The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1819 - 67: Complicated and Unclear (Part 3)

After joining the Celtics, his position was initially precarious and it was thought he would soon be cut.

But Beelman had a keen eye for talent, believing Bowen had the potential to be an outstanding perimeter defender.

So they signed him to a contract and began training him as a defensive specialist and spot-up shooter. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

This season, progress was made, and Bowen performed well during the regular season, occasionally stepping in for Fox as a starter with good results.

But in the finals against the Trail Blazers, his effectiveness decreased significantly, especially since he lacked ball-handling skills; when he's on the court, the Celtics' offense misses a piece.

With Beelman's years of coaching experience with the Trail Blazers, he knew that relying solely on defense wasn't enough to defeat them.

During the Trail Blazers' several defeats in the Western Conference finals, the opponents were always offensive powerhouses like the Lakers, Suns, Jazz, all top offensive teams, with no obvious offensive weak spots on the court; each point must pose an offensive threat.

Only in this way, paired with solid defense, a strong will to win, and good luck, is there a chance to beat the Trail Blazers.

The Celtics reduced their rotation to seven players, using Cliff-Robinson inside and Dee Brown outside, making the team's rotation very tight, with increased pace and intensity on the court.

During intermission, Beelman ceaselessly encouraged the players, "There will be plenty of time for you New England sissies to rest when you're dead! Stay on the court and keep pushing! Anyone who wants to stop, just give me your XXXXXXXX!"

In these moments, don't think about conserving energy, seeking stability; just burn with all you've got, young men.

No matter what, regardless of who the opponent is, win or lose, this will be a valuable experience.

The premise is that you must give it your all, try your best.

During the second-quarter rotation phase, the Trail Blazers sent out Barkley, Big Ben, Terry Porter, and Henderson.

Ilgauskas and Cliff-Robinson utilized their height advantage inside to repeatedly snatch offensive rebounds.

Ilgauskas, feeling hot, made a three-pointer and two long-range twos, initiating a 9:2 run against the Trail Blazers, further widening the gap, with the lead reaching 11 points.

The Trail Blazers could only call a timeout to make substitutions, and Beelman decisively made Duncan, who had rested for a short while, return to the court, forcing Rick Carlisle to substitute Gan Guoyang.

Because the situation was different from the second game; in the second game, the Celtics were playing conservatively, despite having an opportunity to expand their lead, they remained cautious, inching forward, unwilling to take risks to widen the gap.

This game was different; Beelman was clearly out to gamble, Duncan rested for a few minutes and immediately returned; if you don't send Ah Gan out, in the next three minutes, I'll tear you apart.

If the gap widens to over 15 points, even aiming for 20, recreating the second game's comeback miracle, catching the Celtics off guard, is no longer possible.

So Gan Guoyang had to come out early and keep up with the Celtics' tight rotation, with not much time to rest.

There's no doubt that the Celtics held the initiative, suppressing the Trail Blazers, who could only passively adjust.

The main players return to the game, carrying an 11-point deficit to go against the Celtics in a set-piece offense.

The Celtics players already have greater confidence and morale.

In the first three games, Duncan, who never scored more than 20 points, by halfway through the second quarter had already scored 14.

Facing Gan Guoyang's defense, he moved skillfully, searching for gaps, seizing opportunities to launch attacks.

When his feel was good, he would shoot; when not, he would nudge inside; tonight, the referees favored the Celtics.

Gan Guoyang quickly received his second foul, and just before the first half ended, his third foul.

The crowd was booing loudly, yet it couldn't prevent Steve Javie from blowing the whistle; in a debatable confrontation, he called Gan Guoyang for a foul, sending Tim Duncan to the free-throw line.

Duncan made both free throws, and the Celtics led the Trail Blazers 56:48 at halftime, entering the break with an 8-point lead.

Judging from the first half's performance, the situation became quite unpredictable again, with the Celtics' youngsters fiercely fighting back.