295 Problems and improvements
The Spurs are a disciplined team, and this is reflected in many aspects, such as the fact that the team did not slack off after a tough win on the road, and under Popovich's instructions, everyone left Oakland the next day and returned to San Antonio.
After returning to San Antonio, Popovich gave everyone a half-day off, and after the half-day off, everyone gathered again in the training hall to prepare for the next game.
In Popovich's words, "Players, the game is not over yet, and again, the final whistle of the whole series has not sounded, and we cannot afford to let up in any way..."
In fact, this series has been played so far, without Popovich's reminder, Jin Feng also knows very well in their hearts that for a team like the Golden State Warriors, firstly, they can't be given any chance, and secondly, starting from the Warriors themselves, they will never disarm until they are finally out.
This also means that the upcoming fifth game is not as easy as imagined, at least the Warriors will definitely be desperate.
………
At the Spurs training gym, Jin Feng and they ushered in several familiar faces, Tim Duncan, David Roberson, and Bruce Bowen, all of whom are Spurs celebrities.
As for why a few people came here, Jin Feng later knew the answer, it turned out that Popovich called, in the words of the old man, although you are no longer a professional player and no longer play for the Spurs, but when the team needs you, you must appear.
So what is the purpose of the trio appearing in the training gym? Like Popovich said, that's because the team needs them at this time.
With a 3-1 lead, it looks like there is nothing wrong with the team, so why does Popovich say the team needs help?
Popovich then gave the answer.
"Players, to sum up the playoff season so far, overall, of course I have to give credit to everyone for their performance, we had a lot of difficulties, but the good thing is that we have carried it together"
"However, now, I have to remind everyone that through the last game, the team still has a lot of problems, for example, our outside single defense ability, Ke Huai, Danny, Jin are of course good defenders, but everyone also understands the test we are facing in the next game, or even if we pass the Warriors and advance to the finals, then, what about the finals? Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, is our strength really crushing? I have to remind everyone that the Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending champions, and as professional players, we can't trust the media a lot of times, I remember before we started the series with the Warriors, there wasn't much media that looked at us, and LeBron James was the number one in the league after all, and his impact would definitely be a test for us."
"On top of that, there's our interior line, which is our strength against a team like the Warriors, but, honestly, are we really playing it?"
'So, we have to keep improving, keep improving, David, Thiem, Bruce, all three, all three have been very good players in all positions, so we have to learn from them'
Popovich mainly pointed out two issues, and that is the power of the perimeter defense and the interior twin towers.
After Popovich said this, Jin Feng and the others also realized that indeed, there are big problems with these two problems.
Before the Spurs-Warriors series began, many people thought that the Spurs would have to do two things well if they were to finally beat the Warriors, and that was to defend and play to their interior strengths.
Now that the series has played four games, to be honest, the Spurs can take a 3-1 lead, and it seems that these two points have not played a big role, on the contrary, the Spurs have used offense to kill the Warriors.
It's a miracle, but it's undeniable but it's also a hidden danger, for example, when the Warriors are desperate for offense in Game 5, can the Spurs still be able to fight back with their efforts? I'm afraid not.
And as Popovich said, even if the Warriors are defeated and the Finals are finally qualified, will this set still work in the face of the Cavaliers? You know, the Cavaliers don't rely solely on the outside like the Warriors!
Therefore, you have to return to the original dispatch and use your best weapon to defeat the enemy!
…………
For an afternoon, the four of Jin, Danny Green, Leonard, and Mills worked with Bowen to improve their perimeter defense, while Gasol and Aldridge faced one-on-one inside coaching from David Robertson and Tim Duncan......
'Grieg, I still don't have a lot of faith in LaMarcus, he's still struggling and not playing as well as we want to see, so maybe we've got to think about the future of the team'
"Messina, like you said, LaMarcus is really struggling, but I have no intention of trading him, I'm sure next season, he'll be back at the top"
"Greg, back to the top? Personally, I have to admit that LaMarcus is a good player, he's a good guy, but we have to look at the future of the team and in my opinion, he can't play as a centre-forward."
"Well, we'll put him back at power forward, okay"
"No kidding, it's certainly fine for LaMarcus to return to power forward, but what about the center position? Don't forget, we don't have a lot of room to work this offseason, and the point guard position is the first thing to strengthen."
"Haha, man, let's wait and see......"
…………
Two days later, the Spurs played Game 5 of the Spurs-Warriors series at the AT&T Center.
At the beginning of the game, the Warriors, who were playing away, showed a very strong desire to attack, and did not have the fighting spirit as predicted before the game.
Fortunately, the Spurs were prepared before the game and did not underestimate the opponent, otherwise, they might have capsized in the gutter because of this.
After the Warriors showed a strong desire to attack, the Spurs also showed a tough response, and just like that, the score went up in a cross-style.
Until the end of the first three quarters of the game, the two sides were still inseparable, and the score difference did not widen.
And at this time, for the home fans, it is obvious that they are apprehensive, for the simple reason that what they want to see after this game is that the Spurs win the Western Conference championship trophy is not to see the Warriors pull back 10% and bring the game to Oakland again.
Of course, this series has played so far, no one will think that the Spurs are not the opponent of the Warriors, so even in the fourth quarter, the two sides are still inseparable, and most fans still believe that the final winner is the Spurs!