Chapter 601 Chapter 630+1 How Could He Not Do This when He Was in San Antonio? (Two in One)

After back-to-back, the Pelicans ushered in two days of rest.

Apart from participating in daily training, Tang Tian temporarily stopped the extra training.

The past of Sanbuzhan is unbearable, he must increase the number of times.

Olsen was exhausted every night. If it weren't for the good sound insulation of the villa, the neighbors might think that there was domestic violence in their house!

But tired after tired, Olsen behaved like a child every time after finishing.

Although Tang Tian's waist and abdomen strength increased so much that his combat effectiveness increased sharply, these few days have fully proved the truth of that sentence.

There are no plowed fields, only exhausted oxen.

Two days later, the Pelicans sat at home and ushered in the last game before the All-Star break.

The opponent is the old rival Spurs.

This is a battle of focus.

The Pelicans are now second in the Western Conference and the Spurs are third.

The difference between the two teams is only 3 games. This kind of direct confrontation will affect the direct ranking of the two sides.

That's especially true for the Spurs, who have lost their previous two meetings.

In the case of being in the same competition area, if they lose another game, if they have the same record, their ranking will fall behind.

With the records of the two sides so close, this is entirely possible.

This situation is just the opposite of the previous Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies have won the Pelicans in the previous 2 games and are the sufferer of the Pelicans, but now in turn, the Pelicans have become the sufferer of the Spurs.

The Pelicans have already made a name for themselves in the last game, it depends on whether the Spurs can do this with the Pelicans.

Moreover, the two teams are now the favorites to win the championship, and the disadvantage in the regular season will be a big psychological disadvantage for the Spurs in the playoffs.

So in this game, the Spurs must win.

On the day of the game, the Spurs conducted an open training.

Although the pressure is not small, the Spurs players have smiles on their faces.

This is also the atmosphere of this team.

After training, Popovich was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines.

The focus of the questions was mainly on two points. One was naturally whether the Spurs could win tonight, and the other was Tang Tian, ​​who had a fiery performance in these two games.

"Yes, we're going to win this game, it's important to us."

Facing the first question from the reporters, Popovich replied very seriously.

If this answer came from other coaches, they wouldn't find it strange, but it would be strange to say it from Popovich.

But when he answered the second question, the reporters realized that nothing had changed, it was just a little later than expected.

"If you told me before I saw the news that someone was going to score 50 points on the Grizzlies, I would have kicked his ass so hard and made him wake up and come to me."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Popovich had a side blow.

"Yes, he is the best player in the league now, you can't defend him in a single defense, especially now that he has developed a stable back, he scored 30 or 40 points, just drink a glass of red wine with me As easy as hell, how could he not be in San Antonio?"

What he said next made the reporter burst into laughter.

The last time the two teams played against each other, he promised Tang Tian not to brag about him, but he didn't promise this time, he could finally let go of his milk.

"Do you think he can score 50+ again tonight?"

A reporter asked, this is also a focus of discussion among fans on social media.

Popovich put away the smile on his face and shook his head seriously.

Jokes are jokes, milk is milk, this kind of thing can't be said casually.

"If my players let him get that score, I'll kick their asses off one by one and stop drinking wine for a month."

Popovich didn't answer directly, but the meaning behind the words was very clear. No one could score 50 points on the Spurs before, and neither could Tang Tian.

Before the match, Tang Tian watched the news. Popovich's tainted milk made him laugh out loud.

But what Popovich said at the end is correct. In fact, he didn't even think about going to 50+ consecutively.

He is no longer the one who competed for the scoring champion last season. As long as the team can win, it doesn't matter if he only has a dozen points.

That night, the game between the Spurs and the Pelicans officially kicked off at the New Orleans Arena.

In this game, players on both sides were absent. Ginobili's hip was uncomfortable on the Spurs' side, and Holiday had diarrhea on the Pelicans' side.

In terms of the impact of the absent players, the two teams are almost the same, and it is considered even on paper.

When Tang Tian appeared on stage at the end of the opening ceremony, the cheers were surprisingly high.

There are many factors here.

It is because Tang Tian is a former Spurs general, because Tang Tian was booed in San Antonio, and because Tang Tian scored 50+ in a row recently...

Various factors mixed together made this kind of cheers unprecedented.

Popovich couldn't help but looked up and looked around. Such a frenzied home court, let alone compared with the past here, is not very common in his impression.

Tang Tian has been in New Orleans for more than a year, and the impact and changes brought about here are really too great.

After the opening ceremony, the starting players of the two teams appeared one after another.

The Spurs are still the regular starting five, with Parker and Green on the outside, Leonard and Duncan on the front, and Gasol at center.

For the Pelicans, Cole replaced Holiday and Tang Tian in the backcourt, Ariza and Davis on the front line, and Whiteside at center.

Whiteside jumped over Gasol to the cheers of the fans and gave the home team the chance to take the lead.

As soon as Tang Tian received a pass from Cole in the frontcourt, Green and Leonard double-teamed him directly.

Popovich was crazy about Tang Tian before the game, but many of those words were true.

He knew that whether it was Green or Leonard, it would be difficult to defend Tang Tian alone, so he directly gave Tang Tian a double-team set meal at the beginning.

Tang Tian gave the ball to Ariza.

Ariza made a quick three-pointer.

Duncan's defense rotation came a bit slower, and the interference from this ball was not too great.

"Boom!"

But Ariza's shot smashed out of the frame, and his first shot ended with a strike.

Gasol protects the defensive rebound.

The Spurs' hammer tactics in the frontcourt, Gasol caught the ball from the basket and hit Davis, turned around and scored with a hook, giving the Spurs the first victory.

The Spurs are looking pretty good.

Tang Tian ran up the court without the ball. After catching the ball, Parker and Leonard directly double-teamed him.

Popovich made another adjustment on the defensive end, using a defensive method similar to double-teaming.

This is an extreme form of defense.

Even looking at what he said before the game at this time, he didn't want Tang Tian to get 50 points, but he didn't want him to get 20 points!

Tang Tian double-teamed the ball to Cole, who made a three-pointer.

The trajectory of the ball is very positive.

"Boom!"

But the basketball went out of the frame.

Cole's three-pointer is also iron!

The fans on the sidelines were restless.

The Spurs are hot, but the rest of the Pelicans look average!

Tonight's game is difficult!

The Pelicans collectively feel poor, while the Spurs are in hot form.

After more than four minutes into the first quarter, the Spurs had already led the Pelicans by double digits 12-2.

The fans at the scene were restless, which was not the case the last time the two teams played against each other!

Tang Tian ran mid-range without the ball in the frontcourt. After catching the ball, he didn't wait for his teammates to move, and directly pulled up and shot.

After a few minutes, he already knew that his teammates didn't feel good in the opening game, and even if he was targeted, he would still make a move.

"Shua!"

Tang Tian's first shot hit.

Teammates feel cold, but his hands look good.

"Don't let Don catch the ball there!"

Popovich yelled directly at Green.

He really wasn't going to let Tang Tian score.

Parker broke through to the top of the basket and made a layup. The Spurs are really in good shape tonight.

14 to 4.

Still a difference of 10 points.

If Tang Tian ran without the ball in the front court, the ball would not reach him.

After being yelled at by Popovich, Green remained in front of his receiving position.

Moreover, the passing ability of the rest of the Pelicans is average, and they can't get the ball in the first time when they are guarded.

Tang Tian had no choice but to signal his teammates to pull away, and leaned against Green in the high position to ask for the ball.

Kerr lobs the ball in from beyond the three-point line.

Parker double-teamed straight in.

It was still the strategy at the beginning of the game, using the method of double-teaming nearby to force the ball out of Tang Tian's hands.

However, after Tang Tian caught the ball, he didn't make any fake moves, and turned around towards the bottom line and leaned back.

Before Parker's double-team came up, Tang Tian had already leaned back and shot Green's defense.

"Shua!"

Tang Tian's second shot also had it!

He scored 50+ in two consecutive games, feeling hot!

There were endless cheers!

What is the core is to stand up when teammates feel bad, that is the core!

The 4-pointer also encouraged the Pelicans.

Davis gave Gasol a big cap on the defensive end, and the Pelicans successfully defended against a wave of offense from the Spurs.

The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt, and Tang Tian continued to ask for the ball.

This time he turned and broke through directly to the baseline after receiving the ball.

Green clung to him, and Duncan on the inside also came out to help.

But Tang Tian didn't really want to rush in. When he got outside the restricted area, he made an emergency stop and leaned back to the right.

The whole person and the basket are inclined at a forty-five-degree angle, and the shot is shot backwards.

The pose is picturesque.

The eyes of the fans at the scene were excited.

At this moment, they seemed to see the No. 31 jersey and No. 8 overlapping with the No. 24 jersey.

The ball goes over Green's fingertips.

"Shua!"

Still in!

Tang Tian scored 3 goals in a row!

The cheers erupted at the scene, and many fans stood up with their hands raised high.

Meet the gods and kill the gods! Meet the Buddha and kill the Buddha!

Tang Tian's paragraph is like a sharp knife, invincible.

When Popovich saw this, he shook his head unconsciously.

The Spurs let Tang Tian go. After last season, the outside world said they let go of a McGrady.

It now appears that it was not McGrady they let go, but Kobe!

And Kobe, among all superstars, averaged the most points per game against the Spurs in the playoffs.

This wry smile contained too many emotions, and the next second he put away his smile, turned around and chatted with the team's new first assistant Messina about defensive details.

Gasol's attack at the basket was interfered by Whiteside, Davis accepted the defensive rebound, and the Pelicans became another wave of offense by the Spurs!

During this period, Tang Tian asked for anything on the offensive end, and the two insiders provided him with the most powerful help on the defensive end!

Tang Tian turned his back and caught the ball again. This time, Parker double-teamed him early, not giving Tang Tian a chance to catch the ball!

The meaning is obvious, Cole, if you want to shoot, just shoot, the ball won't reach Tang Tian anyway.

Cole shot a three-pointer directly after seeing it.

"Shua!"

In!

The opening three-pointer was a chance shot, but this time it was directly open.

After confirming Tang Tian and Davis as the core, most of the other Pelicans players are developing in the 3D direction.

The three-point shot is the core content of their usual training. Not everyone can practice the moving three-pointer that Nash asked them to practice well, but this kind of wide open.

Parker really dared to let Cole go like this, Cole really dared to enter!

11 to 14!

The Pelicans played a 9-2 offensive, chasing the point difference to only 3 points!

Popovich reached out and called a timeout.

"Kawhi, you go to defend Tang, let's change to 2-1-2 defense, don't double-team."

Popovich rearranged the team's defensive tactics.

It's an old tactic for the Spurs.

Focus the defense on the three-point line and the restricted area.

Limit the opponent's three-pointers and layups, and give up the mid-range to the opponent appropriately.

That area is the lowest scoring efficiency.

The Spurs used to have Bowen, and now they have Leonard. One-on-one static defense is not bad, which can further reduce the opponent's mid-range efficiency.

Taking a step back, with this defensive method of isolating the opponent's core, even if Tang Tian scores a lot of points, the Pelicans may not necessarily win.

Before the game, Popovich said harsh words to prevent Tang Tian from scoring 50 points, but he is not a stubborn person, and winning is the first goal.

Back from the timeout, Duncan hit a low post and scored a goal, breaking the Spurs' scoring drought.

The point difference was widened to 5 points again.

The Pelicans advanced to the frontcourt, and Tang Tian saw that his defender had become Leonard.

Looking at the Spurs' defensive positions again, he knew the Spurs' defensive adjustments at once.

Not only because he was a coach in his previous life, but more importantly, he stayed with the Spurs for 2 years, so don't drink too much with Popovich and chat about tactics.

This defensive tactic is a bit extreme, and there are only two outcomes.

Either he beats Leonard, and the Pelicans win; or he can't beat Leonard, and gets a high score with low efficiency, and the Pelicans lose.

This is the way Popovich used to deal with the peak Kobe and the Lakers.

He turned his back to pass the ball, and then faced Leonard.

This defensive method will have assisted defense on the three-point line and the penalty area, so the only offensive space left for him is the mid-range.

Leonard is slower than him, but because of the limited offensive space, his defensive effect will be more obvious.

This adjustment by Popovich is indeed the best adjustment.

He lowered his body and dribbled the ball alternately with left and right hands, suddenly changed direction with one step to the right, and then made a sudden stop and pulled out.

Tang Tian used three techniques in one round, and he also knew that to break this kind of defense, he had to do his best.

Leonard followed. He knew that Tang Tian would not shoot in. The ball completely blocked Tang Tian's shot angle.

There was joy on his face.

When defending against other people, he doesn't pay attention to success or not, and he doesn't have emotional fluctuations, but Tang Tian is different. It will be a great encouragement for him to defend against the next time.

But at this moment, Tang Tian turned dry and fell back in the air!

Strong waist and abdomen strength!

Sister-in-law must be very happy!

An inexplicable thought flashed through Leonard's mind, and then he saw the ball flying past his fingertips.

"Shua!"

There was a crisp sound of entering the net behind him.

Tang Tian made 4 of 4 shots in this quarter and scored 8 points!

Four ups and three irons? nonexistent!

ps: Happy International Women's Day everyone! Remember to give your wives and girlfriends gifts, and if not, buy a hand cream!

Thanks for the generous reward through the ages!