noveldrama
Chapter 844 844 529 Its Raining in Seattle_2
Chapter 844 844 529 Its Raining in Seattle_2
?Chapter 844: Chapter 529: It’s Raining in Seattle_2 Chapter 844: Chapter 529: It’s Raining in Seattle_2 In the final paragraph of his article previewing the championship, he wrote, “The situation favors Boston, at least for now. It’s hard to grasp those staggering but adorable championship contenders. In the history of the team, this is the sixth time we’ve encountered such a situation. Russell’s last two teams (in ’68 and ’69) won back-to-back championships amid turmoil. The last great team led by Havlicek and Cousy also went through something similar. Bird, McHale, and Parish’s trio made their last two efforts but ultimately failed to succeed, as they couldn’t stay healthy. The most recent was the 2008 team, that year we were undoubtedly the better team, but Frye took our championship away. Now, these veterans are on the road to the championship again. No one expected this to happen, and the opponent is Frye again. Think about it, you have the chance to prove to those who have beaten you that you’ve recovered from your failures and are far superior than before. This is exactly what’s best about it.”
June 3, 2010
The Finals Game 1
MCCAIT (Make Citizens Care About Important Things) organized an unprecedented march to pressure city officials, attempting to force them to reject the financing plan for the new SuperSonics arena.
However, those who supported the SuperSonics organized an even larger group.
The two groups of people confronted each other downtown.
The final showdown between the SuperSonics and the Celtics began that afternoon at four o’clock.
All the sports journalists and commentators believed this to be a lopsided series, and indeed the SuperSonics showed domination right from the beginning of the series.
They didn’t become arrogant due to the unanimous favor from the outside.
Fei, who averaged 47 points in the Western Finals, started off firing on all cylinders, drawing two fouls from Tayshaun Prince in the first quarter alone and notching 14 points, which gave the SuperSonics an 8-point lead and suppressed the Celtics from there on out.
The Celtics’ commander and engine, Rajon Rondo, had issues with shooting. His long-range shots were incredibly inaccurate, often leaving him unchallenged by the opponents.
In the Big Ball Era, which didn’t emphasize the three-pointer, this might not have been a fatal issue, but in front of the SuperSonics, this flaw was enough to negate his effectiveness.
The SuperSonics very practically left him open by several meters, forcing him to take unreliable long shots.
He was not completely without accuracy.
Rondo made 1 out of 4 three-pointers, the successful shot could be seen as a consolation for the team, but the three misses were deadly.
Roy seized the opportunity with a defensive counterattack to expand the lead to double digits.
It was one breath.
The Celtics never recovered tonight.
At the final buzzer, the SuperSonics used their strong suppression to thoroughly choke out their opponents.
107 to 92
They didn’t win by much, but the gap between the teams was far greater than the score difference showed.
Doc Rivers succinctly identified the problem facing the team, “We have to make more three-pointers.”
But their opponents weren’t so concerned about the result.
Fei and the others were asked more about the conflict that erupted outside the city hall between the MCCAIT organization and the fans.
“No one wants to see this kind of thing happen; it’s the season for basketball, and we hope fans can enjoy it,” Fei said, “I know the fans are doing this to protect us, but trust me, as long as we play our games well, good things will happen.”
The overlooked Celtics seemed to have been stimulated by something.
Kevin Garnett declared, “Our goal is to return to Boston with a 1-1 tally, then to win three consecutive games at home, and ultimately we will clinch the championship with a 4-1 score!”
“They actually still want to play all the home games, huh?” Fei responded to Garnett, “I think he’s a bit too greedy. I believe the Finals will only last four games.”
After the tough talk, it was time to show each other’s determination.
Garnett’s words may have been arrogant, but the Celtics’ will to win was beyond question.
The Celtics quickly adjusted their strategy.
Starting from the second game of the series, it was like the previous Game 7 against the Magic, they were determined to go all out in defense against the SuperSonics.
In the Western Finals, the SuperSonics relied on defensive effort to defeat the Lakers, and now the Celtics were using the same tactic against them, which was somewhat effective.
Except for Pierce, the other four starters of the Celtics were players better on offense than on defense.
Defense was also the foundation of the Celtics.
However, the SuperSonics were both strong in offense and defense. Although their defense wasn’t as solid as the Celtics’, the Celtics’ offense was far from the SuperSonics’ level.
Fierce defense significantly affected the offensive flow of both sides, and that’s when it was a test of whose offensive bottom line was higher.
The game was tied at 82 with four minutes left before the end.
Then, Fei and Durant began to play one-on-one.
In those intensely suffocating moments, Fei’s one-on-one play was as despairing for Boston as the ending of “The Mist” in the movie theaters.
The Celtics, who put all their hopes on defense, did indeed manage to force the SuperSonics to a point where they couldn’t execute their plays.
But with Fei and Durant, the SuperSonics could switch to one-on-one strategy at any time.
The same had to be done by the Celtics.
They had Pierce respond and Garnett take the ball in the low post. Pierce, though, only had superstar-like takeover abilities at specific times, and Garnett never managed to be a convincing clutch scorer throughout his career.
By contrast, Fei and Durant were far superior to Pierce and Garnett.