Before going on the field, when Liu Xiu saw the opponent's defensive lineup, he predicted the Spurs' defensive matchup selection. He had an idea and quickly arranged a simple tactic with his teammates, and it was successful!

Maurice Cheeks felt like he had learned another trick, so Hollins quickly recorded it.

The Warden's occasional improvisation on the spot, if it can be turned into a regular play style, then adjusting and integrating it into the play style is already a routine operation for the Trail Blazers.

On the court, the outlaws are very excited now, thinking '\(^o^)/' in their hearts, but on the surface they still have that 'I am a genius' look.

He actually wanted to learn Liu Xiu's expression that could heal his opponents after a good performance, but after learning it for a long time and failing, he found that it was a matter of appearance. He could not heal others but suffered tons of heals himself... Later, he

Just learn to pull.

The Spurs players were not in a hurry to serve. Bowen called his teammates to say a few words. When the referee was shouting and gesturing to count down for 5 seconds, they started to serve and advance.

The Spurs slowly adjusted on the court. In addition to adjusting themselves, they also had the idea of ​​​​improving the opponent's mentality.

It's not just for the Trail Blazers. These details have long been a part of the Spurs' game. Most of their actions on the court have the idea of ​​affecting the opponent's mentality and suppressing the rhythm. They don't even have to do it deliberately, it has become instinct.

The Trail Blazers regard the Spurs as their strong rival in the playoffs. They know this very well. The game has been played for half a quarter, and the players have become accustomed to it when they are prepared... Not all, Udrih went from beyond the three-point line

At that time, I encountered the rushing defense of the angry little flying squirrel!

Udrih was caught off guard and the ball was swatted away by the little flying squirrel!

The ball was out of control and the two point guards scrambled.

The little flying squirrel grabbed the ball first and counterattacked!

Ginobili actively pursued the defense, and the little flying squirrel rushed to the frontcourt to score the ball. Liu Xiu followed up from the flank, received the ball and went straight to the basket, took off in three strides, and smashed the ball into the basket with one hand.

Neither Udrih nor Ginobili returned to the basket.

The warden's brutal collision style attack the frame, take it back, and draw an offensive foul. It is not very difficult, but...

Liu Xiu scored 4 points in a row, raising his personal score to 8 points, surpassing Ginobili's 7 points and becoming the highest score in the game so far.

At the same time, the Trail Blazers tied the score 13-13!

During the transition between offense and defense, Udrih advanced with the ball. The little flying squirrel wanted to continue his efforts, but this time Udrih was prepared and carefully protected the ball.

Udrih didn't have the impulsive behavior of "I want to save face for the last round". He waited for Duncan to pull out and steadily started a pick-and-roll attack with Duncan.

Duncan broke open and cut in from the wing. He received the ball at close range and wanted to continue entering the basket, but was blocked by Liu Xiu!

Duncan did not force a shot. He showed excellent basic ball-holding skills. He made no mistakes in the face of Liu Xiu's defense. He grabbed the ball and scored in the bottom corner. Bowen caught the ball and shot a three-pointer... but missed!

But Muhammad scored two points with a tip-in!

The moment the Spurs players saw Warden blocking Duncan - was this the point guard?

Liu Xiu felt helpless about the stability of the Spurs.

There is also a lot to complain about - the Spurs' offense, starting from the pick-and-roll, has no tactical coordination at all. Liu Xiu looked at Popovich on the sidelines, he is really Larry Brown's apprentice.

?

But there is Duncan!

Liu Xiu remembers that by the 2008-09 season, Duncan was still the strongest superstar in the league, second team and second defense.

It wasn't until 2009 that Duncan passed his peak. In the 2009-10 season, the 33-34-year-old Duncan fell out of the top ten in the league for the first time in his career and was only selected for the third team and second defense.

But in the 2010-11 season, Duncan began to receive team bonuses and began a new leveling path.

However, in order to reap this bonus, he has been supporting the coach for more than ten years, so that the coach can slowly improve, but he has not used any good offensive tactics for more than ten years.

In the 2012-13 season, Duncan, who was 36-37 years old, finally succeeded in leveling up. He played slightly worse data than in his rookie season, with slightly higher efficiency and considerable overall performance. He was selected for the first team and second defense, surpassing Bowen and becoming the best player in history.

Oldest All-Defensive Team player.

With a coach who has played at least the second team and the second defense for 12 consecutive years since his rookie season, 9 times with the first team and 8 times with the first defense, he was the head coach. The fate of Popovich is so different from that of most other head coaches.

Offense and defense transition, it's time for the Trail Blazers to attack.

The Spurs' defensive matchup has changed. Udrih and Ginobili switch defenses, Udrih defends the Flying Squirrel, and Ginobili defends the outlaws.

Although the Spurs made mistakes in their defensive preparation, and the Trail Blazers did not use Liu Xiu and McDyess' pick-and-roll as their main offensive method. The outlaws beat Udrih and caught the Spurs off guard, but they did a good job in adjusting independently.

And quickly launched an effective team defense.

The Trail Blazers sent out three major mid-range shooters, the Flying Squirrel + Warden's sudden scoring + assisting point play, coupled with McDyess' mid-range shot + wing support, Kwame Brown's basket screen and

Eat the cake, the lawless maniac's baseline response to the mid-range shot + the mid-range follow-up around the top arc... The play style of this lineup has become a system, and details have been adjusted for the Spurs.

But even so, the offensive efficiency is still not high!

Fortunately, although Udrih and Duncan's pick-and-roll can mobilize the Trail Blazers' defense, Udrih's offense after the pick-and-roll is basically unable to play when Kwame Brown or McDyess switches defenses.

Although Duncan is more stable in isolation, the Trail Blazers have more people who can score and their offensive tactics are more in place!

Following Liu Xiuou's step-by-step floater at the buzzer, after the first quarter, the Trail Blazers and Spurs were tied at 22!

After Muhammad's tip-in, the Trail Blazers and Spurs played a 9-7 scoreline, which lasted 4 minutes and 39 seconds. The efficiency was so low that Barkley and Kenny, who tried their best to explain the game more interestingly,

-Smith wants to duel Popovich!

If that doesn't work, it would be the same to attack Stern.

The Spurs and Trail Blazers don't have a good reputation, but Stern insists on broadcasting the games of these two teams.

Who allowed the Spurs to have Duncan and the Trail Blazers to have Liu Xiu?

There is one of the 10 most popular players in the league, and one of them is the All-Star vote winner in the opening two consecutive games. Stern is also in despair.

…

He made 4 of 9 shots, plus 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.

Liu Xiu never expected that he would score 10 points in the first quarter against the Spurs!

But the game was really difficult to play. Regarding Duncan, Liu Xiuzhen was speechless. The only thing that affected Duncan's performance was the shortened playing time due to injuries.

Ignoring the changes in defensive methods, Duncan's role on the defensive end, after one game, is no worse than last season at the peak of his career!

There is no justice!

Duncan limited his opponents to only 89 points per 100 possessions last season, which was slightly lower than Ben Wallace's 87 points and slightly higher than Garnett's 92 points. Last season was the peak of the Iron-blooded Era. Defensive players

A collective carnival season...Now Duncan will definitely not be able to limit his opponents to less than 90 points per 100 possessions like he did last season, even if he really couldn't do it last season, after all, the rules are different.

But a player whose athletic ability declined due to plantar fasciitis, after more than half a season, relied on adjustments to his playing style to continue his defensive ability... Although Liu Xiu was the one who was mentally prepared, but in his heart, 'I

You're still no less talented than your teammates.

The feeling is even more incredible when you are mentally prepared.

Fortunately, the Trail Blazers are already mentally prepared for Duncan's return to the top after half a season. The All-Star weekend has been almost a month, and there is enough game material for them to study and prepare, and their response strategies have also been quite perfected.

, this game was completely played by the Trail Blazers as a preview game when they meet the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs.

On the other side, the Spurs are more calm and take on tough battles. Since the new century, no team has more experience than them.

Popovich and his players are now relieved that no one on the Trail Blazers broke out.

Although Liu Xiu scored 10 points in a single quarter, 4 of them were fed by the Outlaws and Little Flying Squirrel after the official timeout.

The remaining 4 points were magic goals. The pick-and-roll attack at the beginning, the European step floater at the buzzer at the end of the quarter, Liu Xiu did not score a single goal in the regular time, and only scored 2 points with free throws. He made all 5 successful shots.

This means their defense was very successful!

Listen to the cheers and shouts of the fans at the scene. The fans can see that the rhythm of the game is under their control!

…

Come back after a break between festivals.

The Trail Blazers sent a combination of Liu Xiu, Fred Jones, Raheem, Randolph and McDyess.

The Spurs sent Parker, Derrick Brown, Brent Barry, Duncan and Nesterovich.

Walking onto the court, Parker put away the thought in his mind that "I must learn the pick-and-roll offense" and concentrated on playing the game.

Although facing the warden made him feel desperate, and he would be scolded by the coach if he didn't play well, but under despair and pressure, he found a direction of progress that he believed could be used to deal with the warden.

But now he can only rely on screens in pick-and-rolls, and he doesn't dare to try it in the game, otherwise he will be on the bench again.

Some commentators lamented the difference between Parker and Milicic.

Parker's treatment at the beginning of his career was the same as Milicic's treatment under Larry Brown.

Not many people noticed that Parker performed poorly in his debut. In the second game, he was put on the bench until garbage time and was replaced for a few minutes. He was also used as a punching bag by Popovich and scolded him non-stop.

But in Game 3, when he had the chance to play, he played hard, scoring 15 points and 6 assists in a single game! After playing 4 games, Parker quickly won the starting position. At that time, Parker also had Antonio Daniels, No. 4 in the 1997 class.

There are two competitors: Terry Burt, an old and solid star-level player.

If Parker's mental endurance was like Milicic's, the NBA would not have such a model of counterattack.

After the start of the second quarter, the two teams continued the tug-of-war in the first quarter.

Parker advanced past half court, looking for opportunities to attack the frame. If not necessary, he would never play alone to avoid being locked up by Liu Xiu.

There was another situation in the previous two games. After Parker was blocked in Liu Xiu's singles, Liu Xiu could pass the ball out. Liu Xiu could directly let Parker go to the flank to cover after the ineffective breakthrough. Parker's movement after the breakthrough was really poor.

There is a lot of room for improvement.
To be continued...