basketball player

Chapter 392 Chapter 390: Who can calm down
Tim Duncan, everyone knows how capable this guy is.However, when you actually fight him, you will be amazed that his energy is more powerful than you imagined.

Relying on Duncan's miraculous performance, Henson finally wiped out the 10-point difference he opened with a three-pointer.This is the San Antonio Spurs, they will not let others easily come back, nor will they allow others to easily gain an advantage.

After Duncan assisted Ginobili to complete the goal, David West tried to double-team Duncan.But Dior's relentless three-pointer made West immediately regret this decision, and the Pacers' defense fell into a deadlock.Seeing Duncan shine in the interior, but the Pacers really have no good way.

Fortunately, Duncan is almost 40 years old.Even in the playoffs, it is impossible for Popovich to let him play for too long.Duncan was taken to rest by Popovich in the middle of the second quarter, which means that Duncan played again, which should be the second half of the game.

But even so, Henson still failed to open the score as he wished, because the outstanding performance of Ginobili and Parker filled the vacancy left by Duncan.

The GDP trio are still young, maybe that's why they were able to break out of the terrible Western Conference again and enter the finals.

In the last 0.8 seconds of the second quarter, Ginobi deceived Horford with a very demonic fake fax and completed the buzzer goal.So far, the score between the two sides has become 49 to 52, and the San Antonio Spurs are still only 3 points behind the Pacers!
"The end of the first half! The two sides played inextricably. We thought that Coach Henson would open the score in the second quarter, but it seems that the San Antonio Spurs did not let the situation get out of control. I have to admire the offensive stability of the Spurs. The three players in GDP played good data. Duncan scored 12 points and 7 rebounds in the half, and Parker and Ginobili also scored 9 points in the half. The defending champions have met a real strong enemy."

After halftime, Henson wanted to walk quickly back to the locker room, but the reporters took a step ahead and blocked Henson at the entrance of the player tunnel.

"Ask!" Henson frowned, as if he was not in the mood to chat with the reporter.

"How do you rate the performance of the Spurs in the first half of the game? How did they equalize the [-]-point difference?"

"They are too calm, as if they will never make mistakes. All we have to do is keep up with the rhythm, and then try not to make mistakes."

Without kidding, sarcasm or arrogance, Henson has realized the difference between the Spurs and the Heat.Wanting to take over control of the game from Popovich is not that simple.

In the last round of the Eastern Conference Finals, the biggest reason for the Heat's loss was stability.They can score minutes in a row, but also go minutes without a goal.In this way, the Pacers can easily widen the gap after going back and forth.

If the Heat are a volcano that can erupt at any time, the Spurs are a metronome that never goes wrong.

No matter how many offensive climaxes you have, no matter how much you lead, the Spurs will always be in their rhythm.Step by step, never go wrong.And in the end, you'll find that they always come back!
Henson originally wanted to reduce the lineup in the second half of the game and use speed to overwhelm the Spurs.But after thinking about it carefully, Henson vetoed the plan.In this world, there is no tactic that can quickly overwhelm the Spurs.The only way you want to win over the Spurs is to fight them to the end!
So during the intermission, Henson did not arrange any aggressive tactics.Angry Spurs players?Stephenson might be able to get James to six fouls.David West might get Battier a technical foul.But facing the Spurs, facing Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, these insidious tricks will obviously not work.

Small lineup?Henson still prayed that the inside line would not be blown up.

Three-pointer?Facts have proved that ignorant reliance on three-pointers cannot kill the Spurs.

Is there anything else the Pacers can do?Maybe there will be later, after all, Henson has limited time to study the Spurs.But as far as this game is concerned, fighting the Spurs to the end is the only way.

So throughout the second half, both sides spent the overtake and being overtaken.The Spurs' efficient offense with GDP as the core played well, while the Pacers, led by Paul, were always able to find open shots.

Both teams played a regular battle, without hearty fast breaks, and without hot-blooded dunks.

Screening, supplementary defense, blocking and open shots, these unpretentious pictures occupy most of the game.Until 31.8 seconds before the end of the game, the two sides still fought to a draw!At this time, Paul George got two free throw opportunities.

"These are definitely the two most critical free throws in the entire game, but we all know that Paul George has always had a big heart. I believe that this little pressure will not trouble him."

Mike Breen and the fans naturally liked this scene very much, but to be honest, Henson has had enough of games that have to rely on key shots to win the game.In the last round of the Heat, the first few games of the two sides basically relied on key shots to decide the victory.But the key ball decisive victory is actually very unsafe, and Henson's opponents cannot guarantee to grasp the key ball every time.Similarly, the Pacers cannot be 100% sure at critical moments.

"At the critical moment, do you want to change the lineup on the field? Do Green and Ray Allen need to play? Maybe their three-pointers can play a role at the critical moment."

Henson turned his head when he heard Vogel's voice, only to find that his assistant was already sweating profusely.

"Are you hot?"

"No, I'm a little nervous."

Vogel was outspoken, playing key goals with the Spurs, few people were not nervous.

"We still have a timeout, and the three-point shooter can wait until we fall behind. Now, we have to keep the starting lineup and defend. After all, we still lead by 2 points." Stevens gave different suggestions, and his thoughts were basically the same as Henson's.

During the conversation, George had completed two free throws, which also gave the Pacers a 2-point lead at the critical moment.For the two teams that mainly focus on positional offense today, the 31.8-point advantage in the last 2 seconds is already a very huge point difference.

Popovich didn't call a timeout, and like Henson, Popovich had only one timeout left.Since the two sides have been fighting tit-for-tat in this game, the coaches of the two teams called timeouts more often.But Popovich is not worried. He believes that his group of players has the ability to deal with such a situation.

In the next attack, Horford stood in front of Duncan in readiness.Duncan sits back pretty hard on this play, which means Duncan wants a single!
However, Horford still underestimated Duncan's basketball IQ.Since Duncan entered the league until now, the Spurs have never missed the playoffs.In other words, for so many years, Duncan has been fighting against the most powerful player and the most powerful team in the league.His experience and his judgment on the field are unmatched by Horford.

Duncan pretended to play low-post singles, but after Horford gained a firm foothold, he suddenly stepped up to a high position!The end point of the Spurs' offense this time is not Duncan, but Parker!

Horford rushed up in a hurry, and before he could analyze the situation clearly, he saw Parker jumping out from Duncan.

The quality of Duncan's screen is very high, and a defender as strong as Paul can't get rid of it quickly!Is it to continue to defend Duncan or make up for Parker?Horford hesitated, but at this moment of hesitation, Parker was able to jump into the penalty area!

Horford has no choice. If he continues to sit idly by, the French defender will get a chance to make an empty basket!Fortunately, Horford's moving speed was fast enough, so he rushed back and interfered with Parker the moment Parker took off!
Parker lost his center of gravity in the air and almost fell.But even so, the "French Sports Car" still stabilized its center of gravity. With its body almost parallel to the ground, with a slight flick of the wrist, it picked the basketball in!
Parker fell to the ground, but quickly got up, wanting the referee to explain why the ball was not called a foul just now!
"Damn, it's all right!?" Henson covered his head with his hands. Parker's goal can only be described as miraculous!This was the first time he felt that Tony Parker was such a terrifying player.

Henson has seen a lot of layups after losing his center of gravity, and Paul often does this too.But it was the first time that Henson could score a goal even when he was about to fall and his body was almost parallel to the ground.

The magic of the Spurs and the magic of GDP have shocked Henson more than once today!

"Do you want to pause!?" Vogel asked again, at this time he was already sweating!
"No." Henson shook his head, "Not yet!"

"At this point in the game, the coaches of both sides have not stopped the game. I have to say, both of them are coaches with a big heart." Mike Brin swallowed, and there were 27 seconds left in the game. It stands to reason that the game should be called to stop the game.But Henson didn't, and neither did Popovich.

The game of these two guys is very cautious, for fear of being caught by the other party and making any mistakes.

Paul gestured on the court, and he knew without Henson's command that the ball must be delayed and the ball must be thrown.The Spurs' defense is very tight. They no longer focus on protecting the basket, but also block it outside the three-point line.In short, it was difficult for the Pacers to find a space throughout the Spurs half.

Paul waved his hand, signaling everyone to open up space for themselves, and then broke through in singles.As the star of the Pacers, Paul knows he has to step up now.

Parker's defense is very experienced, he knew what Paul wanted to do, so he let Paul take two steps.Paul continuously dribbled the ball under his crotch to find a breakthrough rhythm. The moment his teammates opened up the space, he suddenly picked up his speed, made a frontal change and pulled the ball back from the left side to Parker's right side!

Parker was a fraction of a second slower, but it was enough for Paul to break through.However, Duncan's defense was not a display either. Seeing his French teammate being broken through, Duncan immediately moved to the basket, ready to block the shot at any time!
Don't think that if Duncan can't jump up now, his blocking power will be reduced.In fact, Duncan averaged 2.7 blocks per game this season, ranking third in the league, second only to Serge Ibaka and Dwight Howard.

Duncan doesn't rely on bouncing to block shots. His super high basketball IQ allows him to always seize the best time to take off.Standing will risk you, this is the most terrible defensive player.

But Paul is not stupid, he is the player with the lowest blocked rate in the league this season.Paul will not easily try a shot that cannot be completed.

At the moment when Duncan defended, Paul saw Horford sneaking towards the right corner.Without hesitation, Parker hit the ground between Duncan's legs and passed the ball to Horford.

"Al Horford, will he kill the game!?" Mike Breen stood up, and the entire Bankers Life Arena fans stood up!

Horford was a little nervous, and this tension came from Duncan's pressure on him throughout the game today.So at this time, seeing Duncan rushing towards him, Horford found that he couldn't maintain a normal mind as usual.As soon as this three-pointer was shot, Horford felt bad!
Henson has clenched his fists and is ready to cheer at any time!But just as he worried, it is impossible for the Pacers to seize key opportunities every time!
"Bang!" The basketball was a little shorter and hit the side of the basket.

"No!?" Mike Brin's heart beat faster.

"Timeout, timeout!" Popovich had a clear mind, and when Duncan protected the rebound, Popovich suspended the game!Now, he has a chance to kill the game!
"Fuck!" Henson yelled when he heard the referee call to stop the game.But fortunately, I took a deep breath and left a pause!The Pacers still have a chance!
"Frank, tactical board, Frank!?" Henson reached for the tactical board with his back turned to the bench, but he didn't hold it for a long time.He turned his head in surprise, only to find that Vogel's face was pale and his head was sweating profusely.

This guy, was terrified.

The job of the head coach is really a great test of a person's psychological quality.

(End of this chapter)