The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 439
"They played well," Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio said. "They played according to their plan until the end, and they won the game."

Towns said to reporters: "The biggest problem is our defense, the delay and the second score. We shouldn't give the opponent these opportunities. It hurts us."

"The fourth quarter, the fourth quarter..." Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said, "This is a big problem. Time to score, time to score."

The Spurs have been praised many times by their opponents this season, and they have been honored and humiliated.

Popovich still vaccinated the players. After discussion with the coaching staff, the team has made detailed arrangements for the rest of the regular season.

Don't care about records, including not pursuing and not resisting.

The test of the lineup will continue, not only the use of Gasol, but also the reason why the team's bench lineup is not strong enough.

Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard's pick-and-roll will be used more, but more players should be involved.

Popovich wants the pick-and-roll of the two to be a replica of Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll. Of course, there will be differences because of the different positions. Popovich's idea is at the tactical level, and other players on the team will cooperate with them.

On March 3, the Spurs played against the Rockets, one of the strongest offensive forces in the West, at home.

This season, the Rockets' performance on the offensive end is similar to that of the Warriors, but their defense is much worse than that of the Warriors.

The Rockets' No. [-] Ryan Anderson is basically floating outside, so their lineup can also be said to be one big and four small.

But the Spurs did not change the starting lineup, a decision that proved wrong after the start of the game.

The rhythm of the Rockets is too fast, and the Spurs, who have had a few games with their opponents during this period, are not used to it.

Sharp three-pointers from the outside and just-right cuts from the inside. Compared with the Rockets at the beginning of the season, this Rocket is now stronger.

Fortunately, their defense and key shots are flawed, otherwise they will be a big trouble in the playoffs.

Popovich also noticed that conventional tactics were not so good against the Rockets, and the Spurs began to gradually adjust the lineup, increasing the time for the large and small lineups to play a role.

The flexibility of the Spurs' lineup also lies in the fact that Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard are so easy to use.

Can play from the [-]nd to the [-]th positions, and is easy to use on both ends of the offense and defense. Recently, Zhang Xiaotian occasionally plays the [-]st position to maintain the Spurs' decisive ability in special circumstances.

When the Spurs play one big and four small, the rest of the Rockets will be subject to greater restrictions.

Zhang Xiaotian, Leonard and Danny Green, the three's perimeter blockade is not a bragging rights.

But then Harden has more room to break through, but compared to letting the Rockets bloom across the board, Harden's extra points are nothing.

During the rotation time, Gasol's role was played again, which is why the Spurs did not collapse under the opponent's three-point bombing.

Also benefited from the team's defense, Gordon did not let his offensive power play out.

But the Rockets still took the lead in the first half, and Harden, who feels good, is really powerful on the offensive end.

Harden is also much stronger than the average All-Star now. He is physically strong and has a very strong sense of rhythm.

To deal with him, you have to consume him more in the first three quarters, which is the same strategy as dealing with Durant, but it is slightly different. After all, the two are not players in the same position.

Rhythm is not an absolute advantage. 120% of the defensive players' attention in the final quarter will definitely limit it better than the previous three quarters. No one can completely follow Harden within 48 minutes, but it is possible to limit it for 10 minutes. .

In fact, apart from being a little uncomfortable in the first quarter, the Spurs have gradually controlled the rhythm.

Can be fast or slow, the Spurs are the most adaptable team in the league, none of them.

The Rockets still explode at this point, and their other two strengths are on the bench.

In addition to Gordon, Louis Williams, who was traded in the All-Stars at the time, would stagger with Harden most of the time due to play problems, which made the Spurs' defense more targeted.

And Harden's aggressiveness is actually not as strong as in the first half.

Regardless of Harden's floor flow, he also consumes a lot of energy.

What's more, the Rockets' defense was not so rigorous. Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard took the opportunity to lead the team to counterattack frantically. With more than three minutes left in the third quarter, the Spurs overtook the score.

But then Zhang Xiaotian took a rest, and the Spurs lost the strength to continue to expand the score.

When Harden rested at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Rockets had a three-guard attacking lineup. Of course, they didn't have any defensive lineup, but the offensive lineup of the substitute lineup was stronger.

Gordon added Lou Williams to attack instead of defend.

This trick may work well against other teams, but it is a bit troublesome against the Spurs.

First of all, they have no way to limit Zhang Xiaotian, and there are almost no players with stronger attack power than Zhang Xiaotian in the fourth quarter.

So the Rockets make a three-pointer, and the Spurs also make a three-pointer. If the Rockets make a successful shot, the Spurs score a layup.

But within 3 minutes, Zhang Xiaotian added a block and a steal, so the Spurs stabilized the lead.

What can the Rockets do? The Rockets have no choice but to continue to strengthen their offense.

Of course, they still put Ariza on.

The Spurs also replaced the main lineup, but Gasol was replaced at the fifth position.

The Rockets replaced the two starters with Gordon and Nene. Capela had no choice. He just caught the ball and scored 4 points in the interior. However, under the impact of Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard, Ariza and Capela There were foul issues.

Now the Rockets are completely counting on the backcourt to double up, mainly Harden. Although Gordon often has fairy balls, he is a little unstable.

But at this time, Harden committed his old problem again, and made several consecutive shots with iron.

Everyone was more confrontational in the last quarter, and the referee would not blow the whistle casually, but this was not the key to affecting Harden. Harden was a little bit concerned about his gains and losses at the last moment. It was not obvious, but it was easy to go wrong under the tight defense of the Spurs.

He always relies on rhythm to win, and if he is not so invisible, he will be easily disturbed.

As a player of Harden's level, you must not hesitate at critical moments.

After hitting the iron several times in a row, Harden finally got a free throw.

But for a player who made 85 percent of his free throws, he missed one.

The Spurs counterattacked directly, and Zhang Xiaotian hit a three-pointer again.

In turn, Harden's breakthrough was blocked by Leonard. In the last minute, the Rockets already had a double-digit lead, and the overall situation was set.

In this game, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard jointly scored 70 points, leading the team to come back against the wind.

What is the strength of the Spurs can be said to be vividly reflected in this strong matchup in the Western Conference.

(End of this chapter)