The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 498 - 219: Do you want to ruin the efforts of a whole season for all of us by yourself? _4

Chapter 498: Chapter 219: Do you want to ruin the efforts of a whole season for all of us by yourself? _4

A bunch of people were confused, including Zach Randolph, who joined the league in ’01. He knew the home court of the Boston Celtics had its tricks, but never imagined there would be so many.

The dirty and ancient North Shore Garden was just like that.

Rick Carlisle’s expression was more serious than ever before.

He was well aware that the Boston Celtics were a completely different team compared to the Cavaliers and the Pistons, whom the Pacers had encountered earlier.

This was a real battle!

Looking at the starting lineup of the Celtics on the big screen:

Point Guard Rajon Rondo, shooting guard Ray Allen, small forward Paul Pierce, power forward Kevin Garnett, and center Perkins.

The key to "breaking the game" still lay in Zach Randolph’s performance.

Just like the previous round against the Pistons, as long as Randolph could put on a good show,

then Su Wan on the outside would find himself in a more advantageous situation.

With the current influence of Su Wan in the game, as long as he played well, the Pacers would often have the last laugh.

Therefore...

"Zach, it’s all on you!" Carlisle patted Randolph’s shoulder, entrusting him with the responsibility.

Randolph was eager to become the "x-factor" in the game, just as he had been in the last match.

Unfortunately, Perkins along with Kevin Garnett.

One defended while the other helped, clearly arranging him.

Even if Rick Carlisle, like in the previous round, brought in Millsap to give Randolph some space, it didn’t help.

Here we have to mention the terrifying dominance of the Kevin Garnett on the defensive end, who wasn’t seriously injured yet! frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

From the Timberwolves to the Celtics, Kevin Garnett’s biggest change was reducing a lot of offensive playtime and focusing on the defensive end. The Celtics built their defensive formation around him as their core, which was the foundation of their victories.

This is also why many fans later said that Paul Pierce could win the Finals MVP in ’08 thanks to a stroke of fate.

His role could actually be replaced.

Kevin Garnett’s role in the team was irreplaceable.

His terrifying mobility maxed out, and even with Millsap at the three-point line, the "Wolf King" could help cover the inside without affecting his defense of Millsap.

Zach Randolph was having a very tough time, hitting only 1 out of 4 shots from the front.

What’s worse is that usually, even if Randolph didn’t score, he could still take advantage of his excellent under-the-basket confrontation and anticipate the trajectory of the basketball bouncing off the rim to grab rebounds and finish with a "second attack," but when faced with Perkins, who had nothing but weight and confrontation, his playing style was restrained.

Especially since Perkins was a tad taller and about twenty pounds heavier, plus the arms that might loom over his head at any moment, Randolph was having a tough time.

On the Celtics’ side, with their defensive advantage, their offensive end quickly gained momentum.

Rajon Rondo at this time wasn’t as mature. He had truly transformed after playing this year’s finals.

But for this very reason, the team’s demands on him weren’t high; they just needed him to pass the ball to any one of the visible "Three Giants".

The Celtics’ offensive approach was actually quite simple, which was to rely on the individual ability of the "Three Giants" to score.

Doc Rivers?

Could you really expect him to come up with some spectacular offensive strategy?

All he needed to do was to clearly simmer the "Chicken Soup."

If it were the original Pacers, facing this Celtics team would at least be a 70-30 split, and if they were in form, they might even be able to "spring into action," because the Pacers’ rich defensive resources could handle the "Three Giants" separately.

But the current Pacers’ defensive resources fell a bit short.

Both inside and out.

Su Wan could make the "All-Defensive First Team," and not without reason.

In the days without Ron and Jermaine O’Neal, it was almost always him covering the opponent’s perimeter leader, with excellent results.

But at the moment, aside from him, the Pacers had no one else capable of delivering high-quality 1v1 defense.

Foster had the right attitude, but facing Kevin Garnett, his speed and mobility really couldn’t keep up.

Randolph’s enthusiasm was on the rise too, but his problem was... his previous defensive habits were too poor, and he still needed to gradually change many of his defensive habits.

Dior and the others, well, there’s no need to mention. Their defense could only be said to be passable.

Anthony Parker did fine defending the ball handler, but defending a "top-level off-ball runner" like Ray Allen who sprinted across the court was a bit too much for him.

So, Su Wan took up the challenge of defending Paul Pierce, bearing the burden of defending this "offensive kaleidoscope," but the Pacers lacked other players who could match up to the other two "giants."

At the end of the first quarter, the Celtics smoothly opened a 7-point lead.

If it wasn’t for Su Wan’s certain limitation on Paul Pierce, the difference would have been further widened.

Paul Pierce said as he was going off, "I never thought I could win games like you do one day!"

Su Wan slightly raised his eyebrows, and his steps to leave halted; he just looked at him.

"Not admitting it? Didn’t you also rely on better teammates to win the championship before?" Su Wan’s glance made Paul Pierce very uncomfortable; he sensed a strong sarcasm and said, "Without Ron and Jermaine, you’re nothing. The Celtics will sweep the Pacers!"

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