The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 430 The Lost Thunder

In fact, the Mavericks' attack method is very obvious. They are destined to attack the outside line when they play a big and a small.

Zhang Xiaotian, Leonard and Danny Green, the death blockade composed of three people is logically not afraid of any outside team, but the number one position is always a hidden danger.

It is possible for the Spurs to win the No. [-] position directly, but it seems that it is not the time.

In the third quarter, Seth Curry and Matthews were more active on the offensive end, and the Mavericks' team defense was the best among weak teams.

In fact, they shouldn't be so miserable in defense alone, but the Mavericks on the offensive end don't have much to do now.

Seth Curry, a role player with obvious defects, can become the main attack point, which represents the embarrassment of the Mavericks.

At this time, the Spurs have to rely on Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard's star style of play to solve the problem, and they don't know whether to praise the Mavericks for being too familiar with them or what.

Fortunately, relying on the performance of the rotation players at the end of the third quarter, the Spurs entered the final quarter with a lead.

Aldridge lacks such things as momentum, but Zhang Xiaotian is different, especially in the last quarter, he is the existence that can make the defender tremble.

At the beginning of the last quarter, the Mavericks let Nowitzki lead the team, but Nuo Tianwang was far worse than before. Being defended by Dedmon, Nuo Tianwang didn't have many opportunities.

Zhang Xiaotian is different, the Mavericks have now given up the high center who can help defend, it is too difficult to restrict him.

After 3 minutes, the Spurs were about to lead by double digits.

But at this time, the Mavericks broke out with good combat effectiveness. Nowitzki hit a three-pointer to drive the offensive, Seth Curry also hit a three-pointer, and rookie Dorian Finney-Smith scored 2+1.

As if the Mavericks had a miracle for a while, Popovich quickly called a timeout. The lineup was still one big and four small, but Ginobili was placed at the first position. At this time, Parker and Mills looked a little unreliable. Spectrum.

After playing again, the Spurs' defense improved again.

On the offensive end, first Zhang Xiaotian scored a three-pointer from Danny Green, and then Zhang Xiaotian went inside and made a dunk, which ignited the enthusiasm of the home fans.

I have to say that after Zhang Xiaotian came home, the home fans became more enthusiastic.

The audience rang out the voice of MVP, and with the support of the fans, Zhang Xiaotian made two consecutive free throws and was unstoppable.

In 39 seconds, Zhang Xiaotian scored a three-pointer from Manu Ginobili, and the Spurs sealed the victory.

They used the victory to show that even if the winning streak is interrupted, they are still the overlord of the West.

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

The Thunder this season is no longer a double-young era. Without Durant and Ibaka, the Thunder's offense and defense have dropped a notch, from a second-tier strong team to an ordinary playoff team.

After West left, they did not add a sixth man. For the Spurs, such a Thunder is no longer a strong enemy in the West.

But they still have all-star players like Westbrook, and the Spurs can't be careless.

With the full play of the Spurs players in the game, there was a large score difference in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Thunder awakened under the leadership of Westbrook, and both inside and outside the line played well.

Aldridge's interior defense has actually improved, but he still can't stop the hardcore interior.

The outside line composed of Westbrook and Oladipo is obviously also very lethal.

The key is the problem of the No. [-] position. The Spurs' No. [-] position is weak on the defensive end and cannot withstand the impact, while Westbrook and Oladipo belong to the type with strong impact.

It's just that it's also difficult for them to organize Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard's forward line, especially after the Spurs changed their lineup to one big and four small, it is difficult for them to maintain their double insiders.

When the lineup is not equal, whoever is weak will change.

Although Sabonis can shoot from the outside, it is impossible for the defensive end to keep up with the footsteps of the small forward.

As for post-up inside, the Thunder are not very good at several inside.

Compared with the problem of the outside line, the Spurs now need to add an inside line. If Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard were not about to go to the fourth position, the Spurs would not be able to support the inside line after Gasol was injured.

To be on the safe side, the Spurs now plan to spend a small amount of money to sign a veteran, such as Joel Anthony, who has rich experience in playing soy sauce, and the team is already in contact.

The Thunder's counterattack is very fierce, but their routines and those who can score are those. The Spurs' defense can also be very targeted.

Forget it for Westbrook, Oladipo and Zhang Xiaotian must be restricted.

After the halftime break, the Thunder had completely turned into an outside team. Westbrook and Oladipo took turns and felt good.

No matter what the Spurs do, their tactics are still more complicated. Aldridge's ability to attack with the ball in the interior is very precious at this time.

In a way, the Spurs' defense has achieved results, and the Thunder's offense has become single.

It's just that they seem to be more efficient this way, and stars replace tactics, which is also impossible.

So the third quarter of improving the defense turned into a confrontation, and the Thunder did not struggle with defense. In the case of insufficient inside defense, Robertson's defense was far less useful on offense.

The Spurs don't care about this state, they are the leading side.

For Zhang Xiaotian's trust, the Spurs soldiers also formed a habit during the previous wave of victories.

When the Spurs entered the last quarter with the lead, the home fans cheered habitually.

Zhang Xiaotian lived up to expectations and spent 3 minutes in the final quarter to help the team expand the score advantage to double digits.

After the Thunder paused and replaced all the main players, it didn't solve the problem. After a few minutes of rest, their fairy-like touch on the outside line was gone. Of course, the Spurs' defense also played a decisive role.

Westbrook is sometimes very accurate on three-pointers, but he is not a shooter after all, and as long as he rushes in, he will fall into the pocket prepared for him by the Spurs.

In fact, the Thunder did not persist until the end, even if the score has not reached 20 points.

With 3 minutes left in the game, they voluntarily surrendered.

They didn't just lose an All-Star with Durant's departure.

It wasn't a typical Spurs game, they only scored in double figures on three strong points, but they still won cleanly.

After the game, when talking about the Thunder's outside climax and the Spurs not calling a timeout, Bobo said: "I just want them to play by themselves. This is a good lesson."

In fact, this is just a pretense of the coaches of strong teams. If the coaches of weak teams dare to play like this, they will definitely be called stupid, and the Spurs do have this capital.

The old man also made a joke about the Thunder's average scoring, "The Thunder usually score 106 points, so we do a good job defensively."

In this game, the Thunder scored in double figures with five players, but the Spurs suppressed the total score to 91 points. It is indeed a bit embarrassing. There is no Thunder in the Western Conference.

(End of this chapter)