Chapter 404 A mountain is always taller than a mountain
At the critical moment, which team is more composed and stable, which one will have the last laugh.
In the end, the Knicks won 93:84 on the road, only missing the Celtics by 9 points, and the semifinal score became 3:0!
This time, the Celtics are truly on the edge of a cliff. They are only one step away from being eliminated.
The Knicks also got a match point in the semifinals.
…
In Madison Square Garden, many fans held up their support signs, some waved huge Knicks team flags, and some cheered for the team... There was a lively scene everywhere.
In the past, this situation often happened in Madison Garden. That was before 2000, when the Knicks were not recognized as a bad team in the league. The enthusiasm of New York fans was not inferior to the fans of any team in the league.
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But after entering the 2000s, as the team lost year after year, the enthusiasm of Knicks fans was gradually eroded. The chaos of the Knicks management made New York fans disappointed every year in their expectations.
Over time, fans in this city gradually became accustomed to the team's losing games, and at the same time they no longer had any expectations for the team.
It wasn't until last season that the enthusiasm of Knicks fans was gradually awakened and ignited.
Before Lian Dao's arrival, all Knicks fans did not believe that they could advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, and that they would soon advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for two consecutive years.
At this time, the big score in the semifinals had reached 3:1.
The Grizzlies only won one victory in two away games. In G4, the Celtics, who had been dormant for three games, ushered in a big explosion.
Of course, in addition to this, the Knicks' carelessness was also the reason for this G4 defeat.
It can only be said that in the fourth game, the Celtics were better and more delicate than the Knicks in handling details.
Of course, an away defeat did not affect the Knicks' determination to advance. After they return to home, they are bound to eliminate the Celtics in G5 at home.
Unlike last season, the Knicks have not lost at home so far this season!
Lian Dao received the pass outside the three-point line, and Pierce's defense was no longer difficult for Lian Dao to get rid of.
This is not because Pierce's strength has become weaker. Of course, there are also reasons for this. After all, as the game progresses, Pierce's physical fitness cannot be as good as Lian Dao's.
But more importantly, Lian Dao has adapted to Pierce's defensive intensity, learned experience from Pierce's defense, and constantly found Pierce's defensive loopholes. This is the main reason why Lian Dao can easily get rid of Pierce now.
Lian Dao was dribbling the ball, his eyes constantly scanning his position on the court. Pierce kept moving his steps. Now that he saw Lian Dao holding the ball, he felt a little nervous.
If Lian Dao was simply showing off his skills, Pierce wasn't too worried. After all, Pierce, who is in a kaleidoscope of attack, knows how to defend himself if he knows how to fight like this.
However, Lian Dao often relies on speed to achieve breakthroughs, and his body directly takes advantage of him. This makes the 33-year-old Pierce unbearable.
Behind Pierce, Garnett, standing near the free throw line, was ready and waiting to help defend Lian Dao.
The Celtics' defense is layer upon layer, and O'Neal Jr. in the interior is determined not to stray too far from the basket and is always ready to defend the basket.
The Celtics would rather shrink the basket and selectively let go of other Knicks players than let Lian Dao score easily.
Lian Dao did not insist on scoring by himself, and gave a signal to Stoudemire. Stoudemire immediately came to the high post to cover Lian Dao, and then directly broke through the basket.
Under the care of Pierce and Garnett, two All-Star forwards, Lian Dao went directly to the basket with the purpose of attracting Garnett with all his strength, thereby creating better shooting opportunities for his teammates.
Passing is actually a very deep knowledge. It does not mean that you can pass the ball just by attracting double-teams.
You have to pay attention to the timing. Sometimes the pass is passed too early, which may cause the double-teamer to give up the double-team and complete the defense in time.
If you pass the ball too late, you are likely to face layers of double-teams, and if you are too deep, it will be too difficult to pass the ball. You will not be able to find a suitable opportunity and force the ball, thereby being intercepted by the opponent.
Of course, it has never been too difficult for Lian Dao to pass the ball amid layers of double-teams.
His mind is like a three-dimensional coordinate map. He can always remember the movements of his teammates and where they are. This is vision, which is a must-have skill for top passing masters.
Lian Dao came to the basket and took off, faked a layup, but retrieved the basketball in time in the air, and then threw the basketball behind Garnett from under his arm.
At this time, Stoudemire, who was in the middle distance, had been completely shorted.
Lian Dao has achieved the purpose of this breakthrough, and now his passing threat has reached its maximum.
Stoudemire also lived up to Lian Dao's pass. His condition in this game was still very good, and his shooting percentage was much better than in the previous game.
This time, Stoudemire, who was absolutely open, took a mid-range shot and hit it steadily.
"Shet!" Rivers slammed the tactical board on the bench again. The Celtics players on the bench were ashen-faced. They knew that this game might be their last game in the playoffs this season.
game.
The Celtics lack a player who can limit Lian Dao one-on-one.
If Garnett doesn't help defend, Lian Dao will directly pass Pierce and then complete the goal.
But with Garnett assisting in defense, Lian Dao's passing was really like a soft knife, cutting at the Celtics' flesh bit by bit.
Cutting flesh with a dull knife is really painful!
Lian Dao... Throughout the semifinals, Lian Dao was like a nightmare that the Celtics couldn't get rid of.
After Stoudemire's mid-range shot, his score for the game had reached 23 points.
At the same time, there are currently two minutes and 32 seconds left before the end of the game, and the Celtics are currently 12 points behind the Knicks.
"The Celtics have no chance. The Knicks were not prepared to give the Celtics a chance to play in Game 6 today. From the beginning of this game, the Knicks' defensive intensity was not comparable to that of the previous game."
"So throughout the game, the Celtics' scoring efficiency is pitifully low. So far, the entire Celtics team's shooting percentage is only 40.7%. This means that it is not that one Celtic player is inefficient, but that
Most Celtics players have really low shooting percentages!"
"In the last game, Paul Pierce made 9 of 15 shots and scored 26 points, but in this game Paul made 3 of 12 shots. Garnett was not very efficient either, making 6 of 13 shots, with a shooting percentage of only 46.2%.
"
"Only Ray Allen in the entire Celtics has continued his performance from the last game. He is currently making 6 of 12 shots and 5 of 10 three-pointers. He has scored the highest score in this series with 18 points and 3 rebounds.
.”
"According to rumors, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were dissatisfied with each other. In the third game, the two had a verbal dispute directly on the court. However, judging from Ray Allen's performance in these two games, Ray Allen
Allen's scoring ability from beyond the three-point line is still an indispensable strength for the Celtics!"
Barkley and Kenny Smith also knew that this game was the Celtics' last dance in the playoffs.
No one thought that the Celtics, the league's hottest Big Three, would decline so quickly, but more people didn't expect that the Knicks, the worst team in the Eastern Conference, would rise so quickly.
It seems that in the blink of an eye, the vast ocean has turned into a mulberry field!
In fact, was the Celtics' performance in the semifinals really bad?
It's not bad. Although the Celtics lost the away game due to Rondo's fault in the third game, looking at the other four games, the Celtics' performance was really good.
In the first game, Garnett's explosion was like a dream back to the top. The Knicks' advantage in the away game was almost lost. In the second game, Jeff Green and Paul Pierce alternately broke out, and Pierce even scored 30+ goals.
Score.
Needless to say, in the fourth game, the Celtics bottomed out and rebounded. The Celtics' Big Three seemed to be dreaming back to 2008.
In Game 5, the Celtics also showed their team performance.
However, in the playoffs, every mountain is always higher than the next. Many people feel that the Celtics have played well enough, but there are always teams that play better than them, grasp the details more delicately, and control some mistakes more carefully.