With three points at the start, Nash begged for a maximum salary to renew his contract

Chapter 73 Wang Chao's contract is about to expire?

As D'Antoni said, as soon as the third quarter started, the Spurs immediately tried to move back to the disadvantage with a fierce offense.

Tony Parker finally regained his form after experiencing a bad touch in the first half, and frequently used breakthroughs to create damage, while Duncan provided stable output as always.

Duncan's scoring ability is not strong among the top insiders, but his victory is very stable. He has already perfected his 45-degree shot on the board. Ski's golden rooster independent trend can always become a sharp weapon for the Spurs at the most critical time.

On the Suns side, the fast-paced running and bombing tactics centered around Nash are somewhat dependent on the player's touch. Without Wang Chao, the extremely strong firepower deterrent point beyond the three-point line, the Spurs rebuilt their defense line and made it easier for a while. The Suns' offense was blocked.

No way, a defensive-oriented team like the Spurs is really the nemesis of the running and bombing team.

In the peak years of Nash and Stoudemire, they would fall in front of the Spurs in the playoffs almost every year, although there were also some controversial malicious fouls, such as Nash being maliciously knocked off the court by the opponent Injuries and so on, but the restraint in overall strength and style of play is real.

Relying on a solid offense and defense, the Spurs successfully narrowed the point difference from double digits to single digits in the third quarter. However, due to the large hole dug in the first half, and the Spurs' defense is strong, but their scoring explosiveness is mediocre. Therefore, in a single game, it is only to chase the 13-point difference to 6 points.

The game entered the fourth quarter, and the Suns, who continued to hold a 6-point advantage, seemed to have a high probability of winning the game.

More importantly, Wang Chao did not play at all in the third quarter, resting off the court throughout the game. Counting the intermission, the suspension of the third quarter and the dead ball time, he rested on the bench for nearly 10 minutes time.

Sufficient rest time allowed Wang Chao to recover his overdrawn physical fitness to a great extent, so Wang Chao stood on the field at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

As soon as the Spurs saw Wang Chao appear on the field, their hearts immediately hung up. Popovich couldn't help but look at Bowen, who also started the fourth quarter.

Bowen didn't play long in the third quarter, only played for a few minutes, and Finley played most of the rest of the time.

In theory, his rest time is not much less than that of Wang Chao.

The problem is that there is obviously a big gap between the 34-year-old Bowen and the 23-year-old Wang Chao in terms of physical fitness and recovery ability.

How long can he resist Wang Chao on the court?

The unacceptable fact is that Wang Chao, who didn't play at all in the third quarter, is still the player with the highest score in the game.

Parker, who was in charge of the Spurs' main attack, scored 18 points in three quarters, and Duncan, who was rock-solid, scored 15 points.

As for the Suns, apart from Wang Chao, Nash scored 14 points with the highest score. In addition, Stoudemire, Marion, Barbosa and others also scored in double figures.

As soon as Wang Chao returned to the field, he immediately became the end point of the Suns' offensive tactics. He ran back to create a little open space and missed a shot from outside the three-point line, but it didn't matter. Let's start, just look for the status.

The Spurs attacked, Duncan continued to attack Stoudemire under the basket, turned around and hit the rebound.

The point difference was narrowed to 4 points, and the distance from tying the score was getting closer and closer.

The Spurs home fans were all excited when they saw this scene.

Since the first quarter, the Spurs have been under pressure from the Suns' offense, and now they are finally about to turn around!
However, their joy was obviously too early.

In the next round, the Suns still focused on Wang Chao’s off-the-ball running tactics. Wang Chao once again pulled out the gap by running. A little more time.

Wang Chao, who hastily caught the ball and made a shot, was almost even interfered by Bowen to shoot the ball. The opponent's fingertips were only a little short of touching the basketball. Thanks to Wang Chao's height and wingspan advantages, the opponent was still a hair's breadth away. It's a thousand miles away.

"brush!"

Obviously he defended better than the previous round, but this ball was a direct hit.

The smiles on the faces of the Spurs fans froze.

The point difference becomes 7 points.

"There was some luck in that shot just now..." Wang Chao, who hit the three-pointer, retreated and defended calmly, thinking to himself at the same time. "It should be the 99's interference three-pointer and the marksman's 5% shooting rate bonus that played a key role, making the shot can be hit?"

Whether it's luck or strength, investing in it means everything!
In the next few rounds, Wang Chao did not find a particularly good opportunity to make a move, because not only Bowen on the Spurs side, but other players had to step up to chase and intercept Wang Chao at certain critical moments, even if such behavior would There is no way to cause gaps in other positions on the field.

If they don't stop Wang Chao's three-pointer, they won't be able to win this game.

If it is another team, even if there is a gap on the field for a short time, it can be grasped.

But it is different in the Suns. They have the strongest point guard in the league today, two-time regular season MVP winner Steve Nash.

As long as the Spurs have a player to help defend Wang Chao, Nash will find an open player as soon as possible and the basketball will arrive at the same time.

These open players may not be as good as Wang Chao from outside the three-point line, but they are also the main players of the Suns' running and bombing tactics. Even if the three-pointer is not good, they can hit the basket with the ball and cause damage.

The pressure on the Spurs' defense around the basket surged.

Duncan is still a pillar of the sky inside, and can keep any player who rushes to the basket out of the box, but even so, Duncan can't control the increasing number of fouls.

In just a few minutes, Duncan was whistled for two defensive fouls, and the number of personal fouls went straight to 5 times, and he would be sent off for another foul.

Popovich had no choice but to call a timeout to replace Duncan to avoid the edge and adjust his defensive tactics at the same time.

But at this time, he also knew in his heart that unless there was some critical turning point in the game, it would be difficult for the Spurs to win the game at home.

In the third quarter, the point difference that the Spurs managed to recover quickly disappeared a few minutes after Wang Chao appeared on the court, and the point difference returned to double digits.

"Unexpectedly, a shooter who can shoot well from beyond the three-point line will improve the Suns so much."

Popovich couldn't help shaking his head.

No, to be precise, this is a shooter who can actively run without the ball on the court, create shooting opportunities for himself and can still maintain the sight after strenuous exercise, no matter which team he is on. , even in their Spurs.

"That player named Wang Chao, his rookie contract seems to be expiring this summer..."

The look in Popovich's eyes began to flicker.

(End of this chapter)