In the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Paul. George finished with nine points and shot just 30 percent from the field. And in the second game of the day, at the end of the first quarter, George's individual score had become 12 points, shooting 6 of 7.

Aside from the initial mistakes and hesitation, George's first quarter was perfect. There's nothing Thibodeon can do with George, that guy's scoring ability and the previous two seasons are no longer the same. Thibodeau even thinks that George has reached the level of a first-tier star!

A mere award for the most improved is not enough to show how good that guy is.

At the end of the first quarter, the score became 30-21. The loss of Noah had a huge impact on the Bulls, allowing the Pacers to score 30 points in a single quarter, which is not the level that the Bulls' defense should have.

But there is no way, Thibodeau can't make the elderly Nazr . Muhammad played Joaquin. Noaa's level. Under normal circumstances, when a player is troubled by a foul, the head coach will definitely ask him to pay more attention on the defensive end and avoid too much physical contact.

But Thibodeau couldn't say this to Noah. What the Bulls need now is tough defense, and instead of avoiding physical contact, Noah has to take the initiative to counter.

Thibodeau's solution to this problem was: let Carlos . Boozer shares part of the responsibility for protecting the basket. To put it bluntly, Thibodeau needs to split the fouls evenly between the two men and avoid falling into passivity.

As a result, after the start of the second quarter of the game, it was Henson who took the lead in strengthening the defense!

"This is all tight!? Coach Henson made the players press the defensive Bulls all over the court at the beginning of the second quarter! It seems that he intends to further escalate the intensity of the confrontation between the two sides! ”

Reggie. Miller's analysis is good, Henson's purpose in making the team press all over the court is to further escalate the intensity of physical confrontation! Doesn't Thibodeau like to defend with strong confrontations? Then let him taste the power of strong confrontation! But there was one thing that Miller and Van Gundy didn't understand.

Since it is necessary to strengthen the defense, why did Henson use Ray in the second quarter. Allen replaces Danny. What about Green?

The first goal of the opening game, Nate. Robinson was knocked out of bounds by Paul before he could get past halfway. Although he was fouled once, Paul also sent a message to "Little Potato": Don't play hard with me today!

Subsequently, Belinelli's breakthrough was also rudely intercepted by George. This, of course, gave the Italians a chance to hit the free-throw line. But the Pacers' toughness has begun to make the Bulls feel uneasy.

Subsequently, the Bulls' defense continued to shrink. Because it's clear that the Pacers' strategy today is to play inside and make fouls. And George's impact of 12 points in a single quarter made the Bulls have to pay attention to the protection of the basket.

But as soon as the game came up in the second quarter, the Pacers' offense actually came from Ray. Alan!

Paul breaks to attract the defender, and George runs off the ball to take away the defender. When Paul sent the ball to Ray with an unsightly pass. Aaron's hands when people suddenly discovered Ray. Aaron's weak side is left unattended at all!

In the face of this big vacancy, Ray. Naturally, Aaron will not be merciful. Thibodeau wants to shrink the defense to protect the basket? Then I'll hit you hard from beyond the three-point line! When Thibodeau made the decision to protect the basket, Henson had already made a move in advance! The third step of the plan is to start executing it in earnest!

The Nets had a "white wave", which was followed by a wave of people in the stands of the Bankers' Life Arena. Thunder. Allen's three-pointer gave the Pacers a double-digit lead from the start of the second quarter!

Thibodeau and Henson have fought so many times, and he knows it all too well. Against the Pacers, whether or not the margin reaches double digits is a watershed moment. If the Pacers stretch the margin to double digits, you'll just be like Henson's marionette, getting deeper and deeper into his schemes

The intense physical confrontation and tense atmosphere brought the Bulls' offense to a standstill. The Pacers' offense has been very solid. Allen's second-quarter performance in the game was played with Reggie. Miller's words: back to the dream of the top.

Not only can he create a threat from beyond the three-point line, but he has even repeatedly flipped opponents, burst into the box, and caused fouls.

And the free throws against Ray. For a legendary goalscorer like Allen, it's no different from giving away points.

When the Bulls put their defensive focus on Ray. Aaron's body when Paul. George will step up and continue the fire.

In the final 2 minutes and 10 seconds of the game, Henson sent the long-thirsty Danny. Green. As a result, Green hit two three-pointers, and the Bulls couldn't find the north. And the Chicago Bulls didn't score a point in 2 minutes and 10 seconds under the suffocating defense of the Pacers' high pressure and strong confrontation!

After halftime, the live score had become 55-41! The Pacers lead the Bulls by as many as 13 points, and the Bulls show no signs of recovery.

Before the break, Thibodeau spoke to reporters on the sidelines. I saw that the defensive master had a solemn face today, and he didn't have the demeanor he had a few days ago.

'Coach Henson, who used our methods to contain us in turn, was difficult and I had to go back to the dressing room and make plans for the second half.

Thibodeau was right, and Henson had in turn contained them in the way the Bulls did best. It's a tricky situation for any team.

However, Thibodeau has so many people in his hands now, not to mention that Boozer and Noah are now carrying two and three fouls respectively. He wants to fight back against a 14-point deficit in the second half, but I'm afraid it will be even more difficult.

Sure enough, the Bulls couldn't find a way to score in the second half. And defensively, there is nothing to be done about the Pacers' multi-point flowering. The gap between the two sides widened, and with 4:27 left in the quarter, Livingston hit one of two free throws to help the Pacers lead the Bulls by as many as 28 points at 75-47! The Bulls have failed to make a single shot in the last 5 full minutes, and they have been completely clean sheets by the Pacers' suffocating defense!

It wasn't until 3:41 left in the quarter that the Bulls were defeated by Tay. Gibson broke the scoring drought with a mid-range shot. But the Bulls' recovery came too late. Paul's desire to score in the first half was still strong, but since he woke up George and his team took a big lead, he cut back on his shots, but assisted his teammates to score on a number of occasions.

With 2:02 left in the quarter, Paul turned his back to the basket and hit the ground pass, and Allen caught the ball under the basket and made an easy layup and caused a foul, and scored three points with free throws. With 34 seconds left in the quarter, Paul broke through and still chose to pass to Allen in the right corner, who hit a three-pointer to give the Pacers a 31-point lead at 85-54. After three quarters, the Pacers were far ahead, and the Chicagoans almost collapsed!

"Once the defending champions wake up with a full lineup, the Chicagoans won't have the slightest chance! Those who fantasize that the Bulls will be able to knock out the Pacers, stop kidding themselves! ”

In the fourth quarter of the game, it was found that Paul was sitting directly on the sidelines watching the game. After all, a 30-point deficit, if nothing else, could make the entire fourth quarter garbage time. The Bulls are weak offensively, and even if the Pacers don't score a single goal in the fourth quarter, the Bulls may not be able to score 30 points in the first quarter. If you want to get back into the game, it's only theoretical.

The Pacers took only 1 minute in the fourth quarter to completely lose the suspense of the victory, and even the theoretical possibility was completely killed. George and Ray. Allen hit a three-point shot in quick succession and hit the rising Thunder. Allen then drove to the basket and drew a foul. Noah, who had already committed four fouls, yelled at the referee and was ejected from the game early

After the complete loss of Noah, the Bulls not only attacked, but also defended. At this point, even Thibodeau admitted his defeat, and he even sent Vladimir, who rarely played. Radmanovic, officially announced that the game went into garbage time.

The Pacers started the fourth quarter on an 18-2 run, leading the Bulls by 46 points at 104-58 with 8:28 left in the game! Paul. George had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Allen was 4-of-4 from three-point range and made multiple free throws to score 21 points in 22 minutes of play. Seven Pacers players scored in double figures throughout the game, and the Bulls' proud defense collapsed.

The horror of the 72-win Pacers hangs over the heads of Chicagoans. And there is nothing they can do about it

In the end, the score of the whole game was fixed at 115-78, and the difference of 37 points was like a bloody number, which was deeply seared in Thibodeau's heart. This is the worst loss he has lost to Henson, and it is also a reflection of the huge gap between the hard power of the two teams.

If it weren't for Radmanovic's good performance, who hit three three-pointers in garbage time in the final two minutes of the game, the margin would have been even more embarrassing.

Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Pacers and the obnoxious Coach Henson after a hard-fought seven-game battle. But now, two years later, when the two teams meet again in the Eastern Conference semifinals, things have changed 180 degrees. In the last game, it was Henson who forgot to shake Thibodeau's hand because he was angry. In this game, Thibodeau couldn't save face after the fiasco, and forgot to shake hands with Henson.

These two old enemies will always turn the battle into extremely bloody and tragic.

After the game, Paul. George and Ray. Aaron was surrounded by reporters. Henson thought he could have a good time today, but was stopped by a young reporter.

"Coach Henson, congratulations! What do you think of the victory in this game? How did you manage to bottom out? "Journalists' questions are routine, but they're questions that the public wants to know the answers to.

However, it is well known that Henson never gives his own answers lightly.

"You should ask George and Ray. Aaron's question, after all, it wasn't me who cut the high score, it was them. As for congratulations, when we get to the Eastern Conference Finals, you can say congratulations again. Because for us, it was just an expected victory. ”

Henson walked into the tunnel with a relaxed smile and from this game onwards, he didn't plan to give his old friend Thibodeau any more chances.

4 to 1, it has to be 4 to 1! If the Pacers can't make it 4-1 in the end, Henson won't be happy. Two years ago, he lost to the Bulls in a tie-break, and Henson couldn't do anything about it.

Now that you have the ability, then give the Bulls a hard time!