new lord of the rings

Chapter 104 Popovich's showmanship!

When the rotation time came, Mark Jackson hurriedly replaced Zhang Xin. Zhang Xin was a little out of breath, and it was very tiring to play heads-up.

The score between the two sides reached 45:41, one and a half quarters. This score is not low in such an intensity game. Although the rhythm is slow, both sides have high shooting percentages.

In general, the Warriors are dominant, the Warriors have a pure rotation, and the Spurs, apart from Splitter and Duncan, Parker, Danny Green and Leonard all played a lot of time in the rotation.

And it didn't achieve the goal of overtaking the score. This wave is a loss for the Spurs.As the game progresses, the physical factor will become the key factor in the end.

Popovich has no other options. The Warriors have Zhang Xin, the team's sixth man to carry. Of course, the Spurs' Manu Ginobili is also very strong, but compared to Zhang Xin's offensive ability, it is still not as good as it is now. Let's see if the starters can get the score back.

The Spurs have big men on the court, Duncan and Splitter can't play fast, they still play steadily, but with Duncan's support in the center and singles at the basket, the Spurs' offense is very smooth, at least it is not so easy for the Warriors to limit.

The Warriors' high-post pick-and-rolls can't defend against the Spurs. With a top player like Curry, double-teaming is to send assists. Without double-teaming Curry, the three-point threat is too great. Duncan's pace has slowed down a lot. Facing Curry's Breakthrough, very embarrassing.

Both sides defended very hard, but they had no way to limit each other, they could only bite and wait for an opportunity to appear.

In the second half of the third quarter, the Warriors' five small lineups excelled, and the balance was finally broken.

Duncan's physical strength has declined a lot, Tony Parker and Leonard's playing time is too long, and their physical strength has also declined severely.

When the Death Five started running with a bang, the Spurs were gradually unable to keep up. They couldn't switch defenses in time, couldn't keep up with off-ball screens, and couldn't keep up with the defensive cuts. Facing the Warriors' outside three-pointer transfer , also gradually unable to keep up.

In the second half of the third quarter, the Warriors played a wave of 12:4 spurts, which suddenly opened the score to 10 points.

Popovich finally realized that the biggest enemy of this Spurs team is age.Teams that can play with a shrinking defense won't force the Spurs into this kind of problem.

When encountering a team like the Warriors with a lot of space and frequent running, the Spurs need to pay more running distance to defend, then veteran Duncan will run half as much as usual. In the final stage, the Spurs It is a physical crisis.

Popovich also secretly rejoiced that it was a blessing to be aware of this problem during the regular season. If it was the playoffs, there might be no time to adjust and he would be killed directly.

There is still some time before the playoffs. Duncan's playing time can be readjusted and Duncan used cautiously. This is the biggest hole card for the Spurs.

Mark Jackson also came to realize that against a team like the Spurs, you can't win if you are eager for success. You just have to force the Spurs to overdraw their physical strength and drag them to play. In the end, the best chance to win them is to lose their physical strength.

With similar lineups and tactical systems, the advantage of the Spurs is experience, and the advantage of the Warriors is youth. Whoever can give full play to their advantages will win.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Popovich sent a rotation lineup. The Warriors did not feel that Popovich had conceded defeat. The Spurs' starting physical strength needed to be restored. It may be that the rotation was supported for a while before the main players returned to the decisive battle. After half a quarter, With the Warriors leading by 20 points, Popovich made a rotation, sending some fringe players on the court.

Everyone in the Warriors looked at each other, what kind of operation is this?
Zhang Xin had some speculations:

Popovich was sent to the rotation. First, the main force did have physical problems and had to be sent to the rotation;
The second is to see if the rotation lineup can grab some points. If it is approaching, the main players who have rested enough will come back. If they are pulled away, then give up.

This is something that Mr. Popovich will do. If there is nothing to do, then give up decisively.

In the end, the Warriors led the Spurs by 20 points and ended the game. When Duncan and Zhang Xin hugged each other, they said a famous sentence: "Zhang, the future is yours."

Zhang Xin smiled but said, "Tim, it's also ours now."

Duncan was taken aback, and smiled: "Is it yours now? It's not what you said in the regular season. See you in the playoffs."

Zhang Xin smiled confidently: "I hope to meet you in the Western Conference Finals."

Duncan nodded: "It will."

Zhang Xin was interviewed after the game.

"...Duncan is getting old? Haha, the team has been sent fishing by the Spurs. I see that the Spurs will return to the Western Conference Finals this year. As for whether they can break through the Western Conference, no one can say."

"...I estimate that this year's Western Conference will have a very cruel ending. At least [-]% of the matches will have a tiebreaker...Why? The strengths are too similar, and no one is sure that the game will be resolved in six games."

"Who will enter the Western Conference Finals?... This is a good question, but it's hard to speculate. There are too many possibilities. The Thunder, Clippers, Spurs, Warriors, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Rockets, and Grizzlies are all possible, I said , the strengths of the top eight this year are too similar, and it is possible for anyone to qualify."

Popovich was interviewed.

"...Two consecutive losses? This is just two regular season games. We played four games in the whole season, 2:2, so it was a tie."

"...The progress of the Warriors? It's because of Zhang's arrival. We won the last two games against the Warriors."

"...The Warriors are indeed very strong. They have a chance to reach the Western Conference Finals. As for whether they can break through the Western Conference, it depends on luck. All teams this year depend on luck. None of the top eight teams is a weak team. , I have the same opinion as Zhang, there is a high probability that there will be a tie-break on a large scale this year."

Duncan was also interviewed.

"...We tried our best in today's game. Obviously the Warriors are in better condition....The playoffs and the regular season are two different games, you know what I mean."

"... Zhang is very strong. He has proved this many times, but he still needs to prove this in the playoffs. The stage of every superstar will eventually return to the playoffs."

"...You will see the most brutal Western Conference playoffs in recent years. This year's strengths are very close. We are ready to meet the challenge."

"...Recruiting Zhang? Oh, I was just chatting with him. Of course, it would be lucky for the Spurs to recruit him. He should be a cornerstone player who can make a team strong for at least ten years."

The reporters heard Zhang Xin, Popovich and Duncan worried about this year's playoffs. For the teams aiming for the finals, the hell-level playoffs must be the final finals. Adverse.

Intense competition means injuries, accidents, and the physical exertion of veterans. After coming out of such a cruel West, how much energy is left to deal with the finals. You must know that the East is not weak.

(End of this chapter)