The Whip of the God of Basketball

Wang Zhizhi's opportunities and number of appearances this season have been reduced to a certain extent compared with last season. The arrival of Kevin Garnett and the growth of Chris Anderson and Dalembert have made Wang Zhizhi's role even more important. Go off the beaten path and develop in the direction of a complete surprise.

However, Wang Zhizhi's condition and strength this season have actually improved compared to last season. Through hard training, good physical conditioning, and learning from seniors and masters after adapting to the Celtic environment, Wang Zhizhi has made great progress. One notable feature is that in many garbage time opportunities this season, Wang Zhizhi does not just throw three-pointers to score as he did in the past. Instead, he participates more in collective offense and defense and plays well.

Because of this, when setting up the playoff roster, Leon still included Wang Zhizhi even though there were some overstaffing of interior players. He didn't get many playing opportunities in the first round, but in the second round, facing the New Jersey Nets, Wang Zhizhi finally played his due role.

Obviously, Continental Airlines Arena is Wang Zhizhi's blessed place. As long as he plays here, he can find the feeling on the offensive end and give the Nets a fatal blow in limited playing time.

After hitting the three-pointer that tied the score, the balance of the game gradually tilted towards the Celtics, because the Celtics had slowly found their offensive feel through cooperation and conduct throughout the third quarter. This is not good news for the Nets. They played well for three quarters, but they are still on the same starting line as the Celtics.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Leon did not hesitate, and immediately all the main lineup came on the field. The troops were very fast. In the last twelve minutes of the fourth quarter, every second was critical.

As soon as the buzzer started in the fourth quarter, the Celtics passed halftime quickly, opened up the four corners, and ran an Eagle tactic. Garnett gave Reid a screen and completely cleared the right side, and then Arenas Forced a breakthrough from the right side, attacked the basket directly, and made a small floater over Collins' fingertips for two points.

This is a bad sign for the Nets. The Celtics' offense seems to be switching back and forth between the team and the individual, which will overwhelm the Nets' defense, which is already struggling to maintain itself.

But the worse thing the Nets faced next was that their offense began to misfire.

In the first three quarters, relying on Kidd's strong and delicate organization, the Nets played very well. Kidd has sent out 15 assists in the three quarters. Tonight, the veteran adjusted his condition to the best, and many fleeting opportunities were missed. Being caught by him formed an effective offense. Even Leon had to admire the point guard's strong observation ability and excellent scheduling level on the court.

However, in the fourth quarter, Kidd's knee began to be unable to hold up. In the third quarter, he began to use ice packs to cool down to relieve the pain in his knee. By the fourth quarter, his pace slowed down significantly. Arenas looked no different from the first quarter, still coming and going like the wind, and starting like a black panther.

Kidd's pace became slower and slower, and he began to be double-teamed by Reed and Arenas in the offense. In this case, Kittles could not share Kidd's organizational burden. In the absence of a singles master, Next, the Nets' offense struggled - just as they had in the first two games.

At 12:3, the Celtics used a 12:3 offensive attack to open the point difference to 9 points in three minutes. Frank had to call a timeout. The fans at the scene began to have a bad feeling. A shadow of possible sweep loomed over their heads.

Sure enough, the timeout cannot improve Kidd's knee injury. Once the Nets are unable to block the Celtics' offense on defense, they will not be able to use effective positional offense to form a tug-of-war with the Celtics. The lineup flaws broke out in this quarter. The Nets could only rely on Martin's stiff little hook and some of Jefferson's post-ups to score points, while the Celtics' offense came one after another.

When the game reached the eighth minute of the fourth quarter, the point difference had been widened to 15 points, and the situation was over. The collapse happened so quickly, and many fans felt extremely disappointed. Some people had already left the game early, and some covered their faces not wanting to watch the Nets continue to be slaughtered.

With less than three minutes left before the end of the game, Fox-Leon finally put down his butcher knife. He called a short timeout and replaced the substitute players to finish the last two minutes.

107:91, the Celtics took away the Nets in the fourth quarter. They defeated their opponents by 16 points in the entire fourth quarter, and the total score became 3:0. No team in NBA history can do so. Come back from behind 0:3. The only question now is whether the Nets can save some dignity for themselves in the next game and drag the series to Boston.

But obviously, Leon and the Celtics didn't want to give the Nets any chance. Two days later, also at the Continental Airlines Arena, the Celtics ended the game in one and a half hours, 98:87. 11 points, the game with the smallest point difference between the two sides, but in fact the Nets had no chance. They were suppressed by the Celtics from beginning to end, completely suppressed.

When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, Jason Kidd stood up from the bench with a towel covering his head, pouting with a look of indifference and numbness on his face, and fell in front of Boston for the second consecutive year. And he fell down without any resistance.

His left leg was slightly lame, and the pain in his knee tortured him badly, but to him, this pain was far less than the pain caused by failure. However, he still walked to midfield, hugged Pierce and Garnett, and congratulated them on entering the Eastern Conference Finals.

Then, he walked forward again, walked to Leon and shook hands with him.

Leon couldn't help but feel a sense of respect in his heart when he looked at the point guard who had been fighting with him for three years.

Three years ago, in the Eastern Conference finals, his Nets blocked the dream of the Celtics and Lakers meeting in the Finals. At that time, Martin was only in his second year, Jefferson was still a rookie, and Kidd almost controlled half of the Nets. He also has quick speed, superior strength for a point guard, outstanding vision, and a bad shot.

Leon still clearly remembers that Kidd and Dennis Rodman were competing for rebounds during the game, and he could even steal the ball from the big bug. In that series, he averaged 11.3 rebounds per game, averaging more than 11.3 rebounds per game. It was 17.5 points, 10.8 assists, a perfect triple-double. It's enough to put guys like Antoine Walker, who averages 8 rebounds per game, to shame.

Three years have passed, and the Celtics have struggled to overcome the smug Nets. This year, they swept this old rival without even trying their best. In the NBA, it can be said that there are three years in the east and three in the west.

Kidd looked at Fox-Leon with a lot of helplessness in his heart. This once unknown assistant coach on the sidelines has now become a terrifying controller. Throughout the series, Kidd could feel that he was being targeted, both offensively and defensively. He knew Arenas wouldn't be that smart. He was a straightforward kid, and only the person in charge behind him would teach him what to do.

Leon succeeded, tearing Kidd and his net to pieces. At the moment the game ended, Kidd even felt that his career was over. He seems to be 40 years old and will leave this stage empty-handed. He didn't put this feeling out of his mind until he hugged and talked to the Celtics players.

The two shook hands on the sidelines, hugged lightly, patted each other on the back, and turned to leave without saying a word.

At the end of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0 and advanced to the next round.