Simaweiji originally planned to give the Blazers a little shock in this game, but the situation was completely opposite to what he imagined.
After the opening minutes, the Spurs were still on the passive side. On the defensive end, they were unable to adapt to the three-man rotation of Lillard, Jokic, and Wang Zelin. The ball was passed quickly between the three of them, which was dizzying.
On the offensive end, the Spurs played well in several offensive tactics, but in the final shot they always fell short due to Wang Zelin's keen defensive sense. If it weren't for Leonard's explosive performance, the Spurs would have fallen behind by more than this point.
Dwayne Diamond, as a blue-collar center whose offensive methods are purely based on eating cakes, tried several times, but Wang Zelin destroyed the remaining cakes, and the defensive end was unable to provide any threat to Wang Zelin.
When a center cannot score points in his best scoring mode, cannot provide help on the defensive end, and cannot effectively protect rebounds, then what is the need for him to be there?
Therefore, the game lasted only four and a half minutes, and when the Trail Blazers fell behind by 3 points, Simavici made the first substitution.
"Leonard was too accurate today. Is he going to take a shot? Oh, Batum took the initiative to foul, but the number of fouls was not enough for the Spurs to get to the free throw line...Eh? The Spurs had to make substitutions before the game started.
It’s less than half a quarter, are they going to make a substitution?”
On ESPN, Mark Jackson, who was in charge of commentating this game, looked slightly surprised. Kyle Anderson, the 30th pick in the first round of 2014 by the Spurs, was replaced on the court and high-fived Diamond.
The latter walked down dejectedly. Although he knew that he was just a fake, even if he was a fake, he was beaten too badly tonight.
After Anderson came on the scene, Love was pushed to the 5th position...are the Spurs going to play a one-on-one and four-on-one rhythm?
That's not right, Love is 2.08 meters tall. Although he has the strength in the low post to barely be able to defend Wang Zelin twice, if Wang Zelin wants to, he has many means to defeat Love.
Coach Terry stood up from the bench with a serious expression. Although he couldn't figure out the meaning of the Spurs' change of formation, Simavici was famous after all, and he had to be prepared.
When the game restarted, Trail Blazers fans were cheering. In their view, it was difficult for Kyle Anderson, who averaged 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game, to make a difference on the court.
The Spurs can't rely on such a role player to change the situation.
Speaking of which, the Spurs' No. 1 player also has 1/8 Chinese ancestry, and his Chinese name is Li Kai. He attracted a lot of domestic media attention when he was drafted. And when he was selected with the 30th pick in the first round
After being selected, the media immediately reported the news.
For those who don’t know, which Chinese player did you think was selected again?
Let’s get back to the point.
In the first offense after returning from the timeout, the Spurs' offense was still in the old style, tearing apart the defense through superb running and conduction.
Surprisingly, Love did not fall into the low position this time. Instead, he and Anderson stood near the corner positions on both sides and moved back and forth. Parker and Tielin kept moving, but it was Leonard who took the initiative.
Go low.
Compared with the jumping man Diamond, the Spurs' current inside duo, whether it is Love or Anderson, are both averagely athletic big men, making them look like they took a walk after drinking two bottles of wine when running on the court.
Like an old man, taking his time and taking his time.
The Blazers players were a little uncomfortable with this rhythm. They were fighting fiercely just now, but suddenly they relaxed.
At this moment, Anderson received a pass from Parker in the mid-range. Anderson faced Jokic with his back. At 2.06 meters tall, he is actually a point forward with outstanding skills. He has an excellent view of the overall situation, has a shooting range, and is very
Good at drawing fouls.
If I have to refer to it, the technical characteristics are somewhat similar to the previous Dior.
Anderson's tonnage is good, reaching 110 kilograms, and his wide back completely separates Jokic from the basketball, eliminating the possibility of his opponent stealing.
Anderson's author Jokic pushed back twice. Just when everyone wanted to see the Spurs' little substitute try to beat Jokic alone, he suddenly passed the ball to the left corner!
At this time, Tielin had just gotten rid of Connet Lee's defense and got a shooting opportunity from the turning knight!
As an off-ball shooter, it’s not enough just to have superb movement. If your teammates don’t have enough vision and have a mediocre view of the overall situation and can’t find you, even if you run into a big open space like a green grassland, it’s all in vain.
But Tielin is very lucky. He has been with the team for the past six years. It may be the team that emphasizes the team basketball concept the most in the league. Under Simawei's careful training, every Spurs player from the main force to the bench has been trained.
They have a good ability to pass the ball, which allows them to basically not miss any open opportunities from their teammates.
Anderson passed the ball to Tielin accurately and quickly. His powerful hand skills were completely inconsistent with his mediocre data.
Tielin shot the ball immediately after receiving the basketball. Connet Lee quickly blocked it, but Tielin's shot was faster!
Seeing Tielin's steady three-pointer from the bottom corner, Connett Li instantly felt that the ball was there.
As top auxiliary players who are both famous for their 3D attributes, Connet Lee knows very well that for off-ball shooters like him and Tielin, even a slight gap is enough!
Even more fortunately, although Tielin's three-point shooting percentage this season is not as strong as over 40% during the year, his condition has obviously recovered after a crazy season, and his three-point shooting percentage has increased from 33.2% last season.
increased to 38.5%.
In other words, Tielin suddenly lost his iron this season!
With the ball in mid-air, Wang Zelin and Love immediately rushed inside and started fighting.
However, the three-pointer finally hit the net. Iron... Danny Green equalized the score. The top 3D has regained his shooting confidence this season.
The score was tied, and many fans believed that the key to this goal was Danny Green's magical three-point performance that helped the Spurs reverse their decline.
But Wang Zelin and Jokic both knew that the key to this goal was Anderson, who had just been replaced!
Without his transfer and basketball testing, it would have been impossible to rush to Green's hands in such a timely manner.
No matter how powerful the gunner is, if there are no shells in the barrel, he will not be able to destroy the opponent's position. As it happens, Anderson successfully acted as the tool man who transported the shells to him after he came up.
There are rumors in the NBA that the Mosaic veteran, the Suns team doctor, the Spurs assistant coach and the Thunder rookie are the four treasures of the league.
As everyone knows, the role players on the Spurs bench are also full of magical power. Maybe their career resumes before joining the Spurs were mediocre, but as long as they are trained by the Spurs coaching staff, they can immediately become a perfect piece of the San Antonio Spurs.
, wherever it needs to be moved.
Even better is that the Spurs can always put these role players in just the right positions to maximize their value.
This was true for Dior before, and it is also true for Anderson now!
Later, the Trail Blazers discovered that the Spurs' defensive strategy had also changed. They actually let Love defend themselves?!
Wang Zelin was a little surprised. What were the Spurs thinking? Love opened up in the low post. He may be an unsolvable player, but he is by no means a defensive gate!
So he didn't hesitate. After catching the ball, he planned to use his speed to beat Love. With Love's speed, all he had to do was charge forward and dunk!
Unexpectedly, Love chose to let Wang Zelin stay a short distance away, just to guard against breakthroughs. Wang Zelin changed his mind at the last moment, and he suddenly stopped and took a shot from outside the three-point line.
However, Love seemed to have seen through Wang Zelin's little thoughts. The moment he took off, he immediately blocked him, causing considerable interference.
Wang Zelin instantly understood that he had been tricked. He looked down on Love's defense too much. They deliberately gave him a step of space. In fact, it was to induce him to shoot!
I never expected that the handsome and honest man with thick eyebrows and big eyes during the Timberwolves period would turn into a shady old man after joining the Spurs!
But if you think about it carefully, this is actually an old tradition of the Spurs.
Take former Spurs star Bruce Bowen, who once taught Wang Zelin his defensive experience.
According to Uncle Bao's self-report, in the first few years after he joined the league, he was actually a quite amiable and cheerful young man, and his defensive end was relatively clean, at least before the season.
It wasn't until he joined the Spurs next season that his defensive habits changed qualitatively compared to before, and his defensive deterrence reached the top of the league.
March 4, 2002 was a special day for Uncle Bao. On this day, he received the first fine of his career, which came from the first famous scene of his career - kicking Wally Serbiak in the face.
That flying kick from the sky!
This was his first season with the Spurs, and his defensive style immediately changed and he became a new generation of court villain.
It can be seen that changes in the environment have a great impact on people.
Wang Zelin's attack finally ended with a strike, and the Spurs got a chance to overtake the score!
It was Anderson again, this time he cleverly passed the ball to Leonard, assisting the latter to cut in and dunk.
The Spurs took the lead for the first time tonight.
The Blazers continue to attack.
Wang Zelin held the ball in the low post and found Love again. This time he did not shoot, but decisively chose to break through.
Just as he was breaking through, Anderson suddenly double-teamed him, and Wang Zelin was surrounded.
"Terrible reaction! Clever coordination!" Mark Jackson couldn't help praising the Spurs.
Wang Zelin was double-teamed and was in a dilemma, and finally had to return the ball to Jokic.
But before Jokic received the basketball, Leonard stretched out his long arm and completed the steal of Wang Zelin.
The Spurs' counterattack was finally completed by Parker, and the Trail Blazers immediately fell behind by 4 points.
Since Anderson came on the court, the Blazers' game rhythm has suddenly stopped.
For more than half a quarter, Anderson was like a lubricant on the court, making Ma's offense smoother and making it harder for the Blazers to stop.
At the end of the first quarter, relying on Leonard's 15-point performance in a single quarter, Simavici had a look of stability on his face.
The San Antonio Spurs entered the break with a two-point advantage. Although the two-point advantage was not much, or even not an advantage at all, the shock to the media and fans was huge.
Just because... this is the first time this season that the Trail Blazers have trailed behind their opponents in the first quarter at home. Is the mighty team finally going to end its unbeaten streak at home?
As for the Spurs, as long as they are not suppressed by the Trail Blazers, they have the confidence to win.
"The Spurs were in unbelievably good condition tonight. After falling behind at the start, the Spurs stabilized the situation and overtook the score. I believe that the Spurs' performance this year must have exceeded most people's imagination. 29 wins ranked No. 1 in the league.
The Trail Blazers met their strongest opponent since the start of the regular season!"
Mark Jackson looked at the statistics of the first quarter of the game. The Trail Blazers were as efficient as ever, but if they couldn't hold off the Spurs tonight, they were as accurate as hanging up.
Not only the star Leonard, but also the outside shooters.
For the Trail Blazers, Wang Zelin's performance was still solid, with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal in a single quarter, but first of all, the performance of others in the second half was abnormal.
Lillard was originally in excellent condition, but when Leonard switched defenses in front of him, he struggled very much on the offensive end.
Mark Jackson still remembers that in the seventh minute of the first quarter, Liard used Jokic's wall to cover, and Wang Zelin also accurately delivered the ball.
It stands to reason that Lillard's ability to catch and shoot after the pick-and-roll ranks first in the league. In this kind of opportunity, he only needs to successfully take the shot to score.
But it was such a sure shot that it was unexpectedly blocked by Leonard's long arm.
This is just a fragment of Lillard's performance. It can be said that the Trail Blazers' outside line has been living in Leonard's shadow throughout the entire game.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Although Leonard has not won even a DOPY trophy due to the existence of Wang Zelin, the data and influence will not lie, nor will the system testing.
Liar, Leonard's 99 outside defense and 97 steals give him a historical level of perimeter defense.
Considering his height of 2.01 meters and his extremely exaggerated wingspan, once the death coil unfolds, it will become a nightmare for all outside attackers.
Leonard, who has reached the peak of his personal ability, usually defends the opponent's offensive arrows. What he is best at is guarding positions 1 to 3, and occasionally he can defend position 4.
In addition, although his assist defense is not as strong as a single layer, it is still at the upper level of the league.
It can be said that even if Leonard has not developed accurate shooting in the past four or five years, with his defense, he only needs to hit some open three-pointers to be worth a maximum salary, and it is the same for all teams in the league.
The kind you rush to give.
If it weren't for the substitute time, when Carter came up and hit two three-pointers without warning, the Spurs might have an even bigger lead now.
From the first quarter of the game, the audience can vaguely see that although Leonard and Wang Zelin cannot directly compete, the core bosses of both sides play quite similar roles on the court.
The former locked up the Blazers' perimeter group, while the latter only had to break up the Spurs' penalty area. At the same time, the two had to carry the team's offensive banner.
Being good at both offense and defense sounds nice, but in fact it is a great test of the players' physical fitness and will.
Mark Jackson glanced at his mouth, now it's time to see which of the two has stronger endurance.
At the same time, on the bench of the Trail Blazers, Wang Zelin also knew what the problem was in the first quarter.
Both he and Leonard were restricted by the Spurs' team defense in the second half of the first quarter, which prevented the team from scoring efficiently.
At the same time, he also admitted that he did underestimate Love's defense at the beginning. The old guy Sima Weiwei did have a good way of coaching people. Coupled with Anderson and Leonard's harassment from time to time, he had a way to perform on the offensive end.