basketball scientist

On January 21st, the Hawks visited TD North Shore Garden Stadium to challenge the top team in the NBA.

Boston is a famous sports city in the United States. With 16 championship trophies and 23 retired jerseys, the Celtics are not even the protagonist of Boston. The New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and Boston Red Sox are in their respective leagues.

They all belong to powerful teams.

The strong sports atmosphere is on the one hand, the residents of this city are good at striving for the greatest home court advantage for the home team, and it is also an important reason why they have won many championships.

The Celtics are the best team in the league at using "outside moves". They will make a fuss about air conditioning, they will adjust the height of the basket, and they use special floors to interfere with the opponent's dribbling. Even in the early years,

When teams didn't have dedicated chefs, they would start with their opponents' meals.

In this game, during the shooting practice before the game, there was another "problem" with the air conditioning on the Eagles side. The players did not sweat no matter how they warmed up, and the air did not come out normally until 5 minutes before the start of the game.

"This is just the regular season! What about the Celtics?" Ke Yan was speechless.

As for whether it will happen or not, it is not up to Ke Yan to decide. The Celtics feel that the Hawks are an opponent worthy of "respect", and they also expressed their "welcome" to the Hawks in their own way.

After the start of the game, the young players on the Hawks side were obviously affected by the lack of preparation before the game. Paul's "killer" mid-range shot was missing, and there were even rare dribbling errors. Josh Smith also appeared on the counterattack.

Pushing forward with the ball, it was a low-level mistake to dribble the ball to the feet!

On the other hand, the Celtics raised their defense to the highest intensity at the beginning, quite like "killing you while you are sick". With the cheers of the home fans, they widened the point difference all the way.

Not to mention the players, even Ke Yan was oppressed by the atmosphere of the TD North Shore Garden Arena. The sense of oppression given by the Celtics fans even exceeded the atmosphere created by the Spurs fans in the playoffs last season and even the tiebreaker.

At 32:19, the Celtics established a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and their 19-point score was also the first time in the season that the Eagles "scored no more than 20 points in the first quarter."

During the break, Ke Yan made personnel adjustments and allowed the main lineup to continue playing at the beginning of the second quarter, catching the Celtics off guard.

Facts have proved that Ke Yan's strategy has achieved good results. Facing the Celtics' bench, the Eagles started with a 7:0 start, narrowing the point difference to 6 points.

Rivers called a timeout in time, fed the players a bucket of chicken soup, and then...continued to play as a substitute lineup.

Good guy, are you looking down on the eagle?

After returning from the timeout, Delonte West came up and attacked Paul, causing Paul to foul, and then made two free throws to stop the team's bleeding.

Before Rivers could grin, the Hawks' frontline arrived again. Paul and Diaw played a high pick-and-roll, assisting the French magician to hit a three-pointer at the top of the key. (34:29)

Rivers: "???"

Diaw's three-pointers are occasionally impressive, but that doesn't mean you can really let him go.

Next, the Celtics still did not pay attention to the defense of Diaw. Perhaps they were too afraid of Diaw's passing. LaFrentz always gave way when defending Diaw, leaving all the space outside the free throw line.

Gave it to Dior.

Then just shoot~ Diaw made three of five shots from mid-range and long range, leading the Eagles to another 12:4 wave of attacks, directly overtaking the score. (38:41)

The lead gained through off-court moves in the first quarter was gone, and the home fans were quite speechless. On the contrary, Reeves was still shouting during the timeout: "The main players of the Eagles have played for 15 minutes, and their physical strength is not as good as

We, the advantage is mine!"

After returning from the timeout, the Celtics' main lineup returned, while Ke Yan withdrew the Eagles' main players. Before the ball was released, Ke Yan called another timeout, disrupting Rivers' arrangement.

There is a saying that goes, "Go strong in one go, then wane again, and then lose it in three." Rivers stacked all kinds of buffs on the players during the first wave of timeouts. After coming on the stage, the players were full of momentum, ready to go, and vowed to regain the lead.

, at this time, Ke Yan called another timeout, which exhausted the Celtics' buff time.

The offensive tactics were arranged around Pierce, and with second-year rookie Al Jefferson on the inside to echo Pierce, the Celtics' offensive performance was pretty good.

However, Jefferson is a double-edged sword for the Celtics. Although he is still a second-year rookie, Al Jefferson's low-post offensive skills and close-range attack skills are already among the best in the league; however,

His lack of height and slow movement also made him easy to target on the defensive end. He could not limit David Lee alone, which directly dragged down the Celtics' overall defense.

With the full use of the three armies and proper tactical planning, the Eagles' substitute players successfully stalled the Celtics' offense. When the Eagles' main lineup returned, the team was only 1 point behind the Celtics.

After halftime, the two sides were tied at 54. The Eagles smoothly weathered the Celtics' dirty tricks! Bringing both sides back to the same starting line!

During halftime, Ke Yan mocked the Celtics in the locker room, claiming that in Europe and the United States, except for Barcelona in La Liga, he had never seen such a "shameless" team, and even directly questioned Ke Yan.

The 16 championship trophies won by the Celtic ancestors were all obtained by these "underhanded" methods to stimulate the anger in the players' hearts.

Although the players don't know why Barcelona offended Ke Yan, they themselves are somewhat dissatisfied with Celtic's underhanded tactics.

Ke Yan is a coach with a bit of a "tactical mystique". He believes in defeating opponents on the court with dignity. He has never suggested that his players use destructive actions to hurt others. He even rarely uses shark-cutting tactics when he can hold the situation.

.People like him are even more disdainful when facing a team like the Celtics that "does everything".

At the beginning of the second half, the Eagles continued to capitalize on Al Jefferson. Paul and Joe Johnson used pick-and-rolls to train Al Jefferson.

Rivers is a ruthless man who has been reversed three times in a 3:1 lead in his coaching career. If you say he only knows how to make chicken soup, it is impossible without his tactical skills. There is no other player in the league who has survived for more than 20 years just by making chicken soup.

, and is a head coach who is frequently favored by strong teams.

In addition to uniting the team, Rivers' pre-game arrangements are absolutely top-notch, and he is willing to delegate power and let his assistant coaches help build the team's offensive and defensive system. From this point of view, Rivers is more like a "coaching team"

"He is a qualified boss. But his shortcomings are more obvious. He is not good at responding to situations.

In the second quarter of the game, Ke Yan used the main lineup to face the Celtics substitute players, and evened the 13-point difference in one fell swoop, and then overtook the score. He watched helplessly from the sidelines with no solution; in the third quarter of the game,

Seeing Al Jefferson being pulled out by Paul and Joe Johnson, he also had no way to deal with it. He just hoped that Al Jefferson would make up for the points lost on defense on the offensive end!

In the first half of the third quarter, Jefferson was able to rely on his solid basic skills and stable post-up to play with good efficiency and deal with the Hawks; however, the post-up attack in the low post was worse than the small hit after the outside pick-and-roll.

It took a lot of energy. As time went by, Al Jefferson's physical fitness began to decline, and his offensive efficiency plummeted!

Al Jefferson couldn't hit the ball in. Diaw immediately launched a fast break after grabbing the rebound, running back and forth at a fast pace. The Celtics were no match for the Eagles!

The Eagles won by 12 points in a single quarter, and the two sides battled to a score of 78:90, entering the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter of the game, Rivers replaced the more experienced veteran LaFrentz and launched a counterattack around Paul Pierce, which achieved good results.

However, Ke Yan did not make the mistake of Rivers, with a 12-point advantage, he played steadily and successfully defended the game.

105:114, the Eagles won away from home and won three consecutive victories, once again widening the gap with the Nets behind them. (29-13)

At the press conference after the game, without waiting for reporters to ask questions, Ke Yan took the initiative to talk about the Celtics' "dirty tricks."

"Before the start of this game, there was a sudden problem with the air conditioning on the Eagles side of the TD North Shore Garden Arena, which caused the Eagles players to become uncomfortable during the pre-game warm-up. If this situation occurs, we will lodge a complaint with the league.

Complaint." Although the team won the game, Ke Yan was not prepared to trivialize the matter and still decided to seek justice for the players. "The NBA is a league with an output value of more than 4 billion US dollars. This should not happen."

"It's not difficult for the Eagles to win this game..." A reporter stood up.

But as soon as he was halfway through his words, he was interrupted by Ke Yan waving his hand.

"What I want to emphasize is that the Celtics have won 16 NBA championships. They will never be an easy team to beat!"

This was originally Ke Yan's "self-effacing" statement, but to the ears of pro-Celtic reporters, it seemed to have another meaning.

The Celtics' 16 championships were won through outside moves?

If Ke Yan knew what they were thinking, he would definitely cry out that they were wronged, because he was indeed very proud that the team defeated these little tricks that defeated the opponent head-on!

"After defeating the Celtics, the Hawks are only one game away from the Heat. The Hawks will face the Heat in the next game. Are you confident that the gap can be narrowed?"

"In my opinion, the Heat are the strongest team in the league. We can only play with a fighting spirit." After a moment of silence, Ke Yan said.

Ke Yan's usual interview style is relatively conservative, which can be seen from the fact that he now talks about "aiming for 39 wins". He rarely speaks loudly before the game starts, or says some cruel words that he feels are hopeless.

"With me here, James can't win the championship."

"I'll teach you how to win."

“not1,not2,not 3……not7”

"I'm not leaving Cleveland."

After returning to Atlanta, the Hawks didn't have much time to rest. They immediately faced the Miami Heat, ranked second in the Eastern Conference, back-to-back.

This season, the Heat have strengthened the team's role player lineup and successively introduced players such as Jason Williams, Jason Kapono, Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, etc., and their strength has been significantly improved. However, for the team

The biggest reinforcement is that Pat Riley personally took up the coaching staff and became the team's head coach.

Pat Riley personally serves as the team's head coach, which will boost the confidence of a group of Heat veterans who are aiming to win the championship. This is the same as the Lakers choosing Phil Jackson instead of Ke Yan. No matter how talented these young coaches are, they will lead the team.

No matter how outstanding the results were, before winning the championship, these old coaches were not as dignified and able to control the players.

In this closely watched battle for second place in the Eastern Conference, the Heat are clearly superior. In addition, the Hawks are playing back-to-back games and are at a clear physical disadvantage. They cannot stop the Heat's offense. O'Neal and Wade,

For the current Heat team, there is almost no solution.

The final score was fixed at 87:102. The Eagles lost at home. While their three-game winning streak was ended, the gap with the Heat was widened to two games.

After the game, Pat Riley did not leave Atlanta with the team immediately. Instead, he specifically contacted Hawks general manager Larry Sands and once again proposed a trade intention, hoping to get James Posey!

Pat Riley is also considered to be the most well-known figure in the NBA. He personally organizes the game. No matter how much Larry Sander and Keyan don't want to discuss the transaction, they still have to give this face.

In a hotel conference room, Larry Sander and Ke Yan met Pat Riley, who looked like the "godfather of gangsters."

After a brief exchange of greetings, Ke Yan was ready to express his attitude to Pat Riley, that is, he would not consider trading Posey.

"Stop!" Riley stretched out his hand to stop Keyan from speaking, and continued, "How about you let me make an offer first, and you can think about it later?"

"Of course." Ke Yan stretched out his hand and gave up the initiative to speak.

"Kimi, actually you understand that at this stage, the Eagles do not have the strength to compete for the championship. Your championship window will be in two years, and Paul will truly mature to the level of a quasi-star or even a superstar," Pat Riley said.

, "As for the Heat, it basically depends on these two seasons."

"..." Ke Yan raised his eyebrows but didn't say much.

He half agrees with this. The veterans of the Heat are indeed only looking forward to one or two seasons. But with him building the team, the Hawks will be able to enter the first tier next season and participate in the championship. For this, he has considerable

grasp.

"So I have to sacrifice the future of the team in exchange for the most immediate combat power to enhance the Heat's hopes." Pat Riley said, "On the road to the championship, the Heat can no longer brake."

Although this is just Pat Riley's "negotiation skills", Ke Yan still appreciates the other party's all-or-nothing attitude towards the goal. When the team is in a championship window, it should regard winning the championship as its only goal. What a luxury

Taxes, the future of the team, should all be put on the back burner.

If we can win a championship, it will be a huge improvement for the team!

"I plan to use Jason Kapono's team's 2008 first-round draft pick and the 2009 exchange rights to trade James Posey." Riley said in a very "embarrassed" manner, "I will exchange Posey for two draft picks.

, it is indeed a great value for you.”

That's right, your first-round pick in 2008 was the second pick, so of course it's worth a lot!

But if Ke Yan makes money, he also has to spend his life! Posey is an important part of the Eagles' tactical system, especially on the defensive end. He needs to match up with the opponent's main scorer on the outside. If it were replaced by Kapono, he would be waiting.

Let's be blown away on the defensive end!

"Mr. Riley, it's too early to talk about draft picks after two and a half seasons. And I can also say that even if the strength of the Heat's veterans declines, with you and Wade here, the Heat can't fall.

Out of the top six in the Eastern Conference." Key Yan said, "The most important thing is that I no longer have a small forward to use. You can see that after sending away Barnes, I have now asked Josh to return to the small forward position to help.

We are also short on staff, so...I'm sorry."

"Kimi, you're not going to trade Posey for the No. 1 pick, are you?" Riley said exaggeratedly, "And Jason Kapono is a good small forward, and his outside shooting percentage is better than James Posey.

It's high, but the defense is weak. This shortcoming is magnified in the championship team. For your run and gun tactics, I think he can provide outside fire support."

"Sorry, I don't really like this type of shooting wing." Ke Yan shrugged and declined, "Mr. Riley, I'm sorry. If it was a month ago, when Matt Barnes was still on the team,

If you are willing to give such a bargaining chip, I will consider it. After all, at least we still have Barnes to use! But now, the Eagles have no one available on the wing."

Under the table, Larry Sander was kicked, and then he echoed: "Mr. Riley, even if Kimi agrees to this deal, it will be difficult for me to accept it. We have not made the playoffs in nine seasons.

Yes! It’s hard to see hope this year. I really can’t afford to lose anything.”

Between singing and harmonizing, Ke Yan and Larry Sander left Riley speechless!

"Okay, I'm going to talk to the Grizzlies about Shane Battier. Excuse me." Riley nodded, his expression returning to seriousness.

After dinner, Larry Sander drove Keyan home.

"What do you think of this deal?" Ke Yan suddenly asked.

"ha?"

"On the trade plan proposed by Pat Riley."

"What I want to say has already been discussed at the conference table!" Larissade glanced at Ke Yan, "You don't have any ideas, do you?"

That was the Heat's pick in 2008! Do you have any ideas?

"I'm telling the truth. If Matt hadn't left, I would really be willing to make this deal!" After saying this, Ke Yan looked at Larry Sander with a smile.

"..." After a moment of silence, Larissade finally realized the profound meaning behind Ke Yan's seemingly meaningless words.

If Pat Riley can find a Barnes-type player for Ke Yan with two draft picks as compensation, Ke Yan can accept the downgrade from the small forward position!

As for finding people, recruiting third parties, and negotiating, leave it to Pat Riley!

If we can't find it or reach an agreement, the Eagles won't lose anything.