NBA: I'm really the Chosen One

Chapter 80 Popovich's Psychological Advantage

Trail Blazers locker room.

"Li, towel." Blake handed the towel to Li Zheng.

After Li Zheng took the towel, Blake quietly approached, "Li, is it true that you want to break the scoring record?"

"It depends on the situation. I don't need to score points if you can score goals. Victory comes first." Li Zheng said with a smile, what he said to Blake was both a joke and a hope, and as a young man, it seems that there is nothing wrong with pretending Forgiveness.

"Li, this is the first game! You only have one chance in your life, you have to seize it." Blake persuaded earnestly.

"What do you want to say?" Li Zheng asked curiously.

"Hey, when I pass the ball to you, can you shoot directly, so that my assist data will look better." Blake said shyly, "It's nothing else, you can play as you want, I just mean explain."

"If conditions permit, I will consider it," Li Zheng said with a helpless smile. "Victory comes first. Statistics without victory support are meaningless."

"Okay, but the Spurs can't beat us, they can't do it anymore."

Li Zheng didn't reply, and the Spurs haven't shown their full body. The GDP combination is pretending to be dead. It would be ridiculous to think that the Spurs' strength is only so small.

Maybe it's that old man Popovich testing some shit again
Based on Li Zhengmeng's six-hour experience, this quirky old man always likes to test some strange lineups and collocations, such as deliberately dismantling tacit combinations to test the adjustment ability of players, and deliberately letting some players go to test their limits. An old man who does whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

Today Li Zheng can clearly perceive Popovich's targeting of himself. This old guy wants to find out his own details, double-team, single defense, and joint defense. He has tested many methods to restrict Li Zheng, although the effect is minimal. But excluding some wrong options is equivalent to getting one step closer to the correct answer.

Popovich is also testing the strength of the Blazers, or this old guy is already preparing for the playoffs. This is a super coach with long-term vision and full of ambition. In Li Zheng's heart, Popovich Bila LeBron is even more terrifying, because he can sacrifice more and more thoroughly than Larry Brown in order to win.

Li Zheng glanced at McMillan, who was in a state of desperation. It was a good start for the coach to beat the defending champion in the first game, so McMillan is now full of worries about gains and losses. He really wants to win this game. So he lost his calm and demeanor instead.

"Li, we have to make some adjustments in the fourth quarter. Take more balls and let's win together." McMillan said eagerly, holding Li Zheng's hand.

"Calm down, Nate. I won't hold a lot of balls in the first team. This will interfere with the team's arrangement." Li Zheng refused.

"It doesn't matter, replace Blake and let Outlaw and Rudy cooperate with you. They did a good job in the second quarter. Anyway, Blake is unlucky with the ball. You control the ball. I only trust you." McMillan Seriously.

"Coach." Li Zheng shook his head helplessly, "A one-man team can't go far, trust Steve?"

"Hey," McMillan sighed. He could see Li Zheng's repulsion. It was hard for him to understand why he had to play off the ball as a big player with the ball. "It's okay, do what you want." He got up and took a shot. Patting Li Zheng on the shoulder, he walked out of the locker room calmly.

The fourth quarter begins.

Both sides tacitly put on substitute players, fighting for time for the main players to recover their physical strength. Finley sat on the court in a daze, watching the youthful and energetic Blazers play better and better off the bench, and the point difference was heading towards 10 points. up.

Popovich was forced to replace Manu Ginobili, and the demon knife successfully stopped the decline for the Spurs. His snake-like footsteps and precise shooting tore apart the Blazers' defense. The youth of the Blazers represents vitality Four shots also represent inexperience. With the sophisticated cooperation of the Spurs, the rhythm of the game is firmly controlled by the Spurs. It is difficult for them to find a fast-paced attack to the basket. is infinitely magnified.

The game was chased to only five points, McMillan reluctantly called a timeout, and replaced the main player in advance. Popovich not only earned the timeout, but also narrowed the score. In this round of competition, it can be said that he won the game McMillan.

"Lee shouldn't score more than 30 points, right?" Popovich whispered, pulling over Bruce Bowen, who nodded deadpan, stone-cold.

"Go, Bruce, I know you can." Popovich patted Bowen on the back. Popovich already knew the strength of this Trail Blazers. It's just the mid-range level of the fifth to eighth place in the playoffs, and there is nothing to worry about.

It's a pity that the Blazers have such a terrible player as Li Zheng. Such a team has become different under the leadership of Li Zheng. The strength of the champion, the addition of Li Zheng has made the Trail Blazers a strong team in the top three levels of the Western Conference. It is rare for the media and scouts to miss him. Li Zheng is the strongest in history with the same horror as Chamberlain, Russell, Jordan and Duncan That is one of the combat power.

A radiant player like Li Zheng should have never seen a player like Bruce Bowen who survived in the mud. They were never from the same world. Popovich knew how bad his behavior was, but in order to win, he Can bear the infamy.

Abolishing Li Zhenghui will encounter a storm of verbal criticism
The idea of ​​asking Bowen to kill Li Zheng is really crazy, but the current Spurs with strength beyond his imagination are helpless against the Blazers, so he must prepare in advance for the very likely playoff matchup. A psychological advantage must be obtained. Whether it is a team or a player, this is a game that cannot be lost.

Under Popovich's design, Bowen doesn't need to waste Li Zheng's inability to play, and his career will be reimbursed. If this happens, David Stern will directly destroy the Spurs, Popovich Knowing this, Bowen will precisely control the speed, just as he has done in the past.

What Popovich wants is that Li Zheng no longer dares to take off wantonly in the face of Bowen, and he will always be hesitant and fearful. This level is enough. In the playoffs, Popovich must ensure that the Spurs have enough psychological advantages, otherwise this team The young team is like a raging fire, which may ignite the dead branches of the old guys in the Spurs at any time.

"I'm such a jerk," Popovich said self-deprecatingly, his eyes flickering with his arms folded, as if he had seen his end.

(End of this chapter)