Chapter 127: The Rhythm of San Antonio (9/10)
Yiyang, who was sitting on the field, looked at the group of guys wearing black and white jerseys in front of him, and had no other thoughts in his heart except for being amazed again and again.
The five people on the field had different skin colors, different heights, and some of them were not even from the same country. But when the five of them get together to play, the whole team is like a sophisticated instrument!
Everyone is a part of the machine, they do their job and never seem to go wrong.
Duncan blocked, Parker broke through with the ball, Nowitzki switched defenses, and the Frenchman passed the ball back to Duncan in the high post. Kidd nervously stepped forward to block, but Duncan relied on his height advantage to pass directly to Kidd's head. The basketball made its way past the former super point guard and towards the restricted area. There, the Argentine Demon Knife arrived just in time, took the basketball, and took three steps to the basket. The Nets rolled, and the Spurs scored.
All of this, the Spurs accomplished without a hitch. Even if Nowitzki's reinforcement is timely enough, even if Kidd's posting is positive enough. But the San Antonio Spurs were still able to find an opportunity in it.
"!" Carlisle, who has always been mild-mannered, also waved his fist after seeing the Spurs score again. He knows that this situation will most likely be maintained until the last minute of the game. The Spurs are the kind of team that looks tepid, but always delivers the killer blow. To fight against this kind of opponent, you have to tense your nerves for 48 minutes. If you're not careful, you'll be killed by that machine in one fell swoop.
The two sides remained at a stalemate until the first quarter was five minutes into the game, and the time for the rotation had arrived. According to the rotation plan, it is now time for Yiyang to come on the field to replace Kidd.
But this was the first time, and Yiyang felt a little nervous before going on the field. Kidd can guarantee that he will not make mistakes in the fierce and high-pressure confrontation, but Yiyang, he is afraid that if he makes a mistake, he will bury a great opportunity. He was afraid that his mistake would cost his team an important game.
On the field, De Juan, who is not tall enough. Blair fouled Chandler again, and Kidd sweated profusely and high-fived Yiyang.
"Don't be afraid, you have to be patient when fighting them. Don't be impatient, it's just a bunch of old guys like me, nothing to be afraid of! Kidd knows that the Spurs are a must for rookies, but as long as Yiyang himself doesn't make mistakes, the Spurs have no chance.
Stepping onto the pitch, the ATT Center booed. Tony. Parker's eyes fell on Yiyang who walked up, and Yiyang saw that Popovich seemed to be making some gestures, and he didn't know if he was arranging something specifically for himself. The sense of oppression, the feeling of oppression that this team brings to people, is something that fans in front of the TV can never feel. They seem to be able to see through everything, and can always seize your weaknesses and crush you in one fell swoop.
Chandler didn't seem to be doing well at the free-throw line today, making two free throws that Chandler didn't score even a single point for the Mavericks. The tall No. 21 didn't jump high, but he was stuck in position and got a defensive rebound. Yiyang hurriedly returned to the defense, and the first meeting with the Spurs began!
Slow, this is the first impression that the Spurs' offense brought to Yiyang. Although the offensive time was only 24 seconds, it seemed like 24 minutes for the guys in the white jerseys.
Parker came to Yiyang with the ball and didn't show much aggression. Yiyang's defense is not bad, which Popovich has long studied clearly. Parker just lightly passed the ball into the hands of Ginobili, who was in position on the left.
As soon as the ball was passed, Parker started running! This time, Yiyang felt that the Spurs' attack suddenly became faster!
Yiyang gritted his teeth and followed closely, but suddenly, a high wall was in front of Yiyang. Yiyang didn't have time to brake, and directly collided with the back of the number "21" printed on the jersey.
Yiyang immediately reacted that it was a subtle off-ball block, and he tried to get rid of it, but Parker had already run away.
The Frenchman received a pass from his teammate and fired a jumper from mid-range at a zero-degree angle. Yiyang's immediate-style blockade has been to no avail. The basketball hollowed into the net, and the San Antonio Spurs used a not-so-brilliant but extremely effective method to regain a two-point lead.
As soon as he started, Yiyang experienced what the Spurs' offense was all about. On the surface, the old guys seem to be playing very slowly. But it is not easy to keep up with this "unfast" pace.
Subsequently, the Mavericks counterattacked. Yiyang has been observing the Spurs' defense since he had the ball over half the court. But unfortunately, Yiyang didn't even see the slightest passing space.
He planned to use appropriate breakthroughs to help the team tear apart the opponent's defense, but Parker's superb follow-up footwork, although there was no way to stop Yiyang directly, did not let Yiyang find any opportunities.
In the end, Yiyang, who was forced into the bottom corner by Parker, had to reluctantly pass the ball. Fortunately, Nowitzki and Yiyang have formed a certain tacit understanding, and the German caught this not very good pass.
He took two steps inside, only to turn around and jump. The basketball hit, Yiyang got an assist, but he was very dissatisfied with his performance.
Although this is only a regular season game, the matchup between the Spurs and the Mavericks is not as simple as an ordinary regular season. In football, the big battle between two rival teams will always be more intense.
Harder. The same applies to Spurs and Mavericks!
Yiyang has just come out of the failed offense, and he must devote himself to defense. The Spurs machine won't give the other side any chance to desert and don't want to lose the game? Then let's concentrate on fighting to the end.
This time, Parker didn't repeat the same trick. Although Yiyang is a rookie, he has a very strong learning ability. If he uses the exact same method to deal with him in a row, I'm afraid Yiyang won't fail a second time.
So, instead of playing without the ball like before, Parker called for a pick-and-roll. Yiyang was unmoved, just tried his best to open his arms.
With a pick-and-roll, Parker broke through. But unlike what the French imagined, Yiyang did not bypass the block, but directly completed a change of defense with Nowitzki!
Now, across Parker is Dirk. And in front of Duncan is Yiyang.
Parker certainly won't be stumped by a misalignment, and as just now, he's going to play the ball straight back to Duncan. Then Duncan was taking advantage of his height and shooting straight away.
However, Yiyang, who had been watching from the bench for a long time, had already expected Parker to do this. This offense is exactly the same as one of Parker's offenses against Kidd! At the moment when Parker was about to pass the ball, Yiyang suddenly raised his arms high, ready to steal at any time!
Seeing this, the Frenchman did not dare to pass the ball. If it gets out, nine times out of ten it will be a mistake! So Parker was stunned and twisted his body in the air and forced a shot!
There is no doubt that his extremely reluctant shot did not escape Nowitzki's net. Dirk reached out with his long arm and slammed it out to keep Parker's barely capable shot out.
Yiyang hurriedly stepped up to receive the basketball, and then made a strong pass. Quick start Jose. Barria received the basketball on the run, he didn't know how Yiyang passed the ball so accurately, he just knew that he had to put this damn basketball in the hoop now!
Yiyang's pass and Barria's rapid run made the Mavericks' counterattack form instantly. Although Ginobili tried his best to chase back, this demon knife that had begun to lose his hair was no longer as fast as it was back then.
Barria easily scored the ball in the face of an empty basket, and the Mavericks tied the score again. And this is the seventh time that the two sides have been tied today.
"If only he belonged to me!" Seeing the Spurs drop points, Popovich was unexpectedly not angry, but looked at Yiyang with some approval. Of course, his expression only lasted for a second or two, and no one would notice.
"How!? He's just picked up the blocked basketball! None of the Spurs players have reacted yet, but they have already launched a fast break. Could it be that this guy was already planning the fast attack route before the steal!? "Kenny. Smith should be surprised, because Yiyang not only managed to force the old Parker to make a reluctant shot, but also converted the successful defense into scoring. Popovich is right, this flower show must not be treated as a rookie!
Parker then did not continue to attack on his own. It's not because he's afraid of Yiyang, but the Spurs are a team that blooms more. It's not often that you see a player on the team holding the ball for several rounds in a row. Even Duncan did not have such a "privilege".
Originally, the scores between the two sides have been deadlocked, and although Yiyang has not made much achievements on the field, he has not made mistakes.
Carlisle thought that the two sides were evenly matched in the first quarter, but this balance was broken by the Argentines who had been tepid at the last moment.
Ginobili is a nervous knife-type defender, and once he explodes, no one can stop him. The demon knife shot three times in a row outside the three-point line in the last minute, and the basketball also drilled into the net three times in a row.
Carlisle, who was already planning to deploy in the second quarter, was beaten by Ginobili's three consecutive three-pointers.
In an instant, the Mavericks trailed by 6 points. And 6 points is also the largest point difference between the two sides in this game.
The Spurs are like that, and they can win games in a way that doesn't make sense.
Ginobili's miracle of scoring 16 points in a single quarter allowed the Mavericks to end the first quarter with a lot of pressure.
Yiyang only got 3 assists in the first quarter of the game, and there were no other statistics. Maybe for the other rookies, as long as they don't make mistakes against the Spurs, they're done. After all, Popovich doesn't care if you're a rookie or not, he'll develop a specific strategy for you. But Yiyang, Carlisle's requirements for him are more than that.
If he wants to defeat the Spurs, Yiyang must play a bigger role. This flower show has unconsciously become the key to the Mavericks' victory.
A calm team, an unreasonable demon knife, the center, will never be a comfortable place.