ATPnovel Chapter 481
Chapter 481
Chapter 481
The Clippers took advantage of the unfamiliarity of the Nuggets during the rotation to overtake the score. After the main force played again in the second quarter, Paul taught the rookie a lesson.
McConnell actually did a good job facing the defense, but the weakness of the offense was completely exposed.
The team's other two outside lines did not continue the state of the first quarter, causing the Nuggets to fall behind in the first half.
In fact, the outside shooting percentages of the main players of both sides are decreasing, but the opponent's substitute performance is better, which makes the Nuggets the weaker side.
To be honest, the Clippers' bench lineup is a bit difficult to manage. Those people are not very stable except for Crawford, but those players are all experienced players and can play well.
With Crawford performing on the offensive end, the Nuggets are not very good at releasing defensive attention.
After all, no one knows when those substitutes will play well. The Clippers themselves haven't organized their bench lineup, and the Nuggets can't guess it at all.
It's just that when the Clippers meet the Nuggets, most teams are full of fighting spirit, so there will be situations that neither side can predict.
In the third quarter, Griffin played the best performance against the Nuggets. Not only did he score points, but he also chose to pass the ball after going in a few times, which made Jordan go crazy.
To be honest, Griffin's comprehensive ability is really strong, and he plays like this in a small forward mode.
Before using the third position to defend him, he played in the low post, but now there is another option.
Of course, the Clippers couldn't prevent the Nuggets either. Xiang Chu and Jokic scored more points than each other, but because of Griffin's performance, the Nuggets couldn't reverse the score quickly.
When it came to the rotation stage, the Clippers showed their power again, and Crawford scored consecutive points, but he couldn't defend against it.
Crawford is originally the type who can throw in the face of defense, but his shooting rate is extremely unstable.
With his characteristics, he is also more suitable to play as a substitute, and tactics with the main lineup are easy to become decorations.
This kind of player cheats when he feels good, and the Nuggets fell behind by double digits before they could react.
After the main players play again, there are not many options to choose from.
At the last moment, the Nuggets even chose the tactic of cutting Jordan, but Jordan's free throws were okay this time, with a hit rate of more than half, and the Nuggets had no choice but to accept failure.
Jokic was a little frustrated after the game. He didn't expect to lose in the first game.
But his statistics are actually good. He scored 15+7+7. He didn’t get a double-double because when he and Xiang Chu were on the court at the same time, he usually blocked people when he grabbed rebounds. Xiang Chu also scored 33+20. Large double pair.
Xiang Chu still praised Jokic after the game, "He played very well. This is my ideal inside partner. We will not be afraid of changing because of losing. In order to get the glory that we can't get, we must have Enough courage, I am looking forward to the next game."
The problem in this game is actually on the perimeter and defense, but it is also related to the lineup change.
There are two big men on the court, and the space for outside players to move is also smaller.
There is also the deployment of the rotation lineup, which has not reached an optimal level.
It takes time to accumulate experience, but the efficiency of the two insiders has been initially demonstrated.
As long as they adjust other details, the Nuggets' twin towers will be difficult for other teams to solve.
George Karl found Jokic after the game and told him that the team would not change the starting lineup.
Jokic felt relieved and worked harder during training.
The loss of a strong team is also news, because the Nuggets have changed their tactics, and there are more and more topics about the twin towers on the Internet.
Only good grades will be discussed, just like the rise of the Warriors has brought about a wave of discussions about small lineups.
The Twin Towers are now used by other teams, but only the defending champions like the Nuggets are hot.
The team will then play back-to-back against the Western Conference powerhouses, which is also the time to really test their quality.
Before playing against the visiting Spurs, they had ample time to adjust at home.
In addition, the All-Star voting will start again soon, and Xiang Chu will once again become the focus of fans' attention.
On November 11, the Nuggets played against the Spurs again with a young starting lineup, a combination of inside twin towers.
There are two rookies in the starting lineup, which is also very eye-catching for the defending champion, but the Nuggets will not start for this purpose, they are for the victory of the playoffs.
The Spurs arranged for Duncan to rest, and the Nuggets were too strong inside. Popovich was afraid that the old stone Buddha would consume too much, so he simply didn't play him.
The Spurs still have the Twin Towers starting. Their fifth position is Jokic's fellow Boban Marjanovic, who is now the tallest player in the league.
He is taller and heavier than Xiang Chu, which is really an outlier in the league.
Popovich also wanted to see if such an unconventional big center could pose a threat to Xiang Chu.
Facts have proved that there is no such thing as Boban's speed is too slow, and Xiang Chu's speed has never been slow.
Boban couldn't keep up with Xiang Chu's rhythm on both offense and defense, and was prone to fouls.
After only half a quarter, the Spurs had no choice but to put Boban down. It seemed that it would be difficult for Jokic's hometown to adapt to the league. His height and weight made him not flexible enough, and his advantages and disadvantages were extremely obvious.
After the Spurs switched to Diaw, the inside line completely became the Nuggets' world.
Diaw has his advantages. He is very flexible and Jokic can't keep up. It's just that the Spurs' current arrangement is Aldridge against Shang Xiangchu.
Aldridge scored 8 points before facing Shang Xiangchu, but after facing Shang Xiangchu, he was completely dominated.
The defensive end was crushed by Xiang Chu, and the offensive shooting was completely interfered with.
I don't know if it's wrong, Xiang Chu is really strong and unreasonable.
Originally, Aldridge still had a bit of a mental advantage. He used to have good statistics against the Nuggets. Now think about it, if Xiang Chu is the main defense against him, the situation will be completely different.
In this game, the Spurs are trying to slow down the tempo.
The Spurs started this season well, but they have also changed on the offensive end. Originally, the Spurs were also a three-point team with a group of good three-point role players. Now they have returned to defensive tactics due to personnel changes.
So even if Duncan doesn't play this time, the Spurs are not slow.
If it's just playing slowly, no one should be Xiang Chu's opponent. Xiang Chu's shooting percentage at the basket is the league's first.
The point is, Ginobili hasn't returned for the Spurs yet, and their bench lineup has no advantage at all. After the Nuggets take the lead, it is too difficult for the Spurs to catch up.
However, the Spurs can still start with a good record despite the uneven lineup, which also shows the background of the team. Popovich is very good at playing players' strengths.
It's just that when encountering a strong team like the Nuggets, the game strategy doesn't work all the time. Everyone has to fight with real swords and guns. No one of them can match Xiang Chu, so they can only be beaten passively.
(End of this chapter)