Chapter three hundred and ninety seventh bullying the elderly
One day later, on May 4, war broke out again in Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are different from the Celtics. The Knicks' ancestors were not wealthy. They have only had two championships since the team was founded, and they have not won a championship in 37 years.
Although Madison Garden is known as the Mecca of basketball, three Knicks cannot compare to one Celtic in terms of basketball honors.
Compared with North Shore Garden, the sky above Madison Square Garden seems very empty.
O'Neal stared at the dome above Madison Stadium, and then looked at Lian Dao.
I wonder if in a few seasons, there will be another championship banner on the dome of this arena because of Lian Dao.
O'Neal is very optimistic about Lian Dao. He has worked with many stars, including Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Wade, James, Garnett, Pierce...
But the feeling Lian Dao gave O'Neal was different from the stars he had worked with.
Lian Dao is a player who can make the team better.
What is a player who can make the team better? First of all, he cannot have too many shortcomings and does not need his teammates to help you fill them.
For example, some players have strong scoring ability, but their defense is poor. If they score two points, their opponent will give them three points in return.
Such a player cannot be said to be a player who makes the team better.
Some players' scores are based on a large number of unreasonable shots. Although their scores are high, they have destroyed the team's best chemical reaction, and the entire team's offense has also been messed up.
.
A player who can really make the team better. Even when he feels bad, he can make the team play more smoothly. He can also stand up when the team encounters a crisis and save the team in the future.
Water and fire.
In O'Neal's eyes, Lian Dao is such a player.
In the first three quarters of the last game, Lian Dao often encountered double-teams, but he did not make wasteful shots, but sent out assists one after another.
But in the fourth quarter, when the opponent kept counterattacking and his teammates couldn't score, Lian Dao was able to step up and score again and again to help the team get out of trouble.
Throughout the fourth quarter, O'Neal was deeply impressed by Lian Dao's performance.
That guy is only in his second year. According to media reports, he is not yet 21 years old. At this age, most rookies are struggling in the military training of veterans, but he can lead the team to the league's best record.
, get the MVP trophy.
To what extent he can grow in the future, I am afraid only God knows.
O'Neal believes that as long as the Knicks' management does not seek death, Lian Dao will definitely be able to bring the Knicks banners symbolizing the team's highest honor.
However, O'Neal didn't want this to happen this season! Although he was determined to retire, he also wanted to touch the O'Brien Cup again before retiring.
He doesn't want his career championship ring to be one less than that of the Los Angeles Snakes.
Otherwise, after he retires, he will definitely be laughed at by the stink snakes in Los Angeles when we meet again.
"Shaquille, what are you looking at?"
Pierce moved closer to O'Neal and looked where O'Neal was looking. He only saw the ceiling, so he asked curiously.
"Oh, it's nothing, Paul!" Pierce's words interrupted O'Neal's random thoughts, and he regained his concentration.
…
Lian Dao is very excited today. The last game gave Lian Dao enough confidence. He now wants to win two consecutive victories at home, so that the next pressure will be completely put on the Celtics, so that even if they go to a certain place
In the North Shore Garden, known as the home of the Devils, the Knicks will be relatively relaxed.
Moreover, when playing at home, he does not want to disappoint the home fans.
A few minutes later, the game officially started.
Fans throughout Madison Square Garden stood up and cheered, and the Knicks' home fans were no less powerful than any other team's home stadium in the league.
"The game officially started. This time the jump ball was still the Knicks' first to get the ball! The Knicks' starting lineup remained unchanged. The Celtics replaced Jeff Green at the fourth position. Kevin Garnett
It is rare to play the fifth position in the game, but this is not difficult for Garnett!"
"After the last match, both sides should basically have a preliminary understanding of the strength of their opponents. Now it's up to us to see who is better."
"Moreover, as the game continues to develop, the secrets of both sides will become fewer and fewer. In the end, it will basically be a bayonet with a red eye!"
Barkley is as optimistic about the Knicks as ever, especially in the last game when Garnett broke out and Pierce played well but failed to win the game.
In this game, Barkley is still not optimistic about this senior team.
Pierce's defense against Lian Dao is still as tight as ever. After the last match, Pierce has basically adapted to Lian Dao's offense.
That's how the game is, progressing through constant adaptation.
As a veteran in the league, Pierce is very smart defensively, and his use of small moves is no less impressive than Chris Paul's.
When pressing Lian Dao, his hands would inadvertently pinch, buckle, and scratch Lian Dao, which never made Lian Dao feel comfortable.
Lian Dao didn't care. Since Pierce was pressing him, Lian Dao started to move around and he wasn't in a hurry to get the ball.
Just like in the previous game, Lian Dao kept moving and walking Pierce. Anyway, this old guy is already 33 years old, and it is impossible to compare with Lian Dao in terms of physical fitness.
Pierce was also feeling bitter. He knew that Lian Dao was sure that his physical reserves were insufficient, but he had no way to do anything about it. However, he knew that Rivers had a way to deal with Lian Dao today.
Seeing that Lian Dao was still being pressed, the Knicks' first offense was handed over to Stoudemire.
After receiving the ball, Stoudemire put his shoulder against Jeff Green and attacked inside. Then he turned around and passed Jeff Green and came to the basket. He made a layup with his right hand, shook Jeff Green, and then made a backhand layup.
After suffering a loss from Garnett in the last game, Stoudemire started the game much more cautiously.
Garnett, like Duncan, has declined a lot in athletic ability, but their styles are different. Stoudemire has been in the West all year round and only played against the Celtics twice in the year, so he is not very familiar with Garnett.
.
After the last game, Stoudemire has basically adapted to Garnett's defense. Unfortunately, the Celtics changed their lineup in this game and replaced Jeff Green, who has never started in the fourth position.
Jeff Green's defensive intensity is obviously not as good as Garnett's, especially at the fourth position. Jeff Green's height is a weakness. This will make Stoudemire's game much easier.
"Jeff Green's defense did not cause much interference to Amare. The Celtics adopted the defensive strategy from the previous game against sickle. This was a big test for Pierce's physical fitness."
"You know, Sickle's ability to move without the ball and his physical fitness have been verified in the last game! And competing with the Knicks is not a good tactic for the Celtics."
Smith was a little disappointed that the Celtics had not changed their defensive strategy against Lian Dao at all. If the defensive strategy of the previous game was still the same, the Celtics would probably have suffered a disastrous defeat.
Rajon Rondo advanced with the ball, and the Celtics players moved in an orderly manner.
Rivers was walking on the sidelines, watching every move of the Celtics players on the court and observing their performance.
Lian Dao continued to press closely against Pierce. In Lian Dao's mind, Pierce was no less threatening than the Wolf King.
Even his danger level is one level higher than that of the Wolf King. You must know that in the last game, under Lian Dao's strict defense, Pierce still scored 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Lian Dao will never underestimate Pierce's scoring ability.
But this time, the Celtics' offense didn't look for Pierce.
Rajon Rondo called Garnett to the outside for a pick-and-roll, and then Rondo made a breakthrough. Garnett also started to cut inside. I originally thought this was a simple breakthrough tactic.
Garnett and Rondo often play this kind of coordination, and the effect is very good.
However, this time, Rondo did not pass the ball to Garnett who cut in, nor did he attack himself. Instead, he turned his wrist and threw the ball towards Jeff Green, who was holding Stoudemire for the ball at the left waist.
Stoudemire originally wanted to push Jeff Green out, but unexpectedly, after receiving the ball this time, Jeff Green turned around and faced the frame to attack, with their eyes facing each other, which caught Stoudemire off guard.