The NBA playoff spotlight, the Celtics beat the Nets 115-114 at home, leading 1-0 in the series. Tatum contributed 31 points and eight assists and turned to a final-minute layup to complete the whistle-beating; Horford had 20 points and 15 rebounds, Brown had 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, and Smart had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. For the Nets, Irving scored 39 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, Durant had 23 points, and Dragic had 14 points and 5 rebounds.
The Celtics' first-round opener with the Nets in the East played the effect of the East Finals.
The raucous North Shore Gardens in Boston witnessed a fight, with the home team leading by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, but the Nets closed the gap and overtake in the fourth quarter with Irving's magical performance. Just when everyone thought the Nets would close the series for the first time, the Celtics' last-minute attack and defense took the game to another level, and Tatum's waltz-like dance steps helped the team complete the series and make the series a hit.
With 45.9 seconds left in the game, Irving hit a three-pointer in his most familiar position to give the Nets an 114-111 lead. Then, Jaylen Brown counter-attacked to the front and finished the layup with Bruce Brown, again narrowing the point difference to just one point. The atmosphere at the Garden Arena almost froze at that moment, and they had to block the fiery Irving in the fourth quarter, otherwise the victory or defeat of the game would lose suspense.
The Celtics still had Smart defend Irving, but added Horford's delayed pinch. When Irving tried to get out of the defense, Horford quickly reclaimed the interior. Immediately after Irving carried the ball into the box, Horford's bag was once again in place. Irving can only choose to split the ball to Durant, who is on the outside line. However, Tatum had been there for a long time. He stuck to Durant and gave KD room to shoot. Just before 24 seconds, Durant took a difficult three-pointer that bounced off the box.
"We were in the nets' final round just to get them to make tough shots. It was a great defensive round for us, we finished a beautiful bag and got the rebound and then quickly pushed forward. Tatum said.
Without this wonderful defense, naturally there would be no next perfect killer ball. So far this season, defense has been the Celtics' base game. Although for the vast majority of the fourth quarter, the Celtics didn't do a good job of limiting Irving's points. However, being able to force opponents to play iron in the final round still reflects the Celtics' excellent defensive rotation and their league's premier individual defensive ability.
However, compared to defense, this team's attack at key moments is a more headache. Before Tatum finished the deadlock, they only scored 17 points in the final quarter, and Irving alone scored 18 points. If it is only a singles competition, there is still a certain gap between the two Celtics and Durant and Irving. Therefore, if the Green Army wants to win, it also needs to play to the advantages of the team.
They didn't call a timeout for this offensive round, and Jaylen Brown carried the ball to the front and hoped to use his body size to attack the basket, but the Nets quickly assisted. Brown did not choose to attack strongly, but instead split the ball to Smart on the weak side. To a certain extent, Smart's choice to shoot three points at this time is already a very good opportunity. But he continued to be patient and found Tatum under the empty cut basket, who used a wonderful turn to wipe under the basket and complete the kill before the bell rang.
"It's really crazy, there's nothing better than that." Tatum said in the interview, "I was well aware that I finished the shot before the final whistle, but I'm not sure if the referee needs to take the time to look at the ball back and forth. It's probably the loudest sound I've ever heard at the TD Garden Arena. There's nothing better than finishing a dead end in front of your own fans. ”
It's worth mentioning that this goal didn't just help the Celtics win the first game of the series. Meanwhile, it was the first time in Celtics history that they had completed a whistle-blowing kill at home. In an interview after the game, more details about the kill were revealed. Tatum said his intention in that round was not to cut the basket empty, but to rush to the rebound. "We all thought Smart was going to shoot on his own, so we were all ready to grab the rebound after the last shot. But when he dribbled, we had an eye contact and then he passed a great ball and I had to make a layup to end the game. ”
Smart said he's been instilling with his teammates the idea that when Smart takes the ball, others cut in as much as possible and he'll see the ball passed to those indices. The final round of the game is a concentrated demonstration of Smart's ability to read defense. "The fact that he didn't shoot the ball himself shows his maturity as the core of the organisation and how the team has grown during the year. We've escaped from the opponent's offensive round and then it's our turn, and we love to see each other succeed and keep assists going up. Uduka said.
On another level, the Celtics' last-minute approach is something they've been emphasizing all season. Since Uduka took over the team, he has emphasized only two things – defending and sharing the ball. In an interview with local media in Boston, Uduka repeatedly said that as long as these two simple things can be done well, the Celtics can become a strong team in the league. Easier said than done. Especially when Uduka had just taken over the team, the Celtics were a mess. But as the season progresses, the Celtics are getting better and better. Their defensive efficiency has risen to the top of the league, and the mentality of one more pass on the offensive end has become deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
After the smash hit, the entire Garden Arena fell into a frenzied celebration. The Celtics players hugged each other, greedily sucking on the smell of happiness in the air. It's hard to imagine that just a few months ago this team was on the verge of falling apart. But now, they've completely transformed into a different team with a chance to make some waves in the playoffs.
"It's a great achievement for us to have a game like this, especially considering that at the beginning of the season we lost all the games we played to the crucial moment. We may have been crushed by these losses, but we didn't. Our resilience, the way we play, the hard work we put into the game, that keeps us going. Smart said, "Unfortunately we have a lot of games like this and we need to learn from our failures, so we just want to make sure we don't repeat our mistakes. Everyone did their job, everyone did their best, everyone helped each other, and in the end we won. ”
Cut the high score + spray fans, Irving and Boston's feud is not to be continued
Since leaving the Celtics, Irving has been "specially" cared for by Green Army fans every time he visits Boston.
Boos in the sky, accompanied by uniform slogans. For some of the more extreme fans, the rhetoric may also involve family and even race. Irving, who has played here and played in the playoffs with his team, knows what atmosphere garden arenas can be. So before the series started, he said in an interview: "It was a great test against Boston, I know them well, they know me well. ”
For a professional player, the best way to eliminate the noise of the road is to cut a high score and lead the team to victory. In this battle against the Celtics, Irving did the former, but failed to lead the team to victory. In the midst of Durant's somewhat depressed situation, Irving scored a game-high 39 points. In the fourth quarter alone, he had 18 points in the account. The Celtics called three total timeouts in the fourth quarter, all in hopes of disrupting Irving's scoring momentum. Unfortunately, the Nets failed to pocket the victory in the final moments of the game, and Tatum's kill destroyed Irving's efforts on the night.
"It's not safe to have 45 seconds left to lead by three points, especially when we're at home for the Celtics." Irving said in a post-match interview.
From the perspective of basketball alone, the performance of European texts can almost score perfectly. The Celtics were on the way in the first half of the second quarter, with Irving using consecutive three-pointers to maintain the point difference. The Celtics held a 10-point lead in the early fourth quarter and still had a chance to play a wave of suspense to end the game. It was Irving who stepped forward again and used his personal show to help the team complete the rebound. However, the story between him and Celtic fans seems to be more concerned than Irving's brilliant performances in this campaign.
ESPN reporter Nick Friedell summed up several inappropriate behaviors of Owen today after the game, one is the act of giving the green army fans a middle finger after hitting the shot, the other is the behavior of raising the middle finger on the back of the head and making a crying action to provoke the green army fans, the third is his behavior of spraying with the fans in the process of returning to the player channel, and the fourth is that he also exploded in an interview. The league will investigate these behaviors and should not ban Irving, but may fine him $50,000.
After the game, Owen also talked about the "tricks" between him and the Boston fans, saying: "They have the same energy for me, and I will have the same energy for them. Not every fan is like that, and I don't want to attack every Boston fan, but when people start yelling foul language or something. As a competitor, there are only so many things you can accept, and we are the kind of people who should be meek, humble, and humble. No, it's the playoffs, that's the way it is. I know what's going to happen here, and I give the same energy back to them. ”
Durant also spoke about the feud between Irving and the Boston fans after the game, saying: "This is part of competitive sports, and fans from Boston hope that their boos will affect Irving. Judging by the course of the game, the boos of the Boston fans did not have any impact on Irving. However, the other Players of the Nets failed to give Irving more help. Durant, in particular, only had 23 points in the account. Next, the best way for the Nets to stand up for Irving is to play better on the court and leave Boston's North Shore Garden with a victory.
"Basketball is not a one-man sport, we have to play more team, to give Irving more support." Dragic said.
However, it is certain that in the second game of the series, and the possible fifth and seventh games in the future, Boston fans will "greet" Irving with more enthusiasm. When Irving left Boston that year, he formed a grudge with the fans of this team. In last season's playoffs, Irving's behavior of stepping on the Celtic logo at the end of the series further deepened their feud with each other. In this campaign, Irving's middle finger and foul mouth further increased the resentment of Celtic fans for him.
In a post-match interview, Owen said: "I just embrace it, embrace all the dark side. "He said he didn't care what the home fans would do. I don't focus on the past between myself and the Boston fans, and now that I'm with the Brooklyn Nets, I'm excited to play with my teammates. ”
Two days later, the second leg of the showdown will continue in Boston. Both the Nets and Irving need to make adjustments, not just about tactics, but also about mentality. There is no better way to silence the team on the road than to lead the team to victory. Irving has done well enough in this game, and perhaps the more harsh the boos in the Garden Arena, the stronger Irving's excitement will be. As he himself put it: "I know what will happen here, but I will give the same energy back to them." ”
Wen | Ji Mengnian
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