beast basketball

The Spurs chased to the last moment and were still six points behind the Mavericks. Stephen scored [-] points in this quarter, and Nowitzki, who was defending at the same time, only scored [-] points in this quarter, but still did not win the game victory.

The Spurs lost a home game, especially in this game, the performance of Duncan, Ginobili, Robert Horry, Van Exel, etc. who were either injured or old, made the Spurs suddenly from the favorite to win the championship. A pseudo strong team, especially the physical problems of the Spurs.

In the regular season, this problem is naturally not so serious. You can allocate your physical strength in advance. When you encounter a strong team, you can play a little longer. There is no problem, and you can make up for it later. It is not so easy to solve, countless experts cited a lot of evidence to prove the correctness of this theory.

For example, the Spurs' failures in the regular season mostly occurred in back-to-back games, which is the biggest manifestation of physical strength problems, or after a strong game, even if they encounter a weak team, the Spurs may fail, which is also physical strength. Insufficient performance.

Popovich tried his best, and even played an unprecedented ten-man rotation lineup to maximize the role of tactics. However, it can only reduce the impact of this problem, but cannot completely solve it. No one can overcome injuries and aging. Avoid, this can only be mastered by God.

Many people describe the Spurs winning the championship in odd-numbered years as overdrawing their energy and stamina, and then falling asleep in even-numbered years. Last season, the Spurs won the championship. This season, Duncan and Ginobili are not as good as last season. , especially Ginobili, also went to play in the Copa America.

There is some truth to this statement, and there is also some deception. The physical problem is not a problem for the Spurs team. All teams have this problem. Their physical strength and energy were wasted in the regular season, so their performance in the playoffs was not good.

The Heat also have this problem. Like the Spurs, the Heat's lineup is dominated by older players. Their inside combination O'Neal and Mourning are not much younger than the Spurs, and O'Neal also has a foot injury. , Others like Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, and Jason Williams are not young, and they are also well-known veterans in the league.

However, the reason for attacking them is because the Spurs are too popular. If the Pistons were the most prominent in the first half of the regular season, then in the second half, especially after Stephen’s article came out, many discerning people have already Everyone has seen the problems of the Pistons, and the Spurs are the defending champions, so they have become the target of public criticism.

Just when the fans of the Spurs were worried about the status quo of the team, the coaching staff of the Spurs also held a meeting to discuss. After the game, the team doctor conducted a detailed physical examination for each player of the Spurs. Inspection, now that the inspection report has come out, judging from the solemn faces of these people, it is obviously not good news.

Popovich himself did not expect that the team's injuries and physical problems would be so serious. He always thought that after regular season adjustments and lineup rotation, this problem should be almost solved. Now it seems that the effect is not as good as his As good as imagined.

Compared with the intensity of the regular season, these problems are not too serious, but after going through the playoffs, especially this game against the Mavericks, the intensity of both offense and defense has risen to a higher level, which exposed the problems.

Like Duncan, his foot injury problem was not too serious. In the regular season, he played less than 10 minutes per game, which is already a rest for him, and his stable performance is also the largest of the Spurs. However, in the playoffs, it is impossible for him to play so little playing time, and the intensity has increased, and the problem of foot injury has begun to show up. Here we come, judging from the physical report, first of all Duncan's physical condition is not optimistic.

You must know that Duncan is the cornerstone of the Spurs and the backbone of the Spurs. No matter how good other players perform, the core of the Spurs is undoubtedly Duncan. Another, in the case of reduced playing time and injuries, Duncan can still output an average of [-] plus [-] per game is the biggest evidence.

The other Spurs who averaged [-] points per game is Stephen, but this is based on the fact that Ginobili's average points per game have been greatly reduced. The number of breakthroughs is reduced, and the number of shots is correspondingly reduced, turning into a playmaker, otherwise Stephen would have so many shots.

So far, Ginobili's problem is not that serious. Although his physical fitness is insufficient, he has almost recovered from his injuries. Although it is impossible to play high-quality games for 10 minutes per game, but more than 10 minutes But there is no problem.

As for Tony Parker, his playing time and performance have always been the most stable among the Spurs, and he has no injuries at the same time. Although he is also a master of breakthroughs, under Popovich's strict discipline, Tony Parker The breakthrough is not as destructive to the body as other people, and the throwing shot that breaks through also reduces the risk of injury. Popovich is strictly forbidden to use such offensive methods that are particularly harmful to the knee, such as emergency stop jumpers. .After reading the physical reports of the two of them, it also made Popovich look optimistic. Otherwise, Popovich would really feel that there is no hope for this season. Duncan, Tony Parker, and Ginobili are his The player who relies on the most is also the most familiar and used to use. If all three of them have problems, it will be a big blow to Popovich.

After reading the physical condition reports of the three of them, the following is Stephen’s. Stephen’s emergence this season is the main reason for the Spurs’ glory days, and it is also the main factor for the Spurs’ smooth progress to the present. Other signings this season Even when Popovich's ideals were not met, Stephen used his outstanding performance to make Popovich realize that he would be misjudged.

Popovich himself never imagined that the player he originally planned to find a spare tire for Bruce Bowen, and it was a spare tire two years later, would grow to this point. A rookie player signed with a two-year minimum salary contract will win the best rookie, will average 51 plus [-] plus [-] per game, will score [-] points in a single game, and will show a triple-double in his rookie season.

It’s also a mistake. This kind of mistake will only make people feel pleasantly surprised. At the same time, it’s a pity that the contract is a bit shorter. If Stephen is selected in the first round, it will directly be a four-year contract of two plus one plus one. Na Popovich can safely use Stephen until three years later, and then offer a maximum salary contract to keep him. At the same time, Duncan's age is also close to retirement, and the team can smoothly realize the core handover.

But Stephen's performance was too unexpected, and he grew up so fast that people couldn't react at all. Now Popovich's biggest headache is how to solve Stephen's future, stay, what to keep, the Spurs have no With so much salary space, at the same time, according to Popovich's understanding, Stephen's character is not as easy to appease as Tony Parker and Ginobili, and his relationship with Duncan is not as good as Tony Parker and Ginobili are with Duncan. .

Stephen's growth did not receive much guidance from Duncan. At the beginning of the season, Duncan did not care much about Stephen, and the main guidance Stephen received was Robert Horry. Stephen’s position is a role player, and Robert Horry just told him how to be a role player. If he positions himself in the team, what Popovich regrets now is whether Robert Horry also put his His character of not belonging to the team was passed on to Stephen.

At the same time, Stephen's local background is also a problem. He will not be willing to live under Duncan like Tony Parker and Ginobili, because although Duncan was born in the Virgin Islands, it is also a part of the United States. Universities are no different from American players, which also prevents Tony Parker and Ginobili from challenging Duncan's team leader status.

This is a very important factor. In order to establish Nowitzki as the core of the Mavericks, Michael Finley must be cleared out, because his qualifications and background determine that as long as he stays in the team, even if the data drops, he can play. With less time, he will still be an important figure in the team's locker room. This cannot be decided by the team owner or head coach's announcement or designation. The relationship in the team's locker room is determined by the players themselves.

Although Stephen is of Asian descent, he grew up in the United States. He is closer to American players than Duncan, so I saw him go with Robert Horry, Brent Barry, Van Exel and others. It is not difficult to understand that they are very close, including Muhammad, Bruce Bowen and Stephen are also very close. If he wants to challenge Duncan's position, he can easily pull out a large group of people.

He does not have this thought now, but it does not mean that he will never have this thought. Popovich knows very well that people educated in the United States are born with an arrogant personality. Stephen will never be like Ginobili. Or someone like Tony Parker who is willing to submit to others, even his own absolute authority will definitely be challenged.

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The content of this chapter does not mean that I will be transferred to other teams. The later plot is still being improved and designed. I like the discussion in the book review area, and it also gave me a lot of inspiration. About Stephen The future is still just an unknown. I just analyze from Popovich's perspective, Stephen's status and future in the team, and ask for a red ticket.