The Basketball Court Swordsman

The Celtics are getting old, this is not Henson comforting himself, but the reality.

Paul Pierce, who entered the league in 1998, has been with the Celtics for 13 seasons. Pierce is still the small forward with all-round offensive skills, and he can still cut down explosive data from time to time. The performance of 18 points per game in the past two seasons is still very good, but it is indeed the lowest level in Pierce’s career except for the rookie season. And the title of super scorer is obviously no longer suitable for Pierce.

Kevin Garnett, a talented high school student who entered the league in 1995, is considered to be one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. However, in the past two seasons, Garnett’s 14 points per game is also his lowest since his rookie season. Whether fans want to admit it or not, the “Wolf King” who once averaged 20+10 per game per season no longer exists.

Ray Allen, one of the league’s greatest shooters, a member of the 96 Golden Generation, was a scorer who once caused Kobe to have a headache. But at 35 and a half years old, he inevitably encounters the same problems with Garnett and Pierce. That is, the overall decline in data in the past two seasons is only better than the rookie season.

As for the “big shark” O’Neal… the most terrifying behemoth in NBA history has lost its dominance in Cleveland last season. To be precise, since leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, this terrifying behemoth has shown its old state. In Boston this season, he averaged only 20 minutes per game and only 9 points and 4 rebounds per game. If anyone still thinks that O’Neal can blow up the Pacers’ interior like the “Black and White Bears”, then this person is either too romantic or too stupid.

Is such a Celtics strong? Of course, they are still strong. The impressive record of 23 wins and 5 losses is proof. But the Celtics are no longer the galactic battleship that could not be defeated a few years ago.

They are still strong, but they have already lost the steel body, they will also be injured, they will bleed, and they will be crushed!

After being scored by Holiday, the Celtics counterattack was not particularly fast, and the Pacers had plenty of time to set up a defensive formation.

Nate Robinson is not able to raise the team’s offense to a level like Rondo, he does not have too good organizational skills. So just after halftime, “Little Potato” handed the ball to Ray Allen.

Ray Allen knows that Matthews is not easy to deal with. In the last match between the two sides, Matthews made Ray Allen’s three-pointers only a shameful 16.7%. Although Ray Allen still scored 17 points in the last game, Matthews undoubtedly left a deep impression on Ray Allen.

This time, Matthews’ defense was still tight, and Allen didn’t have any shot space at all. At the same time Pierce had already borrowed Garnett’s off-the-ball running to the right wing of the court. Allen did not hesitate and immediately took the ball!

Dunleavy is the defensive weakness of the Pacers, so Rivers today gave Pierce a lot of Dunleavy singles tactics.

When Pierce received the basketball, Dunleavy hadn’t caught up, so he pulled up and shot. But Dunleavy’s height of 2.06 meters is actually there. He raised his arms to make up, interrupting Pierce’s shot.

The difference between basketball and the hoop is a tiny bit, and the Celtics’ first offense ended in failure! When Horford stuck O’Neal and protected the rebound, the cheers in the Conseco Arena broke out again!

Fans are very happy to see the proud Rivers, paying the price in Indianapolis!

Horford had just grabbed the rebound, and the Pacers’ offensive and defensive transition immediately ran away. Horford gave the ball to Holiday, and Holiday took Matthews and Granger and started running wild. Behind them, there are two three-pointers that Horford and Dunleavy can ambush at any time. Whether it’s hitting the basket or breaking through the ball, the Pacers have a chance.

On the Celtics side, O’Neal and Garnett were far behind. After passing the midfield line, Pierce and Ray Allen were also tragically overtaken. Holiday faced Ray Allen’s defense and passed the ball to Matthews, who was advancing in the middle. Matthews was immediately entangled by Pierce, so he gave the ball to Granger who was on the wing.

Faced with Nate Robinson, who was just 1.75 meters tall, Granger did not hesitate to dunk him! Although Robinson has a strong athletic ability, he even beat Yao Ming with Xiaobo!

But in response to the sudden impact, Nate Robinson still had no time to react, so he could only raise his arms and became a foil for Granger’s dunk.

Maybe it’s a bit bullying to deduct a 1.75 meter player, but this is competitive sports! On the court, put on the jersey, no one will be polite to you!

“Nice dunk! The Pacers’ counterattack is lightning fast! It seems that the Celtics can’t keep up with the Pacers’ counterattack at all. Granger has already ended the offense, and O’Neill and Garnett have just passed. Halftime! The Pacers are very energetic today, and maybe they don’t want to continue to lose like this. Or can you say that Coach Henson’s party worked?” Kenny Smith looked at Barkley triumphantly. He frowned and curled his lips.

“It’s only 4 to 0, 4 to 0 means nothing!”

But just 20 seconds after Barkley said this, the score on the court became 6-0.

Kevin Garnett’s low singles Granger, if placed in the past, this will be a crushing matchup. But in the present, the result is Garnett’s jump shot under extreme pressure.

Garnett is the most obvious one of the Big Three. In the last five games, Garnett averaged only 12.3 points per game. In the last game against the Blazers, Kg only scored 9 points.

Maybe you can think that Garnett is saving himself energy, maybe Kg wants to keep all his energy in the playoffs, the Six Hours of the Heat. But he can’t bring a substantial threat to the Pacers’ defense, but it is also true.

After Kg hit the iron, Granger personally picked off the rebounds and then pushed quickly.

With another quick attack, the Celtics faced a quick counterattack from the Pacers, and they were a little weak. After all, four of the Celtics’ five starting five have passed the age of the peak of physical conditions. The only “Little Potato” that can keep up with the speed, but has no ability to block the Pacers’ fast break.

Granger assisted the overwhelming Hollodi to complete the one-handed buckle, 6-0, and fell into Henson’s rhythm at the beginning of the game.

The last time the Pacers lost to the Celtics, one was because of the Pacers’ own injuries, and the other was because the Celtics played smoothly on the offensive end. Except for Ray Allen, almost every shot was made. .

But with the same good luck, it is impossible for Rivers to meet twice in a row!

Garnett, 34 and a half years old, Pierce, 33, Ray Allen, 35 and a half years old, and O’Neal, who was 39 years old in three months… When they met a group of energetic lunatics, they defended It seems to collapse in an instant.

Fortunately, then Pierce and Ray Allen found a touch on the offensive end, and the Celtics gradually began to score with their positional offense and their steady shooting.

But on the defensive end, the Celtics still have no good way to take the Pacers. Garnett and O’Neal almost only have the ability to run back and forth, which makes the consumption of these two great insiders very huge.

Therefore, the game only lasted for five and a half minutes. The sweaty Kg and the “Big Shark” were replaced by Rivers, and the young “big baby” Glen Davis and O’Neal played instead. At this time, the Celtics trailed by 8 points.

Seeing this, Henson waved his hand and decided to slow down temporarily, allowing Horford to torture O’Neal’s nerves in a low position.

O’Neal has had brilliance, and this brilliance was achieved in the Pacers, but those are the past tense after all. In the face of the young All-Star center, O’Neal was retreating in the paint. “Big Shark” can still rely on tonnage to stop Horford’s attack, and O’Neal doesn’t even have the advantage of tonnage.

Horford has been used by Henson as a long-range turret and high support point this season, but today when he returned to the low post, people discovered that this young All-Star center is so comprehensive.

Turning to attack the frame, falling back for a jumper, and even a small hook that turned back and forth, Horford showed off his superb skills in front of O’Neal. It can be seen that the Dominican center feels hot today!

Henson couldn’t help but smile, maybe when the young players let go of all distractions, their performance will be even better. Now Horford has no worries about not having a girlfriend, so he put all his mind on basketball.

Seeing that O’Neal was about to be blown by Horford in one-on-one, Rivers let the chubby “big baby” start double-teaming. The price was that Granger shot two consecutive three-pointers, fixing the difference at 12 points. Horford defies the double-team precision pass, piercing the Celtics defense.

Only eight minutes into the first quarter, the Celtics fell into a quagmire of 12 points behind. Doug Rivers had to stop the game again. Of course, at this time, the face of the champion coach no longer had the proud look at the beginning of the game.

Henson gave high fives to every player who rested and praised them. Then he squeezed the shoulders of Paul George and Danny Green.

“Don’t give the old guys any chance to breathe! Give me a continuous attack on their defense after playing! We have to stop the Celtics from the beginning of the first quarter!”

On the basketball court, there is no such thing as respecting the old and loving the young.