NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 560 The Real "Giant" (Daily Chapter)

In even-numbered years, ESPN/ABC is once again responsible for broadcasting the Eastern Conference Finals, which officially starts at 20:30, and PTI and Sports Center warm up for the game early.

Starting from 17:30, the pre-match reports could not be stopped. Doc Rivers, who reversed the championship coach, is currently the most popular coach in the league, and the related interviews could not be stopped at all.

The inflated Paul Pierce talked a lot in front of reporters about his choice of the last attack and his mental state when shooting free throws;
Kevin Garnett seemed to have infinite energy in his body. He didn't show any sign of fatigue before the game and kept emphasizing the "Celtics spirit"!
Marbury's family and friends also appeared on camera. His father cried in front of the camera, and his mother told the media about the suffering her eldest son had endured over the years, and proudly announced:
"We are all Obama supporters."

Among the "Big Four", only Ray Allen is the most low-key, which is related to his son's illness. In addition, Shannon does not want to take advantage of her husband's popularity, resulting in the least related reports.

For NBA sports reporters, these two days are their happiest moments. There are endless reports, no end to them!
The champion coach collapsed, the coaching staff was disbanded, and the well-known assistant coach Thibodeau moved to Chicago;
The "Big Four" are going for the championship, Rivers has a chance to become a leader among black coaches, Timberwolves fans have forgiven Garnett, and Pierce has become the core of the Celtics again
The relevant topics can be turned into an article. Coupled with O'Neal's silence after losing the Western Conference Finals, sports reporters have personally felt the changes in the league, which is completely different from the past few years.

MSG is considered the Knicks' own media. New York fans don't need to watch other reports. They just need to lock on to the relevant channels to see the team's training schedule and preparation status every day.

As for the self-congratulation of Boston next door, some New York enthusiasts expressed disdain, when did the semi-finals become worth celebrating? Is this all the top teams have done?

He did not join in the media's carnival. New York reporters neither supported nor opposed it. Van Gundy is good, but D'Antoni seems to be better.

Winning eight consecutive championships and slapping the next door in the face is what the current fans desire. From another perspective, most fans do not take the Celtics seriously. All-Stars can never compare to the real GOAT.

Before the game, a large number of sports reporters interviewed the recently popular head coach Rivers, who did not disappoint everyone and showed great confidence:

"Yee!! The team is getting better and better, we found a real way to win!"

After Game 7, the Celtics only had one day to rest. Considering that the Celtics had gone through two Game s, the veterans must be tired, but Rivers gave a different answer:

"Physical fitness? We never worry about this problem. My players have enough fighting spirit. Basketball games are not long-distance running. The desire for victory will be blessed by God!"

Rivers felt good about himself as he said this in a low voice. At this moment, he even felt that the "red scarf" on his chest was brighter. He was ready to win.

The Cavaliers' fierce defense has transformed the Celtics. Rivers believes that as long as the players can maintain their competitive form, there is a great possibility that they will win an away game.

The entire press conference was filled with praises. Van Gundy is one of the most sought-after tactical masters in the league, able to suppress the opponent. Rivers has demonstrated the demeanor of a famous coach.

On the evening of the 20th, after the game started, the broadcaster seized the opportunity to focus the camera on the head coaches of both sides.

Rivers conducted the game passionately, as if he had become the team's sixth man. The noise of Madison Square Garden could not drown out the hoarse shouts of the other team.
D'Antoni smiled and hung up. Starting from the first quarter, except for a timeout between quarters, he spent most of the time pacing on the sidelines. He clapped his hands when goals were scored and returned to the bench early at the end of the first quarter.

The two head coaches' completely opposite attitudes towards the game also indicate that there are some minor problems in the game process.
After the second quarter started, laughter gradually appeared in the stadium, and the New York fans at the scene completely relaxed and began to enjoy the rare home court.

The Celtics' bench lineup played for less than two minutes before Pierce immediately replaced James Posey and Perkins replaced Glen Davis, and the main lineup returned.

In contrast, the Knicks still use their regular rotation in the transition period, with Rondo and JR Smith partnering in the backcourt, and the frontcourt three consisting of Prince, Dio and Gasol.

The difference from the regular season is that Gasol will play more transitional games, and Gazuric's playing time in the playoffs will be significantly reduced.

"Defense!."

Amid the cheers from the defense, Marbury received the ball at the top of the arc again, and Garnett soon stepped forward to screen.

I thought he would have an absolute advantage in the matchup, but the former "Wolf King" might be a little tired, and his singles in the low post are currently very ineffective, so he immediately jumped out after the pick-and-roll.

As Marbury accelerated with the ball in his right hand, Ray Allen in the left corner immediately prepared to receive the ball. On the right wing, Pierce was also looking at his teammates, and Perkins was lurking at the bottom left of the basket.

It is useful to watch the video carefully. When Rondo squeezed through the screen, he realized that Marbury was unlikely to pass the ball, so he deliberately fell behind half a body length and adjusted his pace in the back.

"Oh"

When Marbury lowered his shoulders to confront the opponent, took three steps forward and rushed straight to the basket, the fans in the front row cheered, and Rondo reacted quickly, swinging his arm to block the shot when the basketball was about to hit the backboard.

His long arms came in handy. When the basketball bounced back, Rondo immediately stretched out his right arm and took control of the ball in the first place. He ignored the referee's whistle and rushed forward with the ball.

Cheers rang out again, Marbury fell out of the baseline, the referee did not make any comment, and in the blink of an eye Rondo had crossed the center line.

Garnett gritted his teeth and chased after Rondo, and saw him rushing into the paint area. With his huge strides, he arrived from behind and tried to intercept him in the air.

Holding the ball in his left hand, Rondo rushed up while moving, ignoring the defense and jumping directly. When he was about to be separated by the opponent, he suddenly curled up his body and threw the ball behind his back.

"Oh!"

Amid the shouts that echoed throughout the arena, Dio, who was following up from behind, easily caught the ball without any defense. Garnett, who had already flown out of the baseline, could only watch his opponent dunk with both hands and then pull on the rim to protest.

"Good job! Bro!"

On the Knicks bench, Li You, who was wearing a training suit, also stood up, clapped his hands, and encouraged Rondo, who was sprinting along the sideline after completing the pass.

After almost two seasons of being "beaten", Rondo began to compromise with New York fans and showed off his "fancy moves" whenever he had the chance during the game, which was completely different from his playing style in college.

At 26:37, with 8 minutes and 31 seconds left in the first half, Rondo broke the deadlock with a transition offense.

The Knicks seemed a bit slow to warm up after only scoring 30 points in the first quarter, but their opponents were in even worse shape. Pierce was blocked by his old rival and shot 4 out of 1.
The off-peak travel did not work, which made head coach Rivers on the sidelines even more anxious. He realized that his players were not in good shape at 22 points in the first quarter. At this time, he could only rely on fighting spirit:

"Hey! Move, keep covering!"

In the offensive round, Garnett, who received the instructions, came to the left wing and tried to complete the pick-and-roll, but Rondo squeezed through. Marbury, who held the ball in his right hand, failed to speed up in time and simply stopped suddenly, exploded the ball and turned around.

When he returned to the three-point line, Garnett had already leaned his back against Dio. With his height advantage, he jumped high when his teammate made a lob pass, and immediately attacked facing the basket after landing.

He received the ball, turned around and took a tentative step in one smooth movement. Dio did not change his center of gravity easily. After a series of false moves, Garnett pulled out directly and made a decisive jump shot for a long two-pointer!

At 28:37, the basketball went into the net, and Garnett immediately glared at his opponent and beat his chest in celebration. The Knicks' offense was extremely fast, and Dio was still agile despite his weight gain. He quickly passed the ball to the left wing after receiving it at the top of the arc.

Rondo did not get rid of the defense after receiving the ball again, but facing Marbury, he seemed full of confidence. The moment he received the ball, he accelerated and rushed forward with the ball in his right hand.

At the same time, Dio, who had just run outside the three-point line, inadvertently set a screen for JR Smith, who first pretended to move up the line, and then suddenly accelerated back to the left corner.

Ray Allen was out of position for a moment, and Garnett wanted to switch defense, but when he saw Rondo suddenly turn around near the free throw line and shake off his old teammate, he subconsciously rushed to defend the inside.

The ball was faster than the person. As he turned around and approached the basket, he flicked the ball behind his back again in the air, and JR Smith, who ran to the left corner, drifted and completed a jump shot. The New York fans at the scene cheered:
"Oh!!"

The basketball went into the net again. JR Smith, who finally scored a goal in the open play, pointed to the sky with one hand immediately after landing. Noticing Garnett was glaring at him, he shook his head and jokingly said:
"We're going to beat the shit out of you"

At 28:40, Garnett chased JR Smith and scolded him. He didn't expect that in the playoffs, New York's bench lineup would actually fight back and forth with them, which was completely inconsistent with the expectations before the game.

Without the “main force contest”, Li You would not be on the court for a few more minutes, and the score difference seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.

On the ESPN commentary booth, Mike Breen looked at Rajon Rondo who was in good form and couldn't help but praise him again:
"In his second season, Rondo has made significant progress. Maybe his shooting still has some minor issues, but his control of timing is impeccable."

"On defense, he successfully limited Marbury, which was not surprising considering that he was most likely facing Lee in the practice game."

"The Celtics need to be careful. They have shown some signs of fatigue. Coach Rivers' rotation strategy seems a bit conservative tonight."

Watching the offense pass the ball continuously from the outside, and finally pass the ball to the right blocking area for Pierce to play alone, Mark Jackson really couldn't comment on such a simple and crude tactical routine:

"The seventh game obviously affected the state of the Celtics players. The opponent has woken up and they have to respond as soon as possible."

After receiving the ball and turning around, the moment Pierce faced the basket, he immediately let go of the ball with his right hand, leaned against Prince and rushed towards the basket.

Noticing that Gasol on the other side of the basket had moved, Pierce suddenly turned around and instantly came to the paint area directly in front of the basket, and passed the ball to Perkins who cut into the basket.

I thought it was a wonderful cooperation, but I didn't expect that Prince was well prepared. Gasol turned around and raised his long arms, and Prince slid quickly and cut the ball with force.

The preparation time was too long. Just as Perkins was about to exert force, the basketball was cut off. He jumped up exaggeratedly and screamed:
"what"

Seeing Prince regain control of the ball, Pierce clapped his hands and couldn't help but complain to the baseline referee. The Knicks seized the opportunity and launched a transition attack again.

When Rondo received the pass, everyone was speeding up towards half court. The Celtics retreated quite quickly this time, and even Perkins returned to the basket.

Dio was standing on the right wing, which made Garnett feel uncomfortable. He turned his head from time to time and reminded his teammates loudly, but the noisy environment of the stadium made his voice difficult to distinguish.

At the top of the arc near the left wing, Rondo, who had just stopped, pretended to observe the defense, then suddenly accelerated, without any shaking, and rushed towards the basket after Marbury.

No one on the Celtics was prepared. Ray Allen, who was guarding the left corner, watched his opponent break through to the lower left side of the basket before he wanted to help defend.

Rondo kept pushing forward and leaned against the defense, pretending to make a layup. When he was close to the basket, he suddenly stopped and faked a layup. Under the confrontation, Marbury subconsciously jumped up to block the shot, and then he flew out of the baseline.

In the blink of an eye, Rondo quickly turned around, and without waiting for Ray Allen to reach out, he leaned forward at the lower left side of the basket and threw the ball towards the backboard with his right hand!
"OH——! What a move!"

The basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket. Mike Breen in the commentary booth immediately praised loudly. Madison Square Garden was boiling again. Their rookie beat the "giant".
The Celtics threatened to leave the newbies alone before the game. Rondo had obviously read the newspaper and played extremely aggressively. After scoring a goal, he yelled at his opponent:
"Keep letting me go, Bitch!!"

The New York fans in the front row were already beaming with joy. Spike Lee, a loyal cheerleader who used to dislike rookies who had poor shooting skills, was now cheering loudly for Rondo's performance.

"You got your ass kicked by a rookie!"

Spike Lee stood up and yelled at Garnett who was running towards half court. More and more people started to boo, and soon someone started yelling "softie", and the atmosphere became more and more heated.

An angry Garnett attacked the basket and stood on the free throw line. Dio, who was fouled, hit him hard, making the opponent stagger. Pierce, who couldn't stand it, wanted to go up and argue.

The referee immediately separated everyone and stood next to the paint area. Dio obviously didn't care that his fouls were accumulating too quickly, and he was in the mood to tease his opponents:

"Man, why did you guys go to Game 7 in the semifinals?"

"."

Pierce heard a vague idea of ​​what was going on and wanted to argue with his opponent, but Garnett missed the first free throw, which prompted him to rush over and high-five his teammates.

At 29:42, Garnett made one of two free throws, helping the team narrow the gap a little.

The game had to continue, and neither side requested a timeout. Gasol quickly stood at the free throw line. The Celtics, who could not keep up with the pace of the game, finally chose to foul.

Rondo's amazing performance made head coach Rivers on the sidelines stare in amazement. In the first two rounds, the opponents did not have such performance.

Compared with Marbury, Rondo looks more like a "giant", completely suppressing the veteran on both offense and defense
The score slowly rose. On the Knicks bench, Artest watched his teammates steal the show and felt a little anxious for a moment. He hadn't "performed" for a long time and now just wanted to go on the court and show off.

When the timeout came, D'Antoni only replaced Dio, who had two fouls, with Chandler. Artest, who returned to the bench, couldn't help but mutter:
“I don’t want to play garbage time.”

Li You is aware of his teammates' thoughts. In this year's playoffs, Prince reduced his playing time, and Artest's statistics dropped compared to last year. If he wants a big contract, he can't lose statistics:
"Ron, my promise is still valid!"

Artest, who had shaved his hair short for the playoffs, immediately smiled. Matt Bartelstein also gave him the same assurance, but he felt uncomfortable if he couldn't act cool:

"The Boston newspapers made Pierce into a hero. I just wanted to teach this wimp a lesson!"

Newbie Thaddeus Young couldn't get a word in. He envied Artest's experience and he also longed to be "promised" by the boss:
“I also want to make money while lying down”

(End of this chapter)