Legendary star

Chapter 85 Showdown
"Sean, in the next game, if you are facing the big man who can only shoot, then you should try to increase the physical contact with him." After the second quarter of the game, all the main players of the Spurs rested off the court , Mario Elli appeared on the court with a group of substitute players. So far, Mario has adapted to his new role.After observing a quarter of the game, Popovich also discovered the shortcoming of Rashard Lewis who is afraid of physical contact, and gave Sean Etterio new instructions for the next game.

"Meng, the next game is up to you to defend Payton, strangle him, and we will win." Unlike the Spurs' main players, Gary Payton has stayed on the court from the beginning of the game to the present without rest. The Sonics really wanted this victory too much.Since the beginning of this season, Payton's playing time has also continued to increase. So far, the average playing time per game has exceeded 42 minutes. Many key games have been played for the entire game, becoming second only to Karl Malone. many players.Under Payton's leadership, the second quarter was only halfway through, and the Spurs were already 10 points behind.

"This guy's physical strength is really strong." Meng Xu really admired Payton's physical strength from the bottom of his heart. He hadn't rested for 18 minutes before, and now he can keep breathing evenly while standing in front of Meng Xu.

"Rookie, it's finally your turn." Seeing Meng Xu standing in front of him with his arms outstretched, Payton was also excited. Since Jordan retired, Payton has a feeling that he has no opponent, although he has not yet Can get involved in the championship, but in the past few years, Payton has played against all the top perimeter players in the league one by one, from the 1st position to the 3rd position, and they are all defensive.In the first two games against the Spurs this season, Payton has not noticed Meng Xu, but since the middle of the season, Meng Xu has been touted by some good media as the top 3 in the league, and even the best perimeter defensive player. Let Payton, who won the best defense as a guard and claims to be the number one in the league in defense, feels a little uncomfortable.

Meng Xu didn't answer, but concentrated on staring at Peyton. He didn't have a playful smile like he used to. Meng Xu now also imitated Duncan's facial paralysis.For Payton, Meng Xu also has some understanding. As a super giant with a strength rating of 96 at his peak, Payton is definitely a very low-key player, and a player with a defensive ability of 98 at the guard position is definitely a must. There is no one before or after, even the basketball god Michael Jordan's defensive ability is inferior to Payton's.And Payton is now at the peak of his career, so Meng Xu is also very cautious in the face of Payton's provocation. It is not good to be slapped in the face accidentally.

"Boy, I remember you have a big mouth, why is this game so low-key." After Peyton finished speaking, seeing that Meng Xu still didn't respond, he gave up his plan to continue to provoke Meng Xu, lowered his head and shoulders, and lowered his body weight. , ready to break through inwards, has the league's strongest basket-protecting insider combination, the Spurs' insiders are not so easy to get in, and Payton's breakthroughs are basically creating opportunities for teammates, or using emergency stops outside the penalty area. Jump shot over.

Unlike traditional point guards who rely on speed and changing directions to break through, Payton's breakthrough relies more on his super physical fitness and first-class movement speed to crush defenders. In the past, this kind of player was Meng Xu's best The type that is difficult to defend, but as Meng Xu's strength attributes continue to increase, and he is more proficient in using the skills of the sixth sense and death coiling, Meng Xu has gradually found a way to deal with this type of players, basically it will not appear before. That kind of situation where you lose your position as soon as you are bumped by the opponent, and then you are wiped out.

Since he was very clear about Payton's purpose after breaking through, Meng Xu also deliberately put Payton outside when defending Payton, mainly blocking his passage into the inside, so the current situation on the field seems to be Meng Xu There's no way to defend Payton, but in fact Payton can't get close to the edge of the penalty area at all.

Seeing that 15 seconds had passed, Payton finally called his teammates to perform a pick-and-roll. After the pick-and-roll, he passed the ball to Wen Baker on the edge of the penalty area. Shad Lewis, and under the collision of Sean Etrio, Lewis caught the ball unsteadily and directly made a mistake, and the basketball went out of the baseline.

Back on the offensive end, Payton also wanted to get back the field. He gave up Avery Johnson, who was facing him, and took the initiative to find Meng Xu.Payton's defense is very similar to Leonard's defensive style, both of which are close and oppressive defenses, but Payton's small movements are much more than Leonard's. Although the height and wingspan are slightly obvious, but relying on With a strong body, excellent movement speed, and all kinds of small movements, Meng Xu is also very uncomfortable under Payton's defense.

Fortunately, unlike Payton, Meng Xu is not the main offensive point of the Spurs. In this attack, Meng Xu only touched the ball once. After passing the ball, Meng Xu did not shoot blindly, but passed it to Sean Etrillo on the weak side. In the end, the basketball was transferred to the inside. Duncan singled Wen Baker, not only scoring the ball, but also causing Wen Baker to foul.

After two consecutive rounds, the ashen-faced Payton gave up defending Meng Xu and continued to defend Avery Johnson instead.After Payton was constantly led around by Meng Xu, he lost Payton's supersonic speed, and the defense immediately dropped a notch.Payton is now both a father and a mother in the Sonics. He not only has to defend the opponent's perimeter core, but also helps defend Brent Barry and Rashad Lewis, and also organizes the offense on the offensive end. His teammates are not strong. Time to stand up and score.

After Payton switched defenses, facing Supersonics shooting guard Brent Barry, Meng Xu was not so polite. With his height, wingspan and bounce fully dominant, Meng Xu scored two consecutive outside 3 points, and the Supersonics The head coach called a timeout. In 4 rounds, the Spurs beat the Sonics 11-4. The original 10-point difference was reduced to 3 points in an instant.

In the second half of the second quarter, after the Spurs strengthened their defense against Payton and the inside offense, they quickly caught up with the score. By the end of the second quarter, 50 to 51, the difference between the two teams was only 1 point. point.After the Sonics scored 33 points in the first quarter, they scored only 18 points in the second quarter.

(End of this chapter)