The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 405
On November 11, the Spurs began their Eastern Expedition, and the first destination was Charlotte.

The Hornets are a team that is not very willing to spend money. Their main action in the summer is to renew their contracts.

In the free market, they just picked up Roy Hibbert, whose status has declined seriously and everyone doesn't want.

However, they were quite generous to Parker's fellow Batum, and gave him a contract of more than 1 million yuan.

In terms of strength, it's really not necessarily stronger than last season.

The Hornets' second, third, and fourth positions can also set up a blockade like the Spurs, but their overall defense is much worse, and the offensive end cannot be compared with the Spurs.

At the beginning of the game, the Hornets tried to hit inside, but Hibbert has now become "Gao Yuanyuan", which is useless at all.

The Hornets simply go to Frank Kaminsky, and the inside can also be pulled out to shoot. They are also more dynamic on the offensive end.

But this lineup also has advantages and disadvantages. The lack of defense inside is simply telling Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard to go in and ravage them.

In this case, the efficiency of both of them is good, and Aldridge also performed well, but one of the Spurs' double insiders performed more, and the other would be affected.

However, the Hornets also played well after giving up the inside position. Except for their pity for Kemba Walker, all the substitutes played well. Kaminsky, Belinelli, Hawes, Sessions and others all performed well. .

In contrast, the Spurs' rotation has not played its due strength.

This is what led to the end of the first half, and the Hornets still led by 1 point.

Popovich was heartbroken. He originally thought that the team would be more in line with the requirements after showing their faces for two days.

It is different whether tactics create opportunities for stars, or whether stars create opportunities with their personal abilities.

The Spurs' tactics support star singles, but the current situation is not a reflection of the tactics.

People will be a little stubborn when they get older, but if Popovich can't figure it out, it is impossible to coach the team for so many years.

So during the intermission, he stopped practicing closed-mouthed meditation and happily trained others.

The biggest problem is actually very clear, the first position suffers, and the substitute is a little weak.

To defend well in the second half, Kemba Walker is the key. It depends on the coach's arrangement to switch defenses or cut off contact.

As for Mr. 1.2 million, both Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard can handle it.

In the third quarter, the Spurs strengthened their defense and easily overtook the score.

But after Zhang Xiaotian went to rest, the Hornets' substitute easily caught up with the score.

If you want to talk about iron, Ginobili is also really iron in many cases now.

The tactics are bearish, and the score stands next to it. To win the game, it is still hard work at the end.

When he played again in the final quarter, Zhang Xiaotian was even more aggressive, rushing in was a dunk.

The Hornets are now led by Batum, but Batum is so guarded by Zhang Xiaotian that he can't even find a chance to make a phone call.

But their substitute insider Hawes said it was okay, and made consecutive fouls by the Spurs players.

The Spurs' current inside defense cannot be said to be bad, but there are still some problems.

It's just that this kind of scoring couldn't match Zhang Xiaotian's speed at all. After hitting a three-pointer, he contributed steals and blocked shots, and scored two counterattacks, helping the team establish a leading advantage.

The Hornets can only quickly replace Walker, hoping that this buddy can save the team.

Unexpectedly, Walker really twitched his hand after resting for a few minutes.

The next Hornets' offense is Parker's various singles. He will basically not miss two and three points, and he will score 3+1.

It's fine to miss only one shot in the entire fourth quarter. It's simply overdrawn luck to make a 3+1.

For example, Zhang Xiaotian only scored 2+1 twice, which is much more normal.

Popovich was also cruel. He had let Parker sit on the bench for 10 minutes before, but at this time he believed in the old man and was determined not to make a substitution.

What can Zhang Xiaotian do, let's attack.

It doesn't matter if the shooting rate is a little bit low, the organizational ability is good, and there are many assists under the hood, so what if Walker, a core guard who is not good at organizing, hits two more.

Facts have proved that Popovich's trust still has a bonus.

After Zhang Xiaotian and Danny Green hit three-pointers, Parker sealed his throat with a sword, and the three-pointer succeeded to help the team expand the score advantage to double digits.

The time is already the last minute, and there is no suspense in the game. Walker's 1 points in the final quarter became the background. Of course, Zhang Xiaotian scored 15 points in the final quarter.

Quasi-triple-double, 30+, Zhang Xiaotian is another powerful stat, helping the Spurs win an atypical victory.

Popovich was also very arrogant in an interview after the game. Regarding the team's hand feeling problem, he said with a smile, "If you don't make a shot, just keep shooting."

It failed to meet the coach's requirements, but the team won. Popovich has given up treatment.

The team has won eight in a row, the Cavaliers have lost, and the Spurs are now the league's No. [-] record.

However, the records of the Cavaliers and Warriors are just one game behind. The three strongest teams are no different from last season.

As long as the team does not have major problems, it is impossible for the Spurs to fall behind in the regular season, but the playoffs are not that simple.

Thinking about the playoffs only a month after the start of the season is also a qualification for a first-tier team.

The second stop of the Eastern Expedition is Boston, and the Celtics are obviously an opponent that needs attention.

The Celtics' biggest move in the summer was to upgrade the inside line. Since the Eagles were unwilling to give a maximum salary, the Celtics won Al Horford for 4 million in 1.13 years.

There is no doubt that the summer that just passed was crazy.

Howard is definitely worth a big contract, and all kinds of big contracts are flying around in the summer, which also shows that it is very worthwhile for the Spurs to win Zhang Xiaotian.

However, the Celtics' main attack point is still the outside line. Thomas Jr. and Bradley are the Celtics' double guns in the backcourt, especially Thomas Jr., who has shown the strongest firepower this season.

If we want to talk about the shortcomings, it is that this pair of backcourt combination is too short.

The Celtics are a very good team in team basketball. The Spurs may rank in the top five in team basketball in the league, but they can't make it to the top three, but the Celtics can.

At the beginning of the game, the Celtics at home made the Spurs feel what a smooth team offense is.

Pau Gasol is out of shape this time, and the Spurs quickly adjusted the lineup to one big and four small.

For a team with a speedy attacking guard, the Spurs must be important to Danny Green.

The Spurs' big and four small teams are very suitable for all kinds of small ball lineups. After strengthening the defense, the score that was behind by double digits at most at the time was slowly chasing back.

This time the Spurs' bench did not hold back, although Ginobili was a match.

Popovich is also slightly satisfied. Although the cooperation is not as good as the Celtics, the team basketball is still played. The Spurs have a tradition of using stars, but they cannot rely on them all.

(End of this chapter)