NBA: Duncan feels uneasy coaching Warriors

Chapter 186 The Spurs Series Elimination

San Antonio.

AT&T Center Arena.

Whether the current Spurs can regain a victory at home and continue the suspense of the game is very important for both teams.

Su Chen didn't relax his demands on the team just because he held the match point.

In fact, Su Chen had stricter requirements on the players in the previous games.

Usually, Su Chen is not a strict coach, but now Su Chen has the temperament of a champion after all, and at the same time he still holds great power.

Whether the Timberwolves are old players or young players, they dare not defy Su Chen, because once they defy Su Chen, they will turn against the entire team management.

In the past, big-name stars dared to contradict their coaches, and that was because the management needed to weigh whether the coach was important to the team or the big-name star was important to the team.

This is also the confidence of those big-name players who dare to contradict their coaches.

But the entire Timberwolves are headed by Su Chen. From the beginning of the season, it was obvious that Su Chen really had the courage to press down disobedient players.

Although Su Chen's contract was only signed with the Timberwolves for one year, as long as Su Chen is willing, the Timberwolves will definitely offer a big contract.

After all, the best record in team history has been tied now, and the next step is to break the best record in team history. This is the progress Su Chen came to the Timberwolves to make.

Su Chen stood on the sidelines and gave lectures to the players on the field from time to time. It could be seen that Su Chen attached great importance to today's game.

Although Su Chen is not angry now, but because of Su Chen's honor and power, Su Chen has a feeling of not getting angry.

For this game, Su Chen is bound to win.

It is not easy to eliminate the Spurs 4-1, but it is even more difficult to eliminate the Spurs 4-2.

Now the Spurs' weaknesses are obvious, and Su Chen has pointed out the Spurs' weaknesses. If Popovich can do something about it, then the Spurs will recover.

The Spurs that have slowed down will be difficult to deal with.

If you lose this game, the Spurs who will recover from the next game will also be able to take advantage of the victory.

Playing a tiebreaker with the Spurs at home is already a big disadvantage for the Timberwolves.

The momentum of the entire team will be smoothed out by the Spurs.

The Timberwolves aren't relaxing at all, but neither are the Spurs.

Years of experience in strong teams has made them very resilient, and they have the ability to fight headwinds.

Chasing three games in a row is difficult for the Spurs.

But it all depends on whether Popovich can solve the problem set by Su Chen.

The members of the gold medal commentary team have different views on this game.

"The Spurs can win, right? With the strength of the Spurs, how strong is the Timberwolves if they want to eliminate the Spurs 4-1?"

Johnson looked at the situation on the court and said.

"The Spurs want to win and see them solve the problems they are facing now. If Popovich has not figured out a solution, then this Timberwolves will take away this round of the series."

Barkley took a different view.

The same is true for other Kenny Smith and O'Neal, who have different opinions.

"The Timberwolves might win this series, but it's too much to win this one."

"The Spurs are going to fight this game. For the Timberwolves who already hold the match point, they can actually consider slowing down to avoid the strongest edge of the Spurs."

Kenny Smith also felt that with the strength of the Timberwolves, the Spurs should not be eliminated with a score of 4 to 1.

"Avoid the strongest edge of the Spurs, but the edge of the Spurs next game may not be weaker than this one."

O'Neal and the Spurs have a wealth of experience playing against each other, and this is how he feels about the Spurs O'Neal.

The Spurs are a very tough team. Their team has too much experience, and they will show the most suitable state at the right time.

"For the Timberwolves, this is indeed the best opportunity, before Popovich has figured out how to deal with it."

Barkley thinks so too.

But their pre-match analysis was just analysis.

The real thing to watch is the game.

Spurs starting lineup: Thiago Splitter (C), Tim Duncan (PF), Kawhi Leonard (SF), Danny Green (SG), Tony Parker (PG)

Timberwolves starting lineup: Serge Ibaka (C), Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF), Luol Deng (SF), Andre Iguodala (SG), Jimmy Butt Le (PG)

The two sides have played so far, and nothing has changed from the lineup.

Basically, both parties are already familiar with each other.

The most important thing is to look at the changes in the strategies of both sides.

After the start of the game, the Spurs did not look for Duncan's strong point.

Even if the Timberwolves deliberately used Ibaka to defend Duncan, Duncan didn't feel that Ibaka couldn't defend him and forced him to fight like in the previous games.

The Spurs started the long-lost team offensive mode.

It seems that Popovich also wants to understand, even if Duncan is the strength of the Spurs, when the Timberwolves have figured out a way to target Duncan.

Relying on the 38-year-old Duncan to turn the tide is an incompetent approach for him as a head coach.

Popovich also designed a lot of tactics this time, so that everyone in the Spurs can play a role on the offensive end.

Such a strategy is not very clever.

Especially for Popovich.

However, when Popovich had no solution for the time being, he did not forcefully arrange the same big strategy in the previous games and make some detailed adjustments.

Popovich adjusted the general direction in this game.

At first, the Timberwolves were a little uncomfortable with the sudden change of pace of the Spurs, but Su Chen immediately called a timeout and rearranged the defense.

Although these coping strategies have basically never been played before, with the blessing of the two props of simulated glasses and tactical notes, players quickly became familiar with this set of strategic arrangements.

After the timeout, the Timberwolves quickly adjusted.

The Spurs' offensive efficiency began to decline.

In fact, this is not a problem for ordinary coaches.

After all, the tactics the Spurs are playing now basically don't use Duncan as a containment force, and use Duncan to initiate.

In this tactical system of the Spurs, Duncan has become a mid-range opening point and a setter.

This is not a new tactic designed by Popovich, this is a tactic that the Spurs have played more.

It's just that in normal times, even if Duncan is only used as a space spreader and a setter, due to Duncan's huge threat, he can also contain a lot of defenses.

But look at the Timberwolves' defense.

Faced with Duncan receiving the ball in a more threatening position and organizing the offense, Ibaka didn't even concentrate on defending Duncan.

He's also juggling limiting Duncan's passing lanes.

It can be said that this is a provocation to Duncan.

Put on an expression that Duncan just didn't dare to hit him.

Duncan saw Ibaka's expression of arrogance, even though he knew it was to provoke him, but Duncan was still a little angry.

Why does a guy who has been taught by him many times in the playoffs look so arrogant?

But Duncan also knew that if he was going to fight Ibaka, he fell into the Timberwolves' plan.

The Spurs have also made some changes on the defensive end.

The entire Spurs' defense began to shrink within the range of the free throw line, preventing the Timberwolves' offense from easily rushing to the basket.

For such a zone defense, Su Chen also arranged some three-point tactics.

When the Warriors won the championship last season, he relied on three-point tactics, and the arrangement of three-point tactics would not trouble him at all.

Popovich's idea is actually very shrewd.

The Spurs' offensive and defensive arrangements are all trying to beat the Timberwolves who are unskilled.

Especially this season, the Timberwolves, in the long regular season, rarely set up three-point tactics except for scoring points for McCollum.

After the trade, the Timberwolves are basically a breakthrough team.

After putting up the zone defense, Popovich just wanted the Timberwolves to play in an unfamiliar way.

"This Popovich is really good at calculating, but with the simulated glasses and tactical notes, it is easy and proficient to arrange a new tactic."

When Su Chen saw the Spurs' overall offensive and defensive strategies, he couldn't help laughing.

Originally playing according to the previous strategy, and then making some fine-tuning, and then Duncan went crazy, it would be really hard to win this game.

However, Popovich would deliberately leak some weaknesses in an attempt to make the Timberwolves play in an unfamiliar way, which made Su Chen even more fearless.

With the simulated glasses and tactical notes, there is no need to worry about unfamiliar issues in the deployed tactics.

Then the weaknesses that the Spurs deliberately exposed are the real weaknesses, and they can just grab and play.

Sure enough, the match process was exactly as Su Chen thought.

In the first half, the Spurs missed too many three-pointers because they had to defend the zone defense.

Su Chen's three-point tactics were designed to break the zone defense.

Popovich changed some defensive details to defend the three-point tactics arranged by Su Chen. Popovich thought that even if the Timberwolves had hidden tricks, they wouldn't hide many tricks.

After all, the regular season must first reach the playoffs, and then the playoffs.

This requires training some tactics and has been hiding it. I feel that with the configuration of the Timberwolves at the time, it was purely overthinking.

However, after the players had mastered the three-point tactics that Su Chen arranged in timeouts one after another, Popovich also felt helpless.

At the end of the half, the Timberwolves had a 15-point lead.

"He actually hides so many tactics, let the team train but never use them."

Popovich was also very surprised when he was in the locker room.

It can be said that Popovich's tactics failed.

Popovich thought so much these days, and then thought that letting the Timberwolves play in an unfamiliar way should be the way to solve the problem.

After all, the Timberwolves have been rebuilding the team in the final analysis.

The Timberwolves' record last season was not very good, and the group of players from last season were basically traded away.

How many tactics can a real new team practice?

Popovich felt that he didn't open his mind before. Although Duncan is a strong point, the real strength of the Spurs is the rich tactical system.

The background of the Spurs over the years, how many tactics they have accumulated, and the GDP has always been in the formation.

It's what he should do to compete with Su Chen on the tactical level.

But now, because of the tactical adjustments he made, the Timberwolves are playing in a way they don't usually use, and they are still playing against the Spurs.

what is this concept?

There is a person who is very good at tennis, but everyone thinks his strength is top-notch but not top-notch, but one day he switched to his left hand and beat a player who he said was considered to be at the same level as him by the outside world.

This is a very outrageous thing.

In Popovich's view, this is simply because the Timberwolves usually practice these tactics and save them for the playoffs as a big move.

The Timberwolves' lineup is actually a disadvantage for the main three-pointer.

Because there are no elite shooters in the entire Timberwolves lineup.

However, they have a lot of 3D players, and the teams they usually encounter rarely defend inside.

With the Spurs actively using this defensive method, these 3D players get a lot of open space.

Although there is no elite shooter, but the shooting space is sufficient, and the hit rate is maintained.

It's the second half.

Seeing that the team was about to lose, Duncan frantically played inside the Timberwolves.

It doesn't matter whether the Timberwolves are going to take turns to defend and consume him, or double-team him, even if they double-team him, they still carry two layups.

Duncan, who played frantically, really swung in some unreasonable balls.

However, in addition to Ibaka and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the interior, Su Chen added another Josh on the front line, which held Duncan down.

Duncan didn't have much physical strength after playing, after all, he was 38 years old.

The Spurs also failed to catch up.

With two and a half minutes left in the game, the difference between the two sides was still 17 points.

After playing for another minute, the point difference still did not catch up.

Popovich also did not continue to let the main force continue to play. After all, these are old buddies who have followed him for many years, and he couldn't bear to let them continue to fight on the court.

In the Spurs' home arena, some Spurs fans have already exited.

But there are still most Spurs fans who stick to the court.

The mood of these Spurs fans is quite complicated. In this season, GDP still has the power to fight and the growth of Leonard and Green.

Many Spurs fans feel that this is the season when the Spurs can still compete for the championship.

Although the game is not over yet, the Spurs have basically been eliminated.

Lost to this young Timberwolves team.

Perhaps these old guys in the Spurs are really old, and they are so embarrassing against the Timberwolves and these young people.

Duncan, who was sitting on the bench, looked a little lost looking ahead.

He also knows the current level of Parker and Ginobili.

Originally, Duncan thought that he still had some peak strength, and he could bring these old teammates to the championship again.

Lost to the Warriors last season and lost to the Timberwolves this season.

These two defeats made it difficult for Duncan to accept.

Duncan looked at the sideline of the Timberwolves bench.

Even after the winner had been decided, the man was still telling the players not to make any mistakes.

Still in a very strict state.

For a while, Duncan seemed to understand why, why the Spurs lost to that man for two consecutive seasons.

(End of this chapter)