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Chapter 86: Breaking Through the Spurs (6000 words long chapter, begging for monthly subscription!)
Generally speaking, when the score of the NBA playoffs is tied at 2-2, the fifth game that will affect the direction of the game will be called the "Decisive Game".

But in fact, any key battle that can affect the outcome of the game can be called the decisive battle.

The Warriors have come to a crossroads to create a miracle.

Although in this round of the Western Conference semifinals, the Spurs will gradually get rid of the impact of the previous game 7 with the Clippers. Although after the first confrontation, the Spurs will definitely increase their vigilance and change their tactics to deal with the Warriors. But at the moment, this Spurs is still in a semi-weak state and cannot play its 100% strength.

The two-day rest period only gave them some strength to fight back after they were so weak in the first battle.

But they still need time to adjust to the best condition.

This will be a great opportunity for the Warriors to take advantage of their weakness.

If the Warriors can return to Oakland and the Bay Area with a 2-0 lead, they will have the capital to create a miracle in this Western Conference semifinals.

Yes, it is just the capital to create miracles.

Because whether the world recognizes the Spurs or not, they are one of the best teams in the NBA during this period.

ATT Center Arena.

At the suggestion of his staff, Popovich adjusted the Spurs' starting lineup for Game 2.

Old Finley was appointed to replace Ginobili as the starting player.

Before the game, Horry received a warning from the Spurs assistant coaching team, hoping that he could control his movements and emotions during the game.

Bruce Bowen is working hard on practicing his defensive slide and behind-the-back block.

All the above signs indicate that the Spurs will choose to accept the warning from David Stern and no longer consider using tough defense to limit Qin Yue, but instead try to win this series by offense.

But before the game, when Popovich got the list of referees for the second game, he roared angrily: "We have chosen to compromise with the league, but why is he unwilling to let us go?"

Dick Bavetta will officiate the second game between the Warriors and the Spurs.

On the side, Budenholzer quickly comforted Popovich and said, "Pop, I think it would be fairer for both sides to have Dick referee this game."

Popovich was puzzled and said, "Every time Dick enforces the law, that guy (Qin Yue) will get countless star whistles. Is this fair?"

Budenholzer shook his head and said, "Pop, in the NBA, which superstar doesn't have a star whistle? Besides, we were going to play against the Warriors anyway."

Hearing this, Popovich put away his temper and said thoughtfully: "I understand what you mean, Mike. You mean, maybe Dick will take care of that kid as always, but in terms of the overall refereeing standards, we will not be as restrained as we were in the first game?"

Budenholzer nodded and said, "The league has been feeling guilty about not giving the regular season MVP to the Messiah this year. He will definitely get some kind of compensation in the game, even if the opponent is not us."

Popovich curled his lips and said: "I hate this kind of compensation. The league still owes Tim a 'DPOY' trophy!"

The league does owe Duncan a "DPOY" trophy.

However, Popovich obviously forgot that Duncan had received similar compensation in the playoffs.

And throughout his career
Duncan averaged only 2.8 fouls per game in the playoffs, which is even 0.8 less than O'Neal, who always likes to be lazy on defense.

Sure, you can praise Duncan's defense for being clean and concise, and for having his teammates take some of the fouls for him.

But as an inside defensive core, with Duncan's spirit of fighting for every ball, even at the cost of becoming a background board again and again, and with such an average number of fouls per game in the playoffs, who dares to say that Duncan has not received care from the referee?
In the center of the field, Bavetta walked towards the center circle with the ball.

On the first attack of the game, Duncan took advantage of Brown's defense.

Duncan successfully switched Brown to his front by exchanging positions with Horry. However, when he stood up and attacked, Brown used his athletic talent to interfere with him, and the basketball hit the backboard and bounced out of the frame.

This is a penalty that can be called or not.

Given the intensity of the playoffs, Bavetta shouldn't have had to blow the whistle.

But because the player who stood up and attacked at this moment was Duncan, Bavetta blew the whistle without hesitation.

Historically, Duncan averaged 10.1 free throws per game in the playoffs this season, which is even higher than Wade's 16.2 free throws per game in the finals before the finals, which raised his playoff average.

On the court, his eyes turned to Duncan who was preparing for a free throw. Qin Yue, who always treated everyone equally, took the opportunity to complain: "Shameful free throw thief!"

Hearing this, Duncan gave Qin Yue an evil smile and made both free throws.

This season, Duncan, who was extremely unstable in free throws during the regular season, once again showed his big heart after entering the playoffs.

If Qin Yue remembered correctly, Duncan's free throw percentage in this season's playoffs would be over 70%.

Back to the Warriors' offensive round.

Looking at Qin Yue who used the pick-and-roll to cut into the basket and caused Horry to commit a hand foul, Popovich cursed in his heart on the Spurs bench: "Damn Dick, damn star whistle!"

In fact, compared to Brown's slightly far-fetched foul just now, Horry's foul this time was a foul he chose to disrupt the offense.

However, even though the slow-motion replay showed that Horry did touch Qin Yue's ball-protecting hand, Popovich still insisted that since Horry did not kill Qin Yue, why did Bavetta whistle for him?
At the free throw line, Qin Yue made both free throws.

Moreover, since both free throws were hollow and fell into the net, Qin Yue did not forget to complain about Duncan when retreating, saying: "This is a perfect free throw!"

Seeing this, Duncan didn't bother with Qin Yue.

But soon, Brown took over Duncan's anger for Qin Yue.

Is Duncan the kind of petty player?

This question is difficult to answer.

However, on the court, Brown, who was once again tactically switched to Duncan by the Spurs, clearly felt that Duncan took the initiative to increase his level of confrontation when he was back-to-back.

Turn around, fake, and slam dunk with one hand.

At this moment, Brown was obviously trying hard to defend, but unfortunately he was reduced to Duncan's background because of Duncan's fake jump.

Snapped--!
Fortunately, just as Brown turned around with the ball in his arms and prepared to serve the ball from the baseline with a look of grievance on his face, Davis patted him hard on the back.

"This ball was defended very well, keep it up!"

On the basketball court, as long as you try your best to defend, it can be called an effective defense.

After all, what kind of superstar is he if he can be defended by the opponent?
After encouraging Brown, Davis dribbled across half court.

At this time, Davis noticed that Qin Yue made a "steady, don't panic" gesture to him.

Davis, who has formed a good chemical reaction with Qin Yue, knows very well that this is exactly the signal Qin Yue will give him when he sees that the opponent is defending a double team.

As the zone defense textbook of the NBA during this period, the Spurs' zone defense was different from that of other teams.

Because Duncan always had a strong inside sweeping ability before entering his twilight years, the Spurs' zone defense was far more powerful than that of other teams.

Secondly, excellent tactical discipline also ensures that the Spurs can quickly switch their defensive forms when adopting different types of zone defense, and plug the gaps that are bound to appear in the process of defending the zone defense by filling in each other's positions.

To break through such a zone defense, patience is a must.

At the top of the arc, after attracting the attention of the Spurs' defense through a hand-to-hand pass with Davis, Qin Yue, who was originally preparing to go down, suddenly stopped near the free throw line.

Seeing this, Davis passed the ball back in time, and Qin Yue, who received the pass, made a jump shot at the free throw line.

This was a perfect lesson on how to break zone defense.

But on the sidelines, Warriors head coach Mike Montgomery, who usually has the lowest presence, frowned.

There are many ways to break the zone defense.

In the regular season, the Warriors with Qin Yue as the core have broken through countless double-team defenses.

Therefore, at this moment, Montgomery was not worried that the Warriors would not be able to break through the Spurs' double-team defense.

But
If he wants to break through the double team defense, even Qin Yue has to rely on his teammates.

Montgomery knew very well that this was the bait that the Spurs took the initiative to throw to Qin Yue, and it was also a test for other Warriors players on the court.

In the Warriors' next offensive round, Richardson faced such a test.

Because Qin Yue's easy shot just now made the defensive players on both sides of the Spurs more alert, after Qin Yue and Davis passed the ball hand to hand, Richardson got a chance that was not open but barely possible to shoot.

From a bird's eye view, Richardson can choose to shoot after catching the ball, or he can choose to pass the ball after catching the ball and let the team reorganize the offense.

But in reality, Richardson only has one choice tonight.

Because the core of this Warriors team's ability to break the double-team defense is Qin Yue, so if Richardson chooses to pass the ball, then for the Warriors, they would be wasting Qin Yue's physical energy consumed in the process of breaking the double-team defense.

On the Warriors bench, the moment Richardson received the ball, Montgomery felt his heartbeat quicken.

Fortunately, the next second, Richardson showed his decisiveness.

As Finley slid and turned in front of him, Richardson drew his bow and shot the arrow accurately!
Swish-!
After scoring the goal, Richardson deliberately made an archery gesture and shot an arrow at old Finley's chest.

This arrow is exactly the positive change that Qin Yue brought to the Warriors in the past season.

As the star player of this team, Qin Yue's decisive character affects every teammate around him almost every moment.

In the Spurs' offensive round, facing Parker who flashed past him, Davis decisively reached out and fouled to interrupt Parker's upcoming attack on the Warriors' inside line.

This decisive tactical foul successfully eliminated an easy scoring opportunity for the Spurs.

Next, the Spurs still have the ball.

However, compared with before, how could the Spurs have such a bright offensive situation as before?
In the low post, Duncan noticed that the Spurs' offense was blocked and got into position in time. Under the strong interference from Qin Yue, he made a side hook shot and hit the rebound.

This was a goal that fully demonstrated Duncan's personal ability.

But Popovich was very dissatisfied with the Spurs' attack.

If the Spurs start the game, they have to rely on Duncan to attack and solve the battle.
So with three quarters left in the game, who can the Spurs rely on?

Parker was in trouble.

Because Popovich hated his cowardly performance when the Spurs just reorganized the offense, he was unexpectedly roared at by Popovich when he retreated.

Almost instantly, Popovich threw words such as "French soft egg", "fuck thing", "get out if you don't want to fight" in Parker's face. At this moment, looking at Parker with a wronged face, Qin Yue was shocked.

But after being shocked, Qin Yue immediately focused on breaking the Spurs' double team defense.

After all, what does it have to do with Parker, a masochist, liking to be scolded?
Near the free throw line, Qin Yue noticed that Duncan was attracted by Artest's open cut, and suddenly took the ball and made a jump shot.

This was a shameful sneak attack launched by a junior student on a senior student.

Although Duncan moved forward in time, Qin Yue still completed the shot as he wished.

Swish-!
On the court, Duncan angrily cursed at this shameless sneak attack: "Despicable villain!"

Seeing this, Qin Yue retorted: "I am your junior, if you scold me, it is the same as scolding yourself. Anyway, I learned it from you!"

Duncan: “.”

Compared with the first game, Duncan found that Qin Yue seemed to have grown a lot.

Because he is now
He was able to break his own defense.

After the first quarter, the score was 35 to 30.

Tonight, the Warriors continued their good form since entering the playoffs.

Facing the Spurs' double-team defense, the Warriors, led by Qin Yue, did not panic at all.

And on the defensive end, they also actively narrowed the defense zone and successfully curbed the scoring momentum that was almost taken up by Duncan and Parker in the second half of the first quarter.

This season, the Spurs' two most accurate shooters in the playoffs are Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry.

Although it is incredible, Bowen's three-point shooting percentage in this year's playoffs is indeed over 50%.

However, his three-point production is not enough to create offensive space for the Spurs.

Now, even Popovich has to admit that the huge difference in three-point production between the Spurs and the Warriors has seriously affected the balance of this series.

Especially when Qin Yue is in good spirits.

The way he scores determines that he is destined to play more easily than Duncan.

In the first quarter, Qin Yue made 4 of 3 shots from within the three-point line and 4 of 2 shots from outside the three-point line. During the game, he was always able to find angles to punish the Spurs' zone defense.

Moreover, other Warriors players also withstood the test. They were never vague when they got a chance to shoot. Even if the previous shot missed the frame, they would still take the next shot resolutely.

All this made Popovich begin to wonder whether the Spurs should continue to use zone defense in the game.

But no matter how Popovich struggles, the Spurs now have to hold on in the first half of the second quarter.

then
Before Ginobili came on the court, Popovich, who wanted to trade the "Argentine idiot" in the previous game, immediately patted Ginobili on the shoulder with a "really nice" look on his face and said in the most affectionate tone and manner: "'Manu', we have to rely on you."

It has to be said that being able to bend and stretch is also one of Popovich's strengths.

Ginobili came on the court and did his job very well.

In the first half of the second quarter, he made 8 of 5 shots, including 2 of 1 three-pointers, which even made Mullin, who was traveling with the team to San Antonio, curse: "Why does God always favor Argentines?"

However, such an excellent player as Ginobili only managed to prevent the Spurs from widening the score gap.

Because on the court, the little Dunleavy who called himself "waste" was also accurate enough to make Popovich curse: "How could Mike Dunleavy give birth to such an outstanding son?"

Historically, since the Warriors' team atmosphere and performance in the 05/06 season could only be described as chaotic and sluggish, it was difficult for Dunleavy to show his skills on the court, and his personal performance was far from his true level.

In fact, Dunleavy Jr.'s superb shooting skills have always been one of his selling points.

However, he needs to get shots through off-ball running and tactical support.

In Qin Yue's previous life, Dunleavy's career regular season three-point shooting percentage was close to 38%, while his career playoff three-point shooting percentage was 45%.

To put it bluntly, a player like Dunleavy can only play to his full potential with the support of corresponding tactics.

It is true that he is an out-and-out system player.

But as long as you can provide him with the corresponding system, he can also use his running and shooting to deal a fatal blow to the opponent after he comes on the court.

For example, in the decisive battle against the Spurs, in the total 11 minutes of the first half, Dunleavy Jr. scored 6 points very efficiently with 4 of 12 shots.

Yes, all four goals he scored in the first half were fatal and crucial three-pointers.

In front of the TV, Chinese fans during this period had already given Dunleavy Jr. a "honorific title".

Nowadays in the country, Dunleavy Jr. is generally called "God Deng" by Chinese fans.

That night, "God Deng"'s outstanding performance not only helped Qin Yue and the Warriors get through the most difficult first half of the second quarter, but, in a sense, he also indirectly aggravated the physical consumption of Duncan who appeared in the second half of the second quarter.

Because the Spurs failed to take the lead under Ginobili's leadership, Duncan naturally had to make up for the damn score gap one by one.

After halftime, the panic that had previously made Dallas fans forever unforgettable began to spread in the AT&T Center.

The score board showed only 63 to 55.

Duncan, who scored 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs in the first half alone, made all Spurs fans even more panicked.

Parker in good times, Buddha in bad times.

Since Tim Duncan has proved with his actions that the Spurs are in adversity, how could these fans who know the Spurs best not panic?

After the halftime break.
Ginobili, who was replaced by Popovich less than four minutes into the third quarter, once again exacerbated the panic at the AT&T Center.

In the first half of this quarter, the golden wave showed signs of rolling.

As soon as the game started, Qin Yue hit a three-pointer at a 45-degree angle on both sides.

These two three-pointers fully demonstrated Qin Yue's calmness and composure in breaking the Spurs' double-team defense tonight.

In this regard, Popovich complained to Avery Johnson: "How did Avery coach the Mavericks? Why did he let this kid shoot more and more accurately in the playoffs?"

As we all know, basketball players' shooting touch often has inertia.

So at this moment, Popovich was not deliberately passing the buck.

Instead, the Warriors, under the Mavericks' previous outstanding and excellent defense, continued the touch they developed with the Mavericks into this round of playoffs against the Spurs.

Originally, the Spurs planned to disrupt the Warriors' shooting touch through tough defense starting from the first game.

Can.
Given that Stern doesn't want to see that so-called tough defense, the Spurs obviously can't do that.

On the court, the Warriors' offensive round.

Qin Yue, who stood at the free throw line to receive the ball and began to break the Spurs' double-team defense, was like a watchtower in the midst of a tsunami but still as steady as a rock.

The Spurs' zone defense was very effective, but Qin Yue still found Artest at the junction of the zone defense.

After getting the ball, Artest didn't rush to shoot because he was keenly aware that the lookout tower was striding towards the Spurs' restricted area.

The next second, facing Bowen who quickly slid in front of him, Artest smiled and said: "At times like this, just throw the basketball high up."

In the Spurs' penalty area, if Duncan was a few years younger, he might have been able to disrupt Artest's alley-oop pass.

But now, the sky of San Antonio is destined to belong only to Qin Yue!
Bang-dang——!
At the ATT Center, the Spurs players, whose physical fitness could not be restored to the best condition in a short period of time, could only watch Qin Yue break through the Spurs' proud defense at this moment!
After three quarters, the score was 88-74.

The Warriors will head into the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead.

The visible fatigue was written on the faces of the Spurs' main players.

"Mike, I want to keep our main players on the court at the beginning of the fourth quarter." Popovich said to Budenholzer during the intermission on the Spurs bench.

Hearing this, Budenholzer nodded and said, "I understand. This is our last chance."

The last chance.

At this moment, Budenholzer was not referring to this game, but this series.

Because if the Spurs cannot quickly catch up in the final quarter, they must prioritize how to preserve their strength.

In the second and third games, the Spurs will once again get two days of precious rest time because the home and away sides will be reversed.

Both Popovich and Budenholzer are well aware that the Warriors' outstanding performance in Game 2 has made them a big problem for the Spurs on their road to defending the title.

but.
No matter how big the trouble is, only by taking drastic measures can the Spurs keep their chances of survival.

The Spurs showed their determination.

This is the foundation of their status as a top team.

And what about the Warriors?

Facing the Spurs' crazy three-point shots in the first half of the final quarter, Qin Yue and his teammates worked together to maintain their lead.

After unexpectedly eliminating the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors once again surprised everyone by taking down the AT&T Center in two consecutive games in their Western Conference semifinal matchup with the Spurs.

The final score was 107 to 98.

The Golden State Warriors won two games in a row and lead the San Antonio Spurs 2-0 in the series.

Now, the Spurs will go to Oakland with a big score of 0-2.

There, waiting for them.
It will be the Bay Area fans who have gone completely crazy.

……

PS: The 6000-word chapter is here, and I will try to be on time for the other chapter in the evening! Please subscribe! (It seems that I caught a cold again today. I even had a fever of 39 degrees in the morning. Why is it so painful this time?)

(End of this chapter)