714: Don't be nervous, stay angry

On May 20, 2019, the Portland Trail Blazers nearly knocked out the Warriors. Well, almost.

In other words, the ultimate winner of the game is still the Golden State Warriors. 119-117, the two sides did not decide the winner until overtime. And Damien. Lillard, the "lore king", shot in the last second and ended with iron.

Lillard must have regretted that he didn't put in that game-winning shot, because after losing this game, the Trail Blazers were already 3-0 down the Warriors. Even if God wears Lillard's No. 0 jersey, the Trail Blazers won't be able to turn the tables around. Never before in the history of the NBA has a team been able to come back from 3-0 down.

What's more, the opponent of the Trailblazers is still the Golden State Warriors who are difficult to deal with.

You know, in this game, the Warriors didn't even send Durant and Cousins, who were injured, to the court, and won the game with the "Splash Brothers" alone. It is clear that the difference in strength between the Warriors and the Trail Blazers is crushing.

The Warriors' victory in this game means they will be 100 percent in the Finals. For the third year in a row, the NBA will decide a championship between the Warriors and other teams.

In the first and second rounds of the playoffs, the Warriors played extraordinarily bumpy. As everyone knows, the Western Conference Finals were played easily. After this game, people called it the most boring Western Conference Finals ever.

The two sides didn't have to fight to the bottom because it was a one-sided series.

And after the Warriors are sure to advance, people are also looking to the East. Fans all over the world have heard that the Toronto Raptors actually bit a piece of meat from the defending champions. So everyone is also eager to see how the Raptors pulled the invincible Pacers in the playoffs.

So, the game in Toronto on May 21 attracted the attention of all fans around the world.

Before the start of the game, Brooke. Lopez reassured himself over and over again that he wouldn't get too nervous.

Yesterday, Henson told Lopez that he would increase the number of shots he took today. The purpose is very simple, that is, to hit the other party by surprise.

Lopez was naturally happy to receive such a task, but he was a little nervous. After all, he's become accustomed to being a role player over the years, not a star player. And, this is the Eastern Conference Finals, and he saw the Raptors' form in the last game. Presumably, the opponent will definitely not let himself score easily.

Lopez was a little nervous, afraid that he would mess things up again, that he would live up to Henson's hopes again.

As Lopez put on his shirt, Henson sat next to him, smiling.

"Nervous?" Henson asked straight to the point.

"Hmm." Lopez nodded, he knew that it was useless to deceive Henson, because Henson must have seen it a long time ago.

"Well, it's normal to be nervous. Of course, I'm not going to give you that nonsense like 'there's nothing to be nervous about'. It's a crucial fourth game of the Eastern Conference Finals, and there's no reason to be nervous. Suffice it to say, think about what little Gasol did to you in the last game. If you still want to save face, it's best to eliminate your tension. Then, keep the anger going. ”

With that, Henson patted Lopez's leg and left first.

A simple sentence made Lopez not nervous for a moment, because at this time he only had anger in his heart.

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The Raptors were aggressive today, and that was evident from the warm-up.

When the group of guys walked out of the players' tunnel, the whole arena instantly became shaky. Henson must admit that the Air Canada Centre is one of the most atmospheric arenas at home. After all, since Chris. After Bosh left, the team had been dormant for too long.

Once there is hope of recovery, fans are eager to shout throat to cheer on their players.

"We're going to the finals! We're going to the finals! We're going to the finals! ”

In the stands, the fans let out a roar. But Henson was used to the vibe, and amid the chaotic shouts, he calmly straightened out his Armani suit and pushed the starting five onto the pitch.

Coach Henson still hasn't changed his line-up, and he hasn't left Brogdon or Oladipo on the bench to deal with VanVleet. So far in this series, no team has been able to force Coach Henson to change the lineup. But I think the Raptors have the strength. All they need to do is another victory. By the time the Raptors tie the series at 2-2, Coach Henson will react. ”

Before going on the court, Henson nodded lightly at Lopez. Lopez took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He can't live up to the trust of the manager, he can't live up to the trust of the manager......

As soon as the referee's whistle blew, Lopez sprang up like a reflex cat and slapped the basketball into Brogdon's hands.

Lopez has long been ridiculed by the media and fans as a "Buddha scrum" because he can't win most of the time in the jump stage.

But today, Lopez is actively competing for basketball. Most people don't think so, after all, winning or losing a scrum doesn't mean anything. Only Henson knew what was going on in that guy's heart.

The Pacers attacked for the first time, and Brogdon handed the ball to Antetokounmpo after halftime. Defending Antetokounmpo, Serge Ibaka, had a good last game and earned him a direct start today.

Seeing Antetokounmpo rushing with the ball, Ibaka stuck it hard. Due to the forced fight for the Thunder back then, Ibaka's athletic ability today cannot be compared with that time. But with yesterday's success, Ibaka has gained a lot of confidence.

Therefore, this time he blocked Antetokounmpo very toughly, and as he did yesterday, once Antetokounmpo broke through, the Raptors will use joint defense to stop him.

To put it bluntly, if one person can't prevent it, then take two or even three people to pile it up!

But today, Antetokounmpo had just entered the box and he passed the ball. This guy didn't keep hitting the basket and didn't break through the ball. Because his pass is not to the outside, but to the inside!

"Brooke. Lopez received the basketball in the low post, was it a tactical mistake? ”

The commentators opened their mouths wide and generally speaking, when Antetokounmpo broke through, Lopez should pull away to the three-point line. But at this time, why is Lopez standing on the inside?

Could it be that the loss in the last game has already messed up the Pacers? Everyone was impatient to score, but it led to tactical confusion.

Just when everyone was suspicious, Lopez suddenly leaned back hard, then turned and hooked his hand.

The white center's soft hand made the basketball hollow into the net, and the Pacers actually relied on Lopez's low-post singles to take the lead at the beginning!

Gasol Jr. didn't expect Lopez to attack so resolutely, so he didn't even have time to interfere. From beginning to end, he was in the local Antetokounmpo cut.

"This ...... Was it a tactical arrangement or a flash in the pan? ”

The narrators scratched their heads, but Henson wasn't going to explain. When the camera caught him, he deliberately made a sad expression. From his face, one could not tell at all whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied with the attack he had just attacked.

Actually, this guy was smiling happily.

Henson, of course, doesn't expect Lopez to finish today's game, he just wants to disrupt the Raptors' deployment and gain as much advantage as possible.

Just like the Raptors did against Henson in their last game, he's going to have to retaliate with a tooth for a tooth.

On the ensuing offense, the Raptors really didn't give the ball to Leonard. Kyle. After Lowry had the ball on the perimeter, others kept interspersing in search of opportunities.

Formerly German. When Casey was coaching the Raptors, Nurse was the offensive coach. And now that he's in control of the whip, the Raptors' offense is even more fluid.

But alas, Henson will only be fooled once. Yesterday, he put all his defensive focus on Leonard, only to be consumed by the Raptors' firepower. Today, he asked everyone to guard against their opponents and not give the other party more opportunities to bloom.

As a result, the Raptors passed for a while, but never got a chance. In the end, the ball had to fall into Leonard's hands.

In this way, everything is back to square one. The Toronto Raptors once again ended up in a situation where they could only rely on Leonard's singles.

Leonard singled out Paul. George, of course he wasn't afraid. But again, George won't let Leonard get through easily.

In the end, Leonard's singles were met with George's tight seal. When he took up and shot, he found that George's blocks were all at his fingertips, so he could only forcibly change his attention and change his shot to pass!

It's a pity that Leonard's pass failed to escape the "pursuit" of Lopez, who was highly focused.

Lopez stretched out his long arm and pocketed Leonard's ball for Gasol Jr.!

"Brooke. Lopez makes a successful steal! Leonard shouldn't have hesitated, he was a little too cautious. ”

This time the offense was defended, and it was perfectly defended. Although he only succeeded once, Henson believes his players can continue to perform like this.

On the court, Lopez assisted Antetokounmpo with a long pass from the backcourt and scored a dunk after running away.

4-0, the Pacers' opening offense made the cheers in the arena of the Air Canada Center laugh a lot.

Of course, Henson is not complacent. Because he knows very well that now is not the time for the Raptors to have the most firepower. Again, now is not the time to maximize Lopez's effect.

After VanVleet and Powell also come on the court, it will be truly tested whether Henson's set-up will work today.