unfinished glory

Chapter 199 Ranking Battle

On the last Monday in March, the Grizzlies host the Celtics.

The difference between the two teams is only one game, so this game is bound to be fierce.

Carlisle had already done a lot of preparations before the game. The game against the Celtics was all about patience. The opponent was a team that was good at controlling the tempo, with offense, defense, and stars, and it was very difficult to deal with.

In terms of lineup comparison, except for Li Chongxiao, the Grizzlies are inferior to the Celtics in other positions.However, in terms of age, their advantage is relatively large, most of them are players under the age of 30.

However, playing fast is not the offensive method that the Grizzlies are good at, and facing the experienced players of the Celtics, the rhythm is not easy to control.

Then the remaining method of competing in physical fitness is a war of attrition to increase confrontation.

However, the Celtics obviously came prepared. After Perkins failed to jump the ball, they retreated to the defense immediately.

Li Chongxiao carried out the first round of attack as usual. Ray Allen stepped forward and delayed, sticking tightly, making it clear whether he would rush or not.

The last time the two teams met, although they interrupted Li Chongxiao's 60+ consecutive scoring record, they allowed him to score 55 points, which is also the Celtics' record for losing points at home for many years.

This time the Celtics came prepared, not only for the team's record, but also for the idea of ​​avenging their shame.

Li Chongxiao didn't play the first ball very comfortably. After the breakthrough, Garnett quickly came to help defend.Although the former wolf king is getting old, but after reducing offense and focusing on defense, he is still the top defensive player in the league.

With his rich experience, Garnett cut Li Chongxiao's path to death.There was a big Perkins behind him. Although Li Chongxiao had strong athletic ability, he couldn't break through the meat shield every time.

Li Chongxiao could only stop outside the three-second zone, shoot in a hurry and give the opponent a rebound.

Back to the defense, Ray Allen is either running or squatting in the corner, basically not attacking with the ball, playing like a role player.He shoots when he has the ball, and doesn't fight when he doesn't have the ball. He is not at all as imposing as Li Chongxiao was when he first met the Supersonics.

Due to the Grizzlies' defensive intensity is also great, the Celtics' offense is also not smooth, and they are playing without a ball.

In the first quarter of the game, the two teams only scored 17:14, and the Grizzlies were still three points behind.

The tempo of the two sides was slightly faster during the substitute time, but when the main players played, the game immediately seemed to be going on in the water, and neither side could run.

In the second quarter, the Celtics' defense continued.

Their defense against Li Chongxiao was gradually strengthening, with double or triple teams at every turn.

Carlisle wanted to attack from another All-Star on the team, but today Garnett played extremely fiercely as if he was going to eat Gasol.

Facing this kind of intensity, Gasol was a little timid and couldn't let go.There are many omissions in defense, and he dare not go deep inside in offense, so he can only float outside and shoot.

For the other two ball-holding points cultivated by the team, Gasol Jr.'s body can't match Perkins, and Conley is also covered by Rondo alone.

In this case, only Li Chongxiao stood up and fought hard, but his teammates were not strong enough, which made the Celtics double-team him even more recklessly.

Li Chongxiao tried his best to limit the point difference within a certain range, barely maintaining the situation on the court.

In the second half, this dilemma remained unchanged.Carlisle watched as the team slipped and couldn't find any solutions, the best players were already on the field and all the tactics were used.

By the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies trailed by 10 points.Although the point difference is not big, according to the rhythm of the two teams today, it will take a lot of effort to turn over 10 points.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Celtics, who had mastered the rhythm of the field, played more and more smoothly. At the last moment, they relied on the cooperation of the team to score goals continuously.

Rondo was like a godsend today, playing with Conley between the applause and passing the ball elusively, making the Grizzlies players unable to find the north.

The Celtics' score has risen rapidly. Fortunately, Li Chongxiao is in good form today, and he can always respond when the opponent wants to open the score.

There is only so much he can do. In the end, his personal score was 51 points, but the state of his teammates is really not good, and he can't support it alone.

At the end of the game, the Grizzlies lost to the Celtics 88:96.

After this game, they got 58 wins and 13 losses, the same record as the Celtics, ranking first only by the league's ranking rules.

Behind them are the Cavaliers with one game less, 57 wins and 13 losses, and the Lakers with 58 wins and 14 losses.

……

After losing to the Celtics, the Grizzlies' top position is in jeopardy, and they will soon face the challenge of the Cavaliers.

Fortunately, there are two games between the strong dialogues, and there is still room for adjustment.Another piece of good news is that after the Celtics finished playing the Grizzlies, they lost to the Nuggets in back-to-back games, falling behind the Grizzlies by half a game, leaving the Grizzlies a chance to breathe.

It is also a defensive team. It is more difficult for the Grizzlies to play against the Celtics, but it is much easier to deal with the Cavaliers.

From the perspective of the lineup, the core position of James is offset by Li Chongxiao.Both teams have two All-Stars, but one is Gasol on the inside, and the other is Mo on the outside.The other positions are equally divided on both sides, and it is impossible to tell the difference between high and low.

From the first quarter of the game, James felt uncomfortable playing.On the defensive end, he took the initiative to ask Ying to defend against Li Chongxiao, but the opponent didn't accept the move at all, and he didn't think about saving the team with individual singles.

Of course Li Chongxiao won't be fooled, his teammates are in very good condition in this game, everyone has played at their due level, there is no need for him to supernatural.He also scored 34 points in the whole game, but the team still won by 27 points.

On the other hand, James, although he scored 47 points today, fell into the trap of the Grizzlies.

The tactics used by Carlisle are very simple, let James shoot and prevent him from breaking through.Also pinch his pass to prevent other players from attacking.

His shooting touch has always been unstable, and he played well today, but it is not the usual offensive routine after all.

The passing line was also pegged, and sometimes he broke through. The Grizzlies would rather let him layup by himself than give him a chance to score.

In this way, the whole game has only 4 assists.Without his support, the teammates played in a mess and only scored 39 points.

Under the ebb and flow, the Cavaliers naturally left with regret, one step behind the Grizzlies in the top spot.

　This is really slow step by step, slow step by step, and I am late again today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)