Chapter 1201 Playing Zone Defense on Popovich’s Territory

The Lakers successfully defeated the Mavericks in an away game. The Lakers continued their record of never losing a game in a row this season. In this game, Ji Feng once again scored a triple-double of 25 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. His shooting rate exceeded 65%, and he even scored more three-pointers. It was 3-for-4.

Ji Feng is also the only player who can score back-to-back triple-doubles so far this season, and this is not the first time Ji Feng has done this this season. Others who are good at triple-doubles, such as James and Kidd, have had triple-doubles this season. Ji Feng has been far behind him in this aspect, and in more than one position.

However, the response from the media and fans was very dull. The report only mentioned one sentence and did not publicize it. Even Ji Feng himself did not mention it during the interview. As his opponent, Dirk Nowitzki made it clear. The key: "Performances like this are routine for that guy, so I'm not surprised."

Yes, this is how the fans feel now when they see this kind of data. If this kind of thing were applied to other players, they would definitely have to brag about it for three days in a row, and maybe even give him the title of so-and-so's successor. , but when it comes to Ji Feng, it is just a normal operation.

Now Ji Feng has finally reached the level of Kobe Bryant. Getting high scores is not news, but not getting them is news. However, after this game, a newspaper reported that Ji Feng did not have a strong desire to attack in this game. The score was only considered passing, with only 25 points scored in a single game.

Passed...and only got...

These words make other NBA players collapse when they see it. If you score 25 points in a single game to pass, then what do they think? They just hand in a blank!

Do you know how difficult it is to score 25 points in a single game in the NBA? Do you think it's the CBA? There are only 7 people in the entire league averaging more than 25 points per game this season. Anthony only averages 24.8 points per game this season!

But if you think about it carefully, there is nothing wrong. After all, Ji Feng averaged 31.2 points per game this season and played 30+ games in 32 games. A 25-point performance like this is really just a passing grade.

Therefore, it is understandable that the media and fans reacted insipidly, and another point is that Ji Feng’s ability to create news is too strong. You just reported that he broke a record on the front foot, but before it could be fermented, Ji Feng broke another record on the back foot. , so media reporters have learned to wait.

Sure enough, let them wait!

Three days later in San Antonio, the Lakers faced their second strong opponent on this trip to Texas, the Spurs!

The two teams met twice this season, and the Lakers won both of them, creating the largest point difference in history. This time they meet for the third time, the Spurs will definitely hope to regain face at home.

This season, the Spurs started low and then went high. After the All-Star Game, they achieved a record of 11 wins and 4 losses, which allowed them to surpass the Rockets and Hornets one by one. They are now ranked third in the Western Conference, although they are only one behind the Hornets. The distance of winning is only one game, but at this point, one game is a big advantage.

This record naturally made Spurs fans rejoice, and they all said that they are indeed the Spurs. No matter how they take a nap in the early stage, they will show their fangs when the playoffs are approaching. Those who badmouth the Spurs and say that the Spurs are old are blind and blind. .

Some Spurs fans are still looking forward to the playoffs. They believe that the Spurs' record was achieved when Ginobili missed as many as 30 games due to injuries and Duncan missed 12 games. They will wait until the playoff GDP is completely unified. Yes, the Spurs still have a chance to compete with the Lakers.

Indeed, although the Spurs' trajectory this season has declined compared to their peak period, it is generally the same, with a substantial improvement after the All-Star Game. This is also Popovich's usual method, but it requires a peak season. It seems that the Spurs have a lot of hidden crises this season.

First of all, there are well-known injuries. Ginobili's old injury lingers and recurs, which greatly affects his condition. Duncan has also been troubled by knee injuries and has to strictly limit his playing time. , only Parker is intact in GDP. The second is of course a commonplace question. Boss, only rookie George Hill is considered young in their team, but you must know that the playoffs are completely different from the regular season. Once GDP suffers from injuries, Bao Veterans such as Wen are trapped in physical strength, and George Hill does not have the ability to fill the void.

And compared with previous seasons, the biggest problem for this Spurs is defense. For a team that is based on defense, when its defense is no longer sharp, it is the beginning of the team's collapse. Currently, the Spurs' defensive score ranks only second in the league. 9th position, the worst position in ten years.

Moreover, among the Spurs' so many victories, only the Cavaliers can be considered a strong team in the league. The others, such as the Lakers, Nuggets, Rockets, Hornets, and even the Mavericks Trail Blazers, all have fewer wins and more losses than the Spurs.

In fact, Ji Feng is surprised that the Spurs can reach this position. I have to say that Popovich's coaching ability is first-rate in the world. Their winning rate against the league's underdogs is extremely high. To put it bluntly, they are extremely capable of bullying, but In the playoffs, where the competition is more terrifying and all are strong teams, it is still unclear whether his magic can continue to work.

Of course, Ji Feng doesn't mind being a bad guy who reveals the truth behind prosperity, starting with this game!

At the beginning of the game, Duncan, the pure main force of the Spurs, who was a substitute in the first 5 games and played only 22 minutes on average, made his first appearance after a long absence. The reason why Popovich gave him a rest is self-evident, because he came to the Lakers.

The remaining four are Parker, George Hill, Mason, and Thomas, with veterans Bowen and Oberto sitting on the bench. This is the youngest and most impactful lineup the Spurs can come up with, but when it comes to youth, it is still relatively young. As for Mason, who was born in 1980, he is 28 years old this year, and Thomas was born in 1972. These two people were also reinforcements for the Spurs for half a season. At that time, some people did not understand why Popovich was always interested in the veteran. , Horry is gone and Thomas is here, what’s the difference?

This is also difficult for the old man. It is an indisputable fact that the Spurs lack trading chips. In addition, they can also attract some veterans to play. This is the tragedy of small clubs, so Popovich is really amazing.

The Lakers are still familiar with the starting five.

Game start!

Old Duncan chatted and defeated Bynum, and the Spurs attacked. Just when Parker was organizing the attack, he suddenly discovered that the Lakers had set up a 2-3 zone defense!

"Oh, zone defense! For the first time this season, the Lakers launched a zone defense at the beginning of the game. How will the Spurs respond?" Yu Jia said.

The Spurs are also a bit confused. They have always played defense, but this time they were caught off guard by the Lakers. They continued to pass from the outside but could not find a chance. They wanted to hit the inside, but Bynum and Gasol were absolutely strict with Duncan. Marking, and it is very difficult to play inside in the 3-2 zone defense. Duncan is 10 years younger and may still be able to play hard, but now he really has no chance.

In desperation, Parker caught the ball and made a three-pointer, but it was a pity!