The Whip of the God of Basketball

The first five minutes of the first quarter were like a test between two masters before fighting for their lives. It can be seen that both sides are in good condition. The Celtics did not collapse because of the long rest, and the Pacers did not suffer from the draw. The Pistons have been depleted in seven games, and both sides are well prepared to deal with tonight's battle.

Leon didn't make too many arrangements during the timeout. He just asked the players to pay attention to controlling fouls. In Leon's plan, he still hopes to delay the decisive moment to the third quarter. This is what the Celtics are best at and like most. A period of time that drags down the opponent to death. Therefore, the task he gave his players in the first and second quarters was to keep the offensive end smooth and try to find the shooting feel. If the Pacers want to play hard physical confrontation, grit their teeth and withstand it.

It can be seen that although the starting lineup is relatively risky, Leon is still conservative and stable in terms of plans and expectations for the entire game. This routine is the Celtics' consistent winning mode, and Reed is used as a substitute. It is also to improve the stability of the team's offensive end.

After the timeout ended, Leon saw that the Pacers had indeed replaced Reggie Miller with Stephen Jackson. Obviously, the Pacers were following their plan step by step.

It can be seen from the previous game against the Pistons that until the sixth game, the Pacers did not have many rules in game strategy compared to the Pistons. They often tried their best to make mistakes, but they were forced into the game by the veteran Pistons and Brown. It was a desperate situation; but Reggie Miller's magical performance in Game 6 saved the Pacers from the edge of the cliff, and in Game 7 the Pacers suddenly seemed to be able to play ball, and O'Brien also enlightened.

In the seventh game, the Pacers benched Stephen Jackson and started Miller. They used a steady and varied offense and persistent strong defense to completely strangle the Detroit Pistons, because the Pistons were weak on the bench and offensively. The failure caused them to fall short in the fourth game.

Pacers coach O'Brien, who has tasted the sweetness, is determined to repeat the pattern of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals, using Jackson's influence on both ends of the offense and defense to enhance the continuity of the team's offense and defense, and strive to continue to give the Celtics victory from beginning to end. They put pressure on others, and then used Reggie Miller's big heart to end the game in the fourth quarter. This is also the best way Vogel and O'Brien can think of to deal with the Celtics.

Maybe others will underestimate Leon and the Celtics, but O'Brien and Vogel will not. They know what a terrible person this former assistant coach is, and what kind of evil this Celtic contains. strength. If you want to steal a victory in the first game, you must keep suppressing the Celtics throughout the game.

But looking at the first five minutes, O'Brien still felt that he underestimated the Celtics' talent on the offensive end. They seemed to have easily found good offensive opportunities several times without using many tactics, and were able to deliver the ball. Get into the basket. Especially in Tinsley's defense, Arenas's impactful play made Tinsley very helpless. Compared with last season, Arenas has made great progress in the second quarter.

However, O'Brien knew that he wasn't just bringing in Stephen Jackson to deal with Reid.

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Jackson performed very well against the Celtics in last season's Finals. His spot-up shooting, several breakthrough attacks at critical moments, and his defensive restrictions on Reid and Arenas - no Yes, Popovich would let Jackson deal with Arenas for a small part of the time, which caused the Celtics to suffer.

Jackson is not very fast, but he is very powerful, has good awareness, has tough movements, and has a hot temper, which often makes opposing players fearful. Of course, Arenas was not afraid of him. Seeing his opponents in last season's finals meet again on the court, Arenas couldn't help but stepped forward and spat a few trash words at Jackson.

"Fortunately you came to the east, so I can send you home early." Arenas said as he passed by Jackson. Jackson glanced at Arenas and ignored him. It was the Pacers' turn to attack.

Tinsley continued to serve as the Pacers' point guard, but the tactics began to change. After halftime, Jackson began to catch the ball too much. Then O'Neal Jr. moved to the high post for a pick-and-roll screen. Artest, who had been occupying the low post before, moved to the right. Ambushing in the side corner, O'Brien is obviously letting Jackson lead the offense.

Indeed, the Pacers are very similar to the Pistons in that they lack a strong ball-handling attack point from the outside. A half-hearted ball-handling attacker like Jackson is already a good backcourt offensive engine for the Pacers.

Facing Michael Reed, who also just came on the field, Jackson dribbled the ball in at a slow pace and pulled it to the baseline. He turned his back to lean on Reed, and then made a forward jump shot - the referee's whistle sounded. A foul was awarded to Reed.

"Fuc-k..." Leon couldn't help but cursed off the court. During the timeout, he reminded the players to pay attention to controlling fouls. As a result, he got a foul and sent his opponent to the free throw line.

Jackson's move was not clever, but it was very effective. Reed had just come on the court and was obviously not active yet, nor did he grasp the referee's standards well. As a result, Jackson took advantage of him.

Two free throws were made and the Pacers took the lead by one point.

When it came to defense, Jackson once again showed his role. When Arenas broke out against Tinsley or changed players in the pick-and-roll, he would immediately run over to help defend against interference. After going back and forth, Arenas was no longer in the top five. minutes of style.

Of course, this also came at a price, which was to allow Michael Reed to hit a three-pointer. Therefore, the Pacers did not open up the score, but began to slowly take advantage of the situation.

"The first quarter is over, at 25:23, the Pacers are leading by two points. It can be seen that the Pacers' strategy of substituting Jackson has worked." Dick Stockton was pleasantly surprised to find that the Pacers made a surprise formation The effect seems to be a little better than that of the Celtics.

"Yes, but you have to understand that Leon's strategy is always a long-term strategy. I believe that Reid will play a more important role in the subsequent games." Cole believed in Leon from the bottom of his heart, but Stockton Obviously he doesn't believe it and thinks the Celtics' bench strategy is a bit unnecessary.

Moreover, what Jackson brought not only improved the offense, but also suppressed the defensive end. His presence made Artest and O'Neal's burden much lighter, and they could focus more on dealing with Pierce and Garnett. And it seemed that he dealt with Arenas and Reed by himself.

After a short break in the first quarter, Jackson continued to stay on the court after the start of the second quarter, while the Celtics had replaced Reed and replaced him with Bell. It seemed that Leon was a little shaken by his substitution plan. .

Two minutes later, the Pacers changed the score to 30:25. Leon called a timeout and replaced Paul Pierce, who had rested for five minutes, and then put Reid on the field again and replaced Arenas. In this way, Bell has moved to the point guard position. Obviously, the Celtics' offense will shift to the forwards.

"Give them some color, but hold back. Our plan is to not let the game end early in the third quarter." Before going on the court, Leon said with his arm around Paul Pierce's shoulders. He could no longer stand seeing Jackson in the game. North Shore Garden is showing off its power.