ATPnovel Chapter 319 The Hardest Opponent
Chapter 319 The Hardest Opponent
Chapter 319 The Hardest Opponent
Duncan is really old. This game seems to have had enough rest, but he still missed a shot in the confrontation at the last moment.
If he was at his peak, such a shot would be sure, but now he loses his stamina after sitting down on Faried.
The Nuggets are unhurried and have already begun to press time.
About halfway through the attack time, Farid stepped forward to cover, but Knight did not kill directly inside, but rushed to the side and handed the ball to Xiang Chu.
There are a hundred ways to hand the ball to Xiang Chu, and the Nuggets have many routines.
The moment Xiang Chu received the ball, the Spurs' defense was mobilized, but at this time Xiang Chu just sent the ball to the side, and Faried had already started to catch the ball and dunked directly.
Xiang Chu is good with four shooters, but his cooperation with Farid has never been unfamiliar.
The Spurs will not play Duncan again. They just want Duncan to team up with Splitter to restrict Xiang Chu.
On the offensive end, Ginobili also hit two points.
But at this time, time was running out, and the Nuggets pressed the time again, and they planned to press it to the end.
The Spurs did not choose to foul, and the Nuggets' free throw percentage was not low.
In the last few seconds, Middleton caught the ball and shot.
The three-pointer was missed, but Xiang Chu grabbed the rebound abruptly in the siege of the two insiders of the Spurs. This time the Spurs had to foul, and Duncan directly pulled a hand.
Xiang Chu made two free throws, but when he came back, Ginobili missed another three-pointer. After the Nuggets protected the rebound, the Spurs chose to give up.
In the first game of the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets defeated the Spurs at home and won their first victory.
"We need everyone to do more on the defensive end. It's not enough for us to get enough points to win the game. We need to play better defense and not let the opponent want anything from us." Popovich The latter is rarely serious.
"Fortunately, this is a best-of-seven game, and we still have a chance."
Duncan said in an interview, "When it comes to the Western Conference Finals, we must give full play to our advantages."
George Karl responded to a reporter's question about allowing Xiang Chu to increase his playing time, "He is our key. He and our entire team are ready. What happened last year will not happen again."
Xiang Chu also said in an interview: "We rested more time, not just me, our whole team is full of energy. This is our advantage. Coach George Karl is doing the right thing."
There must be different opinions from the outside world, and Xiang Chu doesn't care what the Spurs think, anyway, he is full of confidence, and it is no problem to tire the Spurs' insiders.
However, it is not easy for them to win this game. The Spurs are definitely the most difficult opponent in the West. The Nuggets must be cautious enough.
The second game between the Heat and the Pacers was also very tangled.
The team style really has mutual restraint. The Pacers had bumps in the first two rounds, but they became tough when they met the Heat.
The Heat's main force has added an inside line, but the inside line is still at a disadvantage.
Fighting defense, fighting inside, made the Heat very embarrassed.
The final minutes of the game were inextricably linked, but James and Wade's final showdown helped the Heat win.
In the last 5 minutes, two points combined to score 15 points, which is indeed impossible for the Pacers.
However, professional players like Xiang Chu can still see that the Pacers are struggling.
The Heat still have a normal rotation, and the Pacers are already the main force, basically fighting against each other.
In other words, the Pacers have no cards, and if they want to go further, they can't make any mistakes.
In the second game between the Nuggets and the Spurs, the players on the team were full of fighting spirit.
The Spurs' tactics were similar to last time, starting with Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll, but this time they didn't let Duncan play solo. Although the Nuggets' insider only Xiang Chu deserves attention, he alone is better than the Thunder.
Popovich is also worried that Duncan will not be able to hold on, and good steel must be used wisely.
Popovich's confidence this season comes from tweaking the way Duncan is used, playing less time and increasing his efficiency, which has worked so well so far.
Even rookies can find suitable opportunities to use them in the playoffs. There are very few coaches in the league who have this confidence, and Popovich may be the first among them.
In this game, the Spurs originally wanted to save energy, but Duncan's mid-range is not particularly stable now, so the main attack point is on Parker.
Parker may not say that he has slipped a lot, but it is true that he is not as stable as before.
So in the first quarter, the Nuggets still had the advantage.
After being baptized by Paul, Knight was actually better against Parker. He played well in the first quarter, echoing Xiang Chune, and felt that the offensive end was about to rise.
But what the Nuggets didn't expect was that Ginobili and Danny Green suddenly exploded during the rotation.
The two hit 4 three-pointers in less than half a quarter and scored 18 points together, helping the team take the lead.
After the Spurs took the lead, it was replaced by Parker. Parker's efficiency in the first half was not bad, but he still stabilized the Spurs' lead.
Parker's two points were originally a killer weapon, but now they are not as murderous as they were at the peak, but they are also very difficult to deal with.
During the intermission, George Karl made another arrangement.
The Spurs' various offensive methods were thoroughly studied last season, and this season, there have been minor changes in personnel, all of which are routines.
It's just that the Spurs have a lot of routines, and the transition is natural. Sometimes they know that they can't react immediately on the court.
The Nuggets' plan is to limit the opponent's three-pointers as much as possible. If the Spurs keep letting Parker go to the pick-and-roll, they welcome them. The GDP in the off-peak period can't kill them like this.
In particular, Parker's attack was predictable, but Ginobili's sudden critical attack was a bit difficult to prevent.
In the third quarter, the performance of both sides was also normal at the beginning.
Duncan played soy sauce in the first half, and now he is also playing Faried, and the Nuggets also expected it.
But what I didn't expect was that the Spurs started to rotate in advance. After Ginobili and Diaw came up, they started to play outside. In fact, they played like this in the previous game, but Diaw's shooting rate was just average.
But this time, Dior made a shot from outside the three-point line, and Danny Green was even more accurate.
The Nuggets didn't keep up for a while, and the Spurs' lead came to double digits.
After the Nuggets changed the lineup to one big and four small, the situation changed slightly.
But the game time has entered the last quarter. George Karl thought about it and let Xiang Chu go down to rest for a while.
In fact, Mozgov was okay for a few minutes.
However, the score gap between the two sides has not narrowed, and the Nuggets must have a decisive battle in advance to have a chance.
(End of this chapter)