data possession

Chapter 149 Restrictions
The Spurs and the Clippers have played against each other three times this season, and the Clippers are slightly better.This does not mean that the Spurs are inferior to the Clippers. Speaking of the two teams, the Spurs have more background, but the overall strength of the two teams is not much different.

The biggest difference between the Clippers and the Spurs is the head coach.

Popovich is a master-level coach, and Rivers has just been promoted to the first-class.The gap between Rivers and Popovich is more than a mountain.

After three rounds, Ning Caichen had seen the horror of the Spurs.Whether the Spurs' offensive ball distribution is reasonable is another matter, but the execution and adaptability of the tactics are the strongest among the NBA teams he has encountered.

The Spurs players have high tactical literacy and strong ability to read the game. There has never been a situation of standing offense and fighting alone. This is Popovich's method.After Ning Caichen suddenly joined the battle circle and disrupted the original pattern of the Spurs, they immediately activated various basic tactics to respond, and the connection was very natural and smooth.

Facing such a team, you must not make mistakes, because the Spurs will not give you a chance to make mistakes.

The stronger the Spurs were, the more excited Ning Caichen was, and he was finally able to let go.

After Danny Green suffered two losses from Ning Caichen, he finally looked at Ning Caichen differently, and remembered the coach's instructions.

After Ning Caichen made two three-pointers, the Spurs never gave Ning Caichen an open chance.

Regarding the timing of the shot, Ning Caichen is not 80% sure, he will not make the shot.

The Spurs' defense is strong, but with the Clippers joined by Ning Caichen, the outside defense is not something the Spurs can shake.

In 4 minutes, the two outside lines were blocked by Ning Caichen without scoring a point.And there are also two big mountains inside, Griffin and Jordan, and the Spurs can't take advantage of it at all.

The Spurs' outside offense against the opponent was cut off, and their general combat power immediately dropped.However, the Spurs did not lose many points, they were only 5 points behind the Clippers.

Seeing that he couldn't play from the outside line, Popovich could only call a timeout and rearrange his tactics.

After the timeout, the main lineups of the two teams took turns to rest, and they both replaced the second team.

Ning Caichen couldn't help laughing when he saw it. Compared with the first team, the Spurs' second team was too weak.

Coincidentally, Ning Caichen's smile happened to be seen by Popovich.

Popovich felt a "thump" in his heart, and only then did he think of the strange number Ning Caichen.With Ning Caichen on the court, the Spurs' current lineup has no advantage at all.

"Ning, I don't think your performance is very good!" Crawford dribbled the ball slowly across the half court.

"Hmph, wait and see my performance." Ning Caichen has almost adapted to the Spurs' style of play, and his defense is very strong, but it won't help him much, it will only limit his three-pointers.

The Spurs' second lineup was far inferior to the first team's plastic surgery. This time, Ning Caichen made two unexpected three-pointers.

Popovich could only shake his head helplessly, Ning Caichen is too thieves, and his grasp of timing is too abnormal, it is difficult to guard against.

The Spurs' second team was also honed under Popovich's hard work. Of course, they would not ignore Ning Caichen's threat and responded quickly.

Ning Caichen was blocked one meter away from the three-point line.

Ning Caichen is not an ordinary three-point shooter. He can't shoot, he still has breakthroughs and passes.

Ning Caichen staggered the defensive player with a feint and changed direction. He accelerated into the inside line, and then made a high throw, and Jordan made a relay dunk.

Driven by Ning Caichen, the Clippers quickly adapted to the rhythm on the court.Although the Spurs are led by Parker and Gasol is on the inside, because of the appearance of Ning Caichen, they are almost beaten at the 4th position.

Ginobili's old demon knife took advantage of his height and crushed Ning Caichen's three-pointer, but he couldn't keep up with Ning Caichen in terms of speed.Ning Caichen rushed forward again and again, attracting the defensive players and giving his teammates a good space to shoot.

In just 2 minutes, the Spurs were beaten 8:3 by the bench led by Ning Caichen.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led the Spurs by 10 points.

"Ning, you played very well!!" Rivers and Ning Caichen praised with high fives.

Every game against the Spurs is decided at the end, even if you win, you will be exhausted in the end.With Ning Caichen joining tonight, the balance of the game is leaning more and more towards them.

A 10-point gap is not a problem for the Spurs, even if they are 20 points behind, they will not frown.

Seeing Ning Caichen's strength once again, Popovich frowned and began to lay out tactics on the drawing board.

The appearance of Ning Caichen is the biggest variable on the field. Because of Ning Caichen's appearance, the Spurs' previous tactics against the Clippers are no longer applicable.

The timeout passed quickly, and the Spurs really changed their formation and let Leonard defend Ning Caichen.

Whether it is strength or height, Leonard has the advantage. It has to be said that Popovich's move is absolutely perfect.

No way, in the position of Ning Caichen, no matter whether it is Danny Green, Parker or Ginobili, none of them can guard against Ning Caichen.Although Ning Caichen's three-pointer was restricted, it could not restrict Ning Caichen's breakthrough.

Facing Leonard, Ning Caichen is indeed under a lot of pressure.Leonard stood in front of him like a hill.Whether it is height or ability level, Ning Caichen is not as good as Leonard. His only advantage is speed.

Ning Caichen also became more cautious in his offensive choices.In a full 5 minutes, Paul made a long-range two-pointer under Paul's pick-and-roll, and only sent two assists.

And Leonard is also having a hard time, being guarded to death by Ning Caichen.He also underestimated Ning Caichen's defensive ability, thinking that Ning Caichen was thin, but he didn't expect Ning Caichen to be so powerful.

After Rivers saw that Ning Caichen was able to contain Leonard, he called a timeout and asked Ning Caichen to be responsible for containing Leonard, while the offense was handed over to other teammates.

Leonard was restricted by Ning Caichen, and he just threw three two-pointers over Ning Caichen's head.

Therefore, Popovich sent Leonard to defend Ning Caichen, which can be said to be very successful, but for the team as a whole, because Leonard was restrained by Ning Caichen, this led to the Spurs The team's outside firepower was strangled, and it was also the team's main offensive firepower.In this way, Leonard can't connect well with the team.

As for the Clippers, although Ning Caichen was restricted, the Big Three played normally. Although they did not open the score, they still suppressed the Spurs.

Facing a superstar like Leonard, without Paul's help, it would be difficult for Ning Caichen to find a good vacant seat alone.

The Clippers ended the half with a 12-point lead over the Spurs.

After entering the locker room, Rivers praised the main players.Never before have they played so happily this time. Once upon a time, they could also play against the Spurs...

Rivers did not make adjustments to the lineup. He believes that the current lineup is the best choice to restrain the Spurs, so let the players maintain a good state in the second quarter and slowly drag the Spurs to death.

Ning Caichen shook his head secretly. Although he suppressed the Spurs, this style of play was too tiring.It is really difficult for him to defend Leonard. If this continues, he may be dragged down in the fourth quarter.

Ning Caichen was still thinking about Rivers changing his strategy and freeing him from Leonard to help the team open the score again, but he didn't expect Rivers to ask for stability.

He knows very well that the Spurs will definitely change their tactics in the third quarter. If the Clippers don't make changes, the third quarter will definitely not be so comfortable.

Sure enough, Popovich replaced the old demon knife and faced Crawford.

Ning Caichen is restricted by Leonard, and there is still no good way to break through. Paul needs to connect the whole team, and there is no way to implement pick-and-roll cooperation for Ning Caichen.The game played at this rhythm for another half quarter, and the Spurs managed to get back 8 points.

Rivers saw that Ning Caichen was defended badly. In the last 4 minutes of the third quarter, Ning Caichen was replaced by Rivers.

Leonard and Ginobili hit key goals one after another, and the Clippers' double-digit lead disappeared instantly.After Ginobili made 2 three-pointers, the score was completely equalized, and the two teams returned to the starting line again.

"How is it? Seeing how hard Leonard is defending you!!" Lao Luo looked at Ning Caichen and asked.

"Yeah! Leonard's physical fitness is so good, it's really hard to guard!!"

"Hey, you are still called difficult to defend. The whole team, you can defend him. Your strength is not inferior to him, and your speed is also fast. You are his nemesis. You suppressed him and really gave us Saved a lot of effort."

"Pull it down! If we don't change our tactics, we'll be here tonight!" Ning Caichen gave Paul a blank look.

"It's because we didn't play well offensively. The last quarter is the decisive game. Come on!"

"Paul, we need to change, otherwise it will be difficult to win the Spurs!!" Ning Caichen said suddenly.

"Change? How?"

"Double point guards!!"

"Double point guards?" Rivers, who was drawing a tactical board, suddenly looked up at Ning Caichen.

Ning Caichen did not expect to be heard by Rivers, and replied: "Yes, our momentum will definitely lose if this continues, and we will not be able to defend the Spurs at all."

Rivers also saw the state of the players. The tactic of suppressing the Spurs in the second quarter has failed. If you want to win the game in the fourth quarter, it is basically difficult to play.It's not that he has never thought about dual point guards, but facing a team like the Spurs, is it easy to play with dual point guards?The Spurs' defense is too strong.

Ning Caichen saw Rivers' worry.Double point guards are prone to mistakes when facing a strong defensive team, but he and Paul are not ordinary point guards!
Ning Caichen said: "Coach, don't worry, with the speed of me and Paul, we will definitely revitalize the team."

In the end, Rivers finally agreed to try dual point guards, but he was not sure.Dual point guards generally don't do much for a strong defensive team.

Seeing that Rivers agreed, Ning Caichen finally breathed a sigh of relief.If Rivers starts to adjust his tactics in the third quarter, he will not be caught up by the Spurs.In the second and third quarters, he was suppressed to death, couldn't get the ball, and couldn't help score at all.

(End of this chapter)