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Chapter 226 Continue the winning streak
Just when JR walked to the free throw line, Nuggets coach Karl was already squatting on the sidelines frowning, with a serious expression on his face.

It is true that deliberate hacking tactics will affect the fans and audience's appreciation of the game.But in terms of professional tactics, cutting people is really very useful, otherwise Popovich would not use it often.

Carl also often uses hacking tactics, so he doesn't dislike this tactic.In his opinion, the cut player should first practice free throws, or stabilize his emotions, instead of blaming the opponent for attacking his weaknesses.

The stadium is like a battlefield. The law of the jungle is the natural law of victory and defeat, and the opponent does not speak humanitarianism.Once a flaw is discovered, the opponent will only bite like a jackal until he dies.

Compared with players who were cut off like Howard, JR's free throw level is undoubtedly too high.But on the other hand, JR's shooting percentage in each professional game fluctuates greatly, which is due to his erratic touch.Well, my own personality also accounts for a large part of the reason.

Brian Shaw stood beside Carl and said with a puzzled look: "With the current firepower of the Spurs lineup, even if JR feels overwhelming, they are enough to face us head-on. But, why do you want to disrupt JR's shooting? What about the rhythm?"

"Right? There's no need for that."

When Karl heard this, he shook his head directly and said, "JR is not a player like Westbrook, and his shooting accuracy is easily affected."

Carl immediately retracted his gaze, turned to look at his assistant coach, and continued: "Besides, that old guy Popovich puts more emphasis on defense, so it's normal to come up with this strategy."

Nodding thoughtfully, Xiao, who has only been an assistant coach for a short time, frantically absorbed knowledge, and at the same time did not forget to ask: "Then do we need to make any adjustments?"

Carl shrugged his shoulders and said: "There is nothing to adjust, and there is no one in hand. Now, we can only see if JR can maintain his state."

The game continued on the court, JR played steadily and hit all two free throws.The offensive and defensive rounds of the two sides switched. Under Popovich's signal, Yang Ke, who was in possession of the ball, slowed down the rhythm significantly.

The ball stopped near the middle circle, Yang Ke watched the timing card from a distance, and the other Spurs also stood in their positions scattered outwards and tight inside.

Seeing that the Spurs had to slow down when they fell behind by a large score, Carl realized something was wrong, and immediately shouted at the field: "Felton, press up!"

Hearing the head coach's instruction, although Felton was a little puzzled, he still chose to carry it out, stepped forward to the premise, and slowly approached Yang Ke.

almost!

Glancing at the 15-second attack time, Yang Ke suddenly rushed up with the ball, frightened Felton, who was about to move forward, quickly stopped, and made a back slide to lead the defense.

Taking a step beyond the three-point line, Yang Ke continued to charge forward while passing the basketball in his hand to Dior, who quietly pulled down the high position.

Without slowing down, Yang Ke continued to rush into the inside line, and made a cover for Green on the right side, allowing him to get rid of JR smoothly and slip from the inside line to the left.

Um?
It was at this time that Yang Ke discovered a flaw in the Nuggets' defense. JR and Felton had a tendency to chase Green at the same time. Obviously, they did not have a tacit understanding in this defensive choice.

Grasping the doomed poor reaction, Yang Ke pulled back directly beyond the three-point line, received Dior's return pass, made a quick three-point shot without any pause, and the basketball went into the net.

Taking this round into his eyes, Carl's eyes were slightly red, and he shook his head and sighed: "This old bastard has dug up another treasure."

In the Spurs' offensive round, Yang Ke's golf intelligence and judgment were outstanding, but it was Diao who played a decisive role.His ability to support and pass the ball made Karl very jealous, and his salary was still very low.

It was the Nuggets' turn to attack, but just as the basketball was sent out, the referee's whistle sounded again.Not surprisingly, it was Mills who deliberately fouled JR again.

Looking at this scene, ESPN's on-site commentator opened his mouth and said very speechlessly: "Isn't it? It's really a hacking tactic? What is Popovich doing?"

"Ugly tactics."

Another commentator made no secret of his dislike for this, and even said, "I strongly urge the official to punish the Spurs! Popovich ruined this otherwise wonderful game!"

In the rest of the third quarter, the Spurs took turns sending people to foul JR.Anyway, the Spurs don't always rotate eight people like the Rockets, and everyone on the list can be used, so there is no need to be afraid of accidents.

Throughout the third quarter, JR got a total of 16 free throw opportunities, but did not hit every ball.Therefore, at the end of the third quarter, the Spurs successfully chased the game to single digits.

During the break between the third quarter and the fourth quarter, Popovich sat on the small bench, glanced at the data sheet handed by Borrego, and said slowly: "Ginobili, you can replace him later. Yang."

Panting heavily, Yang Ke had no objection to this.Because he has been working hard to catch up with the score in the third quarter, his physical energy is exhausted too quickly. For the decisive battle in the fourth quarter, he really needs a good rest.

Pausing for a moment, since the offensive rhythm has been controlled by his side, Popovich finally made an adjustment after a little thought, saying: "The slashing tactic is cancelled, and we will temporarily follow the previous style of play in the fourth quarter."

It didn't take long for the fourth quarter to begin, and JR was still put on the court by Karl.Seeing that no one fouled him, JR was stunned for a moment, but after realizing it, he was very happy.

Running to the frontcourt, JR gesticulated wildly to get the ball from Felton, facing Green, changed hands after a few dribbles, and shot a jumper.

boom!
The basketball finally bounced out of the frame, and Carl's heart skipped a beat because of it. JR's hot touch was still seriously affected after all.

JR didn't believe in evil, and then forced two shots in a row, but unfortunately they missed, wasting two precious offensive rounds of the Nuggets in vain.On the contrary, the Spurs' offense went smoothly and tied the score in one fell swoop.

Seeing that JR's touch had completely cooled down, Karl changed the team's offensive strategy and turned to Nene, who was once again the main player.

After Nene forced Blair for a few rounds, Popovich didn't need to talk about it. Ginobili, who controlled the offensive ball, rushed into the inside again and again, approached Nene, and caused damage.

As a result, Yang Ke ended his break early and was replaced by Popovich on the court to replace Green, who had a bad touch, and acted as an outside fort in the final game.

A few minutes later, as Nene's six prisoners graduated, Karl reluctantly withdrew his main force and announced his surrender.In the end, the Spurs, who were at home, defeated the Nuggets by 11 points, and their record continued to sit firmly at the top of the league.

After the game, Yang Ke, who scored 24 points, 9 assists, and 2 steals, followed Popovich and attended the press conference.Karl brought Nene, who played the best in the team, in this game.

(End of this chapter)