Chapter 707 [Encounters in Life, Accumulation and Success]

Diamonds are forever, one will last forever.

This sentence is not suitable for the "Argentine Diamond". Scola's peak period was too short!

Scola entered the league in 2007, and reached his peak in the next two years. Partnering with Duncan in the post, he was really a killer in the playoffs, with all kinds of invincible moves that dazzled everyone.

However, he was born on April 30, 1980, and will be 32 years old before this season is finished. He is also a floor player without height. If his steps are slow, he will suffer on both offense and defense.

During the lockout, Scola hardly played any games, and his midrange shooting sense declined. The inaccuracy on the offensive end is still a small matter. On the defensive end, he can only defend near the penalty area and cannot block shots.

If Duncan hadn't lost weight and been able to defend pick-and-rolls, the Spurs would have had big problems on the defensive end. This was the reason why they were eliminated in the first round last season.

Griffin protected the backcourt rebound, and Paul played a pick-and-roll again. This time he found a gap and passed to Chandler in the middle.

It was too late for Duncan to turn around and block Chandler's air-cutting route. Scola returned to defense and was unable to block the shot. Seeing that Chandler was about to rush up and dunk, he had to pull and foul from the side.

Chandler went to the free throw line and made two free throws, 6-2.

His free throw shooting is not very good, only 64 in his career, which is much higher than Jordan. In the first two seasons, his free throw percentage hit a career high, both reaching 732, which was significantly improved from when he first entered the league.

As long as Jordan goes to the basket and attacks, all teams will use the shark-cutting tactic, but few teams will cut Chandler. They all know that cutting Chandler will cost points.

If you score 7 points in 10 free throws, it is equivalent to two two-pointers and one three-pointer in 5 offensive opportunities. The efficiency is too high.

The Spurs attacked and then played a pick-and-roll in the middle. The Clippers' formation narrowed the penalty area. Parker was caught in a double-team and passed the ball to Scola. Griffin saved it quickly, and Scola scored Willie Green in the left corner.

This Green is not that powerful. Danny Green, Gerald Green, or Green who is a policeman in Portland are much stronger than him.

He is only 1.93cm tall and suffers at the No. 2 position. He is said to be a combo guard and has no organizational skills. As long as there isn't a wide open space, he usually doesn't take any shots, and it's not easy for him to pass by with the ball. Korver saved the slightest interference in time, forcing Willie to pass the ball.

Passed back and forth several times, and 24 seconds were about to expire. Duncan beat Chandler hard, and the baseline turn jump shot missed due to interference. Griffin got the rebound and drove the ball directly to the frontcourt without looking for Paul. Nearby pass to Guy.

At times, he looks like a tall point guard, which is a big feature.

Gay lowered his center of gravity and took a step, pulled the ball and rushed to the basket against Budinger, forcing a layup and causing a foul. In addition to fouling, Budinger could not stop Gay's footsteps.

Gay made two free throws, 8-2.

As luck would have it, Budinger really made a wrong choice that year. In order to further hone his basketball skills, especially defense, he did not participate in the NBA draft as a freshman like Durant, but stayed at Arizona State. University. In three years, Durant soared and became the most promising young star in the NBA, while Budinger has declined year after year due to the Wildcats' record, becoming less and less favored in the draft, and was injured and turned into a glass man.

If he participated in the draft two years earlier, Budinger would definitely be a first-round pick, or even a lottery pick. This is not only a difference of one or two million dollars in annual salary, but for Budinger, this is a recognition of his strength.

In the 2006 McDonald's All-Star Game, Budinger and Durant won the VP together. At that time, versatility and efficiency had always been synonymous with Budinger. Now, he is just the Spurs' defensive breakthrough.

The Spurs attacked. Parker broke through the pick-and-roll and was double-teamed again. He made a mistake when he turned and passed the ball to Scola in the middle. Paul judged the passing route correctly, successfully intercepted the ball, and took advantage of the situation to pass Scola in one step. He made a quick one-man move. attack.

Willie Green retreated and released Korver, blocking Paul's breakthrough route. Paul took advantage of the situation and passed the ball. Korver had a 50-degree open three-pointer on the right side and hollowed into the net. 11 to 2.

Barkley laughed: "Willie Green successfully defended a two-pointer into a three-pointer.

Why not let Paul go for a layup? Is Korver a player who can let him go? "

**Vicci did not call a timeout, Parker attracted double teams and distributed the ball to the outside. Budinger hit a three-pointer with a jumper, 11 to 5.

When the Clippers attacked, Paul used a pick-and-roll to attract Duncan, and passed the ball to Griffin who was running back from the baseline. Griffin caught the ball very well, with his legs tilted back. He wanted to make a cool dunk with one hand, but he used a little too much force and the dunk missed. , Scola behind him picked up the rebound.

The Spurs counterattacked. Parker quickly advanced to the frontcourt and passed to Green. The latter saw that Korver was retreating relatively far and missed the three-pointer. Gay protected the rebound...

Next, the Clippers played positional battles and counterattacks, always taking the initiative. The Spurs played similarly, with slightly lower offensive efficiency. It wasn't until Ginobili came on the field to replace Green 6 minutes later that the offensive end began to open up.

In order to limit Ginobili, Yang Rui replaced Korver and sent Battier. "The President" can both defend and shoot three-pointers, which is an ability that Tony Allen does not possess.

In the first quarter, the Clippers led 30 to 22.

Duncan only scored 2 points, which was the first mid-range shot. He can still regularly produce double-doubles, but he can no longer attract double teams like he did when he was young. Facing Chandler, he was interfered with and reduced his efficiency, making 1 of 3 shots.

**Vicci sighed inwardly. He envied the talents of the Clippers' starting players. There were three super athletic monsters in the frontcourt, and the passer was a super point guard. The only one who was not a star was Korver, who was also the league's top pitcher.

Gay scored a game-high 10 points in a single quarter. When the Spurs' formation shrank, passing to Gay was an opportunity for a one-on-one.

The lineups of both sides are also incompatible. The Spurs are not mobile enough inside to help defend the wings. The Spurs' system is good at guarding James' type, focusing on breakthroughs and supplementing with jump shots. He was unable to focus on preventing jump shots, which often allowed Kobe to produce luxurious statistics.

Gay has never been afraid of people shorter than him. He is afraid of gibbon-type players. He will be greatly disturbed when encountering those who are taller than him, and his shooting rate will not be high.

Gay's core skills are emergency stop jumpers and turnaround jumpers. If he finds a defender with a wingspan of over two meters, he can only hit 40% of the shots. Therefore, he felt weak when he saw Prince, Sefolosha, and Kirilenko. In the last four minutes, **Vicci replaced rookie Leonard, and Gay was blocked.

Leonard was even worse guarded by Gay. He didn't take any shots and didn't score a single point. He was very immature in his rookie season.

No matter how far Leonard will be trained in the end, he is just a blue-collar defensive player now. Veach uses him like Bruce Bowen. He is not open and does not take shots. He is not on the same level as Gay, who can attack with the ball.

In Yang Rui's previous life, Leonard had accumulated a lot of experience. His statistics in the first three seasons were not significant. With his star teammates attracting defensive focus, he got a lot of playing time and had good shooting opportunities to practice his skills. He unexpectedly became an All-Star. .

It wasn't until he faced James in the 2014 Finals, averaging 178 points, 72 rebounds and 2 assists per game and winning fvp that he began to show his prominence. That season, he averaged only 128 points, 62 rebounds and 2 assists in the regular season.

The fate of life is really amazing. If the Spurs don't make this deal, Leonard will stay with the Pacers. With his talent on the defensive end, he will still start from defense and embark on the journey with George, Granger and others.

In that case, his career may undergo major changes, and he may very well remain a blue-collar defensive player for the rest of his life. Because the three swingmen of the Pacers all overlap, if there is no trade, there will probably be a fight...