Chapter 92: Twin Stars Shine
As the basketball arced into the basket, the score became 73:73, and the Spurs finally tied it.
Leonard and Zhang Xiaotian, the two young Spurs showed their style with one defense and one offense, many fans seemed to see the future of the team, and the cheers of the home audience became even higher.
The Jazz are not soft-legged shrimp either, and Millsap, who had not performed well before, was like being woken up, and he should have strengthened his play to help the team rise by 4 points.
But Duncan immediately returned the color, and Millsap received his fifth foul, but unfortunately Duncan only hit one of the two free throws, and the score was still the lead of the opponent.
In this game, the Spurs only used an eight-man rotation, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard were on the court at critical moments, and Parker was on the court because he had just returned.
The Jazz let Millsapra out to play, and the Spurs guaranteed rebounds much better.
It's the same on the defensive end, and Leonard has to get out.
So in the next period, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard rushed to grab the frontcourt rebounds and led the opponent again.
In the final three minutes of the game, Parker came on.
The Spurs players are all fully healthy and then come back, and the old players do not have adaptation problems, Parker caused a foul on Morris Williams as soon as he came up, and made two free throws to give the Spurs a lead of 3 points.
At this time, the Jazz are also in foul trouble, with Morris Williams and Millsap both five times and Al Jefferson also four times.
Offensively, though, they were still very disciplined, and after Millsap didn't work at all, Morris Williams let his teammates cover and hit a direct jumper.
Then Morris Williams and Al Jefferson made a successful pick-and-roll combination, and the latter hit a basket to give the Jazz the lead again.
Alternating leads in the final moments of the final quarter was a time to test the players' willpower.
Spurs' players have naturally been tested in various ways, and their mental qualities are strong.
Even if Zhang Xiaotian has no skills, he is actually a big-hearted player, and the main pressure is not on his side, so he will naturally not mess up.
At the critical moment, he and Leonard, two young men, stepped up again, scored two points each, and Spurs led by three points.
The fans in the SBC Center Arena were relieved and nervous, and the audience through the TV screen could feel the tension now.
With only 40 seconds left, the Jazz were on the ball and the Spurs' defense was meticulous.
The clock ticked by, and the Jazz didn't find a suitable shot in the end, and Morris Williams hit a last-minute shot.
Although Xiao Mo is not a No. 1 position with excellent organizational skills, he still has a hand in shooting.
In the final 17 seconds, the Jazz didn't immediately foul.
Parker was solid on the ball, and it was impossible for the opponent to force them to panic and steal.
At the 10-second mark, the Jazz had no choice but to foul, and Parker walked to the free throw line and still hit two free throws steadily.
The Spurs lead by three points, and the Jazz will certainly welcome a quick two-point game, but looking at them to replace all players with three-point range, the Spurs also know that the three-point line is the key.
Duncan was replaced, Morris Williams or Parker followed, Zhang Xiaotian and Hayward, Leonard and Millsap, Ginobili and Randy Foye, Danny Green and Marvin Williams.
Marvin Williams serves, and it stands to reason that he is not the fourth and fifth point.
It's just that Randy Foye gave him the ball in the final moments, and Marvin Williams faced Danny Green's defense and hit a three-point shot.
Danny Green is actually defensively in place, and Marvin Williams doesn't usually have the ability to shoot against defenders, but this time he succeeded.
This kind of thing is never exclusive to big people.
But fortunately, the two sides only drew and there was extra time.
Leonard hit a three-pointer at the start of overtime, Al Jefferson just scored on the inside, and Zhang Xiaotian made another three-pointer.
Then two of them hit a two-pointer, and the Jazz's Morris Williams hit a three-pointer, but it didn't help.
Amid the cheers of the fans, the Spurs won the game 104-97.
The Spurs shined in the final moments, but it was not Duncan and Parker, but Leonard and Zhang Xiaotian.
Leonard had 21 points and 8 rebounds, as well as 2 steals and 2 blocks, which was a bit shabby compared to Zhang Xiaotian's 15 points and 7 rebounds, but they were all key scores.
Excellent young people who don't like it, Spurs appeared two at once.
Popovich had a smile on his face, and outsiders couldn't see his inner tangle at all.
For spending money, Spurs are still relatively traditional, to put it bluntly, they are not very willing, except for GDP, whether it is the main force or the substitute, it is cheap and easy to use.
The Spurs don't mind giving away players who are worth their value, anyway, they can pick cheap and easy to use, and they will hardly affect their record because of this.
So Zhang Xiaotian played well, and they were already thinking about whether they could keep this young man.
Well, Zhang Xiaotian finished four years of college and spent another two years outside, and he is not a young man in the potential stage of the alliance.
Netizens began to give Popovich tips online, especially Zhang Xiaotian's fans.
Let Zhang Xiaotian play as the starter to replace Danny Green, and directly use one big and four small as a normal lineup.
But even so, the voice of letting Zhang Xiaotian replace Leonard is very niche, Leonard's rapid growth is in everyone's eyes, the key is that he is still younger than Zhang Xiaotian, and the data is better.
Zhang Xiaotian put himself in the role of Popovich and suddenly became a little depressed.
Steady improvement can already see a hint of superstar demeanor compared to players who can't prove their potential are the same choice.
But he can also play the No. 2 position, and he thinks he has better potential than Danny Green.
But the team also has to consider the distribution of the ball, and even Ginobili is playing as a substitute.
Well, as long as he is willing to give enough money, it's okay to have fewer scenes, he still has feelings for the Spurs, not to mention anything else, even when he was a fan, he also supported the Spurs for so long.
In the professional arena, money also represents status, and Zhang Xiaotian has not yet reached the level of salary reduction.
Looking at the discussion in the fan base, Zhang Xiaotian suddenly found that he was taken crookedly, and now it is not his turn to think about this, anyway, he is also a restricted player, and there are agents to talk about this.
The point is, it's still early before the end of the season, and the Spurs will definitely make the playoffs, and that's when the price will rise.
"Wow, some fans say you can get an annual salary of tens of millions."
Yang Feiyu has stars in her eyes, she sees through the prosperity, it is useless to start a business, and it is a foolish thing to plan for her future husband.
"I can't take it, these guys don't understand the rules at all." Zhang Xiaotian pinched his girlfriend's face and ravaged it, and said with annoyance.