Slow pace, positional warfare and high efficiency are undoubtedly the most talked about characteristics of the Spurs. Don't think that in today's fast-paced world, all teams have to play by the rules. At least the San Antonio Spurs are still holding on to their game and making it to the Finals.

The next day, as Henson drove down the streets of Indianapolis, he noticed that in addition to the posters of the stars, the most hung were the posters of himself and Popovich.

Sure enough, just like the news said.

It's a war between the two!

While driving down the road, Henson was also thinking about the Spurs. Since the Spurs swept the Grizzlies 4-0 first, they have had a long rest. And during this time, it was enough for Popovich to figure out his routines.

But for Henson, the time to prepare for the Finals was a little too tight. Two days earlier, he had been fighting the Heat at the American Airlines Center. Hours later, however, Henson had to face the San Antonio Spurs.

Two days, in the regular season, was enough for Henson to prepare for the game. But you have to know that Henson's next game is the Finals, a series of games that involve a whole season of hard work. Such a game naturally cannot be confused with the regular season. And two days to prepare for the finals is indeed a bit too rushed.

So even sitting in his retro Jaguar sports car, Henson's mind was still on the Spurs' players, the Spurs' lineup, and the Spurs' tactics.

The first problem with the Spurs is that the Pacers' huge interior advantage will disappear completely. Facing the Heat, David. West and Horford's low-post offense is basically unbeatable, and if it weren't for Haslem's upturn in form in the Eastern Conference Finals this season, the Heat's interior disadvantage would have become even more exaggerated. But the Spurs are different, Duncan and Split both have outstanding height and reach, and the former has played a rare scoring efficiency in recent years this season!

That's right, Tim. Duncan, who is almost 37 years old, has not even had a slight dip in form this season, which shocked Henson. Even in the Western Conference Finals, with the combined efforts of the Grizzlies' proud "black and white bears", Duncan still played excellent statistics. As long as there is a Tim. With Duncan here, the Pacers don't want to gain any advantage on the inside.

Thinking of Duncan's everything, Henson thought of the Spurs themselves. The Spurs had 19.2% of their offensive rounds in the regular season ending in assists, the highest assist rate in the league! That's right, the Pacers are once again in second place.

Popovich has built a group of accurate outside shooters around GDP, and they can play an efficient offense against the Grizzlies, the dominant defense in the West, so Henson can no longer defend the Spurs in the same way as the Heat, and the Spurs' teamwork ability is simply too good. Therefore, the Spurs may not be able to directly inflict terrifying damage on the Pacers' interior like the Heat, but their ability to use space is also the strongest so far, which is completely different from the outside group of Bucks, Bulls, and Heat that Henson faced before. A while ago, ESPN thought that the Spurs were the most threatening threat to the Pacers among the Western Conference powers, citing that "their ability to move the ball and shoot is reminiscent of the Mavericks in 2011."

Although judging by the bookmaker's current odds, the Pacers' hopes of winning the championship seem to be greater. But Henson won't be complacent, as bookmakers thought the Heat had a better chance of winning the championship last season and the previous season. The result? As a result, the Heat lost.

The bookmaker's odds don't say anything, and Henson is well aware that the low-key, restrained, seemingly modest Spurs are actually the Pacers' biggest rival this season.

Thinking about it, Henson has arrived at the Banker's Life Arena. It was morning, so there weren't many fans outside the stadium. But reporters and news trucks from major sports channels have created a warm atmosphere for the finals outside the stadium.

Henson drove into the arena's underground parking lot, Popovich and the Spurs, who were much tougher than the Oklahoma City Thunder last season!

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Popovich and his Spurs arrived at the arena at noon that day, and since they had a longer break and a longer preparation, Popovich was confident in the physical condition of his players. Therefore, we simply canceled this morning's training. Most of the guys on the Spurs are old arms and legs, and they can't afford to toss like the Pacers.

As soon as they got off the bus, the Spurs players were surrounded by a group of reporters. For this formation, the players are not in a hurry. After all, they've played too many Finals. Such a scene is naturally not strange.

"Coach Popovich, what do you think you'll do to stop the Pacers' rapid offense?" At Spurs, players and Popovich will never be separated. The same goes for interviews, reporters don't ignore Popovich because of the stars. It can be said that Popovich, the coach, is also a symbol of the San Antonio Spurs.

"There's no way to contain it, and if there was a way, they wouldn't have been able to get 72 wins." Popovich's answer was an understatement, and he clearly didn't want to entangle with the reporters too much.

"What do you think of what the outside world thinks about this game? They say it's you and Henson. The war between the two of Joe, do you think such a statement is appropriate enough? "The journalists are still unrelenting, and they know that Popovich's style towards the media is like that. And the audience is exactly this bite.

"Of course I don't agree, this statement will make me seem like I am relying on the old and selling the old. I'm not going to play against Henson alone, it's the whole coaching staff of the Pacers playing against me. ”

Popovich's answer was very smart, affirming the rest of the opposing coaching staff, but also pretending to be a force in passing. You see, the opposing coaching staff all joined forces to fight against themselves.

With a wicked grin, Popovich walked into the players' tunnel. Although he was addicted to the media, Popovich was not arrogant. I really don't know how intense the competition will be later.

To Henson. Joe's ability, he is still very confident. San Antonio Spurs, it's impossible to get through easily.

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In the dressing room today, Henson didn't stress much to his players. He said a few points, first, pay attention to control the rhythm, not too fast, not too slow, not to fall into the rhythm of the Spurs. Second, be cautious about attacking and avoid mistakes. Against a team like Spurs, it's about who makes fewer mistakes. Third, be sure to pay attention to Duncan's bag clip!

That's right, Henson wants to use the bag to deal with Duncan. He doesn't care how old Duncan is or if his style of play is outdated. All he knows is that Duncan has played his best individual performance in nearly four years this season due to the relief of the plantar fasciitis injury that has plagued him for many years! With a career-high number of blocks per game and a second-youth at the age of 37, Duncan's performance is nothing short of a miracle.

Such a player, who will go if he doesn't wrap him?

However, Henson is well aware that these three precautions are definitely not enough. There was so little time left for him to prepare for the game, and he didn't have the opportunity to study the Spurs thoroughly. So in this game, the most important thing is to test the on-the-spot adaptability of him and his two assistants!

Fighting wits with Popovich on the spot, Henson didn't feel it when the media first hyped up himself and Popovich. But now that the game is approaching, Henson admits he's looking forward to it.

After explaining the tactics, as usual, Henson needed to smoke a cigar to calm himself down. The players had Henson to help decompress, but Henson couldn't cry to Bird. And smoking a cigar is Henson's only way to decompress.

This time, he chose to go to the bottom parking lot outside the players' tunnel, because Henson found that every time he hid in the toilet and smoked cigars, he always had the feeling of hiding in the school toilet and smoking cigarettes in middle school.

After a few puffs, Henson looked at his watch, put away his cigar, and walked back to the locker room. But in the narrow tunnel of players, Henson met an "uninvited guest".

"What are you doing here? Planning to eavesdrop on our deployments? Seeing Popovich and himself face to face, Henson said hello to the old man.

"I said I would send Tim if I had to do something like this. How was Henson, how prepared was the game? Popovich laughed, as if he had seen an old friend.

"Not good, you know, I was playing against LeBron two days ago."

Henson tilted his head, not trying to hide anything. Because for Popovich, any concealment is futile.

"Hahaha, I like your sincerity, Coach Henson. I don't understand, why would such a good person call you a bastard every day? ”

"Maybe it's because we're both bastards."

"Hahahahaha

The conversation between the two was very simple, but it seemed that they were both enjoying themselves.

After laughing, Popovich also looked at his watch. Outside, the cheers of the fans and the winners faintly poured into the players' tunnel.

"It's time for the game to begin." This time, it was Popovich who spoke first.

"Then Mr. Popovich, I won't wish your team a good result." Henson put away his smile, he could accept a drink with Popovich after the game, but he would never be soft on the old man because of this.

???? Popovich smiled in response, "Again, Mr. Henson."

????“ Well, see you after the game. ”

????“ After the game, goodbye as winners and losers. ”

The two head coaches separated after a simple hello, and although the personal relationship between the two was not bad, it was now before the game, and before the game of the Grand Final! He's the biggest enemy, and if he gets too close, it can affect the morale of the players.

Pushing back open the locker room door to find the dozen or so stars staring at him, Henson took a deep breath.

? NBA Finals ...... It's finally here!

"Let's go, guys, it's time to kick each other's ass!"