Coming out of Popovich's office, Zhang Xiaotian was not in a good mood.

Popovich is quite pleasant, but he wants to increase his weight in the team, and obviously some key moments alone can't convince the old man.

As the team's head coach, Popovich is not interested in miracles, he needs consistent ability.

He needs players who can show in training and be consistent in the first three quarters of the game.

Of course, no one will dislike Mr. Key, even if he plays against the Suns, Popovich does not use Zhang Xiaotian, but he will not use him all the time.

Zhang Xiaotian's positioning is a substitute wonder, the big heart at the critical moment, but not the cornerstone of the team, not the most important part.

"You're not happy when you win, I'm losing money every day, so it's better for you to comfort me."

"Anyway, it's a loss, you better don't work overtime, come back and let's play games together."

"Yes, in fact, I don't think I'm a career-oriented strong woman anymore...... Well, it was instigated by you. ”

Zhang Xiaotian was stunned, he thought that Yang Feiyu would be angry for a while, but he didn't expect this guy to react like this.

That's fine, what are people doing when they're so tired of living.

But his basketball career is still different, he's not that stupid girl, he likes to play.

It's March, and the competition for teams with playoff ambitions is getting fiercer.

Of course, the Spurs, a strong team in the first tier of the league, don't need to worry about playoff spots at all.

What they're going to do is keep the players in good shape so they can make the playoffs.

And those teams that no longer have any extravagant expectations for results are basically getting by.

Against the Kings at home, the Spurs played with ease, playing extremely fluid team basketball from the first quarter, and the Kings' defense was very cooperative.

With a 30-point lead in the third quarter, Popovich was happy to let the main rotation players rest together.

It was the same against the Pistons on March 3, this time they led by 30 points in less than three quarters, and some of the main players played not as strong as the role players.

Popovich likes this kind of game, so that the main players get enough rest, the fringe players get enough training, the team will get better and better, and it will be easier and easier to win, this is a virtuous circle.

However, the Spurs finished first in the West in the regular season, and that was the case for the first two seasons.

Popovich has set his sights on the playoffs, Duncan is no longer the age of omnipotence, and he needs more people on the team to step up at that time.

On March 6, they were still at home, but this time they met the Bulls, a powerhouse in the East.

The problem with the Bulls right now is that they don't have an absolute leader, but without Rose, they're a tough nut to crack.

And while winning on a winning streak, Parker, the Spurs' outside core, has a problem with his ankle and will rest for a while.

With Parker sidelined, it's not the bench that takes on more responsibility on the offensive end, it's Leonard.

Leonard also lived up to expectations and was absolutely unrelenting when it was time to make a move.

From Leonard's growth, we can know that the Spurs do have a hand in developing players.

In the first half, the two sides were inseparable, and Jimmy Butler was very excited to play against Zhang Xiaotian again.

However, he didn't dare to say big things this time, even if he had an advantage in the first half, he was always wary of Zhang Xiaotian's counterattack.

Zhang Xiaotian did fight back, and he fought back with the Spurs' rotation lineup.

The Bulls are actually strong, but injuries continue, and now the main lineup is still relatively strong, but there is really no one on the bench.

As soon as Ginobili, Mills and Zhang Xiaotian rotated time, the Bulls found that they were led by more than a dozen points at once, and it was already the last quarter of time, and they could only choose to surrender after struggling for a while.

Spurs are very strong, they are overwhelming, and whether there are players out of the game or not, they are invincible.

After beating the Bulls, the media was a hymn.

They are used to the strength of the Spurs, but during this time, they crush others at every turn, and they are all weak teams, but the Bulls' defense is very tight, and they are still killed by them in waves.

What makes the Spurs envious and jealous is that they can always find some treasures, what a second-round show, a draft pick, may not be particularly powerful, but it is particularly useful in the hands of Popovich.

And although Leonard is in the first round, it is 15th, and he was replaced by the Spurs, why did he get up so quickly, the team is strong every year, and he can't accept it.

So, the spurs were finally milked to death.

On March 8, they hosted the Trail Blazers, who were not very competitive in the West, only to be carried away by Lillard in the second half after each played in the first half.

Popovich didn't care much, a wave? Wave of flow is good, isn't the main force able to rest again, anyway, losing a game can't shake their position.

So the Spurs lost by 30 points, and Lillard was in high spirits.

The media didn't feel like they were slapped in the face at all, and instead boasted about Lillard, and by the way, they stepped on Zhang Xiaotian a few times, who let this matter get involved in the rookie game again.

After two full days of rest, the Spurs met the real stubble, which is the Thunder, who are second in the West.

Although the Thunder has no Harden this season, they are still strong, the main team is less than Ibaka, and there is Martin on the bench.

So even if Harden plays well with the Rockets, the current Thunder can boast that their decision was not wrong.

Leonard's defense is very strong, but it is obviously not so easy to limit Durant, and at Durant's level, no one can limit them alone.

Now at this level in the league, there are only so many people, less than ten, the ruthless character level in the All-Stars.

In fact, for the Spurs, Ibaka is more troublesome than Durant.

Ibaka's physical fitness is also too good, although Duncan can still play, but in the face of a young and strong inside, the rebound is really not grabbed.

Rebounding losses, coupled with the absence of Parker's strong point, the Spurs were passive at first.

But what the Spurs are better than other teams is that when the main team can't play, the bench can often recover.

Among the Spurs' rotation players, the backcourt can be said to be a bunch of strongmen, Ginobili is a fixed outbreak, Mills and Gary Neal are intermittent outbreaks, and Zhang Xiaotian is also very stable in front of a team like the Thunder without a substitute forward.

After the substitutes regained blood, the main players also eased up.

Instead of continuing to let Duncan fight hard inside, Popovich took the initiative Leonard.

Leonard once again showed his superstar temperament, scoring two-pointers and three-pointers, and showing no mercy in front of Durant.

Zhang Xiaotian is also enthusiastic, what Leonard is doing now is what he wants to do.