The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 482 Difficult
The Pacers are also experts in defense. Zhang Xiaotian's increase in singles is a solution to the troubles on the offensive end, but the consumption is too great.

So only 4 minutes into the third quarter, Popovich made decisive adjustments.

First, Gerald Green was used to increase the height of the outside line, and then Evans and Ginobili were used to keep Zhang Xiaotian and Aldridge on the court, playing one and four.

The Spurs' offense finally came alive slowly, and the Pacers also dispatched troops to let Thaddeus Young and Lance Stephenson take turns to consume Zhang Xiaotian.

After the Spurs caught up with the score, they did not get entangled with each other. Should Zhang Xiaotian and Aldridge rest or rest.

As long as the opponent doesn't take the opportunity to open the score, their goal will be achieved, and the fourth quarter will be the harvest time.

Playing in the final quarter, Zhang Xiaotian let the Pacers' defensive players see what a player of his level is, and the simple flanking tactics can't prevent it at all.

In just 2 minutes, the Spurs had a tendency to open the score.

The Pacers quickly paused and replaced both Oladipo and Sabonis to fight against the Spurs.

The Pacers' main lineup is much stronger offensively, but the defense may not be able to improve much.

The Spurs did not rush to put on the strongest lineup, and Popovich made adjustments when Aldridge had enough rest.

With two strong points on the field, the Spurs are ready to deal a fatal blow to the Pacers.

But things didn't go so smoothly, Oladipo showed off.

Oladipo has always been strong, but he has never been the first tactical core. When he came to the Pacers, he directly stood in this position. Many people thought he was not good, but in fact he did better than many people expected.

Danny Green couldn't handle Oladipo. In fact, he was able to defend well before, but now Oladipo has shown super explosive power and fiery touch, which can be said to be a direct explosion.

Zhang Xiaotian did not directly switch defenses, but adopted another way to help the team, which is to respond directly on the offensive end.

"Oladipo hits another three and the Pacers don't give up an inch."

"Aldridge fouled... the ball still went in, Oladipo's physicality is too strong."

"Come on, come on, Zhang Xiaotian's head-on three-pointer, the Pacers can't guard against him at all."

"The battle of the core players is really exciting."

In the last 5 minutes of the game, the Spurs chose a big and four small lineup, and they suffered a bit on the rebounds. Sabonis also took the opportunity to score inside.

The offensive efficiency of both sides is very high. At this time, if which side hits a few irons, the outcome of the game may be decided in an instant.

Aldridge often has difficulty balancing defense and offense. At this time, the Spurs did not arrange complicated tactics, that is, when Zhang Xiaotian played singles, just like the Pacers let Oladipo play singles.

The two of them almost didn't miss, and with a few minutes left in the game, they had already scored in double figures.

The Pacers clung to the score, and they looked like they were going to fight the Spurs until the last second.

At this time, Danny Green, who has been bullied by Oladipo, finally made a contribution and directly broke the basketball in Oladipo's hand, which was being wiped inside.

Zhang Xiaotian took the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and made a fake move from outside the three-point line to touch it inside. Thaddeus Yang couldn't help but stretched out his hand. Zhang Xiaotian was pulled back a bit, but he still scored the ball, 2+1.

After the extra penalty hit, the Spurs' lead has come to 8 points, and the form is very good.

The point is, there are only a little over two minutes left.

Next, Oladipo also hit 2+1 and sent an assist to hit a three-pointer. The efficiency continued to be a mess, but Zhang Xiaotian did not give the opponent a chance to lead the team to overtake.

In 30 seconds, Zhang Xiaotian hit a three-pointer again, raising his personal score to 41 points. The score gap between the two sides also reached 8 points again, and the Pacers finally gave up.

The problems exposed by the team are still there, but Zhang Xiaotian avoided the Spurs' losing streak with his strong personal strength.

But in the back-to-back away games on the second day, Zhang Xiaotian also had some physical problems, and the Spurs lost to the Celtics.

The Celtics are two big players in the summer. They got Irving and Hayward, introduced insider Baynes, and got Tatum, who can become an immediate combat force. They immediately became a team with both personal strength and team strength. strong team.

However, the heroes of their murderous Eastern Conference finals last year were sold off, including Thomas Jr., who played with injuries and received countless praises from the head coach, and Bradley, who fought the Cavaliers bloody to the end.

The alliance is a place that pays attention to interests, and some things must not be taken seriously.

I don't know if the Celtics are too ruthless. They suffered an injury in the first game of the season. The All-Star Hayward is estimated to be reimbursed for the season due to injury.

But this season's Celtics are still a team with both offense and defense, especially the defensive end has been greatly improved.

Their young players Jaylen Brown and Rozier have been greatly improved, rookie Tatum also has both offense and defense, and Zhang Xiaotian has tasted the taste of team strangling.

In October, the Spurs' record was neither good nor bad, and Leonard's absence still had a relatively large impact.

But they haven't fully demonstrated their strength. Evans has already shown his strength. He still needs to be used reasonably by the team. The performance of several other players also made the team feel at ease. The money paid in the summer was not thrown away inside.

The next thing is to run in well, and the other is to wait for Leonard to return.

Leonard and Parker are actually recovering well, but there is a little repetition. The Spurs are not in a hurry. With the current lineup, their record is not too bad. The regular season games are all for the playoffs.

Like last season, the Spurs encountered injuries one after another, but they had almost no problems in the playoffs, and they were more stable than many teams. This is the credit for their stability in the regular season.

Don't be in a hurry, accumulate strength, and use good steel on the blade.

The Spurs will play the Warriors in the first game in November. The Warriors must be eager to get revenge. The Spurs can only say their best.

The Warriors mainly renew their contracts in the summer. Curry will be renewed for 2.01 million in five years, and Durant will be renewed for 5300 million in two years. Three-year 4800 renewal of Livingston.

As for the others, they are basically small contracts. In addition, they also signed the singles king Nick Young. It can be said that while keeping the lineup, there are reinforcements.

In the first half of this game, the Spurs went all out to gain an advantage, but in the second half, they finally couldn't stand the Warriors' repeated bombing, and unfortunately lost.

With Leonard's absence, the Spurs are not only lacking offense, facing a strong enemy like the Warriors, defense is even more of a problem, and the team has come to a time when they must change.

After deliberation, Popovich finally decided to adjust the main lineup.

(End of this chapter)