The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 63 Violent substitute
"Spurs analysis report, Blair is out of favor, Zhang Xiaotian is dispensable."

At the beginning of 2013, some people couldn't wait to come out to add trouble. Under the seemingly fair analysis, Zhang Xiaotian was blackened enough, and even provoked the relationship between him and Leonard.

Isn't it because the fans voted for him spontaneously, and the number of votes has attracted a lot of people's attention. Anyway, he can't make the All-Star, who is in the way.

As for Leonard, he is very stable in the Spurs. Like Zhang Xiaotian, he is a bit depressed. Anyway, the two have a good relationship, and discuss various offensive and defensive skills together.

Blair really fell out of favor. In the beginning, Popovich valued him as the starter, but this buddy didn't cherish it, and now he is no longer a main rotation player.

Half-truth, half-false, there are many people booing when it gets dark.

Some fans sorted out Zhang Xiaotian's performance at the critical moment and slapped him in the face. Zhang Xiaotian liked it, and the fans responded one after another, but unexpectedly there was a lot of enthusiasm.

"Zhang, I really envy you." Danny Green sighed.

Zhang Xiaotian sighed with a wry smile: "There is nothing to envy, you are more valued by the old man, players still need opportunities on the court after all."

The positions of the two around him in the team are very stable. Zhang Xiaotian is the same as the Spurs' substitutes except for Ginobili. Whether they are included in the team's plan depends on the situation.

In the new year, we still have to play away games, and we have to play back-to-back away games.

Playing professional basketball is really not an easy task.

After the Spurs center became Splitter in the starting lineup, it actually relieved some of Duncan's defensive pressure. After all, having a height inside means having an advantage.

In the away game against the Bucks, Duncan broke out again in the first quarter. He scored 12 points in a single quarter and called the opponent his father.

At this age, he can still play like this, and now there is no one in the league. Unfortunately, he does not have any advantage in the All-Star voting. It is far less easy than Garnett in the East. The team is complaining about the big brother.

Of course, the team's other leading star, Parker, is even worse, far from Jeremy Lin.

Leading by 17 points at halftime, it looked like another massacre.

Fortunately, the Bucks came out of the bench, and Jennings relied on his personal ability to continue his life, so the Bucks did not lose ugly.

Zhang Xiaotian's 11 points and 5 rebounds are quite satisfactory, and he stabilizes the second place of the substitute players, and the first is Ginobili.

Next is Gary Neal. The Spurs spend a lot of time playing primary and secondary teams. The three substitutes who scored more points were all outside players. Both Zhang Xiaotian and Gary Neal were undrafted.

However, the advantages and disadvantages of the two are obvious. Popovich uses them, but he doesn't particularly like them.

Going to New York to play back-to-back away games, the Spurs finally ran into trouble.

The Knicks have Tyson Chandler, the defensive champion, and Stoudemire has also returned.

The Spurs are more difficult to play now, that is, teams with insiders. If Duncan is restricted, the outsiders will be affected, and the Knicks are not afraid of the Spurs playing a major and a junior. Anthony can also play the fourth position. JR Smith takes it up. This is their strongest state.

To be honest, it has been a long time since the Knicks played as well as this season.

Facing Anthony, Leonard was still a little tender, and he couldn't guard against it.

The main lineup is suppressed, and the two sides of the rotation lineup can only explode each other. JR Smith is very troublesome, and Stoudemire has been playing as a substitute when he comes back. The Knicks will not lack offensive power at any time.

In the first half, they barely withstood it, but in the second half rotation time, Novak hit consecutive three-pointers, and JR Smith also hit consecutively. In just a few minutes, the Spurs suddenly fell behind by 20 points.

When Zhang Xiaotian was replaced, Popovich had already decided to give up.

Give up when you should give up, this is Popovich's style.

Zhang Xiaotian looked at the opened card pack, unfortunately it wasn't a card that could dominate the field, but he didn't intend to give up.

Gary Neal didn't pass the ball to Zhang Xiaotian, and forced a shot from the outside.

He is in a contract year and wants to perform well, so offense is his first choice.

"Guys, there is still a chance. We should show our value, the value that can help the team win."

Zhang Xiaotian has a good relationship with the bosses of the team, but his relationship with the opponents in this competition is only average. At this time, no one cares about his nice words.

The Knicks attacked, and Novak, who was feeling hot, received another pass from his teammate.

His shooting speed is fast and he is tall, but Zhang Xiaotian was already prepared.

Novak's shot was caught by Zhang Xiaotian, who arrived in time, and fell back. At least four players rushed to catch the ball. At this time, Zhang Xiaotian was like a vigorous cheetah, and took the basketball into his hands with a single leap. .

Immediately, he dribbled the ball forward and launched a counterattack, and went in before the opponent's defense was formed.

Knicks backup striker Chris Copeland greeted him, Zhang Xiaotian leaned on the opponent, stabilized his figure with the force of the impact, and made a layup while the referee blew his whistle.

After successfully defending the 2+1, Zhang Xiaotian showed his strength.

Then in the Knicks' offense, Zhang Xiaotian helped defend and cut off the ball in the hands of Stoudemire, who was playing singles, and counterattacked a one-stop dunk.

The two rounds of offense and defense are unparalleled. Others may not accept him, but his momentum on the court will naturally affect other teammates.

For example, Nando De Colo, originally played to let the fellow Dior score points. He didn’t intend to pass the ball to Zhang Xiaotian before.

Facing the defense of the Knicks backup forward, Zhang Xiaotian took a tentative step and directly rushed in and dunked.

The referee whistled, another foul, and another 2+1.

There was an uproar at Madison Square Garden, and the Spurs' No. 10 is too violent.

"I said, there is hope of winning before the game is over, we should play in the way of winning." Zhang Xiaotian yelled.

Others commented, isn't it just singles, and you are justified if you score.

But their enthusiasm was ignited. Before that, they just planned to brush up the statistics, but if they still have a chance to win the game, no athlete will be willing to fail.

What is 20 points, the opponent can lead by 20 points in a few minutes, why can't they chase it back.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Knicks coach Mike Woodson hurriedly requested a timeout.

It was almost halfway through the fourth quarter, and the Knicks still held a lead of more than 10 points, but just in case, they replaced the main players, but the Spurs were still all on the bench.

As the core of the Knicks, Anthony made a mid-range shot as soon as he came up.

Such a player will not be intimidated by Zhang Xiaotian's aura, and Zhang Xiaotian can't easily defend against the opponent.

"Don't be afraid, it's the Knicks who should be worried."

Zhang Xiaotian received the ball from outside the three-point line to meet Anthony and scored a three-pointer, and the basketball went into the net hollowly.

A three-pointer couldn't beat the Knicks, but it broke the hearts of the fans.

(End of this chapter)