Chapter 353 Captain Sloan
On the plane to Boston, under Delong's envious gaze, Sloan asked Lin Ying to sit next to him.
"Tomorrow's game will need you more than in the past."
Sloan was giving Lin Ying vaccinations in advance.
For an old guy like him, the sixth sense is usually very accurate.
"If you ask me to score 60 points, I won't just score 58 points."
Lin Ying said with a smile.
Since the last chat, he knew that Sloan was actually a person with a sense of humor.
Sure enough, Sloan couldn't help laughing after hearing this.
Delong sitting in the back row: What a difference between people!
“Have you ever heard of Boston’s floor game?”
The conversation started, and Sloan also chatted with Lin Ying about a new topic.
For a coach who has been coaching in the NBA for more than 20 years, there are countless topics about basketball.
Lin Ying shook his head, he had never heard of this.
"That's a very interesting story."
Sloan said with memories.
World War II brought many problems, including a shortage of lumber.
So at that time, the Celtics' home court used oak to support the floor, and the floor was made of small pieces spliced together.
So Auerbach, the team's general manager at the time and also a league legend, came up with a brilliant idea and deliberately made some floors uneven.
Before the game starts, tell your team members which floor is problematic and where the offense should not be directed.
Then the visiting team players didn't know that when they were defending, they forced the Celtics toward that area. When they dribbled to that position, they would naturally lose the ball.
Either make a mistake or steal, and the Celtics can quickly gain the upper hand.
Although there were complaints from players, Auerbach had a huge influence in the league at the time and Stern turned a blind eye.
"Are they still like that?"
Lin Ying asked instinctively.
But after asking, he felt as if the answer was already there.
That existed because of Auerbach. Now that Auerbach's cigars have been extinguished, this tactic will certainly not be allowed to exist.
Sure enough, Sloan's answer confirmed this.
"In 1999, Boston held a retirement ceremony for those floors. More than 200 floors were auctioned off, some of which were seriously damaged. The rest are still in their arena. They will give them as gifts.
They feel they are worthy opponents."
"It's fun, and it's pretty good."
Lin Ying gave an evaluation.
In the NBA, there are many times when you praise your opponents, but it is indeed rare to give something directly like this.
It's like stamping a stamp of official approval.
"There were many stories from that time."
Sloan continued.
He talked about the Bulls again.
Back then, the Bulls had average interior strength, so they always liked to keep the basket very tight.
The direct result of this is that the basketball will always bounce farther and have more long backboards.
With long rebounds, Rodman and Pippen's abilities can be maximized.
Jordan himself admitted this back then.
Lin Ying listened very carefully. These NBA past stories were very exciting, but they also showed that in that era, due to imperfect rules, various loopholes and bugs were endless.
…
After the training on the match day, the players all went back to the locker room to take a shower and rest.
Most of the team members sat down and took off their shoes and clothes.
Butler acted fastest and entered the shower room first.
But soon there was a roaring sound coming from inside.
Under the puzzled looks of the team members, Butler quickly rushed out of the shower room.
It turns out there was no hot water.
It's already mid-November and I can't stand taking a shower without hot water.
A group of people stopped what they were doing one after another, and then Deron asked Claude to ask about the situation.
After a while, Claude came back and said that the hot water supply system in the visiting team's locker room was broken and was being repaired.
This is equivalent to saying that if they want to take a shower, they can only go back to the hotel where they are staying.
Think about it, it's winter and you're covered in sweat. If you wear this and go back to the hotel, you might catch a cold.
"This arena in Boston is too backward."
Butler was so cold that he couldn't help but complain.
"This is often the case in old arenas."
Joe Johnson said.
He has had quite a lot of experience.
Delong looked at Lin Ying at this time.
"Dry it with a towel and go back to the hotel to wash it."
Lin Ying nodded in response, then stood up and said.
Coming out of the locker room, Deron took Lin Ying to chat.
"Did they do this on purpose?"
On the plane ahead, Delong was sitting behind Sloan and Lin Ying, listening with his ears straight the whole time.
So it was natural for him to hear what Sloan said.
"Maybe, but luckily it's winter. If it's summer and they say the air conditioner in the locker room is broken, it would be worse than this."
Lin Ying said with a smile.
Delong was stunned for a moment, and then he also laughed.
Lin Ying's idea is quite optimistic.
However, it seems that this is all you can do. There seems to be nothing you can do about this kind of secret loss except adjusting your mentality.
"Win them by a few points is not a trivial matter."
However, Lin Ying's next move also made Delong react immediately.
Lin Ying is not optimistic, but has found the right way to deal with it.
If you mess with me secretly, I will kill you openly and tell you that those things are of no use.
…
The North Shore Garden Arena was fully booked that night.
Thanks to their long history and glorious past, Celtics fans are truly some of the most loyal fans in the league.
The team's recruitment of Howard this summer has made the enthusiasm of Green Army fans rise again.
As of now, the Celtics have a record of 6 wins and 1 loss, following the Nets and beating the Knicks to rank second in the Eastern Conference.
The second in the Eastern Conference beat the first in the Eastern Conference, and if they won, they would directly overtake the first place. Naturally, more attention will be paid to this game.
After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the lineups of the two teams were announced one after another.
Nets: Deron, Joe Johnson, Lin Ying, Yi Jianlian, Chandler
Celtics: Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Garnett, Howard
Before going on stage, he had to rub some magnesium powder on his hands at the technical stage, and Howard had a smile on his face when he did it.
That smile was so warm and innocent that everyone who saw it couldn't help but laugh happily.
Amid the cheers of the fans, Howard moved the ball back to the Celtics half, officially kicking off the game.
Rondo held the ball in the frontcourt. Howard mentioned a high pick-and-roll and moved to the basket halfway through the block. Rondo hit the ball through the seam and Howard caught the ball and jumped up directly against Yi Jianlian, who was assisting in defense.
"Bang!"
"beep!"
Howard smashed the ball into the basket through Yi Jianlian, and the referee blew the whistle to indicate a foul.
The opening was a 2+1!
The North Shore Garden Arena exploded instantly.
Yi Jianlian's block hit Howard in the face, and Howard wasn't angry. He blinked and then smiled.
He is really happy playing now!
And the ball just now also illustrates a problem. It's not that he doesn't like pick-and-rolls, but he is selective.
If he is asked to be a blue-collar player, blocking and creating scoring opportunities for the ball carrier, he will definitely not be happy with that.
But if it's like just now, after taking down the ball and passing the ball to attack, he will still be very happy.
To put it bluntly, there will be no statistics on pick-and-rolls, but there will be statistics on scoring.
He needs to be the end of the pick-and-roll, not just the component.
The Celtics obviously handled this much better than the Heat.
However, his extra penalty missed the target steadily, and Chandler protected the defensive rebound.
The Nets' offense, UCLA's pick-and-roll, Howard did not follow Johnson who was slipping to the baseline, but directly helped defend Deron who was cutting in.
Lin Ying passed the ball to Johnson, who took the shot before Bradley could pounce on him.
"when!"
Smashed the basket and came out.
After losing weight and using tactics, Johnson's shooting percentages have improved compared to last season, but he was a bit unlucky on this shot.
It was a short rebound, and Howard jumped up and easily picked it off.
The Celtics pushed for a fast break, but the Nets retreated quickly.
Rondo reached out and made a tactical gesture and gave the ball to Garnett.
Howard set up an off-ball pick-and-roll for Pierce, then turned and followed.
Garnett looked at Pierce as if he was about to pass the ball, but instead he threw the ball directly over the basket.
Howard was led into the air by the ball.
"Bang!"
Howard's sinking dunk directly pushed the rim down a few centimeters!
Scored twice!
After landing, Howard made a fist with his right hand and arched his biceps, making a "strong" celebration gesture, and then smiled again.
Judging from the opening tactical position, the Celtics really doted on Howard, and Howard played really well.
Deron's throw after the breakthrough was interfered by Garnett.
"when!"
Still not entering.
And this time, it was Garnett who collected the defensive rebound and threw it to Rondo immediately.
Rondo pushed for a fast break, faced Johnson and passed the ball behind his back to Bradley who followed up, and the latter made a layup.
0 to 6!
The Celtics gave the Nets a powerful start.
Lin Ying took advantage of Yi Jianlian's pick-and-roll and shot directly from outside the three-point line.
His burst is quick, and the time difference is perfect.
"when!"
But the ball went in and bounced out again!
The basket at the North Shore Garden Arena tonight really put a lid on the Nets!
Green Army fans burst into cheers at the scene, what a great start!
Sloan stood up from the bench.
The camera was focused on this old handsome man, and the photographer seemed to want to see a hint of nervousness on his face.
But, no.
Sloan's expression was very calm. He just shouted a few times to the retreating players and then made new tactical gestures.
That's the defense's adjustment response.
Rondo played a pick-and-roll with Howard again, and the Nets simply didn't change it this time.
Deron bypassed Howard to cover Rondo, and Chandler followed Howard directly.
This way of circumventing the pick-and-roll will definitely leave room for the ball carrier to take action.
However, Rondo didn't take any action. The Nets' defensive adjustment somewhat pinched his weakness in shooting.
Although the remnants of the old era are old, the experience brought by many years of "sailing" is much more than those of the new era ships!
Rondo gave the ball to Pierce, and Howard pulled out to pick and roll with Pierce.
Sloan continued shouting from the sidelines.
Johnson directly used a steal this time to steal from Howard's pick-and-roll position.
At this time, a weakness in Howard's pick-and-roll was exposed.
Because they are all pick-and-rolls aimed at scoring, he does not have the option of dead block in his pick-and-roll options. This leads to many of his pick-and-rolls being like the one at the beginning, which is to block half and then go down. In terms of the quality of pick-and-rolls, in fact Not good.
Therefore, Johnson's grab was particularly smooth. Pierce had no space to pass the ball, and Howard was unable to create a mismatch.
Obviously, the Celtics' consecutive pick-and-roll failures were all due to Bai Sloan.
Playing a pick-and-roll in front of Sloan, this section can be matched with that classic BGM: a small trick, but how dare you try to do the same thing!
The Celtics' attack time was running out, and the others pulled away and gave Pierce a one-on-one shot.
Pierce sat on Johnson's buttocks, turned around and shot backward.
It was almost a buzzer beater.
"Whoa!"
But Pierce put the ball in!
On the one hand, Johnson's weight loss to prevent Pierce has become less effective, but on the other hand, Pierce is known for his big heart!
0 to 8!
The Celtics had a perfect start!
At this time, fans on social media started cheering and celebrating.
Their judgment is correct, the Nets are just a false league number one created by the schedule!
After tonight, everyone will be able to realize its true face!
The camera then panned to Sloan on the sidelines, hoping to see another hint of nervousness on the old coach's face.
But still nothing.
Moreover, Sloan shouted directly to Lin Ying this time and made tactical gestures towards Lin Ying.
After the Nets attacked the frontcourt, Deron held the ball and the others spread out on the wings.
Just when the fans thought the Nets were going to play a two-man game, Lin Ying leaned directly with his back to Pierce and reached for the ball.
This is, I’m going to be single!
When the ball came in, Lin Ying didn't give the Celtics a chance to attack. He hit Pierce with his back, turned around and broke through to the basket.
The opening shot already let him know that his touch was average tonight, so the ball went to the basket decisively!
Pierce didn't expect Lin Ying to be so determined. He slowed down by half a beat and Lin Ying had already reached the penalty area.
Chandler blocked Howard, but Garnett came to help.
Lin Ying jumped up directly towards Garnett, then pulled the ball with one hand in the air and dodged it.
This ball stands out with a handsome character, and Garnett's legs and feet are getting slower as he gets older, so there is no time to block this ball.
"Bang!"
After a light rebound, the basketball fell steadily into the net.
The Nets finally scored!
In the Celtics' frontcourt, Pierce directly engaged Garnett in a pick-and-roll this time.
"Pinch attack!"
But just before the pick-and-roll occurred, Sloan on the sidelines quickly gave new instructions.
Pierce was momentarily flanked and forced to pull away, then jumped up and passed the ball to Garnett.
There is no problem with the choice of this ball.
"Crack!"
But as a pick-and-roll team, Sloan's usual training to defend against pick-and-rolls is by no means that simple!
Lin Ying had already come to help defend when his teammates were flanking him, and he immediately saved the ball and intercepted it!
The Nets played a fast break.
Deron had already turned around and stepped down quickly. After receiving Lin Ying's pass, he quickly broke into the frontcourt in an instant.
After seeing Bradley chasing after him, he jumped into the air when he reached the frontcourt.
"Bang!"
A two-handed dunk hit the ball into the basket and caused Bradley's hitter to foul!
4 to 8! Extra penalty!
The situation on the field changed instantly!
The scene shot showed Sloan for the third time, and this time it seemed that he was trying to find a hint of excitement on his face.
But, still nothing!
Sloan had already sat on the bench at this time, his face still extremely calm.
In fact, we can see from Sloan's actions why he needs absolute execution and obedience, because he has enough experience to deal with any situation.
What he experienced could fill a dictionary the size of a legend.
Chapter completed!