Legendary star

Chapter 30 No. 20 Nine cards are the main force?
The game between the Spurs and the Raptors had a great impact. Vince Carter was the new star that the league favored after Jordan retired. After Duncan won the championship last season and was crowned the MVP of the finals, he was also promoted to the ranks of the top superstars in the league. , Both of them are superstars with super popularity now, and such a duel between two players is definitely not comparable to an ordinary game.It is also under such circumstances that this nationally broadcast game has attracted a lot of attention from the very beginning. The ratings of this game are also the highest in this round of 13%. During the period between "'s lore" and Meng Xu's anti-lore, the ratings reached 17%.In such a much-anticipated game, Meng Xu, who made 13 of 8 shots, scored 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 assist, and made a lore shot, also succeeded in stealing the spotlight.

"We lost this game. I will not make any excuses. The Spurs are a championship team. There is no shame in losing to them. Tim Duncan is a great player. He is the most dominant player in the entire league. One of the players, Meng? He is one of the best rookies this year. It is hard to imagine that such a good player will be reduced to the last place in the first round. Mr. Popovich's vision is amazing."

The Spurs defeated the second-ranked Raptors in the Eastern Conference 101-99 in an away game, and won the battle of focus. With the victory of this game, the Spurs also successfully reached the top of the league. Unconvinced, Raptors head coach Butch Carter offered blessings and praises to the Spurs in accordance with the unspoken rules of the league.

9 seconds, just 9 seconds away, a victory flew away like this. Of course, this kind of result is disappointing. It’s okay if your team doesn’t perform well. All players worked hard and performed very well. The team's defense against Duncan and Robinson was also very good. Losing in this situation is really unacceptable.

Compared with Butch Carter's unhappy face, Popovich is now proud. After this game, the Spurs overtook the Lakers by 0.5 wins and reached the top of the league. In the long regular season achieved a leading position.

"We were very lucky to win this game. Vince Carter is now one of the best perimeter players in the league. He almost beat us on his own..." Popovich was also unequivocal. He praised Carter stingily, and his words continued to show his appreciation for Carter.

"Vince Carter scored 43 points and contributed a quasi lore. The Raptors regretted losing to the Spurs."

"The lore and the counter-lore, an incredible game, a game comparable to the intensity of the playoffs."

"The No. 29 rookie beat the Raptors, and the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers to the top of the league with 16 wins and 3 losses."

"I'm going to kill you here! The most arrogant rookie in history replicated Bird's miracle." With the end of the game, the shock caused by the game was far from disappearing, especially at the last moment of the game, Meng Xu was in front of Vince. Carter hit a similar position in the quasi-lore, hit 3 points, and after the anti-lore to kill the Raptors, the words he said to Carter before the shot were dug up by some reporters and media, the most arrogant in history Such a big rookie hat was put on Meng Xu's head.

"Meng, how do you feel?" After the game against the Raptors, all members of the Spurs flew to Indiana the next day to prepare for the away game against the Pacers tomorrow.At some point, Popovich was already sitting beside Meng Xu. Meng Xu, who was resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes when he noticed movement beside him.

"It's okay, but I feel a little tired." In yesterday's game, Meng Xu played 24 minutes, the most playing time this season, and he didn't rest for a moment in the third quarter. It was a high-intensity game. After that, Meng Xu was also a little tired.

"I hope you can take on more responsibilities in future games and share some of the pressure for Tim." After the game with the Raptors, Popovich completely strengthened his determination to right Meng Xu. If the offensive ability is insufficient, or if you still have a little fantasy about Chucky Brown, then after yesterday's game, Popovich has no worries at all. Just this morning, Popovich instructed his assistant to start Seeking a deal, sending Chucky Brown away.

Like the Spurs' perimeter defense, the biggest weakness of the Spurs on the offensive end is the 3-pointer. Last season, they averaged 3 10-pointers, but this season they only took less than 11. They rank last in the entire league. What's more embarrassing is that every 3.4 goals per game, and the entire team does not have a stable 3-point shooter. At the critical moment of the game, the opponent will let the Spurs shoot 3 points. He made 3 of 21 9-pointers. It seems that the shooting rate is very good, but only Meng Xu hit 7 3-pointers. Except for Meng Xu who made 11 of 7 shots, the rest of the Spurs made an astonishing 10 of 2 shots. The hit rate can only be described as insane.

If Meng Xu can maintain the 3-point level against the Raptors, he doesn't even need to have such a fiery touch. As long as he has a shooting percentage of more than 4%, then the Spurs' tactics will become more flexible. Tim Duncan is also on the offensive end. will get easier.This is not only Popovich's decision, but also a decision made by the entire Spurs coaching staff after discussions. Even if Meng Xu's physical strength cannot support the entire game, even if he can only maintain a good state for 30 minutes is enough , Meng Xu entered the main lineup, not only the offensive end of the Spurs will become smoother, but also the defensive end can directly improve a level.

"Well, I will." Meng Xu nodded excitedly.Obviously, after this game, Meng Xu has gained the trust of Popovich. If Popovich's positioning and requirements for Meng Xu were an outside defender and a qualified substitute rotation player, then from now on Meng Xu has been one of the main players of the Spurs since the beginning.

"I will let you enter the team's main lineup at the right time, but before that, all you have to do is maintain your state." After Popovich finished speaking, he got up and patted Meng Xu on the shoulder, Go to your seat.

"I'm finally going to be the main player." If Meng Xu's original dream of entering the NBA was to gain a firm foothold in the Spurs and not be cut by the Spurs, then with the continuous improvement of his strength, Meng Xu's greatest hope now is to be able to play in the NBA. Enter the Spurs' main lineup.Seeing that this goal was about to be achieved, Meng Xu couldn't hide his excitement, so he hummed a ditty on the plane.

(End of this chapter)