basketball player

Chapter 709 Chapter 707: Absent-minded Celtics

The Pacers' first offense was particularly easy, and the Celtics' defense didn't feel like it was playoff-level at all.

Henson asked the players to be stable on the offensive end, and the players did.After a series of transmissions, Paul George, who cut to the basket, received a pass from Brogdon and easily dunked.

Marcus Morris has always been a No. [-] or [-] swingman, and his ability to protect the frame is limited.Seeing George rushing in, Morris simply gave up resistance.Anyway, even if he resisted, he could only turn himself back for a meaningless foul.

Henson was taken aback by how easy the Pacers' offense was.It stands to reason that Jaylen Brown shouldn't be so weak, he should be more aggressive on the defensive end.

After all, Jaylen Brown has always been considered a defensive champion. He even said in the playoffs last season, "No matter who you defend, I won't scare me."

But who knows what happened to Jaylen Brown today, George just used a back run to get rid of the strong No. 7 Celtics.

Maybe it was the bad locker room atmosphere that upset Jalen Breen?

"Concentrate, concentrate!" Stevens clapped his hands vigorously on the sidelines. He doesn't care what the Celtics locker room looks like now.All he knew was that he came to Indianapolis to win!

Irving naturally came with this purpose, so the Celtics' first offense started with Irving's singles with the ball.

Neither the former Thomas Jr. nor the current Irving are traditional point guards. Both are good at scoring. Even in Angie's mouth, Irving is a better and more talented attacker.However, there is still a great innate difference between the two. In addition to the height difference, the attack methods of the two are also different.

While both are point guards who need the ball in their hands, the Celtics were a passing team with Thomas in charge.

After breaking through, Thomas can score, create fouls, and send the ball to teammates in the periphery to find shooting opportunities through fast conduction. Such a fast pace is exactly what the Celtics players like, and it is also the style of play that Stevens is good at.

But this season, the Celtics mostly scored points through continuous singles. The gap in the middle can be seen from the passing data.Although Irving's assist data is slightly better, Thomas is far higher than Irving in terms of the number of passes and the number of passes received from teammates.

As a result, the Celtics' offense has become simpler than before.Moreover, others can no longer get too many performance opportunities.

The same is true of the Celtics' first attack today. Kelly Irving and Horford played a simple hand-to-hand and then screened tactic, and "Uncle Drew" used this to enter the penalty area.

But the Pacers switched defenses very quickly. Irving had just rushed out two steps before he found that Antetokounmpo had already rushed towards him with his teeth and claws.Irving wanted to pass the ball, but saw that Brogdon had already pounced on Marcus Morris. The Pacers switched defenses very decisively without any hesitation.

Reluctantly, Irving had to choose an emergency stop jumper under Antetokounmpo's defense.But even so, Irving's shooting was seriously interfered with.

For fans who only watch highlights, Irving's gorgeous breakthrough moves that deceived opponents are impressive.But to anyone who watches the game, it's Irving's almost impossibly difficult shot choices that are truly astonishing.

Under the interference of Antetokounmpo's fingertips, Irving's emergency stop jumper knocked out of the frame.Stevens closed his eyes in disappointment. He was even a little used to Kelly Irving's performance.

"Damn it!" Irving gritted his teeth unwillingly. The attack just now made him miss his time in Cleveland once again.

With James, no team dares to defend him like this.Because all opponents must focus their defense on James, Irving himself can get a lot of easy isolation opportunities.

But it's different now. The Celtics don't have James, and Irving is the James of this team.Therefore, those defenses that should have appeared on James turned to appear on Irving.

In the face of such a huge defensive pressure, Irving's offensive efficiency has plummeted this season.And Antetokounmpo's timely defense against Irving just now is just the tip of the iceberg of Irving's predicament this season.

In the Cleveland Cavaliers, people say that Irving is a strong offensive player and a good leader.Even Owen himself thought so.

But when he came to the Celtics, Irving realized that the teammate he hated the most at the beginning seemed to be the best.

In Milwaukee, Budenholzer may not have a player who can stop Irving's offense.But in Indianapolis, there are many such players.

"Go on, you're doing a good job. Keep playing like this, and I believe we'll win the game in less than 48 minutes." Henson huddled from the sidelines, but at an easy pace.

According to Henson's tactical arrangement, the Pacers once again dragged the offense into position.Owen wanted to push quickly, but was blocked by Brogdon.This once unknown second-round pick undoubtedly filled the gap left by Paul very well this season.

Although Brogdon's organizational and defensive abilities are not as good as Paul's, at least he didn't let the Pacers' No. [-] defense completely collapse.

Irving was only delayed for a few seconds before he realized that the Pacers' defense was completely in place.Stevens couldn't help but want to applaud off the court. Henson's team's tactical execution ability is really extraordinary.

A team with excellent individual defense ability and a very disciplined team naturally has a very tight defense.

The Celtics are still the same, and Henson's favorite center, Horford, stepped up to support him.It can be seen that Stevens also uses Horford as a point guard.

Originally, Stevens wanted to use Hayward, his college protégé, as a point forward.But unexpectedly, Hayward's state after his return from injury was disappointing.

Henson knows Horford very well. This guy has a good ability to read the game and his passing ability is also top-notch among centers.But he has always been a center, not good at completing those ghost passes.

Therefore, Henson's strategy is very simple - to block the passing line.

Horford lifted the basketball high, only to find himself with no targets to pass the ball to.In front of Owen was Brogdon's long arms.Jayson Tatum is obsessed with singles this season, and his off-the-ball running never gets a chance under Oladipo's active defense.George's defense against Jaylen Brown is simply not too easy, and Marcus Morris can't get rid of Antetokounmpo's "spider arm".

The most taboo on the offensive end is not smooth, not smooth conduction will affect the rhythm of the entire offense.

Horford was stuck on the outside for a long time and couldn't get the ball out, which undoubtedly greatly affected the Celtics' offensive rhythm.

In the end, Horford could only bite the bullet and break through with the ball by himself.If there is no chance, then create opportunities, and use breakthroughs to find gaps. These are what Henson taught him.

Horford headed Lopez to the penalty area, and Horford did have the advantage in footsteps.

Sure enough, Horford's breakthrough worked.Seeing that Lopez was about to be passed, George came to defend.As a result, Jaylen Brin was leaked out.

Horford didn't hesitate, he flicked his arm flexibly, and sent the basketball to Jaylen Brown.

Jaylen Brown made 35% of his three-pointers in the playoffs this season, which is not too bad.But Brown's biggest problem is that his shooting consistency from beyond the arc is not as consistent as last season.After all, in the playoffs last season, his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 39%.This is why the Celtics were able to reach the Eastern Conference finals last year without Irving and Hayward.

When accurate, Brown can be said to be very accurate.But when it's not accurate, Brown's three-pointers will become better than nothing.

Henson explained that Jaylen Brown can take a few shots in the first few offenses to see how he feels.So George just did it.

Brown received the basketball and made a decisive shot in the face of a big open opportunity!

The arc of the basketball is so high that it looks like it's about to score a goal.

But shots outside the three-point line, and then small deviations, will have a great impact on the final accuracy.

Brown's three-pointer hit the right side of the basket and bounced away vigorously.Missed a three-pointer, and it was an open three-pointer that was very demoralizing!
Horford got stuck, but the Celtics didn't have anyone to come back for the offensive rebound.

In this way, Horford watched Antetokounmpo take the basketball away, and then quickly launched a fast break!
The Celtics retreated quickly, especially Jaylen Brown, who hoped to use a successful defense to make up for his missed three-pointer.

Last season, Jaylen Brown also played two very good defensive games against the Pacers.In those two games, Jaylen Brown made Antetokounmpo's offense very embarrassing.

But now, the gap between the two has widened.Facing Jaylen Brown, Antetokounmpo got rid of the defense with just an elegant European step dunk.

Antetokounmpo is no longer the stunned young man who can only go on a rampage. He is a hot candidate for MVP this season.

"What are you doing? Be serious!" Owen yelled at Jaylen Brown dissatisfied.

Brown looked at Owen and said nothing.He is a rookie, and Irving has been famous in the league for a long time, he knows that he has no right to speak.

But doesn't it mean you don't care?Probably not.Sometimes, conflicts in the locker room accumulate slowly and then explode suddenly.

Looking at the Celtics, who were troubled both internally and externally, Henson couldn't help sighing regretfully.He was also worried that the Celtics would remember who they are and what their goals are when they face a strong opponent, but now, this team has lost even more.

In this case, Henson gestured to the players, and then all five players on the field understood.

Henson is about to open the score.This kind of competition does not need to be delayed until the end to decide the winner.

(End of this chapter)