Chapter 668: G1 Begins
On April 16, United States time, the 1st round Playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics officially began.
In the visiting locker room, Nelson gave his pre game speech.
"Lads, we have only 1 goal, and that is to play our style of basketball. To do that, we need everyone working together. Play well every minute, every offensive possession. Do not let the regular season ranking become a psychological burden. 8th is only a number. As long as we play with confidence, we can still win Game 1."
If anyone else had said this, it might not have sounded convincing.
But Nelson was different.
He was a man with experience creating an 8th seed upset.
In the 2006 to 2007 season, Nelson led the Golden State Warriors to eliminate the Mavericks 4 to 2, completing the 3rd 8th seed miracle in NBA history.
Nelson did not mind creating another one.
In his view, this Knicks team also had the potential to pull off an 8th seed upset.
Nelson did not make too many tactical arrangements.
He did not want his players to be trapped by too many rules and restrictions. He wanted them to play freely and casually.
In Nelson's eyes, that was 1 of the key weapons for a run and gun team to win.
In the home locker room, Doc Rivers was pouring motivation into his players.
"This is a victory we must secure. Do not give them any chance. As long as we play at our normal pace, we can win this game, and we can sweep them."
"Sweep them!"
Hearing those words, Durant immediately became excited and shouted in response to his head coach.
Durant had always dreamed of beating Chen Yan.
Before this, whether on the NBA court or the international stage, Durant had always been Chen Yan's defeated opponent.
Durant's heart had always been sensitive and fragile.
The outside world loved comparing these brothers.
They had too many similarities.
They were both super scorers.
They entered the NBA in the same year.
They had once been teammates fighting side by side.
"Sweep them!"
The other Celtics players also shouted in unison.
The Celtics came out aggressively.
After stepping onto the court and seeing the packed home crowd, their momentum grew even stronger.
Boston fans had not tasted a championship for too long.
Although the Celtics were an old powerhouse with a glorious history and 16 NBA championships, it had already been 25 years since their last title.
Many fans had not even been born the last time Boston won the championship.
This year, the Celtics ranked 1st in the Eastern Conference.
That regular season position naturally made the fans think of a championship.
Boston's home court carried a powerful sense of pressure.
But the Knicks players were not intimidated.
Aside from Chen Yan, Battier, Kenyon Martin, and Al Harrington were all veterans who had seen plenty of battles.
Curry had strong mental fortitude, but after all, he was still only a 2nd year rookie.
Seeing such a scene, he inevitably felt a little nervous.
"Relax, Stephen. Relax."
Chen Yan rubbed Curry's shoulder, looking like an older brother.
Curry smiled shyly.
"So this is the Playoff atmosphere? It is so explosive."
Chen Yan also smiled.
"Remember how excited they are right now. In 2 hours, no one on this court will be smiling."
Curry grinned after hearing that.
Chen Yan's goal was to help him relax.
Boston Celtics starting lineup: Derrick Rose, Marquis Daniels, Kevin Durant, Amare Stoudemire, Kostic.
New York Knicks starting 5: Stephen Curry, Chen Yan, Shane Battier, Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin.
This was New York's regular lineup in the latter half of the season.
This lineup had 4 shooters, and Kenyon Martin's strong mobility could, to a certain extent, compensate for New York's lack of interior defense.
The game started quickly.
Stoudemire won the tip against Kenyon Martin, and the Celtics got the 1st possession.
A huge cheer erupted inside TD Garden.
At the commentary table, Barkley laughed and said, "I do not know if the Celtics players are ready for the Playoffs, but their fans definitely are."
Kenny Smith added, "Boston fans are all waiting for this team to restore its former glory. They have a great chance this year."
Barkley looked unconvinced.
"First, they have to get past the Knicks."
Barkley and Kenny often disagreed.
If 2 commentators were always on the same page, it would be boring. The audience found it more interesting when there were verbal clashes.
Rose brought the ball across half court.
He had a strong desire to attack, but Boston had someone with an even stronger desire.
Durant had already been waving for the ball for a while.
Rose hesitated for a moment before passing it to him.
Although the outside world called Rose and Durant the Celtics twin stars, everyone knew Durant was the leader of this team.
Durant received the ball and immediately went into isolation on the 1st possession.
Durant held the ball at the top of the arc.
He first took 1 step left, quickly pulled it back, then dribbled 1 step right, followed by a cross body dribble.
Durant had long arms and long legs, and the range of his fakes was terrifying.
After a series of continuous fakes, Durant held the ball in his right hand and drove near the free throw line.
Battier followed closely in front of him at an angle.
This was intentional.
In his 1st 2 years in the league, Durant had a habit of bringing the ball to the other side of his face before raising it above his head to shoot.
Good defenders knew how to deal with Durant.
Force him to his right while cutting off the driving lane, making him shoot from an uncomfortable posture.
Because of that shooting habit, pulling up on the right side would feel awkward.
Battier had used this defensive strategy to bully Durant in his 1st 2 seasons.
However, Durant was no longer the same player.
After 4 seasons of growth, he had already evolved.
Durant took 1 more dribble, then suddenly pushed off the floor, jumped, stepped back, and released a silky mid range jumper.
"Swish!"
2 to 0.
After the shot went in, Durant gave Battier a small glance.
It was as if he were saying, your old methods cannot stop me anymore.
.....
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