This statement is so powerful that Rivers even wanted to pair it with a short fable.

It's like there's a guy named Kobe who fell in love with basketball from the first day he saw it, and told his parents that he didn't want to do anything else in his life but play basketball... and then Kobe won a championship.

This story makes it even more moving... Applause, please!

Unfortunately, time was limited, so Rivers simply gave a brief morale-boosting speech before picking up the tactics board to lay out his strategy.

......

The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.

Rivers clenched his fist nervously. He had long realized that the Lakers' real head coach was Wei Guo, who could always guess his tactics. That's why the Celtics were always on the back foot when playing against the Lakers.

But this time, he did the opposite and devised an unconventional tactic!

Wei Guo could never guess his tactics, but the tactics were also very risky. The key was whether the player who was going to shoot could actually get that damn ball into the basket.

The Celtics inbound the ball from the baseline.

Rondo quickly ran up the court, and the Lakers were caught off guard. As Garnett prepared to inbound the ball, they retreated to the backcourt to defend, ready to react to any move.

The remaining four Celtics players lined up in a row, with Perkins in front, Garnett behind, and Ray Allen and Pierce sandwiched in between, with Pierce dribbling the ball... This bizarre formation has never been seen since the league was founded. Gentry was completely dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?

Wei Guo scratched his head and looked at Kobe, "How should we defend against this?"

After crossing midfield, Garnett sprinted two steps to run alongside Perkins, while Ray Allen moved behind Pierce.

The formation is roughly like this:

( ? ?w?? )?

( ? ?w?? )? ( ? ?w?? )?

( ? ?w?? )?

Before even crossing the three-point line, Pierce passed the ball to Ray Allen from behind, and the three of them formed a natural barrier, which was equivalent to Ray Allen taking an open, long-range three-pointer.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

42:44!!

The Celtics have once again taken the lead.

Gentry slapped his forehead, looking helpless. "Using this kind of play in the finals is just too childish!"

There have been bizarre formations on the football field where all teammates form a circle, with the goalkeeper in the middle, dribbling the ball all the way to the opponent's goal before shooting. This formation wouldn't work on a basketball court.

First, a basketball team only has five players. If the best shooter is in the middle, the remaining four players can form a very small circle. Second, this circle needs to move. There is a rule on the basketball court called a moving screen. As long as the defensive players are positioned properly, even a slight movement of the circle constitutes a moving screen.

The Celtics essentially built a wall in front of Ray Allen, blocking defenders for him.

The Lakers couldn't defend because they couldn't react in time. Garnett and his three teammates stood in a line like they were queuing for food. Who knows what they were up to?

Fortunately...

This tactic can only be used once; it's too easy to break. If two players step forward to press, the formation will be broken up. Garnett and Perkins can't spread their arms like mother hens protecting their chicks to block the defender. This isn't a game of tag; doing so will only result in a moving screen foul.

......

Rivers had a brilliant move that helped the Celtics take the lead.

More than two minutes into the third quarter, the Celtics' defense was highly efficient. Paul was mismatched against Pierce, but missed a mid-range shot.

Perkins grabs the defensive rebound...

Odom attempted to steal the ball, but Perkins held it tightly to prevent Odom from making the steal. The Lakers quickly retreated on defense, and after a few passes, Garnett evaded Wei Guo and took a mid-range shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

42:46!!

The Celtics lead by 4 points.

They displayed the tenacity of Boston tonight, continuing to dominate the Lakers into the third quarter. With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, substitutes PJ Brown and House hit three consecutive three-pointers, instantly widening the gap to double digits.

Gentry still refrained from calling a timeout!

This guy's already put on a show...

Since the start of the playoffs, Gentry hasn't called a single timeout. With only two games left, if he calls a timeout just because they're down by 11 points, all his previous bravado will be for naught, and he won't be able to create a playoff miracle.

......

The game continued in the third quarter.

61:73!!

The Lakers are down by 12 points.

The team scored only 61 points in three quarters, a new season low for the Lakers. In 82 regular season games, there were only three games in which the team scored less than 70 points in three quarters, with the lowest score being 67 points. No matter how tough those three quarters were, Wei Guo and Kobe did not hold back. After three quarters, they were still 12 points behind the Celtics.

Boston fans went wild, as if winning this game would mean lifting the championship trophy.

Kobe, panting, encouraged his teammates, "We were only down by 12 points, but we caught up with four three-pointers. In the fourth quarter, we'll show the Boston team what the difference in strength really means!"

That line was supposed to be Gentry's, but Kobe stole it!

After a smooth season, Kobe finally felt the pressure. His deep-seated desire to win was ignited, and the familiar Black Mamba returned.

Gentry pulled Weiguo aside and whispered, "I see a fire in Kobe's eyes. How about we let Kobe play in the last quarter?"

"good!"

Wei Guo nodded in agreement.

This was a very risky decision. Usually, when a team is in trouble, Gentry's approach is to give the ball to Wei Guo. He only trusts Wei Guo. In this crucial quarter, he chose to trust Kobe. However, Gentry was still nervous. He would only give Kobe nine minutes of playing time.

If they can't catch up in nine minutes, they'll have to bring on Wei Guo in the last three minutes.

......

The fourth quarter begins with the Lakers on offense.

PJ Brown and House, who hit consecutive three-pointers in the third quarter, remained on the court. Every player on the Celtics tonight was trustworthy. On the Lakers' side, Paul and Odom were resting on the sidelines. The players who came on with Wei Guo and Kobe were Vujacic, Turiaf, and Gasol.

The Lakers' offensive tactics revolved around Kobe, which put immense pressure on him!

Kobe didn't expect this either...

In such a crucial fourth quarter, Gentry chose to trust him and put the ball in his hands.