The toughest man in the NBA

Chapter 42 Popovich's Test
At the beginning of the game, Popovich put on a strange lineup:

Point Guard: Tony Parker

Shooting Guard: Manu Ginobili

Small Forward: Richard Jefferson
Power Forward: Tim Duncan
Center: DeJuan Blair

DeJuan Blair is only 2 meters 01, as tall as Richard Jefferson, why let him play the starting center, isn't Tiago Splitter on the bench good?
Gentry didn't dare to be slow. He had been Popovich's assistant coach, and he knew that this old guy was full of tricks, so he must have some tricks!
So Nash, Hill, Richardson, Turkoglu, and Tuman were sent at the beginning.

With all the cards in the hole, if you can't see through, you have to establish an advantage as soon as possible.

After playing for a while, the problem was exposed.

DeJuan Blair is indeed short, but he is extremely strong, he weighs more than the Tuman, has a strong bottom body, and has surprisingly long arms.

Tu Man played very smoothly in the first three games. He faced the old Camby, the distraught Millsap, and the frightened Gasol...

Popovich must have carefully studied Tuman's habits before the game, knowing that he doesn't get stuck very much, and likes to rely on his bounce to grab rebounds on top of the opponent's head.

So, he dispatched the rock of DeJuan Blair.

Tuman was very depressed, and DeJuan Blair was like a bulldozer, locked on him tightly, pushing him out of the paint.

Tu Man was afraid of straining, so he didn't dare to exert force on both legs at the same time, his lower body was so weak that he couldn't bear it at all.

And DeJuan Blair has a very good sense of rebounding, he can always roughly judge the landing point of the basketball, and push Tu Man to go in the opposite direction in advance.

He doesn't grab rebounds himself, and he doesn't let Tuman grab them!

Popovich's purpose is very clear, that is, to use this second-round pick last year to exchange for Tuman. Anyway, the Spurs are fine without DeJuan Blair, they have a great Tim...

But besides Tu Man, who else is there in the sun?
What's more amazing is that Popovich has even calculated his height, and Tu Man can't use his elbows yet!
With DeJuan Blair's height, when he bends down, his whole body shrinks below the butcher's chest. If he dares to show his elbow, it will be a proper headshot, and the referee will kick him out quickly!

Tu Man couldn't get an offensive rebound, and the Suns' confidence was taken away at once. In the first quarter, they made 7 of 1 three-pointers, and the team shot 23 of 7 shots, only 30.4% of the shots...

Tu Man only scored 4 points, 2 rebounds and no blocks.

DeJuan Blair not only locked him up on the defensive end, but also on the offensive end. Tuman has been running with a 120 kg weight, unable to jump...

Chi Guoguo's conspiracy!
If you want to break the situation, you must either walk faster than DeJuan Blair and walk around the big stone, or use your strength to push the bulldozer away, otherwise...

Tu Man was neither as fast nor as strong as the opponent, so he could only be in a slump.

Gentry also tried to save Bing Tuman, sending Robin Lopez to play center and putting Tuman at power forward.

But Duncan and DeJuan Blair also switched positions in time, and Tuman was still locked up, and nothing was done. Duncan also beat Robin Lopez...

At the end of the first half, the score is:
50:42
In exchange for Tuman, the Spurs have an advantage in playing against the Suns.

Gentry felt sorry for Tu Man. The NBA is a mature business league. All teams will do everything they can to win. Any slight weakness of anyone can be hidden under the spotlight and will be infinitely magnified. .

Therefore, those favored players who are all-powerful in the NCAA suddenly become dissatisfied when they come to the NBA and hit the so-called "rookie wall".

In fact, it was just thoroughly researched by the opponent, and the weakness was targeted.

Gentry knew that Tuman would have this day, but he didn't expect it to come so soon. Popovich really has a pair of piercing eyes!

Distressed but distressed, he did not make any mistake.

Tu Man has to figure out a way for this matter, either develop new skills, make up for his weaknesses, smash through the "rookie wall", or be shot to death by a wall...

During the intermission, Gentry looked at the sweaty Tuman, but couldn't help persuading him:
"Tu Man, do you want to take a break and think about it?"

Tu Man shook his head:
"No, no, no, DeJuan Blair is a good whetstone. I have to find a way to blow him up in order to gain a foothold in the NBA. Otherwise, once this game is over, other teams will inevitably follow suit. What can I hide? time to go?"

The mind is clear, so there is nothing to worry about!

Gentry nodded, turned and walked away.

Tu Man rubbed his calves, lost in thought, unable to squeeze, unable to get around, what is the function of this pair of golden calves?
In the second half, the dull US Airways Center Arena ushered in long-lost cheers.

Tu Man, take off again!
He no longer struggled with the weights under his feet, but focused on the basketball, regardless of whether the position was good or not, whether DeJuan Blair was stuck in his leg, whenever the basketball flew up, Tu Man would throw Put yourself up!
Just like a striker jumping to the top on a football field, Tu Man tried his best to bring his head closer to the basketball, closer...

There were times when, like a jumping goat, he managed to get past DeJuan Blair, grab the ball in midair, and drive it firmly into the rim.

Most of the time, Tu Man was like a big carp that failed to jump the dragon gate, lost his balance in the air, and fell flat on the cold wooden floor with a "snap" sound!
But Tu Man didn't care about it, he jumped up from the floor, punched his left chest hard, let out a low growl, and continued to fly and fall...

The Suns fans didn't dare to shout anymore, they were afraid that their cheering would stimulate Tu Man, inspiring him to continue to take off like suicide, and then fell heavily!
This is no longer a game, but——

war!

A battle between the barbarian and himself, a battle of transformation!
Popovich had already stood up to watch the game. He stared blankly at the child who was unwilling to let him go. His heart was full of enthusiasm:
If he is in the Spurs, I can win ten consecutive championships!
The question Popovich posed to Tu Man actually has a solution.

As long as he is willing to speak up, call his teammates to help, anyone, come over and delay DeJuan Blair, he can get away and fly to where he wants to go!
But Tu Man refused, he had to resolve the battle by himself.

What he wants is 1 against N, not N against 1. Now this method is not the optimal solution, but it is the answer that best suits Tuman's character. Head-to-head, king against king, needle point against wheat awn!
The Suns still lost:

112:106
But Tu Man got up from the downturn, and the audience got:

20 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks

Slightly inferior to Duncan's 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

But most of his stats were obtained in the second half, and the process was too tragic...

Tears welled up in the Suns fans' eyes. They shouted Tu Man's name. Looking at the child who threw himself all over his body, they just wanted to say:

Tu Man, you win!

(End of this chapter)