114 The Most Valuable Experience

"In one offensive round, the ball passed the hands of five people."

"The Spurs' teamwork is too good. We have to find a way to block their passing coordination."

Both Luo Yin and Aldridge were stunned by the Spurs' offense and immediately thought about how to crack their offense.

Zhang Jun reminded aloud: "Let's take care of our own offense first. This team is not only good at offense, but defense is also their strong point."

Luo Yin and Aldridge nodded in agreement.

Trail Blazers offense.

Jarrett Jack and Aldridge picked and rolled from the outside, took Tim Duncan out of the penalty area and immediately passed the ball to Randolph inside.

Although Randolph is a well-known problem player in the league, regardless of his personality and temper, his ability is really nothing to say.

Playing alone against Fabricio Oberto again, Randolph turned forward and ran directly into the penalty area, but Michael Finley in the bottom corner came to help defend this time.

The Spurs' help defense is very different from other teams. Their help defense is not about driving players away from the penalty area, nor is it the traditional defense of the upper and lower lines to limit the opponent's offense.

Their defense is like a funnel, deliberately allowing offensive players to enter the penalty area, but it is not so easy to take off and complete the offense, and the front and back flanks also block the offensive players' passing routes.

It is equivalent to making it uncomfortable for the offensive players to end the offense on their own, and even more uncomfortable to pass the ball out.

"Randolph got dumped!"

Zhang Jun on the baseline is in an open position at the moment, but Randolph cannot pass the ball at all. To be precise, he should be able to throw it, but the angle, strength and control of the ball will be greatly reduced.

"Throw the ball in the sky!"

Zhang Jun rushed to the penalty area, and Randolph, who was about to make a mistake, had no choice but to throw the ball into the sky.

Zhang Jun jumped up high. At this time, no one else on the court could pick the ball except him.

But the moment Zhang Jun landed, Bruce Bowen arrived!

He first deliberately placed his feet on the landing point of Zhang Jun, and at the same time, he slammed his hands directly into Zhang Jun's arms like two giant pliers.

boom!

When Zhang Jun landed, the ball was knocked out of his hand. At the same time, because he stepped on Bruce Bowen's instep, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The referee did not whistle the ball. No matter how you look at it, the ball belongs to two players fighting for the unowned ball, but Bruce Bowen is good at using small moves.

The Spurs switched offense and defense, Bruce Bowen scored, and Tony Parker drove into the frontcourt like a sports car and scored a layup like a spinning top.

Neither Luo Yin nor Jarrett Jack, who retreated on defense, blocked the ball.

“They seem to be pretty good at guarding the paint.”

Luo Yin couldn't help but said.

Jarrett Jack, who has been in the NBA for a longer time, said with a sigh of relief: "The Spurs gained a lot of valuable experience defending O'Neal back then."

"They really have a way of guarding big men."

Luo Yin suddenly made up his mind and said, "Let me attack."

Jarrett Jack nodded, this indeed seemed to be a wiser decision.

Next round.

Randolph got stuck inside and continued to ask for the ball, only to find that his teammates ignored him and began to use Luo Yin's offensive tactics on the outside.

"Hey! It's up to me to attack at this stage!"

Randolph couldn't help shouting dissatisfiedly at his teammates.

Luo Yin raised his hand and pressed it to indicate that he was going to hit him next.

Randolph held his breath and wanted to get angry, but he held back after realizing that it was Luo Yin's decision.

Luo Yin was defended by Bruce Bowen. Luo Yin had already encountered the opponent's defense during his rookie season last season.

In that game, Bruce Bowen allowed Luo Yin to shoot a miserable 6-for-16 from the field, so he knew very well that beating Bruce Bowen was not a wise choice.

Aldridge raised the pick-and-roll, and the Spurs' pick-and-roll defense strategy was the same as most teams, which was still to defend around the back.

Luo Yin looked at the completely empty situation behind the pick-and-roll, and he took action without hesitation.

Uh-huh!

Three point hit!

"Now all the teams in the league try not to switch when defending the pick-and-roll to avoid the appearance of a small-to-big picture. At the same time, they choose to defend behind to give the opponent the opportunity to make long shots. This only limits the opponent's opportunity to break through the inside."

"This is indeed a very good defensive option, but there are always some players in the league who are very good at three-pointers, such as young players like Luo Yin of the Trail Blazers."

"Luo Yin already shot 38% from three-pointers in his rookie season. So far this season, although he has only shot 35% from three-pointers, it is obviously not a point that can be missed."

At the live commentary desk, Kenny Smith was very optimistic about the player Luo Yin. After the end of last season, the opponent won the title of Yellow Mamba from the fans for his fierce playing style and lack of fear of physical confrontation.

"The Trail Blazers now have Luo Yin and Zhang Jun, and their reconstruction is almost certain to be successful. They can indeed set higher goals."

"Tonight is the best stage to test the quality of the Trail Blazers."

Buckley said with a wide grin.

In the Spurs coaching bench, Popovich gave the players a look, indicating that they should continue to use this defensive strategy.

Zhugewei believes that he can accept Luo Yin's three-point shooting. Of course, it can be more accurate to say that the Spurs' current offensive efficiency can fully accept Luo Yin's three-point shooting.

In the next round, Luo Yin's three-pointer unfortunately hit the top edge of the basket and failed to score.

Duncan grabbed a long rebound, and then the Spurs counterattacked.

Tony Parker held the ball and charged wildly, but this time he found that there was always someone behind him who couldn't get rid of him.

"It's the rookie!"

Tony Parker frowned. He was a little worried about Zhang Jun's height and wingspan, so he didn't take off immediately after breaking through to the basket. Instead, he looked up the ball into the sky and made a fake layup.

This is also a breakthrough fake move that Parker often uses.

"Um?!"

Zhang Jun did not take off. Instead, he took a step further because of Parker's hesitation. In this position, it was more difficult for Parker to make a layup.

Parker seemed to be somewhat confident in himself. He chose to lean on Zhang Jun's body and move his wrist forward.

"Nice layup choice!"

"This is definitely a textbook-like teaching of small fights and big results!"

"A French sports car is indeed a French sports car!"

Before Kenny Smith and Barkley could finish their praises, there was a thunderous slap on the court.

Zhang Jun jumped up behind him and slapped Parker angrily with his long arms.

Kenny Smith froze in place, and Barkley had nothing to say.

"It can only be said that Parker's skills lost to Zhang Jun's talent."

"This little brat's arms are too long."

Zhang Jun defended the ball with difficulty, and he also defended well in the first quarter as coach Nate McMillan needed.

Luo Yin came over and patted Zhang Jun's chest excitedly.

"Well guarded, brother."

Zhang Jun was so tired that he was out of breath. In order to catch up with Tony Parker, he almost used the fastest speed in his life. If the opponent hadn't suddenly stepped on the brakes, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep up.

Eight minutes into the first quarter, the Spurs led the Trail Blazers 19:14.

Zhang Jun was replaced early, but at the same time Bruce Bowen was also replaced by Popovich.

"Be careful of the old man's dirty tricks. Usually Bruce Bowen is not replaced so early."

After all, people are like trees. Nate McMillan certainly knows Popovich's coaching ability, and he has a premonition of what the other party is planning to do.

However, Nate McMillan doesn’t have a particularly good approach.

It doesn't matter if they continue to take Zhang Jun at this time. The opponent tried their best to defend in the first quarter. It doesn't matter if they don't take Zhang Jun, because there is a high probability that the latter will be targeted in the second quarter.

"We can only see whether Zhang Jun can withstand Bruce Bowen's defense in the second quarter."

The first quarter ended quickly.

The Spurs still lead 27:21.

Second quarter of the game.

Zhang Jun led the substitute lineup.

Sure enough, Bruce Bowen was also replaced by Popovich, and walked directly towards Zhang Jun after coming on the court.

The other Spurs players at this time were Manu Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Kurt Thomas and Brent Barry.

Just like the Trail Blazers' use of Zhang Jun, Manu Ginobili, who appeared at this time, is the team's only offensive ball handler and the core of the arrow-style offense.

"Manu Ginobili came on the court in the middle of the first quarter and performed very well in place of Michael Finley."

"Of course, Ginobili's physical strength has not been exhausted too much. At this time, his role in bringing the substitutes is the same as Zhang Jun's role in bringing the substitutes."

"It depends on which of the two is more powerful."

The game continues.

Steve Blake advanced with the ball and passed the ball to Zhang Jun. The Blazers opened up and gave Zhang Jun a one-on-one offensive opportunity in the first round.

"Man, the old man said before the game that you scored 30+ points twice in a row and was one of the best players among the rookies this year. He also asked me to specifically restrict you."

"So let me see how good you are."

Bruce Bowen applauded Zhang Jun and said.

Although such an act of applause seems to be an encouragement from NBA seniors to their juniors, only Zhang Jun knows how dirty Bruce Bowen is when he plays on the court, and how annoying his little moves are.

"So, this is his declaration of war on me."

Bowen has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team 8 times in his career, including 5 All-Defensive Teams. Facing such a top defensive leader, Zhang Jun is not afraid but very excited.

He lowered his center of gravity and first made a tentative fake move to break through from the left. Bowen's lateral movement quickly caught up with Zhang Jun's footsteps, and at the same time, he hit Zhang Jun's ball handler with a powerful shot.

Zhang Jun was protecting the ball, but his big hand that was supposed to hit him immediately retracted when it was about to make contact.

Zhang Jun saw the subtle movement of the referee picking up his whistle.

Harmful! He actually naively thought that Bowen had changed his gender. It turned out that he noticed that the referee was staring at him, so he didn't attack harshly.

He changed direction drastically, broke through with his left hand and then dribbled from behind.

"What a speed."

"Bo Wen was still passed by Zhang Jun."

"After all, he is 36 years old, and his physical function and speed are far from comparable to the younger Zhang Jun."

Zhang Jun passed Bowen and reached the basket in half a step. At this time, the Spurs did not have Duncan or Fabricio Oberto in the inside. The substitute center was Matt Bonner, who was good at attacking and defending, and was very accurate in three-pointers. The backup power forward is Kurt Thomas, nicknamed Crazy Eyes and Dirty Kurt.

Matt Bonner was naturally sensible and did not come to help defend, but Dirty Kurt rushed over decisively and pressed down on Zhang Jun with both hands.

This action is directed at the players.

Zhang Jun has no fear. He has become accustomed to this kind of defense after playing the Rockets in the last game.

boom!

Zhang Jun forced a layup and was pushed to the floor by Dirty Kurt without any accident.

All! All!

The referee blew the whistle and awarded Kurt Thomas a defensive foul.

Zhang Jun wanted to stand up but found that Bowen was standing at his feet. If he forced himself to stand up, wouldn't he suffer crotch humiliation?

"Fuck you."

Zhang Jun pushed Bowen's stomach with his hand, trying to push him away before standing up.

Unexpectedly, this kid fell backwards, and even you, the Oscar-winning actor, can perform this kind of acting.

"This is a foul!"

"The referee pushed me, it was a foul!"

Bowen immediately clutched his stomach in pain and wanted to ask the referee for a foul. This was also a trick he had used for many years. It could not only mess with the opponent's mentality but also get a big gift package.

Bowen was already comfortable and began to wait for the referee's whistle, but in the end he didn't hear anything for a long time.

"what happened?"

"For such an inexperienced rookie, I should be absolutely accurate, right?"

Bowen sat up in confusion and found that everyone on the field was looking in the same direction. Bowen turned his head and saw an exaggerated scene that he had never seen in his career.

Zhang Jun covered his feet and curled up on the ground, shouting: "He just stepped on my foot, it was so strong."

What a great energy! You kid is really good at acting!

Bowen quickly got up and rushed to the referee to explain: "I swear, I definitely didn't step on his foot just now."

The referee looked at Bowen meaningfully and said, "You did not step on his foot, but the fall was quite realistic."

Bowen smiled awkwardly.

Zhang Jun also stood up at this time.

"We are both actors, who is afraid of the other."

The game continues.

Facing Bowen's defense and endless little moves, Zhang Jun's breakthrough power has dropped a lot, and there is also Kurt Thomas inside who has an iron head and can knock him down at every turn.

In addition, the Spurs' bench lineup is not bad, and with Ginobili leading the team, Zhang Jun led the bench lineup to lose the score for the first time.

At the end of the second quarter, the Trail Blazers were already trailing 44:54, and the point difference was widened to 10 points.

Second half of the game.

Luo Yin continued to fire from outside the three-point line, and he became the most outstanding player of the Trail Blazers in this game.

Relying on his 3-of-5 three-pointers in a single quarter, the Trail Blazers once closed the score to within 5 points.

However, the Spurs team is really speechless. Whenever the Trail Blazers are close to the score, they can always find a way to open the score again.

Duncan wandered around the court and casually got a 16+10 double-double.

Parker also had a performance of 17 points and 6 assists due to his speed. Ginobili, who came off the bench, was the most eye-catching. In the third quarter, he scored 20 points by scoring 10 points in a single quarter.

The fourth quarter of the game.

Nate McMillan looked at Zhang Jun and said: "There is a high probability that we will lose tonight. This is an old and stable Spurs team."

"So don't worry about winning or losing at this time. This is a rare game against the defending champion. You can play whatever you want on the court to gain the most valuable experience in your rookie season."