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Chapter 531 - 231. Popovich who lost his sense of security_2

Chapter 531: 231. Popovich who lost his sense of security_2

The Spurs have tied the score! Ginobili has scored 10 points this quarter alone!

During the transition between offense and defense, Zhang Yang receives the ball at a high post, backs Ginobili, turns around, and pulls up for a mid-range shot... but is fouled by Ginobili.

Popovich is not the only one in a rush; Ginobili is as well.

His haste doesn’t negatively affect his offense, on the contrary, when he’s in good form, his hurried and aggressive play can lead to a scoring spree, just like tonight with 10 points in the first quarter alone.

However, it has a significant impact on his defense; being already weak at one-on-one defense in the mid-range, once in a rush, he’s prone to unnecessary mistakes.

On Time Warner Sports, Hubie Brown commented, "Defending Jack, who has an 85%+ free-throw percentage at mid-range, without fouling is fundamental. Ginobili failed even in the most basic aspect of defense."

Zhang Yang steps to the free-throw line and makes both shots, 28 to 26, and the mountain cat team continues to lead!

With the last attack of the quarter, Parker breaks into the paint using a Duncan screen. Rondo and Millsap leave Duncan and desperately chase Parker, denying him the chance for a close-range floater. Yet, Parker goes straight underneath the basket, slips along the baseline past Perkins, uses Perkins to block the two defenders, turns around in the left side of the key and makes a turnaround jumper!

The first quarter ends with both teams tied at 28.

...

Zhang Yang played 7 minutes in the quarter, made 3 of 5 shots, and with 3 out of 4 free throws, scored 9 points.

Felton scored 5 points, Rondo 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, Okafor 6 points, and Gerald Wallace 6 points.

Ginobili made 4 of 6 shots, including 2 of 2 three-pointers, scoring the game-high 10 points. Parker contributed 8 points and 2 assists, Duncan went 2 for 5 to get 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and Elson made both shots for 4 points...

The mountain cat team’s five young rising stars matched the Spurs’ intensity with their frenzied performance in the first quarter, sending the home fans into ecstasy.

Great players cast long shadows, and even though the mountain cat team had managed to tie at 2-2 with the Spurs, their fans’ confidence soared. But in their hearts, the Spurs still stood as an incredibly formidable team, with three championships in the past eight years, on par with the Lakers as a superpower.

Not falling behind was exciting enough, and not falling behind meant there was a chance to win!

The TV audience was also thrilled, having expected another hard-fought battle. Indeed, both sides tried to turn it into a fierce contest, but Ginobili’s entry into the game spurred the Spurs’ counterattack, forcing the mountain cat team to ramp up their scoring as well.

On CCTV, Zhang Weiping analyzed the first quarter by saying, "This kind of outside scoring spree is different from scoring in the paint. Look, when Duncan scores 42 points, the Spurs might only have a little over 80 points total. But when Parker and Ginobili heat up, they nearly hit 30 points in one quarter..."

The mountain cat fans are happy, the casual fans in front of the TV are happy, and the commentators are delighted to see such an exciting game... except for Popovich.

The situation seems similar to the previous four games, with both teams taking swings at each other. However, even in the two games that they lost, G2 and G4, it was only because they couldn’t make the key shots against the mountain cat team. Regular time was in favor of the Spurs. Tonight, they only had a slight edge in key shots, Parker and Ginobili overcame Zhang Yang, but they were getting outplayed in regular time...

To other coaches, this might seem fortunate, but for Popovich, such a reversal from expectations was torturous.

A style developed and honed over a decade has given them a wealth of in-game experience, but it has also turned the Spurs into a ’code mountain.’ Unless they reset the system, there’s not much room for adjustment.

Ginobili is considered the only ’bug’ in this ’code mountain.’

Heading into the break, Popovich relaxed his nerves slightly and then remembered how in the first round, old Nelson surprised the 67-win Mavericks with all sorts of creative beatings; how Bickerstaff’s various smart moves in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals...

Into the second quarter, both teams continue to battle it out.

For the Spurs, Duncan anchors the defense while Parker leads the fierce offense in regular time, and when the defensive intensity picks up, Ginobili takes over the offensive mantle.

As for the mountain cat team, their approach is characterized by youthful vigor and aggression, dominating over the Spurs in regular time.

While the two outside players shoulder the offensive burden, stability – especially compared to combinations of inside and outside players like the golden backcourts of the Pistons and the mountain cat team – can be hard to maintain over long periods. Not as steady as combinations like Nowitzki and Terry or Stoudemire and Nash, who were dominant throughout the season.

But when they’re shooting hot, two guards are very likely to outperform the combination of inside and outside players.

For example, in the last game, Zhang Yang and Felton got hot simultaneously, performing even better than Duncan and Parker leading the team.

In the second quarter with Parker leading the team, the Spurs were behind the Bobcats by two points, 13 to 15, and when Ginobili led, the Spurs edged the Bobcats by three points, 14 to 11.

At halftime, the Bobcats were trailing the Spurs by one point, 54 to 55, entering the break!

Parker played 9 minutes in the second quarter and scored 8 points, Ginobili played 7 minutes and scored 7 points.

Zhang Yang was suppressed by Ginobili again in the second quarter, playing 6 minutes, making 2 out of 5 shots, and with 2 out of 2 free throws, he scored 6 points.

Felton continued to perform well, scoring 7 points in 10 minutes, Gerald Wallace 3 points, Rondo 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, Okafor 4 points, Muhammad and Millsap each 2 points.

Before returning to the locker room, Felton glanced at the big screen where Parker had scored 16 points for the half and asked, "Should we really be provoking Parker? He seems to be playing even better!"

Okafor: "No, it’s just that we haven’t achieved our goal. His performance in one-on-one plays for the first three quarters of the last game was already very good, scoring 18 points with a high shooting percentage. With that experience, it’s normal for him to play better tonight. His higher score than last game is mainly because Duncan only shot 9 times in the first half, and Ginobili’s number of attempts is almost the same as last game. Most of the shots Duncan didn’t take were taken by Parker."

With Okafor putting it that way, Felton’s psychological burden was lifted. Little brother might comfort him, but Okafor wouldn’t.

Felton didn’t think ’it wasn’t me who said to do that’; if it really was his trash-talk that stimulated Parker’s rampage, causing them to struggle so much, he would feel very guilty.

With the psychological burden gone, just keep pushing!

After the halftime break, the third quarter began, and both teams continued their shootout.

In regular time, the Bobcats outscored the Spurs by three points, 20 to 17, overtaking the Spurs by two points, 74 to 72!

In the final two minutes, after an official timeout and a short rest, Zhang Yang re-entered the court to face off with Ginobili once more.

Both players started by missing a shot as a sign of respect, then Ginobili was the first to fire, driving to the basket and scoring a layup.

On the next offensive possession, Zhang Yang, who had just re-entered the game and missed a shot, didn’t hesitate, driving straight to the inside. Watching Duncan’s movement closely, he timed it perfectly, grabbed the ball, and launched a floating jump shot... swish!

When the Spurs attacked, Ginobili kept firing, driving in close, spinning, and scooping the ball into the basket, increasing his quarter score to 7 points and overall to 24 points!

to 76, the Spurs caught up to tie the game again!

On the Bobcats’ offense, Zhang Yang received the ball on the perimeter and went one-on-one against Ginobili, driving in!

Ginobili, who was just scored on with a close jumper, stepped back sharply. Zhang Yang stepped back, gathered the ball, and shot a three-pointer... it went in!

To think that a step-back three could go in, Coach Popovich on the sidelines felt the goddess of luck had been continuously favoring the opposition this year, but no worries, he still had his "Blade" Ginobili!

Soon, Ginobili disappointed him, taking the Spurs’ final shot of the third quarter, pulling up for a three-pointer against Alan Anderson and missing!

At the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats held a 3-point lead, 79 to 76!

Regular playing time saw 3 shots and 1 hit, but in the last two minutes, 2 out of 3 shots made, scoring 7 points in a span of 8 minutes. Popovich was upset seeing Zhang Yang’s performance.

Ginobili had such a good performance tonight, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and 7 points in each of the second and third quarters, for 24 points in three quarters, but Zhang Yang had 9 points in the first quarter, 6 in the second, and 7 in the third, for a total of 22 points.

Moreover, scoring clutch points towards the end of the third quarter, Zhang Yang slightly outdid Ginobili!

Popovich started thinking again—why didn’t he trade Parker for a lottery pick in ’05...