The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 485 Iron Giant

It is not easy to play back-to-back at the beginning of the season, because many players have not adjusted to the best physical condition.

However, if you encounter an opponent who has no fighting spirit, you have to move your body a little bit.

The visiting Bulls had no fighting spirit, and the Spurs solved their opponents in one quarter.

Leading by more than 20 points in the first quarter, Popovich of course let those players who usually had no chance to play play more. In the end, eight members of the team scored in double figures, and Zhang Xiaotian had no chance to collect statistics.

Therefore, he sincerely despises that kind of team that has no fighting spirit.

The team has more home games in November, and Leonard is also considering a comeback.

It just so happened that Danny Green's shots continued to be unreliable, and the old man was about to demote him to the bench.

This buddy can only do one thing, and he can't balance offense and defense.

During training, Danny Green complained pitifully several times. At the beginning, Popovich often praised him, but now he no longer loves him.

On November 11, the Spurs came to Dallas to play against the Mavericks.

The main achievement of the Mavericks in the summer is to save money, so their record is also a mess.

Speaking of which, without good inside defense players, their defense is not bad.

But on the offensive end, they have no sense of presence at all. Now the team doesn't even have an All-Star player, and they are completely uncompetitive.

The Mavericks are now using a small lineup, with Nowitzki playing at the fifth position.

The 39-year-old Tianwang can only be a big pitcher, and it is difficult to provide much help to the team on the defensive end.

The Mavericks' defense is mainly to prevent outside shots.

The Spurs' inside line is not strong, but Aldridge has no problem bullying the old man.

In addition, there is no inside defense, whether it is Barnes or Matthews, it is certainly impossible to restrain Zhang Xiaotian.

At the beginning of the game, the Mavericks' defense was still in place, but they couldn't maintain high efficiency after a long time. After all, it was too difficult for the Spurs to limit their two strong points.

But the Mavericks' rookie Dennis Smith Jr. is impressive, and it's hard for Evans to hold him.

In the bench lineup, Mavericks veteran Barea also played very well.

But under such circumstances, the Spurs still controlled the situation from the second quarter.

These two points of Zhang Xiaotian and Aldridge are enough to tear up the Mavericks' defense, and the Mavericks' performance is also very strong. The five main players, except Nowitzki, have played for a long time.

Judging from their mental state, it is difficult to imagine their poor record before.

Maybe they encountered the Spurs, and they subconsciously went all out.

But in the second half, the Mavericks gradually couldn't hold on.

After the Spurs gained the advantage, Zhang Xiaotian kicked off the game with a top All-Star performance in the last quarter, and the Spurs also successfully won the opponent.

Zhang Xiaotian and Aldridge scored 70 points together, and the Mavericks were also very helpless.

For Zhang Xiaotian's performance, Mavericks coach Carlisle can only be envious. They wanted to get this powerful player twice, but unfortunately they did not impress each other.

Easily defeated the Mavericks, but the Spurs lost to the Bulls in the second back-to-back away game.

Zhang Xiaotian blocked Jimmy Butler perfectly, but Towns blasted the Spurs inside.

Towns played so well this time, this time it was the Spurs' turn to be helpless.

After returning to the home court, Leonard announced his comeback. Without his combat power, it would be difficult for the Spurs to secure a strong position in the West.

On November 11, the Thunder, which formed the Big Three in the summer, came to San Antonio to challenge the Spurs.

The Thunder traded for Paul George and Anthony in the summer, which attracted everyone's attention.

In addition, they renewed Adams' contract with 3000 million in four years, and Robertson's contract with [-] million in three years, forming a strong starting lineup.

However, their results at the beginning were not good, and the running-in of the Big Three is much more difficult than that of role players.

But they must be the opponents of all Western teams. Originally, the team asked Leonard to wait, but Leonard didn't like to wait until he was full of fat before coming back. His comeback was for the team to win.

The problem with the Thunder now is that they have no substitutes, which is also the aftermath of their trade for two All-Stars.

Now it depends on whether their core players can support the offense and defense, and then bring some role players. Those teams after the big deal will have various problems. There are successes and failures, which are related to all aspects, but the role of core players is very important. important.

When Leonard came back, Zhang Xiaotian returned to the second position, and Danny Green became a substitute.

Popovich is still considering whether to put Evans on the bench to add vitality.

With Leonard back, the team's offensive end will not be misfired, and Murray can be used as the main partner.

However, Evans has become more and more adapted to the main position in the past few games, and the old man has to wait and see.

After all, Leonard will have some time to adapt when he comes back. In order to be safe, Leonard will not play that long in each game during the period when he just came back. The leg injury will definitely have a certain impact on the player's state.

The Spurs didn't start the game well. The Thunder were one big and four small. The Spurs wanted to use the inside to oppress them, but the effect was not very satisfactory.

And Leonard, who started as soon as he came back, was a little unfamiliar with the court, and the effect of restricting Anthony was mediocre.

The Thunder are aggressive, and the Big Three take turns to exert their strength, feeling like they are going to crush the Spurs in one wave.

However, the Spurs did not panic. They just had a lot of players, and the bench lineup was also very strong on the defensive end, able to continue to put pressure on the Thunder.

In the second quarter, the Thunder's offensive was not so fierce.

The Spurs also changed the lineup to use one big and four small. Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard faced Anthony and Paul George head-on.

Of course, Leonard can't play for such a long time, especially when he is fighting against All-Star players just after his comeback, he must pay attention.

When Leonard went down to rest, Zhang Xiaotian made up for Paul George at the fourth position.

As far as Anthony is concerned, as long as the guarantee continues to exert pressure, it is not necessary for Zhang Xiaotian or Leonard to come in person. Anthony is 33 years old, and he is no longer the omnipotent offensive forward he was back then.

As his physical strength declines, his hit rate will definitely decrease.

Just when the Thunder's attack efficiency dropped, the Spurs launched a counterattack.

Three-pointer, under Zhang Xiaotian's solid pass, the Spurs opened up the three-pointer.

Danny Green, Gerald Green, and Ginobili all made three-pointers, and the Thunder's defense immediately had a big problem.

After a burst of three-point rain, most of the advantage Lei Ting gained from his previous display of power was immediately eroded.

The point is, the Spurs' oppressive defense kicked in quickly.

The Big Three turned into iron giants. Westbrook, Paul George, and Anthony are all types who like all kinds of long-range shots.

(End of this chapter)