Chapter 187: A Detour
It was a ten-point lead that lasted until half-time. Although in the middle www.biquge.info of the second quarter, the two teams changed their main forces one after another, but neither side could expand or narrow the difference.
The Celtics have been on the run for the regular season, largely relying on their defense, as evidenced by Garnett's Defensive Player of the Year. In the third quarter of the game, the Celtics' defense made it difficult for the Hawks, and the gap between the two sides continued to widen.
This section will end with Ray. Allen hit a three-pointer to give the Celtics a 76-54 lead over a 22-point lead. The Hawks shot just 8-of-19 in the quarter and missed a single free throw. After three quarters, the Hawks trailed 66-86.
After leading by a large score, the Celtics have never been "reversed" this season, and in the fourth quarter of the game, the Hawks did not make any waves, and in the end, the Celtics defeated the Hawks again 96-77 at home, leading 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
"Sweep!"
As soon as the game ended, the Boston Daily News wrote such a declaration, in fact, not only the Boston media, but most of the rest of the media also made the same prediction, and even the local magazine in Atlanta began to "comfort" its players and fans - "The present of the loss gives us a glimpse of the future!" ”
The gap between the Celtics and the Hawks, whether it is staffing or game records, is too big, which makes people ignore the short-term troubles that the Hawks have created for the Celtics in these two rounds of games.
What's more, the victory also made Rivers ignore these!
Sometimes, when it's too smooth, it's not necessarily a good thing.
On April 27, Beijing time, the third game between the two sides was played at the Phillips Arena, the home of the Eagles.
There weren't a lot of fans who came to watch the game, Atlanta wasn't Los Angeles, it wasn't New York, and there weren't many fans willing to come and suffer, even though it was their first playoff in nine years.
However, it was these home fans, who were less than half a seat, that made a big noise, because the Hawks played very strongly at the beginning.
The worry that Rivers had ignored finally exploded with the power it should have.
The Celtics won the first two games by an average of 21 points per game, but the Hawks didn't give up and returned home with a lot of momentum. Halfway through the first quarter, Johnson and Smith each hit a three-pointer as the Hawks went on a 12-2 run to take a 29-20 lead. Smith scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Hawks led 32-26 in the quarter.
Pierce scored 11 points in the quarter. With the Hawks' all-out defense strategy against Garnett, Pierce had enough offensive opportunities to keep the deficit under 10 points.
Rivers began to get anxious, and some images of the first two games began to appear frequently in his mind, Garnett was restricted, and Shi Lei was restricted...... He finally realized that he had made a mistake!
"A way must be figured out, Kevin must be liberated!"
Rivers thought and turned his head to the bench, but he quickly gave up the idea: "No, Stone can't play, he can't turn the situation on the court like before!" ”
On the Hawks' bench, Mario was already on his feet and moving his body by this time.
"Ray, shoot more, be resolute, as long as you have the opportunity. Expand their defensive range. Rajan, give the ball to Ray and let him handle it. Paul, the main cover Ray. ”
Rivers gave up on substitutions and urgently arranged tactics.
The break between quarters was short, just 130 seconds, and before Rivers could make a clear decision, players from both sides had to play again.
Rivers anxiously stomped his feet on the sidelines, he didn't have much hope for the strategy he came up with on the fly, and he didn't express it clearly, he hoped that the "superstars" would give him some surprises beyond tactics.
However, nothing changed, and halfway through the second quarter, the Hawks' hand began to decline, and the difference between the two sides was still at a nine-point gap.
Rivers began to hesitate, he hesitated whether to replace Shi Lei for a last-ditch effort?
At this point, Ray. Aaron suddenly became intimidating.
This season, Ray. Aaron is not so much a member of the "Big Three" as the most important "follower" behind the "Big Two"!
It's not black, it's that Rivers simply didn't build a fit for Ray. Allen played tactics to come, or rather simply did not give Ray. Allen created tactics and simply used him as a three-point shooter, which is tantamount to a violent thing. Aaron has the ability to decide the outcome of a match!
In the second half of the second quarter, Ray. Allen hit a three-pointer before breaking through to draw a defensive foul on the Hawks, hitting both free throws and passing to Garnett.
Garnett, who finally got a little respite, didn't hit the pass, but it also caused Marvin to get a breather. Williams was fouled on the defense and hit both free throws in the same vein.
After a 7-0 scoring spurt, the Celtics chased the deficit to two points.
The "surprise" outside the tactics finally let Rivers hang his heart. At half-time, Celtic continued to work hard to tie the score.
However, it was short-lived, although after returning to the locker room, Rivers communicated the strategy he had come up with in detail to the players.
At the beginning of the third quarter of the game, it was time for the substitutes, and Shi Lei also encountered Mario again. West.
The first game is Mario's understanding of Shi Lei, the second game is Shi Lei's understanding of Mario, and the third game can be regarded as a real contest between the two.
"Sam, the team's offense is up to you, get the ball going. James, pay attention to the cooperation with the stone. ”
It was the only arrangement Rivers made for the bench before coming on. Because of experience and a series of reasons, Rivers did not have enough foresight for the game, which led to the team's current predicament, and it was also because of experience that he couldn't find a solution for a while. So Shi Lei's predicament can only rely on himself, and Rivers can't be his backing, at least not in this game.
However, Shi Lei is not a superstar, and his current ability is too simple, which makes him lack the means to deal with the current situation.
For Shi Lei, Mario is the defender he is most afraid of now, which is like James meeting "Brother Yi", it is because of the defense of "Brother Yi" that they won the championship, and "Brother Yi" was elected FMVP. (To be continued.) )