basketball kingdom

Chapter 451 Semifinal Match 1

Chapter 451

The San Antonio Spurs have an unusual air about them.That is an unspeakable, but real thing, otherwise they would not be able to make the playoffs year after year, and in the summer of 2014 everyone thought they would regain the championship after they got old.

Tim Duncan and Popovich may be the foundation of this culture, but there is no real thing to prove it, so it is impossible to make a judgment easily.

Manu Ginobili is responsible for leading the second team, and will not be on the court in the opening stage, so it is a little more calm than the starting lineup.Throughout the shooting warm-up session, the feel was maintained very well.

Time passed, and the introduction and national anthem began. Then the starting players of both sides took off their warm-up suits, tidied up their jerseys, and began to prepare for the game.

There was no grievance between Xu Tian and the Spurs. After greeting their five starting players, he walked back to the backcourt, took out the braces from the knee pads, put them in his mouth, touched the wristband on his right hand with his left hand, and entered immediately. game status.

Popovich stood on the sidelines, his eyes were on Xu Tian from the beginning to the end, and he watched his entire pre-match process.It was something he couldn't understand, and it was enough to make him curious.

TNT announced the starting lineups of both sides!

Lakers: Xu Tian, ​​George, Warren, Josh Smith, Tyson Chandler!

Spurs: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan!

The referee felt extra pressure on the enforcement of the game. He took a deep breath, then put the whistle in his mouth, and walked to the middle circle with the game ball selected by Xu Tian.

Both Duncan and Aldridge are 211 tall and can basically play center forward, but neither of them like this position, and both call themselves power forwards.It's just that Popovich basically uses the two as centers.

The situation has improved since Aldridge joined the Spurs, and Duncan sacrificed to move up to the five.It's just that there are no strong centers in the league today, and he has no pressure to play this position.

Aldridge, who was a little younger than Duncan, stepped to the left of the center circle for a jump ball with Tyson Chandler.

Xu Tian stood quietly in the backcourt, waiting for the official start of the game.

Tyson Chandler is lighter than Aldridge, and his bounce speed is correspondingly faster. He hits the basketball first and helps the Lakers win the ball for the first time.Amidst the cheers of the fans at the scene, the first game of the Western Conference semifinals officially kicked off.

Xu Tian slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt to observe the Spurs' defensive position.They defended a three-two zone defense, increased the defense of outside players, and tried to put more pressure on Xu Tian and George.

Josh Smith was not as tall as Aldridge, so he took the initiative to mention the top of the arc, and used the pick-and-roll method to let Xu Tian go to singles Aldridge.This is an offensive tactic that the Lakers often use in the regular season. The bully is Aldridge's slow lateral movement.

Kawhi Leonard received Popovich's death order, ignored Josh Smith, who was following, and made a decisive grab, and Aldridge flanked Xu Tian who was defending the ball, without giving any space .This is a defensive strategy formulated by Popovich. He believes that once Xu Tian throws away, it will be difficult to launch an effective defense.

Xu Tian is better at passing the ball.This is easily overlooked by many people, but Popovich did not ignore it, but selectively let it go.

Josh Smith does not need to pull out to shoot three-pointers in the Lakers tactical system, and can get a more comfortable offensive space, which is much more adaptable than when he was in the Pistons.After receiving a pass from Xu Tian, ​​he stopped in the paint and made a mid-range jumper.

Duncan was very good at defense when he was young, but now his movement speed has slowed down and his defensive coverage area has been reduced. He can only withstand the responsible Tyson Chandler and cannot throw himself out to make up the defense.

Josh Smith's shooting stability is poor and Xu Tian is very far away, and he can't guarantee the touch in the opening stage, open shots, hit the iron!

Duncan's positioning awareness and ability are outstanding. He stuck Tyson Chandler in place, basically unable to jump, and protected the defensive rebound with his positional advantage.This is his experience, far from being comparable to Capela and Howard.

Tony Parker stood in the backcourt, waited until the Lakers defenders retreated, took the pass from Duncan, and trotted across half court.

Since a certain year, Duncan has been running one high and one low. He ran to the frontcourt at a slow speed, forming a solid screen and blocking Xu Tian.His pick-and-roll habits are very good, and he didn't give Xu Tian a chance to cover. This is something that many inside players in the league cannot do today.

The Spurs' offense has always been well-organized, and in short it is reasonable.This is their strength, and naturally it is also their shortcoming.

Tony Parker and Danny Green crossed back and crossed the ball on the go. Unfortunately, their hands were a little raw and they couldn't pass it well, and dropped the ball in the middle.

George happened to be nearby, rushed over to pick up the basketball, and wanted to launch a fast break.

Danny Green reacted quickly, stretched out his hand to pull George, and used a foul to prevent the Lakers from pushing a fast break counterattack.

Popovich liked to scold players when he was young, and Tony Parker was the one he scolded the most, but as he got older and Tony Parker matured, this phenomenon rarely happened.Even if there was a pass error, Popovich just stood on the sidelines and didn't say anything.

The Lakers sent the ball from the backcourt.

Xu Tian received the serve, dribbled the ball slowly to the frontcourt, and played a pick-and-roll with Josh Smith again, changing the defender in front of him to Aldridge.

Kawhi Leonard went up again and double-teamed Xu Tian with Aldridge, not giving him a chance to start.

The Spurs' defense in the first two rounds was basically the same.This means that they have practiced this tactic for a long time, and they are likely to resolutely implement it.

Josh Smith receives the pass and the paint tries to shoot again.This time he took it for granted, and didn't notice Danny Green, who was helping to defend the past, and ate a big hot pot.

Duncan's experience and sense of position on the court are quite good. He can judge the path of the ball and rely on the opportunity to get defensive rebounds again.

Josh Smith was annoyed at not being able to finish the play twice in a row, but had no time to be frustrated, and rushed to the backfield and circled forward to guard Aldridge to avoid him receiving the ball.

Aldridge has a weight of 118 kg. He is a heavy-duty center with excellent foot strength, so he needs to use the front to limit the ball in advance.Otherwise, given Josh Smith's height, it would be difficult to defend his back turn and fadeaway jumper.

Tony Parker crossed back to Danny Green, then passed the ball to the latter, allowing him to execute the next offensive play.

Warren was originally in charge of defending Danny Green, but after a defense change, Xu Tian played against him.

Kawhi Leonard's left waist was about to be in position, he stretched out his right hand, and asked Danny Green for the ball.

(End of this chapter)