Celtics head coach Doc Rivers stood on the sidelines, his hands on his hips and silent.

He's made the most adjustments he can to restrain the Wizards, but a lot of times, it's not like you're prepared for the game and sit back and relax.

It's like no matter how tactical restrictions are arranged, players like Kobe Bryant and James can still easily score 30+40+ points.

It's just that he never expected that a little-known rookie on the Wizards team is actually the kind of player who can't be completely contained by tactics!

Paul. George!

Looking deeply at George, who was sweating profusely on the field, Rivers knew that this guy was going to soar to become one of the top small forwards in the league!

……

Soon, the Celtics gave up on their targeted defense against George.

Compared to locking George but liberating other outside players, it is better to continue to let George continue to play alone, at least George's mid-range shooting is still not comparable to the three-point shots of Curry and others in terms of lethality.

Just like in the last game, George played so well, the scores of the two teams were still extremely close, and the Celtics still had a chance to turn the tables at the last second before the end of the game, but unfortunately they didn't take it.

Now, all Rivers can do is to put his own players in a position and fight the opponent for real time!

As a result, the style of the two teams in the second half suddenly changed, and the most obvious change was that the offensive firepower of the Celtic Big Three suddenly increased.

Taking advantage of the Wizards' lack of reaction, the Celtics first assisted Rondo in the tactical run to run out of the gap. Allen hit a three-point shot, and then Pierce returned the favor with his own way, and successfully singled George in the middle distance, not only hitting the shot accurately, but also causing George to foul in the process of shooting, reaching 2+1.

Subsequently, Garnett's side also frequently asked for the ball in the low post of the inside, and faced Jamison's defense with a trick backward jumper.

In an instant, the Celtics opened up the gap again.

This time, however, the Wizards' response was swift as well.

It's not for nothing that the Celtics step up their offense, and putting more effort into the offensive end will naturally lead to revelations on the defensive end.

Curry, who has been suppressed for three games, finally found a chance, and he didn't have the slightest intention of letting go of the opportunity after being deflated for a long time, and two consecutive three-pointers from the outside narrowed the score gap, and Harden also found an opportunity to break through the interior and attack the basket to make a foul.

The two teams are at odds with each other, and the competition is extremely fierce.

When the third quarter ended, both teams scored more than 30 points in a single quarter, and even approached 40 points.

The Wizards scored 39 points and the Celtics 37.

In the first quarter of the game, the two teams scored only 16:25, the Wizards scored 16 points, and the Celtics scored 25 points.

The difference between the scores before and after is so big, if you are not a fan who watched the whole process, I am afraid that you will have the illusion of whether you have read the wrong score at the first time.

However, when the game reached the fourth quarter, there was inevitably something wrong on the Celtics' side.

It's still a perennial issue – fitness.

The Celtics Big Three are simply too old to sustain a high-intensity game.

Rivers originally wanted to step up his offense, make quick moves, and take the lead early.

But it turns out that the Wizards' offensive rhythm is something that no team can challenge.

By the time the fourth quarter was about five minutes into the game, the Celtics' offensive efficiency had dropped uncontrollably.

On the Wizards' side, Curry, Harden, George and others are still tirelessly attacking.

The gap in the score was quickly widened.

Seeing that he was powerless to return to the sky, Rivers could only sigh helplessly and replace the Big Three who were still fighting on the court.

"Coach, don't give up, the game isn't over yet! There is still hope! ”

Off the court, a sweaty Garnett yelled at Rivers.

Pierce also stuck his waist, nodded his head and gasped and said: "That's right, coach, give me a little more time, I will definitely beat that rookie and chase the difference back!" ”

"That's enough......" Rivers shook his head, he knew very well that these three old men who refused to accept the old would definitely not take the initiative to give up the game, but the reality is not something that can be changed by blindly being stubborn. This game was indeed our loss from Paul. By the time George was getting ready to handle the bag, we were already losing. ”

"Instead of taking it seriously in this must-lose game, it's better to keep more energy and prepare for the next game." Rivers looked at a few people and said: "Even if this game is counted, the score is only 1:3, the series is not over yet, and there is no team in history that fell behind 1:3 and then turned the game around, or do you have no confidence in yourself?" ”

Garnett and the others looked at each other and stopped talking.

They also understand that although they refuse to admit defeat, they are indeed going to lose this game.

And what Rivers said, although it makes perfect sense, but the Big Three, without exception, are all old fritters who have been in the league for many years, how can they not understand.

Even Rivers himself understood that it was just empty words of self-consolation.

On their home court, after making all the preparations and tactics that can be done, the team still can't beat the Wizards, and then when they go to the Wizards' home court, what can they rely on to win?

"Washington Wizards...... Wang Xiao ......"

Staring deeply at Wang Xiao, who was sitting on the bench and watching the game intently, Rivers muttered to himself in his heart.

"It's only been two seasons to get this team at the bottom of the league to this point, this guy is really ......"

Recalling last season's playoffs, the Celtics met the Wizards in the Eastern Conference finals, and it was a game without suspense, and the Wizards had no ability to resist at all, and were directly swept out by them 4-0.

At that time, Rivers never dreamed that only the next year, when he faced the Wizards again, it was the Wizards who were the first to get the match point.

At 114:91, when the final score of the game was fixed on the big screen, the big score of the two teams also became 3:1, and the Wizards won the match point.

After losing to the Celtics in the first game, the Wizards actually won three games in a row and directly won the match point, which many people did not expect.

But that's not the biggest upset of this playoffs.

After all, the Wizards have the league's No. 1 record with 68 wins, and the Celtics are only fourth in the West, so the loss to the Wizards was surprising but reasonable.

The real upset occurred in the Western Conference semifinals, the defending champion, the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won two consecutive championships, were beaten 4:0 by the Dallas Mavericks without resistance, becoming the first team to be eliminated in the division semifinals!