Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

This game is still at the Spurs' home court.

The Spurs obviously made some adjustments. They still let Leonard defend Zhuang Yu alone, while Gasol and Aldridge were responsible for the backup defense. However, when it came to Lopez, the Spurs defended more seriously than in the previous game.

As long as they saw Lopez in the low post, the Spurs would immediately help defend, making it difficult for Lopez to play. In the first quarter, he only took two shots, neither of which went in. After half a quarter, he didn't score a single point.

However, in this way, the Spurs' defensive investment in Zhuang Yu would naturally decrease, and Zhuang Yu actually scored more points than in the first game.

After a few rounds of goings on, the first quarter was quickly halfway over.

Both sides began to replace their rotation players, and Clarkson came on the court.

In fact, Clarkson's playing time today came earlier than in the last game.

At this time, Zhuang Yu and Lopez were still on the court, but Coach Scott replaced Clarkson and let him play with Zhuang Yu and Lopez. The lineup on the court became Zhuang Yu, Clarkson, Gerald Green, Anderson, and Lopez.

Given that Clarkson performed extremely well in the last game, many fans are looking forward to his game in this one.

Coach Scott also had high hopes for him, but when Clarkson came on the court, Coach Scott quickly frowned.

Because the Spurs clearly strengthened their defense on Clarkson.

"As expected of the Spurs, they are really good." Assistant Coach Madsen frowned and couldn't help but say, "They are planning to focus on limiting the scores of Continental Pace and Clarkson."

Coach Scott had a serious expression on his face: "The opponent would rather let Zhuang score more points than give Lopez and Clarkson an opportunity. If it depends on Zhuang and one person, then even if he scores 30 points, it may not be enough."

He also had to admit that Coach Popovich was indeed very capable and had a keen insight into the problems facing the Lakers.

The problem for the Lakers is that they don't have as many scorers as they did last season.

The reason why the Lakers were able to defeat the Spurs, the Warriors and reach the finals last season was due to the outstanding performance of the three core players: Zhuang Yu, Kobe and Lopez.

But now that Kobe has retired, the Lakers' three core players are left with only Zhuang Yu and Lopez.

Coach Scott's idea is to let Clarkson fill in and form a new core of three with Zhuang Yu and Lopez to ensure the team's offense.

After all, against a team like the Spurs, playing defense is obviously not an option. The Lakers still have to rely on offense to defeat the Spurs.

Old man Popovich obviously saw this, so he arranged the defense like today. He would rather let Zhuang Yu score more points than let Lopez and Clarkson open up. Without the output of Lopez and Clarkson on the offensive end, it would be difficult to rely on Zhuang Yu alone.

Soon both sides replaced their main lineups. Coach Scott replaced Zhuang Yu and Lopez and sent Deron on the court to partner with Clarkson.

He gave Clarkson unlimited firing rights.

However, the effect is not good.

What surprised the Lakers was that the Spurs actually used double-teaming to limit Clarkson.

You have to know that Clarkson is just the sixth man of the team, but the Spurs actually used double-teaming to restrict him. Even the Spurs fans felt that it was an exaggeration.

But Coach Popovich achieved his goal.

They did not completely give up on defending Zhuang Yu. Leonard was still doing his best to defend, and Lopez and Aldridge would also help. Under such circumstances, it was actually unrealistic for the Spurs to completely restrict Lopez and Clarkson's offense. Coach Popovich also understood this, so he did not expect to completely restrict Lopez and Clarkson.

There is no need to restrict both of them at the same time. It is enough to restrict one of them and cause problems for the Lakers' three-core offensive system.

Clarkson was restricted by the Spurs' double-team.

......

Before we knew it, the first quarter was over and the Spurs were leading by five points.

The score difference was not big, but Coach Scott's brows were tightly furrowed.

Entering the second quarter, the Spurs' defensive strategy did not change, and they were still targeting Lopez and Clarkson, especially Clarkson.

The Lakers cannot let Clarkson play with Zhuang Yu and Lopez for a long time because he is still needed in the bench lineup.

This is different from last season.

Last season, the Lakers' main lineup included Zhuang Yu, Kobe, and Lopez, and the substitute lineup included Clarkson, and the division of labor was very clear.

Without Kobe this season, Clarkson must play with Zhuang Yuda and Lopez to form a three-core offensive system. However, he is the sixth man of the team and is also needed in the rotation lineup, which means that the Lakers' "three-core" offense will not last too long.

The Spurs also took advantage of this and they would selectively focus on defending Lopez and Clarkson.

For example, when Clarkson and Deron are on the court, they will choose to double-team Clarkson, focusing on Clarkson.

When Clarkson and Zhuang Yu are on the court at the same time, the Spurs will choose to focus on defending Clarkson because Zhuang Yu is too difficult to defend.

When Lopez and Clarkson are on the court together, the Spurs will choose to focus on defending Lopez.

As for Lopez, Clarkson, and Zhuang Yu when they are on the court at the same time, the Spurs will definitely use their main lineup at this time. With the "twin towers" of Gasol and Aldridge in the interior, they only need to defend Lopez alone.

So they will still choose to focus on defending Clarkson.

The method is also very simple.

The players opposite Clarkson defend closely, limiting Clarkson's shooting and forcing him to break through. Once he breaks through, he has to face the twin towers of Gasol and Aldridge.

After all, Clarkson is not Zhuang Yu. Whether it is passing ability or finishing ability, he is far behind Zhuang Yu.

It is still difficult for the Spurs to limit Zhuang Yu using this method, but they can limit Clarkson.

So when the half ended, the Spurs had extended their lead to 11 points.

In the first half, Zhuang Yu scored 19 points, but Lopez and Clarkson did not score much. Lopez only scored 9 points, and Clarkson only scored points. He made only three of nine shots, without a single three-pointer, and his hit rate was less than %, which was much worse than the previous game.

Clarkson's performance was still not good in the second half.

In the first half, defenders mainly guarded against his outside shooting, and Clarkson chose to break through more often. However, once he broke through, he encountered the opponent's backup defense, and the offensive effect was not good.

In the second half, he chose to shoot more from outside, and Zhuang Yu was also consciously feeding him the ball. However, after playing poorly in the first half, Clarkson seemed to have lost his touch. He missed several shots in a row and began to become more and more impatient.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, Clarkson's jump shot was blocked.

The Spurs completed a quick counterattack.

Assistant coach Madsen shook his head helplessly on the sidelines and sighed, "Clarkson is still too young. He played these few balls a little too impatiently."

Coach Scott immediately called a timeout.

With the offense not going smoothly, Clarkson had difficulty regaining his offensive touch and form. He played a little impatiently and too simply, which not only failed to achieve good results, but also led to mistakes.

Just like the ball just now, he played it too simply and everyone knew he would shoot, so the defender accurately judged and blocked it.

Coach Scott replaced Clarkson, and at this time the Lakers were already trailing by more than ten points.

After Clarkson was substituted, the Spurs' main defensive target became Lopez.

Not only Clarkson played badly today, Lopez also played badly. Only Zhuang Yu played as well as always, especially on the scoring end.

By the end of the third quarter, Zhuang Yu had scored 28 points, but the Lakers were still trailing by more than ten points.

......

The last section.

Zhuang Yu tried to lead the team to counterattack.

By this time, his personal score had reached over 30 points, but he was also very exhausted. His physical strength had begun to deteriorate, and his teammates were unable to help him share the pressure. Even when he used himself to attract defense and pass the ball, his teammates were unable to seize the opportunity and score the goal.

After a while, when the game entered the last two minutes, the Lakers were still trailing by 13 points.

The game has basically lost its suspense.

On the court, the Lakers attack.

After Zhuang Yu came to the front court, he asked his teammates for the ball, then played against Leonard, dribbled the ball between his legs and pretended to break through, then took a step back and shot a three-pointer. However, the ball did not go in, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced out.

"Zhuang's physical strength has been overdrawn."

"It's definitely not enough to rely on him alone. Although he has scored 36 points, Lopez and Clarkson together have less than 30 points..."

People sighed and felt sorry for Zhuang Yu.

The last two minutes ended quickly, and Zhuang Yu scored another 2+1, but ultimately failed to change the outcome. The Lakers lost to the Spurs 101:110.

The series score between the two sides became a 1:1 tie.

In this game, Zhuang Yu scored 39 points, plus 9 rebounds and 5 assists. But Lopez only scored 15 points, and Clarkson only made 16 of 4 shots and scored 10 points.

......

When they returned to the hotel, Coach Scott immediately called a meeting with Assistant Coach Madsen and two other assistant coaches to make a post-match summary.

The three teaching assistants each expressed their own opinions.

"Our offense played terribly in this game."

"We didn't have any rhythm at all. The Spurs always controlled the rhythm, which made our offense unable to find the feeling. We couldn't score many goals that should have been scored. This shouldn't have happened."

The two teaching assistants spoke one after another.

Assistant coach Madsen also expressed his opinion, but his perspective was different from that of the other two assistant coaches: "We lost this game, but I don't think it was because of other reasons. Instead, we failed to accurately predict the opponent's response and played like we did in the first game. However, the opponent made timely adjustments and the defense became very targeted."

"Now what we need to do is not just to summarize why we will lose, but also to find a way to predict how the opponent will play in the next game and make some targeted arrangements."

Hearing this, the two teaching assistants nodded in unison.

Coach Scott also nodded and said that it made sense, and Assistant Coach Madsen did hit the nail on the head.

Aren’t they doing the post-match summary here to prepare for the next game?

"Boom boom..."

At this time, Coach Scott knocked on the table, and the three assistant coaches quieted down. He said, "What everyone said makes sense. Especially Assistant Coach Madsen, what will the opponent do in the next game and what we should do is the key."

"But I think there is one more point. The Spurs have obviously found our weaknesses and have developed a targeted approach to deal with us, targeting our 'three-core' offense. So what are the Spurs' weaknesses and strengths?"

The three teaching assistants frowned in thought.

But Coach Scott didn't ask them. He immediately said, "What is the weakness of the Spurs? I think it's age."

age?

The three teaching assistants were stunned, somewhat confused.

Coach Scott explained: "Their current age structure is unreasonable, and the lineup is aging. Among the starters, only Leonard is the youngest, only 26 years old. Among the remaining four starters, Gasol is 36 years old, Aldridge is 32 years old, Parker is 35 years old, and Danny Green is 29 years old."

"The average age of the Spurs' starting lineup has reached 31.6 years old."

"Moreover, the Spurs' bench is not young. Mills is 29, David Lee is 34, and Ginobili is already 40. Jonathan Simmons is 28, Joel Anthony is 35, and the average age of these people is over 30.

Of course, the Spurs are not without young players.

For example, Davis Bertans, Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, and rookie Skal Labissiere who was sent to the Spurs by the Lakers.

These players are only in their twenties, and some are even rookies.

But precisely because they are too young and have not yet fully grown up, they cannot become the main force of the team, let alone become a regular rotation player.

By the way, there is also Jordan Hill. He was sent to the Spurs together with Skal Labissiere. Originally, the Spurs had some expectations for him, but he only played a few games for the Spurs before he was ruled out for the season due to a hip injury.

After hearing what Coach Scott said, the three assistant coaches suddenly understood.

Yes, the Spurs' age is their biggest problem. The average age of the entire team is almost 30 years old, and the average age of regular rotation players is over 30 years old.

Isn't this a weakness?

Assistant coach Madsen said excitedly: "The age structure of the Spurs' players is indeed unreasonable. The young players are not strong enough and cannot play. The players who are strong and can play are too old, and both their physical fitness and competitive level are problems."

Coach Scott continued: "This is not difficult to see from the previous two games. In the end, it was still Leonard who attacked? Whether it was Gasol or Aldridge, in fact, they were useless at the last moment."

"So as long as the game speeds up, the Spurs players can't keep up. As long as we run, their physical fitness will be a problem."

He paused, then banged his head heavily on the table and said in a resounding tone, "So the key to our defeat of the Spurs is to take advantage of this."

The three teaching assistants' eyes lit up and they nodded frantically.

Then several coaches began to discuss how to take advantage of this...