"The most important thing for any team that aims to win the championship is to maintain the stability of the locker room. This is what I have always warned them."
Bird said with a smile, and it was not difficult to hear his sense of accomplishment in his words.
After returning from the timeout, McHale carried out the regular rotation step by step, and Harden came off the court to rest, along with Asik and Garnett.
O'Neal Jr., Tucker and Ariza appeared together.
Seeing O'Neal come on the court, the audience immediately responded with enthusiastic cheers and applause.
O'Neal Jr. was once their hero, carrying the team's banner after Reggie Miller retired. In those years, he led the Pacers to overcome obstacles and overcome powerful enemies. Although he failed to lead the team out of the Eastern Conference, he also left many wonderful memories.
O'Neal Jr. waved and saluted all the fans. Every time he returned to Indianapolis, he felt like he was going home.
"Brother, why don't you come back before you retire?"
Pierce came over and said with a smile.
"That's true."
O'Neal Jr. replied with a smile.
For these veterans, they have passed the age of competitiveness and are still active on the court, either to compete for championships and realize their dreams, or to enjoy the purest joy of basketball. In addition, those other things They don't care anymore.
This is the best state for playing, but most players will only realize it when they are about to retire.
The game continued. This time George did not attack. After getting into position, he ran actively to attract the attention of Rockets defensive players.
Pierce on the other side got a chance, faced Butler one-on-one, and hit a mid-range jumper to help the team stop the decline, 20:13.
The Rockets attacked, and the teammates winked at each other, signaling Jeremy Lin to create offensive opportunities for O'Neal.
Jeremy Lin understood and took the initiative to initiate a pick-and-roll. After splitting the ball, he passed the ball to O'Neal who was following up. The latter caught the ball near the free throw line and made an easy mid-range shot with no one in front of him.
This ball was not intended to be released by Hibbert. Due to his slow footwork, guarding against pick-and-rolls has always been a big problem for him.
"Fortunately, Yao Ming has lost weight now. His ability to defend pick-and-rolls should be much better than Hibbert's now."
Xu Xin thought secretly.
"Did Yao Ming have the same problem when he defended pick-and-rolls?"
Bird saw what Xu Xin was thinking and said.
"It's true. After gaining weight, Yao Ming often has some difficulty on the defensive end when facing centers with shooting abilities."
Xu Xin nodded and replied.
"Do you have any solution for this?"
Bird continued to ask, with a playful expression.
"You old man, what kind of style do you have? Why do you keep testing me all night long?"
Xu Xin thought to himself, but still thought about it seriously.
"If Hibbert is equipped with a relatively fast-moving and excellent defensive ability fourth position, he can actively switch defenses when the opponent initiates a single screen, so that Hibbert will not be exposed to the opponent's projection firepower.
Of course, if the opponent has two inner players with excellent shooting ability on the field, or the opponent initiates a double screen and the small guard attacks Hibbert's side in a targeted manner, it will be more difficult to handle. "
Xu Xin gave his own opinions.
"Okay! Your opinion coincides with mine. Who said that a person with a professional background can only talk on paper? You can be a good general manager even if you have never played football."
Bird said with a smile, he was very satisfied with Xu Xin's answer.
On the court, the two sides played back and forth. Pierce scored five points in a row with a sudden outside shot. Butler was somewhat powerless against the tank-type small forward with rich offensive skills, strong shooting ability and excellent physical confrontation.
O'Neal Jr. did not hesitate to make more concessions, and continuously exploited the weaknesses that Hibbert could not guard against. He made 2 of 3 mid-range jump shots and scored 4 more points.
The two veterans competed with each other on the court, which made the fans excited.
However, Pierce was the first to reach the red line of physical strength. When Jeremy Lin made a free throw, he leaned on his somewhat swollen knee and gasped for air.
Vogel saw everything and immediately made substitution adjustments.
Only George was left on the court, replaced by Mahinmi, Hansbrough, Delfino and Stephenson.
Jeremy Lin made two free throws, 26:18.
"Brother, let's work together to catch him back before the end of this quarter."
Stephenson looked at George and said seriously.
"Just what I wanted."
George doesn't talk nonsense, he just plays when he gets the ball. But compared to the beginning, he is much calmer now.
Breakthrough with the ball attracts the defense, and breaks through to find Stephenson on the wing.
The "junior brother" caught the ball and saw Ariza flying towards him. He passed the ball one more time without greed and gave it to Delfino in the bottom corner.
The latter was unmarked, his hand rose and fell from outside the three-point line, and the basketball went hollow into the net, 26:21.
The fans in the audience applauded and encouraged again.
"Pierce and Delfino are working together. It seems Bird has made a profit from this deal."
Su Kui said with a smile.
"Pierce's strength is there. Although he is a god who has gone downhill, even if he declines, he is still among the top small forwards in the league. Delfino's main reason is that the competition within the Rockets is too fierce, and McHale's defensive strategy is mainly based on switching defenses. , this is not what Delfino is good at.”
Yu Jia explained.
On the court, Butler broke into the paint through the pick-and-roll, causing Hansbrough to foul and once again went to the free throw line.
"After the Pacers made the substitution, their offense has definitely sped up and they have more opportunities. But on the defensive end, the inside's ability to protect the frame has dropped significantly."
Su Kui analyzed.
"Yes, so Butler is very smart. When Hibbert comes off the field, he immediately rushes out of the frame."
Yu Jia added.
Unfortunately, Butler's free throws were relatively average, making one of two free throws at 27:21.
Looking back, Stephens has the ball in his hand and continues to speed up.
Strictly speaking, the Pacers' lineup does not have a core defender, but this is exactly in line with the characteristics of a "junior brother". A free offensive environment can often allow him to explode 120% of his energy.
This was the case with this goal. Facing Jeremy Lin, who was shorter and thinner than himself, Stephenson relied on his physical advantage to kill the basket, score two points, and get an extra penalty.
After scoring the goal, Stephenson celebrated wildly, showing off his biceps. The fans in the front row stood up and cheered.
The subsequent free throw was also scored, 27:24.
In the last minute, Jeremy Lin dribbled the ball into the frontcourt to set the pace. Although it was the norm for him and Butler to play the entire first quarter, as fatigue accumulated and tonight's opponent was really strong, he was a little a little nervous in the last minute. It’s too much to take.
McHale saw Jeremy Lin's fatigue and took the initiative to signal to the referee and call a timeout to make adjustments.
When masters compete with each other, every substitution and every time-out must be carefully considered and nothing can be done carelessly.
Jeremy Lin and Butler are a bit exhausted. Rather than letting them reluctantly attack on the court, it would be better to let them rest and recharge, and then fight with all their strength after repairing.
