Chapter 309: The Confrontation between the Leaders of Both Sides

The 11th is the G4 match day.

Yang Xue received the box office data. The North American box office for seven days in a week reached 1.45 million US dollars, breaking the first week box office record of the year.

It has grossed over 5000 million yuan in China in four days, surpassing Hero. The number of screens has reached 1.5, and the box office has reached million yuan in six days.

It is sprinting towards the highest record for domestic films and should be able to break Kung Fu's domestic box office record of 1.7 million tomorrow.

But she didn't tell He Zhongqiu, and He Zhongqiu didn't care about this. All his attention was focused on the finals.

In the evening, SBC Center Arena.

Knicks: He Zhongqiu, Karl Malone, Shane Battier, Josh Howard, Nash
Spurs: Nazr Mohammed, Duncan, Bruce Bowen, Ginobili, Tony Parker
Barkley said: "The Spurs' tactics should not change. They will double-team Wolverine in advance and use Ginobili to defend Nash."

Kenny Smith said: "The Spurs played well on defense in the last game, which was the key to winning. They will definitely continue to strengthen their defense in this game."

Jordan smiled and said: "Home court advantage, of course the defense is stronger, some actions will not be called, but it may not be the case on the road."

At half past eight, the competition officially began.

After the jump ball, the Knicks attacked.

Nash dribbled the ball across the center line and the expected boos arose again, and his attention immediately became highly focused.

He Zhongqiu did not go low, but landed in the left elbow area.

The Knicks still used the tactics of double-teaming in the restricted area and single defense outside the restricted area, with Duncan defending He Zhongqiu and Nazir guarding the basket.

When Nash was near the top of the arc, he suddenly passed the ball to the left elbow, then bypassed Ginobili and quickly cut to the right elbow.

Ginobili followed the defensive tactics and did not chase Nash. Instead, he turned around and double-teamed He Zhongqiu.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, when He Zhongqiu caught the ball, the basketball flew backwards and flew towards Nash from in front of Ginobili.

Nash received the ball and immediately rushed into the penalty area from the right elbow area. Duncan had no time to return to defense. There were only Nazir and the Postman under the basket.

"Two against one." Yu Jia shouted excitedly.

At this time, Karl Malone held up Nazir, and Nash took the opportunity to hit a layup from the right side of the basket and easily made a goal.

"Beautiful! The pass-and-cut tactic used Zhongqiu's reception of the ball outside the penalty area to attract double-teaming, and Nash got an open space." Zhang Heli raised his eyebrows and said happily.

Yu Jia said expectantly: "I hope Nash can play in good form today. The other players can generally play in good form. As long as he plays in good form, Zhongqiu will have help."

"Yes, Nash, the offensive engine, must be brought into play." Zhang Heli nodded.

2:0, Spurs attack.

Duncan was in the low post on the right wing, and Tony Parker broke through from the right wing.

After Nash was broken through, Battier in the high position quickly made up for the defense. At this time, Parker suddenly passed the ball to Bowen at the top of the arc.

When Bowen received the ball, He Zhongqiu, who was defending Duncan, had already reached the free throw line. He immediately jumped and passed the ball over He Zhongqiu's head to Duncan.

But his jumping ability is not good, so in order to avoid being intercepted by Wolverine in the air, he passed the ball very high, which was no different from a lob.

As soon as He Zhongqiu saw Bowen's expression, he determined that it was a pass rather than a shot, so he immediately turned around and returned to defend the basket.

Duncan jumped up to receive the ball. In order to speed up the offensive rhythm and not give the Wolverines a chance to return to defense, he shot directly in the air and threw the basketball towards the backboard.

The Postman jumped to block the shot, but he didn't touch the ball, but it affected Duncan's shooting angle.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, the ball missed the target and after it hit the rim, it was caught by He Zhongqiu who returned to defend under the basket.

"Whoosh!"

Seeing that Nash had turned around and was about to go down, he immediately blocked Nazir with his right elbow, threw the ball out with his left hand, and then quickly went down.

Nash received the ball and rushed to the left wing of the frontcourt. Bowen, who was returning to defense from the top of the arc, had already reached the basket. He stopped at the left waist position and casually threw the ball high into the penalty area.

The next moment, He Zhongqiu rushed in from the free throw line and jumped up.

"boom!"

In the air relay, he made an extremely powerful windmill dunk, which blew up the Spurs' basket.

"If the Spurs are a pack of wolves, then Mid-Autumn Festival is a tiger. When a tiger pounces on its prey, the wolves cannot stop it," Yu Jia said excitedly.

"The basketball court is too small. Zhongqiu doesn't dare to rush forward recklessly and can't unleash all his explosive power." Zhang Heli said with a smile.

Yu Jia thought of rugby and said with a smile, "If it was on a rugby field, Zhongqiu would probably knock someone away more than ten meters if he sprinted at full speed."

"That's no different from being hit by a car. If you don't have protective gear, you will be killed." Zhang Heli said with a smile.

4:0, Spurs attack.

In this offense, the Spurs played a weak-side pick-and-roll offense, with Duncan in the low post on the right wing and Ginobili launching an attack from the left wing.

This tactic is to attract the Knicks' defensive strength to the strong side and create opportunities for Duncan and Tony Parker on the weak side.

He first called for a wing pick-and-roll on Nazr, pulling the Postman out of the restricted area, and then quickly rushed into the restricted area with the ball.

When he reached the left waist position, He Zhongqiu was forced to move to the left front side of the basket, and Duncan got an open space.

But Battier in the high position moved down to assist in defense, and a double-team was about to take place, so the pass might be intercepted, so at this moment, Ginobili passed the ball to Bowen at the top of the arc.

Facing Josh Howard's defense, Bowen did not shoot, but threw the ball with both hands and passed it straight to Duncan in the low post on the right wing.

In the low post on the right wing, Duncan got the ball. Facing the Wolverine He Zhongqiu who turned and pounced on him, he calmly took a step upward and hit a 45-degree rebound from the right waist position.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

He Zhongqiu failed to block the shot and the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket.

4:2, Knicks attack.

Right wing, Nash holds the ball.

The booing was fierce, and the home fans were desperately trying to distract the opponent players.

Some fans also used verbal abuse to stimulate Nash and try to influence him.

At this moment, Tony Parker suddenly poked the ball.

But Nash suddenly pulled the ball back, dodged the poke ball, turned right and broke through Tony Parker, striding towards the right elbow area.

"Good! Nash is in better condition than the last game." Zhang Heli said happily.

Bowen, who was in a high position, defended the right elbow area, and together with Tony Parker who caught up with him, formed a double-team on Nash.

At this moment, Nash pulled up the ball with his right hand and suddenly pushed it in front of his abdomen. The basketball instantly flew from Bowen's right side to the top of the arc.

"not good!"

Bowen stopped and dived back, but it was too late.

At the top of the arc, Battier received the ball and shot a three-pointer.

He Zhongqiu looked at the path of the ball and realized that it was too short and would bounce back, landing two meters in front of the basket, so he quickly moved to get into position.

Duncan also made the correct prediction. The two of them fought for the ball, but He Zhongqiu used his strength to affect the opponent's jump and grabbed the offensive rebound.

But Nazir and Duncan immediately came from below, and Bowen in the high position also rushed over. He immediately passed the ball to Battier, who took a second three-pointer.

"brush!"

A splash appeared and a three-pointer was made.

"Beautiful! Battier's open three-pointer is still trustworthy." Yu Jia said happily.

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Yes, everyone played poorly on the court, but he scored 10 points and made two three-pointers. He was the best player besides Zhongqiu."

7:2, the Spurs attacked and called a timeout.

Kenny Smith analyzed: “The Knicks made 4 of 3 shots, with Nash, Wolverine and Battier each making one shot.

The Spurs made 2 of 1 shots, all by Duncan. In fact, there was no problem with the offense, but they lost the backcourt rebound, allowing the Knicks to have a second offense. Coach Popovich must be dissatisfied with the team's defense. "

Barkley grinned and said, "75% success rate, there must be something wrong with the defense."

Jordan analyzed: "Wolverine's fast break, the Knicks played a fast-paced offense and defense transition, and the Spurs failed to defend against the opponent's fast pass.

Nash's layup was a pass from Wolverine after he attracted a double-team in the left elbow area, and the Spurs failed to defend Nash's cut.

Battier's three-pointer was the result of losing the backcourt rebound and Bowen leaving Battier open. "

On the Spurs bench, Popovich said in a low but very stern tone:

"I've told you before, we need to defend against quick passes and quick kicks. We must be specific about every transition between offense and defense. We must not let them pass the ball easily. Do you understand?"

"Also, when the smaller players are defending Wolverine's fast break, they can foul him. Don't give up on defense. Got it?"

"Backcourt rebounds must be secured. When Battier took his first shot just now, Bruce should have gone down to grab the rebound. Don't give up any rebounds, understand?" "The double-team on Nash must be tightened. Josh Howard can be left alone. You must keep a close eye on Nash and don't let him play."

"On offense, continue to strengthen the pick-and-roll tactics. Tim should try to get rid of Wolverine and then shoot, and make good use of the screens of his teammates."

After talking about defense, there were still a few seconds left, so he briefly explained the offense.

The timeout ended and the Spurs attacked, with Tony Parker calling a pick-and-roll for Duncan on the right wing.

When Duncan ran over to set the pick-and-roll, Battier in the high position had already pounced over to double-team Parker.

He Zhongqiu defended at the free throw line and could defend Bowen at the top of the arc at any time. The Postman under the basket defended at the right waist position and could defend Duncan.

But there was an open space under the basket, and Nazir quickly went under the basket to ask for the ball.

Tony Parker, who was trapped by Battier and Nash, was a little flustered. He couldn't see the open space under the basket and barely passed the ball to Duncan through the gap between people.

Duncan received the ball in the two-point zone on the right wing, and the Mailman rushed to him.

After Parker passed the ball, Battier did not choose to return to the top of the arc, but directly began to double-team Duncan below.

Under double-teaming, Duncan raised the ball high with both hands.

He saw that Wolverine was at the free throw line and could return to the basket at any time. The open space under the basket for Nazir was actually a defensive trap.

But at this time, Ginobili on the left wing was quickly cutting into the penalty area from the left elbow area. He threw the ball with both hands without hesitation and passed it.

"Pass the ball!" Barkley shouted urgently.

"Snapped!"

The next moment after Duncan passed the ball, He Zhongqiu took a step down and jumped high, grabbing the ball with one hand and intercepting it.

"Beautiful! Haha, Duncan's cross pass was intercepted by Wolverine, and Duncan made a mistake." Kenny Smith said.

"Knicks fast break!" Jordan shouted at this time.

On the Knicks' left wing, Nash is in front, Tony Parker is in the middle, and Battier is behind, all running towards the Knicks' frontcourt.

Behind the three was Duncan, also trying his best to return to defense.

"Whoosh!"

He Zhongqiu made a long pass from the free throw line, accurately passing it in front of Nash, who successfully caught it.

"Oops!"

Nazr, who had just run from the basket to He Zhongqiu and was about to stop the quick pass, knew that he was going to be scolded.

Bowen desperately returned to the basket, and Nash came in diagonally from the left wing.

Battier stopped outside the three-point line on the left wing, and Tony Parker didn't dare to let go and also stopped.

Nash passed in front of Bowen, and He Zhongqiu rushed to the free throw line. He threw the ball and then stepped away.

Although Duncan started earlier than He Zhongqiu, they were in similar positions and were defending from the wing. When He Zhongqiu rushed to the free throw line, he had just reached the left elbow area, which was a long way off.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, He Zhongqiu was like an eagle in the sky. He grabbed Nash's pass with one hand, drew his bow and arrow, and chopped down with all his might.

"boom!"

The next moment, there was a loud explosion sound.

9:2, Spurs attack.

The offense was weak and the defense was not effective, and Popovich couldn't sit still.

He shouted at the court: "Nazr, I just said to defend against quick throws and passes, what are you doing?"

Nazir nodded hurriedly, not daring to respond.

Zhang Heli said: "The Spurs played very well on defense in the last game, and the Knicks played very well on defense in this game.

But Popovich is very good at adjusting the team. The Spurs were in average condition at the start of the last game, but they quickly adjusted and won Game 3.

This Game 4 is very important for the Spurs. They cannot afford to lose. If they lose, they will lose the match point, and it will not be easy to make a comeback.

But the Knicks can’t afford to lose either. If they lose, they’ll go from leading 5- to -. Game will be at the Spurs’ home court, which is very dangerous.”

Yu Jia nodded and said, "As long as we can play well on defense, we can put pressure on the Spurs and force them to make mistakes on offense.

Zhongqiu has already made two fast breaks, both of which were successful, which shows that tonight's offensive tactics are very clear, using a fast-paced offense to break the Spurs' defense."

"brush!"

At this time, Ginobili made a quick stop jump shot outside the left waist position and scored a goal.

9:4, Knicks attack.

"Another quick attack!"

Kenny Smith shouted loudly during the offense and defense transition.

He Zhongqiu rushed to the front court, and Duncan followed behind, desperately chasing.

Meanwhile, at the baseline, the Postman prepared to serve, with Nazir waving his hands in front.

Except for Duncan and Nazir, the other three Spurs players kept a close eye on Nash and the other three, not relaxing for a moment.

By the time Nash rushed down and received the ball, Duncan and He Zhongqiu had both rushed to the top of the front arc, so there was no chance of a fast break.

But he still did not give up the opportunity for fast break, because he believed that Wolverine had a chance to single out Duncan.

So after receiving the ball, he dribbled once, got rid of Ginobili, and immediately made a long pass to He Zhongqiu.

This was a tactic Rick Carlisle had arranged early on, using He Zhongqiu's speed to make the Spurs run around on the defensive end, thus breaking the Spurs' league-best defense.

This tactic will test the physical fitness of He Zhongqiu and Nash, who are the two keys to the fast break tactics.

The basketball flew from the baseline to the frontcourt. He Zhongqiu and Duncan began to confront each other. Duncan was pushed aside, and He Zhongqiu occupied the best receiving position at the free throw line.

The next moment, the basketball fell, He Zhongqiu jumped to catch the ball, and when he landed on the ground, Duncan had already blocked him from behind.

"Oh!"

While dribbling with his left hand, He Zhongqiu dribbled the ball and arched his back once, knocking Duncan back. Then he immediately turned right, pushed Duncan with his right elbow, and forced his way to the basket.

At this moment, a terrifying explosive force broke out, and at the moment of physical contact, Duncan was knocked back by the huge force.

"boom!"

The next moment, He Zhongqiu stepped towards Duncan and jumped up, and after a ferocious two-handed dunk, he hung on the basket.

Duncan fell down with a bang and was dunked under the basket.

"Di!"

Duncan didn't have time to jump up to defend in the legal collision zone and was called for a blocking foul.

"Oh ho!"

The Knicks bench and hundreds of Knicks fans who came from afar immediately cheered.

"This is a goal that boosts morale and undermines the opponent's morale." Zhang Heli said excitedly.

"One-on-one, a duel between the leaders of both sides, Zhongqiu wins." Yu Jia shouted excitedly.

Popovich, standing on the sidelines, had a very serious expression on his face. After the timeout, the team was beaten 4 to 2. The defensive tactics were ineffective and the timeout did not solve the problem.

This time it should be said that Duncan had returned to defense, but Nash still forced a fast break.

Let him realize one thing, the Knicks should consciously strengthen the rhythm of offense and defense, and consciously increase fast break tactics.

Before He Zhongqiu made the free throw, he called another timeout.

"The Spurs called a timeout again?" Barkley said in surprise.

"We should probably rearrange our defensive tactics," said Kenny Smith.

Jordan analyzed: "How to solve the Knicks' fast break is what the Spurs have to do. But I don't think there is any good way to solve it."

Barkley thought for a moment and said, "Defend against quick starts and quick passes, plus backcourt pressure, Duncan follows Wolverine closely, that's how the Spurs defended just now, but Nash still passed the ball."

Jordan said: "Nash's passing ability and Wolverine's personal ability are the foundation of the Knicks' fast break tactics.

If the Spurs want to defend, they must and can only start from these two points, there is no other way. "

On the Spurs bench, Popovich could only repeat the same old tune and once again emphasized the importance of defending against quick starts and passes, especially the defense against Nash.

"You can't let Nash get the ball out quickly."

"Manu, you have to entangle him. Don't be afraid of fouling. This is our home court. This is the finals. We can't lose again."

(End of this chapter)