The Whip of the God of Basketball

Leon called for a short pause. The main function of the short pause is to give the players a time to adjust and buffer, and at the same time, substitutions can be made. Leon didn't make any tactical adjustments, but just asked the players to stabilize the rhythm of the offense. With Antoine Walker unable to open up, the Celtics' offense was a bit chaotic and they couldn't find the backbone of their positional offense.

"Paul, you have to take on the responsibility of attacking. At the same time, Antoine, use your experience and support to make us play tougher at home. We also have to open up our three-pointers and try more of the three-pointers." , Don’t be afraid to take a shot just because you are behind.” Leon encouraged players to try more three-pointers in the offense. The Celtics did not shoot three-pointers in the first two games, although Reid, Arenas and Pierce There were key three-point goals in the last game, but the overall team's three-point shooting rate was not ideal.

Since the first round against the 76ers, the Celtics' three-point shooting has been unable to keep up with the pace of the regular season. The number of three-pointers made and hits ranked first in the league has declined in the playoffs. On the one hand, the defensive level has been strengthened in the playoffs, but on the other hand, the Celtics have not found the most comfortable position on the offensive end.

This is also the price Leon pays after attaching great importance to defense. Once players need to focus more on the defensive end, it is normal for flaws to occur on the offensive end, and the three-pointer is an offensive method that pays great attention to rhythm. The game is fragmented by tough defense and constant fouls, and even the best pitchers will lose their accuracy in the game.

Leon believes that the Celtics can pass the 76ers without three-pointers, and they can even pass the Pistons with a fight, but there is absolutely no way to go further. Without a strong low post, if there are no more three-pointers The Celtics will be unable to move forward with this efficient weapon of distributing the ball.

It is said that defense wins championships, but Leon never recognized this. Throughout NBA history, offensive teams have won more championships than defensive teams, and it is easier to build dynasties. In Leon's eyes, the Celtics who won 11 championships were not a defensive team, but the Celtics who won two championships in the 1970s were a thoroughly defensive team. This is why Bill Russell and Bob Cousy supported Leon's offensive style of play, which was not the case in the 1960s.

The problem is that compared with defense, offense relies on an unpredictable thing called touch. In comparison, defense will not deceive you, so Leon requires the team to start with defense in the playoffs and slowly find out in the series. The feeling of offense.

The timeout ended quickly, when Leon waved towards the end of the bench. In the first quarter of the game, he took out the strange card again - Wang Zhizhi.

From the moment he signed Wang Zhizhi, Leon has been cultivating him in the direction of being a special force. He doesn't care what role Wang Zhizhi plays in the Chinese national team. That is something Wang Zhizhi needs to consider after returning to China. In the Celtics, Wang Zhizhi is like the kicker of the football team. He doesn't have many opportunities to play, but he can often provide key help to the team.

Leon understands Wang Zhizhi's characteristics very well. He has insufficient physical fitness, poor strength, and slow movement. Apart from his excellent touch and ball feel, he is almost useless at this level of NBA competition. If it were any other coach, he would have to be the guardian of the water cooler because his defense is really not up to par. Leon believes that his touch and height are rare treasures. There is no player of this height in the current NBA who has such a touch.

Therefore, Leon uses his strengths and avoids weaknesses, which is to ask Wang Zhizhi to work hard on long-range jump shots. Moreover, his requirements for Wang Zhizhi's long-range shots are different from those of Reid, Arenas and others. He is required to only pursue accuracy, not the speed and angle of the shot. Anyway, he is tall and cannot take shots without absolute certainty on the court. Therefore, Wang Zhizhi's three-point shooting percentage is as high as 62%, but he does not take enough shots to enter the rankings.

In the game against the 76ers, Wang Zhizhi didn't get any chance to play. Leon knew that since it was a secret weapon, it couldn't be used often. This would not have a miraculous effect, and would eventually lose its effectiveness if the opponent figured out the routine.

Wang Zhizhi heard Leon's call. This time he was no longer as confused as before. Firstly, he was used to Leon suddenly letting him play. Secondly, before the playoffs, Leon told him to always When preparing to play, always keep the temperature of the shot in your hands.

Wang Zhizhi took off his coat and walked onto the floor. This was his first time stepping onto the stage of the NBA playoffs. Although he entered the playoffs with the Mavericks last season, he was unlikely to get a chance to play. He was slightly a bit nervous. nervous.

At this time, Wang Zhizhi did not know that his teammate and opponent on the national team, Yao Ming, was watching this game on the TV. Seeing Wang Zhizhi on the stage of the playoffs, Yao Ming also had mixed feelings in his heart. He is ranked higher than Wang Zhizhi and performs better on the field, but in other aspects he is one step ahead of Wang Zhizhi. He entered the national team later than Wang Zhizhi, entered the CBA later, entered the NBA later, entered the playoffs later, and probably will advance to the second round and conference finals later...

Although age is the main reason and has nothing to do with Yao Ming's own ability, for him who has been watching Wang Zhizhi's back moving forward, this will be another knot in his heart. Originally, he and the Houston Rockets also had a chance to enter the playoffs, but in the end they fell behind the Suns by one win. They ranked ninth in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs. Moreover, Yao Ming also lost to the Suns in the selection of the best rookie. Stoudemire of the team.

Wang Zhizhi didn't know this. He went to the court with some anxiety, but he quickly calmed down. He was already familiar with this venue, and the fans here shouted "chichi" to him. Leon let him down in the third game. There is still consideration for him playing, and it will obviously be easier for him to adapt at home.

In both offenses and defenses, neither side scored. Wang Zhizhi made two turnarounds, but the third time, when P.J. Brown blocked Billups' layup and the Celtics got a chance to counterattack, the situation began to change. no the same.

When Walker is on the court, he will quickly interpolate to occupy the most important position at the top of the arc and the free throw line. Wang Zhizhi will not. He will go down the left and right wings with Reid. This is a V-shaped rapid counterattack formation. This is Leon practiced repeatedly in training but used less tactical formations because Leon believed that Arenas did not have the ability to distribute the ball in a V-shaped wing formation.

But this time Arenas didn't need to think too much. He directly passed the ball to Wang Zhizhi. Wang Zhizhi did not shoot directly, but handed it to Paul Pierce who cut into the middle. Prince, who was originally looking at Wang Zhizhi, immediately turned around. I went to chase Pierce, but Pierce took off and turned around and passed back to Wang Zhizhi, who was wide open!

Completely wide open, Wang Zhizhi took the ball and shot a slow three-pointer!

With an excessively high arc, the ball hit the front edge of the basket with slightly less force.

"F-uck..." Leon spat on the sidelines. He sent Wang Zhizhi to play just to make him hit such an open three-pointer. If he couldn't hit the three-pointer, he would become a defensive black hole on the court. Fortunately, the Pistons do not have strong players at the power forward position, so he is not worried about Prince's ability to completely defeat Wang Zhizhi.

If the Celtics can't make three-pointers from the outside, then sorry, they will continue to shrink their defense, making it more difficult for Pierce and Arenas to break through. This is the case with offense. There cannot be any disconnect between the inside and outside. Whether it is a failure to make a breakthrough or a failure to make a shot, it will lead to a vicious cycle.

Leon's palms were sweating on the sidelines. Both sides struggled in the next few attacks. The score of 14:10 actually lasted for three and a half minutes. Both sides were in a scoring drought. Whichever one could break the deadlock first would win. Bring about changes in the game situation. Wang Zhizhi's three-pointer was such a pity.

But Leon still has to trust him, because Wang Zhizhi can not only shoot three-pointers.

The Pistons' offense was really stretched, and they had to rely on Billups' singles against Arenas. Billups kept advancing in the low post, and the Celtics were determined not to double attack. Billups couldn't make a fadeaway jumper. , this time Wang Zhizhi got the rebound.

At this time, the Pistons suddenly resorted to a full-court 1-2-2 pressing defense, and double-teamed Arenas in advance, denying him a chance to catch the ball. Wang Zhizhi grabbed the ball in the backcourt and didn't know who to pass it to for a while, because everyone was pressed to defend.

"What are you afraid of? Just pass half the game by yourself!" Leon yelled anxiously from the sidelines.

Wang Zhizhi didn't hesitate anymore. He immediately dribbled the ball across half court and passed the ball to Arenas when Prince came up to intercept. Then Wang Zhizhi rushed inside!

Breaking the 1-2-2 defense has been practiced countless times in the Celtics' training. Quickly cutting inside after the inside support is the best choice, because they will only have one person under the basket!

At this time, it was too late for the rest of the Pistons to change their formation. Arenas advanced a few steps further and passed the ball directly to Wang Zhizhi. After receiving the ball, Wang Zhizhi made a fake move to get rid of Wallace, who stepped forward to cover. , and then made a beautiful layup! The scoring drought was finally broken! The North Shore Garden, which had been silent for three minutes, burst into cheers again.

Rick Carlisle rubbed his nose on the sidelines. He obviously didn't expect that Wang Zhizhi was not only a fixed-point three-point shooter, but also a player with great tactical reading ability. It seemed that he underestimated the strange card in Leon's hand. Carlisle used Prince's strange card in the opening, which obviously disrupted the rhythm of Leon and Walker. In addition, Walker's state in this game was indeed a bit unstable. Prince really made a difference.

After Wang Zhizhi came on the field, Prince was hesitant to face Wang Zhizhi. It would not be economical to defend him with all his strength like Walker. Let him go. He can score goals, which is really a trouble. Prince was inexperienced and obviously didn't know what to do.

"This time it's your turn to play. Let's see how many cards you have left..." Leon looked at Carlisle, mentally calculating what tricks each side had. Anyway, Leon still had a lot of cards in his hand.