Chapter 159 The key to breaking the situation

Author: Feng Yuanhua

Chapter 159 The key to breaking the situation

"David, pay attention to retreat, Avery, and Mario, you need to retreat faster!"

Popovich stood up from the bench and shouted his plan.

That is to say, it has only been a while since the game, otherwise, he would have called a timeout directly.

Sure enough, in the next few attacks, the Spurs almost gave up the fight for secondary rebounds.

At most it's Duncan, try it if you have the chance.

Everyone else will retreat immediately, which directly eliminates the Sonics' opportunity to play a fast break.

I have to say that the Spurs deserve to be last year's champion.

Apart from anything else, this tactical execution alone cannot be matched by other teams.

After adjusting their tactics, the SuperSonics actually had a harder time playing, but it didn't mean they couldn't score points.

If there is no defensive help and Gary Payton hits Johnson, it will be a one-hit-one hit.

And Wang Hao also took advantage of Mario's defense.

This can show the strength of the Spurs inside, wiping the butts of teammates in various ways, and wiping them very well.

Of course, the rest of the Spurs are just a little bit inferior purely as individuals, but in fact, they're pretty good.

At least, they can guarantee a certain shooting percentage when Duncan and David Robinson are double-teamed.

On the other hand, the Sonics are a bit stretched.

Horace's ability to organize offense is insufficient, so Ruben Patterson will make an air cut, and Vin Baker will be directly pressed to death.

Gary Payton and Wang Hao split the ball many times, but their shooting percentages were average.

The first quarter lasted for 10 minutes, and the two sides rotated their lineups. The score was fixed at 18:22.

The Sonics trailed by 4 points.

Don't underestimate these 4 points. In such a slow-paced and high-intensity defense, it is not easy to catch up with 4 points.

Wang Hao walked off the field panting heavily. Although he had only played one game, he was already sweating profusely.

Not only that, looking at the red marks on my arms and the pain in my chest, it felt like a fight.

It is indeed a fierce confrontation in the playoffs.

You thought Wang Hao suffered a big loss, but look at Mario again. Mario also looked in pain at this time.

Of course, they are all minor injuries and there are no critical injuries.

Not only the two of them, but also Horace and David Robinson, were hugging each other for almost the entire game.

As the saying goes, if you want to get the ball, fight first.

Although it didn't reach the level of a fight, every few rounds, someone had to lie on the ground.

Real floor streaming competition!

That is to say, Gary Payton took a big advantage in the confrontation with Johnson.

Of course, as long as he dares to break through to the inside, what awaits him is a merciless greeting.

In the entire first quarter of the game, Wang Hao only scored 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, which didn't look particularly bad.

It's just that he didn't score a single goal in a sports game and only made 3 of 4 free throws. This is really not a normal performance.

There is no way, everyone is fighting.

Although I had expected the intensity of the playoffs, when it came to the game, it was really overwhelming.

Wang Hao is pretty good, look at Ruben Patterson and Lewis.

After two air cuts, he entered the paint and was knocked to the ground. Reuben Patterson no longer dared to rush in again.

As for Lewis, it was even more the case. Under the fierce confrontation, he was even a little unsure of the ball.

Thanks to Brent Barry hitting a three-pointer, otherwise, the score would have been directly opened.

There was no way, Paul Westphal had no choice but to send Gary Payton.

No need to think about it, Gary Payton's playing time in this game will only last 45 minutes.

Paul Westphal deliberately changed his position and sat next to Wang Hao, as if he had something to say to Wang Hao.

"Wang, how do you feel about the first playoff game?"

Paul Westphal's tone was very kind, without the slightest hint of anger.

Even before the game, he was very confident, saying that the Spurs were unbalanced inside and outside and could only rely on two insiders.

In fact, the same goes for the Sonics. In offense, they basically can only rely on Wang Hao and Gary Payton.

Therefore, he also knows very well that whether he can win this series depends on the performance of the two people in the game.

"Basketball game? I feel like I just finished a wrestling match!"

Hearing this, Paul Westphal was a little stunned, but he had to admit that this was the playoffs.

However, Paul Westphal obviously did not intend to continue this topic, but instead analyzed the situation on the field for Wang Hao.

"Wang, you have also seen that we played very hard and the Spurs' defense was very tenacious.

Under such circumstances, it is difficult for us to get an easy shot space, and we need to take a shot in a confrontation every time.

Now, we need someone to break the situation, and in my opinion, this person can only be you!"

Paul Westphal looked at Wang Hao sincerely, but Wang Hao was a little calm.

This makes Paul Westphal very powerless. He is the head coach. If you give such trust to a player, shouldn't you show a little excitement?

"So, Mr. Coach, what do you need me to do?"

Fortunately, Paul Westphal was not so stingy and immediately focused on the game again.

"Break through and then take a shot from mid-range!"

Split the Spurs' defense from the middle position, preventing them from looking at each other from the beginning to the end.

In fact, this was originally a tactic formulated before the game, but once the tactic was formulated, it may not be effective.

In fact, throughout the first quarter of the game, the Sonics tried many mid-range shots.

Vin Baker, Horace, and even Ruben Patterson have all taken shots from mid-range.

Unfortunately, the effect is not that good.

On the one hand, the Spurs' defense was very tough and did not leave too many openings. On the other hand, the Sonics' mid-range was unstable.

They have already scored two goals in a row. If they continue to score goals, they will inevitably force the Spurs to adjust their defense.

But unfortunately, in the next few shots, none of them scored.

Instead of the Spurs being the first to adjust their defense, the Sonics were the first to adjust their offense.

In this way, the goal will naturally not be achieved.

At this time, someone needs to step up and break the situation, either Gary Payton or Wang Hao.

Today, Paul Westphal chose to believe in Wang Hao.

Wang Hao naturally understands that it is not difficult to shoot in the mid-range. What is difficult is to put the ball in while ensuring the hit rate.

Looking back at the game, Gary Payton seemed a little helpless alone, and the Spurs scored again.

Some people may want to say, isn't the Spurs only led by David Robinson?

This is what the Spurs, or Popovich, are about.

Putting aside the fact that Popovich created Bruce Bowen, a killer, from a basketball perspective alone, Popovich is worthy of being the top coach in the NBA.

Especially his ability to discover players, it is really not an exaggeration to say that he is the best in the league.

With Duncan and the continuous discovery of players, the Spurs have been strong for 20 years.
Chapter completed!