played 12 minutes, with Horford and Granger frantically smashing the frame. On the defensive end, you also have to face the ferocious onslaught of the Pacers.

Henson doesn't know how many more 12 minutes Howard can last, but it certainly won't be four. Maybe in the third quarter of the game, Orlando's "The Incredible Hulk" will be completely extinguished.

This has always been the NBA, and its confrontation is so fierce that even the physically perverted Howard can't play the whole game like this.

Even the Pacers players who play team basketball are sweating profusely at this time, sitting on the bench and gulping down water.

What's more, the intensity of the playoffs is completely different from the regular season, and the physical exertion is even greater. If Howard didn't have the support of his teammates, the Magic would have died sooner or later!

In the regular season, Henson has proven more than once that one cannot beat a team.

Among them, Cameron. Anthony certainly knows a thing or two about the "I cut down the numbers and then I lose" model.

Besides, Howard is still an inside lineman, and he can't use shooting to help him save energy like an outside player. Every time he wanted to score, he had to go through a hand-to-hand fight and an outburst.

And for a center who can't shoot threes, Howard can't take the game away with an unreasonable three-point wave like Kobe. What's more, even Kobe Bryant doesn't know whether it will be the Lakers or the opponent who will be taken away after a three-point meal.

So even if Howard scored 12 points in the first quarter, even if he almost smashed the basket at Conseco Arena, Henson wasn't in a hurry.

Howard's game was indeed beautiful, but it couldn't kill anyone!

"Second quarter, Al, increase your shots. I want you to mobilize Howard, force him to run after you, and put more defensive pressure on him! During the break, Henson laid out a number of tactics for Horford in order to put pressure on the sparks. If you want to defeat magic, just a little bit and consume "Warcraft" as much as possible.

After the start of the second quarter, Stan. Van Gundy didn't let Howard play. It seems that Van Gundy also knows that he can't let Howard play the full 48 minutes.

But after losing Howard, the Magic seemed to be a different team in an instant.

The "big general" Arenas, who is no longer in the limelight, averaged only 8 points per game in 46 games for the Magic, and in the playoffs, Arenas' form has not picked up.

Van Gundy was going to let Arenas pick up the offensive pillar, but in the face of Holiday smart defense, Arenas' first shot in the second quarter was off target.

The Pacers immediately counterattacked quickly, and the Magic lost Howard and Gortat, which meant that their interior defense instantly went from the top of the league to extremely empty.

Holiday crosses to Granger in the middle, and Granger leans on Ryan, who is guarding the basket. Anderson easily got the ball up. Anderson is the kind of big man that the Magic like, but he's a little too soft on the defensive end.

"With a one-point lead, the Pacers' quick offense played like a fish in water without Howard. The Magic have to have someone step up and buy Howard some more respite! ”

"Damn it!" Howard, who was on the bench, smashed the towel in his hand to the ground, and the advantage he had won for the Magic in the first quarter of the game was easily wiped out by the Pacers.

Of course, Van Gundy also knows that Magic has to have someone to stand up, but whether he can stand up or not is not up to Van Gundy.

Turkoglou's high-flying layup was blocked by George, a tall No. 3 with the same height and long arms, but with better athleticism, George nearly locked Turkoglu today. The Turks only scored four points in the first quarter, and now they are back on the spot.

There is a cap, which means there is a counterattack. Horford got the basketball, the backcourt made a long pass, and Granger rushed to the front, in front of the basket. Bass still scored the ball steadily in the confrontation, and also made a foul on the opponent, 2+1!

When the Pacers played the Magic for the first time this season, Granger experienced countless such moments of violation, but the referees turned a blind eye. But as Henson said, the Magic can't get the league's favor every game. At least this time in the series, the Magic have no privileges!

Granger hit a free throw, and the margin instantly became 4 points. And Stan. Van Gundy is well aware that if he doesn't do anything, the margin will continue to widen. But what can he do? The only thing he could do was to replace Howard.

So, after only two minutes of the first quarter, Stan. Van Gundy called for a halt to the game.

Henson didn't get complacent because the Pacers were temporarily ahead, he hurriedly beckoned the players to come down, and the real battle was about to begin!

"The rest of the Magic team has to take some of the pressure off Howard, even if it's O'Neal, he needs a Kobe or Wade."

Kevin. Harlan knows very well what the Magic team lacks, but unfortunately, Howard does not have Kobe Bryant by his side, nor does he have Wade.

With 12 minutes of play in the first quarter, Howard was back on the battlefield with just two minutes of rest.

Although they were opponents, Henson admired Howard's fighting spirit. But respect is respect, competition is competition!

As soon as Howard returned, the Magic's level on both offensive and defensive ends instantly improved to a new level.

He continued to bombard indiscriminately on the inside, and on the defensive end, he delivered a beautiful volleyball shot on George's head.

Al. Horford followed Henson's instructions to intersperse runs and shoot to score, which greatly attracted Howard's attention. But even so, Howard seems to be alive and well.

With 8:37 left in the game, Howard grabbed an offensive rebound and forced the frame, still scored the ball in a fierce physical collision, and caused a foul on Horford by the way.

"Warcraft" is still fierce and unstoppable. After hitting the free throw, the Magic went from trailing by four points to overtaking by four points.

"Damn, is this guy a monster!?" Seeing that Howard could still play 2+1 in this situation, Henson couldn't sit still.

Howard's persistence lasted much longer than Henson had anticipated.

After another two minutes, the game finally took a turn for the worse. Howard started to pass the ball, and he didn't have the strength to carry Horford and Granger anymore!

Two years ago, Lewis and Turkoglou were always able to turn Howard's passes into a life-saving three-pointer. And now, without Lewis, Tecoglou's crosshairs seem to have been forgotten in Toronto, in the north.

The Pacers wrapped Howard in a big way, making it difficult for him to connect to the ball. And the other players of the Magic team who got the vacant seats were stunned to squander their opportunities with iron again and again.

Striking iron is like a contagion, infecting every player on the Magic team. Turkogru, Nelson, Richardson, and even the always steady J.J. Reddick have all fallen into the iron monster circle.

"God, take a man to stand up, even one!" Kevin. Harlan couldn't stand it anymore, while Henson enjoyed it.

In the end, Howard had to take matters into his own, even if it was likely to overdraw his fitness early.

Seeing this, Henson sat back on the bench with peace of mind. Howard wreaks havoc on the court, while Henson looks relaxed, as if everything is under control. This is a huge contrast. It was as if it was Henson's players who were wreaking havoc on the field.

In the final 6 minutes and 45 seconds of the second quarter, Howard took all of the Magic's scores. Others really can't make it, and Howard can't help it.

At 6 minutes and 45 seconds, Howard scored 13 points alone, 19 points in the entire second quarter, and 31 points and 8 rebounds in the half!

But what didn't match Howard's superstats was a 48-55 score. The away team is in front, the home team is in the back!

"31 points at halftime, but the Magic still trailed by 7 points...... "Kevin Murphy said he was still trailing by seven points." Harlan looked at the data in his hand in disbelief, 1 to 5, this is a real 1 to 5! No, it's 1 to 9, and the other four members of the Magic team are almost dragging Howard back.

Aside from Howard, the Magic were the only Arenas to score more than five points in the first half...... On the other hand, the Pacers have already had four players score in double figures.

After halftime, Howard was distraught by cheers at the Conseco Arena. Sweating profusely, he walked into the tunnel with his head bowed and did not give any reporters a midfield interview.

The reporters had no choice but to find Henson, who seemed to be smiling.

"The key point in the second half? The key point in the second half of the game was for the staff to adjust the basket, because the basket smashed by the Magic players was likely to affect our shooting percentage. Henson shrugged his shoulders and didn't say a word about Howard's 31 points in the half, or about strengthening the interior defense.

What are you kidding, it should be Stan's head scratch for the second half of the game right now. Van Gundy.