basketball player

Chapter 268 Chapter 266: Defensive vanguard who can score

Popovich did not expect that Henson would use such a weird move to open the score. His infinite defense lasted for nearly a half, but a loophole appeared because of a simple position change by the opponent.And Horford's stability in shooting has also greatly exceeded Popovich's expectations. Indeed, although Horford has basically taken shape, the improvement rate cannot be as great as that of Paul George and Leonard.

But you also have to admit that Horford is still growing.His skills in all aspects are becoming more and more mature, and his judgment on the game is becoming more and more accurate.Most importantly, he just turned 26 this year!
But now Popovich doesn't have time to drool over Henson's players, he has to find a way to get the team out of the woods.Trailing by 10 points, if the Spurs want to continue to be passive, they need to tie the score before halftime.

So, the old man called Gary Neal, who performed well in the first quarter, hoping that this versatile offensive player could continue to display his enthusiasm.

"Others, pay more attention to filling Gary! Gary, I will give you a certain right to fire freely, but if you can't fucking shoot the ball, I will replace you!" Popovich, like Henson, is very clear about what his players are good at and what they are not good at.Gary Neal's defense is not good, so use the system to make up for it as much as possible.Gary Neal has a lot of means on the offensive end, so give him some room to play freely.

"Also, don't space Horford! No, exactly, don't space any Pacers who can shoot! Watch your matchups, cut off passing lanes, force turnovers!"

After Popovich finished shouting, he waved his hand to signal the players to enter the field.Now it's almost time for the rotation, if Henson can replace Ray Allen, that would be the best!Popovich believes that Ray Allen cannot give Gary too much defensive pressure.

"The timeout is over, and the Spurs are now 10 points behind. The situation has suddenly become serious. Oh? The coaches of both sides have made personnel adjustments!" After the electronic buzzer sounded, Kenny Smith, who was commentating the game, immediately regained his spirits.

"On the Spurs side, Popovich replaced Ginobili with Gary Neal. On the Pacers side, wait, who is that? Oh, yes, his name is Jimmy Butler, I remember him! Coach Henson didn't replace Ray Allen, but let Jimmy Butler, who didn't play much last season, play. Jimmy's performance in this year's preseason was very impressive. Let's see if he can continue to maintain his form during the regular season!" Barkley smiled with interest. Lol, every time Henson makes an unconventional substitution, there are usually tricks!
Jimmy Butler replaced Green, George played at the three, and Yi Jianlian replaced West.Henson also made a substitution, and his substitution upset Popovich.Because the old man knew very well that this was not Henson's regular substitution method.

The game restarted with the Spurs going first.On the offensive end, the goal of the Spurs is very clear, which is Gary Neal!

Neil's off-ball movement is very fast, which is why Ray Allen couldn't guard him in the first quarter!But this time Parker waited for a while outside the three-point line, but still didn't hit the ball.Because he didn't have a chance to pass the ball, that guy named Jimmy Butler stared at Neal like candy and didn't even give him a chance to catch the ball!

"Uh..." Seeing Jimmy Butler's performance, Popovich couldn't help covering his forehead.

God, the Pacers already have Paul, Leonard, George and Green, and they have another perimeter defensive leader, which makes others still play.

Fortunately, in the end Duncan scored a goal over Horford with a very beautiful hook, which did not embarrass the Spurs.But Popovich is very clear that his tactics and ideas have not been played out at all.

Fortunately, the guy named Jimmy Butler doesn't seem to be very good at scoring.In this way.Gary Neal's disadvantage on the defensive end will be infinitely reduced.

Jimmy Butler is not very good at scoring, this is the impression he left last season.But today, this inherent impression is about to be broken by Butler.

Paul handed the ball to George after halftime. George faced the defense of "Martial Saint" Jackson, not to mention being locked up today, but it did take a lot of effort to score.

On Paul's side, Parker is inseparable, and Duncan is always there to defend.Yi Jianlian pulled beyond the three-point line, but Diaw strictly followed Popovich's request and didn't give space to anyone who could shoot.

Horford's low singles against Duncan is not the best choice for this offense.So, George chose to hand the ball to Jimmy Butler.He knew very well how capable this teammate who almost helped the substitute team beat the main team several times on the training ground was!
"Jimmy Butler holds the ball. We all know that Jimmy, like Leonard, is more defensive than offensive. Although Leonard has made great progress on the offensive end this season, it does not mean that Jimmy Butler can also achieve the same significant improvement."

While Kenny Smith was speaking, Jimmy Butler had already used his strong body to lean against Gary Neal to break through the baseline!
Duncan has one head and two bigs, no, three bigs.

Horford, Paul and Jimmy Butler, who has begun to break through, all need Duncan's scruples.Although Popovich said he would help Neal defend, in the end Duncan chose to focus on Paul and Horford. After all, Jimmy Butler is not the most threatening offensive point.

Gary Neal doesn't seem to be able to resist Butler's tough crushing at all, and his lack of athletic ability is very difficult for Jimmy Butler's athletic guard.Finally, in terms of height and wingspan, Gary Neal still has no advantage.

Such a "three noes" defender, no wonder Popovich is so worried about him.

Just when Gary Neal thought Butler was going to kill the basket, Butler suddenly slammed on the brakes and pulled out his hand!

Neal hurried forward to block, but Butler's shot was high off the ground, and the shot was not something Neal could block.So although Butler had defenders in front of him, he was actually not disturbed at all!

"No way." Popovich widened his eyes, staring at the basketball spinning in the air.

If the offense of Leonard and Jimmy Butler are both developed, then the Indiana Pacers will be a difficult opponent to beat.

"Swipe!" The basketball hit the net and Jimmy Butler scored easily!Everyone in the Spurs was stunned. What kind of abilities does this Jimmy Butler have?
After Butler scored a goal, he roared excitedly and high-fived George who passed the ball to him!Finally, he was finally able to fulfill everything he ever wanted to have in the NBA and on the real battlefield!

Henson smiled and clapped, not surprised by Butler's scoring performance.At the beginning, he gambled on this low-ranking high-potential guard with the mentality of giving it a try, and it should be a gamble!
After that, Jimmy Butler still continued his highlight performance.He first rewarded Gary Neal with a risk on the defensive end, forcibly turning Neal's shot into a non-stick one.

After the block was blocked, Butler ran tirelessly to the frontcourt, as if he didn't want to stop for a moment.

Paul quickly hit the ball and assisted Butler with a one-handed dunk!A quick counterattack is undoubtedly the last way Popovich wants to see losing points.

"After blocking the shot, he dunked on the offensive end immediately! Jimmy Butler is so active, he seems to be full of desire for every minute of the game!" Barkley was hooked, and the vitality displayed by the kid named Butler far exceeded his expectations.

Of course, it also greatly exceeded Popovich's expectations.The pace of progress of the Pacers players is staggering. He really doubts whether Henson knows some oriental witchcraft!

Jimmy Butler, who averaged 2.6 points per game last season, wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he can't attack.But this season, he has become a threat that can attack independently on the offensive end.

Can't progress be fast?With Henson's badge and Frazier's guidance, the pace of progress of the Pacers players from the offensive end is visible to the naked eye.

If Henson knew what Popovich was thinking, he would certainly admit it generously.

"I do have some unknown powers, but can you believe it?"

The 14-point difference is firmly on Popovich's head. He feels that Henson should be the drinker tonight.
(End of this chapter)