You have to pay it back sooner or later. In the past, the Magic's games were very relaxed. After playing a game, they could usually rest for 2 to 3 days. But they immediately entered a miserable schedule.
It’s not a back-to-back series, but a series of away games played every other day. The 76ers played on the 28th, had a day off, and played the Celtics away on the 30th. Rested on December 1st, and flew to Toronto on the 2nd.
We will rest on the 3rd and then play the Knicks at home on the 4th...Basically, this state of affairs will last until mid-December.
When he was an assistant coach, Edison didn't feel it so obviously because he didn't have to go with the team to away games every time, but now as the head coach, he felt overwhelmed when he saw this schedule.
Fortunately, the world's largest commercial aircraft leasing company "GE Capital" signed a seven-year contract with the league in 1998, and the company will provide special planes for each NBA team. In this way, each team can arrange their travel time at will.
, you don’t have to wait for a plane like ordinary people. Moreover, the interiors of these team planes have been modified beyond recognition. The cabin that usually can accommodate 160 passengers only leaves about 40 seats after modification. The entire cabin is divided into three parts.
The front cabin has only 15 seats and is designed for players. The middle cabin has about 12 seats, divided into 6 rows, with a square table in the middle for coaches to hold meetings. The rearmost cabin generally has 7 rows of seats and is
Staff. In addition, the cabin entrance and exit, bathroom, etc. have also been renovated, but they are very comfortable.
As for some teams with stronger financial resources, they simply bought a plane themselves. For example, the Dallas Mavericks bought a Boeing 757. (ps: Here you can see how rich the NBA is. You must know that in the European Football League,
Except for a few wealthy clubs, other teams do not have private planes and can only choose to use civil aviation. I remember one time when Chelsea was flying away from home during the European war, Abramovich sent his own private plane to pick them up. As a result, Lampard and others were so moved.)
Although they were going to play the Celtics the day after tomorrow, the Magic and everyone rushed back to Orlando overnight.
When he woke up the next morning, Edison received a call from Rachel, "Dear, my agent has already negotiated with the people at Lions Gate, and they have transferred 20 million to your account."
"How come there are so many? The movie is still in theaters and it is impossible for theaters to pay them. Why are they giving me money so happily?"
After hearing this, Rachel deliberately said in an exaggerated and envious tone: "I can't help it. Who made the recent homerun? The people at Lions Gate want to make the relationship more harmonious with you. Anyway, they will get the money sooner or later, so why don't you sell me a favor?"
You, lay the foundation for next cooperation."
Edison thought the same thing. Lionsgate is not the independent film giant that it will be later. "Saw" was only released this year. There were only a few films that could be produced before. But now he is in the limelight, "The Ghost Story"
” is about to reach the 100 million mark, and “iful” has successfully topped the major music single charts starting this week.
"Anyway, thank you and your agent. You guys have helped me a lot. I love you so much."
After a day of adjustment training, the Magic set off on their journey again in the evening, targeting Boston.
There are two traditional giants in the NBA, the Lakers and Celtics. In front of them, the Bulls are an upstart, let alone other teams.
Needless to say, the Celtics' past glory. The 16 championship flags and 20 retired numbers flying in the TD North Shore Garden Arena are enough to prove how glorious this place once was.
But since Larry Bird retired in 1992, the Celtics have been reduced to an underdog in the Eastern Conference. Starting from the 1995-1996 season, the Celtics failed to enter the playoffs for six consecutive years until the 2001-2002 season.
The Celtics entered the playoffs again under the leadership of Pierce and Walker. In the 2002-2003 season, the Celtics' twin stars shined, and Pierce and Walker helped the team rejoin the ranks of the Eastern Conference's top teams...
However, due to the team's management reorganization, whether in order to reduce wages or to establish prestige, the team sent Walker to Dallas last season. After Walker left, Pierce alone set off the banner of revitalization, leading the team to stumble and win the season.
He had the last ticket in the playoffs, but was defeated by the powerful Pacers in the first round.
The Celtics didn't make any big moves in the summer, mainly because they acquired veteran Payton through a trade. Now the Celtics are solidly planning to rebuild the team with Pierce as the core.
The starting lineup of the Green Army in this game is: center: Lavrentz, power forward: Gugliotta, small forward: Ricky Davis, point guard: Payton, shooting guard: Pierce.
The Magic have a common starting combination of five.
Howard won the jump ball easily, and white center Lavrentz had no impact on him.
After Nash got the ball, he started to advance, and "Glove" Payton, the former number one defensive back in the league, came over to defend Nash.
Pay attention to my choice of words, "once". Payton was really good in the last century, but now he is 36 years old and his physical fitness is no longer at its peak.
Although his feet can no longer keep up with the speed of young people, he can still perform defensively with his experience and predictions, but he is no longer the "glove" that can hold the opponent player tightly in his hands.
"Yes.
But Nash has never been a player who scores by himself. His main task is to organize, so it should have little impact, but the result is not like this.
Watching the veteran Payton struggling on the court, Edison admired him very much. There is a saying in the league, "Never underestimate the heart of a championship." It means that the will and experience of championship players can have an impact on the game.
Great impact. But at this moment, Edison also felt that "never underestimate the veteran's pursuit of the championship." Payton's performance was very good in the first 4 minutes. Although he did not completely restrict Nash, he also caused a lot of trouble to Nash.
Troubled, he can no longer organize the offense as freely as usual, and the Magic's offensive rhythm has slowed down.
Rhythm is a wonderful thing. You can't see it or touch it, but the players can feel it. Take the current Magic as an example. Every player has adapted to finishing the offense within 10 seconds, which is the same as setting it up.
It's like setting a biological clock. Once the time is too long, the players will feel awkward. The longer they are delayed, the more likely the players will be irritable. The more irritable the players, the less effective they will be in playing.
Therefore, after the start of the first quarter, the Magic's outside shooting percentage was very low. Although there is no intuitive data, this is all due to Payton.
Edison truly admired this kind of veteran, and in order to show his respect, he decided to exert 100% of his strength.
"Marion, don't rush to the baseline as usual. You start to protect Steve from the center circle and help him cover so that he can get rid of Payton faster. Then you go to the bottom. This is good for you.
The physical requirements will be greater, but it doesn't matter. If you can't hold on anymore, I will replace you in time. Steve, you have to play faster and run more flexibly. Payton is older, we have to delay
Destroy his physical strength." Edison pointed to the bench on the other side while carefully analyzing tactics for the players.
Sure enough, Marion's early screen in the center circle made Payton extremely uncomfortable. Normally, he would wait for Nash to pass the center circle and then start to maintain a distance of 2 steps to defend, but now with Marion as the screen, this distance
It's embarrassing.
In this position, Marion can stand in the middle, and then Nash pushes Marion forward as if holding a shield. If Nash rushes in that direction, Marion can help him block Payton, so Payton has to go back.
Take a step back to give yourself room to chase Nash. In this way, Nash's advancement speed will be faster...
The advancement speed became faster, the Magic's offensive rhythm became normal, and the outside shooting rate began to increase. In two consecutive rounds, Iguodala scored, a three-pointer and a mid-range shot.
Looking at the Celtics on the other hand, they are not used to this kind of high-speed game. Pierce was luckily unmoved, but Ricky Davis, another scoring point, was a little flustered.
Edison looked at the Celtics, who were starting to have problems, and lamented to Thibodeau again, "Payton is really not suitable for this team. As the main force, he is too repetitive with Pierce in the offense. Both of them are holding the ball.
For a player of this type, without the ball and relying solely on movement, the threat is reduced by nearly half. If he goes to a team where no one else wants to control the ball and mainly relies on him to organize the ball, Payton can still play at a considerable level.
"
When Thibodeau heard this, he thought there was something in this. A team where no one else wants to control the ball, isn't this the Magic? So he quickly answered, "What, are you tempted and want to win him?"
When Edison heard this, he laughed, shook his head, and made a gesture of "It's raining in the world that my mother wants to get married" and said: "Unfortunately, we already have Nash, and Payton can't accept a substitute.
Location."
"How do you know he can't accept coming off the bench?"
Edison rolled his eyes at Thibodeau and said, "Nonsense, I can see it through this quarter of the game. Do you think the Celtics can't see it? If it were possible, I believe Rivers would have let him and
Pierce staggered and went to play as a substitute. Although his offense is no longer a threat and has no lethality, his experience and defense are still above the standard."
There is a very depressing and shameless thing in this world, which is called - a slap in the face. Here, Edison just said that Payton's offensive threat was no longer great and the lethality was insufficient, and Payton showed off his "killing power"
force".
I don’t know if you have carefully observed Payton’s breakthrough. His posture is very weird. Most people’s arms are stretched as far as possible for layups with only a slight bend. This has two advantages. The first is that it is closer to the basket.
, the closer you are to the basket, the more confident you are in scoring; secondly, your movements are more stretched, and your shot point is higher, making it less likely to be blocked.
But Payton is not. His arms are very bent, basically at a right angle. His shot is not stretched forward, but upward, and he throws it high for a layup.
As I said before, behind every bizarre move in the league, there is an unknown story. The same goes for Payton's gesture.
On the surface, his posture only has one benefit: the arc is higher and it is less likely to be blocked. But this is just an appearance, there is something deeper.
We have said before that Payton is the best defensive player in the league. He was selected to the NBA's annual defensive first team for 8 consecutive seasons and was elected the best defensive player in the league in 1996 (it is worth mentioning that this is the first time since 1987-
The first defender to win this honor after Jordan in the 1988 season.)
The so-called "long-term illness makes a doctor", as Payton, the best defensive player, he is very aware of the weaknesses of defensive players and the problems they will encounter, and this posture is used to destroy the opponent's defense.
You will definitely ask, how can this posture destroy the opponent's defense? Well, now let's imagine the posture of ordinary people for layups. They have one hand on the chest, one hand stretched forward, and the lower limbs are in a forward lunge posture. The whole person is accomplished.
It seems to be composed of two arcs, positive and negative, right. Okay, now retract the arm that is stretched forward, bend the elbow to 90°, and then pause. At this time, which position is the most forward of the whole person?
knee.
Because the hands are back, but the forward lunge will not change, the knee is at the front. Therefore, the player guarding Payton has to think about it first...
If you are defending head-on, such as causing a collision foul, no matter whether your defense is successful or not, you will get a knee on the stomach first. And this is not the end, after the knee is hit, it will be followed by an elbow on the face.
Still remember, Payton's arms are bent at 90 degrees, and his elbows are also exposed.
If you don't stand on defense or commit a foul, but jump up to block the shot, the consequences will be even worse. The knee will hit three inches below your navel. If it hits you, let's not say much else, you will urinate blood that day
For sure.
Others' breakthroughs are to score points and cause fouls on the way, but Payton causes players to leave the game and score points on the way. And you still haven't made a move, all the actions are not big, you can't tell that you are hurting someone intentionally, and the referee cannot call a foul.
Comrades, can you imagine my reaction when someone first told me about the destructive effect of Payton's trick? The shock of this thing to me was simply the Spartan power of Smecta. Compared with this
Recruit, LeBron is nothing now, Uncle Bao is nothing, they are all weak.
Nowadays, we always talk about lethality. What is lethality? This is lethality. Payton's breakthrough can be said to be one of the most lethal skills in the 1990s. He can turn around and kick with Malone's iron elbow.
He was compared to the man-made jump shot, Rodman's elbow screen, and the Pistons' bad boy army strangled the neck and kicked the balls. However, these legendary skills are basically extinct now, which is really sad.
So when Payton breaks through, most people don't dare to defend him head-on, or at least they don't dare to defend him head-on. Since you don't defend him head-on, it will be much easier for him to score.
Nash was on the road today. Payton broke through. He stood in front of him to defend, and then Payton hit him in the face with an elbow. This elbow hit Nash until his nose bones were bent, his eyes were cracked, and black beads popped out.
, it’s like opening a colorful silk shop, with red, black and purple all blooming. (Guess the origin of this sentence.)
The referee called a timeout immediately and asked Nash to leave the game. Nelson came to the sidelines immediately and led Nash back to the locker room with Thibodeau.
This accident directly disrupted Edison's plan. He had no choice but to let Diaw play. Iguodala switched to point guard during offense, and Diaw guarded Payton on defense.
Due to the temporary adjustment, the Magic played chaotically in several consecutive rounds, and the slight lead they had originally had was completely ruined. By the end of the first quarter, the Celtics led by 3 points, 28-25.
"Don't be anxious. The opponent doesn't have many tactics. They mainly focus on individual singles, so as long as we do man-to-man marking, there won't be much of a problem. Andre, don't imitate Steve when you play point guard.
Unlike him, you don't want to pass the ball like he does. You just rush in, and if you don't succeed, you will get a foul." Edison was arranging tactics, and as he was talking, something suddenly occurred to him.
"By the way, Boris and Marion, you go off the court, Tony Allen, you and Wallace come on. The two of you and Andre are doing nothing but breaking through to the basket. We usually play very well, but now
We also play simpler and tougher. We are ready to play."
Edison watched Tony Allen play and thought, "Originally, Tony Allen should have grown up with the Celtics. Now, as an opponent, I will let you intuitively feel their level."
At this time, Thibodeau walked out of the locker room. Edison looked at him and before asking questions, Thibodeau gave the answer, "It's nothing serious, but the nose bone is a little bruised. Nelson will get him a protective mask, and it will be fine in a while."
Can come back."
Edison nodded after hearing this, and then thought about "Mask Nash". He didn't know what it looked like.
When Edison changed his style of play, the situation on the field suddenly became much tougher and tougher.
None of the five Magic players are particularly good at passing the ball, but they all have very good physical fitness, are strong enough to jump high, and have strong resistance to breakthroughs...
The same goes for the Celtics, who are playing tough and fighting with their bodies. So the two sides competed like this, and the game was a passionate one. From time to time, the "bang bang" sound of muscle collision could be heard on the field.
Especially Pierce's exaggeration to several points.
Pierce's offensive skills are very comprehensive. It can be said that before Anthony entered the league, he had the most comprehensive offensive skills in the league. But Pierce has a characteristic. Unless he is catching and shooting, he will usually take the initiative to find a physical contact, and then in
Start making movements. When receiving the ball with his back to the basket, he likes to lean on the defender first, and when facing the frame, he likes to use his shoulders to resist the defender.
Coincidentally, whether it is Iguodala or Gerrard who is facing him, they also like physical contact when defending and like to use their bodies and muscles to press the opponent. The two sides happened to be pushed together, so the field instantly became
Entering the wrestling arena, the most primitive beauty of strength is displayed in front of the audience.
"Look, it's been a long time since I've seen such a game. Ever since Stern proposed to make the NBA a gentleman's sport, I've never seen such a confrontational game. Among other teams,
, those who play so tough often only have one or two points, but today’s two teams are not. The whole team is muscular, and everyone’s muscles can participate in the bodybuilding competition. This reminds me of the time when I competed
"At that time, the most important thing on the basketball court was strength, which was to see if you could beat your opponent. Audiences who like retro are making a lot of money today." Celtics legend Zion was also excited in the commentary box.
The entire second quarter ended in physical battles. 54-50, the Celtics still maintained the lead with Pierce's personal ability.
"Steve, are you ready to play?" Edison asked while looking at Nash wearing a mask, and the others couldn't help laughing.
Nash touched the mask on his face and said helplessly, "Coach, I think it's okay."
"Well, in the third quarter, Steve, you take some time and beat me to the punch on the Celtics bench, allowing me to surpass and open up the score."
After the start of the third quarter, the players who came back to play were naturally at full power, directly raising the team's offensive speed to the extreme.
However, the Magic's previously powerful high-post double-cut was not realized. This is because the Celtics' substitute power forward Al Jefferson also has very strong physical fitness. Although his jumping ability is not very strong, his anticipation is still there.
Very good and fast. After Nash picks and rolls, he can guard the penalty area very well by himself.
The inside line was not open, and the Magic's outside line was also very weak. Under the Celtics' physical defense, Martin and Diaw did not perform satisfactorily. At the end of the third quarter, the Magic only tied the score, 73-73.
This situation made Edison quite helpless. His substitute lineup still lacked a strong scoring point, so he increasingly hoped that Hill could play as soon as possible.
It wasn't until the fourth quarter started that Edison and the Magic's generals truly felt how scary Pierce was.
The most amazing thing about Pierce is not his almost endless offensive tricks, nor his hard-hitting defense. It is his physical strength and stability.
If Duncan is the most stable inside line in the league, then Pierce is the most stable outside line. From the first quarter to the fourth quarter, his playing time is definitely more than 35 minutes, but you can't feel that he will be tired until the end of the game.
. Even in overtime, his movements were still so calm and not out of shape at all.
Of course, from another perspective, you can say that Pierce's movements have never been standard, so it is difficult for you to judge and define whether his movements are good or not.
Especially Iguodala, who is facing him, is now full of question marks, "What on earth is going on? Why is he still so strong and so agile even after the fight?" You must know Iguodala.
Darla took a full period of rest, while Pierce only rested for 4 minutes. He was either fighting hand-to-hand with himself or Wallace, and neither of them got to relax. How did he maintain such physical strength?
….
So Iguodala wavered. He was distracted during the game, and the defensive pressure dropped. Naturally, Pierce would not be merciful and would seize the opportunity to score frequently.
When Edison saw Iguodala's performance, he jumped off the court, so he replaced Wallace to guard Pierce. But Pierce had already shown his touch, and if you try to stop him, you can't stop him.
Fortunately, the Magic's offense was also very smooth, and the score between the two sides was always tight.
When there were 30 seconds left in the game, 103-101, the Magic were 2 points behind but had the ball.
"We must run out of time and prepare for overtime. Dwight and Josh, you two must protect Nash and create shooting opportunities for him."
After the Magic sent the ball, Nash hugged the ball and stood near the center circle, motionless. It was obvious that it was a waste of time. The Celtics' Payton did not defend, but waited for Nash to attack.
In fact, it is very difficult for the Celtics to defend at this time because they don't know how the Magic want to play, whether to shoot three-pointers or two-pointers. They cannot focus on which side to defend. The initiative lies entirely in the hands of the Magic.
When there were 5 seconds left before 24 seconds, Nash made a move. Howard pulled outside the three-point line early and set a pick-and-roll for Nash. Nash rushed in and went straight to the baseline. At the same time, Josh also rushed to the basket.
, LaFrentz couldn't tell whether Nash would shoot or pass for a while, so he could only stand between the two people and steadily guard the basket.
Nash took a shot and LaFrentz tried his best to block the shot, but to no avail, 103-103. There were 7 seconds left in the game.
"The game has reached the most critical moment. You must hold on and keep an eye on everyone, especially Pierce. He has the greatest chance of making the last shot. You must keep an eye on him." The Edison hair dryer started up again.
Sure enough, the Celtics gave the ball to Pierce.
Pierce made a fake move against Iguodala, who was guarding him, outside the three-point line.
The feints at this level are definitely not child's play like walking and shaking the arms, but shoulder feints. When a person moves, his shoulders will definitely move first, so we often say in martial arts that you have to look at the shoulders when looking at a kick.
When a person moves, his center of gravity will definitely change, and in order to keep the center of gravity stable, people mainly rely on the movement of the shoulders. Therefore, the most deceptive fake movement must be the shoulder fake movement.
Pierce's shoulder fakes are the best in the league and are very realistic. Unlike others who just shake his shoulders, Pierce really moves his center of gravity. After the opponent's center of gravity has also deflected, he then relies on
My strong abdominal and back muscles pulled my center of gravity back and turned my attack in another direction.
As expected, Iguodala was shaken, and Pierce took the opportunity to rush past him, and then dared to shoot a jumper before Howard could defend.
The red light on the backboard came on and the ball went in, 105-103. The Celtics defeated the Magic at their home court.
Pierce scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and 28 points overall, and was elected the man of the game.
----------segmentation------
This is a big chapter. I don’t recommend it very well. Please give me more recommendation votes.
Also, book reviews are too deserted, so I will create a post about your favorite paragraphs or sentences, so everyone can comment.
