At half past six p.m. ET, North Shore Gardens were brightly lit and the arena was filled with fans wearing Green Shirts jerseys.

Each of them was making fierce noises, all excited and high-spirited, and their combat effectiveness was bursting.

"A lot of people say Salt Lake City is the home of the devil, but in reality, North Shore Gardens is the real place of death! The arena is topped by the league's largest number of retired jerseys, along with 17 championship flags. When you walk in as an away player, all you can feel is the overwhelming pressure. ”

Kenny Smith muttered before the game began.

TNT's commentary seats are located on the second floor of the stands, and if they take off their headphones, they will never be able to communicate properly.

Before the game even started, the fans in Boston were already clamoring. And after a commotion, they began to shout in unison: Kill-Snoopy!! Kill-Snoopy!! Kill-Snoopy!!

The North Shore Gardens are murderous.

But when the camera pans to Snoopy, his expression is still calm, and his eyes are not panicked.

"Actually, this kid is a real big-hearted player, don't look at him handsome and dashing, and he often makes headlines. But actually, he did a lot of tough things, and it's hard to imagine that as a 'point guard' who is only 193 cm tall, he ranks second in the regular season in blocks per game, behind Dwight Howard. He also ranks 19th in the league in rebounding stats, ahead of many interior players. ”

"You might criticize his shooting ability, but he finished second last season behind Kobe Bryant and tied with Carmelo Anthony for second. If you count those two All-Star kills, he will surpass Kobe Bryant. Charles Barkley said: "You'd be hard-pressed to find a player like that. ”

"But he's next up against the Celtics, the Celtics in the playoffs." Kenny Smith emphasized beside him.

His argument is in line with that of all basketball pundits who believe that the Knicks will be ruthlessly beaten by the Celtics. The series has become one of the most disparity, and even before the battle has begun, everyone already knows who the winner is.

Even commentators such as Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller, who often speak out for Snoopy, do not deny that the Bostonians have an advantage.

Actually before the game

Right now, the biggest focus on this series is the other powerhouses in the East who have seen the Knicks make the playoffs, and they will be hoping to find out the Celtics' shortcomings in this series through the smart and tough Snoopy. Of course, it would be nice if it could cause more trouble for Celtic to advance.

Backbite!

The referee's whistle sounded punctually.

Milicic jumped at the same time as Kentrick Perkins...... Syllable!

Milicic was the first to shoot the rebound, but was directly given a hidden elbow by Perkins when he landed.

"Welcome to the North Shore Gardens."

Dugg could clearly hear Perkins' provocation.

However, the referee next to him did not give a penalty.

Milicic clutched his aching ribs and gasped as he moved forward.

At this time, the Boston Celtics starters were: Lagalondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis and Kentrick Perkins.

After Dugg went forward, he first made a cover for Chris Dujon who was stuck in defense outside the three-point line, and then landed on the free throw line.

He waited to receive a pass from Dujon and faced Glen Davis for a misplaced takeover.

However, the basketball did not go in.

Chris Dujón got bogged down in a very aggressive defense by La Garondo and he had to stop the ball and pass to Gallinari.

Gallinari didn't have a talent for the ball, and he was at a loss for what to do when he received basketball...... Syllable!

Paul Pierce slammed a knife directly into his hand, the basketball fell, and Pierce grabbed the basketball and quickly launched a counterattack.

Poor Gallinari was still there complaining to the referee about the foul.

But... Swish!

Pierce in the front court hit a pull-up jump shot of three points!

When he raised his hands in the air, the whole arena cheered for him.

"Welcome to North Shore Gardens, rookie."

Pierce told Gallinari in a cold tone.

Gallinari looked aggrieved, he thought he had been able to adapt well to the NBA after a season, but what was happening now made him feel as if he had gone through a fake regular season before.

As Chris Dujon walked across the halfcourt with the ball, Dugg stepped out of the three-point line early before Lagalondo stepped up to wrap up the defense, and he asked Chris Dujon for a basketball.

And then... Paul Pierce defended up.

The Celtics behind him quickly formed a joint defensive stance, which made it impossible for Dugg to find the pass target in the first place.

He could only break through hard, but after taking two steps, Pierce rushed into him like a brute... At the moment, Duge stumbled.

Duger's strength is very strong, but it can't balance the center of gravity and flexibility when dribbling.

Therefore, he could only collect the ball quickly, and then hedged directly against Pierce's confrontation...... Burst! Dugg knocked Pierce out of position right away, and then he made a stop-and-go jumper...... Bang!

The basketball is a little bit off.

The rebound was brazenly pulled out by Kentrick Perkins.

After snatching the basketball, he didn't forget to sweep his elbow with the ball in both hands.

In the rematch, Lagalondo sorted out the Celtics' offense very smoothly...... Paul Pierce received a pass from Rondo after taking advantage of Glen Davis' and Perkins' wide frame to run out of space...... Swish!

Another three-point shot.

The North Shore Gardens are bursting again.

In contrast, the Knicks, on their part, fell into a completely passive situation.

Dugg wanted to start from the box, but he couldn't catch the basketball from inside the free throw line.

Chris Dujon has done everything he can, but his talent is too limited to break free from Rondo and Celtic's stubborn defence, so he can only keep the ball out and pass it out.

In the case where the opponent consciously presses his pass in the middle line, he can only let the other players overdo it and then hand it to Dug.

But Gallinari and Jeffries are not chance-creating players with the ball, they can only play the image of finishers.

As a result, the Knicks' established tactics could not be played. And with a very different defensive rhythm from the regular season, everyone was deeply uncomfortable.

Five minutes later, 17:6.

The Knicks were completely spent.

Except for Dugg, who carried the basketball like a dynamite bag into the box and made two kills and hit four free throws, only Jeffries used Dug's point shot to hit a baseline throw.

With the first ad pause coming, players from both sides returned to the bench.

TNT's camera swept over the Knicks' bench.

"The Knicks guys have to get used to playoff-level matchups." McBrin reminded from the commentary box: "Whether it's Milicic, or Gallinari, or Chris Duhon. They all looked at a loss under the pressure of the Celts. But in reality, this is not the highest level of defense for the Celtics. If it continues like this, it doesn't even take half a time, and the game will lose its suspense. ”

Actually, that's the real gap between the Knicks and the Celtics. I've long stressed that a win in the regular season doesn't mean anything. Those Eastern Conference powerhouses who deliberately lost at the last minute of the regular season and let the Knicks enter the playoffs should be regretting it now, right? They thought Snoopy would be able to lead the Knicks to make things difficult for the Celtics, but now it turned out to be... The Knicks were knocked out straight away. Knowing this, shouldn't they have won the game and let Derrick Rose lead the Bulls into a blitzkrieg against the Celtics? ”

Kenny Smith indifferently satirized teams such as the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Atlanta Hawks. Although the dust has settled on the playoffs, there are still many Chicago media complaining about the three teams' release behavior at critical moments, believing that if these three teams were not deliberately rested against the Knicks, the Knicks would not have had a chance to play the final battle with the Bulls, and Snoopy would not have stolen the victory with a foul block at the last second.

Kenny Smith's words were not answered by his partner, and Charles Barklira on the side returned to the game: "I'm surprised, why don't the Knicks use more experienced players like Quentin Richardson and Zach Randolph? And, in the current situation, the Knicks obviously need to strengthen their interior offensive capabilities, and Zach Randolph's offensive output is incomparable to Milicic. “

Barkley was weird about the Knicks' staffing.

At this time, Isaiah Thomas also emphasized loudly on the bench: "This is terrible! It's a mess! Let me solve this puzzle, you simply don't have what it takes to win in the playoffs. ”

However, D'Antoni was very tough, telling Isaiah Thomas bluntly: "A little bit later, your rotation time is not yet up. Solving problems with your mouth is something that everyone can do, and what you should do now is to keep your mouth shut and follow the manager's instructions! ”

Immediately, he was replaced by Stephen Marbury.

His prejudice against Marbury is lifted by Stephen's growing closeness to Snoopy, and he must admit that Stephen Marbury is the best perimeter player to work with Snoopy during his playing time.

And when D'Antoni made this arrangement, Duge's face was a little stiff.

He was tired of the sight of the two managers still attacking each other in such a serious battle. He'd heard from Donnie Walsh that the owners were very happy about making the playoffs, and that both managers were rewarded with some money, and the amount was in the seven-figure range.

But it is clear that the monetary reward did not satisfy the two, let alone keep them in harmony. They all want more. They all want to be the absolute masters of this team.

But... Isn't the most important thing to win?

Is it because the outside world said that the Knicks had no hope of qualifying, so they simply gave up, put all their energy on grabbing power, seized the time to fight for one, and became the overall leader themselves?

Dugg could never identify with this capitulationism, and he was even less bourgeois weak.

So, he stood up.

Then... Backbite!

The whistle blew.

With his eyebrows furrowed, Dugg had to swallow back the words that came to his lips, then turned and walked to the court to continue the fight.

……