Chapter 306 Great Victory
6:12, Spurs attack.

"The score was widened after one missed attack," Yu Jia said with a smile.

Zhang Heli said: "The Spurs double-teamed Zhongqiu in advance, which caused their own defense to fail, which shows that the double-team tactic is a double-edged sword.

The Knicks' offensive success rate was too high, except that the Mailman missed a shot, while the Spurs failed to make three attacks but succeeded in one second attack."

Duncan once again used Nazir's off-ball screen to get into the restricted area. When the Mailman switched defense, he received the ball two meters in front of the basket and forced the Mailman.

Holding the ball in his right hand, he pressed the postman with his left elbow, took a step toward the right front side of the basket, then jumped on one foot and sent the ball onto the board.

However, at this time He Zhongqiu had already squeezed Nazir aside, rushed past the postman, jumped under the basket, and pressed the ball directly onto the backboard with one claw.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden immediately erupted in warm cheers.

The corner of Duncan's eye twitched. He didn't shoot a hook shot on the spot because he was concerned about Wolverine, but he still got blocked unexpectedly.

"A block? Great! Finally stopped Duncan's attack." Yu Jia said excitedly.

Duncan was right next to He Zhongqiu. He blocked He Zhongqiu's quick pass on the spot, and thus lost the opportunity to return to defense early. Then, after He Zhongqiu passed the ball, he immediately rushed to the frontcourt, and he fell behind again.

Although the other Spurs players have returned to defense, how can they possibly stop He Zhongqiu?
"Wolverine's fast break is here again!" Barkley said excitedly.

"Oh oh oh……"

As He Zhongqiu advanced quickly, the cheers in Madison Square Garden became louder and louder.

When He Zhongqiu rushed across the center line, he not only got two steps away from Duncan, but also surpassed Nazr who had returned to defense in advance, and rushed to the top of the arc like a galloping horse.

Bowen gritted his teeth and moved over from the left side in an attempt to slow down He Zhongqiu, but as soon as his right hand rested on He Zhongqiu's left arm, he was deflected by the huge impact force and stumbled to the ground.

"Bowen can't outrun Wolverine," Jordan said immediately.

"ball!"

Nash dodged Tony Parker behind the center line on the left wing and passed the ball high in front of He Zhongqiu.

He Zhongqiu rushed over the top of the arc and the ball flew over. He jumped one step above the free throw line, and after catching the ball, he landed one step below the free throw line, flying a distance of nearly three meters.

Ginobili, who had just run to the basket, had no choice but to move to the side and make room under the basket.

"boom!"

The next moment, He Zhongqiu took a step forward and suddenly jumped up, making a tomahawk slam dunk with one hand, which blew up the Spurs' basket.

"Oh ho!"

The cheers of Knicks fans suddenly resounded throughout Madison Square Garden.

Barkley said excitedly: "Once Duncan falls behind, Wolverine's fast break is unstoppable. He is an oversized McGrady, an oversized Vince Carter, and an oversized Kobe."

Kenny Smith said: "6:14, the Spurs were trailing by 8 points and called a timeout."

Jordan said: "I doubt that even if Duncan returned to defense, he would not be able to stop the Wolverine's drive to the basket."

Barkley analyzed: "Wolverine knocked Ben Wallace down countless times in the Eastern Conference Finals, but that's because Ben's body is tough enough. If it was Duncan, he would have been injured."

Kenny Smith said: "If you defend like Ben, you will definitely get hurt. Maybe he is already injured and is just holding on."

Jordan said: "Tim Duncan's defense is definitely not as tough as Ben Wallace's. He can make Wolverine foul while protecting himself.

But the Wolverines have too much impact, and their defensive style of drawing fouls will also lead to strong confrontations and possible injuries. "

On the Spurs bench, Bowen had two balls of bloody cotton stuck in his nose because he had just broken his nose.

Popovich yelled at Nazir angrily, "Didn't you hear what I said just now? It's your responsibility to prevent quick passes?"

Nazir lowered his head and dared not say a word.

Popovich said to Duncan: "If this happens again, you must entangle Wolverine, increase the intensity of the confrontation, deliberately entangle with him, and don't let him rush."

Duncan nodded.

Popovich then began to lay out tactics, saying: "On the defensive end, we need to prevent quick passes. Tony Parker needs to stop Nash from passing the ball and do everything possible to disrupt their fast breaks.

Also, outside the restricted area, give up the early double-teaming tactics. Tim, you and Wolverine. Robert, you go in."

"On offense, Robert pulled out and then strengthened the pick-and-roll offense on the wing."

After the timeout, Horry replaced Nazr and Glenn Robinson replaced Bowen. On the Knicks side, Varejao replaced the Mailman.

Spurs attack.

Robert Horry pulled to the left corner and ambushed there.

Varejao defended in the left block, with most of his defensive attention on the restricted area and a small amount on Horry.

Duncan was in the low post on the right wing asking for the ball.

Tony Parker started with a dribbling breakthrough from the right wing three-point line, broke through Nash, encountered Battier's backup defense, and then was double-teamed by Nash from behind.

He quickly passed the ball to Duncan and then rushed to the penalty area.

The next moment, Duncan passed the ball back and Tony Parker broke into the penalty area from the right waist.

He Zhongqiu behind Duncan immediately turned around to defend the basket, and Valanciunas also moved a step towards the penalty area.

Tony Parker did not shoot, but instead moved to the front left side of the basket and turned around to make an offensive posture.

This is Tony Parker's best offensive style, so Varejao quickly returned to defense.

"Oops!"

He Zhongqiu knew there was trouble at first sight. If Tony Parker wanted to shoot, he would have already shot instead of dragging his feet, giving Varejao the opportunity to return to the restricted area. This was clearly intended to attract Varejao.

He immediately moved towards Parker, and at this moment, Tony Parker suddenly turned and passed the ball, and the basketball flew to the left corner.

"not good."

Vallejo was shocked.

"Squeak! Squeak..."

He Zhongqiu exerted force on his feet and rushed to the left corner.

He took a step out of the penalty area and was still four meters and one foot away from Horry.

He took his second step and Horry in the left corner received the pass from Parker.

Horry crouched slightly and jumped up before his second step landed.

At the moment Robert Horry made the shot, He Zhongqiu landed with his second step and was about three meters away from Horry.

He jumped with all his strength and flew across a two-meter space in an instant as if he had wings. His right hand was like a hook and he grabbed the basketball at lightning speed.

"seize"

With a slight sound, He Zhongqiu stretched out his big hand and caught the basketball that Horry had just thrown, and then he flew directly past Horry.

After flying out of the sideline, he hit the ball with his backhand and hit Horry's back. The ball bounced out of the sideline and he fell into the audience and was hugged by a group of fans.

"..."

Horry was stunned. What just happened?
Tony Parker was also stunned. Wolverine was clearly behind me, so how did he run to the left corner to block Robert Horry?
"Oh ho!"

At this moment, the entire Madison Square Garden went crazy, erupting in thunderous cheers and shouts.

"Oh oh oh, what did Wolverine do? He came from the restricted area to defend the left corner and blocked Robert Horry!" Barkley roared excitedly.

"This is talent!" Jordan shook his head and praised.

"Defense also requires talent," Kenny Smith agreed.

"Remember, rookie, when I'm under the basket, you don't have to return to the restricted area to defend, just keep an eye on your man." He Zhongqiu said to Valanciunas after returning to the court.

"Got it, boss," Vallejo said hurriedly.

The Knicks attacked, Varejao and Nash did a pick-and-roll in the high post, attracting Horry to defend in the high post. He Zhongqiu took the opportunity to get into the basket, but Duncan couldn't stop him.

Nash didn't pass the ball to Varejao, but gave it to He Zhongqiu under the basket.

At this time, Horry gave up on Varejao and formed a double-team with Duncan to attack He Zhongqiu from the front and back under the basket.

He Zhongqiu did not choose to shoot, but passed the ball to Valanciunas, who shot from behind Horry and easily made a shot.

"6:16, 10 points, the score is now widened." Yu Jia said excitedly.

"After defending against the opponent's attacks several times and succeeding in our own attacks, won't the score difference widen?" Zhang Heli said with a smile.

Yu Jia smiled and said, "Zhongqiu didn't play just now, but gave it to Valanciunas. He played very selflessly!"

"You should give the ball to your teammates. One person can't conquer the world, and you can also save your energy." Zhang Heli nodded.

Spurs attack.

This time, Duncan was in the left wing low post and wanted the ball, while Horry was still lurking in the left corner. Ginobili was holding the ball and attacking on the left wing three-point line, while Josh Howard was defending with all his strength, and his breakthrough was a little unsuccessful.

Duncan immediately came up to do a pick-and-roll, Ginobili broke through the wall, He Zhongqiu quickly switched defense, and then Ginobili passed the ball.

Duncan received the ball one step inside the three-point line, faced off against Josh Howard, and immediately took a jump shot.

At this time, He Zhongqiu quickly returned to defend the basket, and Horry in the left corner also ran to the restricted area, ready to grab the offensive rebound.

"Bang!"

Although he got a chance to score in a mismatch, Josh Howard's arms are quite long, so Duncan still missed the shot.

"Snapped!"

He Zhongqiu grabbed the backcourt rebound and the Knicks attacked.

"The Spurs' biggest problem is still defense. The Knicks played too efficiently, making 8 of 7 shots and only missing one," Jordan said.

Kenny Smith said: "The Spurs made only 9 of 3 shots and failed 6 times. Except for Duncan, no one else scored."

Barkley continued: "If you can't defend and can't make the shot, Popovich will call a second timeout soon."

"Bang!"

This time, He Zhongqiu missed a mid-range shot, Horry grabbed the rebound, and the Spurs attacked and called a timeout.

Barkley looked at the data and said: "Wolverine is now 5 of 4 shots, 2 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks, which is a very good performance.

Duncan made 5 of 3 shots and had 1 offensive rebound. His performance was not bad, but not as good as the Wolverines, especially on the defensive end. "

Jordan said: "If you want to beat the Wolverines, you have to perform not only well, but very well, otherwise it's not enough to beat the Wolverines."

Kenny Smith nodded and said: "The current Wolverine can be said to be completely comparable to the Great Shark in his prime.

If Duncan wants to beat the Wolverines, he really needs to perform exceptionally well. "

Barkley said: "Speaking of Wolverine and Shaq, I have to say that Shaq's dominance under the basket during his peak period is still stronger than Wolverine."

Jordan thought about it and nodded, "It is true that he may be stronger. The size of the big shark plus his explosive power give him too much advantage under the basket. No matter how many people are there, they can't hold him down under the basket."

Barkley added: "But outside the restricted area, to be honest, ten sharks combined are not as threatening as Wolverine."

"Haha..." Jordan and Kenny Smith both laughed.

Barkley laughed and said: “So in terms of overall strength, I actually think Wolverine has surpassed the Great Shark in his prime.

His tactical adaptability is much stronger than that of the Sharks. He can use any tactics, is more threatening, and is more difficult to defend. The Sharks cannot survive if they leave the penalty area. "

The timeout ended and the Spurs attacked.

Bowen returned to the game, replacing Glenn Robinson.

"brush!"

Tony Parker made the first shot of the game, a pull-up jumper after breaking through Nash.

Looking back, Nash made his first mistake of the game and was intercepted by Tony Parker. Ginobili made a fast break and scored a layup.

10:16, the Knicks attacked and called the first timeout.

Rick Carlisle asked that while maintaining defensive pressure in the interior, the outside defense should be strengthened to prevent the Spurs from strengthening jump shots on the outside and reduce unnecessary mistakes.

After this timeout, Battier caused a mistake by the opponent when he was helping to defend Tony Parker's breakthrough, and Nash made a successful fast break.

After the first quarter, the Knicks led by 20 points at home, 28:8.

In the second quarter, the Knicks had all three outside players come off the bench, Crawford + Brent Barry + Payton, and played the entire quarter. Only in the inside, He Zhongqiu only rested for two minutes.

In comparison, the Spurs' bench lineup was much worse, with the three GDP players only resting for two minutes.

After the second quarter, the score was 42:48, and the Spurs narrowed the gap by 2 points, but were still 6 points behind.

During the halftime break, Barkley analyzed: "The Spurs' lineup is not as deep as the Knicks. They only have Horry and Rasu in the interior. Rasu is still injured. There are only a few marginal players on the outside. Glenn Robinson's injury is too serious and he is close to retirement."

Jordan said: "Based on the depth of the lineup, the Knicks can still fight in the first three quarters, but they will still be ahead.

After entering the final quarter, the physical fitness of the three main players of the Spurs will have problems. If Wolverine explodes in the final quarter, the Spurs will be defeated. "

Kenny Smith nodded and said, "In terms of overall strength, the Knicks are still stronger than the Spurs. The Knicks' bench is stronger, and the same is true for the main lineup."

Barkley said: "The GDP combination is still very strong, but the Spurs can't defend Wolverine."

乔丹说道：“金刚狼半场20分钟，和邓肯一样，出手非常多，16投12中，75%的命中率，3罚3中，轰下27分4助攻8篮板1抢断4盖帽1失误1犯规的数据。

相比之下，邓肯半场12投7中，命中率58.3%，2罚1中，砍下15分2助攻5篮板1盖帽2失误1犯规的数据，逊色金刚狼不少。”

Barkley nodded and said, "It can be said that in the duel between the core leaders of both teams, Wolverine is temporarily ahead. It is also because of his performance that the Knicks are ahead of the Spurs."

Kenny Smith said: "Duncan's touch in the first half was actually pretty good. 15% of his shots were mid-range, only % were in the restricted area, and only % were in the basket. He couldn't get into the basket easily.

His physical strength declined in the second half, and his shooting percentage is likely to drop. In that case, the score difference in the third quarter is likely to widen further.”

Jordan said: "Today, Wolverine scored a lot of points on fast breaks and dunks, which is why his hit rate was high. The Spurs didn't have much to do with his fast breaks, dunks after pick-and-rolls, and dunks after dribbling.

He actually didn’t attack the basket that often, nor did he attack the low post that often. He took a lot of mid-range shots, and he took a lot of them intentionally.”

Kenny Smith said: "A lot of mid-range shots can help him save energy and gain an advantage in the matchup with Duncan."

Soon after, the third quarter began.

From the very beginning, He Zhongqiu reduced mid-range shots and increased low-post attacks.

Facing his low-post attack, the Spurs' other inside players had no way to defend except Duncan, and Duncan could only match up against him.

He intentionally intensified the confrontation with Duncan to further consume Duncan's physical strength.

The Knicks swept the first three rounds, 12 wins and 0 losses, while the Spurs only swept the first round, and advanced 4:2 in the next two rounds, with a total of 12 wins and 4 losses, playing 4 more games.
In addition, the Spurs' bench lineup is not as good as the Knicks', and the three main players have more playing time, so in terms of physical fitness, the Knicks have an advantage.

Under pressure from the score difference, Popovich did not dare to replace Duncan. Duncan played the entire third quarter, a total of 32 minutes in three quarters.

But the score difference, after the third quarter, was 63:78, which had widened to 15 points.

Kenny Smith said: “The Wolverines’ powerful low post and basket offense exploded in the third quarter and played with great lethality.

When he got the ball under the basket, the Spurs could only stop his offense by fouling. Duncan committed two fouls in a single quarter, but his free throw shooting percentage was terrible, and fouling also gave away points. "

Barkley nodded and said: "Wolverine made 6 of 4 shots and 7 of 6 free throws in the third quarter, scoring 14 points. In the first three quarters, he made 22 of 16 shots and scored 41 points, with a hit rate of 72.7%.

In the first half, he maintained a high shooting percentage by using fast breaks and cut-in dunks.

And the third time, he used a powerful low-post attack and still maintained a high hit rate, showing a very terrifying offensive strength overall. "

Kenny Smith said: "Duncan was defended by the Wolverines in the third quarter and could only shoot outside the restricted area. He made 7 of 3 shots and 2 of 1 free throws, scoring only 7 points. In the third quarter, he made 19 of 10 shots and 22 points, with a hit rate of 52.6%."

Barkley said: "This is the strength advantage of Wolverine. When Duncan plays against other teams, he can cause huge damage as long as he wants.

But against the Wolverines, he had a hard time even getting into the restricted area. Without offensive efficiency, there was no lethality. He only had four free throws in three quarters. "

Kenny Smith looked through the stats and said, "Duncan averaged 6 free throws per game in the Spurs' first-round sweep, 12.5 in the second round, and 11.5 in the Western Conference Finals."

Jordan said: "It is certain that Duncan's physical fitness will further decline in the final quarter, and his hit rate will also decline further.

The same goes for Ginobili and Tony Parker. The other main players of the Knicks have less playing time, are more energetic, and are at home, so they will definitely be in better shape.”

Barkley continued: "So in Game 1, the Spurs basically have no hope of a comeback."

Jordan laughed and said, "The hope of winning at the Knicks' home court is still slim. The Spurs can only count on their home court hopes."

Barkley teased: "In the Western Conference Finals against the SuperSonics, the Spurs also lost G3 and G4 on the road and were forced to a 2- tie. Against the Knicks, I can bet that the Spurs will lose two consecutive away games."

"Speaking of this..."

Jordan laughed, then said, "Playing against the Knicks, Bowen played very cleanly, which was a nice change, but the Spurs have less chance of winning."

"Ha ha……"

Barkley and Kenny Smith both laughed.

Barkley then added: "When it comes to defensive style, Ginobili and Horry are similar to Bowen."

"Ha ha……"

The three of them laughed again.

This is when the final quarter begins.

He Zhongqiu stood up from the bench. Seeing him stand up, the Spurs, who were 15 points behind, had no choice but to let Duncan play.

In this quarter, He Zhongqiu continued to strengthen his low-post positioning and offense. Duncan was physically exhausted and was knocked over or knocked over three times in just half a quarter. He made 2 of 0 shots on the offensive end and was blocked by He Zhongqiu.

After half a quarter, the score difference widened to 20 points. Popovich withdrew his main players and admitted defeat, and then the Knicks also replaced their main players.

At the end of the game, the score was 81:103, the Knicks won by 22 points and won Game 1 of the Finals.

(End of this chapter)