The Whip of the God of Basketball

After receiving the MVP trophy, which symbolizes the best player in a regular season, Kevin Garnett shyly lowered his head and pursed his lips, and then raised it amidst the cheers and applause of more than 20,000 spectators at the North Shore Garden Arena. trophy, with a bright smile.

The regular season MVP trophy is named after Maurice Podoloff, the first commissioner of the NBA. It is the highest personal honor for NBA players in the regular season. Any player who has won the MVP evaluation is an amazing superstar. Not only do they He has outstanding personal abilities and has made great contributions to the team and the city. He is an out-and-out winner on the basketball court.

In the 2003-2004 season, no one was more deserving of this honor than Kevin Garnett. His selfless style of play, all-around statistics, strong spiritual appeal, and the Celtics' dazzling record all combined this. A power forward who just arrived in Boston received all-round praise. Perhaps the only dissatisfaction people have with him is that he was not drafted by the Celtics - the previous four MVP players of the Celtics were all drafted by the Celtics, and they all retired with the Celtics. .

But in this era, not many people care about this issue anymore. He came and won, and that was enough.

The brief ceremony ended quickly, and Garnett's face quickly returned to the serious, fierce and even bloodthirsty look it had in the past. This look was all too familiar to Leon. When a wolf is about to fight with an opponent, it will always show its teeth to intimidate the opponent. Garnett is a guy who is good at bluffing. Fortunately, behind the bluff, he does have the ability to change the game.

Tonight is the old rival New Jersey Nets. The outside world is unanimously optimistic about the Celtics. After all, without Garnett last year, the Celtics were able to defeat the Nets and reach the finals. Now the Celtics People's strength has improved qualitatively, and many people think that defeating the Nets will be a piece of cake.

But Leon doesn't think so. He really doesn't pay attention to the Knicks. The Nets are different. This year, the Nets are only fourth in the Eastern Conference and have not won 50 games. The core player Kidd is also suffering from injuries. Leon But I still feel that this team cannot be underestimated.

First of all, the Nets' lineup depth is actually not as good as it was in 2003. They left several capable players, but the main framework is still there. In the third year of cooperation, their play style has become more mature and tacit, and they are a very combative team. .

Secondly, the Nets' style of play continues to focus on outside defense and quick counterattacks. However, they were hampered by the injuries of Kidd and Martin in the regular season, as well as the style of play itself, and their record was average. In the playoffs, this kind of defensive team will be a tough nut to crack regardless of its regular season record.

Third, Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson are more mature. Martin is entering the fourth year of his career, which is also the contract year. He has the best data in his career, including rebounds, blocks, and steals. Setting a new high; Jefferson also grew rapidly. With Kidd suffering from injuries, Jefferson played in 82 games and shouldered the burden of the offense, increasing his scoring average to 18.5 points per game.

Fourth, players such as Kittles and Jason Collins are as stable as ever. Perhaps the Nets' substitutes are not as good as before, but in the playoffs, a stable and solid starting lineup can still allow them to maintain strong competitiveness. . It can be seen from the first round game against the Heat that although the Heat with Wade and Odom showed amazing talent, the Nets can still rely on defense and experience to send them home in the playoffs.

Leon knew that since he had made a vow to sweep, he must fulfill it to the end.

"You must be trustworthy when you come out to play. If you say we will sweep, we must sweep." Leon said to his players before the start of the game. He did not want the players to have any luck or the mentality of playing a game. A truly strong team will not play tricks on its opponents, but must go all out to kill the opponent. This is the greatest respect for the game and the opponent.

At 7:30 in the evening, the game officially started. The Nets, wearing blue and gray jerseys, stood on the floor of the North Shore Garden Arena for the third consecutive playoff year. This team suddenly emerged three years ago and brought a touch of glory to the Eastern Conference. The brilliant team is now gradually entering decline. Three years is a cycle in the NBA, for coaches, players, and teams. Three years will be a hurdle. No matter who passes this hurdle, it will be a new world. If you can't pass it, you will often have to start all over again.

The Nets are standing on this hurdle, just like Jason Kidd dragging his painful knees to stand on the parquet floor. In any case, Kidd hopes to win a championship with the Nets. In 2002, This unexpected Finals always felt like they were completely unprepared; by 2003 they were ready, only to be avenged by a seemingly unprepared Celtics.

Nowadays, no one is optimistic about them anymore. He suffered from knee injuries in the regular season. He can no longer make breakthroughs without slowing down and dunk easily, but he is still willing to persevere. In the summer, Popovich invited him to join the Spurs. At that time, the Boston Celtics had just acquired Kevin Garnett. Popovich told him that you would not have another chance in the East.

But Kidd still refused. He was unwilling to leave the Nets for the championship. This is not a bad team, but a team that has entered the finals and is close to the championship. It is a team with a complete lineup and tactics. He is the core of the team, he is the basketball hero of New Jersey, he is only 31 years old, and he will bring an O'Brien Cup here.

Now, Kidd is standing in the North Shore Garden Arena and feels a dull pain in his knee. He has received enough treatment before the game and his left knee is wrapped with a thick knee pad. That way.

During the scrimmage, Jason Collins touched the ball, and Kidd skillfully took the ball and started to organize the offense.

Before the start of the series, the Nets team also conducted sufficient research and preparation. Head coach Frank believes that how to score in positional offense will be the key. Yes, Frank's request is to allow the Nets to score in positional attacks, because based on video and regular season game experience, the Nets have almost no way to organize an effective offense in positional battles.

The Nets, which lack strong singles points, are almost helpless against the Celtics' new defense. Whenever the Celtics' defense comes into play, the Nets will completely misfire. In this regard, they are not even as good as the Nuggets and Knicks. At least they can add firepower to the team with their sharp singles. The Nets' overall style of play must make breakthroughs in positional battles.

In the first attack at the beginning, Kidd and Martin made a pass. Kidd quickly and covertly passed the ball to Martin, who was at a 45-degree waist position. Then he pretended to rush in, and then ducked outside the three-point line. Martin passed back to Kidd, and Kidd took the ball directly outside the three-point line.

Kidd's three-pointers have always been hit or miss, but his release point has always been very high and difficult to interfere with. When he caught the ball and took off, Arenas had no time to pounce on him.

The ball bounced on the basket twice and finally fell into the basket. He hit a three-pointer. Kidd scored the first point of the game and gave the Nets a good start.

In an away game, a good start is extremely important. This three-pointer undoubtedly gave the Nets a base. They were a little nervous at first, but soon began to relax.

In defense, Frank decided to take the initiative and use a full-court press at the beginning. Kidd and Kittles double-teamed Arenas, almost causing a passing error. In the end, Pierce missed a mid-range jumper and the Nets got the backcourt rebound to launch a counterattack. , Kenyon Martin flew across the half court, Kidd made a beautiful long pass to Martin, Martin dunked, 5:0, the Nets opened with a 5:0.

At this time, Fox-Leon was still sitting firmly on the bench, and it seemed that this situation would not worry him at all.

Then Arenas missed a three-pointer from outside the three-point line. The Nets once again had a chance to counterattack. This time Kidd did not initiate a fast break. Instead, after dribbling the ball past half court, he seized the opportunity and took advantage of a quick break. The pick-and-roll went directly to the inside and made a layup. 7:0, Kidd scored 5 points, giving the Celtics a powerful start.

"Don't relax! It's just the beginning!" Kidd shouted to his teammates after the goal. He knew that just a little advantage in the opening was not enough. The Celtics seemed to have not woken up.

He told himself in his heart that no matter how powerful the Celtics were, he would never give up the idea of ​​winning.

At this time, Leon stood up from the stool, made a gesture to the players on the field, and then sat back down.

After thinking carefully, Leon decided to tear the Nets apart in the simplest way.