The Celtics and Spurs were inextricably matched in the first half, and Leon took advantage of Arenas' explosive assault in the first quarter to knock Duncan off the court and give the Celtics the lead in the first quarter. After Duncan returned to the court in the second quarter, Duncan was noticeably more careful on the defensive end at the risk of a third foul, which gave the Celtics plenty of opportunities to attack the basket from close range.

The returning Paul Pierce and Walker, as well as Michael Reed, scored on mid-range jumpers near the free-throw line, a typical style of play for the team during Cowens' time at the helm of the Celtics, taking advantage of the players' excellent shooting ability and constantly using assaults and short passes to create shooting opportunities from close to mid-range.

This is a rather retro offensive tactical play, in the absence of a super center, in the position battle in the emphasis on close shooting, the main role of the interior player is to cover and the frontcourt rebound, focusing on the offensive confrontation and mutual cooperation, not at all as agile and agile as the previous Celtics.

Charles Barkley was very proud of this, claiming that the current Celtics are still playing the same tactical system as before, and have not immediately changed their original routine because of Leon's return. The score of the first half was 43:39, the Celtics led by four points, and the tempo on both sides was slow, with fewer rounds and many fouls, as if it was a confrontation between two strong defensive teams.

But Popovich doesn't think so. This is the second meeting between the Spurs and Celtics this season, and Popovich also prepared before the game, watching a lot of footage of the Celtics during Leon's suspension. He could feel it in tonight's game that there was a noticeable change in the way Celtic played.

The first is their fast attack, compared to when Leon is not there, the Celtics' rapid offense has increased significantly, and it is only because Popovich and the Spurs have prepared for a long time, and the defense and positioning are excellent, so that the Celtics did not play that whirlwind sweeping attack.

Even so, the Spurs were suppressed by the Celtics, because the pace of the game was completely controlled by the Celtics, who tried to speed up as fast as they wanted, and Popovich tried to keep the pace of the game down by taking timeouts on several occasions, and at several key moments, tried to turn the momentum around with Duncan's strong singles and strangulation defense.

However, the Celtics first disrupted Duncan's offense with two fouls and sent him to the free throw line, only to make only two of Duncan's four free throws. Looking back, Paul Pearce, who was rested in the first quarter, gritted his teeth and made a three-pointer and a low-post turnaround jumper, which stabilized the situation and did not give the Spurs a chance to turn over.

"Two months ago, I was a calf who only knew how to play tricks, but today I will start to control the situation and play some tricks......" In the Spurs locker room, Popovich reflected on the Celtics' performance in the first half and couldn't help but be impressed by Leon.

Popovich himself has come all the way from a stunned young coach, and at the beginning he maintained the belief of "let you come all the way, I will go all the way", giving full play to the strength and experience of Duncan and David Robinson, and leading the team to win a championship in the shrinking season. But then, with Robinson on slipping and Duncan suffering injuries, Popovich was repeatedly defeated against the powerful Lakers and the experienced Phil Jackson. His shortcomings in on-the-spot command have undoubtedly been exposed, and his rigidity in employing personnel has also been revealed.

Popovich has improved on both fronts this season, with defender Manu Ginobili from Argentina officially becoming the team's sixth man, knowing that not all substitutes are sixths, and not all substitutes are sixths. How to make good use of the sixth man, how to control the timing of the sixth man, a coach's ability to discipline players off the field, and the ability to grasp the heat on the field is a big test.

In this game, Fox Leon let Paul Pierce be the team's sixth man, and during the time when Duncan was off the court, Pierce was able to confidently and boldly break into the interior, and Pierce scored 13 points and 4 rebounds in the first half, which was the first guarantee for the team's lead.

"We're in the rhythm of the Celtics right now, we're trying to play against them, and while the shooting percentages on both sides are terrible, we're not slowing down. I can accept not being able to score, but I can't accept being caught in a chaotic war, which is not what I want to see. "Popovich was in the dressing room and conveyed his instructions to all the players. The Spurs are a team that is tactically rigorous and precise, and it has to do with Popovich's teacher, Larry Brown, who uses a ruler to measure the distance between players.

In contrast, although the Celtics also have a simple and sophisticated system, this group of talented, running and jumping youngsters is obviously better suited to play and win than the Spurs. Popovich also sensed that Fox Leon was a bit of a desire to fish in troubled waters. "Don't be afraid even if it's a chaotic battle, we can also punch them to death." Stephen Jackson interjected, as he wrapped the towel around his hands to wipe his back.

Popovich glanced at Jackson, this guy was still so arrogant and didn't understand the rules. During the period when he first signed Jackson, Popovich was worried that this guy would become the second Dennis Rodman, but after careful observation and tuning, it was found that he was still much easier to discipline than Rodman, and of course, he was still not in Popovich's long-term plans.

Jackson's play in the first half was indeed the key to the Spurs' ability to bite the score, and he did not fall behind in the confrontation with Michael Reed, and he grabbed four frontcourt rebounds in the first half, scoring 15 points, and was the Spurs' top scorer.

Popovich looked at Jackson with a somewhat triumphant look and said, "Focus more on defense, even though you scored 15 points, Reed also scored 11 points and made three three-pointers." This is a big threat! ”

On the Celtics locker room side, Leon didn't let Michael Reed step up his marking of Jackson, instead he handed over the task of marking Jackson in the second half to two other people.

……………………

"It was a close game, the Celtics took the initiative in the first half, Paul Pearce, Michael Reed and Antoine Walker, and now they are the new three firepower points for the Green Army." Charles Barkley picked out the Celtics' new trojan and excluded Arenas.

"No, no, no, Arenas' play was more critical in the first half, and his two breakaways to make fouls and send Duncan to the bench early were the key to the Celtics' lead in the first half." Kenny Smith thinks Arenas can't be ignored.

"So what? What about knocking Duncan down, he didn't have six fouls. And if that's the kind of thing you can do, Kenny Smith can do it, so does anyone call you the Big Three, along with Olajuwon and Drexler? No, I am! Barkley shouted.

"Giants without a championship ......" Kenny Smith couldn't help but mutter, embarrassing Barkley.

At this time, the second half of the game has begun, and this time people were surprised to find that the Celtics still did not let Paul Pierce play, and it seems that Leon is determined to use Paul Pierce as the sixth man in this game.

But it wasn't Durham Porter who started the Celtics in the second half, it was Chris Anderson. Anderson didn't even get playing time in the first half, and the main rotation of the interior bench was Durham Porter, and in the second half, for some reason, he used Anderson.

Anderson didn't have a good time in Leon's absence, his playing time plummeted, and his overly oily, passionately charged style of play was not liked by Cowens, who preferred the solid and tall Ellem Porter. So over the course of the month, Anderson has had a lot of off-court troubles, such as being accused of smoking marijuana in a bar, and he has less attention on the court.

After Leon's return, Anderson still didn't have a chance in the first half, which made him a little frustrated, but at halftime Leon gave him a task - to finish Stephen Jackson with Arenas.

"Anderson started in the second half, and I don't know what kind of medicine the Celtics coach sells in the gourd. Bowler in the first half, Anderson in the second half, do you want to rely on Anderson to get Duncan down? Smith was puzzled by Leon's set-up.

But less than five minutes into the third quarter, everyone could see what Leon meant.

Stephen Jackson soon discovered that the defender he was facing on offense was no longer Reed, but point guard Arenas. Jackson thinks Leon must be crazy, let the point guard defend him, he is hot.

But then he found that the Celtics' interior Chris Anderson was almost like a shadow, like the shadow of Arenas, coming to help defend anytime and anywhere, and did not hesitate to completely let go of David Robinson, allowing Robinson to complete two unguarded empty dunks on the inside.

To make matters worse, neither Chris Anderson nor Arenas are quiet defenders like Michael Reed, Arenas is not very good at defense, his mouth is not forgiving, and he has been endless since the first matchup in the second half; Anderson, on the other hand, does not move his hands and mouth, often making small movements against Jackson after the defense is over and the referee blows the whistle, pulling clothes, pushing people, and making trips.

Jackson didn't score a point at the beginning of the third quarter, and he thought that he could lead the Spurs to overtake in the second half, and the anger in his heart grew. Finally, after a breakthrough layup was forcibly pulled down by Anderson, Jackson's heart was on fire and he angrily pushed Anderson.

There was a small chaos on the court, but fortunately the players on both sides were fine except for a bit of friction between Anderson and Jackson, and the referee calmed both sides with a technical foul.

At this time, the score of the two sides was 69-63, and even if Jackson hit both free throws, the Spurs still trailed the Celtics by 4 points.

Seeing that Jackson was a little mentally unbalanced and made one of two free throws, Popovich immediately asked for a substitution to replace Jackson with Ginobili.

Jackson happened to pass by the Celtics bench when he left the game, and passed Leon, who said in a small voice: "Before you get angry, you claim that you have a few pounds and a few taels." “

Leon's words completely angered Jackson, so an astonishing scene appeared, Jackson, who was originally drooping his head, rushed to Leon with a stride, pointed at Leon's nose and yelled: "You say one more thing Lao Tzu broke your nose, you son of a bitch, despicable villain!" “

Jackson knew that being targeted by Anderson in the second half must have been instructed by Leon, and in the hearts of many NBA players, a coach like Leon, who has no qualifications and honors, is not worthy of respect at all.

Jackson undoubtedly thought the same way, and in his rage, he had clenched his fists.

The referee noticed that something was wrong and rushed over, and the Celtics bench players also stood up to stop Jackson from making a rough move. Popovich ran here in three steps and two steps to stop Jackson.

Only Leon just looked at Jackson with an indifferent expression, then spread his hands and silently said three words with an exaggerated mouth: "Hit-me, soft." (Hit me, soft))"

The noisy scene made it difficult for Jackson to hear what was being said, but he could see Leon's mouth clearly, and he twisted his body to get rid of Popovich and punched Leon in the face. (To be continued.) )