At the end of the first quarter, Popovich's unstoppable expression was back on his face.

At 27-25, the San Antonio Spurs went into the break with a two-point advantage. Although a 2-point advantage is not much, it may not even be an advantage at all.

But for the Spurs, as long as they are not suppressed by the Grizzlies, they have the confidence to win.

The Spurs carried their excellent form into the Western Conference Finals, where they stabilized and overtook the lead after falling behind in the opening quarter. I believe that the Spurs have certainly exceeded most people's expectations this year. 74 wins over the Grizzlies, the biggest trouble since the start of the playoffs. ”

Hubi. Brin looked at the stats from the first half of the game, and the Spurs were as efficient as ever. On the Grizzly Bears' side, Link seems to be in some trouble.

7 points in the first quarter, but only 40% shooting. For Link, this is not the efficiency he should have. If one more shot is missed, Link's first-quarter shooting percentage will drop below 40%.

In addition to Link, Jimmy, who scored five points in a row at the beginning of the first quarter. Butler, who later also got into trouble.

Ever since Leonard switched to Butler, Butler has struggled on the offensive end.

Hubi. Brin remembers that in the eighth minute of the first quarter, Butler cut to the basket in time and Link delivered the ball with precision. It stands to reason that Butler only needs a layup to score after receiving a pass.

But this kind of must-score goal was stunned by Leonard.

This is just a fragment of the first quarter of the game, and throughout the game, Butler can be said to have lived in the shadow of Leonard.

Leonard's defensive ability seems to be too strong for Butler. And Link's side did not play smoothly under the double delay of Dio and Duncan.

If it weren't for the bench time, the "big black bear" Randolph would come up and kill all sides, and the Spurs would have a bigger lead now.

In the previous two series, the Grizzlies swept their opponents with a score of 4-0. Although in the second round, Paul had a 6-of-6 three-point shooting in the half, and almost turned around by 22 points in the final eight minutes. But overall, the Grizzlies haven't had much trouble.

As long as Link exerts his strength, all crises will be resolved.

But today, Link is clearly stuck in the quagmire. In the first quarter of the game, he also wanted to exert his strength, but under the joint defense of Dio and Duncan, Link seemed to have a feeling of sinking deeper and deeper, and struggling more and more.

Hubi. Brin pouted, this is the first difficulty the Grizzlies have encountered in this year's playoffs, and I don't know if they can hold on.

Meanwhile, off the Grizzlies bench, Link also knew what was wrong with the first quarter of the game. He and Butler were completely locked up, which prevented the team from scoring efficiently.

The reason why Popovich used Dio to defend Link was because he hoped that Leonard would go and lock up another scoring point. As a result, the Grizzlies' offensive efficiency will be greatly reduced.

With Butler's current offensive ability, he can't play too well on Leonard's defense. Link must get Leonard back to himself in order to free Butler.

And the only way to get Leonard back to his side is to break Dio's defense! When Dio could no longer restrain Link, Link believed that Popovich would naturally let Leonard come back to see him.

"In the second quarter, Mark, you play more with Link! Fight to disrupt the Spurs' defense! Link, no matter how tough it is, you have to score in a row and force the Spurs to switch. In this way, the deadlock can be broken. "Dave. Joggle was yelling at the tactical board, and he didn't want his team to get into trouble early.

Link smiled, and Joggle was all on point. He used cover to get Duncan out of the way, and Link was able to attack Dio as much as he wanted.

So, don't underestimate this year's best coach.

Link didn't play well in the first quarter, not because of how strong Dior's single defense was, but because Dio always led Link into a defensive trap again and again.

But what if Duncan only played Dior? Link is still quite confident.

"Jimmy, get ready. When Leonard leaves you, don't stop running. Before going on the court, Link patted Butler on the shoulder.

Link then took a deep breath and stepped onto the court. Whether the Grizzlies' strategy can succeed depends on whether Link can kill Dior.

So the burden of this game is now all on Link.

After the start of the second quarter, sure enough, both sides re-entered the main lineup. The Spurs are reluctant to give up their advantage, and the Grizzlies naturally don't want to be pulled away like that.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Spurs took the lead. Dio and Parker played a hand-to-hand cooperation and blocked Conley. So Link had to keep up with the change of defense, leaving Dior to Conley.

Parker isn't stupid, he doesn't try to get a rim on Link's head. As the first perimeter player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award since Artest, Parker is well aware of how strong Link's defense is.

Parker pulled Link away and immediately returned the ball to his fellow Frenchman, Christian Dior. Dior has his back against Conley, and it's a misplaced singles opportunity!

Dior pushed forward with his back and observed the situation on the field. At this time, Leonard and Jimmy. Butler and the others were held back by their own counterpoint, and there was no possibility of coming back to make up for the defense.

So, after the cautious Dior took two more steps, he chose to turn over and jump shot! Dior, who is 2.03 meters, beats Conley, who is 1.85 meters, is not too easy!

Dior shot, and although Conley tried his best to block it, he couldn't touch the basketball at all due to the height disparity.

Conley, let alone block Dio, he can't even interfere with the shot!

The corners of Dior's mouth were already slightly hooked, waiting for the beautiful sound of the basketball as it entered the net.

But not long after the basketball flew out, Dior noticed an uninvited guest suddenly jumping into the air.

Then, Dior's expression froze completely.

Why is Link here? He had clearly observed the opponent's position before shooting, and Link was obviously sticking to Parker's side!

Before Dio could figure out what was going on, Link used a volleyball posture in the air, across Conley, and forced Dior's shot to fly out vigorously!

"Bang!"

Link's palm fanned the basketball with a loud bang and flew past Dior's scalp.

Dior instantly got goosebumps, and even forgot to turn around and go back to defense.

It wasn't until Link passed him after the block was completed that Dior remembered what he was going to do next.

He was in a trance by Link!

"Incredible speed, Link was still by Parker's side before Dior shot. But when Dior made a shooting move, Link made up for the inside! I have to say that Link completely saved the Grizzlies' defense with his personal ability! Grizzlies quickly fight back, let's see what Grizzlies will do this time! ”

Hubi. Brown speaks quickly because the situation on the pitch changes faster!

The basketball that was fanned out by Link fell into the hands of Iguodala, who held the ball and broke quickly, but Danny. Green posted it as soon as possible, not letting Iguodala speed up as he wanted.

At that moment, Link, who had just finished blocking, stepped in from Iguodala's side. Iguodala didn't hesitate and sent the ball straight to Link!

By this time, Leonard had retreated beyond the three-point line. He waited for Link with open arms, trying to stifle the Grizzlies' fast attack.

Popovich let out a big sigh that as long as Leonard is in place, the Grizzlies' fast break will definitely not be able to play.

However, in the face of Leonard, who opened a pair of long arms, Link had no intention of slowing down. Leonard licked his lips, ready to be rammed by Link.

He completely overcame the fear in his heart, and now it was a car crashing into Leonard, and he wouldn't move half a step.

Link had already killed in front of Leonard, and the two were so close that Leonard could even see the pores on Link's face.

But in the next second, Link "whoosh" and disappeared directly from Leonard!

There were no collisions, no one flipped on their backs. Link successfully changed direction the moment the two sides collided together!

"What!?" The conditioned reflex made Leonard turn around and chase back, and sure enough, Link had already broken through!

In an extremely small space, he completed a Ross-style change of direction without slowing down!

"Link got past Leonard, a nice and quick dumble! Leonard must have been very surprised, because Kevin. Durant doesn't have those tricks! ”

Hubi. As soon as Brown's words fell, Link smashed the frame with both hands, venting all his grievances in the first quarter of the game!

Hubi. Brown gasped for air, and he found himself talking at a speed that was struggling to keep up with Link's offense.

27-27, Link used a violent block and a violent dunk at the beginning of the game, and instantly suppressed the arrogance of the Spurs.

The burden on Link is indeed very heavy, and whether the whole tactic can work depends on Link's performance. But Link is not going to be overwhelmed by the load, on the contrary, he is very keen to take on the load!

After the goal, Link pointed at Popovich, who twitched the corners of his mouth with anger.

It's just a counterattack, and Popovich believes that as long as the Grizzlies don't crack the Spurs' strategy on a tactical level, the Grizzlies will never want to turn over!

As everyone knows, the Spurs' second offense also ended in failure. And the reason for the failure of the Spurs is still Link!

This time, the Spurs did it again. The other four opened up the space, and Duncan was on the inside, ready to single Gasol.

But at the moment when Parker passed the lob ball, Link suddenly started and ran towards the passing route!

The advantage of a high lob pass is that it is easy for big players to catch, but the disadvantage is that the pass speed is very slow.

As a result, Link had plenty of time to get from the three-point line to the passing lane!

Leonard also stole Link like this in the first quarter, and Link is now all returned!

The moment the basketball began to fall, Link jumped up and grabbed the ball directly in the air.

The reason why it is convenient for big players to receive the ball is because the ball is high and not easy to be tackled.

But for Link, that height is nothing to mention.

Popovich felt a dizziness in his head, and his blood pressure soared! The key to Link's steal just now was not the bounce, but that he saw through the Spurs' offensive routine and prepared for the steal in advance.

This means that on a tactical level, Spurs don't have that much of an advantage anymore!

After the steal, Link personally controlled the ball and advanced, and just when Dio thought that Link would accelerate the breakthrough, Link made a sharp stop outside the three-point line and then called for cover.

Mark. Gasol immediately brought it up, and the Grizzlies began to implement their key tactics.

Link quickly passed through the covered side, and Duncan didn't cover it because he was afraid of Gasol's shot. Dior had to bypass the block and chase Link himself.

Link didn't go deeper into the box after borrowing cover, but made a quick stop in the middle of the range and prepared for a jumper! It was indeed an opportunity, and there was nothing wrong with Link's choice.

Dio struggled to his feet, he didn't want his defense against Link to be broken like that. Even if it can send one percent of the interference. It's also better than having no distractions at all.

"No, damn it!" However, after jumping up, Dio yelled in the air, because he found that Link didn't plan to shoot at all, it was a realistic feint to worship Buddha just now!

Dior, who claims to be unable to shake, is also played around by Link's feints!

"Goodbye, coffee boy." Link muttered as he passed past the flying Dio.

Danny. Green rushed to the basket, but he regretted it two seconds later. Green aggressively rushed back to the penalty area, and got nothing but the backdrop for Link's violent dunk!

"Another dunk! After continuing the blocking just now, Link staged another slam dunk! As the second quarter began, Link became unstoppable! Looking at his roar, did the San Antonio Spurs still think they could win at the Federal Express Arena? ”

Looking at Link, who roared loudly after the dunk landed, Popovich became nervous again.

Dior and Duncan's defensive chain seems to be less solid.

Do you want to use Leonard to defend that kid again? Popovich was caught in another round of tangles.

Link saw Popovich's expression change from pride to tangled, and he immediately felt a lot better inside.

Being able to walk by Popovich's nose is an experience that not everyone can have.

"Send a stronger man to defend me, or you can let the French lose 10 kilograms right now." The choice is yours. Link then leaned over to the Spurs bench and spewed trash talk at Popovich.

Players and players trash talk to each other, and the fans have seen a lot. But the players and the opposing coach are trash-talking, and it has to be said that this is indeed a new thing.

Popovich didn't respond, but his angry expression said it all.

Link believes that it won't be long before he officially faces off against the "Facial Paralyzed Guy".

Since you can't anger the Spurs' group of "stone players", then anger their coach!

Popovich wasn't omniscient either, and Link believed he was just an irritable old man.

He will also be provoked, and he will make mistakes.

He thinks he's in control like God? Link will let Popovich know that it is always the players who control the game!

Link quickly returned to the defense after spewing trash talk, and at most three rounds, Popovich will definitely change defenses!

Historically, Popovich has been controlling others, and today, it's time for him to experience what it's like to be controlled by others.

I'm not at home in the afternoon and evening today, so I'll only update three chapters. But the second chapter and the next third chapter are both 4K chapters, so the total number of words is the same as weekdays, or even more, I hope you guys know.

(End of chapter)