After two days of rest, the Celtics players' spirits were noticeably better than in the first ga.
The spirited Pierce said in a pre-ga interview, "I know they have the most outstanding player of this era, but basketball is not a one-man sport. We are ready to conquer this place tonight!"
The loss in the first ga did not shake the Celtics players' determination to break the runner-up curse by winning the championship this year.
anwhile, Qin Yue, who was trying to surpass himself from previous finals...
...found himself in a peculiar situation of missed shots during the warm-up before the second ga.
"Uh-oh, if you're like this during the ga..."
Brown, who was retrieving balls for Qin Yue, frowned and said, "Then we're probably dood tonight."
Generally speaking, the state of a player can be sowhat gauged during the pre-ga warm-up.
Qin Yue, who had been sleeping well and eating comfortably during the rest period, was very confident that he had adjusted his body condition to the best.
And ntally, he always maintained that calm deanor.
But then...
During the warm-up phase, Qin Yue's outside shooting touch could only be described as being possessed by the spirit of Westbrook.
"It's okay, often the more bricks I shoot during warm-up, the more accurate I beco during the ga."
Before the ga, Curry, who usually likes to save the best for the actual ga, took the initiative to comfort the veteran.
Seeing this, Qin Yue, who didn't take the warm-up misses to heart, nodded.
Qin Yue's determination could not be frightened away by re warm-up bricks.
In Qin Yue's view...
As long as Ma Long dared to play him, he would carve out a path with sheer force, even if his shooting touch was off!
On the court, after warming up, the starting players from both teams successively took their positions in the center of the field.
The Celtics continued with their starting lineup from the first ga.
And to avoid the Warriors' wings being unable to protect Curry effectively when Qin Yue was blocked by defensive lines, Brown returned to the Warriors' starting lineup for this ga.
In the jump ball segnt, Brown lived up to expectations and won possession for the Warriors.
At the start of the first offense, noticing that the Celtics still chose to trust Horford, Qin Yue quickly drove in with the ball and scored with a layup despite Horford's strong interference.
On the sidelines, the Celtics coach Gentry, who could easily accept such a loss of points, clapped for Horford and said, "Nice defense, Al!"
After the first ga, Gentry was fully aware that Qin Yue could not be stopped by the Celtics defense.
So, as long as Horford could exert so effort on Qin Yue during defense, Gentry considered it a successful defense for the Celtics.
Now it was the Celtics' turn to attack.
Duncan, actively stepping up to form a wall for Pierce, quickly popped out to the side two-point area and took a catch-and-shoot that went in.
This was the biggest difference for Duncan in his late career compared to his peak years.
Except for the last two seasons when his physical capabilities declined significantly, Duncan's long two-point shot attempt ratio in his late career steadily increased, accounting for about a quarter of his total attempts.
Historically, Duncan's long two-point shooting percentages in the next three regular seasons were 45%, 47%, and 43%.
In the playoffs of the 11/12 and 12/13 seasons, where Duncan significantly increased his long two-point shot ratio, his shooting percentage also exceeded 40%.
In this finals series, knowing that Qin Yue was no longer an easy target as before, Duncan did not stubbornly engage in low-post battles with Qin Yue.
On the court, during retreat defense, Duncan gave Qin Yue a sly smile and said, "Who told you my pick-and-rolls only roll to the basket?"
In response, Qin Yue rolled his eyes at Duncan and said, "Just guessing!"
At that mont, Qin Yue clearly understood that Duncan wasn't just guessing.
But even so, Qin Yue couldn't lose in montum to his senior.
Moreover, if Qin Yue didn't say Duncan was guessing, wouldn't he have to take the bla for the previous defensive play?
The Warriors' offensive turn.
Qin Yue, in urgent need to respond to Duncan, failed to switch Duncan onto him via a pick-and-roll, but after Brown and Wallace provided a high double screen, Qin Yue unexpectedly seized an opportunity.
On the court, looking at Pierce, who had survived being stabbed eleven tis in a bar back then, Qin Yue, who always enjoyed challenging veterans, promptly demonstrated an eternal truth:
——Age affects your legs first.
Without any unnecessary movents.
On the court, transford into a battering ram, Qin Yue bypassed Pierce almost instantly with the ball.
Pierce didn't expect that even using moves like pulling couldn't stop the humanoid tank that was Qin Yue.
Fortunately, Horford had already occupied a favorable position inside.
Seeing this, unable to find jumping space imdiately after gathering the ball, Qin Yue took a sideways step and switched to his left hand for a powerful dunk.
Although in the NBA, the Eurostep is already a common technique for many outside players during breakthroughs.
At this mont, Qin Yue's Eurostep twist dunk greatly shocked every spectator in the arena and those watching on television.
"How does he control such a massive body?"
On the sidelines, knowing Horford couldn't do any better, Gentry was once again frustrated.
In Gentry's view, Qin Yue's tough solution was entirely overpowering the Celtics' defense.
Moreover, if the refereeing was normal, the Celtics might have also conceded a foul.
However, the Celtics, who narrowly escaped a close call, didn't feel glad for long.
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