Although Brown asked Diodore to focus on the offensive end, Dior didn't think so, and he kept echoing in his mind a sentence that Chang Wei said to him at the beginning: "If you can't do the best in offense or defense, then being a player who is good both offensively and defensively is the easiest way for you to become a star, and the Pistons need to defend." ”

In fact, Chang Wei has said this sentence to every new player, whether they are a powerful faction with enough experience or a rookie who has just entered the league, Chang Wei hopes that they can become players who have a certain contribution at both offensive and defensive ends. Dio had been an offensive player until then, but the atmosphere of the Pistons also made him pay attention to his defense.

So even if the head coach opened Chrysostom so that he could play soy sauce on the defensive end, he didn't plan to do it according to the coach's instructions. When the Pacers attacked, he still worked very hard in the low post and O'Nealka Jr., and after the latter received the ball, he didn't give an inch. O'Neill Jr. was surprised, in the first half, Dio was obviously not so tough in the low post, why did he seem to be a different person after halftime? Could it be that this guy was quietly doping in the locker room?

His brain hole is obviously too big, doping or anything doesn't exist at all, it's just because Dio played with confidence, and Brown also inadvertently improved his status in the team's tactical system, how can he be worthy of the trust of the manager and his teammates if he doesn't play hard? Playing with opponents in the low post is just a trivial aspect.

When Dio ceased to be a defensive hole for the Pistons, their entire system was gradually put on the right track. The Pacers immediately felt the pressure, after all, Artest, who has been sent off, is not only their outside defensive backbone, but also a very important scoring point for the team. After he went off, the Pacers' offense basically had to rely on O'Neal Jr.

No way, Miller is entangled on the outside, in Brown's opinion, he is much more of a threat than Tinsley, rather than letting Miller shoot, it is better to let Tinsley score, he doesn't believe that such a guy who has not averaged a double-double per game this season can shoot his team to death, which also makes the Pacers' offensive rhythm drop a lot.

O'Neal Jr. is worthy of being an excellent center in the league's new generation, and he can still score with difficult steps and shots under the pressure of Dio and Big Ben, but his scoring efficiency is still too low, and there is a danger of being cut off by Pistons players. It stands to reason that the Pacers should use a three-point shot to help him open up space, but they didn't feel well in this game, and the most trustworthy Miller was targeted again, and O'Neal Jr. had to guard against the three-man pinch that would come from time to time.

Of course, defense is very important to the Pistons, but now that Dio is on the court, he and Billups have directly revitalized the offense, and at first glance it seems that they are even better on the offensive end than on defense. The Pacers can only let the opponent go to the basket to attack, and then hand it over to O'Neal Jr. to solve the problem.

But their defense of the Pistons' shooting didn't have much effect, and the Pistons didn't have a one-on-one with you, just kept running with Dio as the central axis, playing the pass and cutting coordination they are good at, and finally someone was always able to receive the ball in the open space, at this time the Pacers couldn't catch up, and could only watch the opponent easily aim at the basket and then shoot.

Although Dio only played nine minutes in the third quarter, he had five points and three assists. It looks a little shabby, but many of his passes have allowed his teammates to pass one more time, and the assist will naturally not be counted on his head. However, for Dio, it would be very good to be able to help the team, this quarter the Pistons continued to expand the score, if it wasn't for Miller hitting a miraculous half-court long-range three-pointer at the last moment, the Pistons have led the opponent by 15 points, and now they can only helplessly watch the difference return to 12 points.

Helpless, this three-point shot did not beat the morale of the Pistons, and the half-time ultra-long three-point is also pure luck for shooters in this era, and it may be a little more sure than other players, but it can also be ignored, it is impossible for Miller to be so far away in every shot in the final quarter, right? Moreover, now in terms of scores, it is still the Pistons who have the advantage.

Brown didn't take the three-pointer to heart, but seized the time to rest the players and lay out the tactics for the fourth quarter by the way. This time Brown is ready to let Dior play the full 12 minutes, and he doesn't want to see any twists and turns in the game, which is his usual style, to beat his opponents, he has to take every opportunity and leave them powerless.

As a result, Dio hit a three-pointer at the top of the arc as soon as he came up, which was also his first time outside the three-point line in this game, and although the three-pointer was not enough to make the Pacers despair, their mood was not much better. In this era when big forwards are generally inside lines, Thomas and Dior's style of play makes them very confused, is this what big forwards look like?

Carlisle thought that Dio's three-point shot was just a flash in the pan, and he didn't specifically arrange defensive tactics to restrict him, but he didn't expect that after Dior tasted the sweetness, he consciously pulled out in every offensive round, which made O'Neal and Foster feel embarrassed on the inside, and it didn't seem to be good whether they were defending it or not, which also made them a little hesitant.

After such a hesitation, Dio made another three-pointer from the outside, and Carlisle had to let O'Neal Jr., who was moving faster, to defend, and he also liked his movement speed. But as soon as O'Neal Jr. went out, Foster couldn't block the impact of the Pistons guard under the basket at all, and O'Neal Jr.'s recovery speed couldn't match the speed of passing, and the Pacers' defense was suddenly full of holes.

The Pistons were not in a hurry, and they continued to slowly play their own half-court positional battle, and little by little they opened up the difference. Without Artest, the Pacers have no capital to turn the tables around, and can only reluctantly accept the outcome of losing at home. Dio was undoubtedly the brightest player of the game, and although he only scored 17 points in the game, he dished out a team-high 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds, which looks like a guard's statistic.

Brown is very pleased with Dio's performance, and his worries about Thomas have been diluted a little, if he can continue to perform like this in the next games, the Pistons will have no problem reaching the finals, the only thing to note is that the veteran Manning is basically equivalent to playing soy sauce after coming off the bench, and Dio may need to take more responsibility on the court.