The Godfather of Basketball

Taking history as a mirror means that you can use history as a mirror, find similarities between history and the present in the mirror, and then find solutions to problems.

Two years ago, Tang Tian used infinite cuts to kill the aging Spurs in the series.

This is history, and it is the history of success.

Now that the Spurs have strengthened their lineup and their tactical system is richer, even after Popovich has advanced to 2.0, he finally has a way to deal with the Rockets' unsolvable infinite air cut tactics.

But one thing will not change.

The Spurs are getting older.

Bowen is 38, Finley is 36, McDyess is 35, Duncan is 33, Ginobili is 32, this rotation lineup is almost too old to move.

If I can't kill you, I can't run away to kill you!

Tang Tian directly called Thibodeau to prepare for an interim coaching meeting.

After staying overnight, he suddenly realized when he arrived at Mao Sai, he couldn't wait.

On May 11, US time, the fourth game between the Spurs and the Rockets will continue in San Antonio.

At this time, the competition between the other three teams in the East and West has also entered a fierce battle.

The Celtics and the Eagles played 2-1 again, and the two teams looked like they were going to the tiebreaker again.

The Cavaliers are already 1-2 behind the Magic. In the playoffs, the performance of the Cavaliers' shooters is far less stable than that of the Magic, and the situation is precarious.

Even the Lakers narrowly lost a game after Anthony scored 46 points, and the big score was chased to 1-2.

It was originally expected that the four teams in the regular season would stand out from the crowd and easily reach the conference finals. This scene did not appear. This is all entering a tug-of-war.

As the Rockets and Spurs who took the lead in the game, they are particularly eye-catching at this time.

That night, the AT@T Center Arena was full of popularity, and the fans flocked into the arena with crazy glances.

It can be seen from the pictures taken by the media before the game that their faces are full of smiles.

Although behind 1 to 2, the Spurs have found a way to deal with the Rockets' tactics. The next series will be the performance moment of the Spurs.

"We're going to be the counter-attackers this time, aren't we?"

During the random interview, the fans were full of confidence.

Two years ago, the Spurs were overturned by the Rockets 2-0. Feng Shui took turns, and it was their turn this time!

In the opening ceremony before the game, although the situation was simple, when Duncan was introduced, there were overwhelming cheers at the scene.

The wildness of Duncan's last game made everyone understand that the 33-year-old power forward is not old!

After the opening ceremony, the starters of the two teams were also announced.

The Spurs maintained the lineup from the previous game, with Duncan leading the four juniors. The last game has proved that Duncan is not old, and he can still play one man on the defensive end.

But what the fans didn't expect was that the Rockets' starting lineup changed this time.

Billups and Tracy McGrady are still on the outside, Yao Ming is still the center, but Battier and Artest are on the front line.

Such a lineup seemed familiar, and Popovich was thoughtful after reading it.

"beep!"

With the whistle of the referee, the game officially started.

Duncan was old and strong, beat Yao Ming in the jump, and got the first chance for the home team to attack.

The scene was overwhelming.

Parker took the ball to the frontcourt, and Duncan had already pressed Artest to the low post at this time.

The veteran of more than ten years made the most correct choice without being reminded at all.

Parker also understood, commanded his teammates to open up space, gave the ball in and took Billups away, leaving Duncan with plenty of space for singles.

Artest tried his best to defend, but still couldn't hold back, and Duncan turned to the basket.

Yao Ming reached out to help defend at this time, and Duncan bunted after resisting.

"boom!"

The ball bounces into the frame.

Duncan scored in a one-on-two!

The Rockets attacked, and Billups took the ball to the front court. Instead of giving the ball to Yao Ming for an infinite cut, he directly signaled Yao Ming to step up and play a pick-and-roll.

While Yao Ming raised the position, McGrady, Battier and Artest also cooperated with each other to find space on both sides.

After disassembling, Billups gave the ball to McGrady, McGrady caught the ball and shook Finley away, and made a three-pointer.

"Shua!"

The ball crashed into the net, McGrady felt good.

The Spurs attacked, and Duncan was still low. This time, he rushed to the baseline before Yao Ming and made a long hook.

"boom!"

The basketball wiped the backboard and scored!

"Stone Buddha" is a stable horse.

There were whistles and cheers at the scene.

Although I don't know what Tang Tian wants to do with this lineup adjustment, but with Yi Jianlian removed, it will be easier for Duncan to play Artest as a small forward.

"Keep the rhythm." But Tang Tian didn't seem to be in a hurry, he just reminded his players on the sidelines.

Billups took the ball to the frontcourt, turned around and handed it to McGrady.

McGrady called Yao Ming to play a pick-and-roll, and after dismantling it, he distributed it to Billups in the bottom corner, who made a three-pointer.

"boom!"

The ball missed a three-pointer, and Duncan took Yao Ming to grab the defensive rebound.

However, the Rockets retreated very quickly, and the four players except Yao Ming had already retreated to the half court.

At this moment, Popovich turned to look at Tang Tian.

Obviously, this is intentional.

Seeing the old man looking at him, Tang Tian still smiled modestly.

Duncan fell low, and Artest chose to go forward at this time, but Parker tried to get in several times.

Duncan also reacted quickly, pulling directly from the low post to the high post to serve as a pick-and-roll for Parker.

Parker suddenly points back to Duncan, and Duncan makes a two-pointer from a high position.

Billups is very experienced, and he stretched his hands when Duncan shot.

"boom!"

The shot was a little short, and the rebound was accepted by Yao Ming.

The moment Yao Ming received the rebound, the Rockets made a fast break from the fourth line.

Yao Ming flicked the ball to the last Artest, and Artest gave it to McGrady.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the Rockets had pushed the ball across half court.

So fast!

The Spurs couldn't react in time. McGrady took the ball past Parker's defense and directly scored an elegant layup.

The entire offense took the Rockets less than 4 seconds!

Popovich closed his pupils.

As an old man, he immediately knew what Tang Tian was going to do with this lineup.

Speed ​​up, it's speeding up!

Taking advantage of the serving time, he pulled Park aside and whispered to him.

The Spurs' offense advanced to half court, and Parker didn't hand the ball to Duncan again, but stretched out his hand to indicate tactics.

After Popovich realized Tang Tian's intentions, he asked Parker to forcefully slow down the tempo.

Duncan made a pick-and-roll for Finley, and Finley turned around to make a pick-and-roll for Ginobili. After the split, the two ran to the two bottom corners, one left and one right.

A very standard three-point tactic.

Parker flicked the ball to the right corner, and Ginobili was already in place.

"Snapped!"

At the moment of passing the ball, Battier burst out from the side and broke the ball!

With the small lineup of the Rockets, the rotation speed on the defensive end is very fast.

As soon as Battier stole the ball and turned around, Billups, Tracy McGrady and Artest's other three lines of fast breaks rushed forward.

He flicked it to Billups, and Billups went to the frontcourt and then threw it to Artest. Artest pressed Parker, who was defending, to score the ball.

This attack didn't even take 3 seconds!

There was a commotion at the scene, and many people even looked up at the scoreboard.

It took less than 2 minutes to play, and the Rockets had already scored 7 points!