Popovich's timeout didn't make much of a difference, and in order to be able to dominate the interior, Popovich removed Dio and replaced Brazilian Split.

However, Horford didn't play against Split at all, and he stayed by Duncan's side from start to finish. Split had to face Leonard, and the Spurs' first offense also hit the ball into Split's hands.

Split also averaged a small 10 points per game during the regular season, but was less visible on the offensive end of the playoffs. Split's offense is a little bit of everything, but it's not very sure.

The Brazilian is on the court and is more responsible for rebounding and defending. Scoring, that's never Split's job.

So even in the face of Leonard, who will be more than two meters tall, Split doesn't seem to find much advantage. He squeezed Leonard with his back and was ready to turn around and hook his hands when he got to the basket. But just as he turned around and didn't lift the basketball, Leonard reached out with his long arm and stabbed the basketball away from Split's hand with lightning speed, and the Spurs made another mistake!

"Mistake, this misalignment didn't work! Leonard's defense has always been so lethal that we've seen Leonard break the ball from defenders more than once this season, let alone a center. It seems that the kind of inside advantage that Coach Popovich wanted has not materialized. ”

"Damn it!" Popovich cursed secretly, of course, he didn't blame Split, he just cursed casually.

Leonard, ah, Leonard, if the Spurs could have him

Leonard handed the ball to Paul, who in turn passed it to Ray in the bottom corner. Alan. Passing the ball down with both hands in the fast break was enough to tear even the Spurs' defense apart.

Thunder. Allen has been playing very well since the fourth quarter, and he has a bit of a chance to play with Gary. Neil reciprocated. This time, Ray. Aaron still hasn't wasted his chance. As one of the league's greatest goalscorers, Ray Murphy was the best scorer in the league. Allen ran away from the Celtics to get a ring so he could retire. In terms of money, the Celtics are offering a much larger contract extension than the Pacers.

So, Ray. Allen will not allow anyone to mess with his and his team's plans to win the championship!

"Brush!"

Thunder. Allen hit a three-point shot and hit a fast-paced offense to make Ray. Aaron had a lot of open shots with ease. And Ray. Allen's consistency in shooting in the open position is unquestionable.

If it's Gary. Neil is a convulsive projection, that thunder. Aaron is undoubtedly a long-range artillery battery capable of stable output.

"Single digits! It worked, the Pacers made it! They narrowed the margin to single digits! Haha, less than halfway through the game in the fourth quarter, the Spurs lost a great situation! The 7-point difference, under such a fierce offensive of the Pacers, the 7-point difference is not enough to worry about! ”

"Retreat quickly, retreat quickly, force them to make mistakes, and seize the opportunity to counterattack!" Henson's shouting kept the players motivated, while the Spurs players were somewhat disappointed.

They claimed to be the most consistent team in the league, but they collapsed in the fourth quarter. The Spurs don't want that, they have to regroup!

Soon, Split made up for it, and scored a second inside single against Leonard. Leonard has always been an outside player, while Split, as an NBA-level center, still has basic ball protection ability. This big misalignment, Split played beautifully.

But right now, Henson isn't at all afraid of the Spurs' two-point chisel. Now it is the Pacers who are starting outside the three-point line, and the Spurs are playing two points and two points, but they can't avoid falling behind!

A few minutes later, the two sides were locked in a wrestling. The Spurs, who came to their senses, controlled the turnover, slowed down as much as they could, and battled with the Pacers. The Pacers, on the other hand, took every opportunity to play a quick counter-attack.

But with the Pacers' more offensive rounds and more dense three-point shots, they finally closed the gap to just 2 points in the final 54 seconds!

"The Pacers were suppressed for the entire game, and the Pacers haven't taken the lead again since the eighth minute of the first quarter! At most, the Pacers even trailed the Spurs by 21 points! Now, however, they have a chance to turn the score back! Let's see what Coach Henson will do in the last 54 seconds! ”

After the Spurs hit two free throws from Ginobili, Henson called the game to a halt. The purpose is simple, he needs to regain the lead after the eighth minute of the first quarter!

At such a critical moment, even a one-point lead is enough to make a difference. So, Henson developed a three-point shooting strategy. In the fourth quarter, the Pacers shot very high three-point shots, and the most accurate shot was Ray. Alan. So this pause came back after the first offense and Henson needed Ray. Allen hit a three-pointer.

If this attack succeeds in taking the lead, Henson will send a "death defense" to hold on to the win and end the game!

After the timeout, Popovich saw the Pacers revert to their regular lineup instead of one big and four small. This means that the Spurs will not be able to gain much advantage on the inside.

Paul, Green, Ray. Allen, Anderson and Horford, Henson's lineup is as special as ever.

"Guard your position and your people, and don't give them a chance to make an easy move!" Popovich immediately covered his hands over his mouth and shouted at the court. Although it was the Spurs leading by two points at this point, Popovich felt as nervous as if he was two points behind.

Spurs in Ray. Aaron was heavily guarded by a heavy force. Aaron ran a few times but couldn't get the tactics out. In desperation, Paul had no choice but to carry out Plan B, which Henson had just laid out.

Seeing Paul gesturing, Green suddenly pushed Ginobili who was defending him, and then popped out of the three-point line, ready to catch the ball and shoot.

However, Ginobili is an old fritter, and Green's carving skills are not enough to make him lose his defensive position. I saw Ginobili running up with Green, and then straightened his arm and jumped up at the moment when Green made a move! This time the defense almost completely covered Green's face!

"Damn!" Seeing this, Henson knew that Green's chances of scoring were slim. Originally, Plan B was a helpless move, this tactic was too simple, and there was nothing to be done about being defended by Ginobili.

Sure enough, the basketball slammed out of the frame and hit the side edge of the basket. Popovich raised his arms high and defended it!

"The key shot missed, and this defense almost killed the Pacers! Wait, Split is and Chris. Anderson scrambles for a defensive rebound, and the two men point the basketball into the air again, and neither of them can control the basketball! ”

Chris. Anderson, the guy who is sure to be full of energy as soon as he gets on the court, is better than Split in terms of athleticism. So while Anderson's rebounding position wasn't as good as Split's, he made up for the positional disadvantage with bounce. And that's why Henson is sending Anderson on the field now!

Although he couldn't grab the offensive rebound directly, Anderson interfered with the Brazilian center in the scramble and pointed the basketball into the air again!

Anderson discovers Stephen. Jackson is also leaning towards the basketball side, as if he wants to work with Split to snatch the rebound, so to speak.

So, "Birdman" Anderson spread his wings again and jumped high. Under the attack of Jackson and the two, he did not try to control the rebound, but slapped the basketball towards the baseline with one palm in the air!

"It's a"

Mike. Before Brin could finish speaking, he saw Thunder in ambush in the bottom corner. Allen received a basketball that was filmed by Anderson! Chris. Anderson scored a crucial frontcourt rebound!

Thunder. Allen received the ball and stepped back to the outside of the three-point line. Then the Spurs will look at Steven in amazement. Under Jackson's defense, he calmly made a three-point shot!

At that moment, Popovich felt the air freeze. From leading by 21 points to now leading by only 2 points, Henson. Joe's bold decision really brought the game to life.

"Brush!"

"Boom!"

The basketball went into the net, and the stands boiled. Popovich's heart tightened and he shouted at the referee for a timeout. On the other side, Henson, like a player, rushed onto the pitch and jumped up and talked to Anderson and Ray. Aaron bumped his chest in the air.

What a dynamic manager.

In the final 38 seconds of the game, the San Antonio Spurs controlled the rhythm of the entire game after Chris. Anderson's key rebound and Ray. Allen's share, one point behind the defending champion Pacers at a critical moment! Popovich is well aware that the current situation is fully controlled by Henson!

"It was a great game, a great three points! Although it is not a lore, although the Spurs still have a chance. But Ray. Allen's three-pointer almost changed the situation! This is already the fourth quarter of the game Ray. Allen hit the fifth three-pointer, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he saved the Pacers! ”

Popovich knows his team has to score now, but he also knows that Henson won't let himself get his way.

Sure enough, after returning from the timeout, Henson fielded a "death defending" lineup with a high finishing rate. Stephenson, Jimmy. Butler, Leonard, David. West and Al. Horford.

It's very, very difficult to get points at the top of this squad.

After coming up, Duncan's first offense was defused by Horford and West's tacit understanding. Split didn't have the ability to open up space, so West and Horford were able to take the plunge.

Then, Leonard forced the inside to make a foul on Split. Standing at the free throw line, Leonard hit two free throws steadily, and did not make the mistake of dropping the chain with free throws at critical moments.

3 minutes with 8.4 seconds left. Duncan used the last timeout to bring on Dio. But Henson was prepared, replacing West with George to put Leonard back in the No. 4 position. A one-big-four-small death defense, Leonard has proven that he can't afford to lose in the matchup with Dio.

Although this time, Duncan managed to single Horford on the inside. But now, the initiative is in Henson's hands. Duncan's two-point play was obviously unable to turn the situation back.

The Spurs were still one point behind, and they had to foul them. But under Frazier's tutelage, the Pacers' players are quite solid in their free throws.

George hit two free throws and the Pacers still led by three points. Popovich was a little desperate, he didn't expect that he would one day become the backdrop for Henson's great comeback.

In the last shot of the game, Gary had already scored 24 points, and Gary was 6 of 9 three-pointers. Neil in Jimmy. Butler's interference failed to take advantage of the last chance. He hit a lot of three-pointers today, and it also made the Pacers despair for a while. But the most crucial three-pointer, Neil missed.

At the moment of the shot, the electronic beep sounded, and the red light on the rebound was extremely dazzling.

Popovich saw Henson burst into the court with his arms raised, and he hung his head silently, just like the media ready to see Henson's joke.

Not everyone wants to see Henson's look of joy after the great comeback.