On the wooden floor of the SBC center, at the team's logo, a huge O'Brien Cup is painted.

It's a unique style of the NBA Finals, reminding fans of what the 10 people on the court are fighting for.

Although the league did not know what was in mind about canceling the design, most people still miss it very much.

The Spurs' long-haired No. 20 guard stepped over the O'Brien Cup on the floor with the ball.

Tonight, he's the nightmare of the Eastern Conference champions.

"Manu. Ginobili is a godsend, and the Argentine seems to be able to score with just one shot today!

The Pacers limited Tony in this game. Parker, but the Argentines stepped up!

Now, Manu continues to hold the ball, let's see how he plays! ”

Mike. Sitting behind the commentary stand, Brin could feel the Argentine's overflowing confidence.

At this point, there were only 40 seconds left in the game and the Spurs led by six points.

Martial Saint Jackson nervously stood in front of Ginobili, the Argentinian who had already scored 24 points.

Ginobili may not be as tall as Jackson, but he still has a steady handle on the ball.

He controlled the time from beyond the three-point line and wanted to run out of 24 seconds without giving the Pacers a chance to fight back.

Wayne fought wildly on the inside Duncan, although Duncan's efficiency today was not as high as Ginobili's, and under the bag of Xiao Ao and Wayne, No. 21 Dumb shot only 45.5% today.

But he still scored 24 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Therefore, Wusheng did not dare to let go of the Argentine, and Wayne did not dare to let Duncan go at all.

In this way, when there were only 6 seconds left in the attack time, Manu waved his hand in a dashing manner and called for cover!

As soon as he remembered that the last time the Spurs played the SuperSonics in the Western Conference semifinals, Ginobili threw Duncan at the limit of the last 0.5 seconds, and Wayne clung to the stupefies, ready to go out with him.

When the time comes, whether it is to change the defense or continue to defend Duncan, you must not make mistakes.

You think he's going to play on his own, but there's a good chance he's going to pass the ball all of a sudden.

Ginobili, you never know what's going to happen next.

Well, maybe even Popovich didn't know.

In a Spurs team that is a solid team, Manu is usually the one who breaks the mold.

But just when Wayne was about to take the leap, the Spurs' arrangement surprised everyone.

It was not Duncan, who was a mid-range threat, who went out to block Ginobili, but Nazre, who was traded to the Spurs from New York in the late stages of the regular season this year. Mohammed.

With a tougher style of play, faster movement and aggressive frontcourt rebounding, Mohammed replaced white center "Ouchi" Rasu. Nesternovic, who has been a starter for the Spurs in the playoffs.

As it turns out, he has indeed improved the Spurs' defensive strength and secondary offensive opportunities in the playoffs, averaging 3.3 frontcourt rebounds per game in the playoffs so far.

However, Mohammed is just a blue-collar coolie who doesn't shoot from mid-range or even have any offensive skills.

If he is asked to cover, O'Neill Jr. can switch guards in front of Manu with impunity.

So, why did the Spurs do this, was it a tactical mistake?

Not.

Popovich clenched his fists off the court, and it was all arranged by him.

It is true that Mohammed has no way to provide a mid-range threat like Duncan. Therefore, the purpose of the Spurs' blocking and dismantling this time is actually to make Manu play Xiao Ao in a different position.

What Popovich wants is for Xiao Ao to change his defense!

The block was formed, and Xiao Ao really guarded in front of Manu for the first time.

But Manu didn't break through immediately, and after bypassing the cover, he suddenly paused, which made Xiao Ao have to follow.

Just as Xiao Ao was moving forward, Manu suddenly changed direction and accelerated.

One forward, one backward.

This is what small and big people are most afraid of.

Manu easily broke through to Ao and jumped next to him to shoot.

The moment the Argentine made his shot, the rebound just flashed red.

The basketball went into the net, and this time, he didn't throw the pot.

"Again, Manu. Ginobili, his mid-range jumper almost killed the game! Spurs fans can cheer as Ginobili's shot allowed the Spurs to keep their first win in San Antonio! ”

The audience cheered, and the long-haired Manu scored his 26th personal point.

He shot 10-of-16 from the field and shot 62.5 percent from the field.

He gave the Pacers 16 seconds, but the margin was stretched to eight points.

Wayne didn't even have a purple "Big Heart Killer" to no avail.

There's no time.

Even if it's Maddie's miracle moment, it takes 35 seconds to complete.

What's more, Spurs will never allow the same thing to happen twice.

Carlisle used up the last timeout, and he gave Wayne a quick three-pointer.

But all this has long been guessed by the cunning "penguin people" on the other side.

After the game restarted, Duncan and Bowen sandwiched Wayne, and Bowen almost completely lay in Wayne's arms.

Wayne couldn't catch the ball, and Xiao Ao could only hand it over to the martial saint when he was in danger.

But unfortunately, Martial Saint's quick three-point shot missed, which also meant that the Pacers completely lost hope.

At the end of 48 minutes, the Spurs won the first game of the Finals 96-87.

Manu raced across the court with his arms raised, and behind him, Duncan stretched out his claws as if after his prey.

Otherwise, why do you think Manu ran so fast?

"Good, come here and I'll touch my head!"

Popovich stood up and glanced at Wayne, intentionally or not.

When the two looked at each other, the old man raised his head slightly and smiled proudly.

1-0, with Reggie. Miller's last wish, with endless enthusiasm, came to the Cornfields team in San Antonio and was hit hard.

"If I'm not mistaken, this was the first time the Pacers have suffered a loss in their first playoff game of the season. I don't know what they're going to do, it's an adversity they've never encountered. Here's Mike. Brin and Kevin. Haalan, we'll see you in the next game. ”

Mike. After Brin finished speaking, he turned off the microphone and let out a big breath.

He opened his hands, only to find that his palms were covered with sweat.

This finals are indeed different from before.

Before, both the Pacers and the Spurs actually gave people a feeling of being at ease.

Although the Heat once forced the game to Tianwang Mountain, as Wayne said, they won by exploding.

And this time the Pacers met the Spurs, which really gave people a sense of being evenly matched.

"It's all my fault, it's all my ......" The moment the game ended, Xiao Ao was autistic.

He believes that it was because he failed to defend against Manu in the end that he failed.

But the truth is more cruel than Xiao Ao thinks - even if Manu doesn't score a goal, the Pacers will probably not win today.

Today's game was not a collapse at some point or someone's fault that led to the defeat.

The Spurs were able to win because of their strong strength, tight defense and rigorous strategy.

On the Pacers' side today, the offensive efficiency is actually not high, and Wayne did not have many opportunities under Duncan's defense, and only scored 18 points in the game.

It's not just Wayne, it's most people who don't get too good a shot.

The defensive intensity and level of this game made the Pacers feel like they were back in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Pacers' defense of the Spurs was also very targeted, but Ginobili played too well today, and again, Duncan, although his shooting percentage was not high, was not very low, and he still scored a lot of points.

Duncan is Duncan, and he is not yet 29 years old, and he is in his prime, which is the golden age of an insider.

"We still have a chance, Jermaine. Puff out your chest, we're not losers yet. Miller walked up and patted him on the back.

After that, he talked to the other teammates one by one.

Miller really didn't want to see the team break up in a single game, and the defeat in this one was really demoralizing, but it wasn't fatal.

Being 1-0 behind just means starting a little slower than others.

Finally, Miller walked over to Wayne.

Although Wayne is a rookie, he is calmer than most older players in the face of this loss.

For some reason, Miller wasn't surprised.

Maybe it's because he almost forgot that Wayne was actually a first-year rookie.

The strongest first-year rookie of the 21st century!

"In the end, I was stepped on by Bowen." Miller didn't talk to Wayne in a comforting tone.

"Well, damn Bruce. He should be thankful that the game was coming to an end, and I didn't have the heart to play with him, otherwise ......"

Wayne shrugged, and when Bowen had just wrapped himself up with Duncan, he kept stepping on Wayne's feet to restrict Wayne's movement, which didn't allow Wayne to get the ball.

Wayne really wanted Bowen to relive that unforgettable night.

"It's good that you're not hurt, but be careful with that guy. Let's go back, and we'll keep up the good work in the next game. ”

"Well, we ...... Just a little bit. Wayne nodded, and turned away from the sea of joy that belonged to the people of San Antonio.

At the post-match press conference, Popovich and Duncan directly blew Ginobili to the surface.

'Manu played at the level he deserved and scored the crucial goal against Jermaine in the last minute, that's what he does, he's a special player.

Popovich was so happy that he had completely forgotten that he was still clamoring to trade the Argentine in the Western Conference semifinals.

Duncan, on the other hand, had a rare humorous game with reporters: "Today, 20 is greater than 21. ”

Other than that, Popovich didn't say anything cooler.

Although the Spurs won this game beautifully, it was only the first game after all.

At this time, you will taunt hard, and there is a high chance that it will overturn.

This is not a villain after all, and he will not suddenly lose his intelligence.

But at the end of the press conference, Popovich asked defiantly: "Aren't there any reporters from Indiana today?" ”

He used this sentence to respond to the Indian City reporter who embarrassed him before the finals began.

Since most of the people present were San Antonio reporters, they laughed very cooperatively.

In a burst of laughter, Popovich walked out of the press conference with satisfaction.

Wayne?

Just a little kid!

In front of the great Deng nerd, this guy, who is known as the strongest first-year guy in the 21st century, is not a threat at all!

18 points in a single quarter? You take one on Duncan's head and try it!

Duncan: Hey, don't just poison me, old man!

Popovich believed that in a few more games, he would be able to taunt Wayne with impunity.

It's a little exciting to think about it.

The two front teeth of labor and management can't just be counted!

Let you see a street in the holy city, who is the master!

The next day, Wayne woke up early in the morning to go to the arena for training.

This is so aggrieved, now I don't want to play basketball or play anymore, except for the game.

As a result, Wayne was dumbfounded when he arrived at the basketball hall near the hotel.

Peyton, Miller, Martial Saint and Xiao Ao, everyone appeared at the door in unison!

Well, only Atai slept the most soundly.

When it comes to big hearts, it has to be Taizi.

"Yo, it's so early." Peyton crooked his mouth and smiled.

"Hey, it's time for morning exercise." Miller said, starting to shoot from beyond the three-point line.

Two old guys, very motivated.

After all, they're probably the most eager of all to win the title.

Others can comfort themselves by saying, "Next time." ”

But for Miller and Payton, they may not really have a next time.

Wayne shrugged and went to the court to shoot.

Cast and pitch, Peyton suddenly spoke.

"Next...... I think we were a little more decisive. ”

"Well, the Spurs' defense isn't going to give us what we call a good chance. Sometimes, you have to pitch at the slightest opportunity. Otherwise, in the end, you can still only force your shot, and the efficiency will be even lower. Miller immediately chimed in.

It's worthy of two old rivers and lakes, and when they said this, Wayne realized that it was so reasonable.

In fact, the reason why yesterday's game, including the game between the Spurs and Pistons in the original history, made people feel bored was not because of the low score and the lot of iron.

What really spoiled the look and feel of the game was the long standoff that resulted from not having a shot.

Positioning, hand-to-hand combat, close defense, pinching, passing...... These occupy most of the game.

It's like a boxing match, and what everyone is most looking forward to is the hard punch to the flesh.

But if two overly cautious boxers don't make a move after a long time, it will be ugly, and it will be difficult to win.

Yesterday the Pacers' offense was like that, because there were no good chances, so they didn't shoot decisively.

Wait until the end of the day to force the shot, in fact, the opportunity is not as good as before.

In fact, there was such a problem when playing the Pistons, but because the Pistons themselves were not able to attack.

Therefore, the two sides grinded each other's defenses, and in the end, the key offense prevailed, and the Pacers were more likely to win, and this problem was also masked.

But now facing the Spurs, they are no less defensive than the Pistons, and they also have such offensive masters as Ginobili and Duncan.

The Pacers are struggling to defend alone.

"Well, I'll be a little more determined next time." Payton nodded, he didn't want his championship dream to shatter again.

Unlike Miller, Payton doesn't care where he wins a championship, as long as he gets a championship.

To be honest, he also felt that he had reached his limit.

In another year or two, with his competitive state, will there be any championship teams that want him?

Don't say a year or two, just this year, he was almost killed by Danny. Picking. Angie threw it in the rotten Atlanta.

Payton knew that it was impossible for him to lead the team and tough opponents like he did in the supersonic era.

He does need to rely on a good team, and to put it bluntly, he has to hug his thighs.

But Payton doesn't want to lose a championship either, he just wants to continue to shine as a role player.

This year, it's his best chance to win the championship!

In any case, the opportunity must not be allowed to slip away.

The team's official training began at 10 a.m., and at 9:30 a.m., Atay opened the door of the training hall with a smile.

"Hehe, I must be the first to come today......" Ah Tai looked up, and his smile stopped abruptly.

I wanted to be the first to establish the image of a good leader, this Nima...... So many people are here?

"Yo Ron, you slept well!" Xiao Ao deliberately said hello, trying to embarrass him.

The revenge that was splashed by Gatorade before has not been avenged.

"This ...... What slept well. I'll get up at six o'clock to watch yesterday's game footage! "You know the matter of the team leader!

"Well, as far as I know, the only video of the editor is in the coach's possession."

"Ah......h Ahem, I watched the Internet replay, do you understand the Internet, do you never surf the Internet? ”

"That's a lot of hard work for you."

"Hey, as the leader of the team......"

Before Atay finished beeping, Carlisle walked into the training gym and interrupted him with a shout: "Inform everyone, meeting!" ”

"Meeting? Whose meeting is it held? Wayne was stunned for a few seconds before he realized that this meeting was not another meeting.

Carlisle just wanted to have a tactical meeting......

God knows how many domestic basketball forums have changed the original meaning of words......

The manager's impromptu tactical meeting generally illustrates one problem – the tactics need to be overhauled.

This has never been the case in previous series. Like before playing the Heat, Carlisle contracted all the moves to defend Wade, and he used it until the end of the series.

But it's clear that playing Spurs won't be so easy.

No, just one game, Carlisle demanded change.

Both sides must constantly adjust, game, and dismantle until one of them falls.

This is the Grand Finals, this is the showdown of the team's offensive and defensive systems, and it is the ultimate competition of the coaching staff's decision-making ability.

Looking at Carlisle's big eye bags, you know that he must have been doing Xiuxian basketball again last night.

During the tactical meeting, Carlisle plays an edited video.

When Duncan attacked, Carlisle asked if they saw anything wrong.

Xiao Ao came to the sentence at that time: "Ron, didn't you watch the video all morning?" You should be seeing something. ”

"Oh? Is it? Tell me what you think, Ron. Carlisle looked at Altai with delight, and then the eyes of the whole team fell on him.

"Uh......" Ah Tai glared at Xiao Ao, why don't you just wear No. 25, Erwuzai!

"Duncan's problem is ...... Well...... We...... They ......, "Where can Atai answer, he didn't watch the video at all."

After watching Atee hesitate for a long time, Carlisle knew the result: "Well, that's a good point! Duncan's problem is ...... We can't get enough of his bag clips!

Although Duncan's shooting percentage was only 45.5% in the last game, it was still too high!

We need to push Duncan's efficiency down even further.

In any case, Duncan can't be allowed to open up the situation! ”

Carlisle didn't start with Ginobili, who was the most efficient player yesterday, and continued to smash Duncan!

To put it bluntly, Ginobili is a miracle soldier, and if resources are piled up on him, it is precisely the plan of the old thief.

Ginobili's stability has not been good, and God is ghostly. But Duncan is different, if you don't change, he can grind you to death like this.

You ask Carlisle to choose between Duncan and Ginobili, and 100 times Carlisle chooses Duncan.

As long as Duncan is uncomfortable, the Spurs will be uncomfortable.

It's not just about scoring that makes Duncan uncomfortable, it's also about disrupting the overall Spurs' offensive operation.

Since yesterday's double bag clip was not very successful, then the three-person bag clip, the four-person bag clip!

"As with the Heat, when Duncan has the ball, I need at least three people to shrink into the three-second zone decisively. Jermaine, in the next game, you go to defend Duncan, and Wayne is ready to help.

Remember, I'd rather let the rest of the Spurs shoot than let Duncan hold the ball easily.

We're going to put Tim. Duncan is strangled in the three-second zone! ”

Carlisle tried to dumb out the league's best power forward.

Feng Duncan still blocked outside shots, and Carlisle made another bet with Popovich.

"Offensively, Way, pull Duncan to the outside tomorrow, I need you to be the transit point."

The Spurs' use of Duncan to defend Wayne directly is enough to show how much Popovich values Wayne.

said that Wei Shen, who was not afraid of 18 points in a single quarter, was all coaxing ghosts.

Popovich was scared!

In terms of height and rim protection, Mohammed is the power forward, and Duncan is the center.

In terms of counterpoint, it should be Muhammad who defends Wayne.

But the Spurs' use of Duncan defense is very telling.

Some people say they are not afraid, but they are very honest tactically.

In that case, Carlisle will do what he wants.

If you want to defend Wayne, you have to get out.

Once Duncan is out, what about Muhammad's frame?

In the last round of the series, Xiao Si's average of 37 points per game was the answer.

Well, in the last round, it wasn't Duncan who actually played against Xiao Si, it was Muhammad.

That's the end of Carlisle and Popovich's wrist wrestling moments, and he's changed what should have changed.

Next, it's up to the players to beat the Spurs guys.

On June 12, the second game of the finals officially began.

As soon as Wayne stepped onto the pitch today, they found that the fans in the stands were holding up 2-0 signs.

Obviously, they all want the Spurs to go to Indianapolis with a 2-0 aggregate score.

Before the game, a reporter asked Wayne: "Will you worry about 2-0 happening?" ”

Wayne nodded, "Worried, so we'll try not to let something like this happen." ”

After the game started, on the Pacers' side, Carlisle changed the lineup again.

He finally got Payton in the starting line-up and hoped to slam his opponent with all his might as soon as he came up.

Duncan had just won the ball for the Spurs when he found O'Neal Jr. sticking directly to him.

Today, Duncan was on the verge of hand-to-hand combat as soon as he crossed the halfway line, and the confrontation was taken to the next level.

Wayne was on the inside, ready to fight.

Parker slowly controlled the ball, and the game began with a long standoff.

If it weren't for the grudge between the Spurs and the Pacers during the regular season, and if it weren't for the fact that everyone expected Wayne to suddenly beat Bowen and Popovich in the next second, it is estimated that the ratings of the game would make Stern cry.

Finally, Duncan receives the basketball on the right side and prepares to attack!

Sure enough, the Spurs' first choice was still Duncan over the Argentine.

Duncan came over with the ball, and his way to break the bag was decisive and quick.

Once you hesitate, you will be caught to death.

The Spurs' offense emphasizes a can't die.

Wayne went up as usual, and Duncan saw that it was too difficult to force the attack, so he prepared to pass the ball to Manu.

But Duncan turned his head and was shocked.

A rare look of surprise flashed on the stone Buddha's face.

Because he didn't expect that Artest was actually in the three-second zone!

It's not a double bag, it's a triple bag!

Just like that, Duncan's pass was disrupted by Atay behind him.

Payton rushed with the ball, and Duncan immediately followed back to defend.

At this moment, Payton, who broke into the middle distance, suddenly distributed the ball, and it was Wayne who received the ball.

Duncan hurriedly turned his gun and lunged at Wayne from beyond the three-point line, preventing the strongest freshman from making an easy shot.

However, Wayne didn't shoot and wasn't intimidated by Duncan.

He just gently hoisted the ball inside.

O'Neal Jr., who was already in the position, received the ball steadily, and in the face of Mohammed, who was suffering from height loss, he easily turned around and hooked his hand to score!

"The ball is in, ho, ho, flowing! This may be the smoothest offense of the Pacers in this series so far! ”

Off the pitch, Carlisle flicked his fist, and his tactics proved to work.

Popovich frowned, Carlisle and D'Antoni really can't be confused.

On the court, Xiao Ao pointed to Wayne to show his gratitude.

Today, under Carlisle's tactics, Wayne is going to show what he's capable of in addition to scoring.

Big Striker Mode, On!

Unbeknownst to Duncan, this was just the beginning of a series of suffering journeys......