The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 521 The Change of the Pelican

The difference from the first round is that the Pelicans are restricted in the backcourt.

Jrue Holiday proved his worth in the first round, but in the second round, he understood the gap.

The gap between the backcourt defense of the Spurs and the Trail Blazers is more than one grade.

By the third quarter, the Pelicans still hadn't adjusted.

After all, their playoff model worked well in the first round, and it was too hasty to come up with another plan during the halftime break.

They hoped that the first half was just a performance issue, but the Spurs' performance showed them more than that.

The Spurs routinely increased their defensive strength in the third quarter, and the Pelicans became more and more difficult on the offensive end.

They only let Davis come to the three-point line to receive the ball, and then attack with the ball.

This type of offense is tiring for Davis and prone to turnovers.

The score between the two sides further widened, and when it entered the final quarter, the game had almost lost its suspense.

Easily win the opponent, the demeanor of the Spurs' strong team is undoubtedly revealed. Seeing this situation, the Rockets and the Warriors probably feel aggrieved in their hearts.

Zhang Xiaotian was full of confidence when interviewed by reporters, "We are on the right path."

The playoffs met expectations, and the Spurs players were relatively happy during this period.

On the last day of April, the Eastern Conference semifinals also started.

With Embiid Yangwei on the inside, the Celtics played on three lines and defeated the 76ers by virtue of their outstanding performance on the offensive end.

Suppressing the 76ers on the offensive end in every quarter, the Celtics are also surprising in this game.

You know, the Celtics were more impressive in the first round because of their defense.

It can only be said that you will never guess what he can perform on some teams.

The 76ers were also taught a lesson. The Celtics are not the same as the Heat's team that doesn't have enough fighting spirit.

Embiid was very dissatisfied after the game, "Both offensive and defensive ends are not our true level. We played a very bad game. The performance of the Celtics must be very commendable, but this is not our level."

Time came to May, the Raptors played against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Because of the entanglement in the first round, the Cavaliers were not so optimistic before the game.

The beginning of the game also seemed to indicate that the Raptors were stronger, and they led by double digits in a single quarter.

What I didn't expect was that the Raptors played a good quarter this time.

The Cavaliers frantically chased points in the second quarter, and all the role players were mobilized, giving people a completely different feeling.

In the second half, Lowry and DeRozan were habitually sluggish.

With Valanciunas completely dominant inside, the Raptors were dragged into overtime by the Cavaliers.

Then in overtime, the Cavaliers won the final victory.

James scored a triple-double but did not explode. The key to this game is that other Cavaliers players have stood up.

Many fans who thought the Raptors would be proud this year lost confidence after watching this game.

There is not only hard power on the court, but also soft power, such as fighting spirit, such as mental endurance.

The feeling of the Raptors is that they have faced the psychological shadow of the Cavaliers' output in recent years, and they can't grasp the opportunities at critical moments, ruining the good situation in vain.

At this time, even if Coach Casey shouted to the reporters that they are the better team, it would not help. Things on the court can only be decided on the court.

The failure of the Raptors was just a little unexpected to everyone, after all, the Cavaliers have the top players.

As for the West, everyone expected that the Rockets and the Warriors would fight to the death.

In the second game of the two teams, the Rockets finally inspired their role players and maintained an efficient offensive end from the beginning to the end, while the Warriors only maintained Durant's level.

Curry didn't give full play, and Clay was even more restricted. As far as this game is concerned, the Rockets have fully achieved both offense and defense.

Since the two teams are explosive, one or two opportunities during the game may determine the trend of the game. The fact that the score was not bitten to the last moment to decide the winner is not because the game is not fierce.

The Spurs are more concerned about this group of games, not that they are arrogant and don't care about the opponents in front of them. Their goal is the championship. The winner of the Rockets and Warriors will definitely be their biggest obstacle.

To talk about arrogance and hatred still depends on Draymond Green. After the game, he said: "We will give up one game to our opponent in a round of the series. Now we have given up one game. Now, it is time to lock the series gone."

If Zhang Xiaotian was a rocket player, he would probably want to hit someone by now.

However, he also drew a lot of hatred, but the opponent couldn't do anything to him.

On May 5, the second game between the Spurs and the Pelicans began.

The Pelicans still focused on Davis at the start, but they have also changed.

Pelicans coach Gentry put pressure on Davis again, not asking him to strengthen the confrontation, but to take on some organizational tasks.

They also saw clearly that without mobilizing the whole team, even if Davis could overwhelm Aldridge, they would not be able to win against the Spurs.

How to put it, Davis's organizational skills are not strong, but the effect is still a little bit.

In addition, Zhu Holiday also played better than last time, and the Pelicans have also adapted to the strength of the Spurs.

But it's unrealistic to overwhelm the Spurs. The Spurs' main lineup has good offense, stronger defense, and a better bench lineup than them. If the Pelicans want to win, they need to do better than one or two.

Of course, they also took out the trick of the weak side, which is to play on the field with the strong point.

If confrontation does not take advantage, they will use time to make up for it.

The method of increasing consumption and desperately is still very useful, but if you can't get the desired result, you just increase consumption out of thin air, making the series more and more difficult.

Strong teams will not use this trick often, but many teams have no choice but to use it.

Just like the Cavaliers, they barely bear the label of a strong team, but they have to increase James' consumption in the first round. From a tactical perspective, they are considered a failure.

Under the targeted changes and desperate efforts of the Pelicans, the Spurs were not as easy as the first game.

During the intermission, they also relied on their performance at the last moment to take a slight lead.

With Popovich not yet back, the acting head coach was a little softer, only pointing out some issues with the defense in the first half.

After Zhang Xiaotian ate something, he still brought everyone together.

They are in an advantageous position, and they must not capsize in the gutter because of carelessness.

The Pelicans also summed up the gains and losses in the first half and asked the players to do better in the second half.

Compared with the first game, the morale of the Pelicans is still quite strong at this time.

In the third quarter, both teams wanted to take the initiative, but neither was able to fully do so.

Things on the field are like this, there will be changes in many cases, and only by adapting and guiding can we be close to victory.

(End of this chapter)