Chapter 774 [I Don’t Like You, MVP Is Also a Substitute]
The biggest publicity stunt of the NBA is that Yang Rui once again led the team to the Western Conference Finals, continuing the record of never missing the conference finals since entering the NBA.
President David Stern was interviewed by reporters. "I think Jerry Young is the best basketball coach in the world, and he's also a lifelong friend of mine. When we met in the playoffs, he would say hello like this: 'David, I'm so sorry, I swept this series again. '. I would say: 'I don't like you.'"
After saying this, Stern laughed. He seemed to be telling Yang Rui with this kind of joke, give him some face and stop winning the championship.
Popovich did not accept interviews before the game. He encouraged the team's morale and said: "Be tough and try your best. As long as we eliminate the Clippers, we will definitely win the championship."
On May 19, the first battle between the two sides started at the Staples Center.
When the players came out, in addition to the highlights of the players' wonderful goals, the big screen in the stadium also showed the poisonous chicken soup that Yang Rui fed during the interview.
The reporter asked Yang Rui what he wanted to say to his opponent?
Yang Rui replied: "As long as you insist on training hard every day, correct your attitude towards playing, play selfless team basketball, and exert 100% of your strength, the final victory will definitely belong to the Clippers."
The female reporter was stunned.
Yang Rui added: "It's too cruel to say this. Let me replace the last sentence. As long as you do this, you will win the championship sooner or later." (How late is this? Ah, can I catch up before retiring?)
Clippers starting lineup: Paul, Danny Green, Korver, Griffin, Chandler.
Spurs starting lineup: Parker, McGrady, Leonard, Diaw, Duncan.
Rookie Fournier performed poorly in the playoffs, with poor defense and inaccurate shooting. Popovich did not dare to use him.
Before the playoffs began, the Spurs waived Stephen Jackson. The Spurs' internal evaluation of Jackson is that "the team will never tolerate anyone who goes against the team's plan."
Jackson has been really depressed recently. During the season, he was selected by Forbes magazine as one of the "Top 10 Highest-paid and Lowest Players in the NBA This Season."
In fact, before this year's All-Star Game, Jackson stated that he did not want to stay with the Spurs. He and Popovich had big differences in terms of ball rights. Although he is 35 years old, he is not willing to be an ordinary role player. He often Random play, poor shot selection.
Jackson hopes to play for other teams, but the Spurs management did not waive him in the mid-term. If the Spurs had waived him earlier, he might have played for other teams, but now he can only take a vacation.
The only good news for the Spurs is that McGrady was waived by the Hawks in the mid-term. After joining the Spurs freely, he was in good form, averaging 23 minutes per game, 8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3 assists.
McGrady's condition is much better than that of Yang Rui in his previous life. He has always had a job in the NBA and did not join the bottom team in the Chinese CBA.
In the NBA regular season, McGrady averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals in his career. He played 73 games in the playoffs, averaging 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Of course, with this depth of swingman, the Spurs are obviously at a disadvantage compared to the Clippers.
The Clippers attacked first, and Paul held the ball outside the three-point line to organize, patiently waiting for his teammates to pull away. Chandler picked and rolled in the middle, and Griffin went to the right corner.
Paul attracted Diaw to switch defense and passed the ball to the center. Chandler cut through and easily got the basketball with his height advantage. Parker couldn't guard the big man, and Diaw was half a head shorter than Chandler.
Yang Rui targeted the Spurs' lineup at the beginning. Popovich usually lets Diaw start, because if he plays Split, only Duncan can make a mid-range shot inside, making it difficult to open up space. Moreover, if Diaw and Bonner are played together in the second quarter, the defense will be unable to watch and cannot protect the penalty area.
Not wanting to see an easy score in the penalty area, Duncan could only retreat to help defend. In the regular season, Chandler scored 10.5 points and 9.9 rebounds. His scoring mainly relied on cuts and shots under the basket.
Yesterday, the Clippers trained and mainly practiced one routine.
Chandler cuts to the basket and distributes the ball from the outside. Griffin will be waiting in the right corner. When Chandler saw Duncan coming, he didn't hesitate at all and passed the ball to the bottom corner without looking at anyone. Griffin caught the ball and took action immediately.
The tactical training of professional players is an extremely boring process. They will do the same thing thousands of times. Only by practicing more routines can they develop a tacit understanding.
Griffin's three-point shooting percentage is not high, only 27.3% in the regular season, but Yang Rui requires him to shoot at least once per game. As long as he dares to shoot, there is the possibility of becoming stronger. If he keeps avoiding shooting three-pointers, he will not achieve success. As he improves, he will only become more and more hesitant when taking the ball outside the three-point line.
In his previous life, the coach did not train Griffin well and always asked him to rely on his talent to play and rush to the basket. Yang Rui firmly believes that Griffin can practice shooting well. In the 2017-18 season, he averaged 5 shots per game. In three-pointers, his shooting rate once exceeded 40%, and the number of hits exceeded the total of his previous career. He was even stronger at that time.
Griffin, who was well prepared, had a good grasp of his touch, and the three-pointer from the bottom corner was closer to the basket than other positions, making it easier and the ball went in. 3 to 0.
Griffin smiled happily when he returned to defense, and his confidence increased. As long as there is a good opportunity, he will definitely dare to take a three-pointer for the second time in this game.
The Spurs attack, the Clippers defend man-to-man, and Paul defends Parker.
Duncan screened Parker from the side, and the latter forced his way to the basket from the left, and the Clippers' formation shrank. Man-to-man marking can also shrink the defensive penalty area, and Chandler has this awareness. Paul chased from behind and the two men double-teamed.
Parker passed the ball out to the outside. McGrady hesitated to catch the ball and did not take action immediately. Korver blocked him and the opportunity was fleeting.
In the past, McGrady would dare to pull up when faced with anyone taller than him. Now his bounce and speed have decreased, and his pull-up jump shot can no longer be called a stunt. He passed the ball to Diaw in the middle, and the latter couldn't help facing Griffin. Attack hard, protect the ball and then look for teammates.
With 24 seconds almost gone, Parker made a breakthrough throw, but missed due to Chandler's interference. The rebound was grabbed by Griffin.
In the Clippers position battle, Paul slowly moved to the frontcourt to protect the ball, waited for Chandler to cover, and broke through to the left.
Diaw is currently about the same height and weight as James, but he has a lot of fat and cannot move fast enough. People will never see Diaw chasing the opponent's defender, or picking off rebounds, overtaking, breaking through the tomahawk barrier and dunking on the opponent's center.
He tried very hard to guard Paul and blocked the breakthrough route, but Paul still found an opening and passed the ball from Diaw's side to the middle. He tried to block Chandler's cutting route and couldn't do it.
Chandler took the ball and took a step forward. Duncan once again covered up the defense and blocked Chandler away from the basket. Chandler once again passed the ball to the right corner. This time Leonard took the turn in time and pounced on the bottom corner. horn.
Griffin distributed the ball, and Green received the ball at a 70-degree angle on the right side. Diaw defended the ball in the middle, rotated in place, and successfully interfered. The ball bounced out of the frame, and Duncan protected the backcourt rebound.
The Spurs are a team with veterans as the core. They couldn't get up quickly and were locked in position. The Clippers started to defend in a zone again and passed the ball several times without any space. Chandler guarded the penalty area, and the other four players rotated quickly on the outside.
There was a mismatch after the pick-and-roll, and almost 24 seconds ran out. Duncan faced Paul for a jumper and hit it under slight interference. 3 to 2.
Paul did not lose his position. Yang Rui applauded him several times on the sidelines.
CCTV5 Zhang Liyi said: "Curry won the MVP, but he still came off the bench today. This is a major feature of the Clippers. It also shows that their lineup is too strong."
Yu Jia said: "Yang Rui strengthened his defense in the first quarter, probably to consume the opponent's star's physical strength. Duncan is 37 years old. It is difficult for him to ensure that he performs well throughout the game. It is right to seek stability."