~.-~    The leading offense for five minutes, scoring 11 points, scoring two frontcourt rebounds, and a block, causing two fouls from the defense. The only regret may be that there were four free throws in total, and he only scored one.

But even the extremely bad free throw shooting percentage is still a flaw, but this efficient attack in the inside still causes great trouble for the Celtics, and this destructive power is extremely sharp.

Duncan used such data to control the confrontation between him and Jefferson in the first five minutes of the second quarter. The short, fat and honest Jefferson did not fail to resist, but his resistance has not been effective so far.

He made two fouls, only two rebounds were recorded, and he was blocked once, and he tried to attack at the basket twice, but he was stuck at the position by Duncan during the turn. If Jefferson had not been able to remain calm, he would have been blocked.

But compared with such a data comparison of the confrontation, no matter who is in front of him, it will be a one-sided evaluation. Jefferson was obviously completely stared at by Duncan. If he continues to fight like this, he will be beaten up.

This is not what Rivers thinks, but people who watch the game think so. Face-to-face confrontation is so direct in terms of data. Although Jefferson has pulled the outside twice to do pick-and-roll, creating a chance for Pierce and Rondo to cut into the inside, overall performance is indeed at a disadvantage.

When Rivers called for a pause, Jefferson was obviously more silent than usual. This guy was not talking, but now he is basically a dull man and has no intention of communicating with others.

No one knows what Jefferson is thinking at the moment, but you can tell by looking at his expression that this guy is very depressed now. Otherwise, this guy who has always been quiet would not have kept a towel on his head.

However, Rivers and Thibodeau both understood why. Jefferson, who was beaten so badly in a one-on-one match with Duncan, must feel very disappointed.

Before the game, a reporter said that they were always speculating who would guard Duncan on the Celtics.

If it were Chen Feng, no one knew what this fierce wild boy would do, but if Jefferson had been to do this job, then Duncan would not have too much pressure to face him, and the facts now prove this.

No one on the Celtics underestimated Jefferson's ability, including Rivers, before the start of the season, he and Thibodeau had the only sure starter besides Pierce.

This has confirmed from another perspective how good Al Jefferson is. Although this is only his third season, this guy has been improving since the day he joined the Celtics.

Jefferson was not at a disadvantage when he was singled out by Chen Feng in the preseason, but Chen Feng was a little too fierce, which caught him off guard. However, Jefferson was obviously more calm in attacking at the basket.

Even Thibodeau said that Jefferson's basket-backing skills are the best in the team. If Chen Feng can have Jefferson's delicate footsteps and basket-backing offensive ability, the overall firepower intensity will increase by one level.

This big guy with a solid figure may not be unusual in height and his weight is average, but his playing style of daring to attack strongly at the basket and his diligent professional qualities are definitely an important member of the team.

If Chen Feng practices more, he will like to call this big guy who doesn't talk much, except to pull Rondo. Since Rivers set the tone of the inside offense for the Celtics, Jefferson has been the main force.

From the beginning of the season to the beginning of this game, Jefferson's offensive contribution to the Celtics was only lower than Pierce. He may not be as good as Chen Feng's performance that can provide you with a hot visual impression at any time, but he can provide a stable score, averaged 18+10 per game, and it is not something that any insider can give.

Not only is Jefferson's resilience on the defensive end, but Rivers also uses this big guy with confidence. Sometimes he even replaces Chen Feng and keeps Jefferson to take care of the basket.

Jefferson's level is definitely not a super big name in the NBA, but such a guy who can be both offensive and defensive at the basket has attracted the interest of many teams, and even Angie has received rumors that if the Celtics do not match Jefferson's next contract next season, at least three or four teams will take action to grab such a big guy who can go in and out of the basket. Moreover, I heard that the conditions offered are not low.

It has to be said that after nearly three seasons of training, Jefferson has been regarded as the backbone of the Celtics, and anyone with discerning eyes in the league can see that such a big man is definitely worth investing in.

Even Angie himself said that the Celtics need to consider whether Jefferson will stay or not next season, but this is a negotiation that will only start after the season. What the team needs to do at this stage is to strive for the playoffs.

But just such a big guy who was highly anticipated hit Duncan head-on, he was still at a loss. In the confrontation within five minutes, it cannot be said that Jefferson was completely beaten, but it was definitely a situation where he was beaten.

Even Rivers had to admit this. He had originally expected Jefferson to take Duncan, but as soon as the Stoneman there exerted his strength, Jefferson was beaten to a point where he could not move forward, which really made him angry.

This timeout was also because the Spurs took advantage of Duncan's hot touch and made a combination of punches, and they forced the score to exceed 9 points in five minutes. If Pierce's shooting feel was not still there, the score difference would have already reached double digits. The main reason was that Jefferson was held down in the confrontation at the basket.

Rivers is definitely not the kind of coach who puts the blame on the players when there is a problem, and he arranged this kind of matchup before the game. He originally hoped that Jefferson would be able to cause some trouble for Duncan on both offense and defense.

But now it has come true. Rivers's idea was ruthlessly shattered by Duncan's stone man. Jefferson's confidence was hit, and the score on the field was even widened. The opponent was the Spurs. There was probably no worse news than this. Rivers originally expected him to change his move first, but the Spurs took the lead.

In fact, when preparing for the game, Thibodeau exchanged views with Rivers and asked Jefferson to guard Duncan. It was indeed difficult, but both of them agreed to this kind of matchup at that time, in order to be safe.

Having just lost a game, no one wanted to fall another chance in front of the Spurs, so neither the head coach nor the assistant coach planned to take risks. Everything was for stability. As a result, this stable style of play made the Celtics fall into a passive state. From tactical style to player performance, they were restrained by the Spurs.

**Vicci is definitely not afraid of playing slow work and working hard position battles with you. The Spurs can win three championships in the league because of this meticulous effort. Fortunately, Rivers hit the gun even though he was dead.

Jefferson's steadyness was even more blocked by Duncan, and he kept attacking wildly. The Spurs' moves in the second quarter were obviously faster than Rivers expected, so the Celtics were very passive. Chen Feng wanted to go over and help Jefferson fill the spot several times, but he was stuck by Elson or others.

Duncan's move was fast enough, and often one step away from it, and it could not interfere with that guy's shooting at all. Moreover, Duncan's unsolvable stability was fully demonstrated in front of Jefferson. The precise shooting of the board made Rivers helpless on the sidelines. Anyway, the Celtics are at a disadvantage no matter what aspect.

If he didn't want to be defeated by the Spurs, Rivers had to make changes, and he was clearly aware of his problem.

"We were 9 points behind, but this is not your problem, but me, and I must admit this. A very idiotic idea changed a lot of things. In the whole first quarter, you played very awkwardly. Similarly, you lost the usual feeling, a smooth feeling of offense and defense."

"This is a fatal mistake in tactical arrangement. It was me who brought you into this misunderstanding. Although you did a great job, I have to say now that the tactical arrangement of this game is really bad! It's so bad, and I'm the root cause of this bad problem." After Rivers shouted a timeout, when the players were all gathered by him, the first thing he said was to do self-examination.

There is really nothing to cover up. Rivers knows that he is not **Victz, not Phil Jackson.

He is even less comparable to Auerbach. He can be a head coach for the Celtics because of his hard work, rather than showing extraordinary talent in his coaching career.

So, now, even if he says he messed up everything in front of the players, it doesn’t matter. It’s not a shameful thing to put the blame on the players if something goes wrong.

Rivers didn't care so much, as he said before the start of the season, if he couldn't continue to climb high with the team, he should get out of here immediately instead of lingering in the head coach position.

This is the case at the beginning of the season, and now it is the same. If you can't make it clear and explain it clearly, it would be a very bastard. Rivers doesn't want these wild boys to be angry and play basketball.

"The problem is with me, so now we have to make corrections. We don't consider the results of the game for now, but we represent the Celtics, we can't be looked down upon, and we shouldn't be defeated by them!"

"Yes, this is the At&T Center Arena, this is the home court of those guys, but we also beat the Lakers hard at Staples, and we almost tied the Toyota Center in Houston. Here, I need you to show them the most fierce side of the Bostonians like those two games!"

"We can lose, but we have to lie down after stabbing the bayonet into the opponent's chest! I was making a mistake in the past ten minutes, but now starting, I want to tell the guys on the opposite side with you, the Celtics, not soft persimmons, not just anyone wants to pinch! We are very strong! Those who are strong can make them bow their heads!"

At this time, Rivers was no longer considering what he was doing. Stable? Stable, your sister! No matter how stable, he would be beaten into a dog! Instead of doing this, it would be better to just play a little bit and fight back hard!

You are unsolvable and stable! Then I will give you fearless today! Anyway, I will be a bachelor! Whatever you like!

~.-~


Chapter completed!