The Whip of the God of Basketball

Before the start of the series, with the help of Young and Cowens, Leon understood the basic rotation rules of the Pistons this season. They compiled the Pistons rotation schedule through video and appearance schedules, and put Carlisle in In each quarter, the characteristics of player rotation under different situations are fully grasped. For any team, the rotation of coaches is a key research object for the opponent. In the official playoffs, these will affect the game between the coaches of both sides.

Although they all have relatively fixed rotation characteristics, for different coaches, the possibility of changing this rotation pattern in the playoffs is also different. Some coaches will stick to prearranged rotations regardless of the situation on the field, while others will make adjustments based on the situation on the field. Generally speaking, the former type of coach accounts for the majority, including Leon himself, who is not a coach who likes to change rotations casually.

Changing the rotation according to the situation seems simple, but without sufficient preparation, it is very likely to make the situation worse. On the contrary, sticking to the normal rotation and trusting the players' condition and adjustment ability will often produce better results.

Only when the series goes further and enters the fifth, sixth or even seventh games, and both sides have exhausted their normal moves, will changes be made in more aspects. Carlisle made a major change early tonight, which was to start Prince, and it has already produced very good results. And Leon replacing Wang Zhizhi is just a piece of cake, and the team's main rotation has not changed.

Facing the Celtics' three-pointer, Carlisle hesitated, and finally chose to play Atkins safely. This was the result Leon was waiting for. He guessed that based on Carlisle's character, he made Prince's adjustment. He is close to the limit. In this game, at least in the third quarter of the stalemate, he will not have any more tricks. Even if there is, he will either stay until the fourth quarter or until the next game.

Leon didn't want to give him another chance to play. After the short pause, he made substitution adjustments and replaced Antoine Walker with Steve Cole. The Celtics used one senior and four juniors. A fast offensive lineup!

One big and four small, this formation will often appear in the NBA in the future. In 2003, it was as rare as pandas. Carlisle asked Prince to play power forward, which is a bit like one big and four small. However, in terms of height and wingspan, Prince can barely be regarded as half a power forward, and the Pistons' style of play in this game is still conventional. .

The Celtics' seniors and juniors are completely different. Pierce will assume some of the responsibilities of the power forward on the defensive end, but he is still a small forward in his tactical role. As for the responsibilities of the power forward, the Celtics will shared among the five players.

Carlisle felt bad when he saw Leon's unexpected first-year and fourth-year students. However, the most criticized thing about the first-year and fourth-year students was rebounding and defense. Carlisle didn't think that P.J. Brown could support the Celtics by himself. Inside, no matter how weak Walker is on the defensive end, he is still a 6-foot-9 tall guy. His rebounding ability is above average in the league as long as he tries his best to grab it.

In the Pistons' first offense after the timeout, Atkins came on and replaced Billups to perform ball-handling duties. The burden on Billups' shoulders was much lighter, and he could run back like a shooting guard. Make air cuts to find offensive opportunities.

The Celtics' defense also changed. After Cole came on the court, he began to defend Billups, while Arenas was responsible for Atkins. The burden on Arenas' shoulders was also lightened.

Billups made a circle from right to left, and then got stuck in the low post at 45 degrees on the left. Atkins passed the ball to Billups, and Billups received the ball and beat Cole in the low post. After all, Cole was at a disadvantage in terms of age, height, and weight. Billups turned inside and caught Cole beside him. Then he made a drifting jumper from the front. The ball circled around the basket twice and fell into the basket. Nets.

At 52:55, the Pistons scored a goal. This goal seemed to be a reassurance, making Carlisle think that there would be no problems facing the Celtics' senior and fourth juniors. Maybe Leon would be disappointed because of his hasty substitution. People pay the price.

But what followed was a whirlwind that swept through the North Shore Garden Arena.

After Cole came on the court, it was equivalent to Arenas moving to the shooting guard position, while Reed played small forward with Pierce. With three extremely aggressive forwards and a calm and experienced point guard, Leon himself did not expect what kind of offense they could play.

Cole quickly handed the ball to Arenas across half court, and he and Pierce launched a flash cut tactic in the left half. This is a tactic commonly used by the Celtics to focus on Pierce. Generally, the players supporting the outside line are the team's centers, leaving the inside line empty for Pierce to eat alone.

But now the Celtics only have one inside line, with Arenas, Cole, and Pierce cutting through, while Brown is on the weak side and Reed is ambushing outside the three-point line.

The entire Pistons defense was completely stretched. Pierce and Cole first crossed the screen and caught the ball deep in the low post and beat Prince.

Looking back, the Pistons missed a three-pointer from the outside, and the ball came into Cole's hands again. The Celtics launched their second fast break like a whirlwind in the regular season.

Arenas made a change of direction at the top of the key to get rid of him. He had already held the ball inside to attract the defensive Cole and turned around to pass the ball. Arenas did not completely get rid of Billups, but he couldn't control that much and caught the ball. He just pulled it up and hit a three-pointer, and the ball hit the basket like a cannonball!

A crisp three-pointer! The Celtics' second three-pointer in the second half!

It was not over yet. On the defensive end, the Celtics made gambling-style contractions and double-teams, forcing the Pistons to finally have Prince shoot three-pointers from the outside. The ball deflected wildly, and Brown firmly grabbed the backboard, giving him another chance to counterattack.

Arenas, who had been frustrated for two and a half games, flew towards the frontcourt like a running back. After Cole came on the court, his speed and firepower were released. He no longer needed to think about controlling the ball, he only needed to attack, like a forward!

Arenas' speed is top-notch, Cole's passing is also quite accurate, and he still has plenty of physical strength. After receiving the ball, Arenas used a hip step and changed hands to avoid Billups' interception from behind, and succeeded in a light layup.

Carlisle immediately called a timeout. In less than two minutes, the Celtics had already scored 7 points, opening the gap between the two sides to 10 points.

But not every timeout can have immediate results. The short adjustments and the coach's reprimand did not allow the Pistons to find a feeling on the offensive end. In fact, even if the Pistons can't find the feeling on the offensive end, they can still win, as long as they don't let the Celtics find the feeling. But the problem is that the Celtics' offense feels like this.

One large and four small, the space is completely opened, Arenas is liberated, Pierce, who has no scruples to become the number one offensive point without Walker, Cole, who is experienced and well versed in the triangle offense, is hidden in the corners and darkness. Reid, who will show his fangs at some point, and PJ Brown, the only pillar and guarantee inside, form the Celtics' most powerful fast offensive lineup.

After returning to the court after the timeout, the Pistons' offense was like adding a lid to the basket. Facing the Celtics' expanded defense, the Pistons, whose low-post attack power was not as good as the Celtics, could only rely on Billups. Go post up. Although Carlisle replaced Hamilton, he did not find a good shot opportunity under Michael Reid's strict defense. There was no one in the entire Pistons who could tear apart the opponent's defense!

Once the Pistons failed to attack, the Celtics' counterattack was like waves in a hurricane, one wave after another. They seemed to be back in Waltham and on the training ground. The ball in their hands seemed to be gone. Everything only existed in their minds and nerve reactions. Fox-Leon's explanations and shouting are the only standard. They imagine what may happen and what has happened on the court. Passing, running, and shooting are all smooth and unparalleled. The feeling of the moment of shooting is unparalleled.

Reed hit a three-pointer in the counterattack, Paul Pierce succeeded in a step-back jumper in the positional battle, Paul Pierce assisted Cole and hit a three-pointer, Arenas assisted Brown and succeeded in an alley-oop, and Arenas received a pass from Cole from the bottom corner. The ball hit a three-point shot...

The Celtics launched a 24:5 super attack wave in the middle and late third quarter, which was like a small nuclear weapon, destroying all the Pistons' resistance and hope of victory in a short period of time.

This wave of impact came so quickly that even Leon himself did not expect it. He just wanted to play the card of one big and four small to gain an offensive advantage. At the same time, he believed that the Pistons were likely to be unable to adapt on both offense and defense. The score was drawn.

Unexpectedly, the Celtics, who had been frustrated offensively for several weeks, erupted like a volcano on the offensive end. What also broke out was the enthusiasm of the North Shore Garden fans. Three-pointers one after another made the green elves go crazy.

Carlisle is extremely familiar with this situation, but it's just that he belongs to the green side. His forehead was sweating continuously, and he was feeling confused. Leon's continuous moves, coupled with the psychological interference to him last night, and facing such a huge disadvantage, with more than one quarter left in the game, Deep down, he chose to give up. He gave up the last quarter and this game. In his opinion, after losing this one, there was still a fourth game. If he won the fourth game, the advantage would be back.

But Carlisle still doesn't understand that once the thought of giving up arises, it will be difficult to erase it. He will give up not only this game, but also the entire series. It will take him longer to realize this truth.

In the fourth quarter, the point difference between the two sides widened to more than 20 points. When Carlisle replaced the main players, Leon also replaced those guys who played a dazzling offense, allowing them to enjoy the applause of the home fans.

The Celtics won the battle of Xiaotianwang Mountain and already had the initiative.