If I were Yi Di in the NBA

Chapter 125
The Spurs did not perform well during this time, but Ginobili finally came back.

The Spurs are now directly letting Ginobili start to cultivate his status, and look forward to the GDP in the playoffs.

Or, they simply want to grab home court advantage.

The Spurs, who once occupied the second place in the West for a lot of time, were unstable in the top four in the West due to injuries.

However, the teams in the second tier in the West still haven't widened the gap.

The Thunder had hoped to rush out, but they also suffered injuries.

Yi Jian's current thoughts are also very clear. At this time, it is not very meaningful to grab the ranking in the Western Conference. It is more cost-effective to maintain a good state and fight for the playoffs.

"We have to control the rhythm of the game at the beginning." Spurs coach Popovich said.

The one who can control the rhythm of the game is often the leading side, so the Spurs made an effort at the beginning.

With Ginobili, the Spurs' tactics have been enriched a lot.

Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll coordination has increased the combination of inside and outside.

They managed to move the ball quickly, and the passing and cutting cooperation was very smooth.

But the key is that the players feel good. If an opportunity is found through passing and cutting, but the player does not have the ability to make a final decision, that is another story.

The Spurs came up to take the initiative to improve the rhythm and played offensive basketball.

Their performance is not bad, but unfortunately their weak link has not changed, they can't prevent Yi Jian and Durant at all.

Yi Jian and Durant's singles ability did not give the Spurs a chance to show off their defense at all.

It can only be said that both of them shot too accurately.

The current Spurs, apart from Duncan, really don't even have a player who is good in single defense.

They all rely on team defense, and more than half of the team defense depends on Duncan's help defense.

When encountering a star who can directly eat their defensive players, they don't have much to do.

When the role players feel good, they can still persist.

Once the player's touch drops, the Spurs' offense will have problems.

During the rotation period, the performance of the two teams' substitutes was similar.

After Ginobili started, the Spurs' rotation really lost its impact.

After the main lineup came up in the second quarter, the Thunder continued to launch a fierce attack, but the Spurs were cut off.

After the Thunder took the lead, the Spurs still couldn't take it back, that is, they shot a bit randomly from outside.

Team tactics sometimes look like clouds and water, but the most stable is undoubtedly the star tactics.

And this season's Spurs, even if they play star tactics, their performance is not so good.

Yi Jian feels that the Spurs' season is really over.

In the second half, the Thunder still relied on the advantages of Yi Jian and Durant to stabilize the lead, and the Spurs had nothing to do.

The two of them are both inside and out, and they feel that they have no weaknesses on the offensive end.

In other words, the Spurs do not have the ability to seize their weak links to make a fuss.

The process of winning the game was easier than Yi Jian imagined, and the Spurs surrendered again in the end.

The Spurs are decisive in this regard and are not afraid of losing face.

It is also because Popovich is smart, and in the persona he created, this is an expression of wisdom.

Unlike some coaches who are thankless, he is a smart man.

In March, the Thunder finally ended with a victory.

But at the beginning of April, the Thunder lost to the Trail Blazers, who Aldridge felt overwhelmed.

[The performance of the game is not inferior to the Blazers All-Star potential player Lamarcus Aldridge, and the reward is +2. 】

In order to prepare for the playoffs, Yi Jian chose to rest in rotation.

In the game he rested, the team lost to the Pacers who are now desperately trying.

In this game, the Thunder's offense is actually fine. The key is that Yi Jian can't play, and the team's defense is obviously much worse than before.

The Pacers relied on offense to win the away game.

Two days later, the Thunder beat the Spurs again.

The Spurs played defense steadily this time, and Duncan also educated Lopez hard.

It's a pity that the attack power was insufficient at the critical moment, and was killed by Yi Jian's free throw.

Now the Spurs' record has dropped again, because the Thunder has changed even more, and Yi Jian is still unable to predict the situation in the West.

But Yi Jian didn't care too much, as long as he didn't face the Lakers in the first round.

With the current record of the Thunder, it is impossible to drop to eighth in the Western Conference.

After all, the playoff teams in the Western Conference are divided into three tiers. In the last few games, no matter how hard their hips are in the second tier, their record is better than that of the third tier playoff teams.

"Are you really not resting? There will be no problem with your injuries, right?" Yi Jian asked Durant.

"Of course I'm fine." Durant said firmly.

"You know the playoff teams in the West don't rest, and I certainly don't. Whatever back-to-back, I'm pretty strong."

Durant didn't plan to rest back to back, and Yi Jian didn't force it either.

His physical strength is stronger than Durant anyway, and he still needs to inquire about possible playoff opponents.

After another defeat to the Spurs, the Thunder went to Denver.

The home court of the Nuggets is also the home court of the Devils, especially for teams that play back-to-back.

Fortunately, the Nuggets' defense is not very good, so it's better.

In fact, for the strong teams in the West, most of the Thunder have an advantage.

Although there are wins and losses for each other, the Thunder still have the upper hand.

After all, the weak links of other teams are the most obvious, and after the Thunder supplemented the second position, there are almost no obvious weak links.

There are several playoff teams in the West that are not good at offense, but the Nuggets are the opposite. Their defense is almost meaningless.

The current Nuggets have the second record in the West, but Martin's injury truce is a hidden danger.

If there is no resistance from behind, their position is not safe.

In order not to weaken the strength of the rotation lineup, the Nuggets chose to replace the starting No. [-] with an ordinary blue-collar striker, so that the Nuggets have two starters of this type, mainly to consume the opponent's players.

The Nuggets are a bit restrained by playing off the bench, but the restraint is mutual, and their main force may also be blown by the Thunder.

Relying on Billups and Anthony, the Nuggets can deal with many teams offensively.

It's a pity that the Thunder are one of the few teams with strong offensive power in the Western Conference playoffs.

Just being clever with the rotation won't do much to beat the Thunder.

The current Thunder lineup has been completely adjusted.

Moreover, Billups' offensive power is not that strong.

After the start of the game, Billups can bully Lowry who is inexperienced, but Lowry is not afraid of serious singles.

Anthony is indeed stronger, but unfortunately he only has one.

Yi Jian and Durant never talked about martial arts.

In fact, it's also strange. They don't have much connection with each other, but they can build a relatively perfect framework for the Thunder's offense by relying on offense.

Here I have to talk about Lowry's role. Lowry is actually not a master of organization.

In the current Thunder, he is a bit of a high-level tool guard.

But it's just a little bit better pass judgment than the average guard, which stabilizes the Thunder's offense.

The Nuggets felt the pressure at the beginning.

(End of this chapter)