"Kawhi used the fadeaway jumper that we were all familiar with. As people have emphasized many times before, he is the one who is most like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in using fadeaway jumpers in the current league.
"
"In the past two years, he has been seeking improvement on the offensive end. He is no longer a tool who can only contribute on the defensive end. Strictly speaking, from last season, he was the most comprehensive offensive and defensive player in the league.
guy"
"This is also the reason why many Spurs fans still can't forgive Zaza Pachulia, because he almost ruined Kawhi Leonard and ruined a league superstar. Before the start of this game, we have always said
, Kawhi Leonard is the absolute leader of this team today, but to be honest, I think Bayonet's performance is better than him, and Bayonet's performance is more like a leader."
"Everyone has seen the intensity of this game. For both players, this is not just a matter of victory or defeat, but also a battle of honor. In this case, Kawhi Leonard must win.
To show his peak state, he must show the energy he had before the injury. Only in this way can the Spurs have a chance to win the game. If he is still waiting for the bayonet to fight against the Warriors' Big Four alone, then in this game they will
You will definitely lose”
Shaquille O'Neal's words were very sharp. Although he saw Leonard's peak factor in the fadeaway jumper just now, he still directly said that this is not enough. Leonard must perform better.
OK.
However, what Shaquille O'Neal didn't know was that the real Leonard had actually officially returned when he hit that ultimate fadeaway jumper just now.
So far in this game, not only Draymond Green and Stephen Curry from the Warriors are back, but Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs is also back.
This means that this competition will only be more intense than people imagine.
Kawhi Leonard scored 9 points by himself in just the next 3 minutes, helping the Spurs take the lead, and his enthusiasm completely ignited the passion of the home fans.
From Matt Bonner's perspective, it's been a long time since he's seen the ATAT Center share the same hatred.
And this seems to be a kind of historical reincarnation.
The San Antonio Spurs are the representative of the old and powerful team in the Western Conference, while the Golden State Warriors are the new hegemon in recent years. The grudges between these two teams should have gone deep into the sea. It is like the relationship between the Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The grievances between each other are the same.
"Man, this is our greatest confidence. I made the right bet. This also proves that I, Gregg Popovich, did not misjudge the person. The real Kawhi is back. The omnipotent guy is back. When we welcome
After returning to the real Kawhi, why can't we win this game?"
On the Spurs bench, Popovich held Messina's hand with great excitement. Maybe it's only now in this series that he, Gregg Popovich, really feels that the San Antonio Spurs really have a chance to reach the Finals.
The entire second quarter of the game became Leonard's personal performance. In the absence of Jiang Hao, he led the team to play the entire game alone. He scored 16 points in the entire second quarter.
Although, at 56:54, the Spurs only took a 2-point lead, Leonard's outburst has obviously had a major impact on this game.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and even Kevin Durant continued to maintain a good state in the second quarter, but in the face of Leonard's sudden explosion, as many people lamented,
It was the best result for the Warriors not to fall behind by a big score.
But frankly speaking, from Steve Kerr's perspective, this is not what he wants to see, because Leonard's threat in his heart is no worse than a bayonet from beginning to end, and Leonard is his most
The feared Spurs player.
Cole is happy for the return of Curry and Green, but at the same time he is also troubled by the return of Leonard.
How terrifying Leonard is at his peak, Steve Kerr, and even the entire Warriors learned this lesson last season.
And don't forget, that old fox Gregg Popovich didn't let Bayonet play in the entire second quarter of the game. In this way, Bayonet, who has been able to build up his strength, will not be much less of a threat in the second half of the game.
Although the assistant coaches told him that the third quarter has always been their advantage, Cole was still a little worried. He knew very well the special nature of today's game. This specialness may not rely on the name "Yong San Crazy"
It can be broken.
Popovich, who never likes to speak during halftime, made an exception tonight. As soon as the players returned to the locker room, he came to the middle of the locker room and immediately signaled to everyone.
"Kids, I was incredible for your performance in the first half. To be honest, this series has been going on so far, and we are making history every step forward. Who are our opponents? They have four All-Star gold medals.
The State Warriors, they were the defending champions, no one thought highly of us, and before this series started, no one chose to be on our side except ourselves.”
"But now, we are leading 2:0 with a total score. Even in this game, we are still leading at halftime. Kids, what does this mean? I think everyone knows that for so many years, the San Antonio Spurs have always been the leading team.
A strong team in the league, to put it bluntly, we are strong contenders for the championship almost every season, but we don’t win the O’Brien Cup many times in the end. I have to admit that this is a pity.
The regret of this team is the regret of the city of San Antonio, and it is also the regret of me, Gregg Popovich. So, let’s fight, we don’t want to have any regrets this season..."
Popovich's passionate speech filled the entire locker room. He did not talk about how to play the next game, but just told everyone that he did not want to have any regrets this season.
Jiang Hao's heart became heavy because he knew exactly what Popovich meant when he said these words.
He clearly remembered that in the in-depth conversation between him and Popovich in March, Popovich told him that the reason why he was unwilling to leave his job even though he was about to be 70 years old,
I just want to win another championship.
Frankly speaking, at that time, Jiang Hao was already shocked by Popovich's ambition, and that was one of the reasons why he really started to respect Popovich from the bottom of his heart.
A 70-year-old man is still eager to win, so what reason does a young man in his 20s have for not fighting hard?
Maybe when Popovich said this, he didn't expect that the Spurs would go so far this season and really have a chance to touch the O'Brien Trophy.
But Jiang Hao now understands in his heart that maybe just ten minutes ago, Popovich had made up his mind. Maybe this season will be the last moment of his coaching career.
From an emotional point of view, Jiang Hao does not want Popovich to leave the league. Because of this, he can even deliberately not win the game.
But he can't do this, because from another level, he must go all out. This is the greatest respect for Popovich and the best retirement gift he gave to the old man.
Therefore, a scholar dies for a confidant.
Jiang Hao gritted his teeth. He was already prepared for the cruelty of the second half of the game, but he would go all out until Loulan refused.
In fact, the atmosphere in the Spurs locker room at this time seemed very calm, but the desire to fight in everyone's eyes was unprecedented.
Especially the three veterans, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, plus LaMarcus Aldridge.
………
In the visiting team's locker room, Steve Kerr was actually not idle. He was making final arrangements with his assistants. The only thing Kerr was lucky about was that he had four All-Stars.
Seems more relaxed.
As for the mobilization work, Draymond Green is also doing it at the moment. Green is standing in the middle of the locker room. He directly told Kevin Durant that the team will play offensive basketball in the third quarter. He hopes that Durant will play offensive basketball in the third quarter.
Rant doesn't want to stick to the ball too much. He even hopes that Durant can play the role that Barnes once had.
Cole did not interrupt Green, and Teacher Du did not show any obvious dissatisfaction, because the Warriors' former "Five Deaths" were indeed the biggest support for their rise, and they are relying on them at this most critical moment.
Reliance, there is no problem.
………
"It's hard to say, but we have to admit that both teams played to their true level in the first two quarters. Whether it was Stephen Curry's explosion or Leonard's return, we saw the real level.
The point difference between them is very tight now. The Spurs are only leading by 2 points. From another perspective, they are not even leading."
"In the upcoming third quarter, Steve Kerr can rely on Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and even I have a feeling that Klay Thompson will also wake up, and
For Gregg Popovich, he can rely on Kawhi Leonard, and he can also rely on China Jiang who has been resting for a long time. And don't forget that Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are still there at critical moments.
, Veterans like them have the ability to defeat the enemy with one strike."
"So, this is really an unpredictable game. To be honest, I think it is normal for the public opinion to win in the end, and I believe that the fans of both teams can also accept it, because everyone has seen the players at their peak.
Their performance showed them going all out.”
In the TNT live broadcast room, the three old partners rarely joked anymore, but seriously analyzed the final trend of the game.
Chapter completed!