O'Neal Jr. showed a tough attitude, which also indicates that tonight's game may not be beneficial to the Bulls.
As the midfield referee officially threw the ball into the air, O'Neal jumped up with all his strength and slapped the ball back into the backcourt, which just confirmed this.
However, Du En was not afraid when he saw this, and signaled to his teammates: "Leave Jermaine to me, you keep an eye on the others."
Tonight's Bulls still use a man-to-man defensive strategy.
Little O'Neal was not afraid at all when he saw that it was Du En who was still defending him.
He caught the ball with his back in the low post and ignored Du En's hand on his waist. After getting the ball, he did not turn his back to face the frame as usual to determine Du En's position and defense. Instead, he turned his back directly and rushed towards the center.
Du En's lateral movement speed is still very fast, and O'Neal suddenly stops and jumps halfway through the breakthrough.
In fact, after two battles in G1 and G2, how could O'Neal not know how strong Duan's athletic ability and defensive ability are?
O'Neal also knew that he couldn't get past Duen with speed and speed alone, so this breakthrough was actually just a feint.
Reggie Miller, who was running without the ball, ran from the right corner to the basket while O'Neal Jr. rushed from the low post to the free throw line.
Because Dale Davis provided a screen for Reggie Miller under the basket, Dale Davis even reached out to pull Andres Nocioni.
So, Reggie Miller got an open layup.
After receiving the ball, Reggie Miller naturally did not miss the opportunity. Instead, he completed the layup extremely smoothly as he had for decades.
When the basketball left Reggie Miller's hand, there was no mistake. It rebounded directly from the backboard and fell into the net.
0 to 2, the Pacers played very resolutely and also very simply.
However, the reason why the Pacers can cooperate so smoothly this time is mainly because the penalty scale tonight is different from the previous two games.
The moving pick-and-roll is not a unique product of the small ball era. In fact, the so-called moving pick-and-roll is a type of illegal screen.
The cover does not have to be stationary to be legal. In fact, the cover can be moved, but it cannot collide and move. It can only retreat and avoid.
A legal screen needs to give a step of distance to the pursuing defensive player.
If the covering player moves to collide with the chasing player head-on, or moves to collide with the opponent with his waist, hip, or shoulder, this is illegal contact in illegal coverage.
At the same time, as he did just now, Dale Davis reached out and pulled Andres Nocioni, which was also illegal contact.
However, the playoffs encourage confrontation, and illegal screens all depend on how the referee calls. Since the referee does not call, it is legal.
Of course, unless the referee bets on the ball, he can't be too shady.
If it is an illegal cover with a lot of unnecessary physical confrontation, it will definitely be called.
Pulling hands and pulling clothes fall into the category of turning a blind eye.
In just one round, Du En had already clearly seen the scale of tonight's penalty.
Obviously, the Pacers will have some home calls, but the Bulls can also take the opportunity to step up their defensive intensity.
When Ben Gordon had just dribbled past half court, Duan was two or three steps away from the three-point line, gesturing to his teammates.
Du En signaled his teammates to pull away. This time Du En wanted to take the ball and play singles.
By the way, the Pacers also adjusted their defensive strategy tonight. Instead of double-teaming directly, they adopted a one-to-four defensive tactic.
Wu Sheng Jackson came to the top of the arc to limit Du En's offense. Du En did not call a pick and roll, but directly crossed to the left with a cross step, and then opened the way with his elbow, squeezing Wu Sheng Jackson past him in one step.
Upon seeing this, Reggie Miller and O'Neal Jr. immediately flanked Duan at the elbow. Duan did not choose to continue to rush to the basket, but passed the ball to Andres Nocioni.
The space was already open, and Andres Nocioni did not hesitate to shoot a three-pointer.
Wu Sheng Jackson's defense was quick, but it still failed to cause effective interference.
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The ball was scored, 3 to 2.
It seems that the 2-0 lead in the series has allowed Andres Nocioni to evolve.
At least G3 played in an away game very relaxedly and confidently, without showing any signs of feeling stressed.
It was the Pacers' turn to attack, and O'Neal Jr. got the ball in the low post again.
O'Neal Jr. turned his back and broke through again without saying a word, and Duan once again prevented O'Neal's breakthrough.
At the same time, Andres Nocioni suffered a dull loss last time, but this time he also had an extra thought.
Before encountering the screen, Andres Nocioni reached out and tugged on Reggie Miller's clothes in advance. Sure enough, the referee didn't blow the whistle.
Although Reggie Miller still received O'Neal's pass with the help of a screen, he was unable to make a layup directly.
While Dale Davis tried to catch the ball and shoot, Tyson Chandler also moved forward to defend, blocking Reggie Miller's passing route.
The Pacers were unable to launch an offense under the basket, and Reggie Miller could only pass the ball to Warrior Jackson on the outside.
I saw Wu Sheng Jackson strong singles on Luol Deng, turning his back and passing Luol Deng straight to the basket.
But Du En came to help defend, leaving Wu Sheng Jackson to pass the ball to O'Neal Jr.
After receiving the ball, O'Neal dribbled and prepared to rush to the basket, but Duan turned around and blocked O'Neal's path to the basket.
O'Neal could only make an emergency jump shot, but was interfered by Du En who flew out and missed the mid-range shot.
Luol Deng, who chased Warrior Jackson to the basket, protected the rebound, but the Pacers returned to defense quickly.
Even though Duan advanced with the ball and presided over the fast break, the Pacers began to pull the Bulls players' clothes as early as halfway, restricting the Bulls players from accelerating to the basket and catching the ball halfway.
However, transition offense cannot only be accomplished with the help of teammates.
Du En held the ball and went inside, quickly changing direction and passing Wu Sheng Jackson.
Even though Wu Sheng Jackson stretched out his hand to pull on Du En's uniform, Du En still raised his elbow and thrust towards the basket.
However, tonight, O'Neal was not soft at all, he just charged forward with his chest puffed out.
After Duan's confrontation with O'Neal Jr., he almost couldn't hold the ball. He could only protect the ball with his back, dribble to get a feel for it, and then break through or take off for a shot.
However, the Pacers' double-team was extremely determined, and Duan could only pass the ball out immediately.
Unexpectedly, Andres Nocioni had just made a three-pointer in the previous round, but this round was obviously wide open but he failed to seize the opportunity.
After the shot, although Du En was also rushing for the rebound, Du En was blocked by O'Neal Jr. and the rebound was snatched away by Wu Sheng Jackson.
The Pacers also tried a fast break, but fortunately the Bulls' defense worked hard and did not give them a chance.
In this positional battle, the Pacers did not continue to let O'Neal launch from the low post.
Instead, Anthony Johnson passed the ball to Dale Davis, and then Anthony Johnson ran to Dale Davis, used a hand-off screen, and shot a three-pointer in the bottom corner.
Obviously, the Pacers tonight have a lot more guard tactics.
After two huge losses in G1 and G2, Carlisle also figured out that if he wants to beat the Bulls, defense alone is not enough. More people must step up and score.
And where do the scores come from? Naturally, it comes from Simple Ball!
In the same number of rounds, the Pacers can't score efficiently just by relying on star O'Neal Jr. in isolation.
Reggie Miller's cuts and Anthony Johnson's shots are the keys to the Pacers' win tonight.
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Anthony Johnson can start in the Pacers, naturally he has two skills.
With Anthony Johnson hitting a three-pointer, the Bulls trailed the Pacers by two points.
Duen was not in a hurry and continued to test the Pacers' defensive strategy.
This time, instead of playing Wu Sheng Jackson alone, Du En found Ben Gordon to play a cross screen.
It didn't surprise Duen. The Pacers' strategy tonight was to limit Duen's shots, rather than trying to limit Duen's organizational ability as before.
However, the Pacers did not let O'Neal come out too much from the inside. They obviously focused on protecting the basket and did not pay so much attention to the outside.
As Duan passed the ball to Ben Gordon, Ben Gordon did not disappoint Duan. He directly shot a three-pointer and hit it steadily.
"Since you don't value me, then be prepared to be killed by me!"
Seeing the three-pointer go hollow into the net, Ben Gordon also started to be high-spirited and said harsh words to the Pacers players on the court.
Tonight both the Pacers and Bulls are betting on rookies like Ben Gordon.
The Pacers bet that the Bulls' rookies would stretch their hips, and the Bulls bet that Doan would create scoring opportunities for the Bulls' youth team, and they would be able to score the goals that should be scored.
The strategies of both sides actually make sense. At the beginning of the first quarter, the Bulls relied on Duan to attract the defense, and others blossomed more, severely suppressing the Pacers.
However, after more than half of the first quarter, the Bulls' starting players had begun to affect their shooting percentage due to the intense defense they suffered.
Scott Scales was very smart tonight and called a timeout to adjust the lineup.
The problem is, it’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.
The Bulls have a limited number of shooters. Scott Scales removed Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni, and there is no stable shooting spot on the court.
In this case, the Bulls can only take Chris Dunn and Diaw to top them first.
However, it was this arrangement that went wrong.
Duane was double-teamed, and Diaw reconnected the team after getting the ball, activating Tyson Chandler and Luol Deng who had done the dirty work for half a quarter.
Not to mention that Carlisle didn't expect this in advance, even Bulls head coach Scott Skiles didn't expect this.
It was also relying on Diaw, a surprise player, that played an unexpected role. The Pacers used the strategy of double-teaming Duan to limit the Bulls' offense and declared bankruptcy in advance.
After the first quarter, the Bulls did not strengthen their defense because of the Pacers, and it became extremely difficult to score.
It was basically the same as the previous two games, 29 to 24. After the first quarter, the Bulls still led the Pacers by 5 points.
It is worth mentioning that in the first quarter, Duan made 2 of 4 shots and only scored 4 points.
In other words, after deducting Duan's score, the Bulls are still 1 point ahead of the Pacers.
Of course, this does not mean that Duan is unimportant.
Even if Duan doesn't score, as long as he gets the ball, his offensive threat can create more scoring opportunities for other Bulls teammates.
Coupled with the impact of defense and organization, it is also very huge.
Tonight, the Pacers relied on illegal screens to make a lot of profits and scored many simple goals, but the final score was not particularly explosive because Duan restricted O'Neal.
Duan used defense to defeat O'Neal, but the Pacers had to use outside and inside, a total of two or three players to limit Duan's scoring.
And that’s Doon’s influence!
(End of chapter)
