Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

"I'm afraid we are no match..."

The first quarter was evenly matched with the opponent, but Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw was a little worried.

The reason is naturally Hibbert, who has already committed two fouls.

For any team that wants to limit breakthrough players, interior frame protection is very important.

Facing a speedy defender like Rose, Hibbert's importance is self-evident.

"But he has committed two fouls now. If he is not careful, he will commit another foul..."

At the beginning of the second quarter, the substitute players of the two teams were fighting on the court, but Brian Shaw looked at Hibbert who was sitting and resting with some concern.

Vogel had similar concerns, so he turned to Hibbert and said:

"In the second quarter, just focus on defense and let them share the burden of offense."

Hibbert knew this was an inevitable choice and could only nodded with a grimace.

Collison George and others who were resting immediately felt the pressure on their shoulders.

Although Hibbert's offensive skills are poor, with his height, almost no one can prevent his close range shots. Although there are not many offensive tactics surrounding him, there are also many.

Now that the offensive burden of the center has been assigned to others, and they are facing the Bulls, how can they do without Alexander?

The weakness inside is also clearly reflected in the substitute lineup.

Although the Pacers blocked Gibson's attack, he then jumped up to grab the offensive rebound and made a tip-in.

"26-29."

Hill advanced with the ball, called a pick-and-roll, and then passed it back to Hansbrough in the high post.

Hansbrough was about to attack when Lucas III suddenly stepped out, stole the basketball from his hand, and scored a fast break layup.

Lucas III was born in a basketball family. After entering the league, he played in the Development League, landed in the CBA, and even went to Italy and Spain to play. He was a "tramp" player in the league.

"26-31."

Vogel looked at the substitutes on the court and was at a loss, so he could only replace Hibbert and West inside. The Bulls also requested a substitution and replaced Brewer with Korver.

Gibson continued his touch and hit a jumper against West.

The Pacers' offense still didn't improve, but fortunately West defended Gibson's offense.

"Pick and roll!"

Hill called West, broke through the pick-and-roll, and passed to Qi Tian on the right.

Qi Tian also pretended to break through and passed the ball back to Hill under the basket.

Hill caught the ball and forced a shot directly.

"Whoosh!"

"Dudu!"

The moment the basketball hit, the referee blew the whistle to indicate a foul on Luer Deng.

2+1!

The Pacers finally got a chance to breathe, and the fans on the sidelines immediately cheered loudly.

Thibodeau took advantage of Hill's free throw and replaced Luer Deng, who played 18 minutes. Rose and Noah, who had rested for half a quarter, appeared together.

Hill took a few deep breaths and hit the extra free throw.

"29-33."

Qi Tian struggled to interfere with Korver's jump shot, and in turn directly received a pass from Hill and hit a three-point jump shot.

"32-33."

But when the game entered the last 5 minutes of the first half, he and Hill were replaced by Granger and George.

The Bulls replaced Boozer with the core trio and officially fought hand-to-hand with their opponents.

"Why did you replace Qi?"

The Pacers fans on the sidelines were speechless for a while.

"Didn't I just hit a good ball?"

"snort."

The Bulls fans next to them immediately snorted with disdain,

"A substitute is a substitute. If he can catch up with the starting lineup, will George still have a chance?"

"yes."

A fellow Pacers fan explained to him,

"This is the Bulls' tactic, to extend the playing time of the main players. Our substitutes can't compare."

This can be regarded as Thibodeau's alternative tactic. Use the main force to defeat the opponent's substitutes. If you don't want to be widened by a big score, you have to extend the main time. Wait until the fourth quarter, and the Bulls will use their rich experience and physical strength to defeat the opponent.

Of course, on the other hand, the Bulls' main players need to have outstanding physical strength in order for the head coach to have this confidence.

Rose's average playing time this season is more than 35 minutes per game, and Luer Deng's time is approaching 40 minutes, which can be called an iron man.

After coming on the stage, George and Granger performed well, scoring 7 points in a row and overtaking the score.

But what shocked Pacers fans was that in the last minute of the second quarter, Hibbert was called for fouls due to defending Rose, and the number of fouls had accumulated to 3 times.

With Noah's free throw, the Bulls ended the first half 42-43.

"Okay, okay, at least the score can be maintained."

When Pacers fans saw that the team was as expected, playing neck-and-neck with the Bulls, they immediately felt that some of their fantasies might become a reality.

"Actually, if you take a closer look, our lineup is pretty good. Each position has enough combat effectiveness. Hill and Qitian Hansbrough on the bench are also good, plus a few substitute players..."

The Pacers fans wearing jersey No. 33 were a little excited.

"We really might be able to do something this year!"

Granger is already 29 years old. As he enters his prime, he has only one All-Star substitute and the Most Improved Player award. Counting further, he has to count to the Best Rookie Second Team in the 2005-06 season.

If he cannot gain honors in the next two to three years, Granger will not even be able to retain a reputation after he retires.

Without honor, isn’t it just a data brush?

What's even worse is that Granger can't seem to even produce statistics, and he doesn't even have a scoring champion.

Who would discuss a player who can't even score?

Entering the third quarter, Rose began to show his strength, although West hit a jumper, opening the point difference to 3 points.

But Rose broke through and scored consecutively, assisting his teammates to score 6 consecutive points. As soon as the Pacers' defense shrank slightly, he hit a three-pointer from mid-range, scoring 5 consecutive points, leading the score in one fell swoop.

"51-58."

Although West scored in a single inside, Rose hit another three-pointer, announcing the arrival of the Bulls' offensive.

Luer Deng finally woke up and punished the Pacers defense for letting him go with two consecutive three-pointers.

"51-64."

Vogel quickly replaced George Hill. Hill was also very motivated and hit a three-pointer on his debut. However, the Bulls' momentum had already increased. Rose hit his third three-pointer to completely open the score.

The Bulls, who were both offensive and defensive, became more and more brutal. Gibson and Noah blocked shots one after another. At the end of the third quarter, the Bulls already led their opponents by 19 points, 75-56.

The league's No. 1 team, which scored 33-13 in a single quarter and won by 20 points, finally showed its fangs.

"handsome!"

"The bull is invincible!"

"Bloodthirsty Bull!"

As soon as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter, the Bulls fans at the scene immediately burst into overwhelming cheers and shouts, cheering for the home team.

The Pacers fans on the other side became increasingly silent.