The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 97 Hidden danger
At the last moment, Zhang Xiaotian backed Crawford again, attracted the defense and assisted Duncan to seal the victory. The Spurs defeated the Clippers 103:100 at home.

Zhang Xiaotian completed the task very well and sent 6 assists.

But in the subsequent training, the substitutes on the back line also became wary of him.

Especially Gary Neal, the team always put Ginobili on top when Ginobili was on truce, Zhang Xiaotian even snatched this opportunity, which made people very uncomfortable.

Gary Neal was also picked up by the Spurs a few years after losing the draft, and Zhang Xiaotian knew the hardships involved.

However, competitive sports are so cruel. After this season, both of them will become restricted players, and they both need to go all out to gain a good future for themselves.

The last game in March was the Spurs at home against the Heat.

The Heat are also preparing for the playoffs now. James and Wade took turns and did not come with the team.

At the beginning of the season, the Spurs went to the Heat away to Popovich and directly rested four players. This time, the opponent only took two rotations.

Duncan played well at the beginning of the game, and Leonard can naturally suppress Rashad Lewis, who has declined in athletic ability, but the Heat have no intention of giving up.

With only Bosh left in the Big Three, Bosh started off well.

He took advantage of the Spurs' difficulty in defending, and the COSCO shot continuously, scoring 10 points in a single quarter.

But the Spurs did not take advantage of the main reason is that Parker is not in good shape, and several shots have been hit.

The outside firepower can't come out, and Bosh can't restrain it. Popovich also quickly adjusted, letting Diaw play to defend Bosh.

Popovich gave Zhang Xiaotian a second chance to face Ray Allen.

In terms of footwork, the current Ray Allen is not as fast as Crawford, but Ray Allen's movements are more concise and practical, his shots are extremely fast, and he spends more time without the ball.

Zhang Xiaotian is actually more used to this type of defense. He also brought the gains from the previous defense to this game. After all, a pitcher like Ray Allen would not be as confrontational as he wrestled without the ball.

Find ways to keep up with the opponent, find ways to interfere when the opponent is shooting, Zhang Xiaotian enjoys it.

However, he didn't always face Ray Allen. In the rotation, Popovich deliberately let him switch between the second and third positions. Popovich is still thinking about Zhang Xiaotian's use.

The playoffs are getting closer, and the Spurs are already thinking about the playoffs.

Popovich has actually thought about whether Zhang Xiaotian can show his characteristics in the playoffs.

Between the Spurs and the championship, such an X factor that can disrupt the situation is likely to be needed.

The Spurs still had a certain advantage in the first half, but it was not as smooth as expected.

However, what they didn't expect was that the Heat's three-pointers suddenly exploded in the third quarter. Mike Miller alone hit three. Duncan didn't take advantage of the interior, and the Heat immediately overtook the score.

Entering the final quarter, the Spurs were already 7 points behind. Seeing that Ray Allen hit another three-pointer, the score gap increased by 10 points, and Popovich's complexion became bad.

If they can't even beat the Heat's remnants, do they want to go home early in the playoffs to fish?

Offensively, Zhang Xiaotian knew what he had to do. Ginobili had a truce, so he had to stand up and score.

Ray Allen's defense was very tight, and Zhang Xiaotian didn't mess around. He called his teammates to cover, bypassing the defense and hitting a three-pointer.

Sometimes, that's what you need on the pitch.

During the Heat's offense, Zhang Xiaotian steals Norris Cole who broke through, quickly counterattacks and hits a three-pointer, and the score gap is suddenly narrowed.

Under his strength, the Heat's defense began to concentrate on him. Danny Green, who had just played, immediately got a three-pointer, and this guy also made a steady hit.

The two teams have temporarily entered a situation of hand-to-hand combat. Both sides come and go, and the coach is also dispatching troops. At the last moment, the players left by the two teams on the field are different from when they started.

The Spurs were one big and four small, and Splitter was replaced by Zhang Xiaotian.

The Heat changed two starters, leaving Ray Allen and Sean Battier on the field, the same big and four small, but Bosh also has a three-point range inside.

Because the Heat did not have two starters, no matter how the lineup changes, it is actually not their strongest lineup.

However, the Heat still lead by 2 points in the score, and it will not be easy for the Spurs to win.

Parker's state is still not good, but Zhang Xiaotian, Danny Green and Leonard's defensive blockade made the Heat, without James and Wade, at a loss on the offensive end.

In the last 5 minutes, Bosh made a shot from outside the three-point line, and the others didn't have any chance at all. The elderly Sean Battier couldn't keep up with Zhang Xiaotian at all, and Rashard Lewis also defended against Zhang Xiaotian. Can't live with Leonard.

Relying on the two scoring 8 points in a row, the Spurs secured the victory.

A strong team is a strong team. Even if it looked like there were problems with the remnants of the Heat before, after going all out, the entire game was settled in 5 minutes.

After the game, fans joked that Zhang Xiaotian, Danny Green and Leonard were the death blockade.

When interviewed by reporters, Zhang Xiaotian was still in a good mood, "Regardless of whether they have full strength or not, they must be happy if they win the game, right?"

The next day they are going to play back-to-back away games, Duncan and Leonard take turns.

Zhang Xiaotian started the game and scored a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, no matter the team still lost to the Grizzlies.

Popovich didn't care, and in the next game with the Magic, he rested Parker again.

But the Magic at the bottom of the league obviously did not have the momentum of the Grizzlies, and still lost to the Spurs miserably.

Jacques Vaughan's coaching journey did not start smoothly. Fortunately, the Magic is rebuilding and is willing to continue to give him opportunities.

On April 4, they went to an away game to challenge the Thunder, back to back again.

As the season drew to a close, the Spurs' schedule became uncomfortable again.

Although it is a home game and an away game, not consecutive away games, but back to back does consume physical strength, and Popovich has no choice but to rest players. As the No. significance.

Against the Thunder, apart from Manu Ginobili still recuperating from his injuries, the Spurs showed the intensity of the playoffs.

For Westbrook and Durant, although they are not completely restricted, their performance is also within the acceptable range of the Spurs, and the sixth man Kevin Martin is also locked by Zhang Xiaotian.

Unexpectedly, the 39-year-old veteran Derek Fisher broke out and scored 17 points on the Thunder bench.

Parker was depressed and suffered a small injury, and the Spurs' No. [-] in the Western Conference cast a smog.

(End of this chapter)