Norman. Powell, Henson admits he didn't know the name until he played the Raptors for the first time this season.

He studied Powell for the first time against the Raptors, but didn't think such an ordinary role player would cause any problems for the Pacers.

As everyone knows, it was such an inconspicuous little character who killed Henson himself yesterday.

It's true that he's not the Raptors' top scorer, it's Leonard who scores the most.

Similarly, he is not the best plus/minus for the Raptors, the best is Sergi. Ibaka.

However, Norman. Powell, however, was the sharpest knife in Henson's heart.

The defeat in this game, in addition to making Henson feel extremely annoyed, also made him realize his situation this season.

From the east, he had to take it step by step. Because the teams that are eyeing him could end his victory at any time. Even if he had defeated them.

The battle with the Raptors can only be regarded as an appetizer, and Henson knows very well that the difficulty of the game in January will only continue to increase!

After the game against the Raptors, the Pacers beat the Cavaliers by 21 points on the road. But the win won't make Henson feel too happy, after all, this season's Cavaliers are a lottery team. The defending champions won against the lotto team, which is nothing to celebrate.

Henson has already focused his attention on the next game against the Celtics in Boston.

The Pacers also crushed the Celtics early in the season and won very easily. Just look dead Kelly. Irving, the Celtics' offense was basically half paralyzed.

But after more than half a season, the Boston Celtics are much more mature than they were at the beginning of the season. So this showdown in Boston put Henson in a bitter battle again.

By this time, the game had reached the fifth minute of the third quarter, and the Pacers only led the Celtics by one point.

Stevens returned to his old business today and played the ultimate team offense. Irving reined in his shots and took on the job of a traditional point guard!

It was the same this time, with Irving holding the ball from beyond the three-point line and calling for pick-and-roll, with Horford and Marcus calling for pick-and-roll. Morris double cover is raised.

Based on the experience of the last meeting, Irving will definitely go straight to the box and then make a fancy layup. While winning people's attention, the basketball is scored steadily.

But today, Owen didn't. With the lesson from last time and Stevens' reminder, Irving is well aware that there are defensive traps waiting for him under the basket. If you rush to the basket, you just fell into the hands of the Pacers.

So, after rushing halfway to attract the defense, he suddenly passed the ball and distributed the ball to Marcus. In the hands of Morris.

The latter made a decisive shot from beyond the three-point line, and he couldn't block Morris's jumper in the first place due to George's defense of Irving.

And just like that, the Celtics hit another three-pointer. Irving had his sixth assist of the game and has scored just seven points so far. Henson, however, felt that he was more threatening than before.

"Nice breakaway, Kelly. Irving continues to cause problems for the Pacers with his passing. Coach Stevens' tactics are clear and efficient. Now, with the Celtics up by two points, the game has been very scorching from the start. ”

Mike. Brin shook his head, January was a big test for the Pacers.

Henson, meanwhile, sat on the bench with a blank face. With Norman. Powell's "dismount", Henson is used to meeting surprises in such games.

Owen suddenly didn't score and went to organize an attack, was he surprised? Surprise, but Henson had expected to meet him.

Therefore, he did not panic or be overwhelmed, but calmly analyzed the situation.

Stevens's guy used Owen as Thomas Jr., the purpose was to activate the whole team's offense and avoid a situation where Owen attacked alone.

But there is still a gap between Irving's organizational ability and Thomas Jr. in his prime. Henson believes that as long as he can contain Irving's passing path and change defenses quickly, he should be able to curb the Celtics' scoring momentum.

For a moment, Henson almost couldn't help but put the ultimate lineup on the court. After all, Celtics center and Henson's favorite player Al Brown. Horford isn't that kind of interior giant. Marcus. Morris, a power forward, also plays more towards the No. 3 position. Use the ultimate lineup to deal with the Celtics, and the interior line will not suffer.

But in the end, Henson also rejected the plan. Now, it's not time to fight for your life.

So, in the last three minutes of the third quarter, Henson sent a small lineup of Antetokounmpo, Oladipo, George Siakam, and P.J. Tucker.

Although this lineup is a small lineup, it is not "small" at all. In terms of height, the walkers are not at a loss. And the most powerful thing about this lineup is that five people can basically achieve unlimited defensive changes. While changing defenses infinitely, it can also ensure efficiency.

Using the overall defense to contain the Celtics' overall offense, this is Henson's strategy.

As soon as this lineup came out, the effect was really good. Oladipo pestered Owen with his extreme aggression and didn't let him handle the ball easily. The other four, on the other hand, were able to keep an eye on their opponents and not give them a chance to catch the ball easily.

In the final three minutes of the third quarter, the Celtics' offensive efficiency began to decline.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Pacers had completed the comeback. And at the end of the fourth quarter, the Celtics couldn't find an offensive point for a while.

Henson has always believed in a rule: it's okay to play team basketball in regular time, but there must be an offensive strong point in key moments. Otherwise, the team's offense will only be extremely chaotic at critical moments.

Today, Stevens' Celtics just couldn't find an offensive strong point in the crunch time.

Owen didn't have a main attack in the whole game, and he couldn't break out all of a sudden. And Morris, Horford and even Tatum and others, in the face of Henson's infinite defensive lineup, the one-on-one efficiency is very average,

Stevens naturally knows that there must be an offensive strength in the final moments, but sometimes there are some things that the manager does not know and will definitely succeed.

And on the Pacers' side, Paul. George stepped up and made the final decision at the crucial moment. In the end, Henson's team won in Boston without any danger.

125-123, with one more round, Henson doesn't know who the winner will be.

In the whole game, the Celtics scored 7 double-doubles, including 3 of them scored 20. It's no exaggeration to say that this is one of the best games the Celtics have played so far this season.

However, the defending champions were able to survive thanks to Henson's timely adjustments and the excellent performance of the players. Of course, such a victory also gave the Pacers a layer of skin.

"You almost killed me, Brad." When he shook Stevens' hand after the game, Henson looked tired. This game really consumed a lot of his energy.

"It's a pity that you're the one who wins, Henson. Stay, and you'll be able to rule the alliance for a long time. Stevens sighed, he had done everything he could, but he still lost.

From the time he was in charge, he didn't seem to have won much against Henson. There are so many coaches in the league, and only Henson is a hurdle that Stevens can't overcome.

Who would have thought that the little assistant coach who came to Butler University to consult him would be able to achieve such a terrible achievement in the NBA.

"Forget it, I've made up my mind, Brad. Hopefully, this year's Eastern Conference Finals will ...... You can go to the appointment. ”

After shaking hands, Henson looked around. Boston Celtics, North Shore Garden Arena. At the beginning of the season, he didn't have to struggle to win here. But now, he was extremely tired. His players are also extremely tired.

As the season progressed, everyone was improving. It's no longer so easy to defeat a strong enemy. The last season, and sure enough, the hardest one.

After the game, Henson dragged his tired body to a press conference. However, before the exhaustion of the narrow victory had dissipated, Henson was overwhelmed by another problem.

"Coach Henson, Jimmy. What do you think of Butler's claim that he will win at the Bankers' Living Arena this time? Do you think you'll still be able to keep him down after he joins the Philadelphia 76ers? ”

Henson didn't answer, but rubbed his face wearily. Jimmy. Butler, you're crazy to win at the Bankers' Life Arena.

The game against the 76ers will definitely be tougher than it was today.

A wave has not settled, and a wave has risen.