The substitutes were not good enough and could not keep up with the energy, so Carlisle had no choice but to replace the main team in advance. That is to say, the new season had just started, and the players' physical fitness was sufficient, so there was no problem in playing for a while.
But the Magic's players have been in shape and have picked up the rhythm, so although the Pacers' main force is back, the initiative in the game still lies with the Magic.
At halftime, 48-42, the Magic led by 6 points.
During the halftime break, Edison did not start the human hair dryer again because the players performed well afterwards. However, he did not give the players a good look and still seriously explained the tactics and precautions for the second half to the players.
"After the start of the second half, Carlisle will definitely not choose to chase points. He will definitely continue to emphasize defense, slow down the rhythm again, and then wait for us to make mistakes. During the offense, I think Carlisle will reduce O'Neal's shots and let Artest attack the inside.
In fact, with the Pacers' current lineup, they have no other choice. This is Carlisle's only choice. So the pressure on you will be very heavy when Wallace waits, but as long as you can withstand it, the Pacers will have nothing to do.
Already."
After listening to Edison's words, Wallace's dark face became calm without any fluctuation. He still looked cool, but at this time his heart was not so calm. (ps: Without Marion, I wrote
There's a lot less motivation in the locker room.)
Wallace went through three seasons with the Kings that were not taken seriously, and could only play 10 and 8 minutes in each game. It can be said that if that state continues, his NBA career may end at any time. This
It's nothing new. Many players of this kind are abandoned by the league every year. When he came to the Magic last season, although his playing time did not increase significantly, he could feel that head coach Edison valued him very much and that he was in his hands.
A surprise player. In the middle of the season, the team actively renewed his contract. Although it was not a huge contract, the annual salary of more than 3 million was enough to prove that he could stand in the team.
People are never satisfied, and the same goes for Wallace. When he gained a foothold, he began to look forward to better performance. But with Marion at the All-Star level, his thoughts can only be thoughts.
I didn't even dare to hope that it would actually become a reality. But God's decision is always beyond ordinary people's expectations, and Marion left the team.
Wallace knew that this was his best chance to make his mark. As long as he performed well and proved that he was better than Iguodala, he would be a starter and his future would be bright, and Artest would undoubtedly be the one to prove himself.
The best standard of ability.
Sure enough, just as Edison expected, Carlisle asked Artest to make more breakthroughs during the halftime break to kill the Magic's insides. Artest thought so, he has the kung fu practiced by thirteen Taibo, and he can't compete with the three.
What's the point of shooting from outside the arc?
So after the start of the second half, the Pacers' Ron Artest began to attack with the ball.
But Artest soon discovered that things were not as simple as he thought. He obviously felt that the pure old black man in front of him was different from the first half, although he did not specifically say that there was any change.
But everyone knows Artest's character. He is definitely a person who knows that there are tigers in the mountains. Although Wallace's spirit has changed in the first half, he doesn't take it to heart at all and still holds on to it.
The ball rushes to the basket. This is also Artest's strongest point. He is always so confident and does not know fear or worry. When the ball is in his hands, he dares to attack.
After Tinsley passed the ball to Artest, Artest didn't seek any cover, which was not manly enough. And Wallace followed him the moment he caught the ball.
In fact, Artest and Wallace have very similar defensive ideas. Neither of them likes to interfere with offensive players catching the ball. As long as you don't position yourself too deep, they will usually ignore you and allow you to catch the ball comfortably. But once
After catching the ball, they will immediately stick to you, and then use their strong bodies to constantly press you, making it difficult for you to make movements and draining your energy. Finally, they will force you to pass the ball out, causing mistakes or a decrease in your shooting percentage.
But during the whole process, they rarely make small movements. Their hands are relatively clean, and they just use their bodies to disturb you. They rarely include unnecessary movements such as pinching buttocks and pulling clothes, let alone dirty tricks like touching the penis and stamping feet...
After Artest got the ball, he faced the frame and made a fake shot, and then rushed to the basket with his shoulder against Wallace's ball. Many fans said that the breakthrough of James and Artest was called a tank layup, but
Artest really can't be called a tank, he is just a bulldozer, his speed is too slow.
We generally say that there are two key factors in a breakthrough, change of speed and change of direction. But Artest does not need these. He just uses the straight line closest to the basket as the route of travel, regardless of whether there are defensive players. No one can defend the best, someone can defend.
It just pushes you inward. But this move is very lethal. Everyone thinks that players who can play in the NBA must have strong firepower. When another person pushes you towards the basket like this, you can't take more than 3 steps back.
, I will definitely not be able to bear it, and then I will act hastily and cause a foul.
But this is not over yet. The most terrifying thing about Artest is this. As soon as he finds out that you are about to commit a foul, he will immediately make a move to prepare for a shot. With his power, other players will not use their posture to defeat him.
If you commit a foul, you can't hit him at all. So he can often play 2+1. Although his free throw shooting rate is not high, it hurts the opponent's morale.
But Artest's move didn't work today. Wallace is also a devilish muscleman. Although Artest couldn't stop him when he rushed in like this, it also greatly interfered with him. The most obvious thing is Artest's layup speed now.
It has changed from a bulldozer to a tractor, and it is simply a turtle speed. Brand has already set up his posture and stood firm. As long as Artest comes over, he will attack and hit people.
At the same time, Wallace is not a person who likes to commit fouls. Although everyone watching the game will think that this guy is very excited and easily irritated by his opponents. However, he rarely vents his anger on obvious fouls. Instead, he presses the body more fiercely, or teases him.
Qi attack.
At this time, Artest was very embarrassed. Brand was blocking him in front of him. If he continued to rush forward, he would definitely be dead. But then it was too late to retreat. He had already picked up the ball. If he took the shot in a hurry, he would be hanging on his body.
Wallace is not an easy person, so he might slap himself back.
There is no other way, Artest can only quickly find the target to pass the ball. However, passing the ball suddenly is a very difficult task, which tests the player's vision and court reading ability. It is not just a matter of good basic passing movements.
He did it. And Artest obviously has no talent in this area. He can only give the ball to the person closest to him-O'Neal Jr.
But he forgot that there was a gibbon-like Brand next to O'Neal. The ball was hit out and Nash picked it up from the outside.
Then comes the fast break that Magic fans love to see most. Nash dribbles the ball forward, and Iguodala also cuts in from the other side at high speed, beating Tinsley in a 2-and-1, and then Iguodala dunks.
"It seems we don't have to worry too much about Artest. Wallace can restrain him very well." Edison looked at the ball and said to Thibodeau next to him.
Thibodeau, on the other hand, can never be satisfied with defense. "This ball was just good luck, and Wallace suddenly used his strength to catch Artest off guard. If Artest was prepared, Wallace might not be able to let it go."
Come down."
"It's not that pessimistic. At least Wallace can limit half of Artest's performance, and if his temper is restricted by half, he will definitely cause trouble. Even if he doesn't cause trouble, he will lose his offensive sanity. Then he is no threat.
."
Thibodeau agreed with this, so he nodded and said, "Then should we add more fire?"
"No, too much is not enough. This is good. Boil the frog in warm water, maintain a 6 or 7-point lead, and let them commit suicide slowly."
Sure enough, as Edison expected, Artest's offense was not smooth in the next two rounds. Although he did not make any mistakes, he did not make any shots. He also shook his head and looked sideways.
Wallace, who has been defending himself, is like an angry bull, with fire almost coming out of his eyes...
Edison was waiting for Artest to get bloodied and make a mistake, and Carlisle was watching him closely. As soon as he saw something was wrong, Carlisle immediately called a timeout and rearranged his tactics.
Edison couldn't guess what move Carlisle was going to make, but now it was obvious that he had the upper hand, so he decided to stay the same to cope with all changes.
But no matter how well the coach arranges it, the game must be executed by the players. Wallace, who had just been beaten by Artest, was also angry, so he found an opportunity to communicate with Nash, hoping to give himself
A chance to play alone.
Nash thought that this was not a big deal, so in the next attack, he suddenly made a long pass and threw the ball to Wallace on the weak side.
Facing Artest's defense, Wallace dribbled the ball under his hips, which clearly meant "one-on-one".
Even the commentary box was excited now. Although the Magic played very smoothly and had a lot of dunks, you were tired of watching pick-and-rolls. Now two muscular men are going one-on-one. It's interesting to think about it.
Artest was unhappy after having failed in several attacks just now. Seeing Wallace's posture, it was exactly what he wanted. So he took a step forward and got close to him, just like the way Wallace defended him just now.
At this time, Artest was at the peak of his career. Although Wallace was full of energy, his body was at a disadvantage when he came into contact, but it was not a big mess.
Wallace already knew that there was no chance of him playing like this, but he had already stretched his posture, and felt that it would be embarrassing to pass the ball, so he simply broke through, then brought the ball back and took a shot after gaining a little space.
This kind of hasty shot is naturally difficult to score, but the Magic's offense never ends when its own players fail to score.
Howard turned around and got in front of Foster and O'Neal Jr., jumped high, pushed the basketball back out of the basket, and succeeded in a dunk.
