First in scoring

Chapter 52. The ball that decides the game

The Grizzlies' offensive ability is average, and Hollins chose to take an unconventional approach, focusing on Randolph's magical shots and offensive rebounding.

If the Spurs continue to play in their normal style this season, with quick rotations on defense, this tactic of Howard's will work, as they have tried it in the first three encounters.

But when the Spurs made targeted defensive preparations, Hollins went a little too far and fell into the ditch!

The most important point is that Duncan has had a good rest in the past two weeks and has plenty of energy!

With a score of 13 to 6 at halftime, the Spurs led the Grizzlies by 7 points and entered the official timeout.

After the official timeout, the Spurs replaced three players, George Hill, Ginobili and Blair replaced Parker, Zhang Yang and Duncan.

When Parker went off, the Spurs' counterattack ability declined, and when Duncan went off, their defense against Randolph declined, but their defensive execution was strong and they conceded points to the opponent, but they still defended firmly in the next round.

In the second half of the quarter, the Grizzlies' offensive success rate increased a lot, but they failed to completely open up the situation. They only scored 11 points in the half, and the Spurs also scored 11 points!
Ginobili came on the court and partnered with George Hill in offense, with McDyess receiving the ball from the mid-range and Richard Jefferson receiving the ball from the corner. The fast break points and mid-range strong shots decreased, but the regular scores in positional battles increased significantly.

24 to 17, after the first quarter, the Spurs maintained a 7-point lead!
Being overwhelmed by the opponent, Hollins couldn't think of a way to deal with the Spurs' positional defense.

The opposing coach is one of the league's top defensive masters.

If Gay hadn't been injured, they could have tried to utilize his talent and shoot a few shots from the outside, but Gay was injured after the All-Star Weekend, and they have become a purely defensive team, relying on Conley, Randolph, and Gasol Jr. to support their offense.

But Hollins did not sit still and wait for death. If there was no way out on the offensive end, he would do his best on the defensive end!

In the second quarter, the Grizzlies' defensive intensity was raised to another level, and their iron-blooded tactics were taken to the extreme.

The Spurs' offensive performance in positional warfare declined again, but fortunately they were able to continue scoring on defensive counterattacks. As long as Parker, Zhang Yang and Danny Green charged forward, the Grizzlies had no good solution but to reduce their rush for offensive rebounds and actively retreat.

Randolph's offensive rebounding performance was further restricted.

打到第二节9分27秒，马刺队和灰熊队打出了14比12的单节比分，总比分来到38比29，马上要到两位数分差了。

Just when the Grizzlies were about to collapse, Conley stood up and made three consecutive mid-range jump shots, scoring 3 points in a row.

Mid-range shot! While Zhang Yang was being replaced, Conley made a mid-range shot!
During this period, his teammates were greatly encouraged by seeing Conley score, and they defended very hard, blocking all three attacks of the Spurs and narrowing the score to 3 to 35, with the ball still in the Grizzlies' possession!

Conley continued to play one-on-one, using the threat of a quick stop and mid-range shot, breaking through with a fake move and then taking a step-back three-pointer... and it went in!
38 to 38, the Grizzlies tied the score!

The Spurs' old problem remains - this team is too stable.

With 19 seconds left, Popovich called a timeout and replaced Zhang Yang with Danny Green, Ginobili, Blair and Duncan.

On the Grizzlies side, Conley, Tony Allen, Battier, Darrell Arthur and Gasol Jr. came on the court.

After the timeout, the Spurs attacked.

Ginobili and Duncan started the offense with a pick-and-roll, but he had no chance to attack the basket, so he wanted to pull out for a three-pointer... Suddenly, he saw his teammate was about to leave an open space, so he passed the ball straight through a group of people in the middle!

The ball passed through the gap between people and reached the left baseline.

Duncan made consecutive screens, first for Ginobili, then moved down and then to the left side of the three-second zone to help Zhang Yang block Tony Allen.

Zhang Yang received the ball from the free throw line on the left baseline, jumped, and shot a mid-range shot towards Battier who was rushing towards him... but was knocked to the ground by Battier.

However, the ball had already been thrown! With the referee's whistle, the ball fell into the basket.

The goal is valid, but there is also a penalty!
Conley finally managed to boost the morale of the Grizzlies, and they were about to tie the score and enter the second half, so they would be back on the same starting line. The momentum was about to reach its peak... but they were hit head-on!
Everyone else is numb.

Ginobili dared to pass the ball? The three-second zone was full of people! If someone waved his arm, the ball would be gone! Even the Spurs' own players could have ruined the ball.

The Chinese player was also very courageous! Battier knew that he could not make up for the opponent, so he rushed forward to commit a foul, baring his teeth and claws to scare the opponent.

As a result, Zhang Yang shot the ball in without any fear and even caused a foul!
Conley clearly felt that his teammates' rising morale was being stifled.

As for Duncan, who played a crucial role in this offense, he was once again ignored...

With Zhang Yang's free throw and Conley's long three-pointer at the buzzer, the Spurs regained a 41-point lead at 38 to 3 and entered the second half!

Popovich let out a long sigh of relief and was almost overwhelmed by Conley.

Mid-range shot! Mid-range shot! It has to be a mid-range shot!
In the second quarter, both teams defended well at the three-point line and the basket in positional warfare, and both teams' scoring was locked. At this time, Conley stepped up to break the deadlock with a mid-range shot, and Zhang Yang also used a mid-range shot for the key ball!
Popovich has always known the importance of mid-range shots, but he has no one!
Ginobili was not good at mid-range shooting when he entered the NBA. He averaged 0.4 points per game from mid-range in his rookie season. After a summer of hard training, he scored slightly more mid-range points in his sophomore season... 1.4 points per game, and his mid-range shooting percentage dropped from 37% in his rookie season to 29.9%...

Now, he finally has a talent for mid-range shooting!
...

Sometimes one ball can decide the game.

If Ginobili had missed that pass, if Duncan hadn't noticed Zhang Yang's movement and didn't block Tony Allen during the pick-and-roll, if Zhang Yang had been frightened by Battier's ferocious movements and missed the shot... the Grizzlies would have tied the score and entered the halftime break, fully regaining their momentum.

There is a difference between the mentality of ‘getting back to the same starting line’ and the mentality of falling behind, even if it is only by 3 points.

In the third quarter, the Grizzlies played very hard, and their momentum of fighting to the end might scare any other team, but their opponent was the Spurs with Tim Duncan!

灰熊队单节凿出22分，比第二节还要多1分，兰多夫单节10分、康利8分钟时间拿到6分、小加索尔和巴蒂尔各拿到3分。

But the Grizzlies' defensive flaws were greater than their offensive improvements! Ginobili seized the opportunity to open the wave!
Ginobili made 3 of 2 three-pointers, caused damage in the paint 3 times, made all 6 free throws, scored 12 points in a single quarter, and led the team to score 27 points in a single quarter!
Zhang Yang also played a big role. Although he was mainly responsible for assisting and sprinting in the third quarter and was just an ordinary role player, he took turns with Ginobili in the first half and had more playing time in the first half, playing for 13 minutes, leaving Ginobili to play for only 11 minutes in the first half and concentrate his energy on output in the third quarter... In 20 minutes, Jordan came!

68 to 60, the Spurs widened the gap again and took an 8-point lead!
By the end of the quarter, both teams' defenses declined.

Time is merciless. Duncan's physical strength declined in the final quarter and his defensive performance declined, which affected the Spurs' team defense and allowed the Grizzlies to score 27 points in a single quarter.

However, the 28-year-old muscular man Tony Allen seems to be in worse physical condition than Duncan... His average playing time per game in the regular season so far is actually much lower than Duncan's.

In the first half of the quarter, Zhang Yang scored 7 points and Parker scored 4 points and 2 assists. In the second half of the quarter, Ginobili replaced Zhang Yang and scored 5 points and 2 assists, and Parker scored 2 points and 2 assists... The three of them led the team together and scored 25 points in a single quarter, giving the Grizzlies no chance to turn the tables!
At 10:21 pm, the final whistle sounded.

Randolph had 28 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and Conley had 25 points and 4 assists. Both of them had good scoring performances, but the former's absolute advantage in rebounding was wasted, while the latter failed to organize the offense well.

吉诺比利24分3板5助攻、张杨20分4板2助攻2抢断、邓肯12分10板2助攻4盖帽、帕克16分9助攻……

93 to 86, the Spurs defeated the Grizzlies, won 6 consecutive games, and improved their record to 60 wins and 14 losses!
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(End of this chapter)