basketball player

654 Chapter 652: Not a flash in the pan

"It's been a long time since I've been looking forward to a person winning so much. Seeing the final stage of the game between the Pacers and the Bulls, I really hope that Rose will help the Pacers win. Not only the Timberwolves win, but Rose wins for them."

"There is no sign, the night of the hero of the veteran! Tears! This is life!"

"Who would have thought that after so many, so many, so difficult years, Rose can set a new career scoring high! 50 points! Tears! This is my favorite story so far this season! A perfect movie script, nothing more."

On the second day after the game between the Pacers and the Bulls, basketball figures from all walks of life in the United States, big and small, well-known and unknown, all expressed their views on Rose's 50-point night.

Whether it is players, coaches, commentators or fans, they all paid the highest respect to Rose.

It has been a long time since the entire league focused on one player.Derrick Rose, he completed his redemption in the Pacers.

Of course, blessings belong to blessings.But most people think that Rose's ability to score 50 points in a single game is just a flash in the pan.After a season, there will always be one or two games, and one or two lucky players will score high points.But among these guys, not many can maintain a good state.

Many people are just consuming Rose to attract attention for themselves.There are very few people who are really optimistic about him.

But fortunately, the dense NBA schedule is the most convenient way for a player to prove himself.You don't like me?It doesn't matter, if I am still good in the next game, don't you have nothing to say?

That's exactly what Derrick Rose has proven himself to be.

Nov. 11, just 3 hours after the Pacers ripped the Bulls at the United Center.Henson Joe's team returned to the Bankers Life Arena to face back-to-back against the Boston Celtics, the old rival that the Pacers swept 24-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

Being swept in a best-of-seven game like the playoffs is actually enough to prove how big the difference in strength between the two sides is.After all, it is very difficult to suppress a team for four consecutive games without letting any accidents happen.

But last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics were eliminated in such a shameful way.It stands to reason that the strength gap between the two sides should be obvious.

But today's Pacers VS Celtics game has attracted the attention of fans from both sides.Because Celtics fans believe that the absence of Kelly Irving and Gordon Hayward was the main reason why the Pacers were able to sweep the Celtics last season.

Both Hayward and Irving have been healthy this season.Celtics fans want to see if the Pacers can win the game.

However, are the Celtics really stronger than before with Irving and Hayward?Henson doesn't think so.Henson even felt that this would be the toughest time for his old friend Stevens.

First of all, after leaving LeBron James, Kelly Irving's scoring ability is overestimated.Don't say whether you understand the ball or not, just find someone who doesn't understand the ball and you can tell it just by looking at the data.

In the Cavaliers, James attracted most of the opponent's defensive attention, so Irving usually got a lot of easy one-on-one opportunities.

But with the Celtics, Irving himself became the one to draw the attention of the defense.James being around and James not being around are completely different things.

Irving now has to face the toughest part of the opponent's defense, so his scoring data and scoring efficiency have declined across the board.Irving, whom Celtics fans are looking forward to, is seriously overrated.

As for Hayward, it's another sad story.Henson admitted that Hayward was very good during the Jazz period. Although he is a white forward, he is one of the few threes in the league who play the most like James.

You can understand that he is a LeBron James with weakened physical fitness and passing ability, but enhanced shooting ability.

However, after returning from injury, Hayward's performance was not satisfactory.Before playing against the Pacers, the Celtics had played 8 games. In the 8 games, Hayward scored the highest score of only 14 points.

And unlike George's score reduction due to fewer shots, Hayward took a lot of shots, but it is obvious that there are problems with confidence and state.

Therefore, will Hayward + Irving definitely make the Celtics turn around?Henson doesn't think so.

Before the game started, Henson made a clear defensive plan, which was to strangle Owen to death!

Tatum, Jaylen Breen and Hayward, even Henson's favorite Horford, are not the kind of masters who can kill the game by scoring.Therefore, as long as Irving is contained, the Pacers have already won half of the victory.

The process of the game was similar to what Henson imagined. Owen often fell into double-teams or even three-teams!Once caught, let alone scoring, Irving has difficulty even passing the ball.

Hayward can no longer score efficiently, and Tatum seems too immature in front of the Pacers' defensive system.

As for Horford, he's the perfect lubricant to make the team better.Had it not been for his inability to renew his contract, Henson would never have chosen to trade him away.

A good lube can make a car look better, but if the car itself isn't performing well, your lube won't help.And the current Celtic is the car with poor performance itself.

In this way, the Celtics' offense is struggling.Fortunately, Stevens is smart enough. The rotation time allowed Marcus Morris to catch Kuzma, who was not defensive enough, to attack wildly, which gave the Celtics hope of chasing points.

But it's a pity that Marcus Morris can score in the rotation lineup, and there are many players on Henson's side who can score in the rotation lineup.

Siakam scored 12 points, Kuzma scored 13 points, and Derrick Rose scored 23 points in one fell swoop!
After scoring 50 points in a single game in the previous game, he immediately scored 23 points. Derrick Rose's excellent state made everyone who thought he was just a flash in the pan feel ashamed.

No doubt he's used to being a bench bandit under Henson.

Finally, when the red light on the backboard came on, Brad Stevens could only sigh silently.

Why did Henson say that Stevens will be very difficult this year?Because the fans' expectations of the Celtics actually do not match the Celtics' strength.

Last season, Tatum performed well in the playoffs.People naturally think that Irving + Tatum + Hayward is enough for the Celtics to rule the East.

But how bad the actual situation is, only the coaches such as Henson and Stevens know clearly.

When a team's quality is less than people's expectations, the pressure on the head coach will be great.Because once the team fails to perform, the head coach will be the first to take the blame.

"Hold on, Brad. The season has just begun, and you still have a lot of opportunities for trial and error." After the game, Henson could only give Stevens some encouragement.After all, they are rivals on the basketball court.

117 to 109, the Pacers beat the Celtics at home to win.And Rose's 23 points are still talked about by people.

So far, after Oladipo was injured, the Pacers have won two consecutive victories.And before he returns from injury, Henson still has one last opponent to deal with - the Houston Rockets!

Compared with the Celtics, the Rockets' situation is much better.Although the Rockets' record is only a bad 3 wins and 5 losses, Henson believes that the Rockets' strength is worthy of expectations.

At the very least, the Rockets have James Harden and Chris Paul, the most expensive guard line combination in the league!
Henson himself is full of expectations for this competition, because the Rockets are the team most likely to overthrow the Warriors in the West.In other words, it is not impossible for the Pacers to meet the Rockets in this year's Finals.Therefore, Henson cherishes every opportunity to play against the Rockets!
What's more, the Rockets still have his old general Paul in charge.He no longer remembers what it was like to be an enemy of Chris Paul.

(End of this chapter)