With Stoudemire absent, the defense needs to attack more.
Halfway through the game...
17:11!!
The Suns lead by 6 points.
The Spurs didn't gain much advantage in positional play either. Whenever Wei Guo received the ball under the basket, Duncan and Muhammad had to double-team him. However, Wei Guo's passing skills were even better than Nash's, and he made things very difficult for the Spurs, even when he was setting up play under the basket.
However...
The real reason the Spurs were behind was their lack of offensive firepower.
Barry entered the league in 1995 and is considered a veteran. He is now a backup guard for the Spurs. Seeing Parker missing his mid-range shots repeatedly, he couldn't help but complain... He had said before that Parker should practice his mid-range and three-point shots, but Parker just wouldn't listen.
The Suns' targeted defense against Parker was very effective.
By preventing Parker from driving to the basket and using simple shot-blocking tactics to disrupt his shot attempts, Parker's lack of shooting ability became apparent.
Popovich is very strict; he only played 7 minutes in the first quarter before substituting Barry for Parker.
The Spurs are on offense.
Ginobili dribbled the ball all the way to the corner, where he was double-teamed by Joe Johnson and Richardson.
In this era, players like Iverson, Nash, and Kidd may have overshadowed his brilliance, but it cannot be denied that Parker was an excellent player... However, Wei Guo said that the two most terrifying players on the Spurs were Duncan and Ginobili. Duncan goes without saying, but Wei Guo described Ginobili as a viper.
A venomous snake that waits for its chance to strike; once it bites, it can be fatal.
so...
Joe Johnson and Richardson then used a double-team tactic to corner Ginobili.
With no space left for shooting or passing, and the ball about to go out of bounds, Ginobili flicked his arm and made a cross-court pass from the baseline. Like a topspin shot in ping-pong or a banana kick in soccer, the basketball spun a beautiful arc and flew into Barry's hands in the opposite corner.
Crescent Moon Blade!!!
Barry receives the ball and takes an open three-pointer.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
19:16!!
The Spurs have narrowed the gap to just 3 points.
Even though it was the Suns' home court, many fans couldn't help but cheer for this pass, which will surely become one of the top ten assists in this season's playoffs.
Richardson and Joe Johnson looked at each other in disbelief. How did they manage to pass the ball out like that? Ginobili, who was forced to the corner, actually delivered a beautiful, curved pass that found the opposite corner.
Gentry stroked his chin and smiled brightly, "Wei is right... Ginobili is the destabilizing factor."
The Suns are on offense.
Richardson went one-on-one against Bowen, but his turnaround jump shot missed.
Duncan grabs the defensive rebound...
The Spurs' offense was very organized. After Duncan positioned himself on the left side at a 45-degree angle, Ginobili lobbed the ball to Duncan. This was Duncan's most dangerous position, and naturally, Wei Guo was assigned to defend him one-on-one.
Duncan leaned against Wei Guo and made a one-armed big swing feint, but this move did not fool Wei Guo.
Wei Guo simply moved half a step to the left, trying to figure out Duncan's next move: whether it would be a half-turn fake followed by a bank shot or a layup during the challenge... Duncan had so many offensive options at this point that even Wei Guo couldn't predict his next move.
Ginobili's reverse run...
As they passed Duncan, the two made a hand-off pass feint, and Wei Guo immediately moved to the right, blocking Ginobili's path.
Duncan spun around, caught the ball with one hand, and launched a high, backward-leaning lob!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
If it were any other superstar, they would have already started blaming their teammates at this point. Richardson didn't keep up when Ginobili made his cut, and if Wei Guo hadn't helped defend, the fake would have become a real move, and Ginobili could have easily scored a layup after receiving the ball.
But...
After Wei Guo stepped up to defend, he gave Duncan a chance to shoot.
Although the shot was forced, Duncan lived up to his reputation as the second-best power forward in the league (the best power forward is Wei Guo), and still managed to score with a high, one-handed fadeaway lob.
19:18!!
The Spurs are only down by one point.
......
Popovich breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Spurs didn't fall too far behind in the first and third quarters, they would basically win the game.
The Suns' biggest weakness is their bench depth...
With Stoudemire suspended and Richardson returning to the starting lineup from the bench, the bench strength is severely depleted.
For a fleeting moment...
Popovich was already planning how to deal with the Heat, who had O'Neal, Wade, Kidd, and Miller. This team was stronger than the Suns.
Gentry and Popovich thought the same thing.
He was worried that the Spurs would seize the opportunity, as the bench players would be playing most of the second and fourth quarters, and Popovich's tactical focus would be on the first half of the second and fourth quarters.
......
The first quarter has ended.
29:27!!
The Suns lead by 2 points.
Wei Guo played the entire quarter, scoring 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks—impressive stats, but he couldn't widen the gap.
tonight...
Duncan and Ginobili played exceptionally well, and veteran Barry, coming off the bench, made 3 of 5 three-pointers, which was also key for the Spurs to stay close in the score.
Wei Guo took the towel Cummings handed him and listened to Gentry analyze the game, "Duncan doesn't need help defense when he has the ball, just stick with your man... Although Duncan's playmaking ability isn't as good as Wei Guo's, if you leave Ginobili wide open, Duncan can still pass the ball to Ginobili..."
Compared to D'Antoni, Gentry tends to be more defensive.
When the team was short-handed, Gentry had already warned Wei Guo that he would most likely play the entire match.
......
Reaching the Western Conference Finals, some players are under a lot of pressure.
The Suns players kept making mistakes...
Less than three minutes into the second quarter, the Spurs took the lead, and everything seemed to be going in the direction Popovich had envisioned.
Marion pulled out a packet of instant coffee, tore it open, poured all the coffee powder into his mouth, chewed the coffee dry, and walked toward the technical table.
I remember once, Marion and a few others were training alone with Gentry. After the training, Gentry held up a thermos and said to them, "This could be the closest we've ever come to winning the championship."
Marion understood the meaning of those words perfectly...
They are not superstars and do not have the right to choose their teams. Whether they can join a team with championship potential after leaving Weiguo is anyone's guess.
so...
Marion craves victory, yearns for the championship that is within his grasp.
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