The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 65
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Zhang Xiaotian was replaced, rarely on time.

The Spurs fell behind, and Popovich decided to take a serious look at Zhang Xiaotian to see if he could seize the opportunity.

Zhang Xiaotian didn't think that much at all, he didn't want to lose any game.

Gordon returned, and Rivers Jr. obediently went back to play as a substitute, and his chances of showing his face were greatly reduced.

Seeing Zhang Xiaotian, he was still a little upset. The fourth quarter started with singles, and then it was a strike.

He has a high spirit, but his strength is still a bit weak. Zhang Xiaotian didn't take him seriously at all.

When it was the Spurs' turn to attack, Zhang Xiaotian received the ball very smoothly, not because of his increased charm, but because Popovich just mentioned that the tactical execution of the Spurs players is still good.

He had a false spot on the catch, and Ryan Anderson wasn't completely cheated, just stretched out his long arm to interfere.

But that was enough. Anderson's speed was not enough, Zhang Xiaotian passed the opponent with a big stride, and hit a two-pointer before the Hornets' help defense came up.

Then the Hornets backup guard Brian Roberts hit a three-pointer, and the Spurs seemed to have difficulty chasing points.

Zhang Xiaotian wasn't worried at all. The Spurs attacked in the middle of the field, and he asked for the ball from the side and behind.

The Hornets also did not expect that the Spurs would pull away and hand the ball to Zhang Xiaotian. Although he is well-known, as a substitute, he rarely enjoys this kind of treatment.

Anderson is at the back, and his height and weight are no problem against the small forward, as long as he doesn't fight hard.

Of course, Zhang Xiaotian would not give up his advantage, he sat inside for a while, and when Anderson fought back with all his strength, he cheated Anderson's center of gravity by turning around twice in a row.

Not as proficient as DeRozan, but it is enough at this time, Zhang Xiaotian seized the opportunity to turn around and shoot an arrow on horseback, and hit again.

Anthony Davis is resting off the court at this time, and almost all of the Hornets' offenses are on the outside.

Taking advantage of a delay from his teammates, Anderson ran to the three-point line to catch the ball two steps outside and took half a step to shoot.

However, when the half-step adjustment was completed, Zhang Xiaotian caught up.

Zhang Xiaotian didn't care about Anderson, jumped up and directly blocked the shooting line, and Anderson missed the shot, and cursed a few words angrily, who can stand being singled continuously.

The fourth position can't keep up with the third position, and the Hornets can't help it. If they want Anderson's offense, they must endure his defense. Who makes the Spurs have strong characters during the rotation period?

At 7 minutes, the Hornets' 9-point lead was down to 4 points.

The two sides began to line up one after another, planning to carry out the final fight.

The Hornets still don't need a center lineup, let Anderson go to the fourth position, and the third position is Aminu who can keep up with the defense.

The Spurs also did not play their usual one big and four small, but set up a small lineup, with Diaw playing the center and Leonard playing the fourth position, so that they are faster together.

Except that Davis may need to help defend, they can be said to have advantages in other positions.

This is the background of a strong team, and it doesn't matter if Duncan is a cheerleader.

This is also related to the opponent's choice. They can all shoot from the outside, and the Spurs can all defend.

Aminu was not aggressive enough, and Zhang Xiaotian also put more energy on the offensive end.

On Anderson's side, Leonard can definitely lock him up.

The outside line is doubtful about Gordon, and Parker's defense is not as good as others.

Sure enough, Gordon hit one right away and made a successful mid-range shot.

In the past, Parker would definitely return one, but Parker's nature in this game was not high, and with Popovich's arrangement, the ball still came to Zhang Xiaotian.

Aminu can keep up with his footsteps, but Zhang Xiaotian has never been a player with one move.

He beat Anderson with his footsteps because the opponent was tall and heavy, and replaced him with the thinner one, Zhang Xiaotian directly carried the opponent and killed him inside.

Forced to eat, and even caused a foul by the opponent, Popovich's eyelids twitched.

Could it be that the chosen opponent is too weak? Could it be that the Spurs have to train him as a core player, but if they really want him to face top strikers like this, it seems a little too stingy.

The $52 undrafted pick can no longer ask for too much.

Opportunities can be given at critical moments, but it's just a matter of possession of the ball, and it still needs to be a headache. This type of playing with the ball is too troublesome, and the team still has Parker and Ginobili.

You come and go in the next few minutes, and Zhang Xiaotian can pass the ball. Although he is not at the top level, he can find an open space after attracting the defense. He is already very qualified on the front line.

When he assisted Leonard to hit a three-pointer, the two teams finally tied the score. Although Davis then scored 2 points to let the team regain the lead, the Spurs were even more powerful at this time.

At 3 minutes, the Spurs replaced Splitter, replacing Diaw who had just fouled.

Davis is not easy to defend, so he takes turns to greet. To deal with rookies, Popovich has a lot of tricks, whether there is Duncan or not.

Davis was also a little tired. He missed the second free throw, and the Spurs immediately launched a counterattack.

Parker passed the ball to Zhang Xiaotian, who was about to come down. Zhang Xiaotian slid the ball to the side. Ginobili caught the ball and made a layup.

When the Hornets attacked again, Anderson came out to catch the ball, and without a chance, he handed it to Davis, who wanted the ball with his back.

After receiving the ball, Davis turned around and made a fake shot. Splitter opened his long arms and was not deceived. Maybe Davis would not try to block the shot directly, just stretched out his long arms to interfere. .

Davis dribbled the ball and squeezed in, but only one step in, he felt someone approaching. Before he could hug the ball, he was hit by Zhang Xiaotian with a knife.

After breaking the basketball, Zhang Xiaotian immediately launched a counterattack. Outside the three-point line, he stopped and made a chasing three-pointer. The movement was very standard.

At 94:90, the Hornets paused, and Popovich happily picked up the tactical board.

"Stop him, don't care about his fake moves, just interfere with his shooting, and be ready to help defend at any time." Monty Williams was not reconciled, and changed his defensive tactics for the final struggle.

Only 4 points, but the team has lost confidence, they lost too much.

Anderson came to defend, and Aminu was inside to help defend, so as not to interfere after the opponent broke through. Monty Williams originally wanted to replace Anderson, but he really couldn't think of a suitable candidate.

However, the Hornets are not only defensive now, but also have problems with their offense. Davis is being closely watched, and they seem to have few options.

The Spurs deliberately let Aminu go, causing the Hornets to make a mistake. Ginobili steals the pass that the opponent intends to pass to Gordon.

There is still more than a minute, but the Hornets are gone.

The Spurs won another victory. Zhang Xiaotian had 16 points and 5 rebounds, which can be used to great advantage.

(End of this chapter)