All-round Athlete

Chapter 925 The King of Shot Blocking Appears

After losing the game, the Spurs did not waste time, but rushed back to San Antonio overnight.

The nightlife in Los Angeles is a well-known temptation for any NBA team. Although the average age of the Spurs headed by Duncan is a bit older, the veterans of the Spurs also headed by Duncan are all a group of sullen men. If you play it, you will be crazier than young people.

Popovich doesn't want the Spurs to become soft-footed shrimp. If the game is won and the team sweeps the Lakers 4-0, Popovich doesn't mind the Spurs staying in Los Angeles for one night and enjoying the nightlife in Los Angeles. But now that the game is lost, the Spurs will immediately return to San Antonio.

On the plane, many players were already drowsy, but the Spurs coach Popovich looked very energetic. He was holding a tablet and watching the replay of the game.

"It's so fast!" Popovich sighed involuntarily as he watched Zhang Guan's breakthrough.

"It's really fast. It reminds me of Iverson back then." Another voice sounded from the side, and Popovich turned around and saw Duncan had come over.

Popovich began to officially coach the Spurs in 1996, and Duncan entered the Spurs as the No. 1 pick in 1997. The two have cooperated for 17 years, and naturally they have a good understanding. For Popovich, Duncan was both a student, a partner and a friend.

"At first glance, I also think of Iverson, but if you look closely, Zhang Guan and Iverson are still different. Their breakthroughs are equally fast, making it hard to guard against. But the goal of Iverson's breakthrough It is a direct score, he often shakes the opponent away and chooses an open shot, and Zhang Guan's breakthrough is obviously aimed at free throws, which is more like Harden." Popovich said.

Looking back at Iverson's extraordinary highlights, many of them knocked down their opponents and then chose jump shots, either shooting three-pointers or mid-range shots. In fact, Iverson's shooting percentage is not very high, at most it is only a qualified level, and the three-point shooting percentage is still relatively low by current standards.

Of course, in that era, most players played like this. Mid-range shooting was the main scoring method, and three-pointers were the patent of those specialized three-pointers. Even the great Jordan, his number of three-point shots is pitifully small, and his three-point shooting percentage is often below 30%.

After all, that era was an era where big centers were rampant. Which team did not have a seven-footer in charge? A defender holding the ball and rushing to the basket was an act of courting death in that era, let alone touching porcelain. The blocking of a traditional big center can make you a man every minute. It's just that in the current league, the small ball style is prevalent, and the traditional center has declined, so players with a breakthrough style of play have more room to survive.

I only heard Popovich then asked: "For Zhang Guan, do you have any good defensive strategies?"

Duncan shook his head: "Once some players have unlimited firepower, they cannot be defended at all. They can easily get 30, 40 or even 50 points."

"But if a certain star gets a high score, it doesn't mean the team can win, right?" Popovich laughed.

"That's true, and the Lakers have always had this tradition." Duncan also said with a smile.

There are many bad teams in the NBA with mediocre results, but the personal data of the stars in these teams is soaring. Most of the stars in the NBA are given unlimited firing rights, and it is really difficult to guard against them. It's just that although some people have more ball rights and more shots, the team can't win the ball.

"If this is the case, we only need to do one thing well, and that is to get more points than the Lakers!" Popovich took a deep breath, and then said: "In the next game, we will return to the tradition and focus on the inside! "

Duncan was a little surprised. Popovich's decision meant that Duncan should be the core of the team's offense.

If it was the Spurs five or six years ago, this might be normal. At that time, Duncan was still young, and he was still the strongest insider in the league. Sometimes he could beat the whole team by himself, but now Duncan is 38 years old. Now, can a 38-year-old Duncan still be able to take on the important task of the team's offensive core? Moreover, the Spurs' style of play is increasingly relying on the team, unlike other teams that are increasingly relying on big-name stars.

"What? It's been too long since I played like this, so I don't have confidence in myself?" Popovich asked with a smile.

"I just feel a little surprised." Duncan shook his head.

Popovich put down the tablet in his hand, and continued: "It's up to you in the next game, win the game in the way we used to be the best! Just grit your teeth and persevere. Anyway, we are leading 3-1 now. We won this game." One game, you can take a rest for a day or two!"

...

In the 1987 NBA draft, David Robinson was selected with the No. 1 pick in the hands of the Spurs. Since then, the Spurs have become a team with an inside tradition. Ten years later, the Spurs once again held the No. 1 pick. They selected Duncan, and since then began the Spurs' glorious era for more than ten years. In the future, the Spurs will sign Aldridge to continue their inside tradition.

In comparison, the Lakers and Rockets talked about the center tradition all day long, but not all of them played small balls in the end.

On April 30, the Spurs ushered in the Lakers at home. This is the fourth or fifth game in the two-team series.

Back at home, the Spurs are full of confidence. They only need to win this game again to advance to the next round.

And the Lakers obviously still have to continue to work hard. There is no difference between 0 to 3 and 1 to 3. From the history of the playoffs, it is still a must-lose situation.

After the start of the game, the Spurs' tactics changed. The inside line became their main offensive point. The ball was frequently passed to Duncan, while the forwards and defenders also increased the frequency of breakthroughs, constantly attacking the Lakers inside. pressure. The inside line of the Lakers immediately took on tremendous pressure.

Kaman's defense is indeed a big problem. At his peak, Kaman was once teased by Yao in various ways, and the inside twin towers organized by him and Gasol are indeed very good offensively, but on the defensive end, facing the real top The inside line is about to be deflated, which even Kaman himself admitted in an interview. When he was in the Clippers that year, Brand's top-notch defense level could make up for Kaman's shortcomings, but in the Los Angeles Lakers, Gasol could not help Kaman's defense like Brand did. It is also because of this that this season Kaman seems to be bullying and fearful. The opponent's inside line is weak. Kaman easily scored a double-double of 20+10, and the opponent's inside line is strong.

At this time, Kaman's defense frequently appeared loopholes, and the Spurs also deliberately targeted Kaman to attack. Duncan always used Kaman as a breakthrough point for his strong attacks on the inside, and Parker, Ginobili and Leonard on the outside Kaman's breakthroughs are always aimed at Kaman. Kaman got two fouls in the first quarter.

At the same time, Zhang Guan's offense was also hindered, and his quick breakthrough was far less smooth than the previous game.

Unlike the last game, this is San Antonio after all, and it is the home court of the Spurs. In the playoffs, home and away games are two completely different experiences, not to mention that the Spurs were last year's championship.

In San Antonio, the morale of the Spurs players is higher, and the defense is harder. The referee's penalty is also more inclined to the Spurs as the rules allow. Although Zhang Guan's breakthrough can still yield results, he still needs to put in more effort and take greater risks.

The Spurs' defense also subconsciously shrunk to the inside. They used the moves they used against the Thunder's second young master to thwart Zhang Guan's attack and create trouble for him as much as possible.

In the first quarter, the Lakers were temporarily behind the Spurs by 1 point 26 to 27, but who could tell that the Spurs' offense was smooth, and the Lakers were more like Zhang Guan alone.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Nick Young's nerve knife suddenly jumped out and scored 9 points in a row in a short period of time, which kept the Lakers from falling behind the Spurs, but the Lakers knew that this was not a long-term solution. Nick Yang's nerve knife is like Duan Yu's six-veined sword, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't work, and it's okay to use it as a surprise soldier occasionally, but it's definitely useless as a main force.

"Coach, it's not an option to continue playing like this. It's getting more and more difficult to break through and score points. We still have to rely on three-pointers." Zhang Guan said.

"For a three-point shot, you must have a certain ability to protect the rebound. Besides, Kaman's movements may not be able to keep up with the rhythm." D'Antoni said.

"If you want to protect the rebound, why don't you let Hassan go up to try?" Zhang Guan suggested.

"Hassan?" D'Antoni glanced at Whiteside.

D'Antoni really likes players like Whiteside. "Whiteside" has much better athletic ability than Kaman. Although his offensive ability is indeed lacking, he can move flexibly, run and jump. These two points are very good. Good for bombardment. The bombardment tactic does not require five players to be good at scoring offensively, but it must be able to run. From this point of view, Whiteside should be able to take away a rotation spot on the bench.

It's just that Whiteside's time with the Lakers is still relatively short, and he has been adapting to D'Antoni's tactical system, and has not yet entered the rotation. And the recent games are more important, there is less garbage time, and there is no chance for Whiteside to play. Therefore, since Whiteside joined the Lakers, he has only had two chances to play, and each time he played only four or five minutes, and he has been sitting on the bench for the rest of the time. He has not really shown his talent.

I saw D'Antoni ponder for a few seconds, and then called Whiteside to his side.

"Hassan, warm up and get ready to play!" D'Antoni said.

"Play!" Whiteside was very pleasantly surprised. He was originally the water dispenser administrator sitting at the end of the bench, and his main job was to wave towels. He never expected that the coach would let him "life and death" in this playoffs. middle play.

"Do you know your mission?" D'Antoni asked suddenly.

Whiteside froze for a moment, and immediately said: "I know, protect the rebound!"

"Very good, let's play the next dead ball!" D'Antoni patted Whiteside on the shoulder.

...

"The Lakers made a substitution, they replaced Wesley Johnson, they replaced, um..." The ESPN commentator paused, obviously not knowing Baibian, he looked down at the information in his hand, and then continued Said: "The Lakers replaced Hassan Whiteside."

"Who is this person? With all due respect, this is a new face. It's the first time I've heard this name." The guest commentator next to him said.

But ESPN is a professional sports media after all. In just two or three seconds, the commentator found Whiteside's information on the tablet.

"Whiteside was selected by the Kings with the 33rd pick in 2010. He played for the Kings for two years. He played 19 offensive games and averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He was cut by the Kings last season and then went to play in the NBL. ’” said the narrator immediately.

"NBL? Playing in the NBL league in Canada! Compared with the development league, there is a big gap between the level of that league." The guest commentator said.

"No, no, it's not Canada's NBL, it's China's NBL. It seems to be China's Development League, which is one level lower than China's CBA league." The commentator said immediately.

"In China, you can only play in the Development League? Hahaha, how could the Lakers sign this kind of player? I guess this year's undrafted rookies are not good enough to play in the Chinese Development League. D'Antoni is also in a hurry to go to the doctor." The commentator said with a smile.

On the other side, the Spurs also noticed Whiteside, who had just played.

"This guy is a seven-footer with long arms and looks a little thin. Maybe he will be less able to fight. He averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He must be a blue-collar doing dirty work. This kind of player is one of the best in the league. Grab a lot, don't pay special attention to it." Popovich didn't care about Whiteside's playing at all.

On the court, the Spurs are led by Ginobili at this time, leading Diaw, Mills, Belinelli and Bonner. This is a normal rotation system for the Spurs. The Lakers mainly rely on Nick Young to score, in addition to Bazemore, Jordan Hill, Farmar and Whiteside who just played. Zhang Guan, Gasol and Nash were not present.

Ginobili walks across the half court, carefully watching the opposing Lakers move.

"Who is that black guy who just played? By the way, I remembered that he was a second-round pick a few years ago. He couldn't survive in the NBA and went abroad to play. A passerby player, this is just a breakthrough!" Ji Nobili thought of this and motioned Mills to pass the ball to himself.

Bonner stepped forward and played a pick-and-roll, and Ginobili took advantage of the situation to break through, and he went in the direction of Whiteside. Ginobili is also an old fritter. He found that Whiteside was a new face and felt that the newcomer was easy to bully, so he came directly to Whiteside. And Ginobili is bad enough, deliberately looking for physical contact, trying to cheat a foul, lucky enough to make a two plus one.

Whiteside's footsteps were very flexible, he stepped back a little, and slammed his body out of the way, so that Ginobili could not find physical contact.

"This big man's movements are quite sensitive, but if you give me such a large space, I'm going to layup directly!" Ginobili jumped up for a layup without hesitation.

"I got the ball!" Ginobili was overjoyed as he shot the basketball.

At this moment, a big hand suddenly appeared from the sky.

"Crack!" Whiteside rewarded Ginobili with a big hot pot!

"What? It's that passer-by player!" Ginobili was taken aback.

At this time, Nick Young had already controlled the ball, and then made a one-stop layup, successfully scoring two points for the Lakers.

...

"The effect looks very good." D'Antoni nodded in satisfaction. He turned his head and said to Zhang Guan and Nash: "It's time for you to play, let the Spurs taste what a real running and bombing is!"

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