Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine: Pick-and-Roll, Pick-and-Roll, Pick-and-Roll
The Spurs stabilized the momentum with a decisive three-pointer and officially started their counterattack. Richard Jefferson was overjoyed. He has been questioned since he met Link in the playoffs last season. This month, it was even involved in trade rumors.
Jefferson was an important signing for the Spurs back then. When he came to the Spurs, he also hoped to get a championship ring with the team.
As a result, instead of getting the ring, he was burdened with infamy. These infamy not only come from fans and media elsewhere, but even local fans and media in San Antonio.
So whenever he scores a nice goal, he's very, very excited. He has some meaning to compete with the home fans. Usually you scold me so hard, but in the end, you don't want to cheer for me!
"The Spurs' offense is too fast, and they have changed a lot this season." Elston Turner hasn't calmed down yet, and the Spurs' offense just shot didn't even wait for Duncan.
This kind of subversiveness is as incredible as Yao Ming suddenly swayed from the three-point line and then broke through the dunk.
In the first two games against the Spurs, the Spurs' offense has not been so smooth. It's only been over a week since we saw each other, and the tacit understanding between the Spurs players has actually gotten better.
Popovich is worthy of a generation of tactical masters. Under his training, the Spurs can adapt to the trend of the times and improve with almost no personnel changes.
Jefferson's goal seems to have opened a gate. Since then, the Spurs have had a flood of goals, unstoppable.
After Jefferson, Duncan succeeded in the post. Later, Leonard also hit a three-pointer. Link thought that Leonard's three-pointer was unstable during this period, so he deliberately let him take two steps. Unexpectedly, one really dared to let go, and the other really dared to enter.
After that, Popovich started the rotation immediately. He replaced Splitter with Bonner and replaced Richard Jefferson with last season's undrafted Gary Neal, who was second only to Link. As a result, Bonner and Neil teamed up to hit 3 3 points, and the Grizzlies were completely blinded!
In the 8th minute of the game, when Gary Neal threw off Gay and scored a three-pointer, the Spurs had an 11-point lead over the Grizzlies! Before the first quarter was over, the Grizzlies fell behind by double digits!
"What am I talking about? The Grizzlies should not be thinking about winning, but thinking about how to not get blown up by the Spurs in the first quarter! The Spurs have been very aggressive this season, and the average three-point shot per game is the highest in team history. 21.3 times, the shooting rate is close to 40%! If the Grizzlies are not stable on the defensive end, the score will be quickly pulled away!" Steve Kerr touched his chin, three-point shooting and off-ball offense,
Seems to be more and more in line with the players and rules of this era.
If he's going to be a head coach one day, I really want to make the best of those two things and see what happens...
Hollins paused the game in time, but to no avail. After returning from the pause, Guy, who was out of breath, went "crazy" again. He was frantically pulling from the mid-range, hoping to tie the game as soon as possible. But that inefficient offense didn't do the Grizzlies any favors.
Instead, the Spurs seized the opportunity and scored another 3-pointer. Danny Green felt hot after coming off the bench and helped the Spurs make their fifth 3-pointer in the first quarter.
With Green and Manu Ginobili around, the Spurs' firepower hasn't suffered in any way, even entering rotation time.
Link was embarrassedly guarded by Leonard. In the first quarter of the game, he only scored 2 points from free throws, and there was no sports score! It's really hard to score when a defensive-minded player is staring at you wholeheartedly.
Not to mention Link, even superstars like Kobe and Durant have suffered from Leonard. A few days ago, the Spurs and the Thunder played against each other, and Durant was only 35% from the field.
After the entire first quarter, the score was frozen at 26 to 18, and the San Antonio Spurs led by 8 points into the second quarter. Of these 26 points, 15 came from beyond the arc!
The Spurs were in a good mood, and Ginobili even joked with Duncan, placing a paper cup on the bench before Duncan sat down.
Duncan unknowingly flattened the glass on his butt, and Manu Ginobili laughed like a giant baby whose hair had not yet grown out.
But Duncan, who was joked, didn't react. He was accustomed to jokes like this from the Argentine.
The relaxed atmosphere of the Spurs gave the Grizzlies a major blow. With the Spurs playing easily and casually, we can't stand it?
Hollins didn't waste much time, and now it's up to defense to contain the Spurs. So far, Hollins has basically figured out the Spurs' offensive routine. But just knowing the opponent's offensive level is useless, the players must be able to execute tactics.
So Hollings didn't miss a minute during the break. He sat down in front of all the players and asked everyone to come and listen.
"Pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll, in the first quarter, San Antonio kept playing the pick-and-roll. In the second quarter, we have to stabilize the defense first. We can't let them get so many easy shots. All, the defense must be fast. Be decisive!"
Hollins knows that the Spurs are one of the most pick-and-roll teams in the league this season, and the pick-and-roll creates a ton of dislocation advantage for them. The Black and White Bears have top-notch defense, but their ability to defend against pick-and-rolls is actually slightly insufficient. Gasol has a shortcoming of slow movement, and Randolph is not so agile this season. His explosiveness and mobility have declined significantly.
The Spurs made the Grizzlies defenders exhausted by continuous pick-and-roll, passing, and guiding the ball. Excessive physical exhaustion caused the performance of the Black and White Bears to decline, so the performance of the Black and White Bears on the offensive end will also become weaker!
Popovich's tactics are usually one set after another!
"In the second quarter, I need the perimeter players to move more on defense. Zach, you take a break for the first half of the second quarter. Jimmy, you replace Zach and play the three. Rudy, you are on top of the four. At the number, on the defensive end against Split. If the Spurs pick and roll, Mark, I want you to stay at the rim. And the rest of the gap will have to be filled by perimeter player switching and wide running. .I know it's hard, but it's the only way!"
After Hollins finished speaking, Randolph shook his head helplessly. Time is a killer. This season, he has had to be put on the bench several times for his own reasons.
But Randolph is not discouraged, he loves the Grizzlies, and he is willing to make sacrifices for a team that respects him. So, if the team can get better without him, then he's willing to disappear.
"Rudy, you had too many irrational shots in the first quarter. I hope you can focus on the defensive end instead of thinking about how to score! Even if you score 40 points, in the end we lose to Spurs, what's the point of that?" Then, Hollins named and criticized Gay, who was too rough in the first quarter.
Being named by the coach and saying so, Guy naturally only nodded silently. This time, he probably won't be throwing again in the second quarter.
Link glanced at Butler, and sure enough, he had to be used in this game in the end.
Butler shrugged, then walked over to Link, "I'll do what you told me to do."
Butler hadn't forgotten what Link said this morning wanted him to take points on Jefferson.
Link patted Butler on the shoulder. At the same time, the buzzer sounded loudly, the energetic cheerleaders left the field, and the second quarter officially started!
Containing pick-and-rolls with wide runs? It seems that today will be really annoying.
But in the end, whether the Spurs' offense tormented the Grizzlies or the Grizzlies' defense tormented the Spurs, it's hard to say.