The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 444 April

After the Warriors defeated the Spurs, Westbrook, the core of the Thunder who will face the Spurs next, said that they will beat the Spurs with all their strength and will not be afraid because the playoffs are approaching.

The Thunder suffered a setback this season, but Westbrook has become a popular candidate for the MVP of the regular season because of his triple-double per game. To be honest, Zhang Xiaotian is a bit depressed, and the team's performance should be an important reference.

He said in an interview before the game that there are many teams who want to beat the Spurs, but they can't be defeated just by talking.

Their words made the fans very excited, more people paid attention to the game, and the league was also happy.

In fact, after Zhang Xiaotian's return, the Spurs were obviously much more high-profile than before.

Popovich actually doesn't hate it, because Zhang Xiaotian is super serious on the court.

At the end of March, the Spurs went to an away game against the Thunder.

There is no doubt that this is the time when the Spurs' No. [-] position is ravaged again.

The Thunder's offense and defense were very targeted in the opening game, which also allowed the Spurs to quickly adjust, and Dedmon became a false starter.

Although the Thunder mainly attacked Westbrook and Oladipo from the outside, Kanter also did a good job on the offensive end after he came up. They also suppressed the Spurs on the rebound.

The Spurs are very strong, but they also have weaknesses, and the Thunder have targeted them.

Encountering an opponent like the Thunder whose strengths and weaknesses are staggered, it is difficult to completely use defensive restrictions. Only relying on offense, it is difficult for the Spurs to limit their strengths, and it is even more difficult for them to limit the strengths of the Spurs.

Because the Spurs are stronger, that's all.

So behind in the first half, Popovich was even more irritating in offense.

Of course, the old man would not say that letting Aldridge go to the opponent's rookie Sabonis was a strategy he formulated before the game, and it was the failure of this strategy that caused the Spurs' offense to have problems.

In the second half, they will definitely change their offense and defense. On defense, they must cut off the connection between Westbrook and other players. Whether Westbrook wants to score or get a triple-double, let him play alone.

In fact, the Spurs still didn't play well at the beginning of the third quarter, until Popovich replaced the substitute lineup in advance.

Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard two main players, plus Mills, Ginobili and Gasol three substitutes, this lineup finally played a role.

First of all, the three-pointer was alive. After Mills and Ginobili both hit the outside line, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard's breakthrough became more threatening, and the Thunder's defense immediately had problems.

Then came the world of the Spurs, especially after Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard teamed up to make several fouls by Adams, the situation completely reversed.

The Thunder's defense against Adams is the key. Kanter can attack when he comes up, but his defense is much worse.

Coupled with the fact that Oladipo is restricted by Zhang Xiaotian enough, Westbrook really wants to play alone.

To be honest, Westbrook has explosive power and impact power, but he is not a particularly stable type.

When Westbrook started to hit the iron, it was the time when the Spurs counterattacked most fiercely.

By the end of the third quarter, the score gap between the two sides had narrowed to single digits.

In the final quarter, the Thunder also used targeted defense against Zhang Xiaotian. Unfortunately, the Thunder had a big problem. Their defensive and offensive lineups were not the same.

While they desperately defended Zhang Xiaotian, the Spurs easily restricted the Thunder's offense.

So even if Zhang Xiaotian's efficiency dropped slightly, the Spurs quickly caught up with the score.

From this aspect, we can see how rare it is to have both offensive and defensive stars like Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard.

The Thunder had to adjust the lineup, and the Spurs' response only needed to put three strong points on it.

Combining offense and defense, the Spurs are experts in the league.

At this time, Westbrook's unstable characteristics are infinitely magnified, because Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard's pick-and-roll is too efficient.

They felt bad when they overtook for the first time in half a quarter, and it turned out that they felt right.

When the Thunder had problems on the offensive end, the Spurs used their current lineup with the strongest offensive power, three strong points plus Mills and Gasol.

Then Zhang Xiaotian, Leonard, Gasol and Mills all hit three-pointers.

The Thunder, with the sound of iron strikes outside the three-point line, just fell at the feet of the Spurs. They had a chance before, but the gap between the teams prevented them from maintaining their advantage to the end.

After the game, Ginobili said: "This is a beautiful victory. We need such a victory. How much do we have? We didn't play well enough for 30 minutes? But we rebounded and we maintained unity."

During the interview, Popovich seemed to be in a good mood. A reporter asked him what he thought of Westbrook's recent performance. He replied: "I can't control him now. What else can I say? If someone said that he You would think he was crazy to do it, but he did it now and he deserves it."

However, he is even more pleased with the team's performance, "I am impressed by the determination of the entire team. We have been behind for a long time, but they have been working hard to move forward."

For Aldridge, who was a little confused on the offensive end, Popovich also comforted by the way, "LaMarcus has been an excellent defender so far this season, and he has been chasing the ball."

Time came to April, and the Spurs' first game was at home.

The playoffs were getting closer, and Popovich didn't care about the league's stare, and decisively rested the players.

Aldridge, Danny Green, Ginobili, Mills and others will not play, and their opponent is the Jazz with very good defensive ability.

The Jazz's performance has improved significantly this season, but it is still difficult to enter the top four in the West.

Against the Spurs, their strongest point may be in trouble. Hayward will have problems whether against Zhang Xiaotian or Leonard. This is the team's strong restraint. The team can play like James, but it can only be mediocre when it meets a strong forward team.

The Jazz are also affected by some injuries. Former Spurs player Boris Diaw is now the starter, but his performance in the Jazz is very average, after all, the style of play is not very compatible.

The Spurs gave the rookie a chance to start, and played one big and four small.

The Jazz's lineup can also be said to be one big and four small. Compared with Dior's attack method, it does not look like an insider.

At the beginning of the game, the two sides entered the confrontation mode differently than imagined.

And they are all team attacks, among which the efficiency of the Spurs is better, and Zhang Xiaotian's advantage of opening the pass allows him to quickly increase his assists.

However, the Spurs ran into trouble in the second quarter. It wasn't because there were no substitutes. The substitute lineup led by Gasol played well. It was the Jazz center Gobert who interrupted the Spurs' offense with five caps.

(End of this chapter)