NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 257: Strength doesn’t allow it ([-]-word chapter)
2002年5月8号，NBA联盟公布了01~02赛季最佳新秀阵容：

The five members of the first team are:

Tony Parker, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, Andrei Kirilenko, Pau Gasol

The five members of the second team are:

Jamal Tinsley, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Eddie Griffin, Vladimir Radmanovic, Selke Rebrasha.

The ripple effect after the announcement of the All-Rookie Team is:

"Michael Jordan ruined Kwame Brown!"

Of course, the failure of two high school genius big men, Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry, to be selected also triggered criticism from ball commentators.

The Bulls and Hawks are both bad teams. Under such circumstances, it is really unjustifiable that the rookie's statistics are too low.

Before entering the league, Eddie Curry spoke loudly, but as the team's performance declined, the "little shark" also fell silent.

The failure of several high-ranking rookies to be selected for the All-NBA Team also reminded the rookies participating in this year's draft that not every team is suitable for the growth of rookies!

If you want to get more playing time and more data, the external environment is more important.

02 is not a big year for the draft, but many football commentators have begun to pay attention to big men from the East.

There have been players like this in the league who are over 2 meters tall. The Knicks' old rival Rick Smits left a deep impression on New York fans.

However, with the rise of Li You in the past two years, the super center's championship has been seriously doubted.

More importantly, big men are really difficult to defend against pick-and-rolls, and many teams have begun to abandon their previous team-building ideas.

Fans may be curious about how the big man from the East will perform, but teams pursuing championships still place more hopes on outside players.

After Michael Jordan, a transcendent shooting guard, combo guards have become the favorite of ball commentators.

On the morning of the 8th, everyone from the Knicks set off for Boston. The Eastern Conference semifinals G3 will officially start at 19:[-] tomorrow night.

In both home games at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics lost by big margins.

In the G1 game, 83:105, we lost by 22 points. In G2, we lost another 88 points, at 103:15.
One is just following a blind throw, and the other is trying to slow down and drag the Knicks into a positional offense.

The Celtics' forward group did not play much role, especially in the G2 game. In the half-time stalemate, they only scored 34 points in the second half.

Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce took turns in two games. The main attacker was unable to carry the offense, and the Celtics collapsed early.

The two teams are not far apart. After arriving in Boston, the Knicks checked into the hotel. At this time, head coach Thibodeau was no longer nervous and accepted interviews with media reporters calmly:

"The Celtics are a great team, and the championship banner above the arena is the best proof of that."

"We will not relax at all for tomorrow night's game. In the first round, they overcame three games in a row after being two games behind. This will never happen to the Knicks!"

Reporters from the Boston Globe didn’t like this answer, but after two games, they also discovered the team’s biggest problem:

"The stars are not good enough."

On the other side, a reporter from the Boston Business Journal interviewed Li You while the Knicks were checking in, but the two of them were not talking about tomorrow night's game:

"Li, it is said that you have acquired a lot of British football club stocks in the secondary market. Do you plan to hold these stocks for a long time?"

Li You, who was pushing a small suitcase, didn't expect that the Boston business magazines would get the news, but for this kind of problem, he naturally had to follow He Xini:
"Yes, it was an easy investment at this time. I love sports, whether it's basketball or football, I love them all."

“As for those stocks, I think they will bring me some profits in the future!”

Purchasing stocks from the secondary market is a bit confusing. Judging from the current development trend of Manchester United, this investment can be regarded as a sure profit without losing money.

Li You, who was wearing a black printed T-shirt, answered casually, and several media reporters didn't think much about it.

Naturally, it is not a simple matter to acquire a team in the UK. It is not only market behavior, but also often takes into account government factors.

No one thought about acquisitions. After all, most British football clubs are losing money, and those who play football are mostly the personal preferences of wealthy people.
Coming to Boston, everyone on the Knicks team was equally confident. Two big wins showed that their opponents were no different from the regular season.

Even with a strong forward group, it's useless if they can't make a shot.
There was only one game that night, 78:88. The Nets narrowly defeated the Pistons. The situation in the Eastern Conference had become clear. Kidd, who had just arrived in the Eastern Conference this season, seemed to be touching the floor of the Eastern Conference Finals!
In TNT's post-game commentary, although the Nets won the game, no one in the trio was optimistic about this team.

基德18中5，砍下11分3篮板6助攻1抢断的表现让人看得直挠头，总有一种球队老大要靠角色球员爆发的错觉。

Kenny Smith, as always, did not speak ill of the players, but praised Kidd's performance:
"On the defensive end, Kidd limited Atkins to 10 of 2. Excellent defense is the guarantee for the Nets to win. Maybe they can reach the finals!"

Charles Barkley flipped through the technical statistics and said unceremoniously:

"Forget it! Kidd may be able to limit the Pistons' backcourt to the point where it's difficult to score, but he won't be able to take any advantage against the Knicks."

"Not only that, Kidd will also pay the price for his shooting ability. Lee doesn't even need to interfere too much. Maybe this guy can miss the ball by himself."

"Whether others admit it or not, the Knicks are extremely dominant whether they face the Celtics or Nets."

"With 61 wins, Lee will enter the finals again this year, entering the finals for 5 consecutive seasons!"

Although everyone thought so, they couldn't say it out loud. Ernie Johnson glanced at the big mouth helplessly and could only continue the topic:
"If the Knicks get a match point tomorrow night, the suspense of the series will indeed end."

"How should the Celtics adjust? They lost both games by big margins!"

Before Kenny Smith could express his point of view, Charles Barkley quickly took over and said seriously:

"Unless Anthony Walker can hit those bad shots, the Celtics aren't going to have a chance."

Not paying attention to the looks of his two partners beside him, Charles Barkley quickly said again:
"I stick to my previous point. Maybe the Celtics' team building ideas are fine, but they lack real star players."

"There is also a gap in strength among all-star players. If they want to become a championship team, they need a real core!"

Hearing these words, Kenny Smith subconsciously rubbed his eyebrows. Once the show is broadcast, there is a high probability that there will be another complaint. The Celtics have a lot of fans.

On the evening of May 5, more than 9 Celtics fans entered the Fleet Center Arena early.

The time has not yet reached 19 o'clock, and the arena has become extremely noisy. After many years of silence, the fans have once again reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the fans are naturally enthusiastic.

After two games, Pierce's good mood was gone. Not long ago, he mocked McGrady for being an inefficient scorer, and now he boomeranged him in the face.

He no longer mentioned "good brother Li You" during the interview. Pierce finally understood the feelings of a certain star.
Antoine Walker has been taking shots from beyond the three-point line for two consecutive games. He becomes a hero when he scores, while Blacksmith is destined to become the scapegoat.

The good reputation of winning against the Magic disappeared, and the reputation of being an "inefficient brush" returned to his head.

The two core players did not give too many interviews. Head coach Jim O'Brien no longer accommodated the players after returning to the home court. He made his position clear in the interview before the game:
"We will hit the ball to the basket more, and at the same time, we will also enforce double teams more strictly!"

Fed up with the lackluster shooting of its core players, the Celtics coaching staff has warned Antoine Walker.

No one wants to bet on his touch anymore, and the same goes for Celtics fans. They would rather see everyone on the home team miss the basket from mid-range than see three-pointers being counterattacked wildly by their opponents.

The game hadn't even started yet, and while Li You was warming up and shooting, boos broke out in the arena.

Grant Hill was used to this kind of away treatment. During the warm-up, he chuckled twice:
"Maybe when you retire, these fans will cheer for you. Most fans in the Eastern Conference don't seem to like you."

The team rarely achieved good results, but had to exit quickly after entering the playoffs. Li You can also understand the feelings of these loyal fans:
"As long as they win enough, even if they are opponents, they will still like the Knicks."

Hearing Li You's words, Artest on the side did not agree. The main reason for this was the New York fans. This season they received much more boos than the previous two years.
The Knicks finished their warm-up calmly. On the other side, the Celtics coaching staff kept the players talking.

In the life-and-death battle, in addition to shortening the rotation, the defensive strategy was also adjusted. Head coach Jim O'Brien seemed not to be at ease, and in the end he did not forget to remind the team's core players loudly:

"Hit the ball inside and we have to score close to the basket!"

Antoine Walker felt a little impatient, but he didn't want to waste money in front of the home fans.

When the players from both sides came to the center of the field, the noise in the stadium became louder and louder.

As Gasol moved the ball to half court, the defensive shouts immediately sounded:
"Defense!."

In the first offensive round, Li You had just passed half court, and Pierce on the right wing immediately stepped forward to double-team with Kenny Anderson.

There was still some distance from the three-point line, and there was a double-team at this position. Li You didn't care and quickly passed the ball to Grant Hill who was in charge.

While Peasel returned to defense, Eric Williams gave up Artest in the right corner and immediately conducted a defensive rotation.

The Knicks had just settled into position at this time, and the big man was still on the baseline. When Artest received the ball, there was no one in front of him to defend him. He noticed the situation inside and hesitated before taking a jump shot.

"state!"

The shot was in the open, and the rebound was protected by Tony Barty. The stadium was filled with cheers for a while.

It's just that the fans of the Celtics were happy too early. In the offensive round, Kenny Anderson was pressed by Li You, who was leading the defense, and he couldn't hold his head up.

The depressed Artest pursued Pierce. When the two came to the right wing, Kenny Anderson failed to pass the ball in time and stopped the ball at the top of the key.

Eric Williams originally wanted to ask for the ball from behind at the left elbow, but Grant Hill was not polite and kept moving forward to block the passing route.

The attack time exceeded 15 seconds, and the Celtics finally followed the old routine again. Antoine Walker came to the top of the key to receive the ball.
The prepared tactics failed again. Kenny Anderson moved to the left flank and shouted to his teammates to open up the offensive space.

After catching the ball, Kurt Thomas still lowered his body center of gravity, released his shot to prevent penetration, and first tested the opponent's shooting touch.

After a series of tentative steps, Antoine Walker released the ball with his right hand, suddenly lowered his center of gravity, quickly in and out, and immediately accelerated to break through after shaking.

Instead of choosing a jump shot, he grabbed half of his body and went straight to the basket.

Kurt Thomas slid quickly, but his opponent still found an opportunity. He broke through to the lower right side of the basket and faced the block. Antoine Walker leaned back and threw the ball toward the backboard with his right hand.

"Boom!"

Helping the Celtics open the scoring, Antoine Walker also pumped his fist in celebration.

By opening up the space for star players to play in isolation and no longer throwing around three-pointers, the Celtics seem to be on the right track.

Sensing the opponent's defensive changes, Li You took the initiative to speed up the offensive rhythm. This kind of double-teaming also occurred in the regular season.

After halftime, he quickly passed the ball to Gasol at the top of the arc. Then Li You ran without the ball, slid to the right and then accelerated to reverse run. The moment he took the pass from hand to hand, big man Tony Barty came up with a delay. .

Kenny Anderson followed up and pursued the defense again. Before the two were encircled, Li You took advantage of the situation and passed the ball to Gasol.

Approaching the free throw line to catch the ball, Antoine Walker inside also rotated quickly, but Gasol was tall and had long arms. He raised the ball with both hands and threw the ball to the upper right side of the basket.

Kurt Thomas jumped up and picked up the ball in the air, and easily smashed the ball into the basket!
"Shh!"

The smooth cooperation easily disintegrated the Celtics' defense. The fans could only boo again and then continued to cheer for the home team.

Realizing that his players had forgotten their defensive principles again, head coach Jim O'Brien on the sidelines kept reminding him loudly.

Paul Pierce, who was engaged in the offense, didn't pay attention to the coach's shouts at this time. After receiving the ball with his back at the right elbow, Artest defended him again.

After getting the ball, it was difficult to release the ball. As a last resort, he released the ball with his left hand after a series of tentative steps. Pierce took a step and immediately retreated, facing the defense for a mid-range jumper.

Seeing Gasol collect the rebound and throw the ball to Li You who was receiving the ball near the right sideline, Kenny Anderson immediately committed a tactical foul, destroying the Knicks' transition attack.

As the game progressed, in the NBC commentary box, Mike Fratello watched the two sides begin to strike again, and couldn't help but praise the Celtics' game strategy:
"Coach O'Brien did a good job of limiting the opponent's transition offense, but all they have to do now is get the ball to the basket."

"The Knicks wasted some opportunities and had some issues with their shooting tonight."

第1节比赛进行到6分13秒时，皮尔斯两罚全中，比分来到8:8。

After most of the quarter, the Celtics' crazy double-teaming effect was very obvious.

Li You was still not in a hurry after receiving the ball. This stalemate could not continue to grow. He only needed to patiently toss the opponent's defense. As the game time went by, the intensity would naturally decrease.

"Defense!."

Although the score was not high, the fans at the scene became more and more excited. The game seemed to be going well, and the shouts became a little louder.

The same tactic was played again, but this time it was replaced by Kurt Thomas completing a hand-off pass on the right wing.

Kenny Anderson, who was pursuing the defense, was briefly delayed. Antoine Walker, who came on defense, paused slightly when he saw Li You holding the ball in his right hand. After a large in and out, he suddenly accelerated and subconsciously slid to the left and back.

There was a physical confrontation between the two, but Li You was not affected too much. He noticed that the other party seemed to want to strike, and quickly turned around while walking.

Before Antoine Walker had time to adjust his steps and turn around to defend Li You, he had already broken into the paint area and switched to his left hand to complete the basket!

"Shua!" The two-pointer went into the net hollowly.

The superficial brother was suddenly not in a good mood. Obviously, Li You wanted to consume him. Antoine Walker cursed and then signaled his teammates to shrink their defense at this time.

In the next round, when the Celtics were on offense for another 24 seconds, Tony Barty made another shot from right in front of the basket.

After grabbing the rebound, Gasol immediately threw the ball to Grant Hill near the left sideline.

Instead of fouling, Grant Hill accelerated faster and faster with the ball.

He changed his direction drastically and scooped up the ball with his right hand. When he reached the top of the arc, Grant Hill took advantage of the situation and passed the ball to Li You who was rushing across the half court.

The moment he caught the ball, Kenny Anderson subconsciously pounced upward. Li You released the ball with his right hand. After lowering his center of gravity, he broke through without any shaking.

After the ball protector slapped off the opponent's arm, Li You, who used his strength again, instantly passed the defense and went straight to the basket.

Pierce, who was chasing the basket, subconsciously jumped up to block the shot. At the bottom right of the basket, Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand, collected the ball in the air, curled up, glided to the bottom left of the basket, and pulled the lever to pick up the basket!

At 12:8, the Knicks suddenly widened the point difference, and coach O'Brien immediately requested a timeout.

Noticing that everyone on the Celtics seemed to be out of breath, Marv Albert immediately smiled and said:

"The defensive intensity seems to be declining. The Knicks are counterattacking again. Lee's ability to seize opportunities is so good!"

Mike Fratello only felt that the Celtics were constantly wasting opportunities, and the thought of "insufficient stars" also appeared in his mind:

"They have to get the ball into the basket as quickly as possible, whether it's a free throw or finishing at the basket, and someone has to step up and take responsibility."

In the first offense after the timeout, Pierce had difficulty catching the ball again. In desperation, Kenny Anderson stayed away from the three-point line and used tactical gestures again.

Li You realized that the opponent wanted to cross the line and create a scoring opportunity for Pierce. At this time, he simply took the initiative to move back and stopped pressing the defense.

Running around the screen to the left wing, Pierce was about to twist and catch the ball when Kenny Anderson's too obvious cross pass was intercepted by Li You who suddenly burst out to cut the ball.

The moment he lost the ball, Kenny Anderson immediately jumped up, but was directly knocked away by Li You who was leading the ball, and fell to the floor with a plop.

Amid the boos from all the fans, Li You rushed faster and faster in the frontcourt, and he jumped into the air and dunked with both hands in the paint!

14:8, on the Knicks bench, the atmosphere was filled with joy.

Li You, who returned to defense, kept clapping his hands to signal to strengthen defense.

The Celtics fans cheered at the top of their lungs. In the left block, Eric Williams caught the ball with his back and turned towards the baseline and was intercepted by Grant Hill.After retrieving the ball, Grant Hill, holding the ball in his right hand, rushed faster and faster, crossing half the court in the blink of an eye. He didn't slow down when he reached the right wing and continued to drive straight to the basket.

Pierce, who retreated from defense, rushed directly into the middle. He wanted to commit a tactical foul, but ended up charging too hard.

While on the move, Grant Hill circled around and cut the ball, then immediately jumped into the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand and succeeded in a one-arm dunk!
At 16:8, there was suddenly no sound in the arena. On the Celtics bench, the atmosphere team was also confused.

Although Pierce then cut into the basket and scored two more points, looking back, Gasol, who received a pass from Li You, made an open jumper at the free throw line.

With the score leading, the Knicks suddenly found their shooting touch again. Gasol, who scored, also celebrated with a fist pump. He got a lot of opportunities tonight.

Antoine Walker couldn't hold back and shot a three-pointer from the left wing.
Amid the exclamations of the fans, Li You picked up the rebound and rushed forward with the ball. Kenny Anderson immediately lost his defensive position.

It was Pierce who actively retreated from defense again. Li You rushed from the right wing into the paint and passed the ball behind his back. The basketball flew into the hands of Artest who cut in from the other side. After receiving the ball, the latter grabbed the ball with his right hand and glided violently. Successful buckle!
Seeing Antoine Walker and Eric Williams just running across the center line, Pierce could only smash the ball angrily. This was not the defense he wanted.
At 20:10, a double-digit score difference almost turned the Fleet Center Arena into a library.

All the imagination before the game was completely shattered by the ruthless reality.

At 1 minute and 1 seconds into the first quarter, big man Tony Barty turned around quickly in the low post on the left side of the basket and then staggered while dribbling. The basketball was easily stolen by Gasol.

This scene already made Coach O'Brien on the sidelines start to shake his head.

The sudden turnover exacerbated the Celtics' collapse.

Against the Knicks' third-line fast break, Li You passed the ball and stopped on the right wing.

Grant Hill, who received the ball in the middle, broke through the paint and passed the ball from behind. Gasol quickly followed up and dunked!

"Shh!"

Gasol roared happily, celebrating happily and causing the fans to boo.

Fortunately, Antoine Walker then broke into the paint and succeeded in a right-hand throw from the lower right side of the basket, which also caused a foul by Kurt Thomas.

It was rare to score a wonderful goal, but Antoine Walker stood on the free throw line with a big face.

Li You clapped his hands outside the three-point line, indicating that this was a good defense. Both of the two insiders controlled fouls very well tonight.

After the free throw was made, the two sides started a new round of fighting.

At 26:17, at the end of the first quarter, the Celtics fans were silent as they looked at this score.

Different from the offensive battle between the Mavericks and the Kings, the pace of tonight's game is very slow, and the Knicks seem to be possessed by a blacksmith.
After the start of the second quarter, the Celtics did not make many rotations.

The Knicks did not change their defensive strategy and continued to test Antoine Walker's shooting touch.

Every time, he is the easiest to catch the ball in the team, but after returning home, Antoine Walker did not make jump shots wantonly, but kept attacking the basket.

The two sides continued to fight, and the big man Knight who came off the bench promptly assisted in defense and blocked Pierce's layup!
"what!"

After completing the block, Knight roared after landing, and the Knicks launched another transition attack.

Li You, who had just appeared, kept accelerating along the right sideline. Tony Delt no longer offered physical confrontation, but kept sliding to keep himself beside Li You.

Li You, who showed no signs of slowing down, looked around at the defense as he moved forward. When he was close to the three-point line, he suddenly stopped and quickly crossed and pulled back.

The moment Li You switched to his left hand, Tony Delk, who was defending, failed to adjust his defensive focus in time. His foot slipped and he completely lost his defensive position.

Li You, who completely shook off the defense, immediately joined the ball, and then quickly made a jump shot from the right wing!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

"Shh!"

At 33:21, the score difference returned to double digits, and the boos in the arena became smaller and smaller.

Pierce, who was retreating, felt even more aggrieved and immediately pushed Artest, who was defending Niubi Tang.

Artest, who was banging the iron, was also depressed. Before the referee could react, he bumped into Pierce.

"Fake Squid! You all-star thief!"

"Shut your stinky mouth!"

The two people who were pulled away by the referee did not forget to greet each other. This round of the series was completely competitive.

Artest doesn't care about offense, he throws when he is open, drives to the basket when he has the chance, and stalks him on the defensive end.

Pierce, as the core of the offense, was upset by this kind of defense. The two were similar in stature, had frequent muscle collisions, and their shots were inaccurate.
While the opponent was attacking, Li You was calmly directing traffic, passing the ball when double-teamed, and constantly loudly directing his teammates to move.

In the second half of the second quarter, the game has turned into a training match for the Knicks to practice breaking double teams.

With 1 minute and 01 seconds left in the half, Li You made a tactical gesture before halftime.

Kurt Thomas quickly ran to the left wing. When receiving the pass, Antoine Walker kept cutting the ball to interfere.

After completing the pass, Li You accelerated towards the left corner. Grant Hill noticed that Kurt Thomas on the line threw the ball to Gasol at the top of the arc, and immediately moved quickly.

Eric Williams thought Grant Hill was going to cut to the basket, but he didn't expect that he just made an off-ball screen.

Kenny Anderson realized something was wrong, but had no time to remind his teammates. The next second he saw Li You suddenly speed up and shoot out, and Kurt Thomas successfully delayed Eric Williams by setting a screen.

Moving towards the top of the arc, Gasol immediately sent the pass. When Li You caught the ball near the left sideline, he didn't make any adjustments, just raised the ball and threw it!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

"Wonderful cooperation, really wonderful! The Celtics' defense was completely ineffective!"

"Perhaps this is why Lee has become more efficient this season. In a game, he can always get these open shots!"

The groom Albert was very excited when he saw it. This clear tactical routine was so pleasing to the eye that he couldn't stop playing for a while.

Head coach Thibodeau subconsciously opened his mouth on the sidelines, but he didn't know what to shout. This kind of completely improvised offensive routine is not common in training.

Mike Fratello watched big man Tony Barty attack the basket and get fouled and get to the free throw line. He couldn't help but shake his head:
"The Celtics are still playing with talent, and the gap between the two teams is too big."

The Knicks' tactics are not successful in every round. Sometimes it's Gasol's passing error, and sometimes it's because a few people don't cover in place and no opportunities arise.

Once the attack time exceeds 18 seconds, Li You has to take over again. This offensive mode slowed down the pace of tonight's game, and the Celtics were overwhelmed again in the second quarter.

As Antoine Walker missed a long three-pointer in the half, the Fleet Center Arena fell completely silent.

52:36, Celtics fans were confused.

Li You walked toward the players' tunnel and shook his head slightly. He made 8 turnovers in the half. This performance did not meet his expectations.

"The opponent also made 7 mistakes. I think everyone performed well!"

Grant Hill didn't care about this, but patted Li You on the shoulder to comfort him.

Li You briefly high-fived his teammates, then turned around and responded softly:
"The opponent is a rookie in the playoffs. We have to pursue higher goals, but we scored 52 points despite not feeling good. It was indeed a good performance."

Li You felt a little uncomfortable when he made more than 15 turnovers in a game. Artest ran back to the locker room early again. The iron man pretended to be an ostrich.
When the second half started, the Celtics did not fight back. Instead, they further stretched their hips on the offensive end.

Paul Pierce, who was completely over the top, was repeatedly pestered by Artest, who entered boxer mode.

Pierce caught the ball with his back and was defended in front of him. He caught the ball outside the three-point line and Artest was still chasing after him.

With 3 minutes and 4 seconds left in the third quarter, the moment Pierce bounced to the left wing to catch the ball, Artest chased him and cut the ball hard.

Fortunately, the referee blew the whistle immediately after the ball was dropped. Artest was so angry that he wanted to argue with the referee. Li You quickly stopped the enthusiastic blacksmith.

At this time, head coach Thibodeau finally found his presence and surrounded the referee and complained loudly:
"This is obviously a wonderful steal. You can't take care of the opponent just because they can't score!"

He was immediately called a T. When Artest saw that the head coach was called, he calmed down, looked at the score with his hands on his hips, and shouted arrogantly to Pierce:
"Hey! All-Star! How many points did you score?"

With 4 for 0 and zero points left, Pierce stopped depressed as he walked to the free throw line. It was so embarrassing to rely on free throws to score points.

The two people began to greet each other again. At this time, the Fleet Center Arena had turned into a library. Everyone knew that they would most likely be swept out.
At 62:39, Kenny Anderson made a free throw and the point difference was still 23 points.
After double-teaming Li You, the Knicks played extremely patiently and relied on defense to suppress the opponent's counterattack.

The Celtics fans were already frustrated by the crazy pressure on the ball holder. For most of the quarter, many fans even wanted to end the painful game early.

Fortunately, the defensive intensity dropped later and the Celtics finally scored in double figures.

20:11 in a single quarter, and after three quarters, 72:47, the game lost its suspense.

Back on the bench, Pierce, who was gasping for air, first kicked the drink away, then threw the towel to the floor, angrily hammered the seat twice, held his head in his hands, and kept cursing:

"Damn game! Shet!"

After tonight's game, Artest is on his blacklist, and Li You is no longer a "good brother". With 11 points in a single quarter, he will be ridiculed by football critics throughout the offseason.
Li You failed to move in a post-up play, but dropped the ball and made a mistake in the final attack. Antoine Walker, who contributed to such a famous scene, returned to his seat and his eyes widened.

This is playing at home, and some people have already begun to boo.

On the Celtics bench, the atmosphere team did not dare to speak. Only head coach O'Brien was still writing and drawing on the tactical board.

In the last quarter of the game, the defensive intensity of both sides dropped, but the shooting percentage was still not high. Celtics fans who bought tickets to watch the game tonight just felt like they were losing money!
Li You, who was double-teamed, was still not the main attacker and was responsible for taking over most of the rounds tonight.

The opponent does not replace the main lineup, and the cautious head coach Thibodeau does not intend to make substitutions. As long as the match point is obtained, G4 is not important.

Gasol got a lot of opportunities tonight, but under a lot of confrontation, his jump shot was still stretched. Fortunately, he was still online at the end of the basket. With his long arms, he could send the ball into the basket when he got the chance.
After the Knicks played the same tactic three times in a row, and Grant Hill made consecutive backhand layups from left and right, head coach O'Brien folded his arms and reluctantly requested a timeout.

In the commentary box, Mike Fratello looked a little embarrassed when he thought about his prediction for this series:

"Although the Knicks' offensive efficiency dropped tonight, they still won the game relying on their defense."

"Lee has always been firmly in control of the tempo of the game, and he has a great chance to reach the finals again this season!"

出场40分钟，23中11，三分线外7中3，罚球6中6，31分6篮板12助攻4抢断3失误。

A large number of double teams are still effective. Li You's shooting percentage was lower than [-]% for the first time in this year's playoffs.

Groom Albert, who looked at the technical statistics, felt that Li You performed better tonight than in the previous fishing games:

"Whether he has the ball in his hands or is running without the ball, Li can always help the team. He is still improving this season!"

"."

In the second half of the fourth quarter, two people in the commentary box shouted "X", and the Fleet Center Arena became increasingly quiet. It seemed that everyone was waiting for the end of the game.

In the end, amid scattered boos from the fans, the score was fixed at 96:70, and the series score came to 3:0.

出场42分钟，23中7，三分线外6中1，罚球5中4，19分5篮板4助攻1抢断3失误。

Paul Pierce, who received this data, said nothing after the game and walked directly to the player tunnel with a towel on his face:

“Brother, it’s okay if you don’t do it!”

Antoine Walker, who shot 18 of 7 and scored 16 points, also lost his face. The "star quality theory" was talking about him. He lost the life-and-death battle by 26 points and couldn't read the newspaper anymore:
"The Knicks will be our mortal enemies from now on!"

Li You shook hands with the rest of the Celtics team and greeted them. If he didn't see the two superficial brothers, he knew that he would most likely "lose" them later.

When walking towards the tunnel, the Celtics fans on both sides did not forget to boo again.

Li You curled his lips and patted Artest to encourage him. He could only complain helplessly in his heart:
"I wanted to save some face for my superficial brother, but his strength doesn't allow it!"

The game that was held simultaneously on the night of the 9th was another offensive battle.

125:119, the Kings won an away victory, and the big score came to 2:1.

这场互捅大战，纳什19中5，三分线外10中2，砍下15分4篮板15助攻3抢断3失误。

Although his efficiency stretched his hips, Nash also showed his style as a top defender!

Nowitzki became a "softie" again, shooting 15 of 6 and scoring 19 points and 5 rebounds.

The Chinese sports media secretly lamented that it was a pity. Wang Zhizhi played 4 minutes, made 4 of 3, and 1 of 1 from beyond the three-point line. He scored 7 points and 2 rebounds with extremely high efficiency.

"If the approximate playing time could be 20 minutes, maybe the Mavericks would have won the game!"

The Chinese fans in front of the TV naturally agree with this view, and everyone wants to see Wang Zhizhi replace Nowitzki.

On the morning of May 5th, the NBA announced the best defensive lineup for the 10-01 season:
The five members of the first team are:

Li You, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace;
The five members of the second team are:

Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Bruce Bowen, Clifford Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo.

Two Pistons players were selected to the All-Defensive Team. This season, they have almost become the biggest winners in awards!
After the list was announced, it immediately caused a lot of controversy:

Why was the fishing Mutombo selected?
How did Kings' Doug Christie go undrafted?
Head coach Adelman, who was still preparing for the game in Dallas, expressed his dissatisfaction in an interview:
"Although this list was selected by the head coach, I feel that everyone did not do their job seriously."

"Some players are not even in the top 50 in defensive efficiency, and that's unfair to Doug."

Head coach Adelman is complaining that other coaches’ votes are based on impressions. Head coach Thibodeau is preparing for the G4 game and is also complaining about Artest:
"Everyone can see Ron's performance on the defensive end, and I think he should be selected to the defensive first team."

"Although the Knicks did not do a good job of limiting their opponents' scoring during the regular season, this is a personal honor."

The most controversial ones are actually Gary Payton and Kobe Bryant.

The former is old and has already declined physically, while the latter is due to his poor defensive efficiency data. Ball commentators believe that Doug Christie should be selected more.

Of course, the main purpose of everyone's complaints is to create a grudge situation.

The Spurs don't seem to be a match for the Lakers. Although the two sides battled 1:1, the Lakers, who won the away game, already had the upper hand.

After the video class in the hotel in the morning, when he was preparing to have lunch, Li You became "Yuanfang" again.
The New York Post reporter who followed the team to Boston interviewed Li You:

"Lee, congratulations on being selected to the All-Defensive First Team!"

"This season your defensive efficiency ranks 9th in the league, Kidd ranks 10th, and Ron ranks 13th."

"What do you think about Coach Thibodeau's perspective?"

Li You was confused when he heard this, but he still stood up for his teammates:

"Ron's defense is really good, and he really should be named to the All-Defensive team this season."

"I don't pay attention to defensive efficiency numbers, but Ron is the best perimeter defender on the Knicks!"

After hearing this answer, several people were satisfied. The reporter of the New York Post was going to hold a meeting with Gary Payton and Kobe. The two defensive efficiency values ​​​​were not in the top 50.
Li You wanted to chat a few more words, but found that several people were happily preparing to say goodbye and leave to write the manuscript:
"Don't worry, Lee! We'll help Ron breathe out!"

"."

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(End of this chapter)