NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"If you want to win, then let me take more shots! I hope that I will be the main player in this game, and I will be the main attacking point. I promise that I can lead everyone to the finals! I will beat Kenyon once again!"

After O'Neal finished speaking, he looked at his teammates and Popovich with full expectation. He had made similar remarks many times when he was on the Lakers.

He was waiting for his teammates to applaud and support him, and then everyone would work together to win the sixth game.

When they were with the Lakers, Kobe would say with a look of disdain that he could lead the team to victory, and then he would keep feeding the ball to O'Neal during the game. Jackson would squint his eyes and say that we need to play a triangle offense, and then secretly tell O'Neal that it all depends on you tonight, and we can't do it without you.

But in San Antonio...

No one spoke, but many people subconsciously glanced at James.

As for James, he seemed to have heard nothing and just sat there biting his fingernails.

Popovich patted O'Neal on the shoulder and told him not to worry, then looked at everyone and said, "The game depends on everyone's strength. We have to work together and fight hard to win! We have to play as a team."

"As for what Shaq said, I think it makes sense, but how to play depends on the actual situation in the game. If the Suns don't change their defensive strategy, then we will let Shaq play more. If they change, then we will handle the game according to the actual situation."

At this moment, O'Neal knew.

This is no longer his team, and his teammates no longer respect him or regard him as a savior.

He is just a passer-by who comes to assist others.

As for Popovich?

Just a bunch of nonsense!
If you say that the Suns will have changes on the offensive end, they will use more pick-and-rolls to attack O'Neal, and they will play more screens, so the Spurs have to pay attention to helping defend and filling in the gaps.

That's serious talk.

But you said we should be careful about changes in the Suns' defensive strategy?

Isn't that bullshit?

How could their defensive strategy change?
The whole team defends with just one move.

Man to man.

This broken team's defensive ability is even worse than the Knicks!

The Knicks can occasionally show off some tricks, but the Suns are really defenseless.

But at this moment, O'Neal is no longer the 25-year-old giant under the basket and the overlord of the league, nor is he the tyrant who everyone has to listen to.

He is very calm now.

Since Popovich doesn't give tactical authority, then just don't give it.

O'Neal sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and also entered a trance mode.

"In this game, we should break through and pass the ball first! LeBron, you attack Nash through the pick-and-roll, then attract the Suns' help defense to find teammates who are left open. Everyone else, shoot immediately after receiving the ball! Let's kill the Phoenix guys!"

……

In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Suns challenged the Spurs away.

At the beginning of the game, the Suns still used their three tricks.

Counterattack, long shot, pick-and-roll!
Their pick-and-rolls are varied, with Nash as the core. He and the other four can initiate pick-and-rolls anytime and anywhere. He knows the habits of each teammate, understands the running direction of each teammate after the screen, and also knows where they like to receive the ball and shoot the most.

He also knows where his teammates have the highest shooting percentage.

At the same time, the biggest difference between Nash and traditional guards like Kidd is that his offensive ability is also excellent!
Although his average points per game is not high, but when it is Nash's turn to shoot, when it is his turn to score points, Nash can score 40 points in minutes to let his opponents know how powerful he is!

Simply put, this guy is almost perfect on offense!

He can do everything.

Except defense.

It's no joke if you can't defend yourself!
One of the Spurs' main strategies is to let James attack Nash continuously through pick-and-rolls and launch attacks on Nash continuously.

Consume Nash, attack Nash, and put Nash into foul trouble. Even if he can control the fouls, his physical strength must be consumed quickly.

This is also the main style of play of almost all teams that want to beat the Suns when facing them.

Everyone knows that Nash is the soul of the Suns, Nash is everything to this Suns team!
With him, the Suns will be one of the top teams in the league.

The Suns without him?

Just the bottom team in the lottery!

The game started with James passing Nash after a pick-and-roll and dunking directly under the basket.

Then the Suns quickly sent the ball from the baseline, Nash quickly came to the frontcourt, found Marion who was cutting to the basket, made a ground pass, and Marion jumped up and shot to score 2 points.

Then O'Neal quickly went out of the baseline, served the ball quickly, and the Spurs started running!

James dribbled the ball quickly and halfway through he suddenly passed the ball to Bosh who was following behind him. After receiving the ball, Bosh jumped up and made a layup, scoring 2 points!
At this moment, O'Neal had just run to the center circle panting.

In this game, both sides need to play fast! Both sides need to attack each other!

Tonight, it will definitely be an offensive battle!

Just these two rounds are enough for everyone to see what the rhythm and trend of this game will be.

James vs. Nash!

The game was progressing at a fast pace, with players from both sides running continuously on the court.

The scores on both sides were rising rapidly and the pace of the game was quite fast.

When the first half of the game ended, the score between the two sides was 60:57!

The Suns temporarily lead by 3 points.

Nash scored a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists in the first half of the game, while James on the opposite side scored 21 points!
4 rebounds and 7 assists, still extremely versatile!

Both sides played quite well around their core players!
"Shaq, we have a problem with rebounding. We lost 5 rebounds to them in the first half!" Popovich looked at the technical statistics and said, "This won't do! We can't win like this! We need you, Shaq! We need you!"

"You have to stand up, you have to become the giant beast under the basket! We need a big shark to help us, okay? Go get those damn rebounds, all the damn rebounds, in your arms! Go kill them! Go dominate the basket!"

"Oh." O'Neal's attitude was quite casual. He just hummed and ignored Popovich.

In the first half of the game, although he got 6 rebounds, he only took 2 shots and scored only 4 points.

This wasn't his favorite game.

Now Popovich asks him to grab rebounds?
Do you think I'm a weakling like Ben Wallace?

I am the No. 1 center in history! I am the most dominant center in history!
You want me to be a blue-collar guy and grab rebounds?

O'Neal became increasingly irritated, but he didn't say it.

Again, he is very mature, but no matter how mature he is, he is still O'Neal, one of the top centers in the league. If you don't give him the right to shoot and just want him to be a blue-collar worker and a finishing point, then that's fine.

The team would occasionally launch a quick counterattack without waiting for him at all, allowing him to take only two shots in the entire half.

Given such a tactical position, it is obviously impossible to expect O'Neal to show full motivation and passion to grab rebounds and fight.

As a human being, everyone has emotions!

So in the second half, O'Neal's enthusiasm for rebounding did not increase much, and he still played listlessly.

As the Spurs lost rebounds and were no match for the Suns in shooting and offense, they gradually lost in the second half and the gap between the two sides began to widen.

With four minutes left in the third quarter, the Spurs were already 4 points behind, and Popovich had no choice but to call a timeout again.

"Shaq! We need you, you have to wake up!" Popovich put his hands on O'Neal's shoulders, looked at him and said, "Without you, we can't beat the Suns! We can't enter the finals!"

"Don't you want to win the championship? We need an excited you!"

Popovich's simple words were quite effective. O'Neal's eyes lit up. He looked at Popovich and nodded, "I will try my best! I will try my best!"

O'Neal is a child after all.

He is the kind of person who needs to be flattered and coaxed by others. He likes to be praised by others and likes to be in the center of the crowd and the spotlight! As long as it makes him happy, he is willing to do many things!

This is how the Zen Master convinced him to play pick-and-roll with Kobe, and this is how he convinced him to practice free throws.

Today, Popovich said so solemnly that the team cannot do without you, and O'Neal immediately felt that he could do it again. As long as you need me, I can definitely do it!
How does the saying go? A gentleman will die for his friend!

Then, Popovich patted O'Neal's shoulder again and began to arrange tactics.

"They can also play pick-and-roll! Shaq, I want you to move faster, take two steps upwards, and don't let them shoot so easily! Disrupt them a little, and then go back to the basket. We need your deterrent power under the basket! With you here, they won't dare to break through!"

"We need your rebounding and defense!"

"On the offensive end, they play pick-and-roll, great! Let's play it too! Shaq, go play pick-and-roll with LeBron! Help him block the defender! Your body is born to play pick-and-roll, you are born with this energy!"

"Shaq, release it! Release your energy! Block Marion! Make way for LeBron! Only you can do this!"

Listening to Popovich's words, O'Neal's mind was flooded with painful memories.

"We can't give you too much, or Anfernee will be unhappy."

"The fans in Orlando don't think you deserve a maximum salary."

"You have to create space for Anfernee and let Anfernee break through!"

"Fatty, don't stand under the basket! Who wants to see you post up? We want to see Kobe go in and dunk!"

"If you'd made those free throws, we wouldn't have lost to Indiana!"

……

Is it all my fault?
Why is it all my fault?

Why do I always have to make sacrifices? Why do I always have to set screens or create space for others?

I am O'Neal!

Why should I set a pick-and-roll for this kid who can’t even shoot?

“I don’t think we can win this way.”

As Popovich continued to lay out his tactics, O'Neal suddenly said, "I can easily destroy Martin and all their other inside players."

"It's a lot easier than LeBron destroying Marion."

"I should be the one to play low-post. That's how we won before, right?"

Popovich was stunned. He didn't expect O'Neal to refute him like this, and he didn't expect O'Neal to dare to resist him like this.

He suddenly felt that all his comfort and encouragement were wasted on the dog!

Damn it!
"If you don't want to play according to my rules, sit down! If you think your personal will is more important than the team, then you can sit down too! If you only have yourself in your mind and not the team, then great! We don't need you, you can sit down until the end of the game!"

Popovich looked at O'Neal fiercely. Based on his previous experience of coaching David Robinson, Tim Duncan and others, he believed that he could intimidate O'Neal and make him obedient. He felt that O'Neal was the same as those two guys.

They are all easy to talk to and will submit to the coach's authority.

He doesn't believe that any player would cause trouble in the sixth game of the Western Conference Finals!
"Okay, then I'll sit down." O'Neal laughed at Popovich's anger.

The thing he fears least in his life is threats.

He sat directly on the chair, even took a coat and put it on himself, then crossed his arms across his chest without saying a word.

He no longer paid attention to Popovich who was still arranging tactics, nor did he care about anyone else. He just sat there alone.

Do whatever you want. I don’t care.

"Come back! I didn't allow you to rest! Come back! Apologize to everyone!" Popovich looked at O'Neal angrily and asked him to come back.

But unfortunately, O'Neal's ears seemed to be blocked.

Now he said nothing, had no response, and just sat there without making a sound.

I can't hear it and I don't want to care.

Can't I just stop fighting?

FUXX!

Popovich was so angry that he was about to explode after being completely ignored.

But he didn't have the time or energy to get angry at the moment.

The timeout is over and the referee begins to urge the Spurs players to come on the court!

After Popovich glared at O'Neal again, he stopped looking at him and called five players to continue the game!
At the same time, Popovich also made up his mind.

Today, he won't let O'Neal play again!

Bastard, can’t I deal with you?

Without O'Neal, the Spurs' offense is actually smoother. Their breakthroughs are easier, there is more space in the interior, and the lineup of one big and four small runs faster. James is more comfortable with pick-and-roll, breakthroughs and passing the ball!

But this certainly doesn't mean that the Spurs would be better without O'Neal.

Because the gap between the two sides is still widening and getting bigger!
The same thing: when it comes to offense, pure offense, there are few teams in this league that can match the Suns!

Once they start running and rushing, they score points like crazy with splashes everywhere!
If you want to beat them, you either need to pin down Nash and target him so hard that he can't even stand.

Or you can control the rebounds and slow down the tempo in positional warfare.

Or you can attack better than them and score more goals.

If Francis is still in his prime, the Spurs could try the first option.

If O'Neal had not had a conflict with Popovich, the Spurs could have tried the second approach.

But these two paths are blocked now, so now the Spurs can only try the third trick.

Who scores more goals?

So, in the following games, James' points and assists continued to increase, Bosh's shooting was terribly accurate, and Francis and JR were also able to continuously make shots.

The Spurs' offensive state is off the charts. Their offensive efficiency, scoring efficiency, hit rate, and points scored in this game are all heading for the best of this season and even team history.

But the gap between the two sides is constantly widening.

After all, it’s about offense?
You can't beat them!
It's normal that you can't win if you use the method you are not good at to compete with the method the Suns are best at!
As time passed quickly, O'Neal never stepped onto the court again. He even changed his clothes and sat on the sidelines watching.

Popovich was also very stubborn. He watched the team go from trailing by 5 points to 10 points and then to 15 points, but he just refused to look for O'Neal or talk to him.

He would rather watch the team get further and further away from promotion and victory than give in. At the same time, he is completely incapable of and not good at coaching those troublesome players with tempers and personalities.

This is actually a microcosm of Popovich's entire coaching career and its biggest shortcoming.

In terms of system building, tactical design, and on-the-spot response, he is one of the best in history.

He is also excellent when it comes to developing players' potential, unleashing the energy of role players, maximizing team strength, using surprise players, and training players.

But his problem is that he can only coach players who are obedient, follow his lead, respect him like a father, and fully cooperate with him.

He has never dealt with even one troublemaker in his life.

From being unable to deal with Rodman when he was a manager, to having conflicts with Richard Jefferson, Leonard, Steve Jackson, Judean Blair and others when he was a coach and being unable to reconcile the conflicts, he finally chose or was forced to trade.

Even in the later period of the GDP combination, Ginobili was almost forced away by him with a minimum salary, and Parker also had to leave because of the Leonard incident.

Popovich failed to resolve any internal conflicts within the team, failed to deal with any troublemakers, and failed to make any player who disliked or obeyed him become extremely respectful to him in the end.

In this regard, he was far behind Jackson.

But this time, Popovich failed to see how unhappy the sensitive O'Neal was, failed to comfort O'Neal in the right way, and failed to maximize the Spurs' strength.

The Spurs, whose internal structure began to collapse, were naturally unable to catch up with the score, even if James scored another 40+ triple-double, even if Bosh scored 30+ points, and even if the team's performance tonight was already great.

But they still lost to the Suns in the sixth game of the series and were eliminated!

The Phoenix Suns made it to the finals again since 1993!
Last time, it was an MVP power forward and an All-Star point guard who led them to the Finals, only to lose to a king who had created a dynasty.

This time, it was an MVP-level point guard and an All-Star power forward who led them into the finals. This time, they were still facing a king who created a dynasty!
Can the Suns win this time? (End of this chapter)