The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 113 The semifinals with consistent pace

Offense is the best defense, and that's fine when you're leading the way.

Zhang Xiaotian can't be separated in defense, but it's not that troublesome in offense, as long as he hits it, it will be fine.

To be honest, Klay Thompson's defense is very good, but he is a defender after all, Zhang Xiaotian is a forward, and Klay Thompson's defense still lacks some aggressiveness on the front line.

Barnes is also in the same situation. Their skills are fine, but basketball is always a sport of strong physical confrontation, and momentum is very important in many cases.

After Zhang Xiaotian received the ball, he rushed to Klay Thompson. Klay Thompson tried his best to stick to Zhang Xiaotian, but he was forced to push him away. Landry had to come up to help defend, because Zhang Xiaotian is also a dangerous man now.

Facing the help defense inside, Zhang Xiaotian just flicked the ball to the middle, and Duncan scored.

After scoring the points, Duncan still stared at the Warriors players with bulging eyes, as if to say that he should not be regarded as a threat.

At this time, Curry's touch was average, and the Spurs launched an offense after a three-pointer.

Now the Spurs only have one insider, and it is Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard's job to pick and roll Parker.

Zhang Xiaotian stepped forward to give Parker a cover, and Parker went in and hit it with one step.

Although Parker didn't feel very good this time, as an experienced player in the playoffs, he will not be affected, and he can make decisive shots when he has the opportunity.

Seeing that there is hope for catching up with the score, the Spurs have stabilized their advantage after two rounds.

At this time, two points are not killing people. When Mark Jackson was secretly anxious, Curry's three-pointer finally opened in the final quarter.

That's it, the team's hopes of winning.

But the Warriors were not happy for long. Zhang Xiaotian beat Klay Thompson successfully and caused a foul in the Spurs' offense.

The leading Spurs took the lead in making adjustments. Manu Ginobili played, but Danny Green was not replaced. Popovich asked Parker to rest at this time.

This decision is a bit strange, but now that there is Zhang Xiaotian on the court, it is a bit difficult to distribute the ball if there is no next ball holding point.

What made the Warriors vomit blood was that their next attack from the outside had no chance to pass to the inside. Bogut lived up to the long-awaited score, but Ginobili, who had just played, hit another three-pointer.

Who is the best three-pointer? The warrior wants to cry but has no tears.

To be honest, the Warriors' lineup of three guards is indeed sharp in attack, but their defensive ability has declined. When the three guards cannot score explosively, they will definitely suffer a loss against the Spurs.

Curry and Klay Thompson were marked to death, and the Warriors could only use Jack to attack.

Jack was not afraid at the critical moment. He made two consecutive offensive hits, but he also chased the score gap to only 5 points.

But at this time, there are only the last 3 minutes left in the game, and they have to hold on.

However, after Zhang Xiaotian and Ginobili picked and rolled, they received a pass from Ginobili and hit 2 points again.

It was another 7 points. The Warriors couldn't wait to get blood back at this time. Curry suddenly made a back pass during a breakthrough and threw the ball to Barnes who was just at the three-point line from the bottom corner.

In this game, Barnes has picked up a lot of bargains.

This time, Zhang Xiaotian was well prepared, and it was also because Barnes and Klay Thompson were on the side. Barnes thought there was another vacancy, but Zhang Xiaotian, who was rushed from the side, was a big cap.

The Warriors served the ball and then organized an attack, but the timing was a bit tight. Landry came out to catch Curry, and was ready to shoot after catching the ball. Ginobili, however, had quick eyesight and quick hands.

After the Spurs got the ball, they spent time unhurriedly. Although Duncan missed a hit when he finally hit the inside, it left less time for the Warriors to chase points.

Curry was a little anxious, and he had to make a strong shot when he went in. Danny Green also gave a big hat without mercy.

Danny Green has tried his best to defend the Warriors on the outside in the past few games, and now he finally gave Curry a shot, and he clenched his fists and shouted.

Then Klay Thompson finally hit one under the entanglement of Zhang Xiaotian, but there was only a little more than a minute left in the game.

Parker appeared again, and Parker was still in place to control the time when leading.

It took a full 20 seconds for Parker to make a simple mid-range shot that almost made the opponent despair.

There are still 7 points, but this is already the last minute.

Then Jack hit two points, but time was running out, and the Warriors could only choose to foul.

Foul tactics were also carried out once, and the Spurs Parker made two free throws, but the Warriors' next three-pointer was unsuccessful.

At 90:83, the Spurs won two consecutive games at the opponent's home court and won the match point.

The suffocating defense and the magical means have an end. The Spurs' defense and multiple scoring points let the Warriors understand what is called the background and what is called real team basketball.

Compared with Ginobili's 21 points, Zhang Xiaotian's 9 points are a bit ordinary, but his scoring is very important, and his contribution to the team is also real.

Next, they will return to San Antonio, and the veteran Spurs will not give the opponent any chance to turn around.

Like the Spurs, the defending champion Heat also won the match point.

The Bulls seemed to have tried their best in the previous game, and no one was out of shape. They were rubbed on the ground by James at the beginning of the game.

Jimmy Butler is normal, facing James all over the court, but the gap is the gap.

For a second-year rookie, No.1 in the same position is too strong.

However, the Thunder, which had an excellent record in the regular season, was awarded the match point by the Grizzlies. The performance of the black and white bears and Mike Conley, Durant alone could not resist the sky.

How strong they would have been without Westbrook's injury, no one will know, but right now they're standing on the edge of a precipice.

"A few years ago, we were also in this predicament. Now we know how to deal with it. We can't just keep our heads down and go to training today because we lost the game. If we continue to fight, there will always be good results." Durant did not let go in an interview , but no matter how you listen, it’s just to comfort yourself.

Coincidentally, in the game between the Knicks and the Pacers, the Pacers also got the match point.

At the beginning of the second round, it seemed that all four games were played, but now it seems that the strength has become much clearer.

In addition to scoring, Anthony lost to Paul George in other statistics.

Looking at Paul George's offensive and defensive ends, there is a sigh of the waves of the Yangtze River pushing the waves forward.

Anthony was still killing all directions before, but when he met younger juniors, he still showed a little fatigue.

Four semifinals, when it came to the fifth game, the Spurs and Warriors became the first to start.

Coming to San Antonio, the Warriors came with the determination to break the boat, but the Spurs will never let the home court fall again.

(End of this chapter)