basketball player

Chapter 229 227: Unexpected joy

At the end of the first quarter, Heat coach Spoelstra didn't look very good.The Heat played smoothly in the first two games. He really didn't expect that Leonard would suddenly appear in this game!
With 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal in a single quarter, Leonard's data may seem mediocre, but if you compare it with the previous two games, you will know where the magic of this guy is.

In the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, Leonard had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. On the defensive end, there was nothing he could do about James.

In the second game, Leonard had 5 points and 1 rebound, but the defensive end still had nothing to do with James.

And in the third game today, after only one quarter of the game, Leonard's score was already the sum of the previous two games!What's more, his restriction on James on the defensive end is very good!

Although James still scored 8 points in a single quarter, his shooting percentage was less than 50%.You must know that it is impossible for an athlete of James' level to be zero-blocked. What the head coaches can do is not to let him score less points, but to try to make his scoring efficiency lower.

In this regard, Leonard has done a very good job.On both offensive and defensive ends, Leonard showed a completely different quality from the previous two games, and he can be called a surprise soldier of the Pacers!
After the first quarter, the Heat trailed the Pacers 20-28.And this is also the first time the Heat have been suppressed by the Pacers since the beginning of the series!
"Every year in the playoffs, there will always be a few surprise players. There is no doubt that this year's Pacers' surprise player is Leonard. When this kid participated in the draft last summer, he was noticed by many teams. But at that time, no one could guarantee that they would be able to develop Leonard's potential. But Coach Henson, he seems to have succeeded in doing this!"

Could it be Raiders?Henson put that speech technique on Leonard, just to create surprise soldiers!As long as someone can confront James at that point, the Heat will not be so difficult to deal with!
After the start of the second quarter, Henson's other arrangements gradually showed results.One of the most notable ones is the Pacers' offensive rebounding.

Although Bosh is a power forward, he has never been a good rebounder.Although James' physical fitness is almost perfect, he is still not a pure inside player.

In the second quarter of the game, Horford and West used their chicken thieves' card position and rebound sense to win many second-attack opportunities for the Pacers.And because the Heat are always thinking about counterattacking, once the rebound is not protected, it is easy to miss.

On several occasions, Wade has rushed through the half court, only to be grabbed by the Pacers.Horford and West only had to hand the ball to George, and the Heat's defense collapsed, because Wade couldn't come back at all!

The result of this is that the Heat dare not launch a counterattack easily.Henson used an unconventional method to contain the rapid offense that the Heat are proud of, and the rhythm had to fall into a positional battle!It is not an exaggeration to say that the Heat's positional offensive ability is the worst in the league.

Leonard's performance continues to be excellent, and this taciturn little guy has gained confidence today.After Leonard restrained Battier, George was liberated.Without strict defense and supplementary defense, George was able to realize his talent on the court.

These two young men who are most valued by Henson undoubtedly played their worth today.Henson seemed to be able to see the bright future of these two guys working together in the future!
Under the strong firepower of the two flanks of George and Leonard, although the Heat have not been left behind, they have been unable to approach the score.

Wade shot a lot of shots today, but the feeling he had when he scored 41 points in the last game is no longer there, so Wade did not help James share any pressure on the offensive end.

Wade himself is not good at mid-range and long-range shooting, so it is actually very unexpected that he scored 41 points because of his precise shooting in the last game.It's just that the fans of the Heat wished to "default" Wade's performance to regular performance.

It's really self-deception.

After playing 9 minutes in the second quarter, the Heat were still 7 points behind the Pacers.Spoelstra called a stoppage of the game, and the rotation time was up, and the coaches of both sides had to be replaced.

"LeBron, can you hold on for 12 minutes!?" After the players left the court, Spoelstra immediately found his "Heavenly Proud Son".

"No problem." James didn't hesitate at all. It was routine for him to play the whole quarter.

"Very good, you know what to do. Take advantage of the time when the opponent's rotation lineup is coming up, and the score is approaching!" The Filipino decided to take a risk and let James play a whole quarter to save the Heat's decline.

Henson replaced all the main players. For the sake of the health and stability of the players, he rarely increased the playing time of the players.Now the Pacers have only Danny Green as a starter. Of course, people have long forgotten that Green is still a starter today, because Leonard's performance is indeed too dazzling.

Stephenson, Matthews, Green, Yi Jianlian and Anderson against Norris Cole, Mike Miller, James, Haslem and Joe Anthony.James Henson couldn't help but sink in his heart. Is Spoelstra planning to let James play for a whole quarter?

"LeBron is still on the court!? It seems that he is going to play the full 12 minutes! Facing the Pacers' rotation lineup, I wonder if James can help the team equalize the score!?"

On the first goal of the game, James used a mid-range jumper to close the score.Green put James too much, and James suddenly stopped and shattered Green's defense.

"Tsk!" Henson curled his lips. Green's defense is naturally very good, but it is indeed not as good as Leonard with enhanced attributes.

The point difference was only 5 points in an instant, and the 5 point difference, once James went crazy, let alone an equalizer, the Heat even had a chance to overtake!

"Don't worry, pass a few more shots, and shoot again when you have a chance!" Henson immediately stood on the sidelines and yelled. In the case of unfavorable defense, the Pacers must be able to continue to score!

Stephenson glanced at Henson, and then obediently organized himself outside the three-point line.But Stephenson is not a master of organization. Most of his assists come from flashes of inspiration after breaking through.In this time when the situation needs to be stabilized, Henson is already considering whether to take the more stable Hinrich up.

But soon, Stephenson dismissed this idea because "Funny Biffenson" scored a goal.

Finsen first asked for a screen from Yi Jianlian. After breaking through the screen, Stephenson vigorously diverted the ball and threw it into the hands of the shooter Green.

However, James stuck to Green's defense and didn't give him any chances to shoot.Want to break through?James doesn't mind Green coming to die.

So Green didn't hold the ball much, but returned the ball to Stephenson. At this time, Stephenson had reached the corner on the same side as Green.

After Stephenson received the ball, he saw that Norris Cole was still some distance away from him.So Stephenson stepped back and pushed beyond the three-point line, then pulled up and shot!

"Don't." Seeing that Stephenson actually chose a step-back three-pointer, and Norris Cole pounced on him again, Henson was ready to take off his shoes and "smack someone".

But it was such a ball that only superstars dared to shoot, but it was scored by Stephenson!

"Don't hit the ball! Well done!" Henson waved his arm, Stephenson just dared to hit.Sometimes, daring to fight is a disadvantage, but if he happens to feel hot today, daring to fight is undoubtedly an advantage.

It seems that after resetting the morale of all players to 100, Stephenson, a guy who is easily affected by emotions, seems to feel hot too!

"It's a three-pointer, but it's a step-back three-pointer! Lance Stephenson, this guy always surprises us. Haha, Coach Henson must have been on a roller coaster!" Mike Breen joked, Henson's expression change from anger to ecstasy just now couldn't escape Breen's eyes.

Stephenson hit a three-pointer. In fact, Stephenson scored 2 points with 2 of 4 shots in the first quarter.It's just that as Paul's substitute, Stephenson hasn't played for a long time, so the data looks mediocre.

It seems that today, the Pacers have more than just one Leonard.What a surprise, what a surprise.

James gritted his teeth, thinking that the score would be close soon, but he didn't know that the point difference became 8 points in an instant!Throughout today's game, the point difference has been hovering in this range.Whenever James thinks he can close the score, there are always "accidents" of one kind or another.

After that, James' breakthrough was stopped by Matthews' defense.Don't forget, Matthews is also an out-and-out "Mr. Tough".Although George has performed well this season, Matthews has also performed very well as a substitute.There have even been rumors that many teams will offer a big contract for this once undrafted pick this summer!
This kind of easy-to-use 3D guard is a role that all players dream of.In the eyes of others, Henson's use of Matthews as a backup is really wasteful.

After James was forced to stop, he planned to pass the ball to Mike Miller.

Old Miller is a veteran shooter. During the regular season this season, Old Miller's three-point shooting percentage is as high as 45.3%!

The old Miller now has only one tactical task, and that is to make a steady three-pointer when James is double-teamed.Because of this, Miller doesn't have many chances to make phone calls, and the defensive pressure is not great, so the three-point shooting rate is so exaggerated.

But sometimes, a long shot from Miller Sr. can indeed help the Heat stabilize the situation.

This time, when he was double-teamed by Matthews, James easily distributed the ball to the old Miller.Only this time, the Heat's usual tactics did not succeed.Because Stephenson predicted James' passing route correctly, he rushed over and stretched his arms, and directly laughed at the basketball!
"Steal, LeBron missed the ball! Lance Stephenson, he is very active on both ends of the offense and defense today!"

Amid the exclamation of the Heat fans, Stephenson advanced with the ball!James chased back angrily, eager to save face with a big chase.

However, Stephenson made another angry back pass and sent the ball to Matthews.

Matthews catches and shoots, and the basketball hits the net.Although it was unforgettable to step on the line with toes, the referee only gave the Pacers a two-pointer.But two points are enough for the Pacers to widen the point difference to double digits again!
After the assist, Stephenson stuck out his tongue arrogantly into the stands of the American Airlines Center. Henson bet that at least half of the people in the stands wanted to rush down and beat this guy up!
But this is Stephenson, as much as his opponents hate him, his teammates like him!
After that, Stephenson still continued his magical performance.The guy made an unexpected steal on Norris Cole, then stepped on his "Drunk Immortals" Eurostep for an inexplicable layup a minute later.
Spoelstra let James play the full 12 minutes, and originally wanted him to help the Heat recover the score.However, after halftime, the Heat were still 8 points behind due to Stephenson coming out halfway.James was tired for 12 minutes in vain, and the point chasing plan made no progress!
At this time, the cheers in the American Airlines Center have been much quieter.Heat fans seem to realize that it is not so easy to sweep the Pacers.

Before returning to the locker room, Henson gave a courtside interview.Facing the reporter's question, his smile returned to his face again.

"Feng Shui turns, today we have Wade with 41 points. The Heat let us lose two home games, I just reciprocate."

A Leonard, plus the unexpected joy of Stephenson.Henson believes that in the second half of the game, it is still impossible for the Heat to reverse the situation!
Sweep the Pacers?Make your dreams come true!

(End of this chapter)