MM Racing Chapter 165
Chapter 165
At the end of the first half, Roy was still in an excited state.
The second quarter was a thrilling match with Duncan.
65 to 65
The two sides were tied at halftime.
Roy scored 23 points in the first half, while Duncan of the Spurs was not to be outdone and also scored 19 points in the first half.
Compared to Roy, Duncan preferred to help the team on the defensive end.
Roy, Carter and Kidd contributed 53 points in the first half.
Other role players had a hit rate of less than 30, which was terrible, and only scored 12 points.
If it weren't for the three main players, the Spurs would have opened up the score gap.
At the end of the first half, head coach Frank was in a rage.
It was not the first time that the role players behaved in a collective manner.
This happened in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This gave the head coach a headache.
In the first half, Roy had already increased his offensive power.
But if he and Duncan continued to consume the first half like this, Roy could not guarantee how long he could last in the second half.
It can be seen that the role players looked very unnatural.
The finals were too important for them, so they were timid when it was their turn to perform.
Popovich was calm in the Spurs locker room.
The tactics he set in the first half went smoothly.
The only surprise was the first-year rookie Roy.
It was completely beyond his imagination.
He was not as nervous and irritable as he imagined. Instead, he was able to play back and forth with his star player Duncan.
He was even able to suppress Duncan on the offensive end.
Such ability and performance were beyond his expectations.
But it’s okay. All the Spurs players were in good shape in the first half.
Unlike the opponent Nets, who could only rely on three main players to hold on,
A good tiger can’t stand a pack of wolves. As long as they can consume steadily in the second half,
Popovich is confident that when the Nets’ main players’ physical strength is consumed,
the game will become a one-sided massacre!
And what he has to do is to let the players increase physical contact, create more confrontations,
strictly guard against the opponent’s role players, and let them fall into a situation of fighting each other.
At the beginning of the second half,
Frank changed the lineup. He replaced Richard Jefferson, who was not performing well, with Lagabell.
He also made adjustments on defense, using Lagabell to defend Parker and Kidd to defend Bowen,
giving Kidd energy to organize the offense.
The Nets had the opening ball.
Kidd directed the Nets players to position near the midline.
Parker's timely harassment around him was resolved by Kidd one by one.
Kidd was impatient with the harassment and fortunately learned Mark Jackson's signature tactics.
His big butt pushed Parker to move inward step by step.
Although Parker was fast, his body was still very thin and far less strong than Kidd.
He was pushed back repeatedly by Kidd's rogue style of play, which was as strenuous as it could be.
Carter started when he was inside the three-point line.
He ran back and passed Kidd.
Kidd passed the ball to Carter. Bowen, who was defending Carter, chased him closely but was blocked by Kidd.
Carter got a good shooting space.
Parker behind Kidd wanted to switch defense but it was too late.
Carter's jump shot stepped on the three-point line. The ball went in but it was a pity.
Two points and three points are only one toe away.
Popovich was obviously not satisfied with Parker's defense:
"Tony, cheer up. When defending, you should not only pay attention to your defender, but also observe the surroundings. You can't expect the opponent not to pass the ball or screen!"
Parker was obviously a little aggrieved in this round. Kidd's big butt really made him miserable.
But he didn't dare to say that in the team, Popovich was the king of the team.
Don't try to refute his opinion, otherwise you will face more violent storms.
These are all experiences summed up by years of blood and tears. He could only nod silently to show that he knew.
He didn't dare to say anything else.
Would Popovich not see Parker's grievances?
He came to the Spurs at the age of 18. Strict teachers produce excellent students. Popovich just hopes that he can do better.
On the Spurs' offensive end, Ginobili dribbled the ball through Carter's defense.
After attracting Roy and McGinnis's help defense, he passed the ball to Robert Horry from a long distance.
Before the Nets' Lagabell rushed over, the veteran Horry passed the ball to Parker in the mid-range.
Parker's mid-range shooting has made great progress this year, and his mid-range shooting rate is comparable to that of an inside player at 52%.
You have to know that he is just a small man with a height of only 1.88 meters.
ThisThe hit rate is enough to rank in the top 20 in the NBA, which is full of tall players.
Everyone ahead of him is an inside player. You can imagine how terrifying his mid-range and layup are.
The increasingly mature Parker really lived up to Popovich's trust.
Under the strict requirements of the head coach, he has been playing very well on the offensive end.
In the Nets' offense, Kidd used the same trick on the outside.
Parker seemed helpless against this tactic.
This time, it was Carter who came out to receive the ball. After Parker was prepared, he switched defense with Bruce Bowen at the first time.
Because Parker was very close to Carter and he had no shooting space,
he chose to break through. With his excellent speed and explosiveness, he easily crushed Parker's defense with his strength and rushed to the basket of the Spurs.
Facing the high wall formed by Duncan and Horry,
Carter had no choice but to pass the ball.
In the open space, Lagabel received the basketball in the bottom corner.
Ginobili's gambling steal did not intercept Carter's pass, so that Lagabel was completely free,
A great opportunity, Lagabel also felt it,
Carter's pass was just right, everything seemed to be coming naturally,
But Lagabel looked unnatural, and he felt damned,
He looked like a tough guy, but he was a little inferior in his bones, especially in the finals where every ball was crucial, the psychological burden was particularly heavy,
Although he shot without hesitation,
But the strength on his fingers and wrists was completely different from usual,
Lagabel knew it was short the moment he shot,
Sure enough, the arc of the basketball was too low, and it almost missed the net, and was caught by Duncan who was in a good position under the basket.
Duncan immediately gave the ball to Ginobili.
Even though the Nets didn't score in this round, Popovich hated Ginobili's gambling-style steals.
"Manu, you'd better think about how to explain that damn meaningless steal to me before the next defensive round,"
Ginobili could only speed through the half court to face the embarrassment caused by the coach's relentless pursuit of this team.
Fortunately, the old man is always like this and he is used to it.
Popovich's shouting did not affect Ginobili's offense.
His fast break was a one-stop attack. Facing McGinnis's snake-like breakthrough, he scored a layup in a weird posture!