The Whip of the God of Basketball

Wang Zhizhi came back on the court, and he was prepared for offense. Before him, there were many inside players in the NBA who could shoot three-pointers, the most famous of which was Bill Laimbeer, the leader of the bad boys of the Pistons and the source of all evil. But compared with Laimbeer, Wang Zhizhi's defensive and rebounding abilities are basically negligible, which is why Cowens and other NBA coaches look down on him.

How can a 7-foot-1 post player gain a foothold in the NBA? And Leon has found value for him this season. At critical moments, he can score goals from the outside.

His 7-foot-1 height ensures that he is unlikely to be interfered by smaller defensive players on the outside. If the opponent's inside line comes out to defend, sorry, you will be empty inside. The Celtics still have a number of outside attackers who can break into the inside line. .

The reason why there were few such players in the past is simple. Big men were unwilling to practice shooting, and the fierce competition in the NBA made it difficult for big men who had experienced inside fighting to maintain a stable shooting touch.

Wang Zhizhi has a good touch, and Leon doesn't want him to fight inside. After coming to Boston, Wang Zhizhi's shooting training standards are exactly the same as those of outside players. So when he stood confidently outside the three-point line and continued to put his hands on his hips, Kenyon Martin had to keep an eye on him.

The Nets players are highly focused. Scott has just made arrangements on the defensive end, stick to the three-point line, let two points go, and never commit a foul to send the opponent to the free throw line. Therefore, Martin could defend himself without any scruples. Moreover, he had just failed twice at Wang Zhizhi's place, and he felt very angry.

Antoine Walker was tormented throughout the game, and in the end he was taken advantage of by the Celtics' water cooler keeper. He could not tolerate this with his grumpy temper. Before he even thought about the referee's whistle for serving, he had already begun to push Wang Zhizhi with small movements.

Wang Zhizhi was unmoved. Anyway, Leon said that at this time, he was just pretending to attack and scare people. He just stood on the field and pretended. Since Martin was staring at him, his purpose was achieved.

"Beep!" The referee's service whistle sounded, and he handed the ball to P.J. Brown. Apart from him, the other four people on the Celtics court at this time all had three-point capabilities. After Brown received the ball from the referee, he did not hesitate at all, because he knew that as long as he hesitated for a second, their offensive tactics failed because they had no tactics!

Gilbert Arenas was originally standing on the three-point line. He suddenly took a step back and Brown immediately passed the ball to Arenas. Arenas was a big step away from the three-point line, just pulled up and shot!

The ball caught him by surprise, but Arenas was a little far away from the basket and was not fully prepared for the shot. Kidd reacted very quickly and immediately blocked his arm.

The ball drew a high arc in the air. Leon knew from the sidelines that the ball would not go in. It was obviously too weak, but the Celtics still had a chance. The ball hit the front of the basket. Paul Pierce relied on his strong body to withstand two Nets players and grabbed the offensive rebound. Through constant off-ball simulation training, every Celtic player's rebound prediction ability has improved to a higher level.

But Pierce, who grabbed the ball, knew that he couldn't lay up directly under the basket. What they wanted was a three-pointer. There was still enough time, so he found Reid in the corner and passed the ball over.

Under the interference of Steers, Reed didn't catch the ball smoothly, but he caught it anyway. He dribbled the ball and adjusted the space. There was almost no time. In less than five seconds, he took a hasty shot and the ball Hit the basket on the neck!

At this time, PJ Brown had already rushed to the court. This was the Celtics' last chance. All the Nets players crowded around the three-second zone to grab the rebound, and the basket was crowded. Kenyon Martin has the best bounce of anyone on the court. He rushes to where the ball falls and then leaps high into the air. With P.J. Brown squeezing him around him, he can't get the ball down steadily.

So Martin flicked the ball outward like a volleyball player, trying to hit the ball directly over the center line, preferably into Kidd's hands.

However, Martin missed Wang Zhizhi.

From beginning to end, Wang Zhizhi did not take a step toward the three-point line. He just stood there because Leon told him, "At the critical moment, you stand outside the three-point line. It is better than lying in the three-second zone." Stay strong."

Then, Wang Zhizhi waited for Martin's gift package to come, and a flying cross ball fell into his hands.

There were still 1.2 seconds left before the end of the game. Wang Zhizhi did not hesitate. After receiving the "pass" with just the right force and speed, Wang Zhizhi shot a three-pointer directly from the top of the arc. The most deadly move in the eyes of fans at the stadium.

Before the ball was scored, Leon on the sidelines raised his hand, stretched out his index finger, and shouted: "Over-time! (overtime)"

The ball fell hollow and the score was tied, sending overtime.

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A game that could have ended early was dragged into overtime by Wang Zhizhi's three-pointer. And there were three overtimes. Until the third overtime, Kenyon Martin and Collins were both sent off. Paul Pierce suddenly showed his power and took away the game with a three-pointer and a mid-range shot. The Celtics struggled to win over the Nets on the road, and Leon led the team to three consecutive victories after his comeback.

On the bus back to the hotel, there was a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Although this arduous triple overtime made everyone exhausted, what could be more joyful than such a victory?

Wang Zhizhi became the hero of the team. After the game, every Celtic player and staff came to Wang Zhizhi to celebrate with him. Wang Zhizhi also showed a bright smile that he had not seen for a long time, even the youth on his face The pimples are brighter.

The only unhappy person was Antoine Walker. After being substituted in the fourth quarter, he never got a chance to play again. On the contrary, Wang Zhizhi, who came on as his substitute, saved the team.

Although Wang Zhizhi did not perform well in overtime, Leon still played the whole game with Chris Anderson at the power forward position. Walker asked Leon twice to replace him on the court, but Leon ignored them, which made Walker I was quite annoyed, but I didn't dare to say it in front of everyone.

The current Celtics are no longer Walker's Celtics, this is Pierce's Celtics, and Pierce is Leon's most staunch and loyal supporter. Nearly half of the players came to the Celtics. Related to Leon, they are all disciples of Leon.

Walker began to realize in despair that as the team's former top star, it was not impossible for Fox-Leon to eliminate him from the main lineup.

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Because the game ended too late, the Celtics team stayed in New Jersey for another night. The next morning, the team flew to Detroit to prepare for the game against the Pistons tomorrow.

On the afternoon of the 14th, the Celtics conducted pre-game team training in the training hall. During the media interview period during the training, Leon was asked why Walker was not allowed to play in last night's game until overtime. Let Walker get a chance to play, Leon replied: "Injury, Walker's ankle is not comfortable, I can't hurt my players just because of one game. So I tried to let other players come on, Wang's performance was very good, out of the Unexpectedly, this makes up for Walker's vacancy. Of course, Walker is still indispensable, and he will play in tomorrow's game against the Pistons."

"Will someone not play?" a reporter asked, a very nonsensical question, but Leon actually answered, he said: "Yes, Paul Pierce will not appear on the court tomorrow. His groin is not feeling well. It’s obviously not easy.”

Paul Pierce scored 37 points in yesterday's game against the Nets, which is the foundation and guarantee for the team's victory. However, Leon said in the interview that if he is not allowed to play, he will not be allowed to play.

Pierce got the news after training. He immediately found Leon and asked: "Coach, why did you say I won't play in tomorrow's game? I'm still in good condition. There's nothing wrong with my whole body. I don't need it." Rest, I need to play."

Leon replied patiently: "Believe me, Paul, you need to rest. You rest not for yourself, but for the Celtics. Think about the playoffs, think about our ranking, think about our Opponent. I made my decision after considering many factors. Of course, I know I will be lectured by Angie again the day after tomorrow when I return to Boston... But, trust me. Let Reisert take good care of your knees tonight."