The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 404 The old man is not happy
Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard stimulated the children of the Lakers. After the game, several of their young players talked about their hard work against the two top strikers in interviews. They looked pitiful and held back tears after being bullied.

In his fifth year in the league, Zhang Xiaotian is indeed an old player in the eyes of rookies.

Coupled with the championship ring and the halo of the best player in the finals, some young players have already regarded him as a target.

This feeling makes people more motivated to fight on the court.

Some players enter the league and start to spend money and money.That would be such a waste.

Zhang Xiaotian is very clear about what athletes should do to benefit themselves and get the life they want.

On November 11, the Spurs returned to their home court against the Mavericks.

The Mavericks also had a poor start to the season, perhaps the worst in years.

Nowitzki is one year older, and the Mavericks are increasingly lacking in offensive power.

They wanted to bring in players in the summer, but just like the Lakers, no one wanted to come over.

So they won Harrison Barnes. They had already bet wrongly on Parsons before, and they had no choice but to bet again this time. The money will always be spent, right?

This game Dirk Nowitzki also missed due to injury, Deron is the same, resulting in the Mavericks' starting lineup is extremely shabby, three of which are undrafted.

To be exact, it was four, but although Wesley Matthews didn't play as well as Zhang Xiaotian, he was still able to play well, and the other three were purely marginal.

As miserable as the Mavericks, there is probably no semicolon.

It's just players who can enter the league, and it's not okay to underestimate them.

However, the Spurs are also resting. Parker and Aldridge are resting below. Popovich really seized every opportunity to rest.

Playing under such a coach, the player's career will be extended.

But Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard don't need this kind of treatment, they are young and strong.

The team's rookie Dejounte Murray got the chance to start. In this game, the Spurs intend to let the three main teams play with a group of rookies. Anyway, the Mavericks have no one.

But the Mavericks played very well both offensively and defensively after the start. The fringe man Seth Curry they signed in the summer feels good, and has a taste of the Warriors' brother possession.

And now their main offensive point, Barnes, is also playing well. Barnes is still a good player, although he is still a bit short of the core level.

On the offensive end, the Spurs are basically Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard.

Zhang Xiaotian also took the opportunity to score consecutive singles, this game is a good opportunity to score points.

It's just that the Mavericks' defense is not bad, and their inside Salah Mejri is dedicated in defense.

Zhang Xiaotian is not the type who puts more emphasis on scoring points than winning. He likes winning and victory points, and he can't easily let the team lose the game.

Before the end of the first half, Seth Curry hit the fifth three-pointer, and the Mavericks entered the intermission with a one-point lead.

Although the two main players were rested in rotation, it is too embarrassing to fall behind the Mavericks. Popovich didn't even bother to scold, with a stinky face.

Zhang Xiaotian and others also knew that the Mavericks could no longer vote like that.

The easiest way is for Danny Green to switch to the first position.

As for Matthews and Barnes, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard are fine.

It's a pity that Popovich was unhappy and didn't start Danny Green in the second half.

But things were not as troublesome as imagined. Seth Curry didn't even have a third of his brother's strength. The first half was purely careless.

Keep an eye on him now, the other party doesn't have many chances to make a move.

On the offensive end, Zhang Xiaotian took on the responsibility. He is already good in singles, and his passing can increase the shooting rate of his teammates. He can play with the ball like James, at least in front of the current Mavericks.

Popovich was not satisfied with such an untactical style of play, blowing his beard and staring at the side.

But the old man was angry and didn't speak.

Zhang Xiaotian acted as if he didn't see it, he could have promised him that he would not follow tactics, anyway, he would continue to come if he didn't replace him.

It's just that it's not easy to score in this way, but the assists have increased.

But with his simple and rude style of play, the Spurs gradually took the initiative.

Neither Matthews nor Barnes could completely restrain Zhang Xiaotian, and the Spurs were driven by him.

Outside the three-point line, Mills and Ginobili also blossomed as substitutes, and the Spurs finally became active on the offensive end.

Popovich's face was still not good-looking, but he also gave Zhang Xiaotian enough opportunities.

In the last quarter, the Mavericks had become inaccurate outside the three-point line, but Zhang Xiaotian hit several three-pointers in a row, helping the team expand the lead to double digits. wave away.

In this game, Zhang Xiaotian scored 34 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists, but it didn't make Popovich smile more after the game.

"Most coaches are satisfied with winning. A victory is a victory. They are very satisfied." Gasol flattered Popovich after the game, saying that the old man would not be satisfied with the victory.

"I love that attention to detail, not accepting less than good performances, if we want to win the championship, we will have to play very good performances."

Ginobili knew the truth better. He pretended to be serious and said to the reporter: "I don't know whether Popo's mood has improved. I will know in a few hours."

The next day, everyone knew how Popovich was feeling. Anyway, the training was increased.

The rookies on the team didn't dare to show their air, but Zhang Xiaotian had already passed this stage. Even if Popovich accused Sang Huai of saying that some people didn't play tactics, he didn't care.

In fact, the team's biggest problem now is the No. [-] position. If it's just offense, it's okay to switch Parker and Mills. The organization and Zhang Xiaotian are not bad. The problem is defense.

The team considered this issue when selecting rookies, but not all players can adapt when they enter the league. The current Spurs feel that something is missing.

Of course, Popovich was a bit hypocritical. The older the old man, the easier it is to get angry. Their current record is already very good. Zhang Xiaotian said that it is serious to fine-tune the lineup and tactics around him.

If Popovich knew what he thought, he would probably regain his interest in training people.

Anyway, he has signed a four-year long-term contract, and Popovich intends to teach this disobedient disciple well.

However, Zhang Xiaotian's training attitude is really not picky, as if he never knows how tired he is.

Athletes with this kind of endurance are always liked by the team.

If he grows a little more... Popovich also has another idea in his mind. If he really reaches that level, the team's tactics can be changed. He is not the kind of dead-headed coach.

(End of this chapter)