NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 511 Where is Tim Duncan? (Daily Chapter)

At the AT&T Center, San Antonio fans were treated to a big show on Sunday night.

Completely different from what was predicted before the game, no one expected the game to be so "intense" that Bruce Bowen was carried off the court on a stretcher less than a minute into the game.

The crowd was outraged, Popovich's face turned red with anger, and the old man wanted to rush into the court and give Artest a series of punches!

The unexpected start brought the game into a different direction. After getting the anger buff, the Spurs finally scored more than 50 points in the first half, but the fans in front of the TV were more concerned about the conflict.

58:51, the trio all played well, and the Spurs kept close to the score after returning to their home court.

Shouting, booing, and angry shouting continued in the arena. When ABC's sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya interviewed Li You, she did not add fuel to the fire, but continued to talk about the game:

"Lee, did Artest's departure disrupt the Knicks' game rhythm? Did it have an impact on the second half?"

Because he arrived too late, Li You had to warm up actively in the first half and played for 22 minutes in the first half. Although he did not score many points, he had already provided 9 assists in the first half.

"Ron was an integral member of the team and his unexpected departure did affect the game."

"But I believe in my teammates. This is the third game of the finals. We don't want to miss the match point. We will be in better shape in the second half!"

Li You said it easily, but the boos from the Spurs fans behind were getting louder and louder. They could not accept such a result.

"Shh!"

Facing the boos that resounded throughout the stadium, Li You, wearing a blue away jersey, ignored the excited fans on both sides of the player tunnel and slowly returned to the locker room under the protection of the staff.

As the camera turned, a serious-looking black reporter named Stuart Scott appeared in front of the Spurs' locker room and spoke quickly to the camera about the news he had received:
"The Spurs medical team has confirmed that Bruce Bowen has suffered a severe concussion and has been taken to the hospital."

"Artest apologized for this. He thought his opponent should not appear in his celebration. As far as I know, after being ejected, he tried to visit his opponent in the Spurs locker room and was eventually ejected."

"Given the process of head injuries, Bowen will miss Game 4, and the Spurs players are very angry about this."

When Bowen was seriously injured and fell to the ground with his eyes rolled up, he was constantly being defended. Scott was halfway through his words when the scene of Bowen being carried into the ambulance appeared in front of the fans in front of the TV.

In the camera, Bowen was still being carried into the ambulance. The heavy blow seemed to have made the veteran lose consciousness. Anyone could see that he was seriously injured this time.

After the ABC studio reported the news, host Dan Patrick didn't know what to ask for a moment and could only say something polite:

"Bless Bruce Bowen, he is an excellent perimeter defender for the Spurs, and I hope he can recover as soon as possible."

Michael Wilbon was in a state of gloating. Bowen's defense played an indispensable role in the Spurs' advancement. The veteran, who is about to turn 36, can even suppress most of the opponents.

However, this "edge-skiing" defensive technique was criticized by many players. Steve Nash was hit hard, and head coach Gentry complained about it.

"I don't think the Spurs can limit Lee by changing their defensive matchup. I sympathize with Bowen, but it's impossible to expect a 36-year-old veteran to save the team."

"The Spurs performed well in the first half, but they will face a real test. The Knicks in the second half are the most terrifying. They don't have time to dwell on this foul."

Hearing his partner's words, Jon Barry nodded seriously. Everyone knew the Spurs' little tricks. Considering that this was their home court, they could only say polite words at this time:

“Brent Barry performed well after coming on, but whether he can withstand the pressure will depend on the second half.”

"There is no doubt that Robert Horry will get more playing time. I hope the 36-year-old veteran can bring surprises to the San Antonio fans."

"."

The three people in the studio had a lukewarm reaction to the reduction in players after the opening, but the Spurs were furious, and even the staff were angered by Artest's "goodwill".

It was really too much, I was too lazy to act, and just started with a "heavy punch".

Popovich was so hoarse from shouting when he returned to the locker room. The old man didn't expect the opponent to be so straightforward in breaking the defensive strategy he had arranged:

"Cheer up! Think about what happened to Bruce. We must win this game. We want to prove to everyone that dirty tricks can't defeat the Spurs."

Popovich shouted out some chicken soup, and Duncan, who had only rested for less than a minute in the first half, took a deep breath and showed a determined look.

Everyone stood up and clapped their hands, high-fiving themselves to encourage themselves. Robert Horry shouted excitedly:
"Win the game and make them pay!"

Jacqui Vaughn and Francisco Elson, who were infected by the emotion, also started shouting loudly. Only Beno Udrih, who did not get playing time, remained silent in the locker room.

The second half of the game was about to begin. The director reviewed the technical statistics of the core players of both teams. Li You and Duncan played almost the entire half:

10中5，三分线外3中1，罚球2中2，13分4篮板9助攻1抢断1失误，李佑差一点拿到两双；
Duncan's performance was mediocre, with 10 of 4 shots, 7 of 5 free throws, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 turnover, but relying on his restraining power, Ginobili scored 12 points in the first half and became the team's key man.

The two core players seemed to be performing mediocrely, but Mark Jackson didn't care about that in the commentary booth and once again pointed out the hidden dangers of the Spurs:

"According to the offensive and defensive rhythm in the first half, the Knicks will have a greater advantage in the fourth quarter."

"The Spurs can't count on Lee to stay in a slump. Once he finds his touch from beyond the three-point line, they will face a huge test."

Jeff Van Gundy could feel the anger of the fans at the scene. He didn't expect the game to develop like this. He was a little disdainful of Popovich's adjustment, but he had a smile on his face:

"What's being tested now is willpower. The desire for the championship may allow the Spurs to get into better shape."

"I think Tony Parker will be the key to the game, and whether he can explode in the second half is crucial."

Mike Breen did not participate in the conversation between the two. No matter how much analysis is done, it is useless. Up to now in the series, the Spurs have not even won a quarter. The gap is even bigger than the commentators imagined.

"Go Spurs go!."

The AT&T Center was once again filled with uniform cheers. Parker, who received the ball at the baseline, looked at Li You who was defending him, gritted his teeth and rushed forward, trying to cross the center line as quickly as possible.

Unlike the emotional Spurs players, the Knicks did not react much. The Spurs are an old rival, and everyone is familiar with the opponent's tactics.

Gasol continued to pester Duncan, without any unnecessary movements with his hands. He just leaned against the opponent, continuing his previous strategy of relying entirely on his long arms for defense.

Prince, who came on as a substitute, also did not show much emotion. Even though Ginobili played well in the first half, he did not hold back on the defensive end and started defending early.

This time the Spurs used a double-screen tactic, with both big men coming to the top of the arc to screen for Parker, but Oberto moved upwards and Chandler did not follow him out to defend.

Hill was also observing the defense in the right blocking area. Brent Barry seemed to be left open, but in fact Hill was confident that he could disrupt this low-key shooter at any time.

Faced with the Knicks' impenetrable man-to-man defense, Parker finally chose to dribble behind his back and switch to his left hand, using Duncan's screen to accelerate laterally to the left wing.

The pick-and-roll moved to the free throw line, Duncan slowly moved down, waiting for the opponent at any time, and Li You squeezed in front of his old opponent, cutting off the passing route while leaning on him. The cheers became louder and louder, and facing Gasol who was switched, Parker on the left wing immediately pushed the ball and changed direction, holding the ball in his right hand and lowering his shoulders to accelerate.

When breaking into the paint area, Parker noticed that Chandler began to retreat, and while moving, he passed the ball to Oberto who was left open near the right baseline.

Brent Barry had already moved to the upper line to create space, and Oberto, who received the ball, did not encounter any help defense, but the Argentine big man missed the shot in an open position.

"Oh"

With a sigh, Duncan tried his best to squeeze to the basket, but was still blocked by Li You behind him. He watched Gasol tap the basketball away and Chandler jumped up to grab the rebound.

The big-time attack in the first half had no effect. All the expected tactics failed. Duncan, who failed to squeeze past Li You, was a little upset. While pushing and shoving, he glared at the baseline referee and shouted:
"foul!"

Hill, who was about to receive the ball, was almost crossing half court at this time. The Spurs players quickly returned to defense. Parker matched up in time and followed Li You without even looking at the ball.

"Defense!."

Many Spurs fans wearing white cheering T-shirts stood up and shouted, and when they saw Hill pass the ball to Li You who was running back to receive the ball, the noise became even louder.

Li You received the ball near the top of the arc on the right wing. Under Parker's covert defense, he did not rush to release the ball. He waited until Gasol moved his feet and brought Duncan to the top line before starting the attack.

Turning sideways and releasing the ball with his left hand, Li You lowered his center of gravity, protected his hand, slapped away Parker's interfering arm, and slowly moved toward the top of the arc.

Duncan, who was defending, noticed that the Knicks were lined up in a row at the bottom line, and immediately realized that it was likely to be another one-on-one match.
The shouting became louder and louder. As Gasol came and stood beside the two men, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, immediately exploded the ball, moving backwards while quickly in and out, and his body swayed violently to the right front.

Parker, who was about to squeeze through the screen, subconsciously slid to the left rear, and Duncan immediately rushed to defend. Just as he raised his left arm, he saw Li You bomb the ball to his side again.

Taking advantage of the rebounding force of the basketball, Li You kicked the ball directly from his side, ignoring Duncan who raised his left arm to defend, and after receiving the ball, he leaned back slightly and made a quick jump shot!
Seeing Li You and Duncan fall to the floor and the basketball go into the net, Mike Breen in the commentary booth instantly raised his voice and shouted:
"Lee! From downtown! It's gone!"

"OMG! Unbelievable!"

61:51, watching the score difference become double digits, Popovich on the sidelines stood there in a daze, while on the other side D'Antoni complained loudly to the linesman, and several members of the coaching staff also surrounded him, indicating that this was a foul.

"Shh!"

The game continued amid the boos. Li You, who was pulled up by his teammates, did not complain to the referee. Instead, he looked at Duncan and reminded him loudly:
"Step back and jump shot!"

Seeing his old opponent shaking his head and retreating, Duncan couldn't hold back for a moment and cursed inwardly. He didn't even know how the ball was thrown. He made a mistake in defense and still scored.
In the first half, he encountered Li You's close defense again. Parker passed the ball early again. When Ginobili on the left wing received the ball, there was a cross screen at the baseline, and Duncan came to the left blocking area again.

Chandler was a beat slow, which allowed Duncan to receive the ball in a deeper position, take a quick tentative step after facing the basket, and then release the ball with his left hand to attack the basket.

When he squeezed to the lower left side of the basket, Duncan raised the ball and faked a move, but was assisted by Gasol. Before the two men surrounded him, he leaned his body and shot a rebound with his left hand.

The long-arm interference worked, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced out. The Knicks players crowded under the basket early, and there was no one to help Oberto. He watched Li You steal the rebound in the paint area.

After grabbing the rebound, he immediately advanced with the ball. The Spurs players worked hard to retreat and Parker established a defensive position early, and was the first to defend near the center line.

When Li You slowed down, Gasol had already rushed across half court with big strides, and took advantage of Parker's pursuit to suddenly stop far away from the three-point line.

While moving, Li You passed the ball behind his back and switched to his right hand to pretend to break through. Parker squeezed through the screen in time but almost lost his defensive position, and hurriedly pulled secretly with his right hand.

Just as he pulled the jersey, Li You suddenly stopped, blew the ball and turned around in one go. While touching the ball with his left hand, the ball guard did not forget to fight back.
Parker, who was trying to squeeze through the screen, was suddenly hit by an elbow. His body fell back and hit Gasol. He screamed and loudly alerted the referee.

"what!"

Li You moved too fast and Parker's performance was too exaggerated. The referee did not make any comments. Instead, Duncan almost made a misjudgment. He tried desperately to slide to the right, but found that he was already half a body length behind.

Holding the ball in his left hand and accelerating sideways, Li You was at a very fast speed and reached the left wing in the blink of an eye. Without waiting to get close to the three-point line, he suddenly stopped, took a big step back after dribbling the ball.

"Oh!"

Seeing Li You instantly come to the position near the left sideline and make a drifting jump shot, the Spurs fans at the scene exclaimed for a moment.

"Swish!" Duncan jumped up before he could defend, and the three-pointer went into the net.

At 64:51, Li You, who had flown out of the sideline, stopped in front of the fans, patted his chest, paced back, and laughed and joked loudly:
“Where is Tim Duncan?”

The suddenly quiet stadium soon erupted into boos again. Duncan was speechless due to the exaggerated step back distance. Popovich on the sidelines was still hesitating. The old man always felt that something was wrong.

Duncan's high-quality screen allowed Parker to get rid of Li You at the top of the arc. Facing Gasol who switched defense, he immediately stepped forward and shot the ball the moment he crossed the free throw line.

Although the basketball went into the net, Parker breathed a sigh of relief when he landed. He was just a little bit away from getting caught up by Li You.

When the Knicks attacked, Prince on the left wing received the ball first. After passing the ball, Li You first pretended to cut into the middle, and suddenly bounced out from the top of the arc across the three-point line.

Prince passed the ball back immediately, and facing Parker who was chasing him, Li You protected the ball on the left side of his body while taking a quick tentative step with his right foot.

Parker, who was defending closely, quickly opened his arms, trying to use his body to pressure the defense and drive Li You to the inside line. However, the moment he opened his arms, the opponent in front of him suddenly jumped up.
"Oh!"

With a low cry, Li You received the ball in front of Parker and shot directly. The latter didn't even make any defensive moves, but just turned his head to look at the basket.

"Shh!"

As the three-pointer went in again, there was jubilation on the Knicks bench and Popovich immediately requested a timeout.

67:53, the point difference is still widening.

The unreasonable goal made the old man have to give chicken soup. As a result, in the first round after the timeout, Duncan, who was standing on the free throw line, suddenly missed two free throws.
When Chandler grabbed the rebound, the AT&T Center suddenly became quiet. Many Spurs fans seemed to have sensed something and stopped shouting.

In the semi-transition offense, Li You advanced along the left sideline with the ball, not very fast. Parker was still observing whether there was a pick-and-roll on the side. He stopped and just turned his head when he heard another exclamation in his ears.

"30 feet?"

Parker opened his mouth wide, a thought flashed through his mind, and Li You, who had just dribbled two steps across half court, passed the ball in front of him and made a standard pull-up jump shot.

"Oh my god! It's Lee's turn to shine! Incredible shot!"

Seeing the basketball go into the net, Mark Jackson exclaimed. The old-school guard couldn't understand such an operation.
The outrageous offensive choice made the AT&T Center quiet again. Only the Knicks bench was celebrating wildly. Li You, with his left hand to his ear, reminded the fans loudly again:

“Where is Tim Duncan?”

"."

(End of this chapter)