Chapter 852: What About the Weak Inside Line?

Link knocked Leonard away at the beginning, which put a lot of psychological pressure on Leonard.

Although the guy is still expressionless, he just doesn't like to show emotions on his face, which doesn't mean he has no emotions.

Leonard has played 11 games this season, and it can be said that in almost every game, he limited his matchups.

Against the Mavericks, Parsons, who had just signed a big contract, only made 2 of 10 shots from the field.

Against the Suns, Bledsoe was targeted and missed 3 of 15 shots.

Against the Hawks, Korver, a historically efficient shooter, was overturned because of Leonard. He only made 1 of 5 shots from beyond the three-point line, and his shooting percentage for the game was only 30%.

Leonard's defensive ability has been tested by the game, and he has become a nightmare for countless outside players.

If he was just beginning to show his talent in the playoffs last season, then this season, he is already an out-and-out star player.

The title "GDP Successor" has been increasingly applied to Leonard.

Therefore, Popovich and many fans and media's expectations for Leonard are not blind confidence. Leonard's performance this season is indeed very gratifying.

But they all overlooked one thing - in the past 11 games, among the players Leonard defended, no one could compare with Link.

Although Leonard also defended Kobe 1-for-14 during this period, it was very embarrassing. But even now Kobe's offensive power cannot be compared with Link.

Their example does not apply to Link at all.

Leonard can guard them, but that doesn't mean he can guard Link.

In the Spurs' second offense, Duncan sat inside and singled out Harris. But Gasol immediately double-teamed him, not leaving much space for the "Stone Buddha".

In fact, the Grizzlies' interior defense is quite good when Gasol is on the court.

Eventually, Duncan had to pass the ball back to Parker, and the Spurs' plan to force the basket failed.

And once the first attack fails,

It will be very difficult to break through the Grizzlies' defense.

This time, the Spurs spent 24 seconds, but still did not find any decent offensive opportunity.

Leonard finally had to stop and make a mid-range shot against Link's defense. He failed to guard Link, but Link was the first to guard him.

Leonard missed a shot, and every time he attacked or defended, the Spurs' future star was suppressed by Link.

Link rushed forward the moment he completed the defense. Now the Grizzlies have a lineup with one large and four small. Compared with the Spurs, their biggest advantage is speed!

Therefore, Link wants to speed up the offensive and defensive rhythm.

Harris grabbed the rebound and passed a long pass to Link. Link leaned on Leonard and went straight into the penalty area. The play was very simple and rough!

The Spurs' defense was so attracted by Link that almost everyone was chasing into the penalty area.

At this moment, Link passed the ball out from among a bunch of guys wearing black Spurs jerseys!

No one knows how Link sees the outside, and no one knows why he can always find the gap in the gap to pass the ball.

He just can do it.

The basketball accurately fell into the hands of Tobias Harris outside the three-point line. At this time, Duncan was beside Link in the penalty area!

Link attracted all the Spurs' defense, and Harris was unmarked!

Harris did not hesitate. He knew that he had received a lot of criticism during this period. People say that his statistics are inflated, but they have no actual effect and are not as practical as Randolph who is in his thirties.

Harris can hear these voices. Now, it’s time to show value and shut everyone up!

Decisive shooting brings a very high shooting rate. When it comes to shooting, the more you hesitate, the less smooth your hand will be. The smoother the movement, the higher the hit rate.

Harris' shot went without incident, Link successfully got an assist, and the Grizzlies evened the score.

The Spurs thought that a 5-point lead was the beginning, but unexpectedly, it was the end.

Facts have proved that the Grizzlies' offensive firepower has not been compromised at all. As long as Link is around, the Grizzlies' offense will never stagnate.

For the first time, Becky Hammon realized how powerful the NBA championship team was. It was obvious that they had made so many preparations before the game, and that Popovich was so confident before the game.

But in the actual game, in just two rounds, the Grizzlies eliminated the Spurs' paper advantage.

The two sides fought anxiously, and the Spurs did not take any advantage. This game was as difficult for the Spurs as last season's Western Conference Finals.

When the game reached the seventh minute of the first quarter, Link hit the target again with a throw under Leonard's interference, giving the Grizzlies a 4-point lead.

Leonard was panting from exhaustion, and Link had already scored 7 points and 2 assists just a short time into the game. And to do all this, Link only took 4 shots!

In other words, Leonard has only guarded Link once so far. Of course, most people believe that it was only Link's own poor touch that led to that strike, and it had little to do with Leonard's defense.

After Link scored the goal, Popovich had to call a timeout. Although the Spurs are not far behind, Popovich wants more than just not being far behind.

What he wants is to control the game, what he wants is to gain an advantage. Only in this way can the Grizzlies lose consecutive games after a year!

Let the Grizzlies lose in a row, this is Popovich's only goal today!

Therefore, during this timeout, Popovich was very irritable and spoke much louder than before.

"Next, if nothing else happens, it's Gasol's rest time! You all pay attention to me and attack the penalty area with all your strength! Once Gasol comes off the court, the Grizzlies' penalty area will be an ATM! No matter what, We all need to take the lead before the end of the first quarter!”

After Popovich finished speaking, he slapped the tactical board hard to express his dissatisfaction.

The old man knows very well that the next few minutes will be the key to whether the Spurs can win the game. If the Spurs still don't play well when the Grizzlies are weak inside, the game will be quite difficult.

On the other side, on the Grizzlies bench, Joger and Popovich are in completely different states.

Joger is in a good mood. During the recent period, the Grizzlies have not played such a smooth game for a long time.

But whether we can maintain this momentum next is the key.

Joger originally planned to let Whiteside continue watching for a few more minutes. After all, this was only Whiteside's second day with the team, and his training with the team was still quite immature.

But Whiteside's fiery gaze made Jogel change his mind.

Anyway, Whiteside doesn't have to do much on the offensive end, he just goes up and does the dirty work. If you don't play well, you can replace it at any time.

So Qiaogel waved his hand and shouted.

"Hassan, Ezeli. Next, you two partner inside. Your task is simple, do your best to defend, and do your best to grab every rebound. Don't let the Spurs easily attack the basket, understand?"

"Yes!" As soon as Joger finished speaking, Whiteside suddenly "bounced" as if he was lying on his butt and responded loudly.

He can't wait to improve the 2K rating!

"Eh? Hassan Whiteside took off his training clothes. Is it possible that he is going to play?" Mark Jackson on the commentary table saw Whiteside jumping excitedly on the sidelines and couldn't help but guess what the Grizzlies were doing. Employment strategy.

"Whiteside just practiced with the Grizzlies yesterday and is playing today. Isn't it a little too hasty?" Even Hubie Brown was a little worried about this substitution.

Although Whiteside is tall and has long arms, his body is much stronger than when he first entered the draft. But static talent does not mean everything, and height and arm length do not mean that a player can perform well.

Not just Mark Jackson and Hubie Brown, in fact, most of the fans at the scene were a little worried.

Can Whiteside, a guy who is unfamiliar to people, withstand the pressure?

Link looked at Whiteside who was eager to try, and walked up to look seriously into his eyes.

The fuss is over, now it's time to be serious with him.

"You know, you can't fail." Link said without a smile, completely losing his image as a "game nerd" yesterday.

"I know I won't fail."

After Whiteside finished speaking, the electronic buzzer sounded and the game restarted.

On the Spurs' side, Duncan was replaced with Diaw, and Parker was replaced with Mills. Everything else remained unchanged. Popovich still kept Split on the court.

When Popovich saw the Grizzlies actually put the newly signed short-term workers on the field, he couldn't be happier.

He believes that in the last few minutes of the first quarter, the Spurs will regain the advantage!

"The game restarts and the Spurs attack. Now that Gasol is not here, the Spurs will definitely make a big fuss in the paint. I don't know if the new members of the Grizzlies can withstand the pressure." Hubie Brown was talking, and the on-site cameras Just give Whiteside a close-up of his face.

"Haha, that guy said in the pre-game interview that he played to improve his 2K rating. From my perspective, he is as childish as before." Mark Jackson smiled, preparing to see Whiteside's joke.

Leonard doesn't want to be suppressed by Link for the whole game. He has already allowed Link to score 7 points, and this number will definitely continue to rise.

If you want to suppress Link, you must work harder on the offensive end!

So after Leonard received the basketball, he called Diaw to play a pick-and-roll with him. Leonard wanted to hit the basket!

Diaw can extend his shooting range beyond the three-point line, making Ezeli afraid to switch defenses easily. The veteran Dio was suspected of moving to cover when he was blocking Link.

After all, he is a veteran, and he will seize any opportunity to gain an advantage.

Link tried his best to squeeze away from the Frenchman, but Leonard had already broken into the penalty area, and even Link, who was as fast as lightning, could not catch up.

Leonard gritted his teeth and took off towards the basket. Link's throw just now is all returned!

Popovich stood up, ready to applaud Leonard's goal. That No. 2 did not let him down, and the Spurs' next ten years can be left to him.

Leonard stretched out his long arms and threw the basketball towards the basket. But just when Leonard thought everything was ready, he suddenly felt that there was no light under the basket, and he seemed to be covered by a mountain.

"I'm not going to fucking hold you back!"

Leonard only heard an inexplicable shout. The next second, the basketball that was about to fall was slapped away by a strong hand!

"What!?" Leonard turned his head in surprise. Didn't he say that the Grizzlies' current inside line is very weak?

Weak ass!

In the end, Leonard only saw the unknown center who landed heavily and the basketball that flew into the audience.

He suffered a bloody injury from 10 days of short-term work in the penalty area!

Everyone's mouth was open, including the Grizzlies players themselves. They would never have imagined that this day laborer could actually draw Leonard's blood!

Only Link, with a smile on his face, went up to give Whiteside a high-five.

Now Link believes that the miracle in Miami will happen in Memphis.