The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 437 The Twin Towers
On March 3, the Spurs went to an away game against the Pelicans. This was their long-lost back-to-back first game.

Popovich talked to Pau Gasol, who is expected to be on the bench most of the time.

It's a bit different from the expectations at the beginning of the season. The team didn't start with one big and four small ones. It was Dedmon who got the chance.

So it's a luxury for the Spurs to have three tens of millions of players on the bench.

The Pelicans didn't perform well this season, but they didn't plan to show bad results. During the All-Star Weekend, they traded the King's star Cousins ​​to create their own twin towers.

Anthony Davis plus Cousins, this is probably the strongest twin towers of this era.

The Pelicans put up a tall lineup, all over two meters from the second position.

However, the Spurs' lineup is actually quite high, which is not embarrassing.

This game was not very easy to play from the beginning. The two flexible big men greatly affected the Spurs' breakthrough. What's more, Jrue Holiday can suppress all the Spurs' No. [-] positions alone.

However, the opponent's second and third positions were also suppressed by the Spurs. In this game, it was difficult for both sides to really limit their opponents.

The relative performance during the rotation is relatively ordinary, and the Spurs insist on using double insiders to deal with double insiders, which also slows down the pace of the game.

Cousins' rebounding ability is very strong, and he has double rebounds in halftime, but fortunately, they are basically backcourt rebounds. The protection of rebounds is a tactic formulated by the Spurs before the start of the game. Judging from the current effect, it is still Well executed.

After the two quarters, both sides played their own advantages, and the Spurs took a small lead by 1 point.

But judging from the scene, the Pelicans played more team.

After the Spurs dispersed their organizational power, the scene often turned into two extremes. Either the team had more blooming points and everyone had assists, or the score was concentrated and there were few assists.

This situation cannot be said to be good or bad, after all, the victory of competitive basketball is the most important thing.

The Pelicans are not particularly strong in three-pointers, or they are too strong inside. During the intermission, the Spurs decided to shrink their defense strategy.

Even if he shoots from the outside, he can't do anything, at most he can score points, but if the inside doesn't shrink, facing two nimble big men, both of whom are All-Stars, it will be too late to even pinch.

On the Pelicans side, the players are also required to defend out, drive Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard inside, let the two insiders help defend, and destroy the Spurs' offense.

It can be said that the defensive strategies of both sides were very successful.

The Spurs also hit the inside, and the Pelicans also tried a three-pointer.

But those players who got more points in the end are still the targets of their respective defenses.

This is the strength of a star. In the league, it is only normal that an All-Star player can change the trend of the game.

The score continues to be tangled, so the time to decide the outcome of the game has passed to the last quarter.

There is no way to retreat, and the narrow road meets the moment when the brave wins.

The last quarter is when Zhang Xiaotian is best at, but now the Pelicans take a completely different approach, focusing on the inside when defending the Spurs three-pointer. They don't mind Zhang Xiaotian scoring, but they have to rely on the advantage of the inside to kill the Spurs.

It is a relatively classical approach, but their two insiders are not classical. They have a large range of attack and defense, and they are very difficult to deal with.

In the fourth quarter, Cousins ​​was the first to appear on the court. In fact, the Spurs' defense was good, but Cousins ​​grabbed consecutive offensive rebounds when he came on the court.

Zhang Xiaotian himself didn't have any good solutions for the slugger on the inside.

He can only find a way on the offensive end. The opponent is pressing from outside the three-point line. Zhang Xiaotian has not forced a three-pointer for the time being. He directly kills inside, while Gasol pulls outside. The Pelicans must completely restrict his teammates. There will be opportunities, and Gasol, an insider who can catch and shoot, is just right at this time.

Moreover, Mills and Ginobili were ambushing outside. Zhang Xiaotian broke through and scored several times in a row. The Pelicans couldn't completely defend, but the efficiency was not better.

The key is the issue of rebounds. In fact, the Spurs protected rebounds very well, but in the last quarter, the gap in talent came out.

The score was still tied, and both sides were not very satisfied.

The Pelicans took the lead in replacing Davis, and the Spurs did not rush to replace all the main players, but took Aldridge first.

After the opponent's two towers are complete, the inside attack is even more unstoppable.

But the Spurs pulled the two inside lines out to give Zhang Xiaotian room to break through, and the Pelicans were also difficult to defend.

The game became more and more tense, and Dedmond also committed six fouls.

At this time, whichever team fails first will fail, Zhang Xiaotian has enough confidence.

When Gasol played again, he used his experience and made Cousins ​​foul twice. Now Cousins ​​has accumulated five fouls. If he can beat people down, he can only limit Davis. One person would be much easier for the Spurs.

The Pelicans didn't let Cousins ​​go down. Their current advantage lies in the two inside lanes, and they can only fight.

Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard took the opportunity to attack in a targeted manner. While the two scored two points each, Zhang Xiaotian also assisted Aldridge to make a mid-range shot, and the Spurs immediately gained the advantage.

But at this moment, the Pelicans hit two consecutive three-pointers, one of which was made by Davis.

These two insiders also have the ability to shoot outside the three-point line, so they are particularly difficult to guard.

At the critical moment, Zhang Xiaotian suddenly accelerated from outside the three-point line, went straight to the inside and jumped high.

Cousins ​​didn't reach out, but another Pelican player did, 2+1.

With only 3 minutes left, Zhang Xiaotian helped the team lead again.

The air in the Smoothie King Center is almost frozen. How much the Pelicans fans hope that the team can win. The team traded Cousins, which gave them hope. If they can beat the Spurs, they will be more confident.

At the critical moment, Anthony Davis is not afraid to shoot. He attacked with the ball and made Gasol's foul.

Only one of the two free throws was made, and the Pelicans were still 1 point behind.

The big man consumes more, and Anthony Davis is already a little tired after fighting the Spurs.

But the Spurs are actually the same. In the next offense, Aldridge made a mistake, and the Pelicans took the opportunity to overtake the score.

Zhang Xiaotian was flanked, and outside the three-point line, the Spurs players hit the iron several times.

When the time came to the last minute, Zhu Holiday hit two more points and the Pelicans led by three points.

Unable to divide the ball, Zhang Xiaotian is not as calm as James after all, and at the last moment he plans to force himself.

But he was not reckless, he controlled the rhythm, and when the time came to the last 24 seconds, Zhang Xiaotian pulled up without warning.

Hit, 94:94, the team tied at the last moment.

The Pelicans did not make substitutions, and the Spurs removed Parker. At the last moment, Danny Green's opponent Jrue Holiday.

(End of this chapter)