The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 425 New records continue

How much prestige Popovich has in the Spurs can be seen by looking at the difference between the first and second halves of the team.

The Spurs played very well in the third quarter, and few teams can adjust like this at halftime.

Their three strong points on the offensive end are used very well, and the strength of the defensive end has been improved by several levels, and it is without fouling.

This is the real Spurs, both offensive and defensive are breathless.

And when Zhang Xiaotian went to rest, the team also played well. Leonard scored 5 points in a row at the end of the third quarter to help the team overtake the score.

Don't mention how depressed the Timberwolves players are at this time. Like the Spurs in the first half, they felt that there was a problem with the referee's scale.

Winning is afraid of halftime. They scored 71 points in the first half, and the offensive end was unprecedentedly smooth, but everything changed in the second half. The Spurs' defense was like a net, which prevented them from playing smoothly.

At the end of the quarter, Zhang Xiaotian came up in a wave.

Before the Timberwolves could react, the score was already behind by double digits.

It seems that they were leading a few minutes ago, how can they still play this ball.

Adjustment?They didn't play their main players when they wanted to win, but now the Spurs have adjusted. They have replaced their main players to play more oppressively.

To be precise, except for Gasol, Gasol was in a bit of a bad state this time, and the Spurs simply played a big and a small one. Popovich has never been a coach who doesn't know how to adapt.

The Timberwolves played very tough this time. Except for Wiggins, who was defended in a trance, the other four main players played at critical moments.

It's a pity that the three strong points of the Spurs, Zhang Xiaotian, Leonard and Aldridge, are not relentless.

The home audience in the stands burst out with rare enthusiasm, 34 consecutive victories, the first consecutive victory record in history, and after this game, they all followed the Spurs' surname.

At the last moment, Zhang Xiaotian hit a three-pointer to bring the game to an end.

"We didn't play well in the first half. It was very abnormal. We lost 71 points and the opponent got 30 free throws. I think this is the first time this happened to us." Manu Ginobili said after the game.

"We've been practicing to avoid fouls, so the opponent made 30 free throws, which is beyond our expectations." Manu Ginobili tried to pretend to be calm.

Parker also said the first half was "a bit weird" for the Spurs.

All the players interviewed answered irrelevant questions, as if the record was nothing to them, but the joy in the corner of their eyes had completely betrayed them.

Popovich laughed, "These little bastards are really noisy."

"What, rotations? The Spurs never take rotations. Don't frame me. If I get fined by the league, I will definitely go to you."

"It's not a big deal. We have the strength, so things happen very often." No one would let go of the opportunity to pretend, and Zhang Xiaotian was the same.

When they returned to the locker room, several young players couldn't help cheering.

The outside world is not so ordinary about the Spurs breaking the 45-year record. They write a lot, as if the Spurs have become the strongest team in the universe.

But they were a bit late, the All-Star substitute list has come out, and the Spurs were not surprised.

The Spurs with the number one record have only two All-Stars, which is still the previous vote.

There are four Warriors ranked second, but there is only one Rockets ranked third in the Western Conference, and only one Clippers ranked fourth in the Western Conference. Not all of the top eight teams have stars selected. In this case, the Spurs It's not wrong.

But from this moment on, Spurs fans and Warriors fans have become sworn enemies, why not.

Whether the Spurs will let the main players rest after breaking the player record, everyone thinks too much about this.

Now it is not the end of the season, the team is still in accordance with the predetermined plan, try not to affect the players because of the record-breaking incident.

On January 1, the Spurs played against the Nuggets at home.

Gasol will be passively absent for a while because of a problem during the warm-up.

In addition, Parker's old injury on his foot is also a bit repeated, and he plans to take a rest.

Of course, the fans didn't believe it at all, and felt that Popovich was making excuses for the rotation again.

This is a wolf coming, although Zhang Xiaotian, an insider, knows it's not the old man's tricks, but it does look like it.

During training, Zhang Xiaotian also served as the No. [-] position, and he is completely competent.

However, he was going to make great efforts on the defensive and offensive ends, and the team still felt the need for a No. [-] position.

Rookie Dejounte Murray got a chance, and Popovich likes to give rookies a try.

In terms of inside, this time the Spurs used one big and four small ones, and Danny Green finally started.

The current situation of the Nuggets is not up or down, but they have no plans to put Jokic at the beginning of the first game and beat Aldridge. Aldridge is in a bad state. He is very bad this season. Stability, now it seems that it is not easy to let him start at the fifth position.

But the Nuggets' defense was as bad as ever, and they couldn't stop Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard at all.

Don't care about everyone's ability to control the game. On the offensive end, the Spurs' two strong points are better than the Nuggets' one strong point.

During the rotation period, the Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray performed well, but the veteran Ginobili in the Spurs is completely worthy of young people.

The trouble is Jokic's side. This dude is really good on the offensive end. He is only a second-round pick. I don't know how many teams will regret it after seeing his performance.

After the Spurs were replaced by Dedmond, the situation did not improve much. In fact, Gasol may be more suitable for the European insider, but unfortunately he was injured.

However, when the state of the Nuggets has been exposed, the Spurs have a lot of targeted tactics waiting for them, and even if they know the situation of the Spurs, it is still difficult to restrict Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard.

This is the difference between an average team and a strong team, and it is also the gap between All-Star players.

In the third quarter, Aldridge, who had a long rest, worked very hard on the defensive end.

Adelaide may still have psychological problems sometimes. He doesn't mind working hard, even doing dirty work, but it's just that he can't do it well. It stands to reason that his all-star level in his prime shouldn't be suppressed by Jokic. .

Fortunately, the Spurs' targeted defensive strategy had an effect. The Nuggets didn't react for a while, and the score was pulled to double digits in 2 minutes, and it was quickly pulled to about 15 points.

The Spurs don't seem to be able to explode points, but because they are strong on both ends of the offense and defense, it is very powerful to suppress their opponents.

In addition to opening Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard, the Spurs' rookie Murray also performed well, with a very good shooting touch, and even hit a few three-pointers that he is not good at.

When the Nuggets pause and adjust, the situation has been completely controlled by the Spurs, and relying on the Nuggets' offensive power, at most it can give Jokic a brush with statistics.

(End of this chapter)