If I were Yi Di in the NBA

Chapter 99 The Spurs' Weak Period of Transformation
The Thunder ushered in an eight-game winning streak and one of the most troublesome opponents in the league.

The Spurs are not strong this season, but as long as there is GDP, they will not be weak.

Yi Jian was very depressed because the Spurs couldn't find the fifth position, and Duncan played the fifth position himself this season, which caused Yi Jian to not activate the task.

Duncan is definitely the top wool, Yi Jian decided to vent his anger on the game.

The Spurs have not changed their lineup this season, that is, they have selected rookie George Hill, and Hill will not be able to help the team much for the time being.

As Duncan and Ginobili get older, and the team's thug Bowen has also reached the age of retirement, the Spurs can be said to be in urgent need of good wings and centers, but unfortunately they did not find them this season.

So this season, the Spurs can only be the second-tier team in the Western Conference, similar to the Thunder.

Except for the Lakers in the West, most of the playoff teams can be attributed to this tier. There is not much difference between everyone.

The Thunder's current record is a little bit worse, not because the Thunder is weak, but because they are young and not stable enough.

With the aging of the core, the Spurs have tried to transform from a relatively early stage.

They are still defensive, but they are no longer a purely defensive team.

For three-pointers, they increased the proportion in their tactics a few seasons ago.

In the future, in order to improve offensive power, the Spurs will also give some role players more free shot options.

The team will also rely on Duncan on both ends of the offense and defense, and Duncan's main role is the core of the defense, and some key points can be played aggressively on the offensive end.

For the current Spurs, the transformation has not been so thorough.

But as soon as the game entered the first quarter, Yi Jian felt that the Spurs were different from before. They took a lot more shots from the outside.

Even if Yi Jian paid more attention to reminding his teammates, the Thunder came up because of the Spurs' outside offense and became the lagging side.

It's no wonder that the Thunder took it lightly. It's really that the Spurs players feel very good today.

On Thunder's side, Yi Jian and Durant are still in charge.

Yi Jian faced Bonner, and Durant faced Finley, both of which had an absolute advantage.

With both of them playing, the Spurs can still lead, which shows how good the Spurs' outside feel is.

Fortunately, this is the first quarter, and the Thunder still have enough time to be vigilant and then narrow the gap.

After all, the Thunder's two main offensive points are too obvious, and the Spurs, although they have an advantage in GDP, are not as easy as Yi Jian and Durant on the offensive end.

The defense of Lowry and Lopez is difficult to limit the famous All-Stars, but it will not make them too contemptuous.

The Spurs' lead is only due to teamwork. After the Thunder paid attention to it, it is actually difficult to maintain this kind of offense without a star.

Parker can't make three-pointers, and Duncan is inside. They are a very important part of the Spurs' offensive team, but they have no direct relationship with the outside explosion at the beginning.

After Ginobili played, his performance can only be said to be average.

On the contrary, Yi Jian played better and better. Don't say that Duncan didn't match up with him now, even if Duncan came over, Yi Jian didn't worry about it, because he could pull beyond the three-point line.

He can use his speed to keep up with him, and Yi Jian can increase his strength. If the opponent is strong enough, Yi Jian still has height.

No matter what kind of player he is facing, Yi Jian can have certain advantages.

Not to mention the threat of bringing skills, Yi Jian is already a top singles player in the second season of the league.

Originally, Duncan could give Yi Jian some threats by sitting on the inside, but unfortunately Bonner's defense could not keep up at all, and Duncan was too late to come over to help defend most of the time.

If you switch to veteran Thomas, it won't work either, and you can't open up space like Bonner.

The Spurs, who were experienced in defense, suddenly realized that they didn't have much to do with Yi Jian.

It's only slightly better against Durant, and Finley and Bowen are too old to guard against.

The Spurs' substitutes are relatively weak except for Ginobili, and the Thunder only suffer a little. It's not about the players, but about their tactical proficiency.

By the second quarter, the Thunder's defense became more targeted. The Spurs did not have all kinds of magical touches outside, and the Thunder began to counterattack.

"Yi Jian hit again, and he was about to score 20 points at halftime."

"I hit a three-pointer. I didn't expect the Spurs' defense to have no effect on him."

"CIC is also hit, Yi Jian is getting more and more comprehensive, he is not only relying on his outstanding athletic talent to play."

"The Spurs' offense is a bit unsustainable, and the Spurs may be really old."

"The Thunder are playing better and better. This young team still does not hesitate to launch a charge against the strong enemy in the West, the Spurs, despite the hardships of back-to-back away games."

If it wasn't for the intermission, Yi Jian felt that they would have a chance to overtake in the first half.

They are in full swing, but there is nothing they can do about the end of the first half.

After returning to the locker room, Yi Jian and the coaching staff summarized the team's performance in the first half.

We did not do a good job in those aspects at the beginning, and we will become the dominant side when we improve later.

Knowing how to play against teams in different states will be more efficient on the field.

Yi Jian is not the type who can only play with his head covered. He can think and play with his head.

After he knows how to help the team win the game, he will also remind his teammates.

Unknowingly, Yi Jian has silently become the leader of the team.

The Spurs knew that the situation in the first quarter was difficult to replicate, but their head coach Popovich also felt that the team was a little too relaxed in the second quarter.

He repeatedly emphasized the details during the intermission, hoping that the team can do better in all aspects in the second half.

The offensive end should combine star tactics with team tactics, and the defensive end should limit the Thunder's role players while not allowing the Thunder's stars to play too easily.

However, after the start of the second half, the Spurs found that it was easier said than done.

Their team's offense was restricted, but Yi Jian and Durant started to drive their teammates while scoring themselves.

In fact, the Thunder didn't have any great tricks, they just took advantage of their matchups to make things simple.

The defensive end is also expanded, and it is immediately handed over to Yi Jian to help defend.

Neither the Mavericks nor the Spurs are as powerful as they imagined, and Yi Jian is a little excited now.

He feels good when excited and is extra positive on the pitch.

Therefore, when the Spurs' defensive effect is not so good, there are also problems on the offensive end.

Their role players had a harder time in the second half.

The Spurs had no choice but to return to the old routine and let Parker and Duncan score in a duo.

When it came to the rotation period, Ginobili was allowed to preside over the overall situation.

In fact, it is star tactics, but the Spurs' star tactics are more subtle, and there will be some teamwork mixed in. Fans may not understand it, but in the final analysis it is the same thing.

Just like future netizens satirized Tyronn Lue's tactics of handing the ball to James, there are actually many routines for giving the ball to the strongest star, but the Spurs have more routines.

At this time, because the Thunder's role players also played, they caught up with the score.

(End of this chapter)