Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 541 Once again in dire straits, nearly scaring Auerbach out.

"Especially considering that Smith's three-point shooting percentage was only 20% during the regular season this year, and in the playoffs, he didn't make a single three-pointer in the first round of four games! And yet, this is the same player who suddenly exploded in a game of this caliber tonight!"

"The Celtics lost because their defense against him was inadequate and too loose. But can you blame the Celtics for their poor defense? Any normal person would definitely choose to leave a few players open at this point to strengthen their defense against Lin."

"Obviously, when Smith is on the court, he's the one who should be left out! That's the obvious choice; 99% of players and coaches would choose to leave him out."

"But he just kept making those shots. He made four consecutive mid-range and long-range shots. I can only say, it's fate, there's nothing you can do about it!"

Barkley said, "But the Knicks should also learn from this experience and think carefully about how they should change. Continuing to play like this is obviously not going to work."

"Smith can't keep being this accurate. This isn't his usual performance. It's even questionable whether he can make three more three-pointers in the later games of this series. The Knicks should be thinking about what to do if Smith isn't accurate in the next game."

"They can't always rely on these surprise players to save the team. To be honest, the Knicks lost tonight's matchup between the two regular teams!"

"Of the Knicks' three most important players, Anthony's performance barely deserves a 5 out of 1, and I'd give Stoudemire a maximum of 2. One of those 2 points is a reward for him. Even though he didn't play in the fourth quarter, he still cheered on his teammates with all his might and didn't throw any tantrums."

"Of course, Lin's performance still deserves a perfect 10/10; it was flawless! Even though his teammates didn't perform well, Lin withstood the pressure and led his team to victory!"

"Marbury had 13 points and 8 assists, Pierce had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Duncan had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and Howard also had 11 points and 13 rebounds. The opponent's most important players all played quite well and controlled the game, but they lost to an unexpected event."

"If Smith had missed just one of those shots, the situation would have been completely different tonight, and the Celtics would have won."

"Let me put it this way: In the next game, the winning Knicks will need to make adjustments. They'll have to find a way to break down the Celtics' defensive wall. The Celtics don't need any adjustments. If they continue playing like this, the current situation in the series is in their favor!"

Kenny chuckled and joked, "That's what they call winning, but actually losing; it looks like you lost, but you actually won, right, Charles!"

The two commentators were making their final banter and predictions for the next game on television when the lights at Madison Square Garden slowly went out and both teams had left the field.

"Great job tonight! We played very well! Losing an away game is nothing! The important thing is that we played the game we needed to play; we just lacked a little luck!"

"What if we made one of those last three three-pointers? What if Smith missed one of his shots? The game would be completely different!"

Rivers pumped his fist in the locker room, delivering a passionate speech: "We can win! The rhythm is here! Now the ones who should be worried are those arrogant Knicks bastards! We only lost the first game, but we completely controlled the game!"

"Let's give them a good beating in the next match! Okay? Alright, that's all for tonight, everyone. Let's give it our all one last time, then go take a shower, relax, and get some rest!"

After the Celtics team let out a shout, their morale didn't drop. On the contrary, everyone was full of confidence. Just as Barkley and Rivers said, they were just a little unlucky tonight.

It was genuine bad luck, not some kind of far-fetched luck.

No one on the entire Celtics team believed that Smith could go 4-for-4 in a single quarter in the next game!

Even within the Knicks team, nobody believed it.

Although Smith attended the post-game press conference for the first time in his career after the game, and although his teammates prepared a small welcome and celebration ceremony for him in the locker room after the press conference,

Although Stoudemire tried his best to be funny and liven up the atmosphere, everyone on the Knicks team was actually quite nervous. They all knew that although they won the game tonight, they were in a very passive position.

Everyone is quite worried about the next match.

Their fears came true two days later.

In Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics continued their strategy from Game 1: they shut down the paint, physically challenged Anthony, deployed heavy forces in the paint to prevent Stoudemire from attacking, and significantly strengthened their defense beyond the three-point line.

In the mid-range, they choose to let go as appropriate.

If you can kill me with a mid-range shot, I'll admit it!

But absolutely no three-pointers or shots under the basket!

This is Sibodu, not...

This was Rivers' strategy, a simple adjustment he made in Game 2.

On the Knicks' side, Stoudemire couldn't put on a good show against the Celtics' tall, strong, and physically gifted twin towers. His overly simplistic offensive style was somewhat lacking in this level of competition.

In the second game, Stoudemire made 3 of 11 shots, failing to score in double digits for the second consecutive game!

Anthony, who scored 22 points in the previous game by relying on his aggressive play and offensive rebounding and constantly drawing fouls, has also lost his way.

Pierce, that seasoned veteran, gave Anthony meticulous care, like a venomous snake that could never be shaken off, always sticking to Anthony, making it quite unpleasant for Anthony to play!

Carmelo Anthony's playing style is elegant and beautiful, with smooth and graceful movements. His shooting and driving styles are quite stylish! But the problem is that he lacks physical strength and variety on the offensive end.

He needs space to set up his defense and needs to dribble to find his rhythm for shooting.

Now, when he encounters Pierce, who is incredibly shrewd and persistent, there's really nothing he can do.

In this game, Anthony was brought back to his true form. He made 5 of 15 field goals, 0 of 3 three-pointers, and 4 of 5 free throws, scoring only 14 points. More importantly, in a game where the Celtics focused more on rebounding and positioning, Anthony couldn't grab any rebounds.

Without rebounds, he couldn't replicate the advantage he had in the previous game.

Naturally, the performance was quite poor.

As for Smith, who performed amazingly in the last game, he returned to his usual level tonight. He was completely left open by the Celtics once again, but compared to his perfect shooting in the last game, he missed every shot tonight!

Six shots, 0 for 0, not a single one went in, and one of them was even an airball.

With his teammates performing so poorly, and only Jackson and Wallace scoring in double figures, Lin Tian was naturally left to carry the team alone that night. Although he scored 41 points, he only had 6 assists.

His passes were still accurate, but his teammates couldn't make any shots!

Six assists is Lin Tian's lowest number in 80 regular season games and 6 playoff games this season!

This was his game with the fewest assists all season, so it's perfectly understandable that the team lost because of it.

Another noteworthy point is that the Knicks have won every game this season in which Lin Tian has more than 20 assists! In games with 15-20 assists, the Knicks have a 91% win rate; in games with 10-15 assists, the Knicks have a 60% win rate; and in games with fewer than 10 assists, the win rate is only 23%.

Lin Tian's assist count is a barometer for the Knicks. The more assists he has, the smoother the team's offense is. Conversely, fewer assists mean the team's offense is faltering and they have to rely on individual efforts to win games.

For example, on this night, while Lin Tian went all out and scored 41 points, the team only managed to score 79 points!

They were defended even more tightly tonight, and the team scored fewer points, while the Celtics, although still struggling to put the ball in the basket, scored 83 points.

In the final two minutes of the game, the Celtics even double-teamed Lin Tian.

They started double-teaming Lin Tian from the backcourt, giving him no space to receive or dribble the ball, and preventing him from organizing an attack.

As for the others?

If you're so capable, then vote us to death!

That's the Celtics' attitude.

Clearly, the Celtics had good luck tonight; their gamble paid off.

In the final two minutes, the Knicks only managed to score thanks to Lin Tian's two incredible shots when facing multiple double teams. Lin Tian made two shots and scored four points in those two minutes, while everyone else went silent.

But clearly, 4 points in 2 minutes is not enough!

So they lost tonight!

The third match was almost a carbon copy of the second match.

The Knicks still couldn't make their shots; they still couldn't find their rhythm. Whether it was the team's role players or their core starters, everyone was stuck in a vicious cycle of missing shots. Even Lin Tian was off his game this time, making only 2 of 11 three-point attempts, marking the worst shooting performance of his career.

尼克斯队在今晚总共只拿到了61分，林天更是33投12中，罚球8罚7中，只拿到了31分14篮板5助攻。

His assists were fewer than in the previous game, which means the rest of the Knicks played even worse.

That night, only Lin Tian scored in double figures for the Knicks. He accounted for half of the team's points, but it was not enough to turn the tide. Apart from Lin Tian, ​​no one else could help the team. 61 points was the Knicks' lowest score of the season, and they had their worst game of the season!

This time, the Knicks' poor offense even made the Celtics' offense look pretty good in comparison.

The Celtics scored 79 points tonight, defeating the Knicks by a whopping 18 points!

Series score: 2-1!

The Celtics are starting to gain the upper hand in the series.

The next game, the fourth, will also be held at TD Garden in Boston.

The Celtics had finally gained the upper hand and secured home-court advantage, and they certainly weren't going to let the chance to win slip away.

That night, Rivers' motivational coaching reached its peak. He stood on the sidelines for almost the entire game, shouting and yelling throughout the arena.

"Wood! Wood! Wood!"

"Charge! Charge!"

"Hold on! Hold on! Don't be afraid!"

"We can win! Hold this round!"

"Keep up! Keep up! Keep up!"

"Yes, you can do it! You can!"

"Exchange! Exchange! We can exchange this ball!"

"Don't change it! Don't change it! Stick with your own!"

Rivers' shouts rang out continuously. Although he offered almost no effective advice or guidance, his passion infected the Celtics players, maximizing their fighting spirit.

His incessant buzzing voice, like a mosquito, was also driving the Knicks players crazy.

With five minutes left in the game, and the Knicks trailing by 10 points again, Anthony started to break down.

That night, Anthony only made 6 of 16 shots, scoring just 15 points. As he was running up the court, he heard Rivers yelling, so he stopped impatiently and yelled at Rivers, who was almost running onto the court.

"Are you fucking done yet?! Can't you fucking shut up?! You damn stupid black bastard, can't you just sit on the bench?! Do you know your voice sounds awful, like your wife's when she's in bed with another black guy?"

Anthony got more and more excited as he talked, and he even took another step forward, his head almost touching Rivers' forehead.

Then?

Then Anthony's head bumped into the referee's forehead first.

"Technical foul, get out!" The referee didn't waste any words with Anthony. Anthony, who had already committed a foul in the first half, was given another technical foul by the referee and was sent off the court.

Anthony's behavior of verbally abusing the opposing head coach in front of the referee will likely not result in a suspension, but he will probably face additional fines.

From this perspective, the referee might have actually saved Anthony.

If he hadn't stepped in and stopped Anthony from taking any further action, and if Anthony had actually gotten into a physical altercation with Rivers, it wouldn't have been as simple as just being ejected tonight.

He will most likely be suspended again.

"pity."

Auerbach, sitting in the VIP box with a cigar in his mouth, watched the whole thing unfold and shook his head regretfully.

That damn referee, why couldn't he just watch the show a little longer?

If Anthony is suspended, the Celtics will have a much higher chance of winning the next game!

But it's fine if they're expelled like this; at least tonight is safe.

With a 3-1 lead, this series is almost impossible to reverse. In Auerbach's opinion, there's little chance of anything changing in this series.

Perhaps, apart from that Asian kid?

Auerbach watched the game for a few more minutes, then put out his cigar.

I'm not in the mood for smoking anymore.

Even the old man started sweating.

Anthony received a technical foul, Pierce made the technical free throw, and then Howard slammed home a dunk.

With less than 5 minutes remaining, the Celtics had a 13-point lead.

Then, the competition suddenly became Lin Tian's stage!

This guy first dribbled across the frontcourt and pulled up for a three-pointer, then backed down Marbury in the low post for another two points, and then grabbed the rebound from the Celtics' missed shot and drove all the way to the basket for two more points!

……

In the next four minutes, Lin Tian made a series of drives and outside shots, scoring 17 points in a row!

And he also managed to foul out Marbury.

The point difference between the two sides was reduced from 13 points to 3 points.

The game has entered its final minute.

That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying.

Auerbach, who was at least in the stands, sat back down in his chair, and the composure and ease on his face had temporarily disappeared.

Of course, the old man had seen countless big scenes, and he only felt that Lin Tian's performance was a little unrealistic and a little nervous, but he was not really scared and at a loss.

In particular, in the following game, Duncan finally played his role as the anchor of the team again, scoring two crucial points with a one-on-one attack under the basket, widening the gap to five points again, and then waiting for Lin Tian's attack under the basket.

This time, he didn't let Lin Tian score again, but blocked the shot with a powerful block, thwarting Lin Tian's crucial layup and keeping the team's hopes of victory alive!

Then Pierce grabbed the basketball, and Jackson quickly fouled him, sending Pierce to the free-throw line.

With 30 seconds left, the Celtics lead by 5 points and have two free throw opportunities.

The overall situation is settled.

Auerbach breathed a sigh of relief; Duncan's block had slightly eased the cold sweat on his back.

"Bang!!"

Then, Pierce's first free throw missed, causing Auerbach, who was about to grab a lighter and cigar, to pause. The old man then cursed, picked up the cigar, lit it, and angrily sat back down on his bench.

These people are really a handful!

Pierce made his second free throw.

With a 6-point deficit, the Knicks inbounded the ball from the baseline. Lin Tian dribbled the basketball at high speed, driving all the way to the Celtics' three-point line. He then pulled up and, with Davis in front of him and Marbury behind him, forced a three-point shot!

"Bang!!"

With that muffled thud and Duncan securing the rebound, followed by Lin Tian's missed three-pointer, the suspense of the game finally came to an end.

Although Okur grabbed Duncan and sent him to the free-throw line, the game was over after Duncan made both free throws and Lin Tian recklessly charged to the frontcourt again, missing a near-desperate three-pointer.

The Celtics held on at home and secured an incredibly hard-fought victory!

3: 1!

They've secured match point and are leading the Knicks by a large margin! (End of Chapter)