Start without the ball

Chapter 224 Headache Popovich (three chapters in one)

The Spurs bench, Popovich knew that if he could not withstand the time when Adelaide was not on the court, the game would be very difficult. He did not blame DeRozan, but encouraged him:

"DeRozan, you did a good job, but this is not enough. Next, you go to pick and roll with Forbes, try to change Lee to your side, show your singles ability, and teach that rookie a lesson!
I know what you're capable of if someone's helping to move the ball. As long as you can read the defense clearly, you can do anything.

During the period when LaMarcus is not on the court, we have to shrink the inside line and must not give Russell and George too many opportunities to break through. "

"But, if we shrink the inside line, what will happen to Li?" Forbes expressed his concern.

Popovich also knows that shrinking the inside line will give Li Haoyu a shot, but if they don't shrink, Westbrook and George will turn the Spurs into a sieve in minutes.

One side is a super sharp shot, and the other is two super breakthrough players, it is impossible for me to have them all, right?
Popovich knows that the Spurs' current lineup can only take care of one side. Westbrook and George have proved themselves in the playoffs. Li Haoyu has not yet shown his shooting in the playoffs. It is reasonable to make a decision to focus on interior defense. Excuse me.

"Listen to me, the main defense is inside, but you also have to pay attention, it's not telling you to leave Li alone, but to focus on the inside!!!"

The old man can only fill in Ade's vacancy first, and at the same time pray that Li Haoyu feels colder.

On the Thunder bench, Donovan is setting up impassionedly:

"Lee, you did a great job, now we have the initiative, the defense can be more aggressive and speed up.

Russell and George, you two have to keep hitting the basket, this is an excellent opportunity to widen the point difference! "

Westbrook: "Head, don't worry, I feel very good today, I will tear my opponent apart with lightning speed."

Li Haoyu seized the time to replenish water, and the veteran Felton asked: "How do you feel about the playoffs?"

"The momentum of the home court coupled with the pressure of the score will make you more focused involuntarily. I enjoy this feeling very much."

Felton lightly hammered Li Haoyu's chest:
"The mentality is very good. It seems that you are a guy who is born to fight tough battles. You did a good start today. Continue to maintain a sense of urgency."

After speaking, Felton turned to look at Ferguson. Tie Sen kept shaking on the seat. Seeing him fidgeting, Felton, a veteran in the locker room, patted Ferguson's leg and said:
"Hey, what are you thinking?"

"I am a little worried that I will not play well and drag the team down when I play later."

Felton: "I understand how you feel. It's normal. It was the same in my first playoff game [-] years ago."

Ferguson: "But Lee doesn't seem to be affected at all. You can see how well he played at the beginning, killing LaMarcus and scoring 6 points in a row."

"He is a monster. As a rookie in the opening game of the playoffs, he actively asked to be the main attack point. This ability to resist pressure is very rare.

If you don't think about other people's performance, you should be yourself first. I understand that you are worried that you will drag down the team. From now on, you have the mentality of never participating in offense and defending with all your might, and everything will be fine. "

Ferguson's eyes became bright: "If you don't have any expectations, you won't be disappointed. I understand, thank you."

It has to be said that an old family is like a treasure, and veteran Felton uses his own experience to guide young people, which is very important to the Thunder.

The timeout passed quickly, and players from both sides returned to the court.

The Spurs attacked, and DeRozan received the basketball at 45 degrees on the left according to the arrangement. Forbes, who was in the corner on the same side, immediately stepped up and ran to the flank with Li Haoyu.

DeRozan moved, dribbled towards the bottom corner, and the two groups were about to touch. At this moment, mistakes are extremely prone to occur. Li Haoyu and DeRozan ran to the bottom corner together, and at the same time reminded George to switch to Forbes.

DeRozan successfully found Li Haoyu, first passed the ball back to the flank, retreated to advance, and had no ball in his hand to fight for position.

With a weight advantage of 7 kilograms, the Spurs forward grabbed the position one step outside the three-second zone.

Li Haoyu's strength is still insufficient, and he is a bit disadvantaged against players who are slightly bigger, but at least he won't give it for nothing like before.

36 tactics, attacking the heart first, when the two competed for the position, Li Haoyu kept playing DeRozan's mentality.

"I got 6 points~ Why are you not as good as a first-year rookie like me?"

"The Raptors have not produced results, it seems that it is your reason."

"Wow, your butt is so upturned, do you exercise regularly?"

"Do you have a boyfriend? Shall I introduce you to Adams?"

DeRozan was furious. After receiving the ball, the angry Spurs forward dribbled the ball hard behind him.

This is what we were waiting for. The moment DeRozan dribbled and exerted force, Li Haoyu withdrew to the side with great dexterity to make room.

DeRozan had nowhere to rely on and lost his balance. Li Haoyu saw the timing and successfully made a steal.

Fast attack!

George on the wing quickly stepped down, Li Haoyu lobbed the ball forward, and the Thunder striker jumped into the three-second zone and kicked off the ground, lifting the ball and dunking successfully.

10:2.

Popovich slammed the tactical board angrily, and DeRozan really couldn't help it.

O'Neal: "Lee's defense is so beautiful this time! I was worried that he would become a loophole in the playoffs, but I didn't expect him to steal DeRozan in one-on-one!"

Barkley: "I think DeRozan is the first-year rookie today. Lee played so well! You can see that he has made sufficient preparations for the playoffs and has kept his ability to draw fouls as a secret weapon until the end. Now, at the same time, he has strengthened his own strength. Before, DeRozan could easily squeeze Lee into the three-second zone, which was difficult for the Spurs."

Popovich shook his head straight, DeRozan was embarrassed, and White, who was on the court, made gestures to execute tactics.

White understood, dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, handed the ball to Poelter at the top of the arc, cut along the free throw line to the right corner, and Westbrook followed.

At this time, Bertans stepped forward to cover for White, and the Spurs point guard cut to the inside along the baseline. Although Westbrook was hindered, he quickly got rid of the screen and ran to the inside together.

Grant on the inside guarded the basket to prevent White from catching the ball for a layup, and Westbrook chased the Spurs point guard behind him.

Bertans, who was in charge of the screen, was in the open space in the bottom corner, the ball passed to him, and the Spurs made a three-pointer.

shuh~
10 to 5, the Spurs finally stopped the scoring shortage with the help of teamwork. This three-pointer also made the thunderous cheering of the Thunder audience a little quieter.

The Thunder attacked, Westbrook took a step away from the top of the arc and called Adams to step forward to cover.

Neptune tried to cover the right, and White was prepared. The moment Neptune came up to cover, he took a step to the right, but was not completely blocked.

But Guigui still rushed to the right, a joke, the word flexibility is not in Gui's dictionary.

White adjusted his steps and followed him, but after one step, the Spurs point guard was left behind.

Westbrook's speed is too domineering!After picking up speed, he showed his true qualities as a tortoise.

Entering the three-point line, Poelter changed defense against Westbrook, and was thrown away after one step.

Seeing that Westbrook was about to rush to the basket, Bertans, who was on the edge of the three-second zone on the left, returned to the basket.

The Spurs' Adam's apple twitched slightly, swallowing to relieve the tension. Westbrook's speed was too scary!If no one can help defend, he cannot escape the fate of being dunked by Westbrook again.

Fortunately, Forbes in the bottom corner on the right remembered the coach's instructions and withdrew to the inside to help his teammates defend Westbrook.

Forbes shrunk, Li Haoyu in the bottom corner was naturally vacated, and Westbrook happily passed the ball to the assist daddy.

When Li Haoyu received the ball, he was ready to bend his legs in advance, kicked the ground with the momentum, raised the ball and moved his wrists together, and the orange basketball flew forward in a reverse spin.

boom!
The bullet came out, Li Haoyu's first shot in the playoffs, iron!

Popovich smiled slightly, and it seemed that there was no problem with the defensive choice, but in the next second, his smile froze.

Unattended, Grant rushed to the basket, leaped high, swayed his extraordinary physical talent, and took off the offensive rebound forcefully over Bertans' head.

Quickly passed the ball to the bottom corner, Li Haoyu made another shot.

shuh~
The basketball fell into the net through a beautiful arc.

13:5.

O'Neal: "LaMarcus can't play, which affects all aspects. The quality of defense has dropped a lot. It is difficult for the Spurs to even guarantee rebounds."

Barkley: "This is a natural disadvantage of the Spurs. Alder is the inside core of the lineup, and the other players' athletic ability is not outstanding. It is really bad luck to meet the Thunder's talented rebounding monsters."

The Spurs attacked, White came to the frontcourt, and the two insiders put up double screens.

The Spurs point guard rushed to the basket, attracted the defense and passed the ball to Bertans, who bounced at 45 degrees, and the latter made a three-pointer.

boom!
After hitting the iron, Westbrook grabbed the rebound again.

The Thunder attacked and the ball was in George's hands. Facing DeRozan's defense, George accelerated to the right, and the Spurs forward adjusted his steps to block.

Deceiving the defensive center of gravity, George changed direction with his crotch, diverted to the left.

When he came to the inside, George was surrounded by many people from the Spurs. Forbes, Portel, and DeRozan formed a giant net.

Under the shadow, George saw Li Haoyu in the corner and quickly threw the ball towards the corner.

Under the interference, George did not pass the ball well. It took some time for Li Haoyu to receive the ball, which gave the Spurs a chance to defend. White, who was 45 degrees to the left, rushed to the bottom corner with all his strength.

White is gone, but Westbrook is still there. Could it be that he wants to shoot a three-pointer?

No, I can't give him this chance. Li Haoyu hit the ground and passed the ball to the free throw line, leading the turtle forward.

Westbrook saw the passing route, kicked hard, and rushed to the basket. George's previous breakthrough attracted a large number of defenders under the basket. Even Westbrook could hardly make a layup in such a dense defense.

At this time, Westbrook saw Grant in the right corner and passed the ball decisively.

Under the open space, the Thunder made a three-pointer.

shuh~
Steady hit, 16 to 5, the Thunder has hit two consecutive three-pointers, and the shouts of OKC resounded throughout the Pisacek Energy Center.

Popovich asked for a timeout again, and the hole in the inside line was filled, but the outside line became a thorny problem that the Spurs could not handle.

Tengxing commentary seat.

Duan Ran: "Brother Yuzi has already scored 9 points, and he will show no mercy in the playoffs."

Huo Nan: "Admiral's fate is fatal. The Spurs can't guarantee rebounds now, and the inside defense can only rely on help defense, but today the Spurs' defensive rotation is not good, which gives the Thunder a lot of opportunities outside. "

Duan Ran: "I'm just worried that Li Haoyu fought so fiercely at the beginning, whether his physical fitness can keep up?"

On the Thunder's bench, Donovan saw that Li Haoyu's breathing was not smooth, and when the timeout ended, he replaced him with Ferguson.

For the Spurs, Popovich replaced Forbes with Belinelli.

The game continued, and the Spurs used tactics to create opportunities for Belinelli in the bottom corner, but Ferguson returned to the defense in time to kill the attack. There was not much time left, and Belinelli missed a hasty shot.

The Thunder attacked. George held the ball and rushed to the inside with the help of a pick-and-roll, but was surrounded by heavy siege. After observing it, there were no teammates on the outside who could respond, so George had to force his shot and hit the iron again.

After Tiesen came on the court, the Thunder's outside threat dropped sharply, but the quality of defense improved. During this period, it became difficult for both sides to score.

Barkley: "Lee is too important. He can make the Thunder's offense complete. You see, Westbrook and George will encounter help defenses when they break through. Only Grant can provide outside firepower."

O'Neill: "The main reason is that after George returned from injury, he has not yet found the outside touch and can only rely on breakthroughs. If it is a healthy George, the Thunder's outside firepower will be even more terrifying."

The time came to the last 2 minutes and 31 seconds of the first quarter. At this time, the two sides battled 24 to 16, and the Thunder led by 8 points. Donovan waved his hand and sent a rotation lineup led by Li Haoyu.

The physically fit Li Haoyu hit the court with a three-pointer and the Spurs were miserable.

When everyone in the Spurs focused on Li Haoyu, he began to organize his teammates. Morris and Schroeder scored consecutively.

At the end of the first quarter, the battle between the two sides became 35 to 20, and the Thunder led by as much as 15 points.

Tengxing commentary seat.

Duan Ran: "Li Haoyu scored 12 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists in the first quarter. These statistics really don't look like what a first-year rookie can do."

Huo Nan: "It's not an exaggeration to say that the reason why the Thunder can lead by 15 points is due to Li Haoyu. Killing Ade gave the Thunder an 8 to 10-point lead. Energized teammates and widened the point difference to 15 points, if the Thunder finally win today, this victory must be attributed to Li Haoyu."

Barrage.

"Gah, is he really a first-year rookie?"

"I was worried that Brother Yuzi would be like DeRozan Lowry, killing all sides in the regular season and becoming a sheep in the playoffs. It seems that I was thinking too much."

"I'm really looking forward to this year's Basketball World Cup. With Brother Yuzi joining, we may break through to the top 8!"

"The most stupid thing for the Spurs this year is not letting Leonard go, but not signing Brother Yuzi!"

"Damn Buford!!! If it weren't for his wise operation, the Spurs should be leading now!"

Popovich has scolded Buford countless times in his heart, but none of these can be brought to the surface. The old man adjusted his mood and instilled chicken soup into the players:
"Listen, LaMarcus is going to play in the second quarter, it's going to be alright, get your defense out, turn around, don't let Lee score again!
With LaMarcus inside, you can safely pounce outside and kill the Thunder's outside shooters. As long as we defend well, we will be able to tie the score and win the game in the end! "

After a pause, the old man asked:
"What are we going to do next?"

"Defence!" Everyone replied in unison.

At the beginning of the second quarter, everyone in the Spurs had firm eyes and stepped onto the court aggressively.

Seeing the opponent's state, Li Haoyu knew that this quarter would be very difficult.

The Spurs attacked and cleared the low post on the left. Alder received the basketball outside the three-second zone, dribbled the ball to top Adams two steps, then turned to the bottom line, and made a mid-range shot.

Adams knew he would use this trick to block the Spurs' front line of sight when Aldridge turned around.

shuh~
The basketball went into the net, and Ade smiled lightly. He has used this trick countless times. As long as his rhythm is correct, he can almost ignore the defense and hit the shot.

35 to 22, the Thunder attacked.

George received the basketball at 45 degrees on the right side, facing DeRozan for a singles, dribbling the ball continuously under his crotch to find the rhythm.

At this time, the Spurs striker suddenly stepped forward to press frantically and was extremely aggressive.

Worried about making mistakes, George had no choice but to protect the basketball first, unable to get rid of the defense for a while.

O'Neal: "The Spurs are about to counterattack. This is the tenacity of the playoff team. The defensive intensity is much higher than that in the first quarter."

Barkley: "The return of LaMarcus is a booster for them. There are guards on the inside, and outside players can step forward to apply pressure without any scruples. The pressure is not small for the Thunder in this quarter."

At the same time, at 45 degrees to the left, Li Haoyu was next to Belinelli, and the two looked at Paul George who was in trouble on the other side.

Li Haoyu's left hand drooped, and there was a small movement of his fingers, and he kept calling Grant, who was inside.

Grant understood it, and quietly mentioned the line. After his teammates were in place, Li Haoyu accelerated and cut to the basket.

When Belinelli was about to catch up, he bumped into Grant's arms, and Li Haoyu got rid of the defense and came to the three-second zone.

George passed the ball quickly. After getting the ball, Li Haoyu rushed to the basket from the right, and Ade made up the defense.

Li Haoyu led Ade all the way to the outside of the three-second zone on the right. He stopped suddenly to collect the ball and was about to make a mid-range shot. The Spurs power forward rushed forward with all his strength.

At this time, Li Haoyu slammed the ball into the three-second zone, and the basketball bounced high.

Only then did Ade realize that Li Haoyu was trying to steer the tiger away from the mountain. After Grant covered him, he went down, jumped high and received the bounced basketball and smashed it into the basket.

boom!
37 is better than 22
Barkley: "The biggest surprise of this year's playoffs is Lee and Grant."

O'Neill: "Did you see the height of Grant's take-off? The physical talent is really outstanding. This dunk is quite amazing."

Barkley: "The Spurs should have quite a headache how to deal with Li Haoyu. He is causing trouble all the time."

In the second quarter of the game, the Thunder faced the Spurs' high-pressure defense, and Westbrook and George, who had excellent dribbles, had been holding the ball. Li Haoyu used his off-ball ability to disrupt the Spurs' defense and create opportunities for his teammates.

Popovich had a very headache. Although the offense has improved, the nimble Adelaide played against Adams, but the defensive end could not restrain Li Haoyu at all.

He actually stifled Westbrook and George's offense with the ball, but Li Haoyu kept using air cuts to drag the defense. This is a new version of the ship that he has never encountered before.

The two sides continued the scoring momentum. At the end of the first half, the battle was 64 to 54, and the Thunder led by 11 points.

Tengxing Sports.

Duan Ran: "The Spurs recovered 4 points in the second quarter, and Adelaide used his footwork and mid-range shots to keep scoring points. Why didn't the Thunder double-team?"

Huo Nan: "There is a chance to double-team the Spurs' outside shooters. There is no shortage of outside shooters in their team. The Thunder is the leading team. Adele can score up to 2 points per round. If this continues, there will be no way to recover the score."

Duan Ran: "Isn't it already recovering 4 points? If we increase our efforts, it will not be a problem to catch up to less than 10 points."

Huo Nan: "You didn't notice one thing, the Spurs' defense in the second quarter was extremely fierce, which was very exhausting, and Adelaide's continuous offense also consumed a lot.

But because of Li Haoyu's involvement on Lei Ting's side, everyone played relatively easily, and Donovan paid great attention to Li Haoyu's use today, and would never let him be overloaded, and would replace him to rest whenever he had the opportunity.

The 4 points recovered by the Spurs in the second quarter were achieved after Lee left the field. If this continues, the situation will be extremely unfavorable for the Spurs. "

Easy side to fight again, because the Spurs overdrafted their physical fitness for high-pressure defense in the second quarter, the disadvantages gradually emerged in the third quarter.

Adelaide continued to hit the iron, and the Spurs began to miss the outside line. On the Thunder side, Li Haoyu was still alive and well. Westbrook and George had Li Haoyu to share the pressure, and their physical fitness was also in a normal state.

In the third quarter, the Thunder faced the tired Spurs with a high-pressure defense and played fast-break counterattacks many times. At the end of the third quarter, the two sides fought 91 to 71, and the point difference had reached 20 points.

The Spurs failed to recover, and in the end, the Thunder won the playoffs 118-99.

In this game, Li Haoyu played extremely well, scoring a team-high 31 points, 4 rebounds and 13 assists, Westbrook scored 17 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, and George scored 20 points.

For the Spurs, Aldridge scored a team-high 29 points, and DeRozan played mediocrely, scoring only 12 points.

After the game, Popovich said in an interview:
"It was a tough game, and Lee gave us so much trouble, he was everywhere, he was on the perimeter, he was on the perimeter, he was on the cut, he was on the run.

The most difficult thing is that he killed LaMarcus at the beginning of the game, which allowed them to take the initiative. Due to the lack of core players, the Thunder had a 15-point lead in the first quarter. We had to defend high in order to chase points, but we We can only press the players with the ball, and there is nothing we can do about Li who has no ball in his hands. His constant air cuts and involvement have resolved our high-pressure defense.

We exhausted our physical strength and tried to chase points but failed. We paid the price in the third quarter. The Thunder entered their familiar rhythm. We lost this game because we did not handle Li well.

We will analyze this in more detail when we go back, and we will do better in the next game to win. "

A reporter asked:
"Excuse me, do you miss kawaii?"

Popovich: "I have enough headaches. I have to focus on this round of the series now. I don't have time to think about other things."

The TNT reporter asked:
"Do you now regret not signing Li back then?"

When it comes to Li Hao Yu Popovich is love and hate:

"I can tell you that managers all over the league are regretting not signing Lee. You have to know the situation at the time. Every team has the opportunity to sign him. Any manager in the league who has the ability to travel through time will definitely He did his best to sign Lee at the end of summer league.

He is a phenomenal player! "

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(End of this chapter)