Legendary star

Chapter 84
In the three games that Meng Xu rested, Sean Etrio averaged 20 minutes per game, scored 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, shooting 45% from the field and 3% from the 33-point range. The performance is acceptable, and there is not much difference from before the operation.But the more this happened, the more entangled Popovich became. Meng Xu and Sean Etrio were destined to have only one starter, and Sean was not good at playing as a substitute, so it would be a pity to trade a high-quality rotation player.

"Greg, are you still having a headache about Sean?" In Popovich's office, looking at Popovich who was absent-mindedly watching the video, Mike Budenholzer asked just after pushing the door.

"Yeah, who will start the game the day after tomorrow?" Popovich pressed the remote control and turned off the video recorder.

"I think Meng can go to the 2nd position, and Mario can play the sixth man." Mike Budenholzer pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Well, you can try it too." Mike Budenholzer's statement also made Popovich's eyes shine. Physical ability, letting Meng Xu go to the 2nd position may also be a solution. The only uncertainty is whether Mario Elli can adapt to the role of the sixth man.

On March 3th, after a round of away trips, the Spurs will play at home against the Seattle Supersonics, which is currently ranked sixth in the Western Conference. According to the current ranking, the two teams are very likely to meet in the playoffs, so Bo Povic also attaches great importance to this game.

The Supersonics with Gary Payton, Schrempf and Sean Kemp have always been a strong team in the West. Among the starting five, there are three strongmen who can average 5+3 per game, and the supersonic style of play Especially restrain those teams with big insiders. In the West, whether it is the Rockets, Spurs or Jazz, as long as they encounter the Sonics, they will be afraid. It even happened that the Rockets released water at the end of the season in order to avoid the Sonics in the playoffs. It's just that in the past two years, the team's style has changed drastically. After reaching the finals and being defeated by Jordan, first coach George Karl dismissed get out of class, Sean Kemp was traded to the Cavaliers, and Schramf was traded to the Blazers. Or, in the shrinking season last year, the team spent a lot of money in exchange for Wen Baker, whose state was greatly reduced due to alcoholism. Now the Sonics have been reduced to the edge of the playoffs. Last season, they almost even made the playoffs Can't get in.

Gary Payton, the star of the Supersonics this season, also played the best data of his career. So far, he has averaged 25 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. It is not impossible to win the regular season MVP this season.The current Supersonics team is no longer the Supersonics team two years ago. With Sean Kemp, Schramf leaving the team, and the traded Vin Baker being unusable, Payton can only take on more The responsibility of the current Supersonics is entirely dependent on Payton alone.

In the training session before the start of this game, Meng Xu received a notice from assistant coach Mike Budenholzer that Meng Xu's position in this game will change, but after seeing Popovich's tactical arrangements , Meng Xu also breathed a sigh of relief. After experiencing the rookie challenge, what Meng Xu fears most is that one day, Popovich will let himself go to the 4th position to fight against those muscular sticks.

Unlike playing at the 3rd position, Meng Xu's task at the 2nd position is even easier. Protecting rebounds is no longer what Meng Xu has to do. After replacing Mario Elli at the 2nd position, Meng Xu Xu's offensive tasks are basically the same as usual, that is, to run out of space outside the 3-point line, and then wait for his teammates to pass the ball. Tactical arrangements for singles with the ball.On the defensive end, in addition to defending the Supersonics shooting guard Brent Barry, Meng Xu also needs to help Sean Etterio to help defend the Supersonics small forward Lewis.

As a guard almost at the same time as Jordan, Gary Payton is proficient in almost all offensive methods that belong to guards except for 3 points.With a height of 1 meters and a weight of close to 93 kilograms, Gary Payton is also a typical type. Those who are stronger than me are not as fast as me, and those who are faster than me are not as strong as me. In the number position, Gary Payton is always misplaced.And the Spurs' starting point guard, Avery Johnson, is the kind of player with average offense and average defense.

Not surprisingly, Avery Johnson was blown away by Gary Payton after the start of the game. Not only did he make a lot of mistakes on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, before the end of the first quarter, Gary Payton made 8 of 6 shots. , 2 free throws and 2 free throws, scored 14 points, and also sent 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and even the Spurs fell behind the Supersonics by 23 points 31 to 7.

"Greg, do you want Meng to defend Payton." Seeing the decline on the court, assistant coach Mike Budenholzer reminded him.Basically, for the current Spurs, facing any team, Meng Xu will take on the task of defending the opponent's main outside scorer. Seeing Gary Payton, who has exploded in this game, Mike Budenhall Ze's first thought was to ask Meng Xu to defend him.

"No need for now, haven't we been mentally prepared for this kind of scene?" Popovich shook his head very calmly. What Popovich is most afraid of is the kind of ball that depends on a star to rush and hit. Basketball is a five-person game, and it is impossible for one person to beat a team. Even Jordan won the championship only after Pippen and the triangle offense.

In the first quarter of the game, not only Gary Payton performed well, but the inside line composed of Wen Baker and Hollands Grant did not lose the wind when facing David Robinson and Tim Duncan. He made 3 of 0 shots in the entire first quarter and scored no points.

What is more surprising is the small forward Rashad Lewis of the Supersonics. Lewis, who was originally a power forward on the court, has two All-Star insiders, Hollands Grant and Vin Baker, more often. They all appeared at the small forward position. As a big man with a height of nearly 2 meters, Lewis, like Anthony Walker, likes to float on the outside very much, but his shooting touch is much better than Anthony Walker. Just 10 of 3 4-pointers in the first half of the first quarter.It's just that this guy is obviously afraid of physical confrontation. In the second half of the first quarter, after Meng Xu deliberately increased physical contact while assisting in defense, Lewis didn't even take a single shot.

(End of this chapter)