Chapter 305: Even if Tim Duncan scored a thousand goals, he couldn't beat Wolverine's one goal
0:2, Spurs attack.

"Nazr, you guard Wolverine. Bruce, you double-team Wolverine."

Duncan said a few simple words to a few teammates who came over, then ran to the frontcourt.

The main idea of ​​Popovich's arrangement of such defensive tactics was to let others consume He Zhongqiu's physical energy so that Duncan could attack with all his strength.

As for whether Nazr and Bowen's early double-team can defend He Zhongqiu, we will only know after the game. This is just a tactical test. If it works well, continue to play, otherwise make changes.

Duncan came to the low post on the left wing, and He Zhongqiu blocked him and prevented him from entering the penalty area.

Popovich knew the Wolverines wouldn't let Duncan get close to the basket, so he set up a pick-and-roll with Nazir.

Nazir moved to the left side of He Zhongqiu and stood there. Duncan tried to go around into the penalty area from behind Nazir, but at this time the Postman switched defense and blocked him.

"Tim didn't stand a chance."

Tony Parker, who had the ball on the right wing, immediately broke through, first breaking through Nash, then breaking through Battier who came from the high position to defend, and broke into the penalty area from the right waist position.

At this time, He Zhongqiu had already returned to the basket. Parker made a sudden stop and shot, but He Zhongqiu jumped to block the shot, which affected his shooting angle.

"Bang!"

When the rebound hit the rim, Nazir and the postman jumped up at the same time to grab the rebound. The postman tipped the ball up and He Zhongqiu turned around and grabbed the ball.

As for Duncan, he was stuck behind the Mailman and had no chance to grab the rebound.

Yu Jia laughed and said, "The postman has played pick-and-roll all his life. The Spurs playing pick-and-roll in front of him is a bit like showing off their swords in front of Guan Gong."

But Zhang Heli said: "We can't be careless, the Spurs do use a lot of pick-and-rolls in their offensive tactics.

One of the Spurs' most powerful offensive tactics is Duncan's pick-and-roll offense, which is always the first choice in the Spurs' offensive tactics."

He Zhongqiu entered the frontcourt, this time not going to the left wing, but to a high position.

Nazir was at the bottom, and Bowen quickly ran over and went around to defend.

As for the other three players, Duncan defended the Mailman in the right blocking zone in the low post on the right wing, Tony Parker guarded the upper line on the right wing, and Ginobili guarded the upper line on the left wing.

The Spurs' defense was created by Popovich. The rotation defense system with Duncan as the core utilizes Duncan's defensive ability.

Duncan is first-rate whether he is defending alone or helping with defense. At the same time, he has very strong defensive awareness and defensive tactical abilities. He can read the opponent's offensive tactics in a timely manner and make timely helping and supplementing defense.

Without Duncan, the Spurs' defensive system would be garbage.

"Double-team in advance."

Seeing Bowen moving forward, Barkley said excitedly.

"With his height, will it be useful to go around him?" Jordan shook his head doubtfully.

Nash passed the ball immediately, Bruce Bowen tried to steal the ball, but he didn't have the height, so He Zhongqiu jumped up and caught the ball.

At this time, Nash bypassed Tony Parker and quickly cut down from He Zhongqiu, receiving the return pass when he passed by him.

Duncan saw the pass and immediately returned to the basket to defend.

At the same time, Nash also attracted Nazir's defensive attention and relaxed his defense on He Zhongqiu.

He Zhongqiu took the opportunity to immediately get in from behind Nash and move to the left waist position. Bowen pulled his jersey, but he slapped it away.

When Nash got in front of Duncan, he passed the ball from behind and the basketball flew to the left waist.

When He Zhongqiu received the ball, the nearest defender was Bowen, who was one meter away. Duncan was blocked by Nash, and he immediately shot a 45-degree shot off the bank.

Bowen just stretched out his hand and was unable to do anything about He Zhongqiu's attack.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

The ball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

"Beautiful! Two consecutive passing and cutting tactics."

Zhang Heli praised: "The first time Nash passed the ball first and then cut, the purpose was to help Zhongqiu break the Spurs' double team.

The second pass was Zhongqiu cutting in, Nash breaking through and passing the ball, and Zhongqiu got a small open opportunity at the left waist position. "

Yu Jia said: "Through continuous passing and cutting, the Spurs' defense has been completely torn apart, and the offense is very easy."

0:4, Spurs attack.

Tony Parker broke through with the ball from the right wing, passed Nash and went straight to the right elbow area.

When Parker broke through, Duncan suddenly pulled up from the left wing low post and ran along the free throw line to the right elbow area.

At the same time, Nazr entered the penalty area from the low right wing and blocked He Zhongqiu who was chasing him.

"Pick-and-roll!" Barkley yelled.

When Battier tried to defend Tony Parker in the right elbow area, Duncan made a timely pick-and-roll screen and Parker broke into the restricted area.

The Postman quickly switched defense, but at this moment, Duncan took a step down from the right elbow area, received the pass from Parker, took another step, and then made a forty-five-degree rebound shot from the right waist position.

Both the Postman and He Zhongqiu were a beat slow in defense and had no way to stop Duncan's shot.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

The ball hits the backboard and goes into the basket.

"Wow, what a beautiful tactical combination! The Spurs used two consecutive pick-and-rolls to allow Duncan to get an open position at the right waist." Barkley praised.

Jordan said, "If Wolverine had caught the ball in that position, it wouldn't have been a rebound, it would have been a slam dunk."

Kenny Smith laughed and said, "All of Duncan's dunks in the past eight seasons combined may not be as many as the dunks he had in his rookie season with the Wolverines. His playing style does not attract fans."

Barkley said: "The more dunks you do, the more your body will be exhausted. The fact that Duncan can still have such a stable top-level offensive and defensive performance after being seriously injured is related to his playing style.

Wolverine’s fighting style is too beastly and violent, which is too much of a drain on his body, although he is now very healthy and very strong…”

At this point, he seemed to have thought of something, and grinned, "For someone else, like Rain Man, his peak period would be very short, but for Wolverine, it's hard to say, his body is so strong, maybe he can last for many years."

At this time, the Postman got a small open space, but missed the mid-range shot and the Spurs attacked.

Duncan received the ball in the low post on the left wing, and Ginobili, who passed the ball, immediately cut into the penalty area from the left wing.

"Pass the ball back!" Yu Jia shouted.

After Duncan passed the ball back, he did not cut inside the basket, but stayed at the left waist position.

The Knicks played a three-two zone defense, defending the ball but not the person. He Zhongqiu immediately switched to defend Ginobili who received the ball.

Ginobili took a step into the penalty area and was blocked by He Zhongqiu on his left hand side. After his speed was slowed down, he was unable to break through again and jumped out to make a shooting motion.

"What the hell!"

He Zhongqiu, who was about to block the shot, discovered something was wrong. Ginobili's hands were empty. He turned back hurriedly, but it was too late.

Duncan received the ball at the right waist position, took a step inside, and shot the ball accurately at a 45-degree angle from close range into a wide-open space.

"Look, it's the pick-and-roll tactic again."

Zhang Heli shook his head with a sigh and said, "The Jazz were famous for their pick-and-roll tactics during the Black and White era, but the Spurs were the same."

"The pick-and-roll tactic is really simple and practical. Duncan made a rebound from the left and right waist positions." Yu Jia nodded.

Zhang Heli said: "The important thing is that Duncan's shooting rhythm is very fast, he shoots as soon as he receives the ball, not giving Zhongqiu time to return to defense.

If he adjusts for a second and a half, Zhongqiu has a chance to return to defense, turn around and block the shot. "

4:4, Knicks attack.

After two defensive breakdowns, Rick Carlisle did not call a timeout.

The Spurs' offense and defense are all based on Duncan. With Duncan's offensive and defensive strength, no one can completely restrict him.

If the Knicks want to win, Wolverine must stand up and make absolute contributions on both offense and defense and perform better than Duncan.

But he took a step forward and shouted: "Karl..."

The postman on his way to the center line looked over. Rick Carlisle made a tactical gesture, and he immediately understood and nodded.

This is to let him not go to the right blocking zone when the Wolverines are double-teamed in advance, but to provide pick-and-roll cover for his teammates.

This time, He Zhongqiu came to the left wing and asked for the ball in the low post, but Nazr and Bowen double-teamed him in advance.

The Postman ran up from under the basket, and Duncan quickly followed.

At this time, Battier received the pass from Nash, and then passed it to He Zhongqiu, and then immediately cut into the restricted area and took Ginobili away. At the same time, the postman stood on the right side of Tony Parker, made a pick-and-roll, and then Nash suddenly moved quickly from the top of the arc to the left wing.

"Whoosh!"

He Zhongqiu threw the basketball with one hand and it flew towards Nash.

Nash received the ball and shot a jump shot, wide open.

Tony Parker bypassed the postman but was still three meters away from Nash.

"brush!"

Water splashed in the basket and the three-pointer was hit.

Zhang Heli said excitedly: "The Knicks' tactical intention is very clear. They first use the Mid-Autumn Festival to attract a double-team in advance and form a four-on-three situation.

Then the pass-and-cut tactic, then the pick-and-roll tactic of the postman, and finally the ball came out after the Mid-Autumn Festival. With continuous tactical coordination and positioning, we got a big open space. "

"4:7, now let's see how the Spurs play and how the Knicks defend." Yu Jia said.

Spurs attack.

Ginobili ran without the ball on the right wing, received a pass from Tony Parker outside the right waist position, and immediately rushed into the penalty area with the ball.

The Postman and Battier in the high position immediately double-teamed Ginobili, who stumbled into the restricted area and had no speed left.

But with his body twisted into a knot, he completed the shot from three meters away to the front right side of the basket when He Zhongqiu pounced on him.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, due to He Zhongqiu's extremely high blocking height, the shot missed.

However, the Postman and Battier failed to block Ginobili's breakthrough, forcing He Zhongqiu to make up for it under the basket. The disadvantage immediately emerged. The basket was empty, and Duncan entered the basket and easily grabbed the offensive rebound, and then succeeded in a one-handed dunk.

"Ouch!"

Zhang Heli sighed: "Half of the credit for this goal goes to Tony Parker. His pass was so timely, and Ginobili received the ball in such a position that the Mailman and Battier did not have enough time to double-team him."

Yu Jia nodded and said, "There was a door in the middle that was not closed in time, allowing Ginobili to break through and threaten the basket.

Zhongqiu's block didn't touch the ball. I think Ginobili didn't intend to make the shot, he just passed it to Duncan."

"There were two teammates inside, so he must have considered the possibility of missing the shot."

Nodding, Zhang Heli said: "Now Duncan made three of three shots, and he is in very good shape. Zhongqiu made two of two shots and had one assist."

6:7, Knicks attack.

Duncan was in good shape and scored 6 points in a row, putting some pressure on He Zhongqiu.

Rick Carlisle's requirement for him on the offensive end is that he should have both low-post and basket offense, as well as some mid-range shots.

But now that Duncan is no longer defending him, reducing his investment on the defensive end and saving his energy to focus on offense, does he need to change his offensive strategy?

For example, adding some low-post and under-the-basket attacks with higher success rates to increase defensive pressure on the Spurs and force Duncan to increase his investment on the defensive end?

During the transition between offense and defense, he looked at Rick Carlisle on the sidelines.

Carlisle's mind was working fast. His opponent was Popovich. He was under a lot of pressure and dared not be careless.

What he is thinking about now is not offense, but defense.

Duncan made three of three shots and his team lost a backcourt rebound, which is a problem that requires vigilance.

Seeing that the head coach had no instructions for the time being, He Zhongqiu decided to play according to his own ideas.

As the team leader, he has the power to adjust offensive and defensive tactics on the court according to changes in the situation.

This time, he ran to the basket.

"Wolverine is going to the basket, will Duncan defend him?" Jordan was cheered up.

Seeing Wolverine running towards the basket, Nazir at the free throw line tried to block him immediately. The moment the two came into contact, he flipped backwards and was knocked down.

However, the referee did not blow the whistle. Nazr was not in a defensive position. He was knocked over while moving. It was a normal physical confrontation.

He Zhongqiu entered the basket and Duncan could only defend him, and the two immediately started a fierce confrontation.

When Bowen, who was responsible for double-teaming, saw Nazir fall, he quickly ran to the basket, started double-teaming in advance, and defended from the front.

The Postman reached the high ground again, he was completely open, Nazir behind him was climbing up, it was too late to defend against him.

At this time, the Spurs only had two guards left to defend the Knicks' four players.

Ginobili defended Battier on the left wing, and in addition to the Mailman, Josh Howard on the right wing was also left open.

But Josh's current mid-range and long-range shooting ability is average, so Nash chose to shoot himself. After the Postman blocked Tony Parker, he made a jump shot in a small open space at the top of the right arc.

"brush!"

A splash appeared and a three-pointer was made.

"Beautiful! Nash made two of two three-pointers, so accurate!" Yu Jia said excitedly.

Zhang Heli said with a smile: "The disadvantage of the Spurs' early double-teaming of Zhongqiu also came out. The Knicks made good use of the advantage of outnumbering in other positions and hit two three-pointers in a row."

Yu Jia laughed and said, "The Spurs are in trouble now. Their rotation defense system failed to fill the gaps left by the Knicks on the perimeter."

On the bench, Popovich stared at the court expressionlessly, his mind racing, calculating.

6:10, Spurs attack.

"Bang!"

On the right wing, Tony Parker faked a breakthrough and shot a real shot. After shaking Nash, he took a three-pointer, but missed.

He Zhongqiu grabbed the backcourt rebound and saw that Nash had started to run fast, one step ahead of Tony Parker, so he wanted to pass the ball quickly.

Unfortunately, Duncan was too experienced and stepped in front in time to stop his quick pass, thus disrupting the fast break.

However, every advantage has a disadvantage.

Duncan had no time to return to defense. After He Zhongqiu passed the ball to Josh Howard who came down to receive it, he immediately started and ran to the frontcourt.

When Duncan saw it, he quickly chased after it.

The two of them were running one in front and one behind. He Zhongqiu was as fast as a galloping horse. Although Duncan was not slow either, he was much slower in comparison and was falling further and further behind.

As for the 208-centimeter-tall Nazir, he ran at the same pace as Tim Duncan and was still unable to catch up with He Zhongqiu.

"Wolverine, fast break!" Barkley roared excitedly.

Nash received a pass from Josh Howard outside the three-point line on the left wing. At this time, He Zhongqiu had already crossed the center line and rushed to the top of the arc, with only Ginobili returning to defense in front of him.

He immediately broke through with the ball, then turned around and pulled back, shook off Tony Parker, and then passed the ball to the middle.

At this time, He Zhongqiu reached the top of the arc. After receiving the pass, he dribbled once and rushed into the penalty area. He ignored Ginobili in front of him, gathered the ball and took off directly.

Ginobili was startled and quickly dodged.

The next moment, a giant eagle flew high in the sky in front of him.

"boom!"

He Zhongqiu raised his right hand high, then did a windmill swing and chopped down, and the explosive sound of the basket exploding echoed in Madison Square Garden.

"boom!"

The arena was completely boiling with excitement. Twenty thousand Knicks fans raised their arms almost at the same time and started cheering to their heart's content under the stimulation of the adrenaline that suddenly surged.

On the sidelines, a number of celebrities including Tom Cruise and Spike Lee stood up from their seats, raised their arms and cheered.

Yang Xue, Wu Jing and others did the same, they stood up, clapped and cheered to celebrate.

"I have to say, even if Tim Duncan scores a thousand goals, he can't beat Wolverine's one goal," Barkley shouted excitedly.

"Ginobili's dodge was very correct." Kenny Smith said with a laugh.

Jordan said with a smile: "When Wolverine participates in the fast break, you either let him pass or be prepared to be knocked away by him."

On the sidelines, Popovich stood up and yelled at the court: "Nazr, you defend the quick pass, don't let Tim do it, that's your job."

Nazir nodded hastily.

(End of this chapter)