Bishop of the Devil

Richard noticed the bearded face, smiled and said nothing.

"Jermaine, you take a break first, and then let them try our new tactics!" Richard said to Xiao Ao with a smile.

"Next, Ben, you'll play center, so sit in the penalty area and protect our rebounds!"

"I guess your rebounding won't be inferior to Duncan's, right?"

"Impossible! I admit that Duncan is better than me, but I am still confident that I can beat him in rebounding!" Ben said with confidence.

Richard nodded, just have confidence...

In fact, Richard is quite confident in Ben's rebounding. In his opinion, Ben's rebounding ability is comparable to Rodman's top in history, and cannot be worse than Duncan.

If the two of them compete alone under the basket, Ben will definitely have the advantage in rebounding.

…

"Driver, you will play the power forward position next!" Richard turned to Nowitzki again and said with a smile.

This sentence directly stunned Nowitzki...

Power Forward?!

What is a power forward? Can it be eaten...

I have been with the Trail Blazers for more than two years, and I have never played power forward!

Seeing Nowitzki's confused face, Richard coughed lightly...

"Ahem, the general style of play is similar to now. On the offensive end, you still mainly attack the outside. As for the defensive end, you go inside and mix in, and guard David Robinson a little bit..."

"Robinson is getting worse every year now. Don't worry, he won't be able to score too many points on you!"

"The position you play should be called a space power forward. Do you understand what I mean?"

Richard said with a smile.

Nowitzki nodded, knowing what he meant, but he was still worried. He had never played the power forward position, so he felt very uneasy when he rashly played the power forward position.

…

"Ron, you move to the small forward position!"

"But I need you to guard Anderson, the opponent's shooting guard, not Bowen!"

"Michael, you move to the shooting guard position! You mainly have to defend Bowen's open three-pointers. This job is not too difficult for you. Just follow Bowen as much as possible and you'll be done!"

"Ginobili, you go to the point guard and use your speed and breakthrough ability. I need you to open up the situation for us!"

Richard made some arrangements and directly replaced two players on the field, replacing Reed and Ginobili.

The generals nodded, and the newcomer Reed felt suffocated with excitement at this moment.

He didn't expect that he would get a chance to play in the first quarter when both sides were anxious!

This is the opening game against the Spurs, a game the Trail Blazers must win!

When both sides were anxious, he was sent on the field, which was enough to show that Richard valued him!

Originally, he thought that in his first year with the Trail Blazers, he would be a marginal player, and he might even reorganize the Air Brothers combination with Lewis.

But now it seems that I still have quite a status in Richard's heart!

…

After the timeout, several players from the Trail Blazers made Popovich frown.

Richard actually took Xiao Ao off the court? !

What does he want to do? ! Does he think Ben can handle the Spurs Twin Towers alone? !

It's just ridiculous...

The game continued, and Popovich soon felt that Richard winning Xiao Ou was not so ridiculous.

Mainly because of Nowitzki's floating outside play style, it made the Spurs twin towers uncomfortable.

Both of them are pure traditional insiders...

Nowitzki is shooting from the outside, so we can't just let him shoot, right? The Spurs Twin Towers must have one person step out of the penalty area to defend Nowitzki.

Who will come out? !

It definitely can’t be Duncan anyway…

If Duncan comes out, David Robinson will greet Big Ben alone under the basket. It is no exaggeration to say that Big Ben will explode the old David into a slag on the backboard.

If Duncan stays inside, although he still has a disadvantage in rebounding, the disadvantage is not that big. Maybe when Ben grabs five rebounds, Duncan can grab four.

If it were David Robinson, Ben might have grabbed five rebounds, but David could only grab two and a half...

The gap here is huge.

Besides, there is only one old David in the penalty area, so Ginobili's breakthrough will be even more unscrupulous!

So David Robinson had no choice but to step out of the penalty area to defend Nowitzki.

…

In the first round of the matchup between the two, Nowitzki did not move outside the three-point line. After receiving a pass from Ginobili, he shot directly against David Robinson's defense.

"Whoa!" A three-pointer hit.

…

Facing David Robinson's defense and hitting a three-pointer, Nowitzki clenched his fists in excitement and roared.

As a result, the next second he heard Richard yelling from the sidelines.

"Move, driver!"

"Run for me!"

Nowitzki didn't understand what Richard meant at first, so he started running? Do you need to run this offensive routine?

It’s just like taking off your pants and farting, it’s super unnecessary!

But then I thought about it, Richard probably had other purposes.

Glancing at David Robinson in front of him, Nowitzki roughly guessed Richard's intention...

Consume David Robinson's physical energy!

This must be the purpose!

David Robinson is already a veteran. If he was always in the paint at his age, he would probably be able to last thirty minutes.

After all, the inside doesn't require much running, and for veterans like them, it's quite energy-saving.

But when it comes to defending the perimeter, as long as Nowitzki runs, he must run with him...

As a result, the physical strength of the resident insider who could last for thirty minutes is estimated to only last for twenty minutes!

Although Nowitzki's physical fitness is not top-notch, but a young and strong boy can't run for twenty minutes, then why play basketball...

Now Richard's purpose is really to consume David Robinson's physical energy!

It's a rather insidious trick...

Since David Robinson is here to defend Nowitzki, he now has to make a choice, whether to defend Nowitzki regardless of physical exertion, or to leave Nowitzki in various open positions.

When the space is open, the Spurs are desperate for a shooter like Nowitzki who can shoot...

And if you keep following up, your physical fitness will not be able to keep up!

Next David Robinson is definitely in a dilemma!

The reason why Richard did not use similar tactics in the first two seasons is because David Robinson has not aged to this point yet...

Moreover, at that time, he was still capable of fighting in the paint, and Nowitzki could not deal with David Robinson on the defensive end.

Maybe in the end, stealing the chicken will end up losing the rice, which will have the opposite effect.

But this season, we can squeeze out such insidious tactics and truly play the role of Nowitzki's space power forward!

…

"Big Ben, consume your opponent's physical energy and push me hard!"

"Don't worry, I don't have the strength anymore, Xiao Ao will take your place!"

After Richard finished yelling at Nowitzki, he yelled at Ben again.

After targeting David Robinson, Richard was not prepared to let go of Duncan!

Aren't you strong, Duncan? !

Then I will use Ben and Xiao Ao to fight in a wheel battle to see how much physical energy you can consume!

In order to stand firm against Big Ben, Duncan had to use his full strength in almost every minute and every second on the court.

How long can he last in this state? !

Of course, this kind of confrontation regardless of physical strength will definitely consume a lot of physical energy, but don't worry, Richard still has a small Austrian on hand!

Although O'Brien is not as powerful as Ben, when Duncan plays against O'Brien, it is definitely impossible to easily complete the matchup!

Come up with a space power forward, contain David Robinson, and then use a wheel battle against Duncan!

…

Because Richard yelled these words, Popovich, who was standing on the opposite side of the court, heard them clearly!

Richard's "conspiracy" was not concealed from the Spurs at all. He just told the Spurs openly and openly that I, Richard, am going to mess with you!

Even if your lineup improves this season, I still have countless ways to punish you!

Popovich's eyes bulged out at Richard's conspiracy.

He didn't expect Richard to come up with such a disgusting trick...

Create a space power forward, and then use wheel battles to deal with Duncan!

Duncan is not made of iron. Even if he were made of iron, it would be difficult to maintain his peak condition for more than thirty-five minutes under the full-scale confrontation between Ben and O'Neill!

Trouble!

For a moment, Popovich looked livid!

He had always ignored an issue before, always feeling that the Spurs only needed to create a starting lineup that could rival the Trail Blazers' main lineup.

This way they have a chance to take down the Blazers...

But now it seems that what I thought was a little too simple!

Just a starting lineup that is comparable to the Trail Blazers' main lineup is not enough!

The main thing is that Richard has now captured the Spurs' vitality, their physical fitness!

It is self-evident what physical fitness means to the players on the field!

For a player without physical fitness, if he can perform 100% of his strength on the court and achieve 50%, it will be pretty good...

Now Richard has no shame at all, and all kinds of tricks consume the Spurs' physical energy!

It stands to reason that the Trail Blazers have already won the championship for the second consecutive time, so they must have a kingly bearing no matter what...

But in the Trail Blazers, Popovich didn't see any kingly demeanor at all, and he still had the same villainous demeanor as in previous years.

Especially Richard...

Popovich feels that this young boy may not have the word shameless in the dictionary of life. This guy may not even know what shamelessness is!

The key is that although Popovich is angry, he can't find fault.

If it were him, he would probably be like Richard, picking on his opponent's life.

…

At the ninth minute of the first quarter, Ben and Nowitzki had both been playing for a long time. Richard directly replaced these two people and replaced them with the combination of O'Brien and Lewis.

"You should know how to do it, right? Jermaine?" Richard patted Xiao Ao on the shoulder and asked with a smile.

"I know, consume Tim Duncan's physical energy!"

"Don't worry, coach..." Xiao Ao said with a smile.

This rather alternative style of play actually makes Xiao Ao feel very comfortable...

Every time he plays against the Spurs, O'Brien is actually under a lot of pressure.

He was afraid that because of his poor performance, the Spurs twin towers would explode, causing the Trail Blazers to lose.

Now I am not afraid at all...

David Robinson was unable to find his way around, and Duncan was beaten by a wheel, and he probably wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

In this case, why should the Spurs win? !

…

"Rashad, you should know your job well, right?" Richard looked at Lewis again.

Lewis nodded, he knew it all too well...

When Richard and Nowitzki were talking just now, they mentioned the word space power forward.

This cheered up Lewis. Isn't he a typical space power forward? !

When attacking, the space is extremely wide, comparable to the Pacific Ocean...

When defending, the space is emptier than air!

The term "space power forward" is simply tailor-made for himself.

…

Ou and Lewis came on the court and played three minutes, but the effect was definitely not as good as the combination of Ben and Nowitzki.

The main reason is that Lewis' defense is really scummy, even far inferior to Nowitzki...

At least Nowitzki can restrict David Robinson on the defensive end.

However, Popovich took David Robinson off the court in the tenth minute of the first quarter and did not dare to stay on the court.

The main problem was his physical fitness. After running with Nowitzki for a few minutes, David Robinson was already out of breath.

You know this is just the first quarter of the game!

There are still three quarters to play!

…

In the next game, when it was Ou's turn and Lewis's turn, in order to make up for Lewis's defensive shortcomings, Richard simply asked Artest to get inside on the defensive end to guard David Robinson.

Not to mention, the effect is really good...

Artest is taller than Ben...

Coupled with his violent strength and defensive mad dog, David Robinson suffered a lot for a while!

He had the feeling of being bullied when he was at his peak. If he encountered someone like Artest to defend him when he was at his peak, he felt that he could turn him into a scumbag!

But now it's no longer possible. I can't stand Artest at all...

…

In the first half of the game, the Spurs' situation was pretty good. Although they were lagging behind, the difference in points behind was not big, only a mere four points!

Such a point difference actually means nothing in a game.

But Popovich felt a little desperate. He was very clear about the status of his players.

David Robinson can't hold on anymore...

Duncan's condition is also a bit bad. Ben is like a crazy bull, attacking Duncan in all kinds of crazy ways. If Duncan wants to make tactics under the basket, he has to expend a lot of physical energy to fight against Ben!

If there is only one Big Ben, it is still acceptable. After all, Big Ben's physical ability is not endless!

But the key is that Richard still has a little O'sman on hand...

With a two-pronged approach, if Duncan continues to play like this, he may not be able to handle it after the third quarter.

…

unless……

Unless Duncan gives up his position in the penalty area and rebounds, this game will always use mid-range shots to resolve the battle. In this case, it will be possible to fight until the end of the game!

But if you do this, the Spurs will be finished...

Without the surge in rebounding, how could the Spurs compete with the Trail Blazers?

Popovich has already foreseen that the next second half of the game will be the time when the Spurs collapse!

The situation in the third quarter was quite acceptable for the Spurs.

But the Spurs collapsed in the fourth quarter. David Robinson could no longer run at all, and Popovich had no choice but to replace him.

As for Duncan, he has reached the point where he is running out of gas at this moment.

Being locked in a battle between Big Ben and Junior O, Duncan just felt sore and weak at the moment, and it was already difficult for him to do his best to occupy the penalty area.

Seeing this situation, Richard simply and neatly put all the Auburn combination back on the court, trying to kill the Spurs in one wave!

David Robinson and Duncan are running out of gas, but Ben and O'Brien are full of life.

After all, the wheel battle is not for nothing. They have only played for more than twenty minutes in this game so far, and they still have plenty of physical energy.

…

In front of the lively Auburn combination, even the number one power forward in history like Duncan was defeated.

Mainly because Duncan is now exhausted...

With four or five minutes left before the end of the game, Popovich directly replaced the team's main lineup, completely giving up on the game.

If you continue to fight, you will lose more than you gain.

First of all, there is no possibility of winning. The Trail Blazers are 11 points ahead, and now their players on the field are fully physically fit and have a huge advantage.

Secondly, Popovich is also worried that his love will be hurt...

This kind of high-intensity game is most likely to cause player injuries. Popovich does not want to lose the team because of a small regular season.

…

Seeing Popovich give up the game, Richard did not do anything and replaced the main lineup.

If there is no change, Richard is quite confident that he will achieve a score difference of more than 20 points in this game!

As there are more and more high-quality players in the team, and as the players in the team become more advanced, Richard has now reached the point where he can do whatever he wants when arranging tactics.

Tonight's game against the Spurs, even if this wheel battle tactic does not apply, Richard actually has other ways to deal with the Spurs.

Anyway, in Richard's view, the Blazers have been making steady progress every year in the past three years.

The peak time point must be the 1998-99 season. The Blazers this season are really strong!

It is so strong that Richard feels that he may not be able to create such a lineup in the future...

But this does not mean that the Blazers will be weak in the next two seasons.

After leaving Kobe, Rasheed and Bowen, and subsequently adding many high-quality players, coupled with the continued improvement of the new players in the team, in fact, the Trail Blazers in these two seasons are not necessarily worse than in 1998!

It was the undefeated record of victory in the 1998-99 season that gave fans the wrong impression that the Blazers were the strongest this season. Later, the Blazers went downhill in the past two seasons.

…

In the regular season opener, the Trail Blazers defeated the Spurs quite easily!

This heralds the return of the Blazers' king, and they are still the invincible team!

Originally, as the Spurs' strength improved this season and the Lakers' strength shrank, many fans thought that the Spurs would take over from the Lakers and become the Trail Blazers' biggest opponent!

But now it seems that this biggest opponent is still no match...

The only team that has any hope of stopping the Blazers from building a dynasty is the Lakers!

Mainly because during the offseason, the league had already introduced rules restricting shark cutting.

Just as Richard expected, this alliance was completed in one step!

In each quarter and the last two minutes of overtime, no fouls are allowed on personnel without the ball. Otherwise, the opponent will get a free throw opportunity!

That is one free throw, plus one possession of the ball!

Then there is absolutely no point in cutting down the shark in the last two minutes. After the cut is over, the ball is still owned by others, so why cut off the balls...

Now it depends on whether the Lakers can rely on this new rule to challenge the Trail Blazers.

PS: My child is hospitalized with bronchial pneumonia. Dahei’s updates may be unstable in the last half month, so please forgive me.