The Nuggets are now united as never before. After experiencing the difficult opponent of the Spurs, the willpower of the Nuggets players has been greatly improved.
Iverson didn't take many shots in this game. He only scored 10 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in the entire first half.
But Iverson is not unhappy at all. He has passed the age of caring about personal data, and the "answer" now just needs a championship.
Li Yan scored 8 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. It seemed that by the end of the game, it would be another simple triple-double.
"Melo" Anthony, who was unable to play in G5 and held his breath, was full of firepower in this game.
In the first half, Anthony scored 22 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
The Nuggets players' performance in the first half was so positive that they didn't need to be mobilized at all, and now they are excited when they see the Spurs jerseys.
"Carmelo Anthony played very efficiently today. He reduced one-on-one singles and played more pick-and-rolls with Li Yan." Smith analyzed:
"Li Yan's understanding of the pick-and-roll is very unique. Whether he is setting the pick-and-roll for Iverson or he is doing the pick-and-roll with the inside, he is very good at it."
"The Spurs don't have many tactical options for Li Yan and Anthony's pick-and-roll, and judging from the enthusiasm on the court, the Nuggets are even better than the Spurs, who are fighting against the odds." Barkley explained:
"For the Spurs, the current situation is very dangerous. They need to make adjustments quickly, otherwise they will be out."
Anthony played aggressively and reasonably today, but Li Yan had it easier.
As we all know, the classic pick-and-roll between John Stockton and Karl Malone was so powerful because it was based on Stockton's historically best ball-handling ability and Malone's unique face-to-frame offensive ability in the league at the time.
Now Li Yan and Anthony's pick-and-roll cooperation is similar, and they both have a strong ability to punish misplaced opponents.
Even if the Spurs have a defensive Babel like Tim Duncan, they can only lose sight of one thing under the attack of Li Yan and Anthony.
The second half of the game started quickly.
Changing sides and fighting again, the Nuggets attack first.
After Li Yan got the ball, he advanced very quickly.
Now the Nuggets have more players, and whether it's to increase speed or intensity, they can always accompany them.
"Defend!" "Defend!" "Defend!"
The Spurs fans in the stands were wildly cheering for their home team.
On the scene, the Spurs were suppressed by the Nuggets, but they could not be discouraged. This was a "life and death battle" for the Spurs, and the fans worked hard to maintain the home court advantage.
Anthony sets a pick-and-roll.
Li Yan broke through with the help of a screen, and Anthony stayed on the right side of the three-point line.
The Spurs chose to attack Anthony, and Li Yan immediately chose to go around Ginobili in singles.
After the halftime break, Ginobili was very active in defense and he kept putting pressure on Li Yan.
Li Yan did not rush to change the rhythm. Li Yan and Ginobili are good at very similar things. They are both masters of rhythm.
The reason why Ginobili's offensive efficiency was not high when he played against the Nuggets has a lot to do with Li Yan's targeted defense.
From another perspective, Ginobili has the same convenience in defending Li Yan.
If Li Yan uses changes in rhythm to break through, even if Ginobili cannot complete the steal, he can still block Li Yan's offensive line.
So Li Yan chose the simplest offensive method. He directly went up to his body to attack Ginobili.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In continuous physical confrontation, Li Yan had an absolute advantage.
Generally, people with skills don't like to play confrontation. When meeting a "doer" like Li Yan, Ginobili feels very miserable.
Ginobili was knocked back by Li Yan and had no choice but to retreat.
When he reached the shooting range, Li Yan fought again, held Ginobili on his back, adjusted his rhythm, and shot with a hook with his right hand.
The basketball drew a beautiful parabola in the air, and "swish!" it hit the net.
60 to 46! The score difference continues to widen.
Spurs round.
Neither Ginobili nor Tony Parker had a good finishing opportunity, so in this case they had to leave it to Tim Duncan.
Duncan held the ball in a high position and turned around very smoothly with tentative steps.
Duncan is known as "the basic skills", and his steps are also very practical and clean.
Camby was stuck behind Duncan's turn, but Kenyon Martin's defense was very quick.
He threw Oberto away without hesitation and rushed over, sticking closely to Duncan.
The "Stone Buddha" had no room to move at all. Before Duncan could react, Camby came over behind him.
"Click!" The defense was immediately welded to death by closing the door.
Duncan was hit back and forth by Camby and Kenyon Martin. The ball was passed out, but the "Stone Buddha" was directly pinched into a "rougamo".
The key ball was gone, but the two Nuggets buddies were still holding Duncan between them. This intensity gave Duncan an emoticon.
"Fuck! It's too tragic. Nugget's love is so heavy that Dadai can't bear it."
"The ball is gone, but if you don't let it go, everyone in Duncan will be stupid."
"Let's talk about it. After a few pinches in a row, Duncan will probably become weak. How can he withstand such strength?"
"Damn! You better be talking about basketball."
"Technology is nothing compared to strength, even if Lord Tathagata comes, it will be useless."
"A double flight, take away the stone Buddha directly."
However, the basketball that "Stone Buddha" desperately passed was not converted into points.
Oberto's attack to the basket was nailed by Li Yan on the backboard.
In the transition between offense and defense, the Nuggets have a big lead and they are not in a hurry.
In this round, Li Yan gave the ball to Iverson.
After "The Answer" picked and rolled with Camby, he hit Duncan's misplacement.
With continuous large changes of direction, the rate at which Iverson's center of gravity changes back and forth is too fast for Duncan.
Iverson changed direction and collected the ball before running away, leaving Duncan to stay where he was.
"Whoa!" Iverson hit a pull-up jumper.
George Karl's tactics have been very clear, which is to consume Duncan on both offense and defense.
Once Duncan falls, the backbone of the Spurs will be gone.
Popovich on the sidelines was very anxious.
Duncan is too tired, but once Duncan comes off the court, the Spurs will definitely be beaten into pieces.
There was no other way. Popovich could only call timeouts continuously to let Duncan rest and adjust, but this was only a drop in the bucket.
By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Nuggets' lead had reached 25+.
The fans at the AT&T Center Arena were hoarse and could not help the lagging home team. They were desperate.
Next round.
Li Yan's breakthrough caused Duncan's defensive foul. This was "Stone Buddha"'s fifth foul of the game.
Popovich complained loudly to the referee on the sidelines. This time the referee did not tolerate him and gave him a T without hesitation.
Popovich, who had eaten T, did not restrain himself at all, he was still chattering.
Another T, and the whole audience was in an uproar.
It is sad that Popovich, the soul of the Spurs and the godfather-like figure, ended the season in this way.
The figure of Popovich turning around and leaving alone in the camera is a bit desolate. He tried his best to prevent the team from being eliminated.
I don’t want to watch the Nuggets celebrate wildly at the Spurs’ home court. Maybe this is Popovich’s final stubbornness.
