In the second quarter, Pierce's rampage was a headache for O'Brien, who thought that Artest and Stephen Jackson were enough to deal with his former disciples, but he didn't expect Pierce to not only become more proficient in offensive skills, but also significantly improved his experience, feel and tactical literacy on the court. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Apparently, Pierce wasn't fighting alone, and the whole team was creating good scoring opportunities for him, so much so that Artest's strong defense couldn't find a target, and Stephen Jackson wasn't a match for Pierce in one-on-one.

When Pierce hit another mid-range, O'Brien called a timeout, and whether there was a way to contain Pierce, at least he had to stop Pierce's offensive rhythm, otherwise the difference would only widen.

O'Brien knows that the Pacers are not an offensive team, they are based on defense, and they only have a chance to win if they limit the Celtics' offense. But for now, with only a fraction of the Celtics' arsenal exposed, O'Brien feels like he's in trouble. During the timeout, he constantly emphasized the need to increase the defensive intensity, and did not hesitate to use fouls to disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm.

'We let the opposition score too many points, the defense is our foundation, the basis of our victory. I don't want us to forget that and focus on attacking against the opposition. Of course I'm going to play a little bit smarter on the offensive end, improve my success rate and play more inside, but defensively, I still have to emphasize and focus on defense. If necessary, foul, don't skimp on your foul. ”

With a 20-second timeout, O'Brien didn't have time to lay out any tactics, he just wanted to remind his players to refocus, knowing full well that at Boston Garden Arena, once you get lost on this ancient parquet floor, you will soon be swallowed up by the green frenzy. After all, the Celtics on the other side have part of his heart.

"I think Fox should have a backhand, and the third quarter is the key to the outcome." Back on the bench at the end of the timeout, O'Brien heard Vogel next to him talking.

O'Brien nodded, knowing that Vogel had always had a keen sense of smell, and that Larry Bird had invited him to coach the Pacers last summer, and O'Brien insisted that Vogel be his assistant coach. The reason is that Vogel not only has a hard-working attitude, but also a very clear and clear work idea, and as a head coach, there is a great need for such an assistant by his side, as O'Brien realized this as early as the Celtics era.

Now, the Pacers' defense is basically built by Vogel, who focuses on one-on-one defense based on the characteristics of the Pacers players. He did it with the Celtics, but with the Pacers he took that defense to the next level, as most of the Pacers' players are physically fit and have a strong individual defense. Vogel believes that if the purpose of the offense is to bring the players together, then the purpose of the defense is to isolate and divide the opponent.

Therefore, Vogel emphasizes focusing on his own defenders, emphasizing the details in defense, assisting defense, rotation, and supplemental defense are not common in the Pacers' defense, and everyone fulfills their defensive duties, which is Vogel's defensive style.

Sure enough, after the game restarted, the Pacers stabilized their position, O'Brien was replaced by Miller, although Miller did not score, but he attracted Bell's defense, gave Artest a one-on-one opportunity, and scored a single shot by Pierce in the low post, breaking the team's scoring drought.

Next, the Celtics always maintained a lead of about 5 points, Pierce put the knife into the sheath and no longer let go of the offense, and at the same time, Leon also re-replaced Reed, and shifted the focus of the attack to the interior, adding Brown and Garnett's shots, and the two sides entered a stalemate phase.

At the end of the second quarter, the two sides were tied at 51:47, and the Celtics led by four points into the second half, which can be said to be neither high nor low. The Pacers showed no small amount of energy, while the Celtics looked like they had a lot to hide underwater.

Larry Bird left his seat at halftime and returned to the Pacers' locker room, looking to be okay with his team's performance, and the Pacers' players who went through the first half of the game also seemed to feel that the Celtics were not as scary as they thought.

"The third quarter will be key, and the Celtics are the best at breaking down opponents in the third quarter. So we have to be careful and not have any relaxation, as long as we can withstand the pressure in the third quarter and even give the opponent a lethal counterattack, then the balance of the game will tip in our favor. Continue to stick to our defensive strategy, keep an eye on the person in front of you, and don't get away easily. Vogel said to all the players with the playbook in hand.

At the Pacers, Vogel is not only an assistant coach, but he also plays the role of communicating with players and coaching young people, which is also his consistent role positioning, a good guy, a coach who can get along with the players. That's exactly what O'Brien played with the Celtics, and now he's giving it to Vogel to make a black face himself and discipline the Pacers' restless boys.

Sometimes O'Brien is also grateful to Fox Leon in his heart, if it weren't for his old punch at Conseco Arena that made the Pacers team dizzy, this group of young people still don't know how high and thick the sky is, and they don't know what kind of mess will happen in the future. Now, with this play, when facing Celtic again, everyone will grit their teeth and play desperately to beat the opponent.

Bird was also in the locker room cheering the players on, saying: "I've played here for more than a decade and won three championships, and I think it's time for Boston to give me something back. I don't want money or fame, I just want the Pacers to be able to take a win here. ”

Bird's words lightened up the atmosphere in the locker room, Artest shouted "Pacers must win", Jermaine O'Neal stood up and raised his right arm in the middle of the locker room, and everyone gathered around O'Neal to raise their hands, symbolizing the unity of the whole team and vowing to win the first game.

……………………

On the other hand, after the Boston Celtics rested, Leon put away his playbook and returned to the court with the players.

"It looks like the morale of the Pacers players is high." Carlisle looked at the Pacers players who were already standing on the court and said, as someone who has been in the NBA for decades, he can see the momentum of a team at a glance. The Pacers' players were clearly scrappy, and falling behind by four points in the first half did not discourage them, on the contrary, it exceeded many expectations, as a significant number of people thought that the Pacers could collapse in the first half against the Celtics.

Now, not only did they not collapse, they played inextricably and the second half will be the decisive moment.

Leon sat down on the bench, and at this moment he was eager to smoke a cigar, and he said: "Death is not terrible sometimes, what is terrible is knowing when to die, and then counting down in fear to wait for death." I knew what was going on in the minds of Vogel and O'Brien, and they thought they had got our veins in the third quarter and were going to hold on to ......"

Leon knows exactly what Vogel and O'Brien think, and after 24 minutes of the first half, Leon is still sticking to his established policy, he wants O'Brien and Vogel to understand that the real strength is that you know that I am going to kill you here, but there is still no way to stop it. (To be continued.) )