Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 333 The season is over; the future is bright!

In the second quarter, Dinwiddie took a break, and Russell continued to play, leading the bench with Hardaway Jr.

Russell's offensive ability is average, but he still has an advantage against the Green Army's substitutes, and he is more reliable than Ferrell, who relies on wind to play.

The other four members of the Nets are LeVert, Hardaway Jr., Wood, and Lopez.

This lineup has a strong three-pointer, as well as Da Luo, an inside lineman who can protect the frame. Apart from poor mobility, it is not weak in strength.

The five Celtics are Rozier, Sean Larkin, Morris, Monroe, and Horford, and they also have no reservations.

In order to strengthen defense, Horford, who only rested for more than two minutes in the first quarter, came up and continued to play. In the playoffs, he has become the Green Army's number one player. He is trustworthy on both offense and defense, and his efficiency is much more reliable than that of 'Ou Shenxian'.

The two sides still took the lead alternately, and the point difference never widened.

LeVert's single defense ability is outstanding. Rozier has no advantage in singles with the ball, so he can only leave it to Horford to support him in the high post, while other players find opportunities to shoot through screens.

Horford plays a very important role in the Celtics this year. Under his organizational connection, the Celtics ball moves very smoothly.

Even role pitcher Sean Larkin played a role in the system. He hit two three-pointers in a row with a catch-and-shoot jumper, which shocked Lu Yong into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Hardaway Jr. did not disappoint. He quickly responded to Larkin on the outside and withstood the Celtics' counterattack.

Five minutes later, Russell took a break and Dinwiddie came up to take over.

Millsap also took advantage of the opportunity to replace Lopez at center to improve mobility and become a small lineup again.

The two sides played a fierce small ball attack. At halftime, the Nets led 69 to 63.

Lu Yong praised the players' performance in the locker room and was very satisfied with the performance in the first half.

The young Nets are already proud to be able to fight the heavily armed Green Army to this extent. After all, the Cavaliers led by James lost a full 1 points in G22 and were beaten from the beginning without the ability to fight back.

Lu Yong still emphasized the offense, allowing players to actively move, catch and shoot through screens, and minimize individual singles.

Postseason star singles is also a tactic, but if the whole game is played like this, it will definitely not be efficient.

What's more, the Nets and Green Army are in a situation where they can't guard each other. After all, the strength of one person is not as good as that of a team.

In this kind of playoffs where the teams are evenly matched, teamwork is the most important thing.

In the second half, the Nets still relied on their weak lead to compete with the Celtics.

Millsap rested for more than 5 minutes in the first half of the second quarter. Including the midfield, his physical strength was almost restored. In this quarter, Horford succeeded several times on his own. After the pick-and-roll, he pulled to the outside and hit a three-pointer. He and his former friends staged a "fraternal" drama.

Entering the final quarter, the Celtics launched a counterattack under the leadership of substitute point guard Rozier, and the unreasonable three-pointers quickly approached the score.

Rozier's three-point shooting percentage in the regular season was 38.1%, which improved to 40.2% in the playoffs. He is very hard at hitting key shots. He is deeply loved by head coach Stevens and is affectionately called the "Prince" by fans.

As the game entered the last half minute, 128 to 127, the Nets only led the Green Army by one point.

Lu Yong sat off the court and did not dare to let down his guard. The fans also held their breath and stared at the court.

At this point in the game, every subsequent attack and defense is particularly important.

The Nets are a team that relies on the depth of its lineup to win. They are not good at playing key balls. They have to try their best to win.

Russell dribbled the ball past half-court to control the time. Mitchell on the weak side went to the top of the arc to catch the ball, gesturing to his teammates to pull away and prepare to challenge Brown.

Until there were 8 seconds left in the attack time, Mitchell started with the ball, dribbling continuously under his hips and breaking through from the right. Brown did not lose his defensive position, covering Mitchell's field of vision with his arms, and he defended well.

However, Brown still underestimated the physical ability of Mitchell, a new guy. He was still very energetic until the end of the game. He accelerated twice and rushed to the basket, and succeeded because of his extraordinary speed.

When Brown reacted and wanted to pull someone from behind for a foul, Mitchell had already reached outside the three-second zone and hit the board with a throw in progress!

"Shh!"

130 is better than 127!

The Nets led their opponents by 11 points in the last 3 seconds. The fans stood up and shouted, their fingers trembling with excitement.

Barkley shouted: "Beautiful! First-year rookie Mitchell completed a personal single against Brown. He got to the basket and hit a throw at the last moment, helping the Nets become invincible!"

"This ball is played so hard. He is worthy of being selected as an All-Star in his rookie season!"

Kenny Smith smiled: "Mitchell is really a big-hearted player. With so many seniors watching on the court, he took the initiative to play key balls. Based on this alone, he is more qualified to be elected than Ben Simmons. Rookie of the Year."

With only 11.3 seconds left, Stevens frowned and called a timeout to arrange the final attack.

And replaced Brown with sharpshooter Sean Larkin, adding a three-pointer.

If the ball misses, the Celtics can only use foul tactics. If the Nets players make one of two free throws, it will be difficult for the game to come back.

As the true brains of the team, Stevens quickly thought about what might happen next, holding a tactical board in his hand and began to draw tactics.

When the timeout ended, the reaction of the Celtics players was not much different from what Lu Yong expected. Instead of pressing the time to the end to win a three-pointer, they planned to complete a quick shot.

In this way, even if the three-pointer misses, the Greens still have time to commit a foul and gamble with a near-zero probability that the Nets will miss two free throws.

Horford covered in the middle and helped Irving, who came out of the screen, receive the pass.

Horford has a strong physique and a large covering area. He can block LeVert who is chasing behind him almost instantly.

However, Lu Yong's final arrangement was to switch defenses infinitely, switching when encountering pick-and-rolls, not afraid of mismatches, guarding against three-pointers, and resolutely not giving the Green Army an opportunity to take shots easily.

When Millsap moved in front of him, Irving hesitated and shot, facing the defense and shooting a three-point jumper. The opportunity was good, but the force was a little weak, and the ball bounced off the edge of the basket.

"Desperate Saburo" Tucker played to his advantage and blocked the backcourt rebound with all his strength. Just as he was about to pass the ball to the defender, Tatum fouled and sent Tucker to the free throw line.

Seeing this scene, the hearts of the Nets fans were in their throats.

Tucker's free throw shooting is the worst among the five players on the court. His season shooting percentage is only 62.5%. The Green Army's foul on him is an opportunity. The probability of missing two free throws is much greater than that of Russell, Mitchell and others. .

Fortunately, Tucker withstood the pressure at the critical moment. The first free throw missed the basket, but the second free throw was made steadily.

131 to 127, the Nets hold a four-point lead.

Lu Yong clenched his fist and waved it hard. This free throw was too critical. There were only 4.3 seconds left. It would be even harder for the Celtics to come back.

Stevens called his last timeout and sent a sideline ball to Irving and Larkin, who were tightly guarded by the Nets. Horford could only pass the ball to Marcus Morris, who was 45 degrees on the left.

Morris used his height advantage to face the defense and shoot hard, but missed the basket due to interference. Millsap grabbed the backboard with all his strength and threw the ball high into the sky. Time ran out quickly.

"Buzz!"    As the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, 131 to 127, the Nets defended the victory without any danger and got a good start with difficulty.

After the game, the players rushed onto the field to celebrate.

They embraced each other passionately, with their eyes full of excitement after winning.

At the press conference, reporters surrounded Lu Yong and asked him to talk about the game.

With a smile on his face, Lu Yong praised the performance of the young players in the team. "I am very happy that the team won the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals. The players tried their best to defend the home court, especially the performance of the young players. I am proud of them."

卢勇没有说一定干掉凯尔特人的话，两队综合实力存在差距，篮网这场能赢已经是队内年轻人超常发挥。拉塞尔24分5篮板8助攻1抢断、米切尔32分4篮板4助攻2抢断，投篮命中率均在50%以上。

No one can guarantee that Russell and Mitchell will break out every game. That sounds very unrealistic.

The Celtics' highest combat power is better than that of the Nets. This is an irreparable disadvantage in the playoffs, so Lu Yong is determined to pursue Durant in the summer to strengthen the team's last shortcoming.

In the second game, the Nets' outside offense really stretched their hips.

At the beginning, it was still a small lineup and the Celtics fought hard to attack. Unfortunately, the Celtics strengthened their perimeter defense. Russell made 6 of 1 shots in the first quarter and was defended to only 3 points.

米切尔倒是攻的很凶，但7投3中的效率也不算高，首节篮网23比30落后7分。

In the second quarter, Hayward stayed on the court to lead the substitutes, and Stevens also played Smart to take charge of defense.

Smart focused all his energy on the defensive end, following Hardaway Jr., who was so entangled that Hardaway didn't even have a chance to take a shot.

Although he will also be left open on the offensive end, this behavior of not taking any action is still very useful. It is not a loss if it offsets Hardaway Jr., and it shows its own characteristics.

The Nets still did not take advantage in this quarter, and the game gradually became passive.

In the second half, the Celtics still went all out, with the main players barely taking a break, vowing to break the Nets' home court.

The big three of Irving, Hayward, and Horford are responsible for the main offense, while the others strengthen defense and look for opportunities to catch the ball and shoot jumpers. On the defensive end, the Celtics strictly guarded against outside shots. Millsap was very efficient at attacking the basket, but his inability to hold up two-pointers could only quench his thirst, but not the urgent need of the Nets, who were trailing by double digits.

The Nets got a lot of shots at the basket, but the score was not close.

The Celtics' defensive talent was completely activated in this game.

In the final quarter, Russell, who had been struggling all game, finally found his touch and hit three consecutive three-pointers from the outside, helping the team recover some points.

Unfortunately, the hole was too big in the first three quarters. The Nets chased for a long time but still failed to come back. They lost the game 102 to 110, and the total score was tied at 1 to 1.

The third game moved to Boston. The young Nets players struggled even more under the interference of away fans.

Mitchell even missed a free throw, but his mental quality is still lacking.

海沃德这场抽风，17投11中，三分球8中5，罚球4中4，砍下31分5篮板3助攻1抢断，命中率64.7%。

Hayward alone scored more points than Russell and Mitchell combined, so the Nets were naturally unable to compete.

Irving didn't perform well, but Horford and Tatum performed steadily. 104 to 116, the Nets lost away game and fell behind 1 to 2 in total.

After three games in the series, everyone felt that something was wrong.

The Nets' outside offense was limited to normal levels, and it was difficult to break through the Celtics without anyone breaking out.

In the final analysis, the core players of the Nets are too young, and there are no top stars in charge. Once they fall into a scoring drought, the team will immediately be in chaos, and there is still a gap between them and the experienced Celtics.

In the fourth game, Lu Yong increased Lopez's playing time, hoping to open up the situation from the inside through the combination of him and Millsap.

The Celtics' strategy of strictly guarding the perimeter has caused a lot of trouble for the Nets newcomers. At this time, it is not a bad idea to go to the wrong side.

Helplessly, Luo appeared in the penalty area and hit casual hooks, but the Celtics were determined to lock down the outside.

With Al Horford guarding the basket, Lopez's shooting percentage of 50% is considered efficient, far from breaking down the defense.

Moreover, playing in the twin-tower lineup, the Nets' quick counterattack was also affected. They could only try to stay in position and fight, and the Green Army's flanks caught the loopholes and scored consecutively.

Russell's offense is also hindered. He can break through and make mid-range shots, but he has no chance of shooting three-pointers.

Although he scored 21 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, his efficiency was average.

115 to 108, the Celtics got the match point 3 to 1.

In the playoffs, few teams can come back from a 1-3 deficit. What's more, the Nets' comprehensive strength is still weaker than the Celtics, and there is basically no way to win three games in a row.

Lu Yong tried many rotation methods, but it was a flaw without top stars. Just like the Hawks, which once ranked first in the league, was invincible in the regular season, it was still difficult to win the championship in the playoffs.

The Celtics' defense is obviously better than that of the Nets, their stars are more mature, and the Nets are at a disadvantage in head-to-head encounters.

After a day off, the Nets returned to their home court for a last-ditch battle, but unfortunately they failed to have the last laugh.

The Celtics smelled like advancing to the finals. The players were in great shape and even shot three-pointers accurately.

They threw 12 three-pointers in the first half and led the Nets by 14 points. In the second half, the Green Army strengthened its defense, withstood three waves of offensive attacks by the Nets, and successfully maintained the lead until the end.

Russell, Dinwiddie, and Hardaway Jr. all had their hips stretched, and their shooting percentages were not high.

Russell made 14 of 5 shots, 7 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists. Although he scored in double figures, his efficiency was very low.

Hardaway Jr. made 11 of 2 shots, 8 of 1 three-pointers, no free throws, only 5 points and 3 rebounds, and his performance was even worse.

Dinwiddie scored 15 points and 3 assists, which was quite satisfactory, but he was unable to lead the team to win.

107 to 122, the Nets suffered the disadvantage of being too young and stopped in the Eastern Conference Finals with a total score of 1 to 4.

After the game, Lu Yong said in an interview: "The team played very well this year. Being able to reach the Eastern Conference Finals has exceeded the management's expectations. We just lost because of experience. I believe that next season, the Nets will definitely make a comeback."

The Nets have not gained nothing. A bumper season is already a surprise. Young players need time to accumulate experience.

The Nets went from last in the league last season to making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

There is no regret in losing. The Nets will only be stronger next year, and they may be able to sign a superstar. The future is bright.

(End of this chapter)