“Spurs-style” basketball In this game, although we did not win, we still played “Spurs-style” basketball.
The second-to-last in the West played first in the East, and the Celtics had a neat lineup, and the Spurs directly gave up the top three scorers in the team: Kelden Johnson was absent due to a left hamstring injury; Arthroscopic surgery on the left knee has not appeared recently; Poeltl also missed the game due to the left Achilles tendon bursa. You know, the three of them combined averaged more than 50 points per game, and their firepower output was reduced by half, and the opponent was the Eastern Conference champion last season, and they still played with all the main players. No matter how you look at it, it looks like a tragedy will happen today.
Unexpectedly, the Spurs fought the Celtics to the last moment. In this game, 8 Spurs scored in double figures. Jones, Collins and Richardson each scored 18 points, Langford 14 points, McDermott 13 points, Sohan 11 points, Branham and Stanley Johnson 10 points each. Lack of internal and external core, but all members are soldiers. In an instant, the author seems to have returned to the peak era of the Spurs. No one played more than 30 minutes+, no one scored more than 30+, but a few people scored 10+15+. Team basketball peak era.
The Spurs have never taken the lead in this game, but whenever the Celtics have an advantage to pull the score to double digits, they can’t help but make some low-level mistakes in the next round, allowing the Spurs to recover the score: Thom sends the ball directly out of bounds; for example, Brown misses two free throws. Although the scorer is absent, the Spurs’ offense is not “constipated”. Because everyone is good at a simple and efficient offensive method-throwing. The guards used the pick-and-roll to face Lowe, who couldn’t make up, and made throws; the insiders received the breakthrough points from their teammates or received the pass from the inside line and made high throws and hit the ball steadily. The author’s impression after watching this game is that half of the Spurs’ goals seem to be made through throws. I think Ben Simmons should love this team atmosphere very much.
In the final stage, Tatum’s baseline retreat and Horford’s key rebound helped the Celtics seal the victory. However, there are still two scenes that impressed me deeply: one is that McDermott missed a three-pointer and was counterattacked by the opponent during the point-chasing stage. However, in the next round at the same position, he still shot without hesitation. The knife fell, helping the team narrow the score; the second was the last attack on the Spurs side, the ball stumbled and was finally given to Sohan at a 45-degree angle. Even though he only made 20% of the three-pointers, he still shot decisively. In the end, the ball hit the frame and the Spurs lost their absolute chance. If this three-pointer is scored, it is very likely to achieve a super upset. Although the Spurs are now in a poor and weak state, from these few rounds, we can still see the enthusiasm and hard work of the players. I will not shrink back and look forward and backward because of poor record, but will strive for every opportunity with full confidence. In the post-match interview, Langford and Collins also said: I am very happy that Sohan made that three-pointer, which proves that he is very confident and reflects our progress.
How could such a passionate youth army have no future? The Celtics win, read this title by one inside and one outside, you may think that I will say Tatum/Brown and Horford, but it is not the case. As a Spurs fan, after watching this game, I was actually defeated by Brogdon and Roosevelt His teeth itch with arrogance.
The two brothers Tatum and Brown scored 63 points together, which is considered a normal output. And Brogdon’s 23 points were unexpected. What’s more, his scores all appeared at critical moments when the Spurs were chasing points. Although the Spurs did not take the lead in this game, they chased the score to only two or three points many times, and Brogdon always shot at such critical moments. He made 8 of 12 shots and 5 of 6 three-pointers. When the Spurs were about to rise, he shot cold arrows at the top of the arc many times to extinguish the Spurs’ counterattacks. His shot leans forward a little bit and pushes it a little bit, and every time you take it, you feel that he is short, but every time it can be hollowed into the net.
And Lowe had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in this game. His frame protection also made the Spurs suffer. The best defensive player, Smart, was injured and left the field early, which relieved the pressure on the Spurs’ back line a little, but when Lowe came on the field, his deterrent power was fully revealed. The Spurs’ current lineup lacks outside shooting ability, so they still have to rely more on mid-range shots and breakthroughs. In this game, the Spurs players had almost no success when they went inside to face Rosen one-on-one, and Collins also seemed powerless when he competed with Rosen and Horford for rebounds.
Where is the upper limit of the Green Army? The lineup built by management and coaches determines the lower limit of a team; and the stars determine the upper limit of a team. It has to be said that in the past ten years, the Green Army is definitely one of the best-run teams, although the last championship dates back to 15 years ago.
After sending away Pierce and Garnett, they did not fail for a few years. Instead, under the leadership of Marshal Stevens, they not only maintained their competitiveness, but also tapped young people to rebuild, and the effect was remarkable. This year is already the sixth season of Tatum and Brown’s double-exploration partnership, and the management has also recruited countless stars to compete for the championship: Thomas Jr., Irving, Hayward, Kemba Walker and so on. Last year was the closest they got to that goal. However, these two outstanding strikers of the new generation have been overwhelmed by Wiggins, who has always been ridiculed for his “health” and “point control”, and has been successfully defended by opponents for key goals many times.
But now, the Nets are finally playing well and are in full condition; the Bucks are still strong; the running-in between Harden and Embiid is also maturing, and it will only be more difficult for the Green Army to break out of the East. Tatum and Brown’s ability to attack critical moments that have been criticized by fans seems to have not been improved. In this game, one of them scored 34 points and the other 29 points, but together they made 7 turnovers. Facing the weak defense of the Spurs, there have been many cases of hasty mid-range shots in the last two seconds. Tatum’s serve went out of bounds in the first half, and Brown missed three free throws in a row. If they had two chances, then they might be about to defeat the holy city.
Sometimes, the gap between a star and a superstar is only in one or two games or even one or two goals. Only when you pass the shot and win, can you really become a god. First place in the regular season, I think it will definitely not be the ultimate goal of the Green Army. How to overcome obstacles and overcome stronger and stronger opponents along the way, I think this is what Shuang Tanhua needs to think about now and work hard to achieve.
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