listen to Leon’s tactics, no time to give exciting speeches, no time to encourage each other, they would go back to where they were last year. In the place, facing the same opponent again, began to impact the finals again.
"I have told you all you should do. Forget about the regular season, forget about last year’s game, and focus on tonight. It’s not the end, but the beginning, but A good start will determine what attitude we will end with." In the passage, Leon gave the players a final order.
In the following games, Leon will constantly adjust the team's tactics through timeouts and substitutions to remind players how to deal with the situation on the court, but he will not emphasize the importance of this series, no Will do more exciting speeches, all of which he has done before the game. Leon believes that facing a team that eliminated himself last year and ruined the dream of the finals and met again in the finals, if the players' emotions need to be ignited and inspired, then they are not worthy to win this series. victory.
"This is the last time I have explained to you this series and the importance of this game. I hope that when you feel that you are about to lose, are about to be unable to hold on, and are about to give up, I will ask your heart and ask you. The thirst for victory and the thirst for revenge, then everything will come naturally. Okay, do what you should do."
Leon finished speaking, the Celtics players have already appeared on the field, the Nets have been warming up for a long time, leaving not much time for the Celtics to warm up, but Leon knows that the players no longer need to warm up. What they need is competition.
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Byron Scott looked at the belated Celtics, wondering what kind of medicine the guys opposite were selling in the gourd, especially the coach Fox Leon, who was in the regular season. Kurt also suffered several losses. At home, the Celtics relied on Wang Zhizhi's three-point reversal. Leon seems to always have some fantastic tricks.
But Scott knew in his heart that Fox Leon’s weird trick was by no means a whim, but a tactical change supported by a deep theoretical and data foundation. Leon is constantly studying others, and others are constantly studying him. Now his perverted calculation and observation abilities have long been known, and his tactical and micro-manipulation ability in local areas and in a short period of time is even better. If there are any weaknesses, maybe he is just a coach after all. He can't replace the players, and he can't prevent the players from making mistakes. And his experience is indeed not rich enough. In the face of more complicated situations, he is not like those coaches with player experience, who have a special feeling about the game situation.
However, this weakness is almost hard to see in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Scott carefully watched the Celtics game videos of the first two rounds and felt that Fox-Leon made almost no mistakes and played well. The Celtics have advantages and avoided weaknesses, and more importantly, he began to gradually grasp that special feeling, as evidenced by the three-pointers that inspired the team against the Detroit Pistons in the semifinals.
"He is learning to grow up with the team in the playoffs. Even if this growth is only temporary, but how important it is for a team to go far, I don't know if he realizes it." Scott thought in his heart. He couldn't help but think of the days when the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s followed Magic and Riley to the Finals again and again.
When the game was about to officially start, Scott withdrew his mind. Psychologically, he still had confidence in the Nets. The first two rounds of cutting melons and vegetables made the players comparable in physical and mental states. it is good. He also made sufficient tactical preparations before the game. He wanted Leon to understand that the Nets, the 76ers and the Pistons are completely different teams. He wants to rely on Pierce Gardwalker or defeat the Nets with a three-pointer. impossible.
Since there are no super insiders in the East, Scott has the confidence to win the East again and aim for the championship!
Thinking of this, Scott couldn’t help straightening his back. The game had already begun. Celtics’ Brown had won the ball. Amid the noise of Continental Airlines Arena fans, the Celtics started their game in the Eastern Conference Finals. The first attack.
Contrary to Scott's expectation, Arenas did not organize the Celtics' offense. He handed the ball to Michael Reid after halftime, which is very rare in the Celtics' offense. Reid will always be the killer hidden in the dark, who will pierce your heart when you are unprepared. But now, he is at the top of the arc, holding the ball, and organizing the offense like a decent. Arenas sank to the bottom line, which is where Reid used to appear.
"Damn, Kidd's defensive position has been mobilized, and that place is not suitable for him... "Scott almost immediately saw the key point of the situation, that is Kidd's counterpoint. He wants to visit Arenas. , Had to go near the bottom line.
But what such a change can bring to the game, Scott only has a vague feeling in his heart. He believes that Kidd can solve the problem on the court. After all, he is the best number one in the league.
On the other hand, the Celtics, Reid’s organization at the top of the arc did not have any effect. He commanded for a long time and finally handed the ball to Antoine Walker near the free throw line. It failed in Arenas and Pierce did not throw it. In the case of Jefferson, Walker retreated after making two false moves and missed a jumper. Walker still seemed a little weak in the face of Kenyon Martin.
The Celtics team seemed to have expected this. No one on the team went to grab offensive rebounds, but retreated at full speed. The ball was snatched by Kenyon Martin. When it was handed over to Kidd, the Celtics had all been seated, and Kidd had no chance to launch a fast break!
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In the five minutes after the start of the game, both sides scored very low. On the Celtics side, Reid became the master. As a result, he knew nothing about combing the offense. Instead, relying on Brown's two screens, he hit two on the outside. A dry three-pointer made Byron Scott's head wrinkled for a while. In his expectation, Pierce, Walker, and Arenas were all key targets for prevention. Unexpectedly, it was Michael Reid who fired the shot first. .
The Nets’ offense was even worse, because in five minutes, although the Celtics missed many offenses, the Nets only succeeded in a counterattack, relying on Jefferson’s fast break and layup to score two points. In addition, Kenyon Martin scored two points with an offensive rebound. After that, they were helpless in the battle of positions!
When Michael Reid played a screen with Brown from outside the three-point line~EbookFREE.me~ once again shot his third three-pointer in the first quarter, Byron Scott could no longer make it. Straightening his waist, he called a timeout. Five minutes is enough time for him to see through Leon’s tricks-he asked Reid to organize the offense, not out of offensive considerations, nor special offensive tactics, but entirely out of defense. consider.
He asked Arenas to run without the ball in order to involve Kidd's defensive energy, and constantly used reverse runs and air cuts to take Kidd to a deeper position and prevent Kidd from launching a quick counterattack!
Kidd is a well-known triple-double machine. As a point guard, he can get so many rebounds. In addition to his height and wingspan, it is his sense of position. The free throw line is his favorite rebounding position. Here you can avoid the competition with the insiders, grab some long rebounds that collapsed, and then you can quickly launch a counterattack, using his best pass in the world. Create a good offensive space for the Nets who have physical talent and no technical talent.
But when Kidd faced Arenas like a water mouse and crawled behind him, he could no longer return to the position he knew and liked.
At 11:6, the Celtics made a good start. Leon also gave Byron Scott a warning. I understand your routine. (To be continued.)