Chapter 770 [Under pressure, reversal and promotion]
After the timeout, the two teams continued to compete with the small ball tactics.
Popovich did not consider using Oberto, Bonner, Horry and others. The team mainly relied on 8 players to rotate and fucked the main players.
The Spurs have a lot of physical strength, but they are not able to defend against three-pointers on the outside, and the offensive end is not very effective. If Popovich had become ruthless early and would not use these people, the Spurs would not fall behind 1-2 in the first three games, and maybe they could only take 5 games to get the Suns.
In that case, Guo Xu will be in trouble for a comeback and will not be able to rest for 20 days.
Now Popovich has not reserved and has made the main players play more. The Suns have passed the most difficult moment, and their core is to cheat back.
Guo Xu's way of organizing an offense is very simple. Sir gave Anthony no ball to cover him. Duncan defended Sir, and Guo Xu passed Anthony. He could catch the ball and take action, or he could attract Duncan to switch to Sir who was cutting the defense.
Once Duncan leaves the penalty area, Granger and Finley cannot defend the penalty area, and Xiao Si can play whatever he wants.
If Granger was responsible for preventing the pick-and-roll, Guo Xu would pass the ball to Marion, allowing him to catch the ball and shoot or break through with the ball.
Marion plays Duncan as a misplaced position. He is a weirdo, with the speed of the defender, the height of the small forward, the ability to defend power forwards, occasionally even work as a center, and has strong rebounding ability.
The Spurs failed to make a shot, and Guo Xu was able to instigate a counterattack. The pass was very accurate. The teammates got a chance to fight one-on-one and took quick action without waiting for the Spurs' defense to land.
The score was two digits behind, and the Spurs gradually became distracted on the offensive end. Bowen failed, and Finley's defense was worse.
Sir Sir defended Duncan in one single defense, allowing Duncan to take action from a farther position from the basket. If Duncan entered the basket, Sir Sir quickly fouled and sent Duncan free throws. Duncan's free throw was very accurate last season, and this year's playoff shooting rate dropped, only 62.6%.
After Anthony Parker made a three-pointer, the Suns led by 15 points in the last two minutes. At this time, D'Anthony replaced Valejo, Ariza strengthened the defense, allowing Guo Xu to leave the court early to rest. Roy appeared as a guest point guard and took the bench, and his tactics were changed to joint defense.
On the court, a center with four swingers was involved in the shooting in their respective areas, and Valejo defended the penalty area alone.
The Spurs were too far behind and could only gamble three points in the end. The three-pointer was stared very tightly, and Parker was embarrassed again when he was released. He missed the basket twice with three-pointers.
The Suns won 118 to 102 in the final game, and the total score tied 3 to 3, entering the tiebreak battle.
Six players in the Suns team scored in double digits. Guo Xu played for 34 minutes, made 4 of 7 shots, 3 of 6 three-pointers, scored 11 points, 2 rebounds and 25 assists. Although he made less than 10 shots, his assists were very scary, and he used his labor-saving style to drive his teammates.
Si scored 22 points and 8 rebounds, and performed well.
The Suns' top scorer was Marion, who played for 38 minutes and scored a game-high 34 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists.
On the Spurs side, Duncan performed the most, with 28 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Parker scored 22 points and 6 assists, which was also good. Others scored an average score, and the team's five players scored in double digits.
At the post-match press conference, Guo Xu was the focus of the whole audience. He planned to be dedicated today, so he deliberately arrived with a cane. As soon as he appeared, he attracted the audience's applause.
Everyone knows that he is on the battlefield with injuries, so he should be on the battlefield with injuries, otherwise some fans may suspect that he is cheating. This is not the case. Iverson often goes on the battlefield with injuries, running the fastest, jumping the highest, jumping in 20 injuries, jumping up and one-handedly patching the buttons...
The reporter asked: "You made very few moves today and didn't make many breakthroughs. Is it because of the impact of injuries?"
"To be honest, I don't dare to run very hard now and I can't jump. Fortunately, my teammates performed very well and they took on the offensive mission."
"You returned after 20 days of fracture and you had another 34 minutes. How do you feel now?"
"I feel great, but my legs hurt a little. This is because I have been playing for too long. The team doctor has checked me and the bones should not be moved. I will not participate in the team training tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. There is no problem for me to play again in the tiebreak battle the day after tomorrow."
The reporter asked: "Are you confident of leading the team to eliminate the Spurs?"
"Of course, if I were not injured, I should have a vacation waiting for the Eastern Conference team to break through. I performed well today, and we will play at home in the end, so we will definitely perform better."
Of course, Guo Xu could see how bad Parker played in the final quarter. He didn't mind adding some psychological pressure to Parker. He would boast about it first. There is no need to be low-key in the tiebreaker game, and neither side has a way out.
The teammates were interviewed and praised Guo Xu fiercely.
Xiao Si commented: "He is the best point guard, even if there is an injury. As long as they run out of the space, he can pass the ball immediately. It will be very easy to score with him."
Marion said: "He told me before the game that he would run boldly and run as fast as he could when counterattacking. He would pass the ball to me, and it turned out to be like that. If I cut in the side, I would often get the ball without even twisting my head."
D'Antoni said: "As long as Jason is there, the Suns will not lose. I firmly believe that, we will beat the Spurs and we will win the championship. I have long believed that he is a better player than Jordan."
The sixth game was actually a life-and-death battle. Two days later, Parker was in a sluggish state when he appeared, and he could even make a slut in the layup on his body.
In Guo Xu's previous life, Parker was quite strong in 2007, won two championships in 2003 and 2005, and as the absolute main force of the team, he developed a big heart. Now he only has one championship ring, which he got in the second season of his career. His performance in the finals was average, just to win the championship with his legs.
Parker has not yet met his celebrity girlfriend Eva Longoria, and has never experienced the pleasure of conquering female stars, which will also affect men's self-confidence.
In the past two days, all media and online fans have compared Guo Xu and Parker. The conclusion is consistent, and they believe that Parker's strength is not as good as Guo Xu with a leg injury.
It is impossible for ordinary people to imagine how much pressure Parker is under. As long as the Spurs are eliminated, he will definitely be criticized the worst.
Under heavy pressure, Parker was abnormal. He missed all mid- and long shots, and could only rely on breakthroughs to score. He was not even allowed to free throws, and he scored 10 points and 4 assists in the whole game. Without the performance of a key star, the Spurs' offense became more difficult than playing.
The Suns players performed very well with the injustice of Guo Xu. Guo Xu made beautiful passes again and again, and everyone took bold moves.
Marion broke out on the court, and Roy was the one who broke out.
Roy was sluggish for three games and finally got back to his form, disrupting the Spurs' defense with sharp breakthroughs and diverse offenses. When the Spurs strictly prevented three-pointers from the outside and strong attack in the penalty area, Roy easily got a chance to get a mobile phone from the middle distance.
He made 11 of 17 shots in the game, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Guo Xu doesn't exercise much and doesn't make much move. He only breaks through when he counterattacks or pick-and-rolls when facing the big guys. He made 4 of 9 shots in the game, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, scored 12 points and 20 assists, and assisted 20+ in two consecutive games.
Bowen's position became a bit embarrassing. When he appeared, Guo Xu would be more relaxed on the defensive end and could still defend him when he was half a head short. He could not play Guo Xu with the ball and forced a breakthrough and was intercepted. If he didn't play, the Spurs' wing defense would become weak again.
Popovich is not easy to adjust his lineup and can only fight with the Suns. The Spurs can defend Guo Xu from playing singles, but cannot defend him from passing the ball.
Chapter completed!