The third game between the Spurs and Clippers was predictably intense.
The Spurs have made very thorough preparations for this game. Both tactically and psychologically, the players are striving to dismantle the Clippers in this game and gain an advantage in the series.
Although Spurs is only seventh in the regular season, its GDP is one year older than last season.
But the competitive state of the three is actually better than last season.
After establishing Tony Parker as the core of the offense, the Spurs' overall offense and defense underwent a transformation.
Although they are lacking at the third position, they have added Boris Diaw at the fourth position. Diaw has no problem playing the third position many times.
Although the French magician's figure is a little out of shape, his basketball skills are not out of shape.
In the third game, Popovich increased Diaw's playing time. When the Clippers used a small lineup with one large and four small headed by Gasol, the Spurs would use Duncan, Diaw, Ginobili, Parker and George. -Hill's small lineup to deal with.
This lineup is very flexible and highly efficient offensively during positional warfare.
The Spurs have four players on the field who are very capable of passing and supporting. It can be said that in terms of the smoothness of passing and the flexibility of offense, they are on par with, or even slightly better than, the Clippers' first and fourth small lineups. One chip.
The Clippers players may have stronger talent and more energetic performance on the court.
But the core players of the Spurs have ten years of tacit understanding, extremely rich playoff experience, and a burning flame of revenge.
The two sides played inextricably in the first quarter, and at the beginning of the second quarter, the Spurs used this small lineup to fight fire with fire against the Clippers.
In the first game, the Spurs relied on their tough defense to steal a victory in Los Angeles.
In the third game, Popovich did not have a fixed mindset. Instead, he attacked decisively and took advantage of his home court to quickly expand his lead.
The Spurs quickly established their lead with a 15:5 offensive climax.
The Clippers were also fully prepared before the game, but they just didn't expect Popovich to use offensive tactics.
This bad old man does have many tricks up his sleeve, and the Spurs are indeed a strong team that is difficult to understand and understand using common sense and laws.
For ten years, they have been changing and evolving to adapt to the new situation of the league.
As early as 2005, when they were at their strongest, facing the Sunstorm that swept the league, the Spurs went all out to attack the Suns in the Western Conference Finals, beating the Suns 3:0 and almost shaving their heads.
Any idea of simply defining the Spurs as a defensive team, or transforming into an offensive team, is incorrect.
This is a team with strict discipline and great understanding.
The Spurs were in very good shape tonight, and they steadily suppressed the Clippers from tactics to morale.
In the third quarter of the game, the Spurs gradually widened the point difference and firmly controlled it at around 10 points.
The Clippers obviously played a little impatiently, and their big win in the last game gave people the illusion that "as long as I am more accurate, I can win easily."
But the actual situation is not like this. A basketball game is a multi-faceted contest from intelligence to technology to physical fitness. Every game in the playoffs has its own situation.
The Clippers have played in the playoffs in the past two years, but in terms of experience and encounters, they are still far behind the Spurs' troika. What scenes have they not seen before?
Therefore, the performance of the trio was extremely stable. By the start of the fourth quarter, the point difference between the two sides had widened to 15 points.
In most people's opinion, the Clippers faced off again in this game, playing seventh in the second game and being brutally beaten by the Spurs in the third game.
The Clippers, second in the Western Conference, seem a bit unworthy of their reputation.
After all, it is a shortened season, with 82 games reduced to 60 games, so the rankings are inherently watery.
In the last shortened season in 1999, the New York Knicks, eighth in the Eastern Conference, made it all the way to the Finals.
It's because in terms of strength, if the Knicks play 82 games, they will definitely be ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference.
And 60 regular season games is good for older teams like the Spurs.
Ginobili's performance in this year's playoffs was even better than last year.
The most important thing is Tim Duncan. After returning to health and changing his style of play, he has once again become the team's anchor.
Randolph and Gasol will suffer more or less when facing Duncan.
Seeing a 15-point gap, it seems very difficult for the Clippers to make a comeback.
Between the third and fourth quarters, Tyronn Lue and Cole discussed how to close the 15-point gap.
But the players' condition tonight is really average. It's not that everyone doesn't want to play well, but in the confrontation with the Spurs, the Clippers actually fell slightly at a disadvantage?
Obviously, the Clippers were a little led by the nose, and the rhythm of the game fell into the Spurs' pace.
The fans at the scene kept disturbing the Clippers players with noise.
Whenever a Clippers player misses a three-point shot, there will always be boos.
The Clippers' three-point shooting was not good tonight either. Curry and Harden's outside touch seemed to be consumed in the second game.
The situation has obviously become quite critical and difficult. Once they lose this game, the Clippers will be under great pressure in the next game.
At this moment, Ada, the Clippers' secretary, handed a small note to Kim Hughes on the bench from behind the auditorium.
Ada said: "This is a note from Mr. Smart, let Lu and Coach Cole see it."
Lao Jin immediately handed the note to the two people standing on the sidelines discussing tactics and said, "This is the note given by Mr. Smart."
It seems that Min Congda can't stand it anymore and wants to take over the command and give the coaching staff tips!
Tyronn Lue opened the note and saw two sentences written on it: "Increase Leonard's playing time. Use Bonner to replace Randolph."
Director Lu and Cole looked at each other, thinking that Mr. Smart had already spoken, so why not just listen to him?
Anyway, if we lose this game, does it count as Smart’s?
A clever trick at a critical moment gave Director Lu and Cole the opportunity to take the blame.
Neither of them really believed that a rookie in the third position would change the situation if he was allowed to play?
Leonard is not good at scoring. He has good defensive potential, but it is only so-so.
But Cole was smarter, and he seemed to understand Min Congda's intention.
He said to Leonard: "Leonard, you will come on the court later and play more. Remember, both defense and offense must be fully covered to create more opportunities for teammates."
Leonard didn't get much playing time in this game.
Now Tyronn Lue's favorite forward is Paul George.
But George's performance was mediocre tonight, and his offense and defense were not stable.
After all, he is a second-year rookie.
But Leonard is in the first grade, is this really possible?
In the fourth quarter, Leonard went into battle, and the Clippers did not use a lineup with one large and four small.
Bonner came on the scene to replace Randolph. In this step, both Director Lu and Cole could think of using Bonner's three-pointer to open up space and chase points.
As soon as the fourth quarter started, the Clippers were anxious to get angry again and tried three-pointers from the outside.
Curry missed the three-pointer after the pick-and-roll, and the shot was a bit anxious.
The Spurs got the backcourt rebound and counterattacked. Parker attacked the Clippers' three-second zone like a sports car!
Parker's direct and quick counterattack after getting a backcourt rebound hit the Clippers several times.
Parker is fast, has strong finishing ability at the basket, and can also hit the ball.
His counterattacks can always disturb the Clippers' defense and put the Clippers into a very passive situation.
But this time he counterattacked and turned for a layup, but Leonard followed up and interfered, and he missed!
Leonard got the backcourt rebound and passed the ball to Harden, and the Clippers reorganized their offense.
Harden suddenly made a risky long pass to the frontcourt. Gasol received the ball and made an easy layup under the basket.
This is a beautiful ball, easy-ball. This kind of goal is very important for the Clippers who are chasing points.
90:77, the Clippers are slightly closer to the score.
Subsequently, the Spurs' attack failed.
The Clippers' counterattack, Harden's mid-range throw after breaking through, still missed...
Their offense did not feel good tonight, and they wasted an opportunity to chase points.
The Spurs continued to counterattack, it was Ginobili's serpentine breakthrough!
Getting to the basket, after Gasol was passed, Leonard came over to cover and interfered, and Ginobili missed a layup!
Gasol then grabbed the backcourt rebound and made another long pass. Bonner responded and immediately passed the ball to Curry in the frontcourt.
Curry caught the ball and made a fake move to shake Parker, and then shot a 45-degree three-pointer from the right side and hit!
The Clippers chased for 5 points in a row, and the point difference reached 10 points, and the Spurs immediately called a timeout.
In just three minutes, the Clippers came to life again.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is due to Leonard's basket defense.
A pursuit counterattack and a three-second zone defense, Leonard did quite well.
At least better than Paul George tonight.
In the offensive battle between the two sides, George focused more on offense, especially fast breaks and counter runs.
But that is a weapon in the regular season. In the playoffs, a seasoned team like the Spurs will never give their opponents an opportunity to easily fast break and counterattack.
Under the Spurs' regular defense without many loopholes, George was lost offensively and his defense was not adequate.
There are two biggest problems on the Clippers' defensive end. One is the movement speed of the interior. Both Randolph and Gasol have average lateral movement speed.
Therefore, facing the assault style of play, Manu and Parker were made to be a little forward-thinking, and the defense was messed up after a few assaults.
Another problem is that the defensive strength of Curry and Harden in the backcourt is average.
Therefore, Parker and Ginobili can seize this point and rush to the basket to cause damage.
The reason why the Spurs were beaten by the Clippers last season was because although the Clippers couldn't defend Parker and Ginobili well, Duncan couldn't guard Curry and Harden in the paint, especially when Randolph got through them. .
Once Duncan regains his strength this year and regains his strength on both offense and defense, especially the defensive end, the scene will be completely different.
This is Duncan's importance to the Spurs. He has effectively assisted defense time and time again, and accurately filled in positions time and time again, which cannot be reflected in data.
To solve this problem, the Clippers must make a fuss defensively at the third position.
In fact, the Clippers have been facing this problem since Min Congda came to the Clippers in the 2009-2010 season.
So Min Congda watched the three quarters and immediately knew that inserting a guy like Pippen at the third position would be able to curb the Spurs' counterattack.
At that time, the Chicago Bulls were the only team in history that could win a championship without a super inside man. On the defensive end, they often relied on Pippen's help and defense.
His ability to cover and block shots and protect the basket in the three-second zone is top-notch among small forwards.
Leonard is very similar to Pippen in terms of height and wingspan.
Even though Leonard is a young rookie, he is very talented on the defensive end.
Moreover, offensive skills require long-term training. For defense, youth is an advantage.
For example, McGrady had the most blocks in his career as a rookie.
Later, he grew into a top ball-handling attacker, but he lost a lot of defense.
Leonard's versatility at the three position gives others breathing room.
Curry and Harden can be less nervous on the defensive end and can devote more to offense.
At the same time, Bonner's presence posed a problem for the Spurs' defense.
Popovich's timeout had no effect.
On the contrary, after the timeout, the Clippers launched a 7:2 offensive climax, narrowing the difference between the two sides to 5 points!
During this climax, Leonard succeeded in an offensive layup, successfully stole the ball under the basket, and assisted Harden to hit a three-pointer.
It can be said that Leonard's calm judgment and experienced defense on the court helped the Clippers reverse the situation.
His versatile characteristics at the third position give Harden and Curry enough ammunition to launch attacks without worries.
This made Popovich, who was directing the game from the sidelines, miserable. This is the player he likes!
Why was it intercepted by the Clippers?
If the Spurs' current lineup had Leonard...
The more Popovich thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he thought about it, the more sad he became.
And as Curry hit another three-pointer from the outside, the difference between the two sides has narrowed to 2 points!
Then Parker broke through and drew a foul, went to the free throw line, and made one of two free throws, missing by 3 points.
Matt Bonner received Harden's breakaway pass, shot a three-pointer, and hit!
This ball gave Popovich another stab in the heart.
This is my person! He was originally mine too!
Although Bonner is ordinary, he has great value in tactics.
In some games he will play a very crucial role.
It was also snatched away by the Clippers!
Popovich's heart is bleeding.
The 15-point difference was erased with 3 minutes left before the end of the game.
The two sides returned to the same starting line and entered the decisive moment.
The situation on the court has been completely reversed, and the Clippers' morale has been greatly boosted.
However, the Spurs were not discouraged because they had encountered this situation many times.
Chasing points, being chased by points, they can always hold on at critical moments.
Sure enough, Ginobili caught the ball from the outside and hit a super long three-pointer!
Demon Sword is indeed a Demon Sword. With a super high arc three-pointer, the Spurs regained the lead.
The Clippers immediately paused and Tyronn Lue replaced Randolph again.
At the critical moment, Fatty Lan is still the captain of the Clippers, anchoring the ship.
He caught the ball in the low post, turned around and beat Duncan hard, and succeeded with his left hand licking the basket!
97:98, the Clippers are 1 point behind.
Duncan responded immediately, turning around in the low post and hitting the board.
At 97:100, the Spurs regained a 3-point lead.
The Clippers used a double-cover tactic on the outside. Curry came out to receive Harden's pass, shot a three-pointer from the top of the arc, and hit it again!
Curry was simply a three-point machine in the fourth quarter, his biggest weapon for chasing points. The San Antonio fans were numb when he shot!
The two sides tied 100:100!
The last 1 minute.
Ginobili once again played the game-winner as the Spurs' savior.
He made a snake-like breakthrough to the basket, and faced Gasol's difficult left-hand throw, and he flew out directly.
The ball scored and caused a foul on Gasol. He went to the free throw line and made the extra free throw!
100:103, the Spurs lead by 3 points, and both sides have one offensive opportunity.
Tyronn Lue called a timeout and arranged a two-point shot tactic.
Gasol assisted Leonard, who succeeded in an air cut, and scored two points with a layup.
At 102:103, the Clippers were 1 point behind and had to defend against the Spurs' attack.
There were 11 seconds left before the end of the game and 6 seconds left in the Spurs' attack time.
Tony Parker was in charge of the Spurs' offense with the ball. After a pick-and-roll switch, Leonard suddenly stabbed Parker's ball handler like a snake!
Parker didn't expect Leonard to defend so boldly at such a critical moment. The ball was cut off and the Clippers stole it!
Tyronn Lue did not call a timeout, but let the players solve the problem on their own. Leonard gave the ball to Curry. Curry broke through in the middle and was surrounded, and passed the ball to Harden on the wing.
Harden caught the ball a little, shook off the flying Ginobili, and then moved sideways to take a difficult three-point shot!
Before the lights came on, the ball flew towards the basket, bounced back and forth twice in the basket, and the ball went in!
James Harden, in Game 3, defeated the Spurs on the road!
There was silence in the center, and the victory just slipped away.
(End of chapter)
