unfinished glory

Chapter 139 A Draw ([-])

The Suns returned home with a two-game losing streak, but that didn't stop Phoenix fans from filling the arena and cheering for the home team.Going to the Western Conference Finals for three consecutive years has greatly ignited the enthusiasm of local fans.

Although the first two seasons failed to break out of the West, it does not mean that the team was not successful.There are thirty teams in the league, and there is only one championship each year.

Of course, for the Suns players, the taste of reaching the Western Conference Finals and being eliminated is not good.Reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time can be regarded as a huge improvement for the team. Although it is a pity to lose, it can be regarded as gaining some experience.

The second time was because of the core injury of the team. There was a reason for the incident, and it can be said that it was an honorable defeat.

But by the third time, the lineup is complete. If you can't make it out of the West, it's a bit unreasonable.

Perhaps for a boss like Alexander of the Rockets, it is enough to make money, regardless of the results.But players with aspirations can't resist such continuous failures.

Players who earn enough money will pursue honor.Even the recognized tough guy Karl Malone, in the last year of his career, chose to cut his salary significantly, and pursued a championship ring under the accusation of "hugging his thigh".It's a pity that the Lakers didn't live up to their expectations, which made Malone "unsafe in the evening".

The Suns players naturally don't want to be like their predecessor Barkley, who will only have a title such as an uncrowned king after his career.

Nash, in particular, was a late bloomer. After the age of 30, he won the biggest contract and honor in his career. He is at the peak of his life and is particularly concerned about failure.

After returning to the home court, the first to attack was the former MVP.He used the pick-and-roll and his personal dribbling rhythm to constantly single Parker.

This tactic was indeed a little unexpected for the Spurs. They focused on Stoudemire who scored 37 points in the game. They didn't expect Nash to stand up first.

However, the Spurs players have experienced big scenes after all, and they didn't panic about this situation at all, and still maintained their inherent rhythm.

Calmness and obedience to the team are Duncan's personal style and the wealth he brought to this team.

Popovich took advantage of this core player's traits to build the Spurs into a solid team team.The Spurs rarely have that kind of strange or weird tactics, most of the time, they play upright.

Players are also required to behave well and attack according to the set tactics.When he first joined the team, Ginobili was often scolded for this, and then gradually changed.

Fortunately, his willful style of play improved Popovich's tolerance and gave Li Chongxiao, who was in the team behind, a chance to breathe.

Li Chongxiao started the game according to the coach's tactics, but seeing the Sun's unconventional tactics, he was a little ready to move, and couldn't help but force two three-pointers.

Fortunately, the goal was scored and helped the Spurs bite the score.But what ushered in was not a compliment from Popovich, but a scolding meal.

Popovich's tolerance was quite high in the past few years, allowing players to have their own space on the court.But as the Spurs continued to win, he took his authority more and more seriously.

This is also the source of contradiction for most head coaches and core players.Players are used to putting the credit for winning on themselves, but the head coach will think that their credit is the greatest.

Phil Jackson led the team to 9 championships, and has been criticized for relying on Jordan before relying on the OK combination.

Today's Spurs are the only team in the league where the authority of the head coach is greater than that of the core players.

The main reason is that Duncan has a good temper, doesn't care about statistics, and is willing to make sacrifices. In exchange for Garnett, Popovich would have left long ago.

In the past few seasons, Popovich has been committed to completing the transformation from relying on the stars to relying on the whole. Of course, he can't see Li Chongxiao's behavior of not following orders.

However, for a small violation, he will not be narrow-minded enough to go online.

After the criticism, he emphasized that the following games will be played according to tactics, regardless of the changes of the Suns.He believes in the strength of the Spurs and is not afraid of all kinds of conspiracies.

After re-entering the field, the Spurs continued to attack and defend step by step.Parker restrained himself a little, and his own offense strengthened his defense against Nash.

The Spurs did not change their tactics, giving the Suns the opportunity to carry out their pre-match preparations one by one.The Suns quickly replaced Kurt Thomas, who was dragging the pace, and replaced "Brazilian Flashpoint" Barbosa, who started playing fast.

The Spurs were forced to keep up with the pace, and also replaced the big center with Manu Ginobili.

Playing fast breaks is the skill that the Suns are famous for. The seven-second offense in several rounds can't help but remind people of the small ball whirlwind they created when they first formed the team three years ago.

Three years have passed, and most of the faces of the players have changed, but the core is still the "MSN" combination, which is the team's point guard Nash.

Nash not only has offense, but his organizational skills are even more offensive. After the first quarter of the attack, the second quarter began, and he showed the demeanor of a passing master, constantly helping his teammates score.

The Spurs are like a small boat in the wind and rain. They tried their best, but they could only keep the boat from capsizing, and they had no energy left to control the direction.

Trapped in the rhythm of the sun, hitting the fourth quarter, Popovich wanted to change the decline, but there was nothing he could do.

He can only hope that the players can explode, but the Suns have experienced such sudden comebacks several times. They have been prepared for output experience, put the Spurs inside, and do not give online players a chance.

Duncan scored one goal after another, which did not help the nearly [-]-point difference.

The Suns learned to control the tempo, taking every round until 20 seconds before taking a shot, maintaining a 50% shooting rate, and forcibly grinding the Spurs to death.

This time Li Chongxiao played very awkwardly. Although he was able to execute the team's tactics perfectly, he always felt a little restrained and didn't play very well.

On the surface, he scored 25 points and had completed the task, but when he finally needed to stand up, he seemed a little weak and missed three consecutive shots.

The Suns who won the next game were a little elated, and Stoudemire became active again, threatening to win four games in a row and reach the finals.

Li Chongxiao was also in no mood to confront him tit for tat. After the loss, the Spurs were nervously rehearsing tactics.

Popovich was worried about Nash's 16 assists in the last game, thinking that the team did not do a good job in defense overall. He was frightened by Nash's 15 points in the first quarter, and unconsciously shifted his defensive attention. Moved over, causing other Suns players to get a lot of opportunities.

In this game, he asked the players not to pay attention to Nash's offense, but to cut off his connection with other players.

"Even if Nash gets 50 points, as long as we don't give him a chance to assist, we will win the game in the end." Popovich said confidently.

(End of this chapter)