Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 237 Difficult to win
After Ginobili was restricted, Popovich very decisively replaced him with Parker, and the Spurs switched to a two-point guard lineup.Although Duncan and McDyess are not so fast, in fact they only need to pull up to the high position to cover, and the fast break does not require their contribution.However, the Blazers still insisted on the original lineup, and Roy didn't seem to be struggling so much, which made McMillan feel relieved to let him continue to stay on the court.

But at this time, Duncan, the real core of the Spurs, began to score silently. He succeeded in singles against Aldridge under the basket continuously, helping the Spurs to maintain a weak lead.It's not that Ye Feng and the others didn't support their teammates from the outside, but now the Spurs are defending one-on-one and waiting for opportunities to interfere with shots. Anyway, they want the Blazers to fight on their own, limiting their teamwork.This is actually a very helpless thing on the basketball court, because no matter what method you use to attack, you seem to be fighting alone. It is difficult for your teammates to give you enough support. The only thing you can trust is your own touch.

The Spurs' offense is relatively better. They are a model of team basketball. In addition, the Blazers' defensive system is not good. The Spurs players can make full use of space on the court to create opportunities for teammates.However, under the full defense of the Blazers outside, Parker, Hill and Jefferson's three-point shooting rate is not high, so they can only hand the ball to the inside to deal with the problem.The target of their pass is generally Duncan, because only Duncan can perfectly combine offense and support, and only he can form a containment force inside, thereby easing the pressure on the outside.

At this time, I have to admire the Blazers' management for signing Camby when they strengthened the inside line. As a defensive center, maybe Camby's scoring ability is not very strong, but he is in the three-second zone. The defense is still not far from the peak level.Duncan is indeed very strong, but soon his scoring becomes difficult, because Camby can always stick up the first time after he catches the ball, limiting Duncan's space, which means that it will cost him to score. More energy than usual.Duncan has to take his age into account, which will definitely reduce his minutes on the court greatly.

For a while, the game suddenly turned into a defensive and iron battle. Both sides were pursuing how to limit the opponent's scoring, and then considering how to score themselves on this basis.Moreover, the defensive styles of the Spurs and the Blazers are at two extremes, just like their offense. The Spurs pay more attention to team defense. Switching and assisting defenses are commonplace, but the Blazers are more concerned about the effect of single defense. Keep putting pressure on their opponents, no matter how the ball moves, they will bite the opponents and never let go.Strictly speaking, the Blazers' approach has a big disadvantage, because they are not as fast as the ball, but there is one point, they are very young, very young, of course, this excludes Camby, but they can always maintain a huge advantage against each other. Pressure, this is not something that ordinary teams can do, let alone the Spurs on the opposite side, this is indeed a very difficult thing, but the Blazers players did it.

The coaches of both sides did not intend to change their tactics, but just let the players solve their own problems on the court.The Blazers responded quickly. Well, it was a response, but they took turns holding the ball and playing singles. Everyone except Camby had enough offensive means. Roy, Ye Feng's breakthrough, Batu Tom's three-pointer, Aldridge's mid-range shot, these are the Blazers' conventional weapons.In this respect, they are more skilled than the Spurs when they are young, because many times they need to use their own scoring to support the team, but the Spurs don't need it.

The scores of the two sides have been rising alternately. Often, a mid-range jumper on one side will be responded by a breakthrough layup on the other side. Although the Blazers completely evened the point difference, they couldn’t take the lead in front of the old-fashioned opponent. The Spurs Their experience has turned the situation into a tug of war.Perhaps the only ones who are excited are the fans who came to watch the game. In their view, the two teams joined forces to contribute a very exciting game. This is what they like to see the most. Of course, it would be better if the Blazers can win Well, after all, for the fans, the most important thing is for the home team to win the game, even if they don't play well at all.

The Spurs players seem to have overlooked one thing. The tug-of-war is more mentally and physically exhausting than a normal game. They are not as good as the Blazers in both aspects.Basically, except for Hill and Parker, the others felt that their footsteps gradually became heavier, which was a sign of excessive physical exertion.The Blazers' players still maintain a fairly high intensity. Although there is a gap compared to the beginning of the game, it has not dropped too much.But the Spurs have declined to a certain extent both offensively and defensively, which makes Popovich have to rely on substitute players to deal with opponents.

Indeed, the Spurs' bench is notoriously strong in the league, but facing the Trail Blazers' starting lineup, they are still not enough. That is, Ginobili scored consecutive points to keep the point difference open, but the Trail Blazers' lead remained. It is also quite hard.No player wants to play such a game. Every round is full of physical contact, and every score may be quickly returned to the field by the opponent. This is a great torture for the players.But this is also what they have to experience in their careers. No matter how strong a team is, it is impossible to go smoothly all the time.

Ye Feng was also very tired. He felt his breathing became very hot and his lungs hurt like needles. But looking at the time on the timer, there were only 5 minutes left before the end of the game. With a four-point lead at 85-81, it's not a safe margin.He thumped his chest, took a deep breath, and signaled his teammates to pass the ball to him.The defense was still Jefferson, this veteran was still struggling with his age, but Ye Feng told him with his actions that aging is irreversible.Before the Spurs could react, Ye Feng hit three-pointers in two consecutive rounds, not only raising his own score to 4 points, but also helping the Blazers to open the point difference to 27 points in one go.

This became the last straw that broke the camel's back. Seeing his players gasping for breath on their knees on the field, Popovich waved helplessly, signaling them to give up the game.The final whistle sounded, and the Trail Blazers ended their second home game 102 to 90. They will go to San Antonio with 2 to 0 and continue their journey at the Spurs' home court.

(End of this chapter)