Pierce's signature move is his unpredictable dribbling rhythm.

Even Kobe was faked out of position by this play...

In short, the basketball had already been thrown towards the basket by Pierce. Whether it would go in or not depended on his touch and luck. After landing, Pierce still held his right hand in a shooting position.

"Whoosh!!!"

The sound was crisp, and as the basketball fell into the hoop, Pierce excitedly pumped his fist, yelling, "Nice!!!"

13:9!!

The Celtics are down by 4 points.

The game has only been going on for five minutes, so the point difference won't be too big. One or two three-pointers will be enough to close the gap.

The Lakers remained calm and didn't pass the ball to Kobe just because Pierce hit a three-pointer over him, allowing Kobe to take a one-on-one shot. They passed the ball patiently, and eventually the ball reached Bynum under the basket. Bynum caught the ball and made a layup, but the ball, which seemed like a sure thing, slid off the rim and went out.

Perkins grabbed the defensive rebound!

The Lakers quickly retreated on defense...

The Celtics quickly moved into position...

Ray Allen ran to the corner, and Rondo accurately passed the ball to Ray Allen. Gasol rushed towards Ray Allen, creating a situation where the big man was guarding the small man. Ray Allen raised his hand to knock Gasol up, broke through to the basket, and after jumping, he used a small layup in the air to avoid Bynum. All that was left for him was the basket.

"Bang!!!"

A powerful two-handed dunk!

If you think of Ray Allen as just a three-point shooter, you'd be sorely mistaken. Ray Allen also possessed explosive athleticism and frequently delivered powerful dunks during games.

13:11!!

The Celtics are down by 2 points.

Rivers nodded in satisfaction; the timeout had been very effective... They scored five straight points, and if they kept this up, their chances of winning were very high!

He also analyzed the Lakers' first three rounds of games. The Nuggets had Iverson and Anthony, a golden duo who maximized their offensive talent, but the Nuggets couldn't find a system that suited them. Whether on offense or defense, they were like a disorganized mess, which is why the Lakers easily swept them. The Jazz had a tough defense but lacked a super scorer, and their insufficient scoring ability led to their sweep.

The Sun of the Western Conference Finals...

Rivers thought they could at least win one game, but they gave up after losing the first one, which is despicable!

The Celtics are different. Their defense is stronger than the Jazz's, they have a Big Three, their offense is no weaker than the Golden Duo, and they are not afraid of the Lakers. So... they still have a chance at the championship.

......

Despite being outscored by five consecutive points, the Lakers remained calm and composed.

In that last offensive play, the opportunity was there; Bynum only needed to put the ball in the basket, but... it still slid off the rim. You could say Bynum was nervous and had a bit of bad luck.

This time...

Paul dribbled to the basket and then circled out, Perkins and Rondo switched on defense, creating two offensive opportunities.

Paul's one-on-one against Perkins, or passing the ball to Bynum, are both mismatch one-on-one situations... one is a smaller player against a bigger player, and the other is a bigger player against a smaller player. It seems safer to pass the ball to Bynum. Bynum is more than 20 centimeters taller than Rondo, so he has a higher success rate of taking down Rondo in the paint.

After a fraction of a second of thought, Paul decided to go one-on-one.

With a crossover dribble and a few changes in rhythm, Perkins couldn't keep up with Paul's pace, and Paul pulled up for a jump shot!

Bynum was still thinking about whether to box out for the rebound when Wei Guo's voice came from behind him, "Idiot, that's not a shot, it's a pass!"

Paul's movements were so realistic...

But was that really a pass? Or did he overestimate his chemistry with Bynum? If Wei Guo hadn't reminded him, this idiot would have gone to grab the rebound like a fool. Fortunately, Wei Guo's reminder was timely enough. Bynum immediately jumped up, scooped up the basketball with one arm in the air, and slammed it into the basket over Rondo.

15:11!!

This was the Lakers' first score after the timeout, bringing the point difference back to 4 points.

Rivers' isolation plays were very successful. The Lakers' defense was very aggressive, but if it was one-on-one... no one would help defend. This is the Lakers' arrogance. They created an undefeated regular season myth, so it's normal for them to have this kind of arrogance.

Many strong teams have stumbled because of this arrogance...

If this team has Gentry and Wei Guo, even if that arrogance doubles, the probability of them crashing out is still very low.

......

The first quarter has ended.

31:27!!

The Celtics are down by 4 points.

Rivers looked worried. Pierce is very strong in one-on-one situations, and Kobe is even stronger defensively. His success rate in one-on-one situations against Kobe is too low. Garnett is even worse... He has been guarding Wei Guo all the time. He can try to one-on-one against Kobe, but one-on-one against Wei Guo is suicide. Perkins and Rondo are not strong scorers. The only one with a chance to score is Ray Allen!

so...

The second quarter will depend on Ray Allen!

Ray Allen can drive and shoot, especially three-pointers... After Miller retired, Ray Allen took over the three-point mantle and was once considered the league's second-best three-point shooter after Wei Guo.

......

In the second quarter, only Ray Allen remained on the court as one of the starting players.

Pierce and Garnett both went to the bench for a rest...

The role of these two players is to contain Kobe and Weiguo. Since the score is not far behind, they can take a short rest for a few minutes to recover their energy while Kobe and Weiguo are not on the court.

House, PJ Brown, Posey, and Cassell entered the game alongside Ray Allen!

Wei Guo cautioned, "Watch out for their three-pointers."

Rivers turned to look at Wei Guo and glared at him fiercely. Why could Wei Guo always see through his tactics?

Celtics on offense!

PJ Brown positioned himself under the basket, while Ray Allen and three others spread out at four positions along the three-point line, constantly moving the ball around. When House had an opportunity, he decisively took a three-pointer!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

31:30!!

The Celtics are down by one point.

This was the closest the score had been since the start of the game, and Rivers couldn't help but feel a little smug. So what if Wei Guo had figured out his tactics... as long as he could make the three-pointers, he could still score.

"Sigh... I already reminded them to be careful with the three points."

Wei Guo sighed, "Why not just use man-to-man defense? PJ Brown isn't good at protecting the rim, so if he misses the shot, the rebounds will definitely be ours."

If you replace PJ Brown with Dwight Howard, this lineup would be much more lethal. However, Howard's potential is obvious... He has already become the leader of the Magic, and the Celtics simply don't have the assets to trade for him. Not all owners have the boldness of the mysterious Chinese tycoon. The Lakers were able to assemble a lineup like Wei Guo, Kobe, Gasol, and Paul by throwing money at the problem.

Lakers on offense!

Vujacic missed a three-pointer, House grabbed the defensive rebound, the Celtics launched a fast break, Cassell dribbled to the frontcourt, and with a step away from the three-point line, he pulled up for a jump shot!