Chapter 851: Not only Can’t You Guard Against It, but You’ll Also Be Blown Away

On November 21, 2014, the San Antonio Spurs finally had the opportunity to avenge their disgrace at FedEx Arena.

Gregg Popovich said more than once before the game, "We can win this game because the Grizzlies have exposed many problems. As long as we grasp those problems, we can win!"

Bill Simmons, who had not spoken for a long time, naturally stood by Popovich's side. He finally caught the opportunity that the Grizzlies might lose, and he would definitely not let it go easily. "The Grizzlies have not tried it for a whole year." They have experienced two consecutive defeats, and now it’s time for them to reflect on it.”

The local media in San Antonio are full of confidence in Leonard, "Linke can score 63 points on the Rockets, but in front of Leonard, he doesn't even think about it!"

Judging from the public opinion before the game, everyone is more optimistic about the Spurs. The biggest highlight of this game seems to be how the Spurs knock the Grizzlies off the altar.

From Link to the inside, people believe that the Grizzlies will collapse when they meet the Spurs.

In boxing matches, people usually refer to the side with a lower winning rate given by the bookmaker as the "underdog".

Today, the Memphis Grizzlies undoubtedly play the role of "underdog".

Before the game started, Popovich looked like he had a chance to win. In an interview with David Aldridge on the sidelines before the game, Popovich showed his arrogance unabashedly.

"I know the Grizzlies just signed a firefighter. But if they think that's going to stop the Spurs, they're dead wrong. Look, my team is going to play at its own level today."

Popovich's attitude towards Whiteside signing with the Grizzlies is actually the attitude of most people towards this matter.

Players on 10-day short contracts are generally very inconspicuous. Even if many players sign a 10-day contract with a certain team, there will be no news coverage.

Before the fans realize that a certain team has a new player, the player may have been waived.

The same was true for Link back then. When he signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, even many local Memphis fans didn't know about it.

If Popovich hadn't been studying grizzly bears these past few days, he might not have noticed the news.

The Memphis Grizzlies once gambled on Link with a 10-day short contract. This is already a very incredible thing.

No one believes that miracles happen twice.

What's more, Hassan Whiteside is not like Link back then. It can be said that Link was a blank slate back then, and he was completely ignored by NBA teams in college.

But with Whiteside, everyone still understands his situation to some extent. After all, he briefly played for the Kings and was a regular in the G-League.

The most important thing is that many team coaches still remember the stupid things Whiteside did back then.

People know Whiteside better than Link back then. According to their judgment, Whiteside simply does not have the ability to gain a foothold in the league and does not have the conditions to create miracles.

So, Popovich isn’t worried at all. He still didn't believe that a temporary worker with a mere 10-day short contract could ruin the Spurs' plan to win.

On the other hand, although Whiteside himself is not worth mentioning, it is because he joined the team with the highest attention in the league. So before the game, Whiteside also got the treatment of being interviewed on the sidelines.

"Hassan, we all know that joining the championship team is an opportunity for you. What do you think is your biggest goal in today's game?"

Whiteside looked at the reporter, thought for a while, and then answered decisively, "My goal is to improve my 2K ability value. The 2K game should improve my ability in all aspects. I am not that weak."

The reporter thought Whiteside was joking at first, but the serious expression on "Whiteside's" face stunned the reporter.

This guy... his brain is just as bad as it was four or five years ago...

Seeing Whiteside's childish answers during the interview, not to mention Spurs fans, even many Memphis fans almost laughed out loud.

Whiteside is still the naive guy who boasted that he can match the "Big Dream". He may just be a passerby in Memphis.

No one took Whiteside seriously, but Link had a few words with Whiteside before the game started.

"Remember, your task today is to show yourself and work hard to improve your 2K ability value. Don't do unnecessary things and compete seriously."

"It's up to me, Link!" Whiteside nodded solemnly, then sat back on the bench.

To others, Whiteside's reasons are naive.

But in Link's opinion, it was a strong dose that could make Whiteside go berserk at any time.

The first two teams entered the court, and the game that the whole world was looking forward to losing to the Grizzlies officially began!

"Last season's Western Conference Finals, the support ratio between the Grizzlies and the Spurs was 1 to 49. Of the 50 states in the United States, only Tennessee supports itself. I think today, the support rate may not have changed at all. Everyone is clamoring that the Grizzlies are about to With a losing streak, we are about to lose our dominance. What do you think of this?"

Before the game started, the commentators also started to get to the point. As soon as it came up, Mark Jackson, who had changed from Warriors coach to commentator, asked Hubie Brown a question.

"First of all, I have to remind everyone that the Grizzlies are still the team with the best record in the league. Their record of 10 wins and 2 losses is much more respectable than the Spurs' 7 wins and 4 losses. It is a bit fashionable to discuss the dominance of the Grizzlies now. Morning. The focus of today's game is actually the duel between Link and Leonard. Whether Leonard can limit Link will directly determine whether the Spurs can win."

Hubie Brown knew that the final outcome of the game still had to be decided by the two small forwards.

But the inside line will indeed affect the trend of the game.

The Spurs sent out a double-height lineup of Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan and Splitter today.

Popovich's purpose is very clear, which is to use his height advantage to find a breakthrough inside.

If Gasol can get into foul trouble early like the Raptors did in the last game, Popovich believes the Spurs will win half the battle!

As for the Grizzlies, it's still the same. Except for Harris replacing Randolph, nothing else has changed.

As soon as the game started, the Spurs didn't shy away from executing their plan.

Rather than being secretive, they tried to gain an advantage from the start.

After Split won the ball for the Spurs first, Parker went inside for the first attack.

The "French Sports Car" took advantage of Duncan's pick-and-roll to rush in, and Tobias Harris had to switch defense.

However, Harris's frame-protecting ability was not outstanding, and in the end, Parker easily succeeded in a layup.

Parker doesn't average many points per game this season, but he's still very efficient. Spurs players, their actual role on the court is far greater than what is seen in the data.

Joger was a little helpless. Once upon a time, the Grizzlies were the most luxurious team in the league. But now, the inside line has become a weak point.

Then the Grizzlies started to attack, and Leonard's defense of Link was directly upgraded to the highest level, without any step-by-step process.

Leonard took a step away from Link, who didn't have the ball in hand, to prevent Link from suddenly cutting in. But even so, Conley did not dare to hand the ball to Link easily, because Leonard's long arms were enough for him to intercept the pass without letting the opponent take a step.

In the end, Conley gave the ball to Harris, hoping that he could use faster steps to eat Duncan.

Harris immediately accelerated the breakthrough after holding the ball. It was really difficult for Duncan to delay Harris.

After surpassing Duncan by half a body, Harris stopped for a jumper because he knew that if he continued to go deeper, he would be caught between Split and Duncan.

Harris did get some shooting space, but the space was not particularly ideal. His pull-up jump shot was somewhat interfered by Duncan. Seeing this, Popovich raised the corners of his mouth proudly.

"Did you see that? If you're not a superstar, don't do the work of a superstar." As soon as Popovich finished speaking to Becky Harmon, Harris' shot missed the frame!

His pull-up jump shot failed to hit. The kind of interference Duncan just caused may not matter to Link, but it is very difficult for Harris.

Harris has indeed made great progress this season, and his scoring has skyrocketed. But as Popovich said, he's not a superstar yet.

Split grabbed the rebound and the Spurs counterattacked.

Through the Spurs' exquisite teamwork, Danny Green finally got a three-point shot from the right corner.

Jimmy Butler defended seriously from beginning to end, but due to the Spurs' superb off-ball screening and Green's coquettish off-ball movement, he still lost track.

Green fired from the bottom corner and the basketball hit the net. As soon as the game opened, the Spurs hit consecutive shots!

Popovich clapped vigorously on the sidelines and seemed very proud. Link glanced at the old man with disdain, but the old man looked back with arrogance.

Link shook his head, and then directly asked for the baseline ball, intending to control the ball himself for half the court.

Since passing the ball is not safe, just skip this step!

Now, as the star player, he must first stabilize his rhythm.

Leonard stood expressionless near the midfield line, and anyone who saw an "emotionless" defender like him would lose half of their confidence.

But Link wouldn't. It's not like he hadn't made that guy frown before.

Seeing Link and Leonard starting to face off early, the fans at the scene shouted excitedly.

Before the game, both Popovich and the San Antonio media clamored that Leonard could limit Link. Memphis fans were very unconvinced by this.

Now, Link's chance to prove himself has come!

Link had just crossed the midfield line when he encountered Leonard's tight defense, but he still did not pass the ball, but signaled everyone to pull away.

Just like that, Lin Keqiang relied on Leonard to reach the middle distance!

Leonard tried to steal several times on the way, but failed. Link's control of the basketball was beyond the reach of other forward players. .

After reaching the middle distance, Link suddenly slowed down and switched to a post-up singles.

Leonard tensed his nerves, Link's post-up singles, there are countless possibilities!

It was too late, then it was too late. Just as Leonard thought of this, Link took action.

Link suddenly shook his shoulders and took a step, as if he was planning to turn his back and break through!

Leonard reacted immediately and prepared to retreat. But at this moment, Link turned in the opposite direction. His real purpose was to turn over and shoot!

If he were an ordinary person, he would have been dazzled by Link long ago. But Leonard immediately adjusted his center of gravity, pounced forward, and blocked Link's shooting angle!

He jumped lightly, stretched out his long arms, and waited for Link to strike.

His defense is as watertight as ever!

But when Leonard floated into the air, he realized that Link was still a fake move!

The back-turning breakthrough is fake, and the turn-over jump shot is also fake! After dangling Leonard, Link looked at Spurs No. 2 in the air and said softly, "Bye."

Then, Link took a step up and passed by Leonard, who was taking off, and then easily succeeded in a jump shot.

Others usually only have one fake move, but for Link, it is not difficult at all to perform two fake moves in a row.

Link's goal triggered the first climax at FedEx Arena. Popovich said before the game that Leonard could handle Link. As a result, not only did he fail to do it, but he was knocked away by Link!

"It's a beautiful fake move, so it's not reliable to say that there are any restrictions on Link. He is a super scorer who combines skills and body. 63 points in a single game is not something that can be achieved by luck."

After Hubie Brown finished speaking, he couldn't help but glance at Popovich. The old man's proud Eastern expression instantly disappeared.

Link broke the old man's fantasy in just one turn. Leonard's defense is indeed very strong, but Link's offense is even stronger!

But the Spurs are not in a hurry. Even if Leonard can't freeze Link, it doesn't matter.

After all, they still have the inside advantage...