As a young man, Popovich worked as an intelligence officer and was sent on missions to Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

So the future Steve. Nash once said, "The scariest thing about the Spurs is that they have a particularly scary coach. The old man had been a spy stationed in the Soviet Union, and God knows how many evil ideas he had in his head. ”

After saying that, Nash was knocked out by the Spurs in the next game.

Killing people and killing people seems to be the usual method of intelligence officers.

I don't know how many ghost ideas Popovich had in his head, but his military career as a young man taught him meticulousness, demand, and discipline.

He reproduced all of this on the Spurs.

And these excellent qualities coupled with Tim. After Duncan took the throne, the San Antonio Spurs completely rose!

'99, in the original history, was the first year in the history of the Spurs to lift the championship trophy.

That season, the Spurs lost just two games in the playoffs before winning the championship.

And, it also swept the OK Lakers 4-0. At that time, the big shark, which was already in full swing, was blown up by a second-grade nerd.

That's why, ten or twenty years later, the cautious shark still says, "The championship of the shrinking season has no gold content!" Spurs' championship doesn't mean anything at all! ”

He couldn't stand being swept 4-0 by the Spurs, so he kept belittling the title of '99.

The Spurs in 99 are indeed strong, and today's Spurs, because they have absorbed the strongest Pippen in history, have further improved their strength.

The only team that can get 40 wins this season!

The Spurs Twin Towers were unscrupulous and abused the entire league.

Therefore, it is understandable that Popovich does not look down on the Lakers.

Popovich's imaginary enemies are the Jazz, the Suns, the Heat and the Pacers.

Los Angeles Lakers?

It's just a team that has worked hard to make the playoffs, a team that has lost to us three times in a single season.

In fact, the team that Popovich most wanted to meet in the first round was precisely the Lakers!

He wants to trample on the former king of the league first, and then win the championship.

There is no better handover ceremony than this!

The Lakers dynasty is history!

As soon as Popovich spoke, the media in the Holy City also began to behave and began to be yin and yang:

"There are still two games in the regular season, and the Lakers have not yet fully confirmed the eighth, so I think about the Black Eight Miracle?"

"Lakers fans haven't known what it's like to be eighth in the West and first in the West for too long, and they're still immersed in those days when they suddenly went on a killing spree in the playoffs. As everyone knows, the situation has changed. ”

"Black Eight? It's the funniest joke I've ever heard.

In the top four in the West, the Lakers with Shay only won the aging Rockets, and the Suns, Jazz and Spurs still can't beat them.

No one really thinks that the Lakers can have their current ranking, because they played a strong team, right? They can only be tyrannical to the lotto team. ”

The media in San Antonio hasn't been so active in years.

Although they had admirals before, the admiral, who was so thin, was the one who was blown up by other superstars every time!

It was not easy to find a best defensive player, Rodman, to assist the general, but Rodman was still disobedient.

The most angry thing is that after Rodman left the Lakers, he gave a very outstanding performance and won the championship ring.

This incident has always appeared that Popovich is a fool who has buried genius, and that the Admiral is a man with no leadership skills.

In short, in the past few years, although the Spurs have basically been a powerhouse in the West, the Holy City media and fans are too aggrieved.

The Spurs, the phoenix tail that has been stepped on by strong teams, is not as good as a chicken head.

Now that the Spurs have become so strong, the Holy City media and fans are naturally very vindictive.

Those who bullied us at the beginning are now going to be liquidated one by one! Now, we're on the attack!

The Lakers are the first to be liquidated!

The clamor of the Holy City media has completely heated up the heat of the first round of the playoffs.

Marbury watched the TV talk about the most high-profile eighth VS first in history, and suddenly became angry.

You don't take my Ma Commissar too seriously, do you!?

The regular season isn't over yet! It's not certain who is the eighth in the West!

I really want to slap him to death, are you embarrassed to say? If you hadn't kicked the cobra in the last game and got sent off, could we have lost?

It's no wonder that people have completely ignored the Timberwolves, because the Lakers' last two games against the Celtics and Mavericks in the lotto, the Lakers really don't want to win, and these two teams have to support the Lakers to win.

For the Lakers, the battle for a playoff spot has reached a critical juncture.

And for the Celtics and Mavericks, the race for the lottery has reached a critical juncture.

Especially Green Kai, they missed Duncan in '97 and Nowitzki in '98, and everything went wrong.

This year, they really don't want to miss Yao Ming again!

So in the game, the Green Kai players even temporarily forgot about the feud between the Lakers and the Celtics, and the whole court was crazy.

In the seventh minute of the third quarter, Antoine. Walker passes to interior teammate Potapanko in an offensive run. But at the time, Potapanco was defended by Big Ben, which meant that he had no room to catch the ball at all.

Of course, it's not that you can't feed the ball to your teammates who are in front of you, in fact, as long as your ball is hoisted accurately, you can pass the ball to your teammates inside through the defenders.

Can Antoine. Walker: When he faced the wounded Portapenco, he made a pass to the ground! The basketball bounced back into Big Ben's hand, and Big Ben made a steal with a pestle on the spot!

Don't try to dissect Antoine. Walker's brain circuit, after all, is a strange person who was asked "why shoot so many three-pointers" and answered everyone "because there is no four-point line in the league".

Green Kai on the bench, head coach Rick. Pitino was struggling to hold back a smile.

With the rotten artifact Walker in hand, Green Kyle doesn't worry about losing at all!

Green Kai and Maverick are basically this kind of road number.

In the face of such an active demand, how can the Lakers go against the will of the other side?

Therefore, the Lakers won the last two games safely.

Although the Timberwolves also won their last two games, they were eventually kicked out of the playoffs by one win.

The Lakers finally squeezed into the top eight in the West with a 26-24 record this season!

In the 21 games Shay has returned, the Lakers have lost only 3 games, and the winning rate is 86%!

If you sort by winning percentage, the Lakers' record is ranked first in both the east and the west!

Therefore, the media in Los Angeles are promoting: "The real strength of the Lakers is at the level of the top four in the West!" ”

In this way, after the last game of the regular season on May 5, the matchups for the first round of the playoffs in the West have all been determined.

The Spurs VS Lakers series is officially on the agenda!

The long-awaited match will finally be staged!

The Lakers, the king of the old days, against the league's upstart Spurs.

The first round was quite exciting!

Naturally, the league is also vigorously promoting this round of games, and the day after the end of the regular season, major sports channels are showing trailers for this round of the series.

Los Angeles and San Antonio have also become quite lively, and the smell of war has begun to fill the two cities.

After training that afternoon, the Lakers even held a press conference to answer various questions about the playoffs.

And Shay was asked the most, without a doubt, about the Black Eight Miracle!

"No team has ever staged a Black Eight miracle in history, and I certainly know that.

But don't forget, no team in history has ever made the playoffs with a 9-21 start.

Therefore, history is to be broken.

The probability of the eighth place counterattacking the first place is very low, but . Wouldn't I also have a 0.1% chance of bringing the Lakers to the playoffs? ”

Shay's confident answer made more and more Lakers fans believe that the Black Eight Miracle will eventually appear!

The TV station even interviewed many retired stars to predict this game, which shows how big the battle is in this series.

Barkley, who is now a top commentator on TNT, raised his fist in an interview: "If anyone can knock out the Lakers in the first round, it's me." But alas, I'm already retired. So, no one in this world can knock out the Lakers in the first round. ”

When Drexler saw reporters come to interview him, he was a hundred unwilling: "What else do I have to say?" Shay won't lose! ”

Jordan played golf while facing the camera and took a deep puff on his cigar:

"Will Shay be eliminated in the first round? You're fucking teasing me! Which idiot came up with this question? ”

After speaking, Jordan looked at the reporter who came to interview him with the eyes of a fool.

Basically, most of the retired superstars feel that the eighth in the West can beat the first in the West!

If Shay is just boasting, the best is that the player is confident enough.

But when so many celebrities are supporting Shay, it's very telling.

Only the magician said the reason why everyone is so optimistic about Shay:

"Popovich is a good coach and the San Antonio Spurs are a strong team.

But the fact is that the Spurs, led by Popovich, have never played against the pinnacle Shay in a series.

It's hard to imagine how amazing Shay is in the playoffs without playing against Shay himself.

Popovich thought it was the first in the West VS the eighth in the West, no, this was the best regular season team of the season, VS the best team of the era!

You all say that there is no Black Eight Miracle in the history of the NBA.

But don't forget, the defending champion has only happened once in NBA history!

Don't underestimate the defending champions! ”

Popovich looked at what the celebrities said in the newspaper and was angry.

I'm the first in the West, why am I still being looked down upon!?

But fortunately, the mentality of the two big men on the Spurs team has not been affected much.

In between trainings, they were still chatting happily about nuclear reactions.

In this world, there is probably nothing that can affect their mentality.

The big war is imminent, and the mentality of the Admiral and Duncan is actually an advantage, and they will not be affected by any public opinion from the outside world.

Popovich crumpled the newspaper in his hand and threw it in the trash.

The first in the west is the first in the west.

In this world, there can be no such thing as the Black Eight Miracle!

Just like that, the Lakers were the first to fly to San Antonio and challenge their fate at the Alamo Dome!

In the first game of the series, the Spurs showed great discipline as a team.

They play with a single look and never mess up.

In positional offense, the Spurs are like a machine, never stopping.

On the defensive end, the Spurs' defensive ability is even tougher.

The Spurs' starting five Tigers are Twin Towers, Junior General Johnson, and Sean. Elliott and Pippen.

Not to mention the Twin Towers and Pippen, they are both defensive giants.

Elliott, on the other hand, was one of the best 3D players of the 90s.

Although Johnson's real height is estimated to be only 1.78 meters, his tenacious style also ensures his defensive power in the No. 1 position.

So in the face of the Spurs' defense, the first thing is that the Lakers' breakthrough is difficult to make a difference under the protection of the twin towers.

Finley tried to cut to the basket several times today, but by the time he received the basket, he would always find that the expressionless No. 21 had quietly moved back to the box.

And this damn nerd isn't shaking it yet!

The most typical scene occurred in the second quarter, when Finley took the opportunity to cut inside and received a pass from Billups, rushed to the basket, and leaned on Duncan, who came up from the defense, and forced a layup.

Finley thought that even if he couldn't score, he could make a foul.

However, in the face of Finley who hit the basket, the No. 21 did not jump, he just stood in place and raised his arms high, and with a light wave of his palm, he took Finley to risk!

Duncan's judgment of the timing of the block is simply historic!

Fortunately, the basketball that was taken off fell to Finley again, and Finley still had an offensive opportunity under the basket.

So, Finley began to make fake movements under the basket, but the No. 21 still just raised his arms and pressed close to Finley. His feet felt as if they were rooted in the wooden floor, and they didn't leave the ground at all!

Finley couldn't get any space, and just as he was worried about his three-second offense, the referee's whistle blew.

Finley didn't attack the three-second violation, but just rushed and was already walking under the basket!

With Duncan not jumping the whole time, Finley was forced to make a mistake and lost possession! Once again, Duncan protected the basket with his tough defensive prowess. Duncan's frame guard is not like Big Ben, which shocks opponents with bloody flying again and again. He's just stupid and raises his arms high, but you just can't score.

He is worthy of being the first person in the NBA to stand and defend!

After hearing the referee's blow, the Spurs No. 21 did not say any trash talk to Finley, nor did he show any smug expression, and turned his head to run to the frontcourt, as if he did not have any ordinary emotions

Finley suspects that this guy is sent by the Skynet system to go undercover!

Not to mention Finley, even Shay was taken by Duncan once today.

At that time, in order to help Shay open up space, Xiao Ao directly pulled to the position of one step inside the three-point line.

Duncan followed, defending Ao near the free throw line.

Shay, meanwhile, broke through Pippen from the flank and leaped straight into the frame after taking two steps in a big stride.

In front of Shay, the admiral was stuck in Big Ben and couldn't pull away for the time being, and the basket was equivalent to being undefended.

At this moment, a large hand reached from behind Shay's side and pressed the basketball to the rebound. Shay turned his head and saw that it was Duncan, who was still near the free throw line just now! During this period, Duncan's running and jumping ability was very fast, and his speed back to the restricted area was particularly fast. But Duncan can block Shay, relying not only on speed, but also on extremely terrifying defensive area and accurate block timing!

The power of the Spurs Twin Towers is truly terrifying!

For a while, the Lakers were forced to score in the restricted area, and could only rely on Shay's mid-range heads-up to support them.

But no matter how accurate Shay's mid-range is, he can't beat the general's and Duncan's baskets.

The Spurs' twin towers, one of them has a very accurate shot, and the other has strong ability to play alone with his back under the basket, and he has offensive ability in both high and low positions, which makes it difficult for the Lakers to wrap up.

O'Neal Jr. went to wrap Duncan, Duncan can assist the general's mid-range shot, and the general's mid-range is too stable.

The outside line went to wrap Duncan, and the Spurs' outside firepower was also very stable.

The Spurs are a team that pays a lot of attention to the quality of role players. They are all the best among the tool people, and they all have the ability to respond to and share the power of the shot.

As a result, Duncan finally played 37 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals in the game!

What's even more exaggerated is that Duncan's shooting percentage today is as high as 78.6%! 11 of 14 shots, almost no misses!

After Big Ben finished this game, not only did his hairstyle blow up, but his head was really going to blow up!

How can that silly-looking No. 21 feel more difficult than the small dried fish on the East Coast?

Duncan's 37 points, supplemented by the general's 19 points and Johnson's 18 points, finally allowed the Spurs to beat the Lakers 108-97!

Shay did his best with 35 points, and Finley's 21 points were not bad.

The main problem for the Lakers is that the interior line really can't guard against the twin towers.

The Spurs turned the showroom 1-0 at home, and the Holy City fans cheered one by one.

Spurs live commentary Bill. Rand also summed it up in a playful tone:

"No matter how much you blow this Western Eighth Eighth, whether this Western Eighth is the defending champion or not.

The eighth in the West is the eighth in the West! And tonight this is a typical game, the first in the West to teach the eighth in the West!

Lakers want to win Spurs? In fact, there is no way, they only need to do two steps:

First, get rid of all the sharks in the sea.

Second, get Tim back to swimming!

If the Lakers move quickly, Tim might be able to make it in time for the Sydney Olympics. ”

The on-site commentary was mocking the Lakers, and the fans at the scene did not let Shay go of them.

As Shay and his teammates walked into the tunnel, fans on both sides shouted:

"Shay, your crown will remain in San Antonio! Go with confidence! ”

"It's okay Shay, you can lie on the soft big bed when you go back to the hotel later, and you can continue to dream of the Black Eight Miracle!"

"The Black Eight Miracle is the most boring fantasy I've ever heard!"

It's no wonder that the Spurs' commentary and fans are so rampant, the Spurs did win this battle too beautifully, too much suspense.

Although the point difference has not been large, the Spurs have always held the initiative, and the Lakers have no chance at all.

Popovich was also very happy after the game, he not only mocked Shay, but also mocked those celebrities who supported Shay:

"No offense, Mycus, Charles and Clyde, are great people.

But they supported Shay simply because they were all Shay's defeated men, and they habitually felt that Shay could win.

Maji said before that I hadn't played against Peak Shay in the playoffs, so I didn't know how terrible Shay was.

On the other hand, McButton, Charles and Clyde, none of them have played against the current Spurs! They don't know what we're capable of!

The Black Eight Miracle may eventually appear, but it will never happen in 1999! ”

Popovich is so high-spirited, so far this season, his record against the Lakers is 4-0!

The former king, he was trampled under his feet and played with wantonly!

Of course, Popovich is not the kind of person who gets carried away easily.

He is well aware that the series is not a winner-or-lose.

But in the first round of the playoffs, it was a best-of-five system, which means that the Lakers' margin for error is very low.

Next, Spurs only need to win two more games to advance, and the next game will still be played at Spurs' home stadium.

Once it's 2-0, the team gets match point!

Popovich simply didn't know how he could lose!

All Spurs fans are still curious to know what Shay, who was swollen in the face, will say at the press conference.

They all wanted to see Shay's loveless expression.

But instead of being loveless, Shay replied to the reporter lightly:

“Just a little spurs，I can killing spree.”

Literally, little spurs, I'm ready to kill all sides.

But the Spurs' team name, Spurs, also has the meaning of inspiration and excitement.

So Shay's other meaning: today's small thrill of defeat will make me start a killing feast!

These are the lyrics about the Spurs part of Shay's previous song that made fun of all the teams in the league.

It's not hard to imagine what the mood is for Spurs fans right now, and they're all expecting the previously arrogant Shay to be depressed by the loss in this game.

As a result, Shay was not only depressed, but also had the heart to put aside his boring pun!

Spurs fans have never seen such a crazy eighth in the West!

It feels as if you're doing everything you can to hear the other person's wailing moans and frowning expressions. However, the other party just said casually: "Have you entered?" ”

This suddenly made Spurs fans lose their interest!

Popovich is also angry, Shay, you don't respect me, the first in the West!

The next day, Shay's composure at a press conference was ridiculed by the Quds media as "the last hard mouth before dying."

It's all beaten like this, how can the eighth in the west still kill and kill?

But, how could Shay be the kind of person who only brushes his lips?

Shay said that he was going to kill a lot of people, but he didn't have a hard mouth.

Obviously, the Lakers are now lacking an interior line who can defend in the low post and can slightly limit Duncan.

Although Big Ben has excellent defensive ability, one-on-one defense is really not his strong point.

And in the Lakers, there is actually such a player!

The day after the end of G1 of the series, the man, who no one knew how old he was, finally appeared on the training ground wearing a jersey:

"Shay, I've kept you waiting!"

(End of chapter)