Legendary star

Chapter 86 Showdown (2)

After the start of the third quarter, both the Spurs and the Supersonics made adjustments to the lineup. The Spurs' Sean Etterio sat on the bench, Meng Xu returned to the small forward position, and waved at the shooting guard position. Povich chose Antonio Daniels as a backup guard. This player has a certain mid-range shooting ability, but he is average in possession, defense, and offense with the ball. The only thing he is good at is pick-and-roll and off-ball screens. , is also a marginal man of ten thousand years, and in this game Avery Johnson was blown away by Payton, so from the third quarter, Popovich sent Antonio Daniels to escort Avery Johnson It's just that after Popovich arranged this way, Meng Xu's defensive tasks were obviously more.

For the Supersonics, after the start of the third quarter, head coach Westphal replaced Rashad Lewis with Ruben Patterson. Lewis, who was thin and afraid of confrontation, had this shortcoming in the second half of the second quarter. Being infinitely magnified in the middle, Lewis played quite hard under the "deliberate" body collisions of Meng Xu and Sean Etrillo.While replacing Lewis, Gerani McCoy replaced Wen Baker who was physically weak. Due to his alcohol addiction during the offseason of the 9798 season, Wen Baker's state declined rapidly. An All-Star power forward with an average of 20+10 per game has dropped to 14+6. Although this season has improved slightly, he will never be able to return to the peak. The golden age of 27 has already gone downhill. This game Wen Baker performed well, but after less than 20 minutes of confrontation with Tim Duncan, Wen Baker was a little exhausted.

From the beginning of the third quarter, the Spurs obviously strengthened their defense. Tim Duncan and David Robinson sat on both sides of the penalty area. Meng Xu swept the free throw line area. The team, after the Spurs strengthened their defense on the inside, failed to score a single point in the first 3 minutes of the third quarter. The spurt of 3 to 1 overtook the score.

Seeing that Payton failed to break through again on the field, he passed the ball back to Brent Barry on the outside. After Brent Barry hesitated, he missed a 3-pointer and the Supersonics coach Westphal called a timeout.

"The Spurs' defense is really too strong." In the first two quarters, they not only led the score, but even suppressed the Spurs' Supersonics on the scene. In the third quarter, after the Spurs strengthened their defense, they suddenly stopped playing. Can't score, can't make a breakthrough, can't make an outside shot, and in just 5 minutes, the Sonics trailed the Spurs by 11 points. Westphal had to call timeouts 3 times in the first half of the third quarter.

"Yes, Tim Duncan is a player with his own defensive system. His ability to protect the rim and assist in defense can be said to be the strongest among all power forwards in the league, and David Robinson has also won the best defensive player. Although he is getting older now, his super center is still top-notch thanks to his rich game experience and defensive awareness. And the Spurs rookie small forward Meng Xu, his one-on-one defensive ability is very good Excellent, and relying on his excellent moving speed, his defensive area is also very large, covering almost all areas from the 3-point line to the free throw line, the defense of this Spurs is absolutely historical." Two players on the field A commentator also commented on the Spurs' defense during the timeout, and thought of a way to break the Spurs' defense for the Supersonics.

This season, the Sonics' average opponent points per game ranks in the top five in the league. It can be said that the Sonics' defense is very good, and it can support the core of the Sonics' defensive system. Payton's defense is naturally beyond doubt.But no matter when in the rules of the basketball game, inside players have inherent advantages in defense. It's also a judgment call.

After the game restarted, Payton squeezed away Johnson, dribbled the ball and directly hit Antonio Daniels, who was double-teaming him, and faced Meng Xu, who was defending him. With the sound of the whistle, Payton made a jump shot The hit also caused a foul by Meng Xu.

"Did the Supersonics deliberately foul Meng?" After being hit 2+1 by Payton, Meng Xu fouled three times. Once Meng Xu is off the court, not only will the Spurs' perimeter defense drop a few notches, but Tim Duncan, who has lost his perimeter barrier, will also face the opponent's impact directly, and the defensive pressure will increase sharply.

"Meng's game experience is still not good enough." Meng Xu's defensive awareness is very good, but his ability to assist in defense is not so interesting. The choice is still a lot worse than Duncan.As soon as Popovich finished speaking, the whistle sounded again. Payton fouled Meng Xu again. Although Payton failed to make a shot this time, Meng Xu, who had committed 4 fouls, had to end the game. .

"The referee's whistle is very bad for us." In fact, Meng Xu's defense against Payton just now, those actions are completely optional.

"Payton is a player at the same level as Tim, and it's normal to be taken care of by the league. He said that this is still the home of the Supersonics." Being taken care of, although Payton moved 5 points in a row, the point difference is still 9 points, and the Supersonics are just lingering for a while.

The official timeout in the third quarter, 58 to 67, the Sonics were beaten by the Spurs 17 to 7. Due to the huge lead, the Spurs replaced Duncan, David Robinson and Avery Johnson after the official timeout in the third quarter, and sent The bench lineup led by Sean Etrio and Mario Ellis was replaced.Not only did the Sonics not carry out player rotation, but they also replaced Wen Baker in an attempt to move back to the score during the rest of the Spurs' main players.

In the second half of the third quarter, the Sonics never filled the 10-point hole. The bench lineup led by Sean Etrillo and Mario Ellis, although the defense is not very good, but the offensive firepower is still no problem.

After a sufficient rest, after the Spurs' main lineup re-entered the field in the fourth quarter, the two sides played for only 5 minutes, and the score was once again stretched to 10 points. In the end, the Spurs defeated the Supersonics 93 to 82, and Payton played In 45 minutes, he scored a game-high 43 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals, but they still couldn't help the Sonics win.

"Boy, your defense is great." After the game, Gary Payton took the initiative to walk to Meng Xu, patted Meng Xu on the shoulder, and walked into the player tunnel with a lonely face.

(End of this chapter)