Champion Creed
Chapter 814 - 814 273 Michael's Cleveland revival plan

814: 273: Michael’s Cleveland revival plan?

This is the secret of their consecutive victories (asking for monthly votes!) _4 814: 273: Michael’s Cleveland revival plan?

This is the secret of their consecutive victories (asking for monthly votes!) _4 Popovich is eagerly anticipating the team’s performance, believing it will be a tough match.

Before the game, he told everyone, “We will fight until the last second today, for victory.”

But the result after the game started was that the Spurs were completely crushed by the Hawks!

The Spurs have the third-best defense this season, but their offense is unbelievably poor.

David Robinson has already lost most of his athletic ability, and now even Kevin Garnett can mock him as just a mid-range shooter.

Little General Johnson’s individual ability and locker room charisma are no longer what they used to be.

Sean Elliott is no longer young and carries a transplanted kidney.

This Spurs team is just too old.

Few young players remain, with the current second-leading scorer being Derek Anderson, but many Spurs fans didn’t even know who Derek Anderson was before last summer.

The 13th pick of ’97 recorded an average of 16.9 points per game with the Clippers in the ’99-’00 season and averaged 15 points per game with a 39% three-point shooting rate this season with the Spurs.

Besides that, he’s not good at ball handling or defense.

He’s a decent role player, but as the number two guy on a championship-contending team?

The quality is lacking.

Popovich knows the team is old, but he wants to leverage the mentality of the veterans who are willing to sacrifice everything to win a championship, not caring about salary or tactical status anymore.

In his view, as long as Duncan is paired with some capable veterans, the Spurs can be unstoppable.

But the resilience and experience of these veteran players ultimately can’t match the swift flight of the Hawks.

This game, the Hawks focused on defense and counterattacks, and apart from Duncan, the Spurs couldn’t find a second reliable main scoring option, leading to frequent missed shots.

Once the Hawks grabbed the rebound, the counterattack would start immediately.

The Spurs’ group of old bones didn’t have a single player with speed, and the only speedy one, Derek Anderson, couldn’t fight them all by himself.

The Hawks didn’t give the Spurs a chance to set their defense, always catching them off guard, rendering the league’s third-best defense useless.

Fast-paced offense prevented the Spurs from utilizing their defensive advantage, and poor offense continuously gifted the Hawks counterattack opportunities, thus creating a vicious cycle.

In the few half-court defense possessions, the Hawks’ three-pointers left the Spurs helpless.

Jeff Hornacek today shone with a retro performance, scoring 22 points, hitting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.

On the Spurs bench, one of Popovich’s assistant coaches, Mike Budenholzer, sighed, “If it weren’t for the Hawks, this guy should have retired!”

This statement made Popovich feel heartbroken, allowing someone who should have retired to pierce him through the heart.

In the end, the Hawks convincingly defeated the Spurs on the road, 112-90.

Tim Duncan recorded 28 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 blocks.

Even after undergoing a terrifying meniscus injury, he remains that superstar in peak form from the start of his career.

But besides Duncan, the Spurs had no one else to step up.

Roger once again ended a championship contender.

Just this one game allows people to conclude: “If they meet in the playoffs, the Spurs stand no chance.”

After the Spurs, the Hawks also took down another Western Conference championship favorite, the Dallas Mavericks.

After enduring the 3J drama, the Dallas Mavericks finally reaped the rewards and ushered in the most brilliant roster in franchise history.

27-year-old Steve Nash, Michael Finley, and 22-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, these three players in the prime of their careers are steering the Mavericks in the right direction.

Moreover, after the failed trade with the Hawks, the Wizards accepted a five-for-two trade with the Mavericks, sending Juwan Howard to Dallas.

In Cuban’s view, his lineup couldn’t be more brilliant.

Nowitzki and Finley average over 20 points per game, Juwan Howard nearly averages 20 points, and though Steve Nash scores fewer points, he can organize the offense.

They destroy opponent after opponent with a flashy offensive averaging 100.5 points per game, making a strong push in the West.

The matchup between the Hawks and Mavericks was considered another strong duel.

In fact, if it weren’t for Wang Zhizhi needing to finish the CBA finals before reporting to the Mavericks, this would have been the first-ever China Derby in NBA history.

Dallas people were also eagerly anticipating the arrival of another Chinese player who can easily perform 360-degree dunks, besides Roger.

But they have no choice but to wait.

Yes, these various bizarre regulations are precisely why Roger never participated in international matches.

Just imagine playing in the finals here, and they demand you go back to prepare for some trivial cup competition.

What kind of experience would that be?

However, 20 years later, the Chinese basketball team perfectly solved the problem of players not returning from the NBA because no one can go directly anymore.

The new Mavericks owner Mark Cuban attended the game himself, and even without the China Derby, he was eagerly anticipating the result of this game.

Because this game would test whether his team truly has a chance to win the championship.

Just a few days ago, the Dallas Mavericks narrowly lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In that game, the Lakers’ Big Three all played, but in the end, the Mavericks only lost by 1 point.

In the final moments, the Mavericks allowed Horry to grab a crucial offensive rebound.

Although his strong attack under the basket was blocked by a foul, Horry calmly sealed the game with two free throws.

The Lakers’ victory was nerve-wracking and even partly due to luck.

Because Horry was being boxed out by Nowitzki at the time, but who knew it would be a long rebound, and Nowitzki, though in a favorable position, couldn’t get the ball.