Eight Hundred and Sixty-Three. The Incredible Three-Horse Carriage
Why weren't the Grizzlies so furious about Gay leaving?
In addition to Paul George, who has already shown visible talent in his rookie season, there is also the fact that the Grizzlies traded Nash back!
This is a giant level player! The assist leader in the past two seasons!
Popovich thought that taking away Gay would at least not give the Grizzlies an immediate chance of having an outside ball-handling point. Although Gay was mainly used for singles shooting as a ball-holding point, Popovich was still there. While strengthening himself, it has delayed the upgrade of the Grizzlies' forward line to a certain extent. Although it has also solved the overflow of talent at the small forward position for the Grizzlies, Paul George wants to have Gay's scoring ability, at least You have to practice for another two years.
But the Grizzlies upgraded Conley to Nash effortlessly...
The key is that the Mavericks want to change the point guard position and seize the final peak of Nowitzki and Yao Ming. If Nowitzki is the only one, Cuban will still hesitate to rebuild directly after winning the championship, but Yao Ming is also there. Then they have to make a good effort to defend the title. When Chris Wallace asked them to have another insignificant first round, Cuban agreed.
Randolph, Sun Ce, and Nash were all signed or traded by the Grizzlies, and they didn't seem to cost much. In other words, the Grizzlies managed to collect two outside MVPs + a low-post monster in two years. The Big Three combination.
Popovich had a headache when he saw the Grizzlies' core inside combination of two bears and two kings, as well as the two MVPs on the outside. He was also very distressed that Neal, whom he had trained well, was asked to leave by the Grizzlies, but he would not give Neal anything. trade……
The fans at the scene cheered, and the cheers never stopped from the moment the two emperors took the lead.
After the players from both teams entered the stadium, Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace gave a passionate speech for the new season, apologized for the lockout, and vowed to ensure that the lockout was not the Grizzlies' fault and that their team has been committed to Hurry up and reach an agreement to resume operations and throw the blame to the big city teams... Regardless of whether the actual situation is due to the big city teams or the small city teams, there are more teams in small cities anyway, so the blame can never be passed on. on his own head.
After the series of pre-match activities ended, there were only about 10 minutes left before the start of the match.
Sun Ce returned to the bench, listening to the coach's emphasis on defense while reading the opponent's players' evaluation of their abilities.
"Tim Duncan, 35 years old, height 211 cm, weight 110 kg, ability evaluation S-, offense A+, defense S, three-pointer D-, mid-range shot S-, layup A+, speed B+, strength S-, endurance B+…”
"Manu Ginobili,
34 years old, 198 centimeters tall, 91 kilograms in weight, ability evaluation A, offense A+, defense B, three-pointer A, mid-range shot B-, layup S-, speed A+, strength B+, endurance B+..."
"Tony Parker, 29 years old, 188 centimeters tall, 84 kilograms in weight, ability evaluation A+, offense A+, defense B-, passing A, three-pointer B-, mid-range shot B+, layup S, speed S, strength C, Endurance A-…”
Sun Ce's ability evaluation of the Troika is incredible no matter how he looks at it. Parker is okay. He is 29 years old and at his peak. All aspects of his strength are normal at his peak. But Duncan was still at the A+ level last season and has returned to the S- level this season. , mainly because the defense and mid-range shooting evaluation have improved a lot compared to last season. After losing weight, his mobility is better. His B+ level quasi-first-class speed is very fast among inside players. Who can tell that this is a 35-year-old veteran?
In addition to the miserable B+ level physical strength, Duncan and Ginobili both have physical problems, and their playing styles and choices are getting more and more weird.
However, Duncan, who continues to lose weight, is still larger than Tyson Chandler, who gave the Grizzlies a headache in the playoffs last year...
Moreover, the troika was so matched. Ginobili missed the mid-range shot, but Duncan had already begun to develop the mid-range shot after Ginobili entered the NBA. When the speed of the two declined, Parker entered his peak period, and his speed was so fast that he was faster than the mid-range shooter. Sun Ce has to be a little faster.
In addition to the Troika, there is also Guy!
"Rudy Gay, 25 years old, height 206 cm, weight 106 kg, ability evaluation A, offense A+, defense A-, three-pointer A-, mid-range shot A+, layup A+, speed A+, strength A, endurance A+ …”
Judging from the ability evaluation, Sun Ce feels that Guy is almost at the top level. Of course, he may not be able to break through. It does not mean that he will always become stronger if he has physical talent, technical talent and hard work. This is related to many factors.
After playing in the NBA for two years, Sun Ce understands that strength is something that sometimes cannot be improved by practicing hard. Just like his own mid-range shot, the training time he spent on shooting on the left side in the early stage was not as much as on the right. There are fewer side shots, but the right side's shooting progress is faster than the left side, so he has the focus of training.
Gay's skills, every skill is developing towards the first-class level, such as the mid-range shot and the long two-pointer, which have even reached the quasi-top level, but each one is just a little bit away from the top level. This reminds Sun Ce of joining CBA Qingdao after the lockout. The team's swingman is more technically balanced than Gay.
After the two teams made the final preparations before the game, Sun Ce came to the technical stage, wrapped the wrist straps and arm guards, and when he moved the balance bracelet to his right hand, he saw the ball-shaped player on the opponent's bench.
The person who looks most like the ball in Sun Ce's career... Boris Diaw!
"Boris Dio, 29 years old, 203 cm tall, 126 kg, C rating..."
Can he play with this weight?
And the theoretical peak age of 29 years old is only C... This is the most reassuring opponent among the three opponents in the advanced event of the balance bracelet that Sun Ce read the scout report of the Spurs after the preseason.
In the preseason, Dio played 20 minutes per game, with a hit rate of 36% and scored 3.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists...
In the advanced event of the balance bracelet, to play against Dio, you need to score more points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks than Dio. Sun Ce originally thought it was a troublesome event. Dio played very well in the Spurs, but it seems that he can't become a monster right after he arrived. This 126 kg weight is impossible to play well without losing 10 kg. It's just that Popovich deliberately wants to train Dio and gives him playing time in the preseason. After all, it's hard to find talented players who are not snatched by other teams and have proven their strength.
It's just that Dio can still play 20 minutes per game with this weight. In Sun Ce's opinion, he is definitely gifted.
Forget Dio for now. If you work hard, your data will definitely be better than Dio.
At 6:58, the referee signaled the starters of both teams to come on the court.
Sun Ce and the starting lineup of Nash, Paul George, Randolph, and Gasol Jr. came on the court.
On the Spurs side, the starting lineup of Parker, Danny Green, Gay, Duncan, and DeJuan Blair came on the court.
After Sun Ce came on the court, he came to the center circle and prepared to jump ball with Duncan.
Gay looked at the opposing team's position... After not playing for a year, his old club has completely changed. Thinking about it, he is a little depressed.
He was reimbursed for the whole year last year, which is a pain in Gay's heart. Last season, there was no problem of him and Paul George competing for playing time. If he was there, it might really create a miracle against the Mavericks. Of course, this is his personal opinion.
Gay was paying attention to Sun Ce who came to the center circle for the jump ball, but Sun Ce's attention was on the two inside players on the opposite bench. Dio had already observed the other center, Split from Brazil. Sun Ce remembered that he was a key link in the improvement of the Spurs system, but it seems that Split is still very weak now. Sun Ce judged that the opponent's inside line is still a big problem, and the opponent has not been able to grab either Brand or Al Jefferson this year. Brand went to the Lakers, and Al Jefferson was signed by the Bobcats for two years and 30 million.
Al Jefferson is really a winner in life, with the Rockets' remaining two years and 25 million buyout money, and by the way, the Bobcats' two years and 30 million.
The Rockets complained to the league. Although they forced Al Jefferson to leave, the league is still preparing to introduce a claim clause, that is, after layoffs, other teams can bid for the claim within a specified time. The highest bidder will get the right to use the player for the current season or the new season, and the new team will help the original team to bear the salary of the bid, and the old club can spend less buyout money.
After Randolph overpowered Parker to help the referee choose a harder ball, Sun Ce retracted his attention and prepared for the jump ball!
Duncan's bounce is higher than his B level, but in terms of bounce speed, Sun Ce is A level, higher than Duncan at B+ level!
At six o'clock in the evening, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air. Sun Ce jumped with all his strength when the ball reached the highest point... He didn't jump well. Duncan relied on his height, wingspan and jump ball experience to push the ball to the back, and the Spurs attacked first.
Sun Ce retreated in frustration. He couldn't even jump past the 35-year-old Duncan. After Battier came off the bench, there was no one left for the jump ball on the Grizzlies!
Sun Ce retreated to the top arc, waiting for Parker to advance. The Spurs were very fast overall. Duncan was almost the fastest since 2006. Blair was a man with good physical fitness, Danny Green could run, Gay had good physical fitness, and Parker was the fastest on the court.
The Grizzlies also moved their positions immediately after Sun Ce lost the ball, and quickly caught up with the defensive target after the Spurs advanced to the frontcourt.
After Parker advanced to the frontcourt, he encountered Sun Ce's defense and did not break through immediately. He might not be able to get rid of Sun Ce. This was a point that Parker didn't know what to say. Zhang Kai was the same size as Gay, but he was still so fast. It was simply a bug! Fortunately, he didn't grow any longer, otherwise other point guards would not be able to play.
Duncan took Randolph to the 45-degree mid-range on the left side of the three-second zone; Gasol stayed at the basket to guard, and he didn't care about Blair who was pulled out. In the past two seasons, Blair only scored 35 points in total outside of close range, except for free throws; Nash followed Danny Green in the bottom corner, and he tried very hard to defend the standing receiver shooter, although he didn't know what he was trying for.
Gay pulled out from the inside and came to the right side of the top arc. Parker passed the ball and took Sun Ce to the inside.
Gay's draft template is McGrady, and Paul George's draft template is Gay... Gay and Paul George played against each other, and it was at the Grizzlies' home court, and the fans at the scene began to boo.
Gay, who received the ball, faced the "successor" on the opposite side with almost the same height and wingspan as himself. After Parker took Sun Ce away, he started to play singles from the outside.
One advantage of playing singles from the outside is that it is not easy to be helped and has a good field of view. The disadvantage is that it is a gamble on the feel.
However, Gay has been playing this way since he entered the NBA. He doesn't like physical confrontation and prefers to rely on his touch to shoot from the outside.
Paul George is really good at defense. Compared with Gay in the Grizzlies, Paul George is not as afraid of physical confrontation as he is on offense. Instead, he likes to use his superior body size to confront his opponents.
But Gay played very well this time. He took advantage of his weight to rush to the top corner on the right side of the free throw line. Before Sun Ce came out to help defend, he made a mid-range jump shot...
Got it!
This mid-range expert who has a career-long shooting rate of 45% from the free throw line scored the first goal of the game.
Paul George already has A-level defensive ability, but he was still beaten at the beginning.
Sun Ce patted Gay on the back, retreated to the baseline to receive the serve from Gasol, advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Nash, and pulled to the right mid-range.
Randolph scored the first goal of the Grizzlies in the new season.
Blair was the one defending Randolph. Duncan did not go head-to-head with Randolph. Randolph's body shape was really beautiful this year, so good that Duncan was surprised. It was almost the best start of Randolph's career every season that he had seen.
So the Spurs' tactical arrangement was that Blair was the main defender of Randolph, and Duncan was responsible for assisting defense.
Randolph played very excitedly at the beginning, carrying Blair to the baseline and turning around and taking a step to hit the moon-looking throw.
This ball showed Randolph's excellent singles awareness. Duncan actually had it in, and the shrinking speed was very fast, even faster than last season, but Randolph's step after turning around the baseline was very beautiful, avoiding Duncan, and the throw with his back to the basket showed his very good shooting feel.
As expected by Sun Ce, the Spurs still lacked someone who could defend under the basket!
Blair's tonnage of 203 cm and 118 kg, as well as such athletic ability, is very good, but he is in his third year, and his ability evaluation is still C+ level, which is his limit, and there is no way to do better.
The offense and defensive rebounds were OK, but the defense was terrible. They didn't even have the ability to interfere with Randolph's chance to help Duncan.
The Spurs' defense collapsed last season. In addition to the accelerated offensive rhythm, Duncan's lack of good defense in the interior was the key.
After the best players of the two teams played one in the opening, the Spurs began to play tactics.
When the Spurs attacked, Parker did not pass the ball to Gay who had just scored a goal, and Gay did not ask for the ball. Instead, he pulled out and cut into the interior with Paul George. Blair came to the right side of the top arc to screen Gay. At the same time, Parker and Duncan played a screen!
After Sun Ce was blocked by Duncan, Randolph immediately switched defense to chase Parker, and Gasol also moved to the left side of the three-second zone to block Parker.
After being blocked, Sun Ce immediately gave up chasing Parker and chased Gay who cut in with a pick-and-roll. Parker passed the ball back to Duncan while moving, and Paul George quickly covered the defense, but at this time Duncan lobbed the ball to the middle... Blair blocked Paul George and cut in from the middle, caught the ball in the air and dunked it like a gorilla!
Really fierce!
With a body weight of 203 cm and 118 kg, Gasol had no chance to stand up in the first time. He could only watch Blair dunk the ball, otherwise Gasol, who was only 120 kg now, would have been knocked away.
Thinking back to when he was almost 140 kg, who was afraid of such a small inside player? Gasol even missed his flesh.
Sun Ce's head hurt a little, and he received the ball and pushed forward slowly, not in a hurry.
He feels the same as last season! There is no way to stop the opponent's offense! It was okay in the last two encounters last season, but this time the opponent's outside line has a strong offensive point, and it is Gay, who is much better than Leonard in the 13th and 14th seasons!
Especially the opponent's pick-and-roll, there are too many changes. It seems that it is just a double pick-and-roll with and without the ball. If Gasol really blocks Gay's cutting route to the right side of the three-second zone, and Sun Ce goes to defend Blair, then Gay still has a chance to pull to the baseline or screen for Danny Green.
Sun Ce can easily analyze the opponent's offensive route, but the analysis is easy to analyze. He believes that every head coach can analyze it, but he can't find a good solution.
Then there can only be focused defense, and then rely on offense!
Sun Ce still gave the ball to Nash when he arrived at the frontcourt, and he went to the right mid-range to look for a chance to cut in. Facing Gay's singles, Sun Ce had no advantage in size, so he wanted to find a mismatch.
After Nash passed the ball to Randolph, he took Parker to the left 45-degree angle, Paul George took Danny Green to the left bottom corner, Randolph was about to continue to ravage Blair in singles, and Duncan directly shrank back to double-team!
Sun Ce thought of focusing on defense, and Duncan had the same idea!
Randolph quickly passed the ball back to Gasol, who was one step outside the free throw line. Gasol saw a chance to shoot and was about to shoot. At this time, Gasol saw a teammate running to the basket, and he put the ball in with his head raised. It was passed to Sun Ce through the gap in Gay's arm!
Sun Ce was shocked when he received the ball suddenly. He just wanted to cut in to help Gasol contain Gay and not give Gay a chance to assist in defense. Gasol's mid-range shot had recovered well, but who knew that the ball was suddenly passed in. Fortunately, Gay didn't expect Gasol to pass like this. Sun Ce had already been used to receiving the ball from Conley or Jason Williams, so he instinctively caught the ball.
At this position... Duncan also came over immediately! And raised his arm, blocking Sun Ce's passing route, and was ready to jump and block at any time, and the same was true for Gay!
Sun Ce had no choice but to raise the ball and prepare to force a layup. Duncan was fine, but Gay jumped! Gay's jumping speed and height scared Sun Ce so much that he quickly took the ball back... Just then, the system prompt came!
Sun Ce's eyes lit up, and he suddenly rushed towards Duncan in the top arc direction of the reasonable collision zone...
Directly knocked Duncan back half a step!
Then his legs seemed to have springs installed, and his legs slightly bent and bounced up quickly. When Gay just landed, Sun Ce had already jumped to the highest point and smashed the ball into the basket with one hand!
Sun Ce received the ball under the basket and knocked away Gay and knocked away Duncan's one-handed slam dunk!
Overlord dunk!