The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 498 The Awkward Knight
The Pacers have good defensive players on the bench, and it was Lance Stephenson who followed Zhang Xiaotian at the end of the final quarter.

This buddy is heavy, and he belongs to the type that can resist a little. It's a pity that the Pacers are short of the inside line, and Zhang Xiaotian can't be restrained by the top defense of the outside line alone.

The Pacers' consideration was also very good, allowing Stephenson to pester Zhang Xiaotian and other players to attack.

It's just that no one was entangled, and Zhang Xiaotian scored inside several times.

But on the scoring end, the Pacers still did a good job.

So in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, neither team was satisfied.

After 3 minutes, the two teams played the main force at the same time, the Pacers played Thaddeus Young and Oladipo, and the Spurs played Leonard and Aldridge.

Why players want to recruit All-Star players, this time can see the difference.

When the Spurs have all three strong points, no matter how blocked the opponent's defense is, it is easy to cause trouble.

The key is that the defense of this lineup can also be improved, and a lineup that integrates offense and defense means that a team can come up with it.

The Spurs did not let Aldridge play in the low post, but let him pull out to attract defensive attention. Now the Spurs' insider, that is, he has this ability.

After the change, the Spurs hit two consecutive three-pointers.

It is not good for the Pacers to expand their defense, and it is easy to cause accidents if they do not expand.

At the last moment, all-star players don't need to accumulate energy, the burst of energy is amazing. The right way for the Pacers now is to let their all-star players come out and work hard.

Not to mention that Oladipo is closely watched by Zhang Xiaotian, the Pacers are also at a disadvantage in terms of the number of All-Star players.

The head coach of the Pacers, McMillan, is concerned about gains and losses. Several main rotation players have been exchanged, but they have not been able to spell out the most optimal combination.

They fell behind and couldn't stop Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard. In fact, this game was just like that.

Sure enough, after the Pacers played another 2 minutes with a small lineup and failed to chase points, the outcome was already obvious.

Unknowingly, the Spurs had a [-]-game winning streak.

And the next game is full of topics, and the Spurs return to the home court to face the Cavaliers.

Due to Irving's departure this season, the Cavaliers' record is not so ideal, but with James, the Cavaliers will never lack topicality.

The Cavaliers signed Wade and Rose last summer. Even though they were not at their peak, many fans still look forward to it.

In Irving's trade, the Cavaliers got Thomas Jr. and Jae Crowder, the two heroes of the Celtics playoffs last season.

They also signed Jeff Green, a practical striker, and added veteran newcomers.

At first glance, the strength of the Cavaliers has not declined, but in fact it is not.

A bunch of players will never be as useful as one player. Tyronn Lue is not a master of team tactics and cannot play to the strength of each player, and these players do not particularly match James' style.

Ball distribution, defensive strength, efficiency outside the three-point line, etc. are not satisfactory. If it weren't for James' reputation, the Cavaliers' strength could no longer be regarded as a strong team.

But because of the super player James, no one can say that they are sure to beat them.

There are not many teams with this level of stars, and the Spurs also hope to train well.

The Cavaliers have been playing seniors and juniors during this time, and the Spurs have rarely changed their starting lineup.

Put Danny Green in the starting lineup, Zhang Xiaotian played three and Leonard played four.

The Cavaliers played smoothly in the first offense, but the Spurs quickly returned.

From the beginning of the game, Zhang Xiaotian felt that this game was very good.

It's not the feel, but Aldridge feels good. As long as the Spurs play well inside, they are basically unstoppable on the offensive end.

Thomas Jr. has not fully recovered his strength after returning from injury, which has doubled his defensive weaknesses. Not only Evans can hit him casually, but Murray can also do it.

Rose's strength has also dropped sharply, and the Spurs are proud of being in the first position.

There are a group of big shots on the Cavaliers' bench, only Wade played well, and the Spurs didn't let the opponent take advantage.

For this sake, the Cavaliers must strive for an advantage, and James is extremely critical.

Leonard has been looking forward to facing a heavyweight player for some time, and this game is also very exciting. In order to limit James, he took the initiative to reduce the consumption of the offensive end, which made James extremely uncomfortable.

Of course, James is James, and he's still the Cavaliers' best player.

This time is the time to fight for strength. Ordinary stars still don't have the role of all-star stars, especially in this kind of top team matchup.

James slightly overwhelmed Leonard, but Zhang Xiaotian beat Jae Crowder, Aldridge also beat Love, and the Spurs were stronger in the other two points.

In the first quarter, James was able to forcibly help the players gain an advantage by virtue of his super strong personality. By the time of the intermission, the Spurs had already overtaken and held the advantage.

The problem for the Cavaliers now is not that there are too few players, but that there are too many players.

Some of these players are well-known and need part of the ball, and the three-pointers and defense are not so good. James' breakthrough and scoring system is also greatly affected.

This is not as good as James leading the shooter. Maybe James is also seeking more attempts when he is older, but obviously the Cavaliers' attempts this season have not been very successful.

Relatively speaking, the Spurs' player structure is much more reasonable.

Popovich is really good at using players. He will allocate playing time well to ensure that everyone has a chance.

Of course, the Spurs' players are young and energetic, and the Cavaliers are incomparable.

It has been said that the old Spurs can finally despise other teams. The only old guy in the team, Popovich, has a good tactical arrangement. As for feeling happy, the old man has a trick.

The Cavaliers can only envy this. Of course, the team's poor handling of Irving's trade is also a problem.

In the second half, James could only strengthen his offense.

At some point, he seemed to be back when he was young, but his mentality was never the same.

On the Spurs side, the attack points are also gradually concentrated, but they still have more choices. The three strong points match Evans' model, which is not enviable by others.

When James scored, rebounded and assisted, the Cavaliers were barely pulled away from the score, but it could only be like this, and James couldn't do it any further.

The Spurs played lightly and are preparing for the harvest game.

In the final quarter, James didn't fight against it.

After all, it's still the regular season, so it won't be that exaggerated. The Cavaliers almost put up another lineup, with Wade and Rose leading the game. It's hard to say what effect they hope to achieve, just rotate as usual.

The knight's attitude is not positive enough, Zhang Xiaotian's principle is to make a move when it is time to make a move.

(End of this chapter)