After a dead ball, Tony Allen came on the court and replaced Pierce.
For most of the quarter, Pierce had scored 11 points, accounting for almost all of the Celtics' scoring.
Of course, he still has some physical energy left, but now, Rivers wants to let Ricky Davis, who has more physical energy, rush with the ball, and maybe it will work wonders.
Pierce sat down next to Lin Yu and pulled a towel to cover himself.
The team's lagging behind made Pierce frustrated. He didn't want to see the team keep losing, but the fact is that the Celtics have been losing now.
Lin Yu didn't think so much. Now he has not yet reached the point of "thinking about why the team keeps losing". All he can think about is "how to quickly improve himself".
As for the team's record, if it can win, it will be better, if it cannot win, it will be defeated. Anyway, now he only needs to focus on himself.
On the court, the game is still going on. Tony Allen has already faced off against Jason Terry. Lin Yu is paying attention to this duel.
Terry controlled the ball, and Tony Allen seemed very patient, moving in small steps, gradually keeping up with Terry's rhythm.
"now it's right."
Before the chat between Lin Yu and Tony Allen, Tony Allen was used to using his physical advantage to resist the opponent's attacks.
Sometimes the effect is excellent, but when faced with a smart opponent, the effect is very bad.
Unfortunately, Tony Allen often encounters smart opponents, and his impulses can easily be played by opponents.
After communicating with Lin Yu, Allen immediately changed his defensive style, and made changes in accordance with Lin Yu's requirements in the subsequent team training games.
The effect is good, but after all, it is just a training match within the team. Star players of the same team will not exert their full strength in the training match within the team.
Therefore, Tony Allen still needs to be tested in actual combat.
This game is a good opportunity. Jason Terry is considered an All-Star scorer, but among All-Star players, Terry is at the lower level.
For Tony Allen, guarding against Jason Terry is the first step in his growth.
On the court, Terry tried to break through Tony Allen, but Allen used a precise lateral movement to block the breakthrough route.
Allen wrapped his arms around Terry in a leisurely manner, with his arms spread out and no unnecessary movements at all.
If it were Allen from before, he might have already taken action and tried to steal.
And often the moment he tries to steal is the moment his defense is out of position.
This time, Allen's defense was not out of position.
Terry continuously dribbled the ball under his hips and made some fake moves.
Allen still stood upright in front of him, not giving him any space to take action.
There was not much time left to attack, and Terry had only two options left, one was to pass the blame at the last moment, and the other was to force the shot.
He rarely shirks the blame and finally chose to take action forcefully.
Tony Allen clearly remembers Lin Yu telling him not to act rashly until the opponent finally takes action, but once the opponent takes action, you can go all out.
So, the moment Terry jumped out and took action, Tony Allen went all out.
He exerted force at the same time, jumped up suddenly, and slapped the basketball hard with his right hand, hitting the center of the ball!
Snapped!
After a crisp sound like a slap in the face, the basketball flew directly out!
"Oh-my-god, Tony Allen's big block shot directly knocked the basketball away!"
Amid the cheers at the North Shore Garden Arena, Lin Yu jumped out and waved the towel in his hand: "Well done, Tony!"
Pierce, who was sitting on the bench, raised his head and glanced at Lin Yu in surprise. He was a little curious: "This guy, he cheers when Tony performs well, isn't he afraid that Tony will steal his main position?"
Of course, Pierce would not ask his question out loud. He would not be stupid enough to ask his teammates such a sensitive question.
What he didn't know was that Lin Yu had already thought about this issue.
If Tony Allen immediately becomes the defensive gate of the future, which affects his playing time and even his main position, what should Lin Yu do?
Then the next second, Lin Yu had the answer. He thought that the above question would never arise.
Because no matter how the future develops, he will always be better than Tony Allen. Just like now, Lin Yu has stronger outside shooting and more mature outside single defense than Allen.
In the future, Lin Yu's outside shooting will continue to improve. In comparison, Tony Allen's poor shooting throughout his career will become Lin Yu's permanent advantage.
Main position?
Unless Doc Rivers is crazy, Lin Yu's main position is very secure.
At 5 minutes and 39 seconds of the second quarter, the Celtics trailed by 8 points.
Rivers called a timeout and replaced Lin Yu.
Also present were Pierce, Marcus Banks, Al Jefferson and Perkins. Because no one could guard Nowitzki, Rivers could only send Jefferson to play power forward.
.
However, Jefferson's defensive effect against Nowitzki was equally poor. If Lin Yu wasn't a whole head shorter than Nowitzki, Rivers would have considered letting Lin Yu play power forward.
Lin Yu appeared again, and Lin Yu's opponent was changed.
The Mavericks replaced backup point guard Devin Harris, and Terry was not present, so Lin Yu was transferred to guard Jerry Stackhouse at the second position.
If it were Stackhouse three or four seasons ago, Lin Yu might have had to pay more attention to it, but now Stackhouse has long since become a second-rate scorer averaging more than ten points per game.
There was not much pressure on the defensive end, so Lin Yu started thinking about the offensive end.
Pierce rested for five or six minutes. He came on the stage before Lin Yu. His hot form after coming on the stage has greatly attracted the Mavericks' defensive focus.
Thinking of this, Lin Yu glanced at Stackhouse in front of him again.
In the Mavericks' defensive system, the wing linkage between Josh Howard and Stackhouse is very important. Before Lin Yu came on the court, he could often see Stackhouse going to the middle to help defend when he was sitting off the court.
This is Lin Yu's opportunity. If he can catch the ball, he can score.
"China Lin reappeared, and he faced Jerry Stackhouse."
"I think Doc Rivers' substitutions are too rigid. He shouldn't have replaced China Lin at the right time, and then put China Lin on the court at the right time. Obviously, the Celtics are the biggest player in this game.
His outside opponent is Jason Terry, and he should let China Lin play with Jason Terry."
"When Jason Terry plays, China Lin also plays. When Terry takes a rest, China Lin also takes a rest."
"Maybe Doc Rivers has his own ideas."
In just over a month, Lin Yu has labeled himself as someone who is extremely good at defense, but only knows how to defend. Even if he made countless open three-pointers, even if he made a three-pointer at the beginning of this game,
A three-pointer against the defense.
On the defensive end, Jerry Stackhouse also only guarded Lin Yu's open three-pointer, which gave Lin Yu a chance.
Lin Yu started running, and Stackhouse didn't follow closely because he still had to pay attention to Pierce in the middle. Lin Yu had plenty of space.
In the middle, Pierce plays alone. In one-on-one situations, Pierce will not pass the ball.
Lin Yu could only continue running, and leaned towards the center intentionally or unintentionally. He was luring Stackhouse to attack Pierce. "Paul Pierce's breakthrough, he pushed away Josh Howard, and a gap appeared in the Mavericks' defense...
…”
When an opportunity appeared in the middle, Stackhouse let go of Lin Yu without hesitation and crossed over.
"Jerry Stackhouse's double attack, there is no chance, I can only pass the ball..."
Pierce passed the ball behind him, Lin Yu received the ball, and the Mavericks' defense was in place immediately. The person who stepped in front of Lin Yu was Devin Harris.
"The one who caught the ball was China Lin. He appeared outside the three-point line and stopped the ball... Devin Harris was covering the ball. Pierce was walking out. There was not much time left... Lin Yu took action directly!"
When he found an opportunity to take action, even though Devin Harris was standing in front of him, Lin Yu took action without hesitation.
Whoosh!
The basketball hit the net and it was another three-pointer against the defense!
"Hit a three-pointer. This is a crucial three-pointer. The point difference is only 5 points!"
The cheers in the arena suddenly erupted. When the Celtics were in desperate need of scoring, Lin Yu, who had just come on the court, stood up.
Off the court, junior general Avery Johnson was dissatisfied with Stackhouse's defensive attention: "Jerry, I emphasized this to you?!"
What was emphasized? Of course, Lin Yu should not be given a chance to take an empty seat.
And just now, Stackhouse directly shorted Lin Yu for Pierce in the middle. This is what the young general was dissatisfied with.
Stackhouse rushed to the front with his head lowered. The young general's questioning made him feel angry. Of course, he was not angry at the young general, but at Lin Yu in front of him.
"Give me the ball!"
The angry Stackhouse asked for the ball as soon as the half was over, and Lin Yu laughed out loud: "Brother, are you going to beat me alone?"
This laughter was full of ridicule for Stackhouse's overestimation. Lin Yu's defense is already famous. Unless he is an All-Star scorer, any scorer of any other level who wants to beat Lin Yu alone will have to do it alone.
An expression of overestimation.
When Stackhouse received the ball, he became even more angry and kept saying harsh words: "No, I just want to kick your balls out, then push you to the floor and beat you hard!"
He stared at the basket, thinking about how to defeat Lin Yu in front of him.
Snapped!
Lin Yu suddenly stretched out his right hand and hit the basketball surface accurately, completely missing Stackhouse's black hand and completing a perfect steal.
"Beautiful steal, China Lin has made another contribution!"
The basketball fell to the floor and bounced a bit. Lin Yu had already squeezed past Stackhouse, grabbed the basketball, and took the lead and crossed the half court.
As I accelerated, my ears were filled with cheers from the TD North Shore Garden Arena, rising like a crazy tide.
Some fans even shouted: "Dunk him!"
Dunk? I’m afraid I’m overthinking it.
In the frontcourt, Stackhouse gritted his teeth and chased after him. At this moment, he couldn't care less about his anger and just wanted to get the ball back.
Otherwise, this goal will be his most humiliating moment of the season.
Lin Yu's speed was not slow. He reached the basket and stopped immediately.
Stackhouse flew up directly. He felt that Lin Yu was definitely going to layup or even dunk. He wanted to seize the opportunity and block the ball.
If he succeeds, he can wash away all the shame.
Lin Yu paused for a moment. The moment Stackhouse flew up, he took the ball and shot, his entire upper body holding up Stackhouse's flying body.
Beep!
The piercing whistle sounded, and the North Shore Garden Arena was once again filled with cheers.
"China Lin played too smart. He didn't go straight for a layup. Instead, he paused and deceived Jerry Stackhouse, causing a foul on Stackhouse. He was about to take a free throw."
Lin Yu made two free throws. In just two rounds, he directly contributed 5 points and 1 steal. The Celtics were only 3 points behind.
