The Way of the Center - Chapter 797
What does a real team leader look like? Not only can he perform well on the court himself, he can also make his teammates around him become even better.
This is why even though the current trailblazers are shining brightly, the absolute leader is still An Jie.
In this game, Anjie made a huge change for Nurkic. This smart European big man learns very quickly, and all this is due to the conversation between An Jie and him.
When Popovich found that the Spurs’ breakthrough offense was no longer smooth, the half-time game was almost over.
Nurkic is very active on the defensive end. On the offensive end, this guy’s big hands like suckers also sent out many wonderful passes, giving his teammates many opportunities.
The commentators all exclaimed, they all said that they seemed to have seen a young An Jie!
Look at the pass, look at the defense. Except for Nurkic being a little fatter and shorter, he is very similar to An Jie during the Thunder period.
Only Jeff Van Gundy, who has coached Anjie himself, knows that there is still a big gap between Nurkic and Anjie when he was young. First offensively, Nurkic is not as comprehensive as Anjie. Secondly, on the defensive end, Nurkic’s movement speed and ability to read the game are far worse.
But I have to admit that this European big man has done a very good job. As the core of a second team, he has passed.
In the last offense of the second quarter, Nurkic leaned on David Lee’s turning hook and hit the hook, which ended the first half of the battle between the two sides. And after Nurkic scored, Anjie also waved the towel excitedly.
Where is the Spurs? From the coach of Popovich to the two cores of Aldridge and Leonard, they are all close to each other.
Behind the Trail Blazers by 5 points at half time, this is really not something to be happy about. Popovich thought that the trailblazers just formed, due to lack of tacit understanding and many stars, it is likely to be very chaotic.
However, it turns out that Anjie and the others have overcome the difficulty of tacit understanding long ago. Even Nurkic in the second team can be affected and benefit from it, let alone Morris and Paul George.
“LaMarcus, you have to be more aggressive in the second half of the game! Before, you were a bit too hesitant. Parker fed you a lot of balls, and you just passed them back! I know you want to be better. But under Morris’s entanglement, the kind of opportunity you desire is rare! Don’t hesitate, just vote!” Popovich now knows that he wants to win this **** opener. Have to rely on Aldridge and Leonard.
Rudy Gay and Ginobili are good, but they have passed the age that can change the game. What’s more, now there is still a Nurkic halfway through. Therefore, he asked Aldridge, who played tepid in the first half, to be more determined. As for Leonard, Popovich doesn’t need to talk to him. The guy who was more silent than Aldridge knew what to do next!
Aldridge squeezed his fists, and he didn’t want to lose in front of Anjie. No matter how you say it, he was also the second-largest figure in the pioneer dynasty!
In the second half of the game, it’s time for the Spurs to emerge!
The intermission time passed quickly, and amidst the cheers of the fans at the ATT Center, the Spurs made a comeback with the starting five.
Anjie looked at Aldridge opposite, beckoned Morris to his side.
“Be careful, guys, LaMarcus guy, you’re going to be hard.” After working with Aldridge for so many years, Anjie only needs to look at the guy’s eyes to know what he wants to do.
Morris nodded silently. Morris knew how powerful Aldridge’s offense was. He didn’t want to make a big mistake because of arrogance.
Sure enough, at the beginning of the third quarter, Aldridge used a turnaround jumper from the middle distance to give the Spurs the lead.
In order to avoid a foul, Morris did not dare to rush forward with all his strength. But he still blocked Aldridge’s sight. He can guarantee that the guy Aldridge can’t see the basket when shooting.
Even under the defense that almost sealed his face, Aldridge still scored. For a guy like him who shoots well, the rim only needs to be aimed at, that’s enough!
“Damn it.” An Jie couldn’t help cursing. If Aldridge really throws away, let alone Morris, he may not even be able to suppress it even if he goes out in person.
Although Aldridge scored a beautiful goal offensively, when the Trail Blazers counterattacked, the Spurs had little choice.
Lillard made a pass, and then broke through with a false shot!
The no longer young “French sports car” Parker simply couldn’t keep up with Lillard’s footsteps. Lillard did not hesitate, and when he got the chance, he directly stopped and shot the jumper. The basketball enters the net hollow and the points difference continues.
This is the dilemma the Spurs have to face now. There are too many people who can score. From position 1 to position 5, none of them are fuel-efficient lamps. They worked so hard to score on the offensive end, but couldn’t keep the result on the defensive end.
Morris? Indeed, Morris’s autonomous offensive ability is really not good. But his superb ball-free pick-and-rolls can help offensive teammates get a bigger gap. Offense does not necessarily mean scoring is called offense. Off-ball pick-and-roll, isn’t it a rare part of the offense?
“Don’t be discouraged, let’s continue!” Popovich’s roar sounded again. From the beginning of the game to the present, Popovich seems to have not stopped. He has been on the sidelines to and fro, yelling non-stop.
Where is Ricard? This guy is now sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, but his expression is not so relaxed.
Inspired by Popovich, Aldridge, who received a pass from Parker, once again got a single chance to play Morris.
Gasol nailed Angel in the penalty area, while Leonard, Parker and Danny Green pinned the rest of the Trail Blazers to the three-point line. And the entire middle distance space is the battlefield of Aldridge and Morris.
Aldridge has particularly high requirements for the offensive environment. In the past, as long as the position was slightly out of Aldridge’s habits, he would choose to pass Parker back. This guy seems to never play an insecure ball.
But sometimes, too much pursuit of stability will miss many opportunities. Sometimes, the core of the team needs to convert opportunities that are not opportunities into opportunities.
So today, Aldridge must fight. The meaning of Popovich’s words is obvious, San Antonio Spurs, now you need Aldridge to stand up!
Aldridge took a big breath, glanced at the basket from the corner of his head, and started to push forward.
Unsurprisingly, the strong Morris is like a bunch of “small mountains”, let Aldridge use his strength, he is completely unmoved.
An Jie let out a sigh of relief, at least for the first time, Morris resisted it.
Aldridge saw that he couldn’t continue to get close to the basket, and if he turned over and made a jump shot at this distance, it would be too difficult.
So this guy simply turned around and broke through! Morris didn’t think of Aldridge’s choice at first.
As mentioned earlier, anticipation is a very important part of defense. Since Morris did not expect Aldridge to break through, he did not react in time.
Just when Aldridge broke through to the edge of the three-second zone, he suddenly stopped one after another and turned around and shot directly!
Morris chased his head over due to inertia, too late to react. Aldridge’s shooting was as stable as ever, and the Spurs once again bit the score!
“Boy, are you determined to fight to the end?” An Jie picked up the basketball on the ground, feeling nervous. The hardest part of the game finally came…
※※※
Anjie is very happy. Although the game has entered the final stage and the Trail Blazers are only leading by six points, Anjie is still very happy. If the game were won so easily, it would be too boring.
“Ann, it’s the last two and a half minutes. You and Morris switch defenses, and I want you to defend Aldridge yourself. Strangle me the kid LaMarcus!” Ricard patted Anjie on the shoulder. An Jie made an “OK” gesture.
“Leave it to me, boss.”
“George, it’s time to score. Take out the energy you had when you were in the Pacers. At the last moment, Ann is responsible for the defense, and you give me the responsibility for scoring!” Ricard turned his attention to Paul George again. If such a super scorer is not used, it would be too wasteful.
Perhaps the most important deployment tonight is the completion of both coaches. Players from both sides are back on the field.
Aldridge scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. No matter how hard Morris works, he can’t effectively contain Aldridge’s offense.
Aldridge in the right form should be the hope of the Spurs, but when people find that the person facing Aldridge at this moment is Anjie, everyone can’t help but worry.
Anjie did not stand behind Aldridge like Morris did. He moved quickly and walked around Aldridge to defend himself!
“Ann chose to defend Aldridge around the front, he held his arms high, it was impossible for Parker to pass the ball!”
“Damn!” Aldridge immediately began to move, he didn’t want to be watched to death by Anjie. However, Anjie is always with himself, he knows Aldridge’s running habits, and he knows where Aldridge likes to catch the ball.
It can be said that Anjie has completely blocked Aldridge’s receiving route. There is no way, Parker can only beckon Gasol to come forward for the pick-and-roll, the plan must be changed!
In the end, Parker found Leonard who cut inside. But under Morris’s active defense, Leonard’s forced layup missed.
Anjie immediately shook Aldridge away, leaped high, and took off the defensive rebound.
Then, Angel skipped Lillard and gave the ball directly to Paul George!
In the past, as long as George played against Anjie, he would be extremely excited and perform very well.
Now, as An Jie’s teammate, George’s hard work is even stronger!
George received the basketball, did not slow down, and continued to advance at high speed!
He used a back dribble to pass Danny Green, who was about to intercept himself midway. Facing Leonard’s defense, George shook his upper body and changed his direction quickly, allowing him to overtake in an instant!
Suddenly, George suddenly opened up, and only Parker was left. Parker stood on his feet and wanted to make George an offensive foul. But George adjusted his steps in time, stepped aside, and made an easy layup from the side.
“It’s too fast, the Blazers’ offense is too fast. This may be the only team in the entire league that can control both fast and slow pace at the same time!”
After George scored, he and An Jie slammed his chest in the air. Aldridge gritted his teeth when he saw this scene, he couldn’t lose!
For the second goal, Aldridge finally received the basketball after strenuous efforts. At this moment, he is at a 45-degree position near the three-second zone. This is Aldridge’s favorite shooting point!
He didn’t hesitate, just turned over and shot a jumper after a flicker shot!
If Morris is defending Aldridge at the moment, Aldridge may have scored again. But Anjie’s height and wingspan ~www.mtlnovel.com~ and Morris are not at the same level.
Aldridge’s turn-over jumper had just been shot, and he was slammed back by An Jie who was familiar with him!
It’s Paul George, this guy picked up the slapped basketball. The Spurs immediately surrounded by two players, for fear that this fellow George would start fast.
But George did not choose to break through. The team today is completely different from the Pacers. George is not the only one who can score.
George passed the ball hard, and Lillard, who had already been activated, was George’s pass goal.
After receiving the ball, Lillard quickly went straight into the penalty area. Under the pressure of Parker, Lillard passed the ball back to his head.
The basketball spun quickly and fell into An Jie’s hands. Under Aldridge’s pull, Anjie forced a jump and dunk!
The Trail Blazers not only scored two points, but they also had to add penalties! After a wave of offense, the Trail Blazers instantly widened the point difference! At this time, there was only one and a half minutes left before the end of the game!
Popovich looked at the No. 21 jersey hanging on the dome of the ATT center. Unfortunately, you are no longer here…
This gray-haired old man gently put down the tactical board. He must admit that this Portland Trailblazer is really too strong…
At the same time, Anjie successfully made an extra free throw from the free throw line. This ordinary free throw silenced the entire ATT center.
One and a half minutes, 11 points behind, the opponent is the powerful Portland Trail Blazers, An Jie, the league’s first man. But fans who can accept the reality know that the Spurs have been unable to recover.
An Jie and his new Trail Blazers took the Spurs, a traditional team, and this is just the beginning. The next thing that will be torn apart by the Trail Blazers is the entire league! 19689