basketball player

Chapter 266 264: Mirror Master?
The game started at 07:30 in the evening. As two teams that reached the division finals last season, today's strong collision naturally received the treatment of the national broadcast. The ATT Center was packed, and almost one-third of Indianapolis households were tuned in tonight.

Compared with the opening game, this game really inspired the commercial value of the Pacers.

Although the chat with Popovich just made Henson happy, it doesn't mean the Pacers will relax after the game starts.His goal of coming here remains unchanged, to end the Spurs' winning streak!
"This will undoubtedly be a wonderful game. A few days ago, people were arguing that the team building model like the Pacers is better, but the team building model like the Lakers is more suitable. But now we can see what kind of game the two teams don't rely on to build their teams with superstars!" Kenny Smith uttered a voice excitedly. He has not spoken about the Pacers for a long time.

"The Indiana Pacers are the defending champions. I think even GDP can hardly resist their impact." Beside Kenny Smith, Sir Charles Flying Pig Barkley said that he is more optimistic about the Pacers. However, until the middle of last season, Barkley was still an out-and-out "Joe Black".

This illustrates a fact-in competitive sports, continuous victories will indeed change others' perception of you.

Henson's eyes never left the Spurs' big man wearing No. 21 before the game started.This guy who looks like he has facial paralysis and is always dumbfounded is known as the "big basic skill".

Accurate mid-range jumper, iconic 45° hitting the board on both sides, simple basket skills, and athletic ability that has nothing to do with the best, everything about him seems to be calm.But the characteristic of that No. 21 is precisely to kill the game in a calm manner.

To be exact, this has even become a feature of the entire Spurs team!
Ending the game in tepid, San Antonio is terrible here!

The game is about to start, and both Henson and Popovich are sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai.This is not because the two coaches underestimate each other, or play some psychological warfare.It's because both sides know very well that neither of them is the kind of team that can be taken away by a wave.

So at the beginning of the game, there is no need to emphasize too many things.

Instead of getting nervous, it's better to calm down and fight slowly.Anyway, this is destined to be a tug of war!

"The coaches of both sides have not changed their lineups, and they still won three consecutive games in the first three games. For the Spurs, Duncan and the Frenchman Dior partnered inside. Tony Parker and his old friend Ginobili appeared on the back line. The third position is played by Stephen Jackson."

"The Spurs lineup is older, but they are very experienced and not easy to make mistakes. I don't think Popovich will let the Pacers get too many quick offensive opportunities today." Barkley shook his head. The Spurs' lineup is really not that luxurious in this era of superstars. After all, GDP is no longer a guy in his 20s.

But he knows very well that if he only evaluates the strength of the Spurs based on the lineup on paper, he will definitely suffer a lot!
With the whistle of the referee, the game officially begins!Duncan couldn't beat Horford in the scrimmage because Duncan didn't jump much at all.

The Pacers took the lead, and George immediately wanted to use the off-ball screen to make a run for himself.This season, George's desire to score on the offensive end has increased significantly, and his scoring method is no longer a single catch and shoot.His level of offense with the ball can be said to have improved by leaps and bounds!

In the first three games, George scored 26 points, 23 points and 21 points respectively, and has become a scorer with full potential.

But today, George's aggressive off-ball movement didn't help.Because he found that when Ginobili was blocked, "Martial Saint" Stephen Jackson immediately made up for it!

Unlimited defense changes!Popovich doesn't care whether George is a young man or not, since you can score, you should enjoy such treatment!And Stephen Jackson has always been known for his desperate defense, which is certainly no stranger to Pacers fans.

After all, "Wu Sheng" also played for the Pacers for three seasons.Moreover, Jackson directly participated in the infamous "Auburn Hills Palace Scramble".

Under Jackson's strict defense, George couldn't run out of space for a while.Paul had no choice but to hang the ball to West, but West's singles failed to shake Duncan's defense. His turnaround jump shot was interfered by Duncan's hand, and the Pacers missed their first attack!
"This is the San Antonio Spurs. Their defense is so solid that it never seems to go wrong!"

The Pacers' retreat was not fast, because the Spurs couldn't play the "early attack" trick, which Henson can be sure of.

But falling into position, the Spurs did not feel afraid.They were able to win so many championships because they relied on positional offense!
When did you hear that the Spurs beat opponents to death with defensive counterattacks and fast breaks?

The Spurs' basketball moves very quickly because the Spurs can pass the ball from the one to the five on the court.This scene is a bit like the way the Pacers dealt with the Heat last season.I don't know if Popovich's practice of sending Duncan to play five and sending Diao to play four has learned from Henson.

Boris Diaw finally pulled to the three-point line, and Ginobili slammed the pass and sent the ball to Duncan.

It was West who singled Duncan just now, and now it's time for Duncan to single West.

Just when everyone thought Duncan was going to end the attack, Stephen Jackson suddenly cut in empty-handed!

George hurriedly followed, but at some point the Frenchman Dior had moved to his side, blocking George solidly!Sure enough, the Spurs' offense has never been that simple.

Duncan made a back pass, and "Martial Saint" Jackson defied Horford's defense and forced a layup.

Although under Horford's supplementary defense, Jackson encountered fierce confrontation in the air.But he still sent the ball softly into the frame, and the Spurs succeeded in attacking!

"What else can I say? This is the ultimate in team basketball! Team basketball vs. team basketball, this game is getting more and more interesting."

Henson curled his lips, and the Spurs had the upper hand in both offense and defense rounds.Popovich did not hesitate to use unlimited defenses against George, a young man, and the offensive end also played a method of using conduction instead of individual singles to create opportunities.

Needless to say, Popovich must have been fully prepared.

After that, the Spurs still used team offense and unlimited defense to deal with Henson.Henson even felt that his opponent was not Popovich, but a mirror.In the mirror, it was himself reflected.

He seemed to be fighting against himself, what Hansen needed to think about was how to break through his own system!But to be honest, Henson never thought about it.

So after the rotation time came, the Pacers and the Spurs played 18 to 16, and the Spurs led by 2 points.And their score distribution is incredibly average.

Just looking at the data, you don't know whether this team is led by Stephen Jackson or Duncan, because the data of the starting five tigers of the Spurs is too average.The average scoring division means you can't find the defensive focus.

Henson now knows how annoying his more blooming offense is.

"It's okay, it's only the first quarter, let's take our time!" But even though he was behind by 2 points, Henson was not worried.He is very clear that his bench depth has an advantage!The Spurs can compete with themselves for the starting five tigers, but they can't rotate and "copy" themselves, right?

After the rotation timeout ended, Popovich replaced Diaw with Matt Bonner and Duncan with Splitter, keeping the inside with three-point firepower and rim protection.

Afterwards, the old man used Gary Neal and Patrick Mills to partner in the back line, leaving only "Martial Saint" Jackson in the entire starting lineup.

Like Henson, Popovich will not rely too much on the main force.But Henson believes that his rotation lineup is stronger!

Sure enough, as soon as the game started, Ray Allen, who came off the bench, used a three-pointer to silence the ATT Center.Henson smiled, now it's time for me to make a move, right?
But Gary Neal, a small guard who lost the draft in 2007 and didn't land in the NBA through the Spurs until 2010, gave Henson a blow.

Neal first broke through Ray Allen easily and scored two points with a small throw.

Then, he threw away Ray Allen with an extremely fast off-the-ball run, and hit a three-pointer with the ball.Ray Allen's defensive awareness is still there, but he really can't keep up with Neil.Compared with the heyday, the defensive ability can be said to have dropped significantly.

Gary Neal scored 5 points in a row, allowing the Spurs to stabilize the situation in the rotation time in an instant!Neil is like this player. Although he looks mediocre, he has the attribute of convulsions, and he dares to fight and make moves. He can give some offensive methods.He doesn't even need others to create space for him. He has a strong personal ability to hold the ball. As an undrafted pick, he dares to shoot key shots!

So in many cases, Neal is the Spurs' quick-acting rescue pill.It is not once or twice that he suddenly showed his power to save the Spurs.

Henson really doesn't know where Popovich found such a guard!Well, maybe the depth of the Spurs' lineup is no worse than their own!

Under the leadership of Gary Neal, the Spurs finally entered the second quarter with a 4-point advantage. 27 to 23, the Pacers failed to regain the situation with the rotation lineup!
The starters couldn't find a defensive center of gravity, and the substitutes had surprises to help.Henson really felt that he was fighting with himself!In the past, shouldn't it be Henson's opponent who has such troubles?

Popovich anticipated all of his usual tactics and resisted them.

Change, Henson needs to make a change.Whether he will take the risk or not, he needs to be the first to make a change.

(End of this chapter)