Seven Hundred and Seventy-Six: Just an Irritable Old Man (Four K)

By the end of the first quarter, Popovich's dignified look was back on his face.

27 to 25, the San Antonio Spurs entered the break with a 2-point advantage. Although a 2-point advantage is not much, it may not even be an advantage at all.

But for the Spurs, as long as they are not suppressed by the Grizzlies, they have the confidence to win.

"The Spurs carried their stellar form into the Western Conference finals, and after a poor start, the Spurs steadied and overtook the game. I'm sure the Spurs' performance this year has exceeded most people's expectations. 74 wins Bears, they've had their biggest trouble since the playoffs started."

Hubby Brin looked at the stats from the first half, and the Spurs were as efficient as ever. As for the Grizzlies, Link seemed to be in some trouble.

7 points in a single quarter, but the shooting percentage is only 40%. For Link, this is by no means the efficiency he should be. If he misses one more shot, Link's shooting percentage in the first quarter will drop below 40%.

In addition to Link, Jimmy Butler, who even scored 5 points at the start of the first quarter, also got into trouble later.

Butler has struggled offensively since Leonard switched to Butler.

Hubby Brin still remembered that in the eighth minute of the first quarter, Butler cut to the basket in time, and Link delivered the ball with precision. It stands to reason that Butler only needs to go straight to the basket after receiving the pass to score.

But this must-go goal was stunned by Leonard.

This is just a fragment of the first quarter of the game. Butler can be said to be living in Leonard's shadow throughout the game.

Leonard's defensive ability seems too strong for Butler. On Link's side, under the double delay of Diao and Duncan, the attack was not smooth.

If it weren't for the bench time, "Big Black Bear" Randolph came up to kill the Quartet, and the Spurs might have a bigger lead now.

The Grizzlies swept their opponents 4-0 in the previous two series. Although in the second round, Paul once made 6 of 6 three-pointers in the half, and almost reversed 22 points in the last 8 minutes. But overall, the Grizzlies haven't had much trouble.

As long as Link exerts his strength, all crises will be resolved.

But today, Link was obviously caught in the quagmire. In the first quarter, he also wanted to exert his strength, but under the combined defense of Diao and Duncan, Link seemed to have a feeling of getting deeper and deeper and struggling.

Hubby Brin pouted. This is the first difficulty the Grizzlies have encountered in the playoffs this year. I wonder if they can hold on.

Meanwhile, on the Grizzlies bench, Link knew what went wrong in the first quarter. He and Butler were completely locked out, which prevented the team from scoring efficiently.

The reason Popovich used Diaw to guard Link was hoping that Leonard would lock up another scoring point. As a result, the Grizzlies' offensive efficiency will be greatly reduced.

With Butler's current offensive ability, he hasn't been able to perform well in Leonard's defense. Link has to get Leonard back to him to free Butler.

And the only way to get Leonard back to himself is to break Diao's defense! When Diao could no longer restrain Link, Link believed that Popovich would naturally let Leonard come back to watch over him.

"In the second quarter, Mark, you should play pick-and-roll with Link! Try to disrupt the Spurs' defense! Link, no matter how difficult it is, you have to score consecutively and force the Spurs to switch. Only in this way can the deadlock be broken." Dave . Jogel is yelling with the tactical board, he doesn't want the team to get into trouble early.

Link smiled, and Jorge got to the point. He uses cover to get Duncan out of the way, and Link can attack Dio as he pleases.

So, don't underestimate the best coach of the year.

In the first quarter, Link didn't play well, not because of how strong Diao's single defense was, but because Diao could always lead Link into defensive traps again and again.

But what if Duncan was just playing Dior? Link is still quite confident.

"Jimmy, get ready. After Leonard leaves you, don't stop running." Before going on the court, Link patted Butler on the shoulder.

Then Link took a deep breath and stepped onto the court. Whether the Grizzlies' strategy can succeed or not depends on whether Link and Link can kill Dior.

So the burden of this match now rests on Link.

After the start of the second quarter, sure enough, both sides replaced the main lineup again. The Spurs are reluctant to give up their advantages, and the Grizzlies naturally don't want to be pulled away.

The second quarter started with the Spurs taking the lead. Dio and Parker fought hand in hand to block Conley. So Link had to keep up with the switch, leaving Diao to Conley.

Parker is not stupid, he won't try to hit the frame on Link's head. As the first perimeter player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award after Artest, Parker knows how strong Link's defense is.

So Parker took Link away and immediately returned the ball to his French compatriot Dior. Dior backed up against Conley, this is a chance for a dislocation singles!

Diao moved with his back and observed the situation on the field. At this time, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and others were restrained by their own matchups, and there was no possibility of coming back to make up for the defense.

So, after the cautious Dior advanced two more steps, he chose to turn over and make a jumper! Dior of 2 meters 03 beats Conley of 1 meter 85, it's not too easy!

Diao made a shot. Although Conley tried his best to block it, he couldn't touch the basketball at all due to the disparity in height.

Don't say Conley is blocking Dio, he can't even interfere with the shot!

The corners of Dio's mouth were slightly raised, waiting for the wonderful sound of the basketball entering the net.

But not long after the basketball flew out, Dior found an uninvited guest suddenly jumping into the air.

Then, Dior's expression completely solidified.

Why is Link here? Before he shot, he clearly observed the opponent's position, and Lin Ke was clearly attached to Parker's side!

Before Dior could figure out what was going on, Link used a volleyball posture in the air, and with Conley, he forced Dior's shot to fly out with a big fan!

"Bang!"

Link's palm fanned the basketball with a loud bang, then flew past Dio's scalp.

Dior instantly got goosebumps, and even forgot to turn around to defend.

It wasn't until Link passed him after finishing the block that Dio remembered what he was going to do next.

He was taken aback by Link!

"Unbelievable speed of defense. Before Diao shot, Link was still beside Parker. But when Diao made a shot, Link made up the inside line! I have to say that Link saved the Grizzlies with his personal ability. Defend! The Grizzlies fight back quickly, let's see what the Grizzlies do this time!"

Hubby Brown speaks fast, because the situation on the court changes faster!

The basketball that was fanned out by Link fell into Iguodala's hands, and Iguodala held the ball for a fast break, but Danny Green posted it immediately, preventing Iguodala from accelerating as he wanted.

At this moment, Link, who had just finished blocking, plugged in beside Iguodala. Iguodala didn't hesitate and sent the ball directly to Link!

At this point, Leonard has retreated to the three-point line. He waited for Link with open arms, trying to kill the Grizzlies' fast break.

Popovich breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Leonard is in place, the Grizzlies' fast break will definitely fail.

However, facing Leonard with his long arms open, Link had no intention of slowing down. Leonard licked his lips, ready to be rammed by Link.

He completely overcame his inner fear, and now even if a car hits Leonard, he won't move half a step.

Link had already killed Leonard, and the two were so close that Leonard could even see the pores on Link's face.

But in the next second, Link made a "whoosh" and disappeared directly from Leonard!

There were no collisions, and no one turned around. Link successfully changed direction the moment the two sides collided!

"What!?" The conditioned reflex made Leonard turn around and chase after him. Sure enough, Link had already broken through!

In an extremely small space, he completed a Ross-style change of direction without deceleration!

"Link passed Leonard, a beautiful and fast feint! Leonard must be very surprised, because Kevin Durant doesn't have these tricks!"

As soon as Hubie Brown finished speaking, Link smashed the frame with both hands and ruthlessly vented all his frustrations in the first quarter!

Hubie Brown was panting heavily. He found that the speed of his speech was even difficult to keep up with the speed of Link's attack.

At 27 to 27, Link used a violent block and a violent dunk in the opening game, instantly suppressing the Spurs' arrogance.

The burden on Link is indeed very heavy. Whether the whole tactic can work or not depends on Link's performance. But Link will not be overwhelmed by heavy responsibilities, on the contrary, he is very keen to take on heavy responsibilities!

After the goal, Link pointed to Popovich, and Popovich's mouth twitched with anger.

It's just a counterattack, and Popovich believes that as long as the Grizzlies don't crack the Spurs' strategy from a tactical level, the Grizzlies will never turn around!

As everyone knows, the Spurs' second offense ended in failure. And the reason for the failure of the Spurs was Link!

This time, the Spurs did the trick again. The other four opened up the space, and Duncan took a position on the inside, preparing to single against Gasol.

But just as Parker passed the lob, Link suddenly started and ran towards the passing route!

The advantage of the lob pass is that it is easy for big players to receive, but the disadvantage is that the passing speed is very slow.

As a result, Link has enough time to rush from the three-point line to the passing lane!

Leonard also steals Link like this in the first quarter, and Link has returned it all!

The moment the basketball began to fall, Link jumped up and grabbed the ball directly in the air.

The reason why the lob pass is convenient for big players to receive is because the ball path is higher and it is not easy to be stolen.

But to Link, this height was not worth mentioning at all.

Popovich felt a dizziness in his head, his blood pressure soared! The key to Link's steal just now was not actually bouncing, but that he had seen through the Spurs' offensive routine and prepared for the steal in advance.

This means that on a tactical level, the Spurs no longer have such a big advantage!

After the steal, Link personally controlled the ball to advance. Just when Diao thought Link would speed up the breakthrough, Link made an emergency stop outside the three-point line and called for cover.

Marc Gasol came on immediately, and the Grizzlies began to implement their key tactics.

Link quickly crossed from the screened side, and Duncan didn't make up the defense because he was afraid of Gasol's shot. Diao had to go around the pick-and-roll and chase Link.

After passing the screen, Link did not continue to go deep into the penalty area, but made an emergency stop at the mid-range to prepare for a jumper! This was indeed an opportunity, and there was nothing wrong with Link's choice.

Dio jumped vigorously, he didn't want his defense against Link to be broken like this. Even if it can send one percent of the interference. Also better than having no distractions at all.

"No, damn it!" However, after jumping up, Dior scolded in the air, because he found that Link didn't plan to shoot at all, it was a realistic Buddha fake just now!

Dior, who claims to be incapable of eating, is also played around by Link's fake moves!

"Goodbye, coffee boy." Link muttered, passing by the flying Dio.

Danny Green hurried to the basket, but he regretted it two seconds later. Green actively rushed back to the penalty area, but he got nothing except being the backdrop for Link's dunks!

"Another dunk! After the blockade just now, Link made another dunk! After the second quarter, Link became unstoppable! Look at his roar, are the San Antonio Spurs? Thought they could win at FedEx Arena?"

Looking at Link who roared loudly after the dunk landed, Popovich became nervous again.

The defensive chain of Diao and Duncan seems to have become less stable.

Going to defend that kid with Leonard again? Popovich was caught in another round of tangle.

Seeing that Popovich's expression changed from proud to tangled, Link felt a lot better.

Being able to lead Popovich by the nose is an experience that not everyone can have.

"Hurry up and send a strong person to guard me, or you can let the French lose 10 kilograms immediately. You can choose between these two methods." Vicky spewed trash talk.

Players and players spat at each other, fans saw a lot. But players and opposing coaches spew trash talk, I have to say, this is indeed a new thing.

Popovich didn't respond, but his furious look said it all.

Link believes that it will not be long before he will officially duel with the "Facial Paralyzed Guy".

Since you can't anger the "stone players" of the Spurs, then anger their coach!

Popovich isn't omnipotent either, Link believes, he's just an irritable old man.

He gets irritated, too, and he makes mistakes.

Does he think he can control everything like God? Link will let Popovich know that it is always the players who control the game!

Link quickly returned to defense after spraying trash talk, at most three rounds, Popovich would definitely switch defense!

Popovich has always controlled others, and today, it's time for him to experience what it's like to be controlled by others.

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