basketball player

Chapter 484 Chapter 482: It's over early
The Thunder and the Spurs, after two years, these two teams met again in the Western Conference Finals.

Two years ago, the Thunder relied on the league's enthusiasm to counterattack the Spurs and advance to the finals.But this year, the San Antonio people obviously don't want to see similar things happen again.In the first two games of the series, the Spurs completely suppressed the Thunder.One of the main reasons for this is that Congo forward Serge Ibaka missed due to injury, and the Thunder lost their most stable inside defensive gate.

In the third game of the series, Ibaka was willing to play closed and come back early for the Thunder.It is a multiple-choice question to choose whether to choose the present or choose the future.A closed needle can allow a player to return to the court immediately, but it is bound to have an impact on his future career.

But the Congolese knew very well that the Thunder didn't want to wait any longer. They were so close to the finals and even the championship. He was willing to overdraw his future for this team.So in the third game, Ibaka made a brave comeback.

他限制得邓肯仅仅拿到16分，且命中率仅有41%。而自己则砍下17分7个篮板外加3次封盖，帮助雷霆在主场扳回一城。

So far, the series battle between the Spurs and the Thunder has become 1 to 2, and the Thunder avoided the embarrassing situation of falling behind 0 to 3.

Ibaka's comeback caught Popovich a little off guard, but Popovich knew very well that a mere Congolese striker couldn't stop the Spurs from hitting the championship.Two years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced because of deflected referee whistles.But this year, Popovich is not going to let the tragedy repeat itself.

The San Antonio Spurs are a complete, united team, so Popovich isn't worried about a sudden Ibaka comeback.He knew that Thunderclap was at the end of their strength, and winning the third battle was almost their limit.Westbrook's immaturity and Ibaka's not-so-peak state determine that they can't go any further.

Of course, Popovich also knows that now is not the time to consider the finals.It's just that it's hard not to get his mind wandering there, because just a day earlier, the Indiana Pacers had won at the American Airlines Center, making the series 3-0.

Paul George's ankle injury did not affect his state at all. After killing the Heat in the second game, the Pacers went all out and won an 11-point victory at the American Airlines Center.

The Heat's offense was very fierce in that game, because everyone knew that if it was scored 3-0, the Heat's championship dream would almost be shattered.In this regard, the Heat are the same as the Thunder.

The difference is that the Spurs failed to withstand the crazy counterattack of the Thunder, while the defending champions did.

The fact that James and Wade were able to win the game even more underscored the strength of the Pacers on the defensive end.

So now, the bandits from the cornfields of Indianapolis are almost on a rampage waiting for their next opponent in the Finals.

Falling behind 0 to 3, no team in NBA history has ever been able to comeback from a 0 to 3 deficit.

Therefore, in addition to considering the Thunder, Popovich must also prepare for a duel with his old rival Henson.

If even the Thunder are struggling, how can the Spurs compete with the Pacers this year?Popovich doesn't want to procrastinate any longer, he hopes the team can solve the Thunder within 6 games!

"Here, Pop." Just as Popovich was thinking about these miscellaneous things, Chip Engelland, the chief assistant coach of the Spurs after Budenholzer, reminded the old man.

The old man looked up and saw the Chesapeake Energy Arena, which was once home to the Hornets.In the last game, his team lost here.But today, the old man will not allow his team to fall twice in the same place.

So he stood up, walked to the front of the bus, and cleared his throat.

"Look, just one more win and we'll get that goddamn match point! Just get the match point and go back to San Antonio for the next game and we'll have the initiative. I know, people out there say we're old and it's a young man's time. But I'm telling you, that's bullshit!"

Had Henson been on the Spurs team bus at this time, he would have been surprised that Popovich's tone was similar to his own.

"Now, step into that beautiful stadium! And when we walk out, I hope we have a victory in our hands! Let's go, don't make the Pacers wait too long! Our goal, but the championship!"

Popovich waved his hand, and everyone on the Spurs rushed off the bus like bandits excitedly.

Duncan was the last of all the players to get out of the car. Before he got out of the car, Popovich also patted the "stone man" on the shoulder and told him, "I want to talk to you alone when I get to the locker room later."

Seeing Popovich's serious expression, "Stone Man" nodded his head slightly.

※※※

"You know, they're almost in the finals, Miami is over." In a corner of the locker room, San Antonio's greatest No. 21 is bending over, leaning over to listen to a white-haired old man whispering in front of him.

"En." Duncan nodded slightly, without any unnecessary response.He is very clear that the "they" in Popovich's mouth are the biggest opponent of the Spurs this season, the Indiana Pacers!
"Miami is powerless. This fact cannot be changed. But what has not happened, there are still infinite possibilities. Do you know what I mean? The championship will be waiting for us in June. We haven't lost yet, and the Pacers may not be able to defeat us. Before we can prove that, we are only two games away, two games. As long as we can defeat the Thunder today, I believe we will have the opportunity to prove ourselves in two games."

"Well," Duncan still only answered with one word, but after being stunned for a few seconds, he added, "They are indeed strong, but we can defeat them."

Popovich smiled with satisfaction, yes, the Pacers are very strong.But in his hands, there is a living legend No. 21!As long as there is this big guy who looks dumb, Popovich believes that any game has a chance of winning!

"Okay, go ahead, from this game on, unleash all your true nature. The time has come, Tim. The bloodiest period of the season has begun. Let those bastards of the Pacers look, our Western Conference team is not easy to mess with."

In this way, Popovich and Tim Duncan, the master and apprentice, ended a brief conversation.The dialogue is brief, but the effect is outstanding.

Four hours after the two spoke, the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-89 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.Even though the Thunder combined to score 46 points, their team still lost with 28 points.

其中，蒂姆.邓肯一人便砍下了26分12个篮板，命中率高达61.5%。第三战打得无比兴奋的伊巴卡今天却被防了个10投3中，全场仅拿6分2个篮板2次助攻。当然，还因为邓肯而背上了4次失误。

Duncan's excellent performance allowed the Spurs to get the match point with a total score of 3-1 in Oklahoma City.In the next game, the Spurs will definitely strive to win the Western Conference Championship in San Antonio!
In other words, after a lapse of one year, the Spurs and Pacers will very likely meet again in the Finals!And this time, Popovich and his players are undoubtedly looking for revenge.

After the game, Duncan, the best player in the game, was interviewed by off-court reporters.

"Indiana Pacers? They are indeed a problem. But recalling past failures helps us to some extent. But the most important thing is to work hard on the court and implement the coach's tactics. And it's too early to talk about the finals. The Western Conference Finals are not over yet."

Although Duncan said so, everyone knew it very well.With the Spurs taking a 3-1 lead.The Western Conference Finals, like the Eastern Conference Finals, are effectively over early
(End of this chapter)