NBA peak Jordan template

Chapter 131 Western Conference Semifinals, Spurs and Warriors
"Spurs? Why do you think the Spurs will win? Do you think the Warriors can't beat the Spurs even with home court advantage?"

"I don't know, I'm just guessing."

"Are you just guessing again?" Butler on the other end of the phone was so angry. He guessed right every time?
"It's really a wild guess. It's just that I believe that luck will be on my side."

".If you choose the Spurs, then I will choose the Warriors. I believe that luck will not always be on your side. How could the Warriors with home court advantage lose to the Spurs?"

The chat between Zheng Long and Butler ended here, and the bet was settled.

On the court, Curry has returned to the court and is organizing a team's offense, while the Spurs have obviously shifted the focus of defense on the court quickly.

Changed the target from Durant back to Curry.

With Curry passing the ball to Green and Thompson running off the ball at the same time, the Spurs' defensive pressure suddenly increased.

Danny Green followed closely behind Curry.

As a shooting guard, although Danny Green is not as famous as GDP in the Spurs, he does not have the talent and strength of "Prince" Leonard.

However, he has always been able to rank among the league's top 3D, and his career three-point shooting percentage is 40%. The defensive end is also the best defensive second team selection this season.

As a shooter, he has enough defensive experience.

of course.

Just relying on a single person to limit Curry is tantamount to whimsical.

Popovich isn't that stupid either.

In addition to Danny Green who is chasing Curry on a single defense, other players on the Spurs also put part of their defensive attention on Curry.

Whenever the Warriors give Curry a pick-and-roll, the Spurs will switch defenses quickly, and it really won't give Curry a comfortable shot.

Even in order to defend Curry, other Warriors players can be appropriately given a certain amount of shooting space.

This defense against Curry is also what Tyronn Lue, the head coach of the Cavaliers in the finals last year, did.

First, desperately strangle Curry and strangle the Warriors' engine.

It is this kind of defensive strategy that allowed last year's Cavaliers to complete the feat of allowing three to chase four in the finals in a 1-3 situation.

The coaching team of the Warriors is also aware of this problem.

It was only last summer that he pursued Durant frantically.

such.

Even if Curry gets double-teamed.

Durant can also serve as the Warriors' second offensive starting point to digest the ball.

It can be said.

After the Warriors exposed the problem, they immediately chose to use the most brutal method-signing reinforcements to correct it.

just.

Is everything really as good as the Warriors thought?
When facing some weak teams, the Warriors can indeed rely on Durant's singles lethality to subtly ease the stiff situation when "the ball is no longer spinning".

But facing the Spurs.

Even though they have put more defensive focus on Curry, Durant still has difficulty completing a beautiful finish.

At the end of the day.

Still because of Leonard!
Leonard, who has turned on DYOP mode since Curry came off the court, still keeps the switch on at this time.

"After Green hesitated for a long time at the top of the arc, he passed the ball to Durant beside him."

"But at this time, there is not much time left for Durant to deal with the basketball. There are only 10 seconds left in the rest of the round."

"The Warriors players chose. Believe in Durant, they didn't go to pick and roll Durant. Durant wanted to single Leonard directly."

"After Durant crossed hands in front of his body, he directly chose to lean back on the spot!"

"Block!!!"

"Leonard blocked Durant's shot!"

"The Spurs launched a counterattack fast break!"

"Tony Parker, who was holding the ball, suddenly accelerated, rushed directly into the Warriors' penalty area, and scored a layup!"

"Wuuu God, let's watch the replay of the moment just now. At the moment Durant made a shot, Leonard poked his finger into the basketball in Durant's hand."

"I'm afraid only Leonard can block Durant at the moment of taking off at the same time!"

The Oracle Arena was a bit quiet, and the fans felt incredible. They opened their mouths wide and watched the replay on the big screen in surprise.

Zheng Long couldn't help but shook his head helplessly.

This picture. Immortals fighting!

Everything was as he had imagined, Curry returned to the field, and immediately encountered greater defensive pressure than in the first quarter.

Green, the dealer at the top of the arc, had to throw the ball to Durant for handling.

Because Durant has always been Green's "second choice".

This also led to the fact that every time the ball was in Durant's hands, the remaining time of the offensive round was not enough for him to find the most suitable shot opportunity.

In the face of a DYOP like Leonard, a hasty shot is accompanied by huge risks.

This time the cap.

That's Leonard's "warning sign."

Art.

Your technique is indiscriminate and single, it is okay to hit others, but it is not good enough to hit me.

On the sidelines, Popovich also quietly raised the corner of his mouth, admiring the "masterpiece" of his new disciple on the big screen.

"Kahuai, he looks nothing like TD, but he looks like everything. It's always reassuring."

For Leonard, Popovich is absolutely beloved. This small forward, who was selected by the Pacers with the 2011th overall pick in 15, was traded under Popovich's strong suggestion during the season. Came to the Spurs.

While watching Leonard's college videos, Popovich discovered what was unusual about Leonard. In addition to his amazing big hands and long arms, his low profile and hard work on the court were what Popovich thought Leonard was. One of the reasons why Nader is sure to shine.

In his rookie season, Leonard was reused by Popovich. He played 64 games in his rookie season, averaged 24 minutes per game, and started 39 games.

In the Spurs' 14 playoff games that year, he started every game.

Although the Spurs in the 11-12 season fell into the hands of the three Thunder brothers who were in full swing, Leonard's talent began to show its edge under Popovich's training.

The following year, Leonard secured the Spurs regular season starting seat and followed the Spurs all the way to the finals. In the finals, he became the most outstanding and stable player on the Spurs field except for Duncan.

In the third year of his career, Leonard helped the Spurs eliminate the Heat 4-1 in the matchup with James. He became the sixth non-All-Star player in NBA history or FMVP. The third youngest FMVP.

After winning this championship, Leonard lived up to Popovich's entrustment, took over the banner from Duncan, became the head star of the Spurs, and became the best player in the Spurs with a seriously aging lineup. Powerful, but also the youngest starter.

It can be said.

This season, the Spurs were able to rank third in the Western Conference after Duncan retired because of Leonard.

In the face of this modern basketball trend that is gradually moving towards "superstarization" and "superstars determine the upper limit of the team", Leonard is the superstar and upper limit of the Spurs.

Facing Leonard like this, how can Popovich not love him?

"As long as Kawhi can guard Durant, we can take away today's game from Oracle Arena."

On the field, the game continues.

The situation has gradually turned towards the Spurs. Although the Spurs are old, the defensive system built by Popovich has successfully restricted Curry's performance.

Durant slumped under Leonard's defense one after another.

In addition to dealing cards at the top of the arc, the "King of the Arc" doesn't even have the ability to trick his opponent Aldridge to the three-point line.

"Green held the ball at the top of the arc, and the Spurs chose to let Green go."

"This is too outrageous. There is no defensive player two meters in front of Green."

"After Green hesitated for a moment, he found that his teammates were all looked down upon."

"But Durant raised his hand to ask for the ball, but Green chose to shoot a three-pointer directly!"

"This ball!"

"Three or three?!"

"Green made a three-point shot, the basketball flew out of the baseline, and the Warriors had no choice but to retreat."

Zheng Long was drinking water when he saw Green throwing the three non-stick shots. Seeing Green's annoyed expression, he didn't hold back.

He choked all of a sudden, unable to hide his smile.

Unexpectedly, the top king of the arc is really stable.

At critical moments, he is never soft-footed, absolutely soft-handed.

This small action also made the Warriors fans who were surrounded by embarrassment cast a few unkind eyes.

They could all tell that the man in sunglasses seemed very happy.

As a Warriors fan, of course I feel annoyed by Green's three-point shot.

Especially when the score between the two sides is so tight.

but.

There are more interesting things on the field.

Durant, who returned to defense, couldn't help but leaned towards Green, stretched out his hand, his face full of dissatisfaction.

It seems to be saying, why didn't you pass the ball to me just now.

At this time, Green is well versed in the way of "PUA Little Art". He just glanced at Durant coldly, raised his head and motioned Durant to look at his shooting data, and ignored him.

Didn't you have any idea what data you faced Leonard in the past few balls?

Are you ashamed to take the initiative to ask me for a ball?
Although Durant didn't continue to argue with Green, his displeasure was written on his face.

Zheng Long could guess what Durant was thinking at this time.

Damn, when you ran out of time in the end, you just dumped the ball on me. Could it be that I can't beat him?Give me only a little time every time, how can I fight!
Contradictions are never born out of thin air, he has always been there, from the beginning to the end.

The Warriors' ball distribution and team status.

This has always been a problem for this cosmic warrior.

Durant, who joined the Warriors as the league's little king, has always been more like a "mercenary" than a new family member to the Warriors.

Just as Durant chose to leave because of this in the future, although this is his first season with the Warriors, the contradiction is already here.

but.

In Zheng Long's view, all of this is just Durant's own fruit.

Every choice in life matters.

For a top star like Durant, every transfer choice is enough to affect the evaluation and achievements of the entire player's career.

Look at it as a latecomer.

Durant, who came to the Warriors, won two coveted championships and FMVP in the original history.

But it also locked the upper limit of his career.

In the NBA, which highly values ​​individual heroism, "teaming up" has always been a behavior that most fans hate.

Like Durant, who led the Thunder and the Warriors to fight to the death in the playoffs last year, he turned around and joined the "group" behavior of the Warriors.

It also brought his personal negative public opinion to a new height.

Perhaps in Durant's eyes, where to go is his own choice and has nothing to do with others.

However, as the NBA is an open professional sports league, players have never had the opportunity to choose freely to a certain extent.

Durant ignored a truth-you can play as a job because there are fans watching.

And if you choose to play while ignoring the feelings of the fans, then when you play, many fans will scold you.

But controversy has always been what the NBA loves to see.

The league acquiesced in the deal.

Let Durant feel that this is a "can do" decision.

finally.

The alliance has gained topics and popularity.

And Durant has received numerous criticisms.

The "kid" who only had basketball and hot girls in his heart became an NBA hype gun without realizing it.

When the heat of the Heat Dynasty dissipated and the topic of riding brave battles came up again, Durant became the gun that the league added to this topic.

"What are you thinking? The competition is so intense, why are you in a daze?"

Linbao's voice brought Zheng Long's thoughts back to the court. At this time, there was only one minute left before the end of the first half.

The Spurs have achieved an 8-point lead, and the Spurs are 48 to 40 Warriors.

Seeing that the point difference is gradually widening, the players of the Warriors began to feel a little anxious, and Cole kept shouting from the sidelines, reminding the players on the court what to pay attention to.

Although Zheng Long believes that the Spurs have a greater probability of winning today.

But the 8-point lead at the end of the first half was obviously not enough to ensure the Spurs' victory. Curry really showed his strength in the last minute.

"Green handed the pass to Curry!"

"Curry directly chose a super long three-pointer after receiving the ball!"

"Here we come! Ku Ritian is finally here!"

"Hit two three-pointers in a row!"

"In an instant, the score difference between the two teams was reduced to 2 points!"

"Look at how anxious Curry was in the second quarter. He just threw the ball and didn't care about anything!"

"It just so happens that I can score with such a vote!"

"Mr. Popovich shook his head and sighed on the sidelines."

"How can you play like this!"

Curry's two consecutive ultra-long three-pointers ignited the Oracle Arena and left the Warriors fans in a good mood in the midfield.

After scoring the goal, Curry also yelled and celebrated.

Being locked up by the Spurs, he was really suffocated.

However, in the last offensive round, Leonard also hit a long two-pointer, helping the Spurs lead by 50 points with a score of 46-4 in the first half, and entered the second half.

Today's game.

It's hard to say who wins or loses.

(End of this chapter)