In two rounds, the Cavaliers chased for 5 points in a row. The sudden change of situation on the field was surprising. Doc Rivers turned his head and glanced at Tom Thibodeau, and he discovered a problem.
"The knights are starting to fight back."
As the founder of the Celtics' defensive system, Thibodeau, who was thinking, gave his advice: "The players who retreated will switch to man-to-man defense. Let's try it first. If it doesn't work, call a timeout."
Rivers nodded, walked to the sidelines and shouted to the court.
On the court, the Celtics were attacking, Pierce received the ball, and once again faced off in singles.
"In the last offensive round, Pierce's offense failed to break through China Lin's defense. Now, he is making a comeback."
It is still a breakthrough with little impact, followed by a back body, and then continues to advance with the back body.
Two or three seconds later, Pierce made a tentative move, but Lin Yu, just like the previous round, gave up a space to turn his back and shoot, blocking Pierce's breakthrough.
Pierce also didn't hesitate to turn his back and hit a jump shot again.
Bang, strike again.
The basketball hit the frame and bounced high. At this moment, all the Cavaliers' perimeter players rushed to where they could grab the rebound.
Inside, James and Varejao are seeking physical confrontation with their opponents and blocking each other.
Lin Yu, who had just completed his defense, immediately rushed to the right side of the three-second zone. Looking at the basketball that was gradually enlarging his sight, Lin Yu jumped up.
Pierce, who followed closely behind, also rushed over. With a bang and a confrontation in the air, Lin Yu was slightly suppressed.
But from the start, his position was advantageous.
Although it was difficult, Lin Yu still touched basketball for the first time.
"I got the rebound! It was China Lin who grabbed it!"
In the Cavaliers' bench area, a group of bench teammates stood up to prevent the next attack, and then grabbed rebounds, which meant that there was an opportunity to counterattack.
But Lin Yu struggled a little when he landed and couldn't even control the ball.
Pierce's on-the-spot press, Chucky Atkins seemed to have forgotten Rivers' new adjustment and directly surrounded him.
Lin Yu quickly fell to the ground, but the referee did not blow the whistle.
Lin Yu, who sat down on the floor, had no intention of calling a timeout. He was still looking for opportunities to pass the ball, and counterattack was still his first goal.
Pierce pounced directly, but Lin Yu seized an opening and threw the ball away with all his strength.
Near the center circle, LeBron James rushed to the landing point of the basketball, and there was another wave of confrontation between James and Ray Allen.
James rushed out like a tank and directly knocked away Ray Allen in front of him and grabbed the basketball.
The referee unified the rules and did not blow the whistle.
A counterattack that was not an opportunity was successful due to the best efforts of Lin Yu and James. James, who got the basketball in the chaos, rushed to the frontcourt and dunked!
Amidst the huge sound of abuse, boos broke out in the North Shore Garden Arena.
"Beautiful counterattack, the Cavaliers continued to seize the opportunity, 56:65, the point difference has been reduced to less than 10 points!"
Doc Rivers couldn't sit still. In just two minutes, the Cavaliers played a 7:0 wave, and the point difference had narrowed to 9 points.
He looked at Tom Thibodeau again, and Thibodeau shook his head, signaling the other person to be patient.
So, the Celtics endured it, and in another offensive round, Pierce took the ball again.
Lin Yu lowered his center of gravity and stared closely at the basketball in Pierce's hand. He knew that Pierce had entered a cycle and he had to score a goal to end his current streak of singles.
Lin Yu is also happy because so far, his defense against Pierce has been very successful.
In the new round of singles, Pierce changed his style of play and made a breakthrough facing the frame. Pierce used his body to directly squeeze through Lin Yu's defense.
Lin Yu was as stubborn as ever. He clung to Pierce and refused to give an inch.
There was a roar in the penalty area, and Pierce forcibly withstood Lin Yu's defense and sent the basketball towards the basket.
Snapped!
After the roar of the confrontation, the crisp sound of the hit made everyone feel unbelievable. Amidst the exclamations, the voice in the commentary box was particularly clear: "Wonderful defense, perfect block! China Lin once again stopped Paul -
Pierce’s offense!”
Lin Yu and Pierce lay on the floor, the basketball rolled out of the sideline, and the referee stopped the game.
Then, James reached out and pulled Lin Yu up. Lin Yu, who stood up, immediately roared, expressing his excitement at the moment.
Pierce slapped the floor hard and was restricted for three consecutive rounds. He was a little annoyed.
The Celtics served the ball from the sideline and reorganized their offense.
But time was running out. After three or two passes, the ball was given to Garnett. He took a mid-range shot from the spot and hit the frame with a bang.
James turned around and grabbed the rebound, then counterattacked with a wild push.
"Mark man to man!"
Doc Rivers is calling the shots again.
On the court, the Celtics players who received the order started man-to-man defense. Lin Yu was marked by Ray Allen, but James still broke through Pierce's defense.
He got to the basket and pushed the basketball up despite the confrontation. 58:65, the point difference was only 7 points, getting closer and closer to the 5-point difference promised by Lin Yu.
Doc Rivers also called a timeout at this time.
"There is no other way, we must pause..."
Turning around, Rivers explained before the players left the field.
Now, the Celtics need to face an insurmountable dilemma.
"Their fast break counterattack avoids our positional defense, so we have to make some adjustments. Tom, do you have any good ideas?"
Rivers' performance is really like a tool man, and the team's tactical command needs to seek Tom Thibodeau's opinions and suggestions.
But Rivers is also helpless. In just two months, the Celtics' offense has not yet been successfully adjusted, and it has not even passed the stage of allocating the ball.
At the beginning of the season, most of their victories relied on the systematic defense brought by Thibodeau, which was their only strength.
Now, with their strong points gone, the Celtics are naturally at a disadvantage. What they need to face is a Cavaliers with full firepower.
After a 9-0 run, the original 16-point lead was suddenly reduced to only 7 points.
Rivers was panicked. He didn't want to lose this game, because losing this game meant a lot. It meant that the Celtics were going to be at a disadvantage in the battle for first place in the Eastern Conference. It meant that they were going to lose to the Cavaliers.
A real competitor.
Tom Thibodeau frowned at his defensive counterattack style. He didn't have a good solution. Man-to-man marking was the best solution he could come up with.
He shook his head, Rivers' brows furrowed deeper, and he had to rely on himself.
But soon, Rivers thought: "We can solve the opponent's man-to-man defense from the source."
Where is the source? The source is the Celtics' offensive failure.
"So, we need to improve our offensive success rate. In the next game, try to hit the ball inside. Even if we can't succeed, we will delay the violation until the 24 seconds, forcing the Cavaliers to serve from the sideline."