Are the Celtics strong? They are indeed very strong! They are the first team the Hornets have encountered this season that can make it so difficult for them.

Even, with the blessing of Garnett's passionate buff, everyone played with an intensity comparable to the playoffs!

However, they are not so strong that they are suffocating.

Offensively, Rondo doesn't know how to shoot, and he gets confused when he gets a whim. Except for Pierce, no breakthrough player can consistently attack the basket. Moreover, they rely heavily on jump shots. Once the shot is not accurate, there will be problems.

Therefore, Lian Feng's suggestion to Adelman was to adjust the defensive strategy and give them unlimited defense changes!

The unlimited defense changes here are different from the Warriors' unlimited defense changes later, but refer to the game in the first round of the playoffs in that time and space when the Hawks dragged the Celtics into the tiebreaker.

The Eagles relied on this move to win that game.

Lian Feng's idea is very simple.

When Desmond Mason replaced Korver, their lineup became like this:

Center Tyson Chandler, who is excellent in movement, running, jumping and height, David West, who is a veteran defender, Desmond Mason, the dunk king who is a serial forward, has excellent athletic ability and wingspan, and the best of human beings.

Paul.

Except for Paul, the Hornets can all sway at will and have both speed and height. Therefore, Lian Feng's idea is to break the game into infinite singles and force the Celtics to duel.

The only problem is Paul. Lian Feng feels that if the Celtics are smart enough, they will definitely use their highest point to beat Paul.

However, Paul said with confidence: "Don't worry! I won't let anyone score easily from me."

So the Celtics became a little uncomfortable.

After adopting the new defensive strategy, in the first round, no matter how the Celtics ran, picked, rolled, passed, and cut, they just couldn't get a chance.

The defender in front of him is always changing, but what remains the same is that no matter who he is, he doesn't give him any space.

The man on guard was replaced by Garnett, and only then did they realize that the Hornets' defensive strategy was to switch defenses endlessly.

In response, Garnett smiled disdainfully and started to back up Lian Feng.

Lian Feng was pushed twice and got a little space, only to see Garnett turn over and shoot.

Unfortunately, although this ball was not successfully interfered, the hit rate was only 45%. Lian Feng had quick eyesight and quick hands, and was blocked immediately.

The basketball then hit the basket and bounced high.

The skill insight is really useful. If you want to grab rebounds with all your strength, Lian Feng has the potential to become a rebounding king like Rodman!

Lian Feng got stuck in position in advance, and Garnett went to grab the position, but was called a back-attack foul by the referee.

Lian Feng smiled slightly.

Next, because Paul continued to put pressure on the offensive end, the Celtics could no longer double-team the forwards without any scruples like before.

Although Garnett can be used as two people in many cases, in addition to being a forward, Paul often needs two people to limit him!

As a result, Lian Feng was able to catch the ball in a comfortable position again.

Pierce's defensive back attack is okay, but his speed disadvantage makes it difficult for him to limit breakthroughs when facing someone like Lian Feng who moves extremely fast.

And Lien Feng did not use a post-up game today, and the ball would never be in his hands for more than 3 seconds. Usually the tactical system was successful, opening up the space, and Lien Feng passed Pierce in one step, and then attacked the basket.

If Garnett comes to help defend, Lian forward will pass the ball and let others handle it.

As a result, the Hornets' offensive end can open up the situation again.

Defensively, the Hornets' strategy also began to show its strength.

If it is a direct confrontation, Rondo cannot break through Paul on the offensive end. At this time, Ray Allen is no longer as explosive as he was when he was young. He is a typical shooter. He has no advantage in one-on-one against Desmond Mason, and Perkins has no one-on-one.

In terms of ability, Garnett and David West are at odds with each other, but David West's sophistication will keep him from falling behind. Pierce is an ace one-on-one player, but Lian Feng's defensive ability has also begun to strengthen this season.

, and the Celtics can't just count on Pierce.

So, as Lian Feng expected, the Celtics began to use mismatches to play singles.

Garnett set up a pick-and-roll for Rondo, so Paul defended Garnett.

But this is outside the three-point line after all, and Garnett's height advantage cannot be used to the greatest extent.

Lian Feng looked over to that side.

It is impossible to say that you are not worried. If you have unlimited defense changes, you are afraid that if there is a weakness in the team, then the opponent will use the team's strong points to punish your own weakness.

Pierce's singles performance against Paul is actually not that big, because although Paul is short, his bottom plate is extremely stable. Of course, in this case, the height difference must be used to punish him!

Therefore, the Celtics chose to use Garnett to beat Paul.

If Paul can limit Garnett, it will be very difficult for the Celtics to attack.

Paul doesn't have to be able to defend every ball, but at least he has to prevent Garnett's offense from going so smoothly.

But, can Paul restrain Garnett?

Although, Lian Feng knows that Paul's defensive ability is top-notch, and his defensive efficiency in defending big men is even better than many big men!

Lian Feng clearly remembers that even when Paul was defending Durant at his peak, he was able to achieve the highest defensive efficiency in the team!

But that was Paul at his peak after all.

Paul's defensive ability should have reached its peak in 2008-09, and he was also the best defensive player that year.

Lian Feng was looking forward to it, wanting to see what kind of method human beings would use to restrain Garnett.

Garnett felt a little disdainful, even angry.

A guy so short that you can only see his head defending yourself?

Garnett is ready to let Paul experience what talent determines everything.

However, as soon as Garnett turned his back, he felt awkward.

Paul has the most stable lower body among small players. With the support of his big butt and the strong strength of his lower limbs, he has enough resistance. Garnett is not the kind of power forward with a very stable lower body.

I can't stand Paul!

Moreover, it was Paul who actively sought confrontation!

Paul is not afraid of confrontation, and even likes confrontation. His position is very unique. He is not completely behind Garnett like me. Instead, he leaves a certain amount of space and moves his body a little sideways. Then he can keep trying with his hands.

Stealing the ball from Garnett.

At the same time, the body keeps fighting.

What's more...

Lian Feng noticed that Paul made many small moves, such as using his knee to push the back of Garnett's knee, preventing him from exerting force smoothly, such as pushing it with his elbow... Such frequent confrontations and physical contact quickly disrupted

Garnett's offensive rhythm.

I have to say that it is very annoying when your opponent makes a lot of small moves, but if that person is your teammate, you will find a way to excuse him.

Humans are really double-standard animals.

However, there are at least two things worth recognizing about Paul's little moves. One is that he can avoid the referee, which shows that when he is defending the person in front of him, he is always paying attention to other environments on the court, including Paul's players and referees.

Others learned.

Second, Paul's little moves can disgust the opponent and disrupt the opponent's rhythm, but they will not cripple him. His little moves are aimed at preventing the ball. From this point of view, he is better than Pachulia, one of the Bucks.

The flow is much stronger.

Garnett looked irritated and could only turn around and take action.

It is conceivable that the hit rate of this ball is high.

Lian Feng didn't even continue watching basketball and ran directly to grab the rebound.

Paul's success in defending Garnett gave the team a great morale! In this way, the lower limit of unlimited defense changes became Desmond Mason.

Because he is only 1.9cm tall, it will be more difficult to defend the inside.

But it is not easy to switch to Desmond Mason to defend Garnett. After all, Desmond Mason plays a small forward position on the court, and it is not easy for him to be misplaced.

As a result, relying on 1-on-1 individual defense, the Celtics' offense suddenly came to a standstill.

Only Pierce passed several misplaced opportunities and retreated to score from the mid-range, struggling to hold on.

So in the third quarter, the Hornets caught up with the score. In the last 8 seconds, it was 64 to 60. The Hornets led by 4 points, and the balance of victory once again tilted to the Hornets.

During the break in the third quarter, Adelman applauded and said excitedly: "Well done! Just play like that!"

On the other side, on the Celtics bench.

Ray Allen was breathing heavily. The staff next to him handed him a bottle of water. He was about to drink it when he suddenly heard a "pop" and saw Garnett unscrew the bottle of water and splash it in his face.

superior.

Garnett's passion did not make Ray Allen change his habits.

Ray Allen's self-discipline has always been one of his hallmarks.

Everyone knows he is a shooter, a terrible shooter.

But few people remember that when he first entered the league, he did not attract fans with three-pointers.

V-cut, curl-up cut, deep cut, all moves without the ball, the ability to shoot quickly and gracefully after catching the ball, the emergency stop jump shot after shaking, the pull-up long shot with a low center of gravity - and all trapeze players should be proficient in
To be continued...