Before the start of the series, with the help of Young and Cowens, Leon had a thorough understanding of the basic rotation rules of the Pistons this season, and they sorted out the schedule of the Pistons rotation through video recordings and playing schedules, and mastered Carlisle's characteristics of player rotation in each quarter and in different situations. For any team, the rotation of coaches is a key focus of the opposing team, and in the official playoffs, these will affect the game between the two coaches.

Although they all have a relatively fixed rotation characteristic, the possibility of changing this rotation pattern in the playoffs varies for different coaches. Some coaches stick to pre-arranged rotations regardless of the situation on the field, while others adjust according to the situation on the field. In general, the former type of coach is the vast majority, including Leon himself, who is not a coach who likes to change rotations casually.

Changing rotations according to the situation may seem simple, but in the case of insufficient preparation, it is very likely to make the situation worse, on the contrary, sticking to the normal rotation and believing in the form and adjustment ability of the players will often have a better effect.

It is only when the series goes further and enters the fifth, sixth, or even seventh game that the normal moves of both sides are exhausted, and more changes will be made. Carlisle made a big change early tonight when Prince started and it worked well. And Leon's replacement of Wang Zhizhi is just a piece of cake, and the main rotation of the team has not changed.

In the face of the Celtics' three-point situation, Carlisle hesitated, and finally chose to go to Atkins safely, Leon was waiting for this result, he guessed that with Carlisle's character, making Prince's adjustments was close to the limit, and this game, at least in the third quarter of the stalemate, he would not have any magic cards. Even if he had, he would either stay until the fourth quarter or stay until the next game.

Leon didn't want to give him another chance to play his cards, and at the end of the short timeout, he made a substitution adjustment, replacing Antoine Walker with Steve Cole, and the Celtics sacrificed a fast offensive lineup of one big and four small!

One big and four small, this formation that will often appear in the future NBA field, was as rare as a panda in 2003. Carlisle let Prince play power forward, which means a bit big and four small, but in terms of height and arm span, Prince can barely be regarded as half a big forward, and the Pistons' style of play in this game is still a regular style of play.

The Celtics' big four are completely different, Pierce will take on some of the responsibility of the power forward on the defensive end, but he will still be a small forward in the tactical role, and the responsibility of the power forward will be shared by the five players on the Celtics' court.

As soon as he saw Leon's unexpected big and four small, Carlisle felt bad in his heart, but the most criticized thing about one big and four small is rebounding and defense, Carlisle doesn't think PJ Brown can support the Celtics' interior line alone, Walker is soft-footed shrimp on the defensive end, and he is also a 6-foot-9 meat mound with a height of 6 feet, and his rebounding ability is also at the upper level in the league as long as he grabs it with all his might.

The Pistons' first offense after a timeout, Atkins came on and replaced Billups to carry out the ball handling duties, which was a lot lighter on Bills' shoulders, and he could run back like a shooting guard to find offensive opportunities.

The Celtics' defense has also changed, with Kerr coming on to defend Billups and Arenas in charge of Atkins, and Arenas has a lighter load on his shoulders.

Billups made a circle from right to left, then stuck in the low post at 45 degrees on the left, Atkins passed the ball to Billups, and Billups received the ball and beat Kerr in the low post. Kerr was at a disadvantage in age, height, and weight after all, and Billups got Kerr to his side with an inside turn, and then made a jumper with a drift head, and the ball spun twice on the basket and fell into the Nets.

At 52:55, the Pistons scored a goal, which seemed to be a reassuring pill, making Carlisle think that in the face of the Celtics' big four, the scene would not be a problem, and perhaps Leon would pay the price for his hasty substitution.

But then the situation swept through the North Shore Garden Arena like a whirlwind.

After Kerr came on the court, it was equivalent to Arenas at the shooting guard position, and Reed played small forward with Pierce. With three aggressive forwards and a calm and sassy point guard, Leon himself didn't expect what kind of offense they could play.

Kerr quickly held the ball across the halfcourt and handed it to Arenas, and he and Pierce played a flash-cut on the left side. This is the tactic commonly used by the Celtics to play Pierce, and the players who usually respond to the outside are the team's centers, and they give Pierce a single meal on the inside.

But now the Celtics only have one interior line, Arenas, Kerr, and Pierce are three flash cuts, and Brown is on the weak side, and Reed is ambushed outside the three-point line on the weak side.

The entire Pistons' defense was completely stretched, and Pierce first crossed the cover with Kerr, and the deep low post received the ball to force Prince to win.

Turning back to the Pistons' missed a three-pointer from the outside, the ball came to Kerr again, and the Celtics ran their regular season whirlwind second fast break.

Arenas made a change of direction at the top of the arc, and Cole, who had already held the ball into the interior to attract the defense, turned back and made a pass, Arenas didn't completely get rid of Billups, but he couldn't care so much, and he pulled up the ball directly for a three-pointer, and the ball smashed to the basket like a cannonball!

A crisp three! Celtic's second three-pointer of the second half!

It didn't end there, as the Celtics on the defensive end made a gamble-style contraction and wrap-and-wrap that forced the Pistons into a three-shot shot from the perimeter at the end of the day. The ball was outrageously off, and Brown firmly grabbed the backcourt rebound for another chance to fight back.

Arenas, who had been held back for two and a half games, flew to the front court like a striker, and after Kerr came on the court, he freed up his speed and firepower, he no longer needed to think on the ball, he just needed to attack, like a striker!

Arenas' pace is top-notch, Kerr's passing is accurate, and he has plenty of energy. After receiving the ball, Arenas dodged Billups' interception from behind with a crotch step and a hand-to-hand change, and a light layup was successful.

Carlisle immediately called a timeout, and in less than two minutes, the Celtics had scored seven points and stretched the gap to 10 points.

Not every timeout had an immediate effect, and the brief adjustments and coaches' reprimands didn't allow the Pistons to find a feel on the offensive end. In fact, the Pistons can win even if they can't find their groove on the offensive end, as long as they don't let the Celtics find their groove as well. But here's the problem, that's how Celtic's offensive feel comes.

One big and four small, completely opened up space, the liberated Arenas, Pierce who became the number one offensive point without Walker, the experienced and deep triangle offense, Reid who hides in corners and dark places and doesn't know when to show his fangs, and the only pillar and guarantee PJ Brown on the inside, form the Celtics' most powerful fast offensive lineup.

Returning to the court after the timeout, the Pistons' offense was like adding a layer of cover to the basket, and in the face of the Celtics' expanded defense, the Pistons, whose low-post attack power was not as good as the Celtics', could only rely on Billups to play low-post singles. Although Carlisle was replaced by Hamilton, he did not find a good opportunity to shoot under the strict defense of Michael Reed, and the entire Pistons did not have an arrow figure who could tear apart the opponent's defense!

Once the Pistons missed, the Celtics' counterattacks were like waves in a hurricane, wave after wave. It was as if they were back at Waltham, on the training ground, the ball in their hands seemed to be gone, and everything was only in their minds and nerve reactions. Fox Leon's explanations and shouts are the only criteria, they imagine what could have happened and what has happened on the court, passing, running, shooting, smoothly and incomparably good at the moment of shooting.

Reed hit a three-pointer on the counter, Paul Pierce made a step-back jumper in a positional battle, Paul Pierce assisted on Kerr's three-point shot, Arenas assisted Brown on an empty catch, and Arenas hit a three-point shot from Kerr's pass in the bottom corner......

The Celtics unleashed a 24-5 super attack wave in the middle and late third quarter, like a moment of small nuclear weapons, destroying all the Pistons' resistance and victory hopes in a short period of time.

The impact came so quickly that even Leon himself didn't expect it, he just wanted to play the big four small cards to gain an offensive advantage, and at the same time thought that the Pistons were likely to be uncomfortable on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends and be pulled away.

Unexpectedly, the Celtics, who had been suffocated in the attack for several weeks, erupted like a volcano of firepower on the offensive end. Along with the enthusiasm of the North Shore Garden fans, one three-pointer after another drove the green elves crazy.

Carlisle was all too familiar with such a situation, except that he was on the green side. His forehead was constantly sweating, his heart was numb, Leon's continuous moves, coupled with the psychological interference that last night had on him, and in the face of such a huge disadvantage, with more than a quarter left in the game, deep down, he chose to give up. Gave up the last quarter, gave up the game, after all, he lost this game and the fourth, and if he won the fourth, the advantage was back.

But Carlisle didn't understand that once the idea of giving up was born, it would be difficult to erase it, and he would give up not only this game, but probably the entire series. It will take him a little longer to understand this truth.

In the fourth quarter, the difference between the two sides widened to more than 20 points, and when Carlisle replaced the main team, Leon also replaced those guys who played dazzling offense, allowing them to enjoy the applause of the home fans.

The battle of Xiaotianwang Mountain, the Celts won, and the initiative is already in hand. (To be continued.) )