First in scoring

Chapter 456 455. Crucial offense and defense with Leonard!

At 3 minutes and 07 seconds in the first quarter, Zhang Yang ran back in the elbow area, ran a long distance to the top arc, shook off Leonard, received a pass from Kobe and made a three-pointer... Popovich called a timeout!

The difference in points is actually not that big, or even non-existent.

The Lakers made 5 of 3 shots at the start, including one three-pointer, and 1 of 2 free throws, scoring 2 points with extremely high efficiency.

The Spurs were not bad either. They used various interspersed running positions to pass the ball and played a gorgeous Spurs system coordination, tearing apart the Lakers' defense. They made 5 of 3 shots at the start, one of which was a 1+2 by Duncan who received the ball and hooked it to Kobe who was defending, and scored 1 points. Just before Zhang Yang made the three-pointer, the Spurs were still leading by 7 point.

But Popovich still called a timeout. If he didn't, Leonard would collapse!

He predicted Budenholzer's opening tactical arrangement tonight and set a defensive trap - using Duncan's delaying ability in the three-second zone to put pressure on Kobe and Zhang Yang, but only delaying, helping Leonard and Danny Green to keep up with the defenders, while giving the Lakers' wing shooters and forwards who cut in the ball a chance to receive the ball. But the moment the Lakers' three core players passed the ball to the two, Parker, Danny Green, or Duncan and Leonard would be able to double-team them in the first place. When double-teaming, they would often not stick to defend, but focus on cutting off passes and breakthrough routes.

Theoretically speaking, this defense is actually quite unsolvable. Even if it is seen through, in Popovich's vision, it can put the Lakers' starting three into a dilemma.

But the Lakers attacked for 6 rounds at the start of the game, and didn't fall into a single trap!
There is only one reason for this situation - Zhang Yang!
After making the first shot, Zhang Yang missed the second shot, but made the third shot by turning around and taking a step away from the basket while facing the baseline.

When Zhang Yang took his fourth shot, Leonard, who was a little impatient in defending, failed to brake in time and bumped into Zhang Yang who was turning around and raising his hand after receiving the ball. Zhang Yang made both free throws.

Finally, in this round, Leonard, who had received a foul, was much more cautious in defense, fearing that he would foul again if he followed too closely, but he was slower than Zhang Yang and was thrown away directly...

The only round in which Zhang Yang did not shoot was not a defensive trap, but Gasol received the ball, turned around and made a hook shot which missed.

Popovich looked at Zhang Yang who was high-fiving, chest-bumping, and back-patting Kobe, and he was numb.

His carefully prepared defensive plan actually helped the kid get his shooting touch and go on a rampage at the start, and it also affected Leonard's defensive mentality!
This kid's ego on the offensive end is outrageous, even Kobe is not that arrogant!
However, this was exactly why he had taken a fancy to Zhang Yang back then.

At that time, Zhang Yang was still a rookie and a substitute on the Suns, but he charged forward as soon as he came on the court. His passion for enjoying the game and his desire to defeat his opponents deeply attracted him.

The reason why he won the championship in 12 was because of Zhang Yang's spirit of "One against eight? I am not afraid of anything".

Popovich withdrew his gaze. What had happened was irreversible. The most important thing at the moment was to defeat the opponent in front of him.

As long as we can beat the Lakers, the next two opponents will be easier than the last!
...

Popovich made personnel adjustments, replacing Leonard with Ginobili early, and also adjusted the defensive strategy, abandoning the failed strategy and adjusting back to regular defense.

After the players took the court, Popovich's old friend, the team's general manager Buford, came to him and said, "It's not good for us to be forced to compete with them offensively."

Popovich: "I originally wanted to use that strategy to affect the Lakers' offensive rhythm and prevent the Lakers from shooting like they did in the last game, but I still underestimated Jack. As a result, our defense was affected. But it doesn't matter. We have Tim. With him leading the team, we won't be affected by emotions..."

As he said this, he looked at Leonard, who was sitting on the bench and staring at the court expressionlessly.

Buford also glanced at Leonard and whispered, "That's what I'm worried about. Kawhi cares too much about Jack, but he's much less mature than Jack. Jack has Kobe, Nash, and Gasol to assist him. He's the best scorer in the league. Kawhi is at a disadvantage compared to Jack now."

Popovich: "We have to have confidence in him, just like Jack has confidence in Kawhi, and believe that he can adjust his mentality. Didn't Jack say that he saw the shadow of Tim in Kawhi and said that Kawhi has the same strong heart as Tim."

Buford felt sad after hearing this. His confidence in his team's future core actually came from a word from the opponent's star player. Originally, the opponent's star player was theirs...but now they have no choice but to do this. They must have confidence in Leonard and pay enough attention to him and not make the same mistake as last year.

On the court, the game has started again.

The Spurs served the ball in the frontcourt and made a beautiful offensive combination. Ginobili took advantage of the opportunity to slip into the basket, received the pass from Parker, turned around and made a shot.

Ginobili, who will soon be 37 years old, is no longer as athletic as he used to be, and his physical strength is even worse. He used to be able to play 30 minutes per game and had 20 minutes of his prime time, but now he can only play a maximum of 25 minutes per game, and his prime time has also been shortened.

But Ginobili has more sophisticated skills, stronger defensive reading ability, and better ability to seize opportunities. As long as he has enough physical strength, he is still that unstoppable magic sword.

When it was the Lakers' turn to attack, they did not make any substitutions after the timeout. Kobe saw that Zhang Yang followed the head coach's instructions and honestly moved to the baseline for mid-range. The pain in his balls faded away, and his satisfaction with this successor increased rapidly.

He thinks he can reap as much glory as possible when the situation opens up, but when the situation opens up and he is needed to contain the enemy, this heir will decisively give up the ball and even the right to shoot, which is something he couldn't do when he was a young blacksmith.

But the old blacksmith didn't think he played wrong back then. Every player has his own characteristics...

After all his teammates were in position, Kobe launched an attack against Danny Green. He broke through to attract the defense and then passed the ball to Gasol. Zhang Yang moved at the right time and attracted the attention of Duncan who was preparing to defend Gasol.

Gasol received the ball from Split who was switching defense, turned around and squeezed into the basket and made a layup!
The two teams started a team offensive battle from then on.

Kobe and Gasol are the best offensive duo in the league since January 08, maybe even the best. Although one is about to turn 1 and the other is about to turn 36, and their personal abilities are not as good as they used to be, Kobe is no longer the man who always likes to act on his own, but has become the legendary "Reasonable Kobe". Although he is a little old and was forced to do so, such a Kobe, partnering with Gasol, focusing on Zhang Yang's offensive threat, coupled with two young forces Jordan Hill and Bazemore... played a dominant team offense!

The Spurs are not far behind. At the moment, Ginobili's regular offensive ability is better than Leonard's, not to mention his amazing form. When he plays, the Spurs' team offensive ability goes up a level. With Duncan's support to maintain stability, their offensive firepower is not inferior to that of the opponent.

The two teams played back and forth, with players from both sides trying to seize every offensive and defensive opportunity to gain an advantage, but neither side was able to gain the upper hand.

In the middle of the first quarter, Zhang Yang, who had played a defensive game to ease his physical exhaustion, took advantage of the fact that Leonard had not returned yet and attacked Ginobili for two consecutive rounds. He scored a goal and gave an assist to Bazemore who cut in, getting 4 points. But during this period, Ginobili and Parker also made efforts. The former made a Euro-step layup and the latter made a close-range jump shot with the help of Duncan's screen. Neither side gained any advantage.

In the second half of the first quarter, the two teams entered into a tug-of-war again.

Leonard returned to the game and did not disappoint the coaching staff. After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, he calmed down and stopped being aggressive. He worked with his teammates to strictly limit Zhang Yang's off-ball shooting. During the game, he really had a strong heart like Duncan.

However, from a tactical perspective, Leonard's defense has little impact on Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang still shoots when he needs to and moves when he needs to, ensuring the team's tactical integrity and continuing to torment Leonard's patience.

With the help of Nash, who came off the bench, hitting a long two-pointer at the last moment with the help of a screen, the Lakers went into the intermission with a 33-point lead over the Spurs 30-3 after the first quarter.

Both Popovich and Budenholzer knew that they could not defend against the opponent. This master and apprentice pair have worked together for more than ten years, and their coaching philosophies have basically changed together. They no longer insist on a certain way of playing, but how to play in a way that is conducive to winning. If they cannot defend, then attack!
In the second quarter, the two teams continued to fight offensively, playing more freely than in the first quarter. The wing shooters' touch declined to a certain extent compared with the first quarter, but the scores of both teams increased instead of decreasing. At the end of the first half, Ginobili, who was on the bench, hit a three-pointer against Kobe, and the Spurs surpassed the Lakers by 3 points!
But looking back, Kobe also faced Ginobili's defense, received the ball, turned around and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer...

The score of the single quarter was 34 to 37, and the Lakers and Spurs entered the halftime break tied at 67 to 67!

The cheers from the fans at the scene never stopped. The game was full of back and forth leads, and the fans were extremely excited but also nervous at the same time.

If the players are not careful, they will be hit by the Spurs' climax. Even if their team hits the climax, they cannot feel at ease because the opponent may come back at any time. Just like before the end of the first half, the Lakers did not score in two rounds and were beaten 7-0, from leading by 4 points to being overtaken by 3 points. Fortunately, Zhang Yang and Kobe took turns to play in the second quarter, and Kobe made a three-pointer at the last moment to tie the score again.

However, after returning from the halftime break, the fans’ worries were all gone when they saw Zhang Yang and Kobe on the court together again. The Lakers have two kings of the third quarter!
In the last game, they were trailing 1-2 and 9 points behind at halftime. However, Kobe and Zhang Yang both scored more than ten points in the third quarter, leading the team to a score of 35-24, reversing the trend and overtaking the score.

After the start of the third quarter, the two did not disappoint the fans. Danny Green, Leonard and Duncan led the team to defend very well, but they just couldn't stop the two from scoring!

But the Spurs had psychological expectations tonight and were not caught off guard like they were in the third quarter of the previous game. They were mentally prepared to be out of defense and fought back with all their might using offense.

科比打了9分钟拿到6分2助攻、加索尔打了7分钟拿到4分2助攻、纳什打了5分钟拿到3分1助攻、张杨打满整节拿到10分，四人携手带队单节轰出32分。

But the Spurs also scored 28 points in the third quarter!
In this quarter, the Lakers actually played better as a team than in the previous game, but their score was 3 points lower because the Spurs' offense was not in chaos, giving Nash and Zhang Yang no chance to launch a counterattack.

After three quarters, the Lakers only led the Spurs by 99 points, 95 to 4, despite not falling behind in the first half and dominating the third quarter!
After the intermission, the Spurs started with a 5-0 run. First, Ginobili stole the ball from Kobe and passed it to Parker, who made a layup. Then Kaman received the ball and missed a shot. Ginobili turned around and went around the baseline to the right corner to receive the ball and turned around to make a three-pointer.

100 to 99, the Spurs overtook the Lakers by 1 point!
Fortunately, Kobe then went down to the low post and backed up Ginobili, then turned around and went to the basket and made a layup against Duncan's shrinking defense. He also caused Duncan to foul and made the free throw. The Lakers regained the score with 102 to 100 and stabilized their position.

This goal interrupted the Spurs' momentum, but the Lakers' goal of hitting a climax at the beginning of the final quarter and expanding their advantage was also shattered, and the two teams were once again forced into a tug-of-war mode.

During this period, one player from each team played a key role - Kobe and Duncan.

Stability is the most famous label in Duncan's career.

Kobe, because of a teammate who wishes to remain anonymous, has to be stable. He often feels that he is being dominated, but there is nothing he can do but to be dominated. If he is not stable, the team's offense will be in chaos.

Under the leadership of the two, both sides fought hard with team offense until the end of the game.

打到末节11分15秒，湖人队以127比125领先马刺队两分，末节打到现在，湖人队和马刺队打出了28比30的比分。

When the Spurs attacked, Ginobili received the ball and played one-on-one.

The current Spurs lineup: Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Dio, Duncan; the Lakers lineup: Bazemore, Zhang Yang, Kobe, Kaman, Gasol. At the critical moment, if Nash is not needed as a pure shooter, he will have no playing time.

Facing Kobe's defense, Ginobili broke into the elbow area and made a quick stop jump shot...missed!
However, Duncan went around to the wing and took advantage of Kaman's slow footwork, cut into the paint and made a tip-in, 127 to 127, the Spurs tied the score! The Lakers called a timeout!
Popovich secretly said "Oh Yeah", fortunately he didn't call a timeout before this round, otherwise the opponent would have the opportunity to replace Jordan Hill and Duncan would have no speed advantage.

The slow and clumsy Kaman is better than Jordan Hill in terms of offensive versatility, but his defense is much worse.

After the timeout, Popovich replaced Parker, Dio and Ginobili with Cory Joseph, Danny Green and Split, who partnered with Leonard and Duncan to maximize the defense.

Budenholzer replaced Nash, and Zhang Yang, Kobe, Gasol and Kaman continued to play.

The Lakers served the ball in the frontcourt, Kaman stood under the basket, Gasol was in the mid-range on the left, and Zhang Yang was in the mid-range on the right.

Kobe passed the ball to Nash at the top of the arc, who entered the three-point line from the left, bypassed Gasol and rushed all the way to the basket, then slipped to the baseline and played an off-ball pick-and-roll with Kaman.

When Kobe rushed to the basket, Nash passed the ball to Zhang Yang who was leaning against Leonard in the middle distance on the right side.

No matter how old Kobe is, his offensive movements always grab the attention of his opponents. When Kobe was setting a screen under the basket, Leonard subconsciously turned his head to take a look, worried that his teammates would not be able to keep up with the switch defense.

At this moment, Zhang Yang moved. Without any resistance, he turned around and shot!

Leonard jumped up quickly to block the shot, but he jumped too hastily and hit Zhang Yang's wrist, and the ball had already flown out a split second before he hit it!

Hearing the whistle, Leonard turned his head when he landed, and saw the ball hit the edge of the basket and fell into the basket...

The fans at the scene burst into cheers, and Leonard's calm face showed an expression of regret for screwing the Timberwolves. Just for a moment of distraction, the third brother shot!

As Zhang Yang made the free throw amid the cheers of "MVP" from the fans, Popovich called a timeout!

With 9 seconds left, 127 to 130, the Spurs are trailing by 3 points!
Popovich also wants to play against the Timberwolves, that kid is too sharp and never misses any opportunity, but he knows that is Zhang Yang, who is focused and obsessed with scoring, and dares to fight!

The opponent's tactical goal in this attack was to have Gasol and Zhang Yang contain and coordinate on the two wings, passing the ball to Kobe or back to Nash, but Zhang Yang saw the opportunity and decisively threw it away, completely ignoring what the two veterans were thinking... But perhaps this was originally one of the tactical plans of the bald guy on the opposite side.

But it doesn't matter anymore. The last ball has to be played well, but who should he shoot to? He is not good at key ball tactics!
Originally, handing it over to Ginobili would have been the best choice, but Ginobili played for 29 minutes tonight and his close-range shot in the last round missed. If it weren't for Duncan's tip-in, the game would have been hopeless now.

At this moment, he saw Leonard staring at him eagerly... The words "value Kawhi's ideas" emerged in his mind.

He hesitated for a moment and then made a decision.

After the timeout, the Spurs replaced Ginobili and Dio to partner with Leonard, Danny Green and Duncan.

The Lakers also replaced Bazemore and Jordan Hill to partner with Zhang Yang, Kobe and Gasol.

What surprised the Lakers a little was that Ginobili passed the ball to Leonard and then moved to the wing!
Leonard singles out Zhang Yang and makes a crucial shot!
Zhang Yang was naturally very excited.

When there were only 5 seconds left, Leonard moved, changed direction and pulled sideways, but failed to get rid of Zhang Yang. He could only choose to shoot against the defense... "bang"... missed!
(End of this chapter)