basketball player

Chapter 33 033: Byrd's Victory Cigar
As soon as the game opened and the Pacers' starting lineup came out, fans were taken aback.The season has reached the final stage, and no one thought that the Pacers would actually change the starting lineup.Moreover, this lineup is very "weird". Holiday, who has not had much playing time, suddenly starts again, and Granger, who has been active in the third position, is suddenly pushed to the fourth position.Dunleavy, who is 2 meters tall, was placed in the position of shooting guard.

This unusual starting lineup, combined with the picture of Henson whispering in Granger's ear just now, gave fans reason to believe that the outside rumors were true.

O'Brien has fallen into a crisis of confidence, and now the assistant coach Henson Joe is the one who really counts in the locker room.People were still doubting the authenticity of this rumor before, but now, it seems that everything has been verified.

As soon as the game started, Henson stared at everyone intently.This may be the most serious time he has watched the game since he became the official assistant coach of the Pacers.Because whether Henson was serious or not before, O'Brien would not ask for his opinion.So most of the time, Henson simply put on a show.

In the scrimmage stage, the Pacers' advantage in height was fully reflected.With a height of 2 meters, Roy Hibbert, nicknamed "Black Yao Ming" by Chinese fans, easily won the first attack for the team.

The Bobcats also seemed to have expected this situation, so they retreated very quickly and did not give the Pacers a chance to sneak attack.

Holiday held the ball steadily through half court, guarded by the experienced and incredibly strong Raymond Felton.But before Felton pressed close to him, Holiday suddenly shot the ball, and the basketball quickly cut through the Bobcats' defense line diagonally and flew into the hands of Granger who was cutting to the basket!

As soon as Granger came on the field, he used a beautiful back run to get rid of the French striker Dior who couldn't keep up with him. As Henson said, Granger is very good at dealing with the fourth position.

Cutting into the box, Granger soars into the air.Before Ratliff had time to react, the former had already smashed the ball into the frame with one hand, and the Pacers scored first!

"I can't believe it! The Indiana Pacers started the game in such a high-profile way! Daniel Granger and Holiday's cooperation is very tacit, this is a beautiful attack that we have rarely seen in the Conseco Arena this season!"

Granger gave Holiday a light high-five after scoring the goal, then smiled at Henson on the bench.O'Brien, who was sitting next to Henson, also smiled, because the poor coach thought Granger was smiling at him.

After the defense, the Pacers also did a good job.Stephen Jackson's singles mid-range shot was interfered by Brandon Rush and failed to make a hit.This is why Henson needs Rush to play the third position, while Dunleavy, who is taller, plays the second position.

If Dunleavy was allowed to play the second position, Jackson would have easily wiped out the white shooter with that ball just now.

The Bobcats starting No. [-] Stephen Graham is very small threat, so let Dunleavy guard him, there is no big problem.

After regaining possession of the ball, Holiday did not rush to attack, but dribbled the ball with one hand and pressed down gently with the other. He still remembers that Henson made everyone stabilize the rhythm.

If this impassioned symphony was written by Henson, then Holiday is Henson's metronome.

Holiday still set his sights on Granger this time, making Felton think he was going to pass the ball.Unexpectedly, Huo Ledi suddenly swayed his lower body and kicked the ground to accelerate!
By the time Felton reacted, Holiday had already headed towards the penalty area.The first-year guard's quickness overwhelmed Felton's experience.

Holiday's "fastness" is not only reflected in speed, but in all aspects.Holiday is very fast in ball control, reaction and judgment of the situation on the court!Henson has always believed that Holiday can become an All-Star guard. Judging from the quality he has shown now, it is indeed possible.

After reaching the inside line, Holiday jumped up and changed his left hand to prepare for a layup.

Ratliff took the opportunity to follow Holiday to take off, but don't think that scoring in front of the veteran is an easy task.After all, Ratliff was also selected to the All-Defensive Second Team back then and won the league's block leader three times!
Under Ratliff's overwhelming defense, Holiday, who couldn't get a layup at all, raised his mouth, nimbly brought the ball back to his waist in the air, turned his wrist, and passed the ball.

Ratliff's body has begun to sink, and he failed to complete the block!And Hibbert, who received a secret pass from Holiday, raised the basketball with both hands and forced it on the spot, looking like he was about to dunk!

"Damn it!" Ratliff stretched out his hand unwillingly to stop him, but Hibbert was too tall, and Ratliff, whose body had already started to sink, couldn't touch the ball at all.

In the end, Hibbert's two-handed dunk on the spot was valid, and Ratliff was called a foul because he slapped Hibbert's arm, 2+1!

Hibbert hammered his chest hard and shouted to the sky. Is there anything more exciting than jumping and dunking on the spot and scoring 2+1! ?

People used to think of Hibbert as a slow-moving, silly big man, but today, after Henson liberated the team's offense, Hibbert was also driven.

After standing on the free throw line, Hibbert's soft touch advantage has also been brought into play.He steadily added free throws and helped the Pacers hold the 5-point difference firmly in their hands.

Holiday and Granger are set free, and everyone else will benefit as well.It should not be the coach who leads the team's offense on the court, but the players.But first, you have to give him the leadership and the opportunity to lead.

Subsequently, Boris Diaw's mid-range shot was also interfered by Granger in time.Dior's off-ball movement in this ball was very exciting. If he was defended by an ordinary [-]th position, he would definitely be scored.But Granger, he is a genuine third player.Dior's level of running still can't shake him off.

The successful defense for two consecutive rounds made O'Brien feel unbelievable.Henson has always advocated strengthening the offense, so why did the defense become stronger in the end?

The Bobcats returned without success again, but the Pacers who held back their energy will not waste their offensive opportunities.This time, seeing Holiday break through the pick-and-roll, the Bobcats' defense unconsciously shrunk to the basket.But Dunleavy, who helped Holiday cover, did not cut in after the screen, but popped out to the outside line after the screen.

Holiday rushed into the crowd, but the basketball jumped out of the crowd.Dunleavy catches the basketball with both hands, open at the top of the arc, which is his favorite position.

"Swipe!" With the knife in hand, the three-pointer was hollowed into the net.The sharp whistle sounded, and Larry Brown had to stop the game.

The difference of 8 points is not much, but the consecutive misses of the Bobcats and the consecutive goals of the Pacers made Larry Brown smell a hint of danger.

During the timeout, the cameras of the on-site photographers were almost all aimed at the Pacers' bench.Because they discovered that it was not the head coach Jim O'Brien who was arranging tactics for the players at this time, but the team's assistant coach, Henson Joe, who was the team's scout last season.

It's not surprising that assistant coaches help set up plays during timeouts, and Popovich likes to let assistant coaches do it.Phil Jackson is even worse. He is used to letting Kobe draw the tactical board himself.But if this matter is placed in the current context of the Pacers, it is a bit unusual.

Both Popovich and Phil Jackson are solid coaches, but O'Brien has been pushed to the forefront recently, and fans are calling for his dismissal to get out of class.

Against this background, O'Brien also asked Henson to arrange tactics, which seemed quite interesting to the media.

After the game, the Pacers still maintained the suppression of the Bobcats.In the absence of Chandler and Wallace, the two strengths of defense and offense, Henson gave full play to the Pacers' advantages in height and mobility.

On the offensive end, the impact of Granger and Holiday drove everyone.On the defensive end, the 2-meter Hibbert has become an insurmountable mountain for the Bobcats.Holiday, who got the opportunity to perform, became more and more courageous, and it was the first time that people discovered that the rookie with the 18th overall pick was so spiritual.

After halftime, the Pacers returned to the locker room with a 9-point advantage.In the locker room, Henson returned the right to speak to O'Brien.But what O'Brien said was arranged by Henson.It's as if the assistant coach is sending a message for the head coach.

In the third quarter, "Martial Saint" Stephen Jackson once led the team to fill the gap.But his outstanding performance did not last long, after all, Jackson has already passed the peak period when he was a good player in playing and fighting.

In the last 3 minutes of the fourth quarter, Henson established a style of play that focused on Granger's offense.With a clear offensive focus, the Pacers were no longer chaotic at critical moments. Granger also repaid Henson's trust with a steady performance. With a three-pointer, a mid-range shot and a sharp breakthrough, he led the team to maintain the lead to the end.

When the electronic buzzer sounded and the game ended, the fans in the entire Conseco Arena cheered!This is very likely, the most comfortable game the Pacers have won this season.

"98 to 92, the Indiana Pacers withstood the Bobcats' ferocious counterattack and ended their three-game losing streak! Both Holiday and Granger performed well in today's game. I believe that next season, they will not let the Pacers fall into such an embarrassing situation again!" Jeff Van Gundy looked at the score in disbelief. The performance of the Pacers today is just amazing.

Not only because the stars played well, but also because their entire team played a completely new defense, offense and enthusiasm!No sooner had O'Brien ceded the reins than the team looked completely different.I don't know if doing this can stabilize my handsome position, or speed up my death?
In the luxury box, Bird still couldn't help lighting a cigar, a cigar that belongs to the moment of victory
(End of this chapter)