Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

The referee signals for both players to come on stage.

The Pacers' starting lineup is the same as the previous game, with center Hibbert, power forward West, small forward Granger, shooting guard George and point guard Collison;

The Celtics' starting lineup is: center O'Neal, power forward Kevin Garnett, small forward Paul Pierce, shooting guard Ray Allen and point guard Rondo.

Jermaine O'Neal looked at his opponent's Pacers jersey and sighed inexplicably.

A strange feeling reminded him of that day in 2004, the most notorious gang fight in the NBA - the Palace of Auburn Hills. He was playing as a Pacer player at the time and was officially suspended for 15 games. Then O'Neal Jr.

Affected by injuries, his form has declined. Now, he, who originally won a seven-year contract of US$123 million, can only accept a two-year, US$12 million contract with the Celtics, which is close to the mid-level.

"Dudududu!"

The referee blew the whistle to start the game, interrupting O'Neal's memories, and then the referee threw the basketball in his hand straight into the air.

"Snapped!"

Hibbert took the first shot of the basketball and grabbed the ball.

"Defend!"

The Celtics players retreated step by step and kept a close eye on their defenders, showing strong defensive discipline.

"Well, it's really good."

On the sidelines, Celtics head coach Rivers glanced at the defensive assistant with some admiration.

Thibodeau, the previous defensive assistant coach, signed with the Bulls and became the Bulls' new coach after helping the team win the 2008 championship.

Therefore, Rivers extended an invitation to a recently retired player and asked him to become the team's new defensive assistant coach.

The new assistant coach smiled shyly and said to Rivers:

"I still need to study."

As he spoke, he opened his mouth and laughed.

His lips are very thick, and when he smiles his mouth moves to one side, like a fish active in the water.

The masterpiece of his playing days was when Iverson battled OK in the Finals——

Cross the world-famous paintings left on his body.

The new defensive assistant coach is none other than Tyronn Lue, a small guard who has worked with Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Yao Ming.

Garnett's defense was in place, interfering with the opponent's shot, and O'Neal Jr. jumped up and grabbed the rebound under the basket.

"attack!"

Rondo received the pass, quickly dribbled through and ran toward the Pacers' half.

Although the Pacers also emphasized defense, the team had too many newcomers and insufficient tacit understanding. Rondo soon discovered the flaw and passed the ball to the ground.

Pierce received the ball and was about to force a layup. Granger raised his hands and covered him from behind.

Pierce feinted a shot and passed it to Ray Allen, who was running from the outside.

Before George could catch up, Ray Allen jumped high and shot a jump shot in the air.

"Whoosh!"

"0-3."

The Celtics fans at the scene immediately went crazy and cheered when they saw the team's smooth offense at the beginning that was comparable to the championship season.

"Boston!"

"Aaron for three!"

Some people even shouted slogans for the playoffs.

"Watch us rise!"

"As expected of a veteran and strong team."

On the sidelines, watching the Celtics, led by Rondo, perform their duties like precision instruments, showing a very high level of tactical literacy, the Pacers players knew that there was still a lot to go.

Collison advanced with the ball, called West for a pick-and-roll, and passed the ball to Hibbert under the basket.

Hibbert relied on his height to force a layup and help the team regain a victory.

"2-3."

"Defend!"

Pacers fans on the sidelines shouted loudly.

Watching the opponent holding the ball and attacking, Granger and George looked at each other. Now is the time to show off their defensive strength.

Sure enough, George followed Ray Allen closely, and West and Hibbert on the inside also blocked the opponent's inside.

Rondo realized that there was no opportunity to attack, so he handed the ball to Pierce and asked him to hold the ball in singles.

Pierce turned to hitting his opponent, and Granger immediately started to fight.

"snort!"

Pierce smiled contemptuously, turned around and pretended to take action. As expected, Granger was deceived and jumped up.

Pierce immediately collected the ball, turned around, and scored with an underhand layup.

"2-5."

"too strong!"

Celtics fans on the sidelines were amazed. When it comes to offensive skills, Pierce is definitely at the top level in the league.

"Pierce, you are so strong, why don't you dare to play against James in the second game of the regular season?"

In the regular season of the 2011-12 season, the Celtics lost to the Knicks at the beginning, and were subsequently sent to two consecutive defeats by the Heat. Many fans believed that Pierce's absence from the game for some reason was the main reason for the team's failure.

It is indeed the city that is most discriminatory against black people, but someone on the sidelines actually said such a thing.

Pierce didn't know whether he heard it or not, so he turned around and walked away.

Then Pierce made frequent shots, and fortunately the Pacers also fell into the rhythm of the game.

At the end of the first quarter, the two teams were tied 14-14.

A tie is still a trivial matter. The score between the two teams simply makes fans dream of ancient basketball.

"Coach, we may have to make a choice."

Brian Shaw suggested to the head coach.

Although George, Granger and West were able to compete against Ray Allen, Pierce and Garnett, the Celtics' Big Three each performed their own duties. Garnett swept away both inside and outside, and Pierce was the main offensive force.

, Ray Allen is ambushing on the outside, and he can be called the most matching giant.

In contrast, George, Granger and West not only need to develop a tacit understanding, but also have the disadvantages of similar types and overlapping functions.

"Pay attention to the opponent's inside attack, and the main defensive focus is on Pierce."

Vogel listened to the assistant coach's advice and gave instructions to the starting lineup.

Naturally, the substitute lineup came on in the second quarter, with Hill, Duntay Jones, George, Hansbrough and Foster coming on the scene.

The Celtics only replaced Rondo and Garnett, with Dulin and Buss coming off the bench.

"They also plan to use the forwards to transition to the bench lineup phase."

Vogel was surprised. He didn't expect the two teams' ideas to collide.

Next, we can only rely on whether someone from the bench can step up.

He turned to look at Granger who was resting, and gave up sending him on the field. Granger needed to rest to maintain his strength.

"Do you want to go to Qi?"

The emergence of this idea made Vogel himself feel a little ridiculous.

Although Deng Tai Jones is old, he can still play for more than ten minutes as a Jigsaw player. Why would he think about the last rookie?

He turned his head and glanced at Stephenson, ignoring him.

After determining that the inside is the focus of the offense, Vogel plans to cut down part of his playing time, because the defenders who appear in the lineup at least need to pass the ball to the inside instead of holding the ball in isolation.