Coach, I don't want to retire yet

Chapter 559 Congratulations, you have found a stronger opponent!
The Celtics and 76ers played an extremely exciting game in the seventh game of the first round.

Facing Embiid, a player they could hardly defend, the Celtics adopted the strategy of single defense by James and half-double-teaming.

It can not only limit Embiid's unlimited one-on-ones, but also rely on his own rotation speed to rush out again.

A big center like Embiid is strong, but because he is too big, his speed is definitely not as fast as that of an outside player.

In addition, Embiid is not as tall as Yao Ming, so it is impossible for him to be as fearless as Yao Ming.

Therefore, such a strategy does greatly limit Embiid's personal offense on the offensive end.

I can only say that the Celtics' half-double-team is indeed strong.

It is impossible for ordinary teams to half-double-team Embiid because they are not fast enough. If they get back to the team, it will become a full-double-team, and it will be difficult to get back.

It is obvious that the Celtics have so many advantages, but they have not dared to double-team Embiid, not even half-team him. It is obviously because the 76ers' outside shooters are too intimidating.

After all, the 76ers have a super-nerd player who ranks second in the scoring list and averages 30 points per game, and they also have a historical-level 45D player whose average three-point shooting percentage is close to 3%.

Even the team's rookie Devin Booker is a big-hearted player who dares to fight and give up when given a chance.

In this game, the Celtics played the defense they wanted, but at the same time, the 76ers also played the offense they wanted.

As long as you dare to double-team Embiid, the 76ers players really dare to throw the ball, and they can make it!

The fighting spirit and condition of the players on both sides are almost at their full potential.

Of course, the Celtics also played very well on offense. The 76ers' starting three-guard formation is indeed a flaw, and there is no way around it. In order to make every player on the outside a threat, they must play Stauskas instead of Jerami Grant.

If Jerami Grant can work on his three-point shooting, the 76ers' starting lineup will be perfect.

Embiid, Covington, Grant, Canaan, Devin Booker.

Unfortunately, the 76ers are a team that has just been rebuilt not long ago, and these young players are still growing and not yet complete.

So I can only accept that I still have shortcomings and be beaten by the Celtics.

Paul George and Leonard of the Celtics, with Smart controlling the ball and organizing the game from the outside, focused on singles and mid-range singles, although their scoring efficiency was not as high as three-pointers.

However, it has strong stability and good hit rate.

In addition, the 76ers missed the three-pointer, which gave the Celtics a chance to counterattack. Therefore, the two teams tied in the first quarter, the second quarter, and even until the third quarter!
It's incredible.

The game was tied in each of the three quarters, and after the last three quarters, the two teams were tied at 90-90.

There are countless cases in NBA history where the game is tied after the first three quarters, but it is very rare for the game to be tied in every quarter like tonight.

In the first three quarters, the 76ers showed a terrifying three-point shooting efficiency.

In the first three quarters, the 76ers made 41 of 26 three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of an astonishing 63.4%.

Of the 76ers' 90 points, 78 came from three-pointers. This was the first time in NBA history that three-pointers accounted for more than 75% of the points.

So much so that at the end of the third quarter, the commentator Kenny Smith on the sidelines was shouting crazily: "The 76ers in this game played like the Rockets that D'Antoni dreamed of!!!"

Doesn't D'Antoni just want James Harden to break through to the basket to create opportunities for his teammates, and then his teammates can hit these damn chances?
But the final result was that in this year's first round, the most crucial decisive battle, the Rockets lost 29 three-pointers in a row on the road, lost the decisive battle, and also lost Game 6, and then were defeated 2-4 by the Timberwolves led by Garnett and Wiggins.

D'Antoni also believes in his role players.

James Harden can also create opportunities for them.

However, the Rockets' role players became less and less confident in their shooting.

The 76ers players became more and more confident as they shot more.

Kenny Smith, the Rockets legend, is really envious.

But Barkley next to him started to mock.

"Are these Rockets players worthy of competing with the 76ers? Do you know who Canaan is? Even if the Lakers have Kobe, McGrady, Yao Ming, and Rose, at the critical moment, at the most desperate moment, the person Coach D trusts the most is Canaan! Who is John Covington? He is Ebanks Jr., Ebanks' student. Who is John Ebanks? Even if there are McGrady, Yao Ming, Kobe, Reggie Miller, and Olajuwon, when Coach D wants to execute a buzzer beater in the playoffs, he will choose Ebanks. Ebanks has made three buzzer beaters against the Spurs in four games! Canaan and Covington are undoubtedly the key players in NBA history! There is no such player in the entire Rockets team!"

This is a very cruel statement.

When you need someone to stand up, some people can often stand up, as if they were born for it.

But some people cannot stand out no matter what. They fail once, fail twice, and are always failing or on the road to failure.

"I didn't expect that the 76ers are so strong now! Embiid, who returned from injury, will bring such a huge change to the 76ers!"

"Even a rookie like Devin Booker can take responsibility at critical moments! Not only do the Rockets not have Covington and Canaan, they don't even have a player like Devin Booker!"

In the first three quarters of the game, Canaan made 12 three-pointers, Covington made 6, and even Devin Booker made 6 three-pointers.

Covington's shooting percentage was too high, so the Celtics didn't dare to use Davis to half-double-team him.

Replace Smart, after all, George and Leonard still need to attack.

However, Kanan, this nervous guy, did not lose his temper in this game and became a god.

The Celtics gritted their teeth and had to let Paul George perform a half-double and let Devin Booker go.

Then, Devin Booker was still able to hit it.

This is really despairing.

We can't let Leonard come.

Leonard is not that durable. Whether it is true or not, before coming to the Celtics, he was injured and unable to play in the Raptors.

If Leonard is consumed on the defensive end, what about the offense?
The longer they play, the more pressure the Celtics face.

It is said that the three-pointer is a less sustainable offensive method than the mid-range shot.

But if the three-point shot can be sustained, the power will be extremely terrifying.

If the Celtics were not still able to barely keep up with the 76ers' score, they would not dare to double-team them now.

It is also really thanks to the performance of James, Leonard and Paul George in the first three quarters.

Paul George made 12 of 8 shots in the first three quarters and scored 20 points.

In the first three quarters, James fought back against the 76ers' missed three-pointers and long rebounds, making 6 of 6 shots and scoring 12 points.

Leonard's shooting percentage was not as high as these two, but he provided the most solid singles for the Celtics' positional warfare. He made 24 of 14 shots in the first three quarters, 5 of 2 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws, scoring 36 points.

In the first three quarters, only three players from each team scored in double digits.

On the Celtics side, in order to support the half-double-team tactics, Anthony Davis ran like crazy on the court.

Although the people who actually executed the half-double-team were Smart and Paul George, the rotation after the double-team by Paul George and Smart required Davis to fill in. The half-double-team doesn't make one person tired, but everyone except Leonard is tired.

Especially when the Celtics deliberately protected Leonard's physical strength for offense, the others were even more tired.

Fortunately, the Celtics have a large reserve of forwards, with Jeff Green and Marvin Williams both able to rotate.

This is also the reason to protect Leonard.

Everyone else can rotate with Jeff Green and Marvin Williams.

But Leonard can't do that. Leonard's one-on-one play in positional warfare is unique to the Celtics.

Facing the 76ers' terrifying three-point shooting percentage in this game, the Celtics not only did not collapse, but also held on. Leonard's positional warfare and singles played a huge role. If it weren't for Leonard's stable singles in positional warfare, the Celtics would have been gone long ago.

So, although the result of this game was very different from the Celtics fans' pre-match expectations.

But at this point in the game, no Celtics fan booed their own players.

Because anyone with eyes can see that they have done their best.

Everyone tried their best.

From head coach Fantastic Monty.

To the most criticized player, James.

Everyone tried their best.

The 76ers are not just pretending to be strong, they are really strong!
The reason why this team ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference regular season is entirely because of the absence of Embiid and the lack of a tactical core.

With the tactical core, the 76ers are now a super team!
"Fuck! I picked up a super team in the first round. I was so unlucky. I thought the first round against the 76ers was a big gift package, but when I opened the gift package, it turned out to be a bomb! No, it was a nuclear bomb!!!"

During the break in the third quarter, Celtics fans were visibly anxious.

Because they also saw that the 76ers were now more relaxed than the Celtics.

The 76ers have a better tactical system and consume less energy.

On offense, Embiid draws the defense and passes the ball.

The others each performed their own shooting duties.

The consumption is not very large. On the defensive end, the 76ers' consumption is even less.

It's about shrinking around Embiid as the core.

Even let the Celtics shoot three-pointers.

Celtics, do you dare to shoot three-pointers against the 76ers?
After the 76ers players felt that they had a very good touch in this game, they let the Celtics go even harder. However, the Celtics still didn't dare to shoot three-pointers on a large scale. Although the 76ers failed to lure the enemy, they also saved a lot of energy.

Compared with the Celtics' defensive consumption, the 76ers' defensive consumption is almost negligible.

Even after James started running on a fast break, Embiid, who was still in the frontcourt, didn't even keep up with him, and didn't even look back.

In addition, Embiid did not play in the last game and had to rest for two more days.

The 76ers are now visibly more energetic.

At the same time, the Celtics looked more and more shaky and on the verge of collapse.

"Coach, I can't see clearly about this game now."

This game was very exciting. Jordan, who firmly believed that the 76ers would win before the game, was a little confused at this moment.

Because someone is evolving silently!
As the person who loves evolution the most in the NBA, Danzi could naturally see that Leonard in this game had begun to challenge another realm.

If Leonard hadn't woken up in this game, let's just say that the Celtics would have already lost this game.

The Celtics now look shaky, and Leonard looks shaky. In fact, this shaky but not falling state is the best state for a player.

This state makes the players' minds extremely clear and makes them feel excellent.

He had this state many times in the past, and he called this state hunger.

A player is at his strongest when he feels hungry. He is hungry and exhausted, but he is still strong!
Jordan couldn't see clearly, so Du Kang naturally couldn't see clearly now either.

The other players around or most people think that the 76ers can win, and possibly win by a large margin.

But the final result was not like this.

Magical Monty is still madly double-teaming Embiid.

The 76ers players were shooting like crazy, but they still double-teamed Embiid!
The 76ers players continued to perform very stably in the fourth quarter.

but!

In the fourth quarter, although Leonard, Paul George, James, and Davis were exhausted to the limit of their physical strength, they were also very stable, especially Leonard, whose shooting percentage was even more accurate!
The game continued until there were 30 seconds left.

The two teams are still tied!
117 is better than 117!

An incredible game!
"This is a great game that will go down in NBA history!!!"

"When the 76ers attack, will the Celtics double-team Embiid? Will the magical Monty stick to his path?"

At this time, the Celtics fans on the sidelines had their hands clasped together nervously and were praying!
And at this moment, when the basketball had already hit Embiid's hands under the basket, there were still 20 seconds left.

The magical Monty on the sidelines made a magical move!

foul!!!

Amazing Monty is making James foul!!

James hugged Embiid from behind without any hesitation!!!
"The number of fouls has not reached!!!"

The 76ers returned the clock to 14 seconds, which actually meant they lost time, because the 76ers originally had 14 seconds, but now they had to start the attack again, which was equivalent to wasting 10 seconds!
This move is indeed very calm, but also understandable.

But what Magic Monty did next was incomprehensible.

"Oh my god, Amazing Monty actually let Leonard defend Embiid from behind!!!"

Embiid's jumping ability cannot be compared with James.

The only thing Embiid is better than James in is probably his defensive skills.

It seems that Leonard is thinner than James and has no way to defend Embiid.

“Is this a way for Embiid to score?!!!”

But, next!

Embiid received the ball and played against Leonard. Embiid, who had already played for 42 minutes, dropped the ball when he turned around!
No, the ball was stolen by Leonard!!!

The physical strength decreases, the ball protection becomes worse, and the body becomes sluggish. This is the most suitable time for players with excellent defensive skills, especially those who are good at stealing! ! !

And Leonard, perfect!!!

"Leonard didn't defend much during the entire game, but he gave the most crucial defense to Embiid!!!"

Steal the ball!

Fast break!

Magical Monty didn't call a timeout, but asked for a fast break on the spot!

8 seconds!

James, Leonard, Paul George, Jeff Green, and Davis!

The five forwards in the defensive round are all running forward madly at this moment!!!
Unstoppable! ! !

"Can Leonard run so fast?!!!"

"Leonard can actually run so fast with the ball!!!"

“Embid is also running very fast now!!!”

“Two incredible teams!!!”

Ten players on both sides of the court seemed to be crazy!!!
"Embiid is back on defense, Leonard passes the ball late!!!"

"No, Leonard didn't pass the ball late, Leonard never thought about passing the ball!!!"

Because Leonard actually rushed towards Embiid who was standing in the defensive position and jumped up!

Leonard stretched his body in the air and got into position!

"He's going to dunk on Embiid!!!"

Jordan, Du Kang, all the Bobcats players stood up!!!
Inside the court, Rihanna also stood up and looked at Embiid under the basket with worry!

Embiid jumps up and blocks the shot!

“It’s going to be blocked!!!”

wrong! !
Leonard, he smashed it!!!

Before Embiid's hand could block it, he smashed the ball towards the basket!!!
Not a standard dunk move!
Leonard never thought of using a standard dunk move!

Embiid failed to block the shot!
It was just a little bit off, and the basketball still passed through his fingertips!
The basketball hit Lan's neck hard and bounced back!

At this moment, the whole world seemed to sigh!
The lights are red!

Game time is over!

The bounced basketball fell straight down!
There was a swish sound!!!
Embiid, who was originally relieved, widened his eyes!

The ball goes in!

119 is better than 117!

Killer! ! !

The sighs of the whole world instantly turned into crazy shouts!
"Lore! Leonard beat Embiid, Celtics beat 76ers!!!"

"Incredible victory, incredible game, this is the most exciting game I have ever seen without Coach D involved!!!"

"Amazing Monty once again proved that he and Coach D are the coaches who surpass all other coaches. Incredible final adjustments. Iverson almost won, but lost in the end!!!"

"The end of Embiid's myth, it was not the Celtics who ended Embiid's myth, it was God himself who ended Embiid's myth!!!"

The commentators on TV were going crazy.

Outside TV.

Jordan finally came back to his senses and murmured to Du Kang: "Coach, congratulations, you have found a stronger opponent..."

Yes, Amazing Monty, there is finally a super giant...

(End of this chapter)