The Heat can return to the home court after playing the Raptors, although the team is on a winning streak, but Spoelstra does not dare to slack off, and before the next day's training, he called Zhang Xiaotian alone for a long talk.

Spoelstra believes that Zhang Xiaotian has not played to his full strength.

After Zhang Xiaotian's outstanding performance in the preseason, as the coach of the Heat, he was thinking about how to integrate Zhang Xiaotian into the team.

The crucial performances of the two shutouts made Spoelstra even more urgent.

After repeatedly watching the game footage, Spoelstra felt that he had found the reason for Zhang Xiaotian's instability, that is, Zhang Xiaotian's style of play required to hold the ball.

There are a lot of players in the league who are like this, and they have to hold the ball to be effective.

Therefore, the distribution of the ball has always been a headache for various coaches.

As for the gap between Zhang Xiaotian's training and the game, Spoelstra subconsciously ignored it.

Spoelstra doesn't believe much in metaphysics, and he thinks everything has an away reason.

Since he thought that he had found the reason, he wanted to solve it, so he couldn't wait to talk to Zhang Xiaotian.

Spoelstra talked to Zhang Xiaotian mainly for two purposes, one is that he wants to stagger his possession time with James and Wade, so that he can enjoy the team's third ball.

It's not that he underestimated Zhang Xiaotian's strength, Zhang Xiaotian was babbling during this time, Spoelstra actually overestimated Zhang Xiaotian's strength.

He was worried that Zhang Xiaotian was a violent temper, and if the data was not very good, it would affect the team.

It would not be explained if the average player immediately entered the cold palace, but Spoelstra felt that Zhang Xiaotian was a player who could be added to the team, and he wanted to help him integrate into the team well.

In addition, he wants to talk to Zhang Xiaotian about whether he can discuss the starting position again.

It's not that he wants to remove Zhang Xiaotian's starters, but there are still some teams in the league that are still very threatening inside, such as those teams that can be called twin towers, such as the Clippers who are about to play.

Spoelstra is mainly worried about James being consumed on the inside, unlike Popovich, the team does not have an old man who is particularly trusted, and he is willing to give Zhang Xiaotian the most important tactical position outside of the Big Three.

But the team's line-up can't be static, and he believes that he is still a coach who has a good understanding of tactics.

Zhang Xiaotian also took the opportunity to show his attitude, "I listen to the coach's arrangement, but the coach has a request, I must stay on the court at the critical moment when the team plays to the last quarter, and my state is always exceptionally good at that time, and it has become my belief." ”

Spoelstra agreed without thinking about it, he also looked at Zhang Xiaotian's ability in this regard, although he believed in data analysis more, but many players in the league also believed in metaphysics, he thought it was a psychological hint, and it would be helpful to the team.

In the home game against the Clippers on November 7, Haslem started instead of Zhang Xiaotian.

This situation was expected, but the actual occurrence still attracted a lot of attention.

The Big Three, a team like the Heat, was originally put in the spotlight, and even if it was a normal adjustment, the media could tell the flowers.

Zhang Xiaotian has been able to predict that there will soon be news of his conflict with the team.

Fortunately, he doesn't pay much attention to all this, the key is to win the game, and justice will always be on the side of the winner.

The Clippers have also done a lot of work this summer, and the team framework has not changed, with Paul, Griffin, Jordan Jr., and sixth man Crawford unchanged.

But they brought in shooters like J.J. Redick and Jarred Dudley who could open up space, and younger substitutes like Darren Collison.

The team is younger, the configuration is more reasonable, and no matter how you look at it, you can also hit the level of the championship.

At the beginning of the game, the Heat was very passive, even if they let Haslem start, they couldn't grab rebounds in front of Griffin and Jordan Jr.

But the biggest change is still J.J. Redick, a team with a strong interior line, and the three-point shooter is really suitable.

Before the Heat could get noticed, J.J. Redick hit back-to-back shots.

Soon Spoelstra recognized the reality that the defense could not be prevented at all, and it was still necessary to attack.

You can't use the inside line to deal with the inside line, you can only use the outside team to break through and make fouls, and get Jordan Jr.'s foolish down, and the Heat will definitely play a lot.

Spoelstra could only console himself that he had adjusted his starting lineup not to be able to resist on the inside, but to make it easier for James.

He has good intentions, but unfortunately he will definitely not be understood by the outside world.

What else can I do, the goal has almost been achieved, let's replace it.

As soon as the small lineup comes out, half of the twin towers on the inside line will be abolished, and the other side will see if the breakthrough and foul making are powerful.

There is no such thing as a perfect team, and that's the fun of the NBA.

After Zhang Xiaotian came on the court, he hit a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter, so that the Heat only lost by 3 points.

It's actually a normal performance for the Big Three to score 20 points together, but the inside line can't protect the rebounds at all, and it's good to lose only 3 points.

Zhang Xiaotian feels pretty good, he is usually replaced at this time, he doesn't have a chance to use this skill, and the feeling of pressing the whistle is okay.

In Spoelstra's opinion, it was his tactics that worked.

It doesn't matter if he was suppressed just now, he staggered the time to be able to fully exert Zhang Xiaotian's attack power, and it is foreseeable that even if the other party has a super sixth man like Crawford, the rotation time will be crushed.

Facts have proved that the young coach thinks too much, Zhang Xiaotian is mediocre except for the highlight of three points at the whistle, and he is conscientious in defense and does not let the opponent take the opportunity to open the score.

Spoelstra was stunned, there was something wrong with this script.

In fact, Zhang Xiaotian didn't perform badly, he didn't shoot offensively, his defense was not out of position, and he seized the opportunity to hit a three-pointer in the second quarter.

But he doesn't show the slightest star player temperament right now, and he is completely like a normal role player, which is what makes Spoelstra unacceptable.

Fortunately, Wade performed very well after coming on the court, and the Heat only lost by 4 points when they did not have a dominance on the inside at all in the half.

If you don't lose much, it's perfectly acceptable at half-time, but not at full-time.

Losing more and losing less is a loss, and no team likes to lose, especially a team that is going to compete for a championship.

So when there was still no turnaround, the Heat made substitutions in four minutes in the third quarter, and there were more than one changes.

Go to his inside line and go straight to the speed.

The acceleration effect is obvious, Jordan Jr. obviously can't keep up, James scored 6 points in a row and made Jordan Jr. a foul.

Next, Zhang Xiaotian caused the opponent's bench inside Byron Mullens to foul, and the Heat overtook him.

Heading into the final quarter with the lead, Spoelstra was finally relieved.