This time, the Pacers still chose to let O'Neal play alone in the interior, but LaFrentz, who was supposed to double-team him immediately, hesitated.
Wayne's three-pointer just now was pretty good. If he really lets him go, he won't be thanked again, right?
"Execute the plan, why are you daydreaming, River!"
At this moment, Wayne heard a unique drake voice.
Rivers was unhappy with LaFrentz's defense.
Why are you guarding a rookie? Go defend the third-ranked player in the MVP rankings!
Who among the serious rookies can kill the game?
LaFrentz had no choice but to retreat to the penalty area and continue double-teaming.
So the Pacers repeated their old trick and O'Neal passed the ball outside the three-point line again.
"These Celtics really don't believe in evil!" Coach Zhang, who was commentating on the game, was fed up. Who were they looking down on?
But this time, Wayne didn't get an easy shot after receiving the ball. LaFrentz was careful and turned around and ran back to Wayne the moment O'Neal passed the ball.
Although he was a little awkward running around, I have to say that his defense was flawless this time!
"Hey, I think you're helpless, little rookie." LaFrentz raised his arms high and cheered himself up in his heart. At the same time, Payton also came over and prepared to snatch the basketball from Wayne.
It would have been even more perfect if he could have elbowed Wayne at the moment of the steal.
However, Wayne did not panic and make mistakes.
Facing the 1998 No. 2 pick and the tough Payton, he calmly tossed the ball lightly and gently passed it to O'Neal who was still trying to get into position in the low post.
Wayne passed the ball perfectly, making it very comfortable for O'Neal to receive the ball.
"Wade passed the ball to the basket again. The Pacers played very patiently. The small-scale cooperation between Wade and Jermaine was very impressive!"
Wayne's clear-minded passing won him praise from the live commentator.
If Yao Ming saw this ball, he would probably shed tears of sadness.
Chairman Yao: Damn it, why don’t I have a partner like this at the No. 4 position? I can’t even catch the ball, I can’t even catch the ball!
When O'Neal received the basketball again, the double-team around him had been completely broken by Wayne.
There is no doubt about Wayne's tactical deterrence.
A one-on-one match against Mark Blount was a natural gift for O'Neal.
By sitting back hard, Xiao Ao created a little space for himself.
Then, he very flexibly took a turnaround jump shot and scored the ball steadily.
Wayne was a little envious of O'Neal's back-to-the-basket attack.
How cool, how elegant, how handsome.
He is worthy of being the man ranked third in the MVP rankings last season.
Otherwise... why not steal some of Xiao Ao's badges?
After scoring the goal, O'Neal immediately pointed at Wayne to express his gratitude.
All the Pacers players were applauding, except Artest who was standing aside and shook his head: "Don't think that you have a good relationship with Wayne just because of this. After all, I am still his good brother!"
Rivers was a little panicked now, because Wayne's role was far more than just .
No. 99 is like a guard whether shooting or assisting! He and O'Neal are perfect partners.
It's difficult.
One round later, O'Neal continued to make trouble in the three-second zone. This time, he turned around flexibly and broke through Blount, scoring a one-handed dunk.
Without double-teaming, O'Neal could do whatever he wanted in the three-second zone.
It exploded, the Celtics' entire basket exploded.
Payton almost exploded because No. 99 talked too much!
"That's it, Jermaine. It was such an easy dunk. Damn devil's home court. We have the final say on their home court !"
Wayne never took his eyes off Payton when he said these words.
That’s right, it’s aimed at you!
Payton was really convinced. It turned out that O'Neal scored the goal, but you were the only one who was pretending?
On the Pacers bench, Carlisle smiled like Jim Kelly.
The inside combination of Wayne and O'Neal is really useful!
Wayne's instruction manual was updated by Carlisle with another page.
After Wayne and Artest continued to play pick-and-roll, the Pacers had another killer move.
At the end of the first quarter, the Celtics were trailing the Pacers by 8 points.
Among them, Pierce made only 1 of 4 shots, and Artest really locked down the Celtics' leading scorer.
If Ricky Davis hadn't been in great form today and scored 9 points in a single quarter, the Celtics would probably have fallen behind by double digits in the first quarter.
On the Pacers side, Wayne scored 3 points and 3 assists, and all 3 assists went to O'Neal.
O'Neal scored 11 points in a single quarter and tortured the Celtics' inside players.
Although Wayne only scored one goal, he made the Celtics' defense miserable.
His tactical role is far more obvious than the data suggests.
During the last few minutes of the first quarter, Wayne followed the main players to rest for a while.
This means that in the second quarter, Wayne will continue to start as the power forward!
In the end, the 8-point difference was maintained until the end of the first quarter, and the Celtics were in danger.
During the intermission, "Chicken Soup Master" Rivers couldn't believe that he was caught off guard by Carlisle, who was known for his rigidity, with a temporary change of formation!
Rivers also knew that if he couldn't solve the problem of O'Neal Jr., the game would be difficult to win.
Right now, Pierce's scoring is blocked and the Celtics must start from the defensive end.
"In the second quarter, remember, double-team O'Neal. Don't worry about Wade, let him shoot if he wants to, just interfere occasionally!"
Rivers made a prompt decision and chose to release Wayne in this multiple-choice question.
Isn't the answer obvious? Anyone would make the same choice between the third-placed player in last season's MVP ranking and a rookie.
And although Wayne played well in the first quarter, he only scored one goal.
Don't be afraid!
At this moment, Payton suddenly sat next to Teacher Tony, which scared Tony.
Really? You're going to take it out on me when you're upset on the court?
Instead, Payton said perhaps the most tender words to Tony yet.
"That Wei, was he that good at trash talking in college?"
"This..." Tony was actually a little uncomfortable without being scolded by Payton.
"From what I heard, he didn't seem to be a big trash talker in college."
"Really? It seems like those guys from the Pacers taught him well. I'll have to be stricter with you in the future, Tony."
Teacher Tony: ???
The second quarter of the game resumed, and sure enough, Wayne took a place in the Pacers' starting lineup for the second quarter!
He will continue to partner with O'Neal in the interior to maintain the advantage.
O'Neal Jr. was eager to try, and with Wayne by his side in today's game, he played really well.
Not only does Wayne help to open up space on the offensive end, but he also has to keep an eye on LaFrentz on the defensive end who always likes to roam outside the three-point line.
This saved Xiao Ao a lot of energy.
However, at the beginning of the second quarter, it was the Celtics who took the lead.
This time, Payton broke into the penalty area with the help of LaFrentz's cover. Wayne switched defense immediately, but Payton avoided Wayne's block in the air on his final layup.
Although I am old, my body is not as strong as it was in the supersonic days.
But Payton's work is getting better and better.
Payton scored a goal over Wayne's head, how could that be possible?
"Where's the defense? You have to send someone to defend me." After scoring the goal, Payton deliberately yelled at Wayne. Wayne really wanted to give Payton an elbow.
How can there be someone with such a disgusting mouth!
Bird said: This is just the beginning.
When I was beaten for swearing at someone...
But soon, Wayne got the chance to save face.
Because this time LaFrentz actually completely ignored Wayne on defense and focused on double-teaming O'Neal.
Seeing that Wayne was about to attack, Payton left Anthony Johnson behind and rushed towards Wayne.
Johnson is not a stable three-point shooter, so Payton chose to rob Peter to pay Paul.
As a result, Payton's interference had no impact on Wayne.
Last season, Payton once blocked shots from inside players, but now, a year older, he is no longer able to do so.
Wayne hit his second three-pointer of the game against Payton's defense, and the Celtics continued to fall behind!
"Ask someone taller to guard me. You were born with a flaw. There's nothing I can do about it."
The two of them were arguing back and forth, it was quite lively.
This time, Wayne's trash talk was louder and his actions were more obvious.
So, the live camera captured the scene of Wayne and Payton arguing with each other.
"Haha, Wei actually started a fight with Payton. What a courage! What a courage."
The commentators at the scene all smiled. This MOP not only played the ball well, but his temperament also kept up with the NBA.
Bird, who was watching the live game, was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.
Wayne can actually talk trash? This is what a Pacers player should be like.
Please step up your efforts!
Putting aside the quarrel between Wayne and Payton, Wayne's three-pointer almost gave the Celtics a heavy blow!
Rivers just chose to let Wayne shoot, but Wayne stabbed Rivers in the chest.
Facts have proved that Wayne can still make three-point shots even under interference.
For Wayne, three-pointers are truly a conventional weapon, not just a tactical deterrent.
Wayne and O'Neal, this is not a question of choosing who to release, it's a question of choosing who you want to be killed by!
A serious rookie can’t kill the game, but… Wayne is not serious.
What should I do?
Rivers ultimately did not make any changes. He decided to wait and see what Wayne could do next.
To put it bluntly, we still have to bet on Wayne's offense.
As a result, he was stabbed again.
When Wayne was left open outside the three-point line again, LaFrentz could no longer sit idly by.
In this situation, if Wayne scores another goal, the score difference will go to double digits.
Before this game started, Boston fans might have thought that O'Neal would put them in a tough battle, that Artest would put them in a tough battle, and even that old Miller would put them in a tough battle.
But they never expected that in the end it was a first-year rookie who had the upper hand over them.
After Wayne received the ball, LaFrentz immediately gave up the double team and ran out from the inside. He had no choice but to run between Wayne and O'Neal at all costs.
If Wayne passes the ball to O'Neal again, LaFrentz will have to keep running.
LaFrentz was about to block Wayne, but Wayne, who was originally staring at the basket, did not shoot. Instead, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and rushed forward.
The two people were sprinting in completely opposite directions, just like two cars driving in opposite directions, passing each other.
Wayne easily breaks through LaFrentz!
In this era, players who can do an excellent job of defending at the three and four positions are quite scarce.
After suffering a serious injury, LaFrentz had no time to turn around quickly when facing Wayne's breakthrough.
Seeing that LaFrentz was thrown off so easily, Payton chased after him unwillingly, preparing to cut the ball when Wayne was going to make a layup.
But when Payton approached from the side, Wayne held the basketball with both hands and raised it above his head, causing Payton, who was trying to steal the ball, to miss it and rush directly in front of Wayne.
Wayne is very experienced in utilizing his height advantage.
After that, Wayne raised the basketball and gently picked it up, putting it steadily into the frame.
Antetokounmpo-style layup!
If you dare to bet, Wayne will dare to go in.
There's nothing much to say about this ball, it's just using height and wingspan to bully people.
At this point, Wayne gave the Pacers a double-digit lead!
Carlisle was happy, this sixth man was so useful.
"What a great goal! Wade dribbled past two Celtics defenders by himself! If Gary had been a step faster, he might have been able to snatch the ball.
It's a pity that time is not forgiving."
Payton, who failed to steal the ball and almost rushed to the bench, cursed out a universal word starting with F in frustration.
He put his hands on his hips, looked at the score difference that had widened to double digits, and sighed helplessly.
Now, I can’t even teach a little kid a lesson?
Championship...why is it so difficult?
On the court, Wayne shrugged at Payton: "It's the same whether you have help defense or not."
Payton looked at Wayne but didn't fight back.
He felt powerless.
After that, Wayne continued to shine, and his presence in this game was even stronger than the previous one.
At first, Rivers thought Wayne couldn't kill the game, but when Wayne really started scoring goals one after another, it was too late.
In the subsequent games, Payton and Wayne quarreled less and less frequently as the score gap in the game gradually became larger and larger.
At the scene, the arrogant Boston fans gradually became silent.
When the game reached the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, large areas of empty space appeared in the stands of North Shore Garden.
The fans have already left the stadium early and the game has completely entered garbage time!
It was not until then that Tony was replaced by Rivers to practice.
Pierce sat dejectedly on the bench, making 5 of 14 shots and 15 points in the game, with a shooting percentage of only 35.7%.
On the other side, Artest made 5 of 8 shots and efficiently scored 16 points and 7 rebounds.
There is no doubt that Artest won this matchup.
After James, he got another small forward who is among the top five in the league.
This ability is really amazing. If Artest had better brainpower, he might have become a superstar.
But the protagonist of today's game was neither Artest nor Pierce, but the "Owe combination" who scored a total of 48 points.
O'Neal scored 28 points in the game, and Wayne also scored a career-high 20 points, scoring over 20 points in the second game of his career.
Among them, Wayne made 4 of 6 three-pointers, letting Rivers know what conventional weapons are.
In addition to the three-pointer, Wayne also got 7 assists throughout the game!
The combination of him and O'Neal is perfect on the offensive end.
The first time this duo appeared on stage, they killed a Celtic to liven up the atmosphere.
Donnie Walsh shook his head as he watched Bird dancing in front of the TV.
Watching a ball game like a child.
Now, Bird should be satisfied. The guy he had high hopes for really lived up to his expectations.
Without Wayne, we wouldn't have won today's game so easily.
However, Bird was so happy not only because of the big victory, nor just because of the excellent tacit understanding between Wayne and O'Neal.
Bird was also very happy because of a guy in this game who had been observed by Bird for a long time.
Maybe he could still use it.
Maybe in Indianapolis, he can go crazy one last time...