Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

The showdown between Qi Tian and Leonard that fans were looking forward to did not take place. Now, after all, one of them is still a substitute, and the other is a blue-collar guy who only knows how to defend.

Vogel quickly replaced Collison, Paul George and Granger. Except for Hibbert, who had to rest off the court, the Pacers once again replaced the main players.

Duncan scored 2+1 inside, and then Ginobili, who came on again because of Green's foul, also hit a three-pointer, widening the point difference again.

"33-48."

The Spurs returned to their favorite positional battle rhythm, while the Pacers felt tired.

West and Hansbrough's inside singles ended in a hit, as did Collison's three-point jumper.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Blair and Leonard fired one after another, scoring 5 points in a row, and the point difference reached 22 points.

"33-55."

"Give me!"

Granger finally couldn't stand anymore and reached for the ball from the outside, trying to beat Leonard alone.

You're a rookie, can't I cure you?

Granger quickly dribbled the ball through and made a jump shot directly.

Although Leonard has high hopes, he still lacks experience and can only watch the basketball hit hollowly.

Duncan caused a foul inside and made two free throws in return;

Granger made another jump shot to help the team stop the bleeding.

Parker assisted Ginobili and scored a jumper. In the last 3 minutes of the first half, the Spurs firmly maintained their lead.

"37-59."

"How are you?"

Parker looked at Ginobili and asked.

"fine."

Ginobili looked at George, who was following him everywhere, and shook his head.

"Hey, can this trick work?"

George looked anxiously at the widening gap.

After discovering that the opponent's physical strength was limited, he and Qi Tian decided to use up Ginobili's physical strength as much as possible, but unexpectedly, the team was already in trouble before the effects were seen.

"Hey, is the gap between our walking team and the championship team so big?"

A fan wearing Qi Tian's No. 7 jersey asked with some confusion,

"Aren't we third in the Eastern Conference?"

"What kind of championship team? The Spurs were beaten eight times in the playoffs last season. They were only a regular season team after being beaten to death. What kind of trouble can they make if they are over 30 years old?"

said the companion next to him.

"Then, how come we can't beat the Spurs?"

Qitian fans were even more confused.

"Here, where do I know where to go? His performance inside is not good!"

The companion was anxious.

Vogel was obviously aware of his opponent's strengths and his own weaknesses, and shouted to the players on the court from the sidelines:

"Strengthen your offense and shoot when you have the chance!"

The people on the court already understood what the coach meant. Shooting when they had the opportunity obviously meant that they should focus on the outside.

Also, it is really impossible to rely on Hansbrough and West to resist Duncan.

Granger made a decisive jump shot, but this time, Leonard followed up and defended well.

"clang!"

The basketball jumped out of the hoop.

With Pacers fans watching, George rushed to the basket, successfully grabbed the rebound, and then scored a tip-in.

"39-59."

Ginobili received Duncan's pass and prepared to attack.

But George relied on his physical advantage to block Ginobili, and then broke the ball in his hand!

"Oops!"

Spurs fans looked at the unguarded basket and knew that these two points were probably a loss.

George looked back to see that his opponent was not following too closely, so he directly pulled onions on the ground, and with a graceful gesture, he forced a tomahawk dunk and scored.

"41-59."

"Oh~~!!"

This shot was graceful and picturesque. It was almost scheduled to be one of the top five shots of the day. In addition, it was a dunk by George, which immediately caused the female Pacers fans on the sidelines to cheer wildly.

George's performance was not over. In the last two minutes, he was full of presence, scoring 7 points in a row, and just... narrowed the point difference to 16 points.

"48-64."

"Is this a bit of a feather?"

Pacers fans immediately felt their chests tightening after hearing the whistle that ended the half-time game.

Again, the fans can accept the defeat, but even a fan can't bear it if your opponent beats you into garbage time at halftime.

This was even when George scored 11 points on 5 of 5 shots in a single quarter, and the team was still 16 points behind. If George had slumped a little...

Pacers fans can only feel a mysterious number flying in front of their eyes.

58,58,58,58……

Vogel in the locker room also looked solemn.

But looking at the data, in the second quarter the Pacers made 12 of 24 shots and 3 of 6 three-pointers to score 30 points, which was almost an extraordinary performance.

So why are we still lagging behind?

Because the opposing Spurs made 13 of 17 shots in a single quarter, 5 of 6 three-pointers, and 8 of 9 free throws. They scored 39 points in a single quarter. Coupled with a 7-point advantage in the first quarter, this was a close call.

Turn the second half of the game into garbage time.

Qi Tian now understands the reason why the Spurs have been able to remain at the forefront of the league for more than ten years.

On offense, all players can participate in the offense through passing the ball, and open opportunities can be found through multiple passes;

Defense? Duncan is on the inside. Although Duncan may not be able to keep up with the defense, his frame protection is definitely at the top level in the league.

The Pacers have another tough guy Hibbert inside. Can you punish old Duncan?

"Boil a frog in warm water."

Vogel also felt the strength of his opponent and decided to make changes.

"The third quarter of the game..."

The players in the locker room all looked up at the coach. Vogel looked at George and said,

"Let George take the lead!"

With Granger being tightly guarded, someone else had to step forward.

George's eyes lit up and he was a little excited.

Is it finally time for me to perform?

Vogel then began to lay out his tactics:

"When we break through, the Spurs will force the ball carrier toward Duncan, and we will quickly distribute the ball, but the opponent will also quickly follow. At this time, we need a high forward to help the outside pick and roll to break the opponent's defense...

…”

"If Duncan comes up to defend and quickly distributes the ball to the players under the basket, he must also keep running and the inside players,"

Vogel pointed to Hibbert and West and said,

"Always pay attention to the opportunities given to the outside. Don't shoot directly for a layup. He will block you from behind."

"In the end, we still have to take advantage of our fast pace and try our best to play defensive counterattacks."

"Defend well and gradually eat away at your opponent's advantages."

Vogel gave full play to his role as a coach and arranged detailed tactics for the players.

But Brian Shaw is pessimistic.

Unlike the Pacers, who didn't play against the Spurs very often, Brian Shaw's previous Lakers team would play against the Spurs at least three or four times every season.

The two sides have met for several consecutive rounds in the playoffs, so they can be said to know the basics.

In Brian Shaw's view, the Spurs are not afraid of teams with strong inside and forward lines. They are more afraid of teams with defenders who can eat Parker and Danny Green without limit. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers can be said to be

The player the Spurs fear most.

Are there any players like Kobe in the current Pacers?

Brian Shaw reluctantly admitted this cruel fact, no.