The Whip of the God of Basketball

In the first half of the game, the Celtics and Spurs were inseparable. In the first quarter, Leon used Arenas' explosive attack to knock Duncan off the court, giving the Celtics a lead in the first quarter. After Duncan reappeared in the second quarter, he was frightened by the risk of a third foul. Duncan was obviously more careful on the defensive end, which gave the Celtics many opportunities to attack the basket at close range.

The three guns of Paul Pierce and Walker, as well as Michael Reid, who have returned, rely on mid-range jumpers to score in the area near the free throw line. This is also the typical play style of the team during Cowens' coaching period with the Celtics. , taking advantage of the players' excellent shooting abilities, constantly using surprise attacks and short passes to create shooting opportunities in the mid-to-close range.

This is a quite retro offensive tactic. In the absence of a super center, mid-range and short-range shots are emphasized in positional battles. The main role of the inside players is to screen and fight for offensive rebounds, focusing on confrontation in the offense. and cooperation with each other, not at all as agile and agile as the previous Celtics.

Charles Barkley was very proud of this, claiming that the Celtics are still playing the same tactical system as the previous month, and did not immediately change their original routine because of Leon's return. The score between the two sides in the first half was 43:39, with the Celtics leading by four points. The pace of both sides was very slow, with few rounds and many fouls. It was like a confrontation between two strong defensive teams.

But Popovich doesn’t think so. This is the second meeting between the Spurs and Celtics this season. Popovich also made preparations before the game and watched a lot of videos of the Celtics during Leon's suspension. He could feel during the game tonight that the Celtics had obvious changes in their style of play.

The first is their fast break. Compared with when Leon was away, the number of Celtic's fast attacks increased significantly. It was only because Popovich and the Spurs were well prepared and did an excellent job of retreating and positioning that they did not let the opponent down. The Celtics played a whirlwind offense that swept away fallen leaves.

Even so, the Spurs were still suppressed by the Celtics, because the rhythm of the game was completely controlled by the Celtics. They could go as fast as they wanted or as slow as they wanted. Popovich tried many times to use timeouts to let the players Suppressing the rhythm of the game, and at several key points, tried to use Duncan's strong singles and strangled defense to turn the momentum over.

However, the Celtics first disrupted Duncan's offense with two fouls and sent him to the free throw line. As a result, Duncan made four free throws and only made two. Looking back, Paul Pierce, who had rested in the first quarter, gritted his teeth and made a three-pointer and a low turnaround jumper to stabilize the situation and not give the Spurs a chance to turn around.

"Two months ago, I was just a kid who only knew how to play with skills and tactics. Today, I have begun to control the situation and play some tricks..." In the Spurs locker room, Popovich recalled the first half of the Celtics game. performance, I can’t help but admire Leon with admiration.

Popovich himself also came all the way from coach Leng Touqing. From the beginning, he maintained the belief of "you can come three ways, and I will go all the way", giving full play to the strength and experience of Duncan and David Robinson. Led the team to win a championship in the shortened season. But then, when Robinson declined and Duncan suffered from injuries, Popovich was repeatedly defeated in the face of the powerful Lakers and experienced Phil Jackson. His shortcomings in on-the-spot command were undoubtedly exposed, and his rigidity in employment was also revealed.

Popovich has improved in both aspects this season. Argentine defender Manu Ginobili has officially become the team's sixth man. You must know that not all substitutes are sixth men, nor are they The number one substitute player is the sixth man. How to make good use of the sixth man and how to control the sixth man's playing time is a big test for a coach's ability to discipline players off the court and his ability to grasp the heat on the court.

In this game, Fox-Leon made Paul Pierce the team's sixth man. During the time when Duncan was off the court, Pierce was able to boldly break into the paint. In the first half, Pierce scored 13 points and 4 rebounds. The ball is the first guarantee for the team's lead.

"We are now falling into the rhythm of the Celtics. We are trying to fight them. Although the shooting percentage on both sides is very bad, we are not slowing down. I can accept not making the shot, but I can't accept it. Getting into a fight, that's not what I want to see." Popovich conveyed his instructions to all the players in the locker room. The Spurs are a team with rigorous tactics and precision. This is related to Popovich's teacher Larry Brown. Brown is a guy who can use a ruler to measure the distance between players.

In comparison, although the Celtics also have a simple and exquisite system, this group of talented young people who can run and jump is obviously more suitable than the Spurs for winning in chaos. Popovich also felt that Fox-Leon was trying to fish in troubled waters.

"Don't be afraid even if it's a random fight, we can still punch them to death." Stephen Jackson interjected, he was wrapping a towel in his hands to wipe his back.

Popovich glanced at Jackson, this guy was still so careless and didn't understand the rules. During the time when Jackson was just signed, Popovich had been worried that this guy would become the second Dennis Rodman. However, after careful observation and training, he found that he was still much easier to discipline than Rodman. Of course, he's still not in Popovich's long-term plans.

Jackson's performance in the first half was indeed the key to the Spurs' ability to hold on to the score. He did not fall behind in the confrontation with Michael Reid. In the first half, he grabbed 4 offensive rebounds and scored 15 points. The team's highest scoring player.

Popovich looked at Jackson's somewhat triumphant look and said: "Focus more on defense. Although you scored 15 points, Reid also scored 11 points and scored 3 three-pointers. This is very Big threat!"

In the Celtics locker room, Leon did not ask Michael Reid to step up his marking of Jackson. Instead, he gave the task of marking Jackson to two other people in the second half.

……………………

"In a close game, the Celtics took the initiative in the first half. Paul Pierce, Michael Reid and Antoine Walker are now the new three firepower points of the Green Army." Charles Barkley The new Celtics' top three were selected, excluding Arenas.

"No, no, no, Arenas' performance was actually more critical in the first half. His two breakthroughs caused fouls and sent Duncan to the bench early. This was the key to the Celtics' lead in the first half." Kenny -Smith believes Arenas cannot be ignored.

"So what? So what if you beat Duncan? He didn't commit six fouls. Besides, Kenny Smith can do this kind of thing, so some people compare you with Olajuwon and Drexler. Are we called the Big Three? No, I am!" Barkley yelled.

"A giant without a championship..." Kenny Smith couldn't help but muttered, which made Barkley quite embarrassed.

At this time, the second half of the game has begun. This time people were surprised to find that the Celtics still did not let Paul Pierce play. It seems that Leon is determined to use Paul Pierce as the sixth man in this game. used.

But the Celtics' starting big man in the second half was not Dalembert, but Chris Anderson. In the first half, Anderson didn't even get playing time. The main substitute inside was Dalembert. In the second half, for unknown reasons, he used Anderson.

Anderson also had a bad time in the month when Leon was away. His playing time dropped sharply. His too slick and passionate style of play on the court was not liked by Cowens. He still preferred solid and tall players. Dalembert. So this month, Anderson encountered a lot of off-field troubles, such as being accused of smoking marijuana in a bar, and he paid less attention on the court.

After Leon returned, Anderson still had no chance in the first half, which made him a little frustrated, but at halftime Leon gave him a task - to deal with Stephen Jackson with Arenas.

"Anderson started in the second half. I don't know what medicine the Celtics coach is selling. Dalembert in the first half and Anderson in the second half. Do you want to rely on Anderson to get rid of Duncan?" Smith said to Leon. The formation was puzzled.

But less than five minutes into the third quarter, everyone could see what Leon meant.

Stephen Jackson soon discovered that the defender he was facing in the offense was no longer Reid, but point guard Arenas. Jackson thought Leon must be crazy and asked the point guard to guard him, but he had a hot touch.

But then he discovered that Celtics insider Chris Anderson was almost following him, just like the shadow of Arenas, coming to double-team and help defend at any time and at any time. He did not hesitate to completely let go of David Robinson and let Robinson complete the job inside. Two unguarded alley-oop dunks.

What's worse is that neither Chris Anderson nor Arenas is a quiet defender like Michael Reed. Arenas' defensive skills are not very good and he is unforgiving. From the first confrontation in the second half, he never finished. No more. Anderson, on the other hand, was silent. He often made small moves toward Jackson after the defense ended and the referee blew the whistle, pulling clothes, pushing people, and stumbling.

Jackson didn't score a point at the beginning of the third quarter. He thought he could lead the Spurs to a comeback in the second half, but he became increasingly angry. Finally, after being forcibly pulled down by Anderson on a breakthrough layup, Jackson became angry and pushed Anderson angrily.

The court suddenly fell into a small chaos. Fortunately, except for a little friction between Anderson and Jackson, there were no problems with the players on both sides. The referee calmed down both sides with a technical foul.

At this time, the score between the two sides was 69:63. Even if Jackson made two free throws, the Spurs were still 4 points behind the Celtics.

Seeing that Jackson was a little unbalanced and missed one of two free throws, Popovich immediately asked for a substitution, replacing Jackson with Ginobili.

When Jackson came off the court, he happened to pass by the Celtics bench and passed by Leon. Leon said in a medium voice: "Before you get angry, weigh yourself."

Leon's words completely angered Jackson, and an astonishing scene occurred. Jackson, who had his head hanging down, rushed to Leon, pointed at Leon's nose and shouted: "Say another thing, I'll interrupt you." nose, you despicable son of a bitch!"

Jackson knew that Leon was definitely the one who was targeted by Anderson in the second half. In the minds of many NBA players, a coach with little qualifications and honors like Leon is not worthy of respect at all.

Jackson undoubtedly thought so too, and he had clenched his fists in anger.

The referee realized something was wrong and rushed over, and the Celtics bench players also stood up to stop Jackson from using force. Popovich took three steps and two steps to catch Jackson.

Only Leon just looked at Jackson with an indifferent face, then spread his hands and silently said three words with an exaggerated mouth shape: "Hit-me, soft. (Hit-me, soft)"

The noisy scene made it difficult for Jackson to hear what the people around him were saying, but he could see clearly the shape of Leon's mouth. He suddenly twisted his body to get rid of Popovich and punched Leon in the face. go.