San Antonio Spurs, Henson would never underestimate this opponent. Already full of silver hair. Popovich is definitely not a soft persimmon to pinch. As a strong team that has been in the West for more than a decade, the Spurs are strong enough to make all teams in the league fearful.

Henson hasn't been arrogant enough to pat his chest to guarantee that he will be able to take down the Spurs, but that doesn't mean he's going to be afraid of this matchup.

Perhaps in the eyes of the media and fans, there is no suspense in this game, and the experienced Spurs will make the young Pacers pay the price. But Henson thinks that the current Indiana Pacers can still wrestle with the Spurs and Popovich!

"Speed, we need to play with the same speed as we do in training! If the Spurs fall into position, then we will wait to be killed! Against a team like the Spurs, you can't be taken into their slow tempo, so get me running and use your speed and range to open up the offense. Defensively, Al, you're misplaced to defend Duncan. DeJuan. Blair over to you, Granger. Don't worry, although Blair is a center forward, he is only two meters tall and has no independent attacking ability. Once the Spurs miss a shot, Granger, if you grab the rebound, go straight to the offense quickly! If Al grabs a rebound, find a way to get me up quickly! ”

Ahead of the game, Henson highlighted one last thing to look out for in this game. In fact, the players have been preparing for this game for a long time, and they have already memorized many tactical details. Henson doesn't have to say too much, it just makes the players nervous and bored.

"Listen, I know the outside world hasn't been very good about us lately. But it doesn't matter, we all know that we didn't give our full strength in pre-season. Today, at the ATT Center, everyone thinks we're going to die here. Joke, even if you want to die, you have to peel off the skin of the Spurs today! Go ahead, go on the field, and surprise those bastards who look down on us! ”

Henson yelled and smashed the marker to the ground. This guy seems to have flipped a switch, and the enthusiasm of the players is instantly gushing out.

It's a young team, and young teams are particularly emotional. Emotionality is a double-edged sword, and it's up to the manager to use it.

Amid the cheers of Spurs fans, Indiana Pacers players in yellow training uniforms streamed out of the tunnel. They all looked red-faced and excited. It was a stark contrast to the calm Spurs in the other half.

"The Indiana Pacers, the Pacers have gone through a lot of changes this summer, from owners, coaches, players, they've almost become a whole new team. I think this is a signal of Bird's decision to completely tear down and rebuild. Now the structure of this team is mostly young people, even the head coach of the Pacers, Henson. Joe is only 31 years old! 31 years old, Charles, what were you doing when you were 31? "On the commentary bench, Kenny. Smith and his partner are already warming up for the game.

"At the age of 31, I was averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game on the basketball court, and I dragged the team to the Western Conference Semifinals with an injury! Of course, none of this matters, the important thing is that at the age of 31, I don't have to worry about being fired tomorrow. "Kenneth. Smith's partner called "Charles" is a famous-stirring stick in the American basketball circle, and of course, the former great superstar, "Flying Pig" Charles. Buckley.

Barkley's remarks drew a burst of laughter from fans in front of the TV, and in addition to taking the opportunity to brag about himself, he also complained about Henson's situation in passing. It seems that no one thinks Henson's position is safe.

"We all know that Coach Henson's 10 wins in the last 14 games last season was famous. But at the time, he was just an assistant coach. And the difference between the work of a head coach and an assistant coach is huge. From the poor record of the Pacers in the preseason, it is not difficult to see that Henson. Joe is actually not ready to be a head coach. Believe me, in today's game, the San Antonio Spurs will beat Henson crying and going home to find his mother. ”

After Barkley's complaint, the electronic buzzer suddenly sounded, and the referee signaled the two starters to stand in the designated position, and the game was about to begin!

"Don't fall into the rhythm of the Spurs, don't grind with them, we're going to play our own game! Own game! Before the players came on the pitch, Henson shouted at the crowd twice.

Henson is still a little uneasy, because no matter what happens on the field, it is the players themselves who ultimately decide everything. No matter how brilliant the manager's plan is, if the players can't execute it, it's all for naught.

The Spurs are mature, while Henson's team is young. He was worried that the little ones would mess up when they got on the field.

"The starters on both sides are out, hahahaha, look at Kenny, Henson. Coach Joe's starters were different from the preseason again. Barkley smiled disdainfully, five games have passed, and Henson, a rookie, has not even decided on the starting five.

"Zhu. Holiday played the starting point guard, and Wesley. Matthews plays the No. 2 position, Paul. George small forward, Daniel. Granger is still playing in the No. 4 position, and this summer their major signing, Al Ayr. Horford plays center...... Too young, and ...... It's too messy. "Kenny. Smith shook his head, as a player like Matthews, who was still in the Development League last season, can play the starter, which shows how weak the Pacers' roster depth is.

Look at the Spurs' starters, GDP plus Richard. Jefferson and DeJuan. Blair, a very solid lineup. It seems that the two sides are not at the same level at all.

The referee blew a whistle and calmly Duncan took a break from Al. Horford took the first shot on his head. Henson was standing on the sidelines, and he even felt the sound coming from behind him almost knock him down!

Prior to that, Henson had coached most in the summer league. And the number of live spectators at the level of summer league is not an order of magnitude compared to a real NBA game.

Now, in a real NBA game, Henson feels his palms sweat and adrenaline racing as the fans shake the cheers.

But Henson didn't stand on the sidelines as soon as he came out because he was nervous, he did it because he needed to keep reminding the little guys on the pitch: "Cheer up, I'm going to watch you!" ”

In the first game of the game, the Spurs skillfully cut through the Pacers' defense with teamwork in a positional battle.

Parker broke through with a screen, attracted the defender, and then distributed the ball to No. 21 "Stone Man". The guy who looked like he was paralyzed shot calmly above Horford's head as if there was no one in front of him. The basketball hollowed into the net, the San Antonio Spurs scored their first point of the season, and the cheers in the ATT center were several times louder!

"Easily, the San Antonio Spurs broke down the Pacers' defense. If the man who just defended Duncan was Roy, who is 2.18 meters tall. Hibbert, maybe they won't lose points. Barkley smiled gloatingly, as there has been a lot of controversy about the Pacers' trade this summer. Of course, most controversies are actually an afterthought. After all, at the time of the trade, most people didn't know that Hibbert was going to be so good this season.

As soon as he came on the field, he lost the ball, and Holiday seemed a little flustered. But he looked at Henson, only to find that his manager's face had not changed, with his hands on his chest, and he looked full of confidence.

"Playing our own game, our own pace." Henson said to Holiday on the sidelines that there was nothing to be nervous about conceding in the opening game of basketball, and that they had more to concede in this game......

Holiday made a quick half-time and Al. Horfford went to cover high and Matthews pocketed to the bottom right corner while Granger pulled outside and George cut inside.

A few runs, and the Pacers' offensive space was completely pulled out! Now that the Spurs have no one inside, it's up to Holiday to break through!

"That guy, he's not as bad as the media says." Popovich, who was sitting on the bench, smiled, and it looked like the Pacers' starters were oddly short and short, but they actually fit their tactical needs. All five positions have the ability to shoot and open up space, which will make their offensive formation very three-dimensional and not flattened. And in doing so, it will give the players a lot of opportunities to shoot with ease.

This seemingly simple and crude "sprint plus shot" system is impossible to establish without some thought. On the surface, Henson has changed 6 sets of starters in 6 games so far, but in fact, they must have rehearsed with this set of starts countless times!

"Hidden strength? What a cunning guy! Popovich touched his chin.

Holiday borrowed cover to break through the inside, DeJuan. Blair immediately switched to the pursuit. Although Blair is a short center, he moves fast and has amazing bounce, making him a good player in helping the defense.

He followed Holiday right on his heel, leaving Horford outside the three-point line. Horford does have the ability to shoot, but he's always a center and can't shoot threes. And so it is, last season with the Hawks, Horford didn't have any three-point shooting. Shooting from mid-range seems to be the limit of a center's range.

Seeing that he was entangled by Blair, Holiday suddenly braked suddenly, threw his arm hard, and the basketball quickly jumped to the top of the arc outside the three-point line!

Horford received the basketball, and it felt like he was just stepping on his feet, and he took the shot directly outside the three-point line!

Horford's shooting moves are different from the outside, he barely jumps, but his arms are raised high and straight. Seeing Horford fire from outside the three-point line with such awkward movements, both Spurs fans and Barkley were amused.

"The center pulls out and shoots threes? Was this Henson's idea? ”

Barkley had just finished speaking, and before he could laugh, the sound of the Nets tumbling resounded throughout the audience!

"Brush!"

Three points hollow into the net, Horford used his awkward long-range shooting posture to let the Pacers complete the comeback!

After Horford scored, he gave Holiday a light high-five, and retreated in the eyes of everyone's surprise.

In 8 seconds, the Pacers completed the offense in 8 seconds, and it was a three-point shot from the center. The impregnable defense of the Spurs and Popovich was broken by the Pacers in just 8 seconds! In just eight seconds, Horford made the playful smiles on everyone's faces disappear.

Henson wasn't thrilled by this. Because he knows that there are many more goals like this!