Chapter 230 229. Prelude to the Battle of Tianwang Mountain

The Bobcats win again!

After seeing the game report, many fans who thought the finals were no longer suspenseful were very upset that they did not see the Spurs lose with their own eyes!

点开战报，看到邓肯30投16中加18中10的罚球拿到季后赛生涯新高的42分，球迷们不用看详情就知道马刺队大概是怎么输的了。

His teammates couldn't score, so Duncan could only focus on scoring high points, and the team lost... This was one of the common ways the Spurs lost in the past 10 years. Whenever Duncan encountered this dilemma in the playoffs, they basically lost.

Before this game, Duncan had scored 3+ three times.

The first time was in the 1 Western Conference Finals. That year, the OK combination was too strong, and the Spurs still lost even though Duncan scored 01 points.

The second time was in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in 03. Nash scored 1 points and blew up Parker. Nowitzki cut into the basket continuously and made Malik Rose, who was defending on the wing, foul out in the third quarter and Manu Ginobili fouled out in the third quarter. Duncan had to shoot wildly and scored 26 points. The Spurs eventually lost 6 to 4.

The most talked-about thing about that game was not that Duncan's 40 points were higher than Nowitzki's 38 points, but that in the final moments of the game, Popovich called a timeout and arranged a three-pointer tactic. As a result, as soon as the ball was passed to Duncan, who was serving the ball, Duncan was hugged by Van Exel, and the three-pointer tactic was destroyed. Duncan missed both free throws. The Spurs lost the chance to tie the score and eventually lost.

The third time was in the seventh game of the second round last season. Duncan scored 3 points and the Spurs lost in overtime. This was the most regrettable time for Duncan's fans.

At that time, the Spurs had Duncan, Muhammad, Nesterovic, Oberto, and Sean Marx in the interior. It was the season with the most sufficient manpower and the best structure of the Spurs in the interior after David Robinson retired. The outside line was also well-staffed. They had just introduced Finley and snatched Van Exel. At the critical moment, they put Van Crazy and Yao Dao on the court together. Last year's runner-up Mavericks were scared when they saw it, and they really couldn't stop the two from making the key shots.

Many people believe that if Ginobili had not inexplicably stretched out his hand in the final moments of regular time in the seventh game, the Spurs would have successfully defended their title.

In the post-match interview, as expected, someone from the Bobcats stood up to brag again. This time it was Felton, who made 6 three-pointers and defeated the Spurs, who was invited to be interviewed after the game.

The fat boss and the little brother were equally loud: "I won't let the finals go to Game 7!"

The Bobcats won the game, so their players can naturally say whatever they want, and the fans who support them think that the young people are right to be ambitious.

There are also some fans who are waiting for the Bobcats to lose and laugh at them for what Felton said and what Zhang Yang said after Game 1.

At the post-match press conference, Popovich's remarks also caused controversy.

A reporter asked: "Ginobili took 13 shots tonight and only scored 9 points. If you give these shots to Parker, he will definitely be more efficient than Ginobili. Do you regret substituting Parker at the critical moment?"

If someone diss Parker, Popovich will ignore him. If someone diss Duncan, Popovich will just smile. But if someone diss Ginobili, Popovich will explode in protection of his protégé.

Popovich responded strongly: "I don't think this is the wrong choice. You only saw Manu's bad performance tonight. I saw him leading us to victory many times. If you want to enjoy the joy of him helping the team win, you have to accept his bad performance. Jordan and Kobe also had times when they ruined their victory."

...

总决赛目前赛制是2-3-2，G5还是在山猫队主场进行，且G4和G5之间只有1天休息时间。

On the morning of the 19th, a day off, Zhang Yang arrived at the gym at around 9 o'clock, and was going to have a small meeting with the members of the Boss Gang.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the stadium was to go to the boss’ office and burn some incense for the second master.

Coincidentally, Boss Qiao was also burning incense.

After Zhang Yang greeted his boss, he lit some incense and prayed devoutly to Lord Guan to protect him with health, safety and prosperity.

After burning incense, Zhang Yang said to Jordan: "Michael, did you watch Popovich's interview last night?"

Jordan responded: "Of course I saw it. I also attended the press conference, which was broadcast live."

Zhang Yang: "He said Ginobili is as good as you, and you didn't refute it?"

"Ah?" Jordan was speechless for a moment, then said, "Your focus is really unique. When others heard Popovich's words, they all felt sorry for Parker. As his opponent, you shouldn't have thought that the Spurs might have an internal conflict. Can we take advantage of this?"

Zhang Yang clapped his hands, "Wow, Boss, you are so smart and amazing. You discovered such an important thing."

Jordan blinked and suddenly reached out to grab Zhang Yang, but Zhang Yang reacted very quickly, dodged him flexibly, and then quickly escaped.

It's exciting to tease the boss and then run away.

Perhaps this could stir up conflict between Parker and Popovich. Zhang Yang certainly noticed this. This morning, Felton called his younger brothers to have a meeting, and the topic of the meeting was this.

At 10 o'clock, all the members of the Big Boss Gang gathered in their fixed lounge and began a passionate discussion.

The method of exploitation is simple - trash talk.

It only takes a little effort to use it. If it is not used, it does not matter. This is a sure win. Everyone was actively thinking of trash talk at the beginning, until a certain player No. 3 who did not want to be named spoke up...

The only trash talk they can think of is "You are such a pathetic creature", "No one loves you, not even your coach"... or more straightforward black slang and swear words.

And Zhang Yang's trash talk made them feel that they needed to see a psychiatrist if they had a fight with this little brother.

Only then did they remember that with this bad boy around, do they still need to think about trash talk?
Rondo recalled the fear of being dominated when he came to the Bobcats for a tryout at this time a year ago...

Felton had always been curious, and today he finally asked, "Jack, I've never seen you quarrel with others before, so why are you so...aggressive when you're on the court?"

Okafor quickly turned his head to look at Felton. This guy must have spent the past two years studying for nothing! He even used such a high-level word as "aggressive".

Zhang Yang: "I guess I learned it from a book. Isn't it similar to debate?"

Felton: "Now that you mention it, it seems so. Jack, can you recommend me some books on this subject? Every time I have an argument with others, I can't win and I get so angry. I must learn how to argue... No, I want to debate!" Okafor, Rondo, Millsap, Alan Anderson: "..."

Millsap suddenly thought of something and asked, "Who talks trash to Parker?"

Rondo tilted his head.

Zhang Yang: "I won't play against him."

Okafor: “Me too.”

Felton saw that everyone was staring at him and felt that something was wrong, but he still took the initiative to take responsibility: "I'm facing him, what should I do?"

Rondo breathed a sigh of relief. It’s good that the boss likes to take responsibility. His reputation will not be damaged!
...

The preparatory training in the afternoon was similar to that of the day before. The training volume was not large and the training content was very routine.

At this point in the game, the players' on-the-spot response and the coaching staff's strategic arrangements are more important than tactical training.

The day of rest passed quickly, and on June 6th, the fifth game day of the finals arrived.

At 8:40 p.m., at the Turkish Airlines Arena, the Spurs and the Bobcats entered the court one after another, and the decisive battle of the finals was about to begin.

Normally, Parker would take the initiative to talk to Duncan, but today he didn't. He dribbled the ball silently on the sidelines.

Popovich was upset when he saw this scene.

Not only now, but since this morning, Parker has not spoken to anyone on the team, including the head coach.

Normally he ignored Parker, and he didn't think there was anything wrong at the time, but now that Parker ignored him, he felt very uncomfortable.

After saying those words last night, he regretted it. He regretted being so impulsive. Some things should just be kept in mind, so why did he say them out loud?

But when he was an assistant coach, his two teachers were the mad scientist Nelson and the iron-blooded coach Larry Brown. Both of them were coaches with hot tempers, especially the latter. It was common for him to insult and belittle his own players. It would be strange if he could have a good temper and control his mouth after studying under these two coaches for several years.

Yes, what he regretted was not his thoughts and attitude, but he regretted saying it out loud...

Defeat + talking without thinking, Popovich didn't sleep the whole night last night, and he slept for less than an hour at noon today. Now he not only feels upset, but his emotions are also very unstable due to mental fatigue.

Popovich looked at the opposite side. The Bobcats players were full of fighting spirit and vigor... The momentum of the young team was hard to suppress, and they even let the opponent show their confidence in the last game!

He felt that the opponent might not even be afraid of Duncan now!

Looking at our own side, the atmosphere was not very high to begin with, and now even Parker, who likes to actively find topics to chat with his teammates, has become silent, making it even more deserted. Add to that the emotional impact of the loss, and it feels dead...

The more than ten minutes of pre-match preparation time passed quickly and the starting lineups of both teams came on the court.

Bobcats starting lineup: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Millsap, Okafor.

Spurs starting lineup: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Oberto, Duncan.

At 9 o'clock in the evening, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air. Okafor jumped up with all his strength, defeated Duncan and won the jump ball. The Bobcats attacked first!
Felton received the serve and controlled the rhythm, and when his teammates got into position, he just reached the top arc.

Parker guarded the top arc and defended well. Although his defensive ability was poor, he had a good attitude and was positive. He always did well in what he could do. Although he was very frustrated now, he still had to play the game well.

The night before yesterday, Felton made 6 three-pointers, so tonight he has to keep his sports car close to this fat guy.

Just when Parker thought Felton would pass the ball to Zhang Yang or Okafor and then move away, Felton spoke.

"Oh, Tony, I feel so sorry for you. Popovich is so unfair to you. How are you worse than Ginobili?"

Parker: Huh? My opponent is trying to comfort me?
Parker was distracted for a moment, and Felton, who had been paying attention to the changes in the opponent's expression, seized the opportunity to break through!

Parker was run over and when he reacted and wanted to catch up, he was already some distance away. The range within the three-point line is so small that even if he was fast, he couldn't catch up. He slowed down after two steps.

Felton broke into the inside from the middle without any hindrance. The Spurs' wing players were too far away to block him, so Duncan had to leave the reasonable collision zone to make up for him.

Felton made a lob pass and Okafor scored two points with an alley-oop dunk!

Parker was angry when he saw Felton and Okafor high-fiving each other while retreating!

He thought the other person was trying to comfort him, but it turned out he was distracting him with trash talk!

Duncan, who usually seldom speaks, said: "Tony, focus on defense!"

Normally, Parker would nod in response, but this time he was inexplicably annoyed and didn't respond, just taking the ball and moving forward.

After arriving at the frontcourt, Parker adjusted his mood and prepared to cooperate in offense.

Just when he reached the three-point line and was ready to pass the ball to Duncan, the fat guy on the opposite side spoke again.

"Tony, this is so unfair, isn't it? Ginobili scored 13 points on 9 shots and no one blamed him, but you got yelled at for not defending in one round..."

(End of this chapter)