SWDnovel Chapter 283 Brother Derby
Chapter 283 Brother Derby
Chapter 283 Brother Derby
Before 03, Popovich used the defensive advantages of Duncan and Bowen to build the Spurs into the best defensive team in the league.
After 03, Bowen gradually aged. The newly joined Parker and Ginobili were all players who were good at cutting and didn't pay much attention to defense. The Spurs' defensive system therefore faced a huge challenge.
Popovich immediately reformed the Spurs, transforming from a tactical system that emphasizes defense and light offense to an air-cut attack lineup with Duncan as the core and "sports car" and "demon knife" as the auxiliary.
The Spurs thus won three championship trophies.
Later, when Duncan got old, Popovich lowered Duncan's possession of the ball based on player changes, and focused on Parker, Ginobili and Leonard in the backcourt.
The Spurs, who are engaged in "team basketball" and "hammer tactics", once again dominated the league after 2010.
In 2014, the Spurs defeated the Big Three of the Heat 4-1 in the finals, completed their revenge, and won the fifth NBA championship trophy for the team.
Popovich may not be as good as Zen Master Phil Jackson in tactics.But from the perspective of knowing people well and doing their best, Popovich is definitely the best coach in the league who is good at employing people.
Popovich knew exactly what DeRozan wanted to do in this game, so he didn't hesitate to give DeRozan all the ball.
Sure enough, DeRozan did not disappoint Popovich. In the first half of the game, DeRozan made sudden shots, hitting his former brothers who couldn't find North.
Compared with Lowry, DeRozan is younger and more energetic.
DeRozan's peak has not yet arrived. After he came to the Spurs, he has improved every month.
DeRozan also wants to complete a zero seal against his former owner at the Spurs' home court.
Now Lowry is not DeRozan's opponent at all.
At the end of the halftime game, DeRozan had scored 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, helping the Spurs lead the Raptors by a full 17 points.
During the intermission, Lowry was very depressed.
It is not a pleasant thing to be hammered by one's own brother on the field.
Lowry only scored 9 points in this game, including 3 of 1 three-pointers and a shooting percentage of over 40%.
Ge Feng discussed with his teammates how to limit DeRozan's performance.
DeRozan's offensive efficiency is very high. Lowry and DeRozan have the best relationship. He must know why DeRozan is so fierce.
In the sense of a brother, Lowry is very willing to help DeRozan complete his revenge on his old master.
But the paradox of the problem is that Lowry's own team is not DeRozan's former owner?
Lowry also doesn't want to lose the game, which has something to do with the ethics of a professional athlete.
If DeRozan wants to win, he must let him win with his own ability. Lowry will not show mercy. On the contrary, he will put in 120% of his efforts to limit DeRozan as much as possible.
DeRozan has a high ball possession coefficient in this game.
Halfway through the game, DeRozan took more shots than the Spurs core Aldridge.
This is the terrible thing about the Spurs culture. The Spurs have never had a well-deserved first offensive point like Kobe and James.
In Popovich's coaching philosophy, I will use whoever is in better condition.
Back in the second half, after the two sides exchanged venues, the ball belonged to the Raptors.
According to the adjustments made by the midfielder, Ge Feng started the No. 2 position in the second half and played against DeRozan.
Ge Feng is the main swingman this season, and Nas's change is reasonable.
Lowry's speed can no longer keep up with DeRozan. If he continues to play at this pace, Lowry will be overshadowed by DeRozan sooner or later.
There is no way, the two of them have been working together for 8 years, and they are too familiar with each other.
As a replacement, Lowry stayed off the court to rest, and Nurse moved Siakam to the 3rd position by the way, allowing Gasol Jr. and Ibaka to appear on the court at the same time.
The Raptors' lineup is slow, but it has a very obvious restraint effect on teams that are good at hitting mid-range shots.
DeRozan's three-point ability is not strong. After Gasol Jr. increases the height of the inside line, DeRozan's shots will be much more dangerous than in the first half.
The Spurs' top three-pointers this season are Rudy Gay and Bryn Forbes.
Forbes is slightly weaker than Van Fleet, and Siakam's wingspan can also effectively interfere with Rudy Gay's three-pointer.
The Raptors took the lead in changing formations, and the results were remarkable.
The backcourt composed of Van Vleet and Ge Feng has better long-range shooting ability.
Not long after returning from the third quarter, Ge Feng and Van Vleet completed the cooperation, and finally Van Vleet opened his hand and hit a three-pointer.
The ball was switched, and DeRozan's breakthrough was cut off by Ge Feng.
DeRozan froze for a moment.
After not playing with Ge Feng for a year, Ge Feng was able to steal his ball.
The Raptors counterattacked defensively. Since the ball was dropped in the backcourt, the Spurs had no time to return to defense and could only watch Ge Feng hit an empty basket.
As soon as the game came back, the Raptors immediately played a wave of 5-0.
Popovich loudly directed the players to defend from the sidelines.
The Raptors' rotation depth is better than that of the Spurs. The current lineup of the Raptors on the field happens to be the lineup Popovich is least willing to face.
This is DeRozan's disadvantage. A guard who can't shoot three-pointers is destined to be unable to go higher in the small ball era.
The Spurs are in offensive trouble, and the Raptors are playing more and more smoothly.
Siakam hits the frame face-to-face. Facing Rudy Gay, Siakam has an absolute speed advantage.
Rudy Gay is having a hard time keeping up with Siakam's start speed.
Siakam rushed in another goal, and the point difference was suddenly reduced to only 10 points.
Popovich, out of breath, reached out for a timeout.
When the Spurs players returned to the bench, they were scolded by Popovich.
Popovich is notoriously violent, but every time Popovich scolds, the players can listen to it.
Back from the timeout, the Spurs focused on defense, and the Raptors also began to get into offensive trouble.
The two sides played a high-quality 5-minute defensive time, and the score has been stalemate at around 10 points.
In the fourth quarter, Popovich imitated Nass, put Paul Gasol on the field, and partnered with Aldridge, with the purpose of competing with the Raptors inside.
After the fans saw the Gasol brothers facing each other, they immediately stood up and cheered for Gasol.
Gasol is 39 years old this year, and he is not far from the day of retirement.
This season, Ke Sao averaged only 4.2 points per game, and he couldn't even play as a second-round substitute in the Spurs.
But facing the defending champion, Popovich actually put Gasol on the field.
Popovich does have his own system in terms of employment.
The big and small Gasol have a very good relationship, but even on the court, no one accepts the other.
When Gasol came on the field, Gasol's eyes immediately changed.
The two brothers entangled tightly and began to fight desperately for every inch of the floor.
The focus of the two teams began to be on the inside, and the Gasol brothers were the most active.
No matter who of the two of them beats the other, it may affect the outcome of the game.
(End of this chapter)