: 224 The Unexpected Good Situation

Byron Scott’s rich playoff experience made him smell a bad taste in Walker’s fast break layup, so when Jefferson broke through the bottom line and forced a layup, he was blocked by PJ Brown. , Paul Pierce squeezed Kenyon Martin to get a backcourt rebound, the Celtics once again launched a three-line fast break, this matter is when Reed fell to the corner, received the ball and fired a three-pointer. When hit, Scott called immediately. A timeout.
The tactical formation used by the Celtics in these two rounds was completely unexpected by Scott. With a 3-2 zone defense, Antoine Walker was not one of the 2 in it, but went to the outside to act as a minor. forward. Pierce has reached the position of power forward, guarding the inside with PJ-Brown. Although Pierce is only 6-6 in height, he has a strong foot and a strong chassis. He is not inferior to Kenyon Martin one-on-one at the basket.
Antoine Walker was originally at a disadvantage when facing Martin, but after coming to the outside, his height became an advantage. With the addition of Michael Reid and Arenas, they have excellent defensive positioning and cooperation. Kidd couldn't find any way for a while.
Kidd has nothing to do, and Scott has no other way in his mind. He can only call a timeout to cool the situation. The Celtics' continued rapid counter-attack scoring momentum is not a good sign for the Nets. And Fox Leon knew that Scott would not have any good solutions, he would not have any emergency plans, because this joint defense tactic has not been used by the Celtics throughout the regular season, allowing Walker to put Pierce on the inside. The idea was also recently formed through discussions with Hart, and after two days of full training in New York, it finally had the effect on the court.
"Three minutes, hold on for three more minutes. After three minutes, no matter whether the opponent's offense can break through our zone defenses, we must change our defensive strategy. Return to man-to-man, strengthen the backcourt protection, shrink, remember us To shrink.
Leon gave the player a three-minute time limit during the timeout, which is basically what it looks like until the next timeout.
Leon knows that this 3-2 defense is by no means invulnerable, it has loopholes, just like the loopholes of the 2-3 defense are at two 45 degrees, and the weakness of the 3-2 defense is mainly on the bottom line. In the first half, the Nets' main offensive starting point was still in the traditional positions of the top of the arc, 45 degrees and the ribs. They did not have many attacks on the bottom line. In fact, in that attack just now, Kidd had already run to the bottom line to organize the offense, which made Leon's heart tensed.
Leon is convinced that Kidd can't find a solution in a short time, unless his three-point feel suddenly returns, otherwise the outside pressure of the 3-2 zone will suppress them for a while. However, Kidd’s keen sense of smell on the field made him run to the corner to catch the ball at the first time. It was really scary. So Leon asked the players to use this strategy only for the next three minutes. After three minutes, Once the Nets adapt to the 3-2 zone defense, they will soon seize the weakness and attack.
Therefore, the Celtics must seize these three minutes to expand the score advantage as soon as possible to lay a good foundation for the subsequent game.
Sure enough, back to the court, the Nets’ offense still did not improve. The Nets relied on Kidd and Kittles to transfer the ball. Neither Martin nor Collins were good at coping on the inside. The 3-2 defense team was strong on the outside. The pressure makes the Nets guide the ball seem meaningless. Kenyon Martin tried to force the ball in the low post, but Pierce desperately got stuck in the front and didn't give Martin a good chance to catch the ball.
Martin is not a low-post offensive master, and he does not have the ability to create good scoring opportunities for himself. Once he receives the pass uncomfortably and is in a bad position, it is difficult for him to attack. The CIC, which was shown in the first half, disappeared in the second half. When the team was not going well, he did not have the courage to break the deadlock with the CIC.
In the end, the offense was launched from Kidd. He completed a small match with Kittles in the corner. Kittles passed the ball back to Kidd in the corner. Kidd faced Arenas' defense forcefully. After a missed three-pointer, Pierce grabbed a backboard again. This was his eighth rebound tonight. Obviously, in addition to scoring, Pierce can also help the team in other ways.
Walker, who had no pressure on the defensive end, released more energy on the offensive end. He began to try to score points in sports battles rather than deadly with Martin in positional battles. When Pierce got the rebound, Walker was already on his way. Now the Nets are facing a very serious problem. When Walker came to the small forward position, it was difficult to stop him in the fast break.
After receiving a short pass from Arenas, Walker slid in small steps, used an unpleasant but rhythmic pace, held the ball in both hands and gritted his teeth to the basket, before Martin had time to return. At that time, another layup ended the offense.
After the goal, Walker waved his claws like a crab. Obviously, this guy was a little bit overwhelmed. He seemed to have forgotten the embarrassment when facing the Nets last year.
Such a scene did last for less than three minutes. The Nets, who had no super attacking strength, were stuck in a 3-2 zone defense by the Celtics, and they couldn’t stop Walker’s quick counterattack. Te just watched the Celtics widen the point difference from a few points to a dozen points in the third quarter. Finally, when Kidd finally made a three-pointer in the right corner, Leon finally called a timeout. The time was up. They should put the aggressive defensive strategy back and use the remaining time to consolidate. Their advantage too.
68:55, the Celtics led the Nets by 13 points at the end of the third quarter. 13 points. In the 2003 NBA playoffs, at the level of the Eastern Conference Finals, it was almost impossible to cross. The scores of both sides may not exceed 80 points in the end, and the Celtics may break through 90 points if they feel better. In this offensive and defensive situation, 13 points are an impossible task for the Nets.
By the fourth quarter, when Kittles and Kidd missed consecutive three-pointers, Leon knew that victory was not far from him and the Celtics. The Nets did not have Kobe, Iverson, and Carter. Without Tracy McGrady, no one can hold the ball regardless of and force scoring to pull the gap between the two sides to a visible distance. Those three minutes in the third quarter were fatal to the Nets.
When the game ended, the score was fixed at 90:78, and the Celtics won their first victory in the Eastern Conference Finals by 12 points. There is no doubt that this is Fox Leon’s night. The rhythm and melody of the entire game are in his hands. Compared with Leon, Scott, the best coach, looks like a circus dumb bear. .
Everything did not end with the Celtics' victory in New Jersey. The next day, on May 20, the Celtics and the Nets vowed to defend their own. A home court. They pressed the Celtics from the beginning. Martin, Kidd and Jefferson’s trident swept the offensive end of the previous game, frequently forcibly launched a quick counterattack, and made several defensive fouls by the Celtics. .
This situation continued until the last quarter~EbookFREE.me~ There are five minutes before the end of the game. The Nets still lead the Celtics by 77:71 by 6 points. The Celtics as a whole are very good tonight. Passively, Leon's 3-2 defense has lost its effect. Kittles and Kidd each made a three-pointer to let Leon dispel the idea of ​​continuing the defense. Seeing that the Nets will slowly grind the 6-point gap to the end, Paul Pierce exploded.
He first intercepted Kidd's pass on the defensive end, succeeded in a counter-attack layup, and caused Kidd's foul and an additional penalty. Then the Celtics blocked the Nets' offense. Pierce made an unreasonable counterattack. A direct three-pointer from the perimeter, equalized the score in two rounds.
Scott called a timeout and failed to stop Pierce. Pierce then hit a mid-range jumper and broke through for a layup in the last minute. He scored a critical two points and opened the gap to four points. With Jefferson missed a jumper outside the three-point line, Chris Anderson grabbed a rebound, made a foul, and made two free throws. The Nets missed another offense. The score in the second game was fixed at 81:86. The Nets lost again at home.
The Celtics unexpectedly won two consecutive away games and took a 2-0 lead in the series, and they will return to home next.
For a time, public opinion exclaimed. (To be continued.)