NBA: I just want to play soy sauce, you let me win the championship

Chapter 306 Cole’s Insights

Popovich is a little confused now.

Do you think Lu Yuanzhi has strong singles ability?

His offense with the ball only involved a few flips, and even his dribbling movements were not very skillful.

But you said Lu Yuanzhi has no singles ability?
He was able to break through Ginobili's defense, attract the help of Duncan, and steadily assist Weber to score.

But no matter what, in addition to Webb and Bibby, the Kings have a third ball-holding point.

It's just that Lu Yuanzhi's ball-holding offense is a little different from other players' ball-holding offense. All his offensive threats come from his three-pointer threat.

What ability does Lu Yuanzhi have to break through with the ball?

Isn't it because everyone is afraid of his three-point shot, so they have to "prevent shots but not sudden breakthroughs"?

What's even more uncomfortable is that even if the Spurs want to guard outside the three-point line and inside, and play in the mid-range, Lu Yuanzhi doesn't follow your ideas at all.

He doesn't stay in the mid-range position at all.

But is it really a good choice to put such a 208-centimeter big man in the paint?
When a small guard bursts in, whoever is under the basket on the Spurs can cause the greatest interference to the small guard.

But after the person who burst in became Lu Yuanzhi, everything was different. Even Duncan might not be able to prevent Lu Yuanzhi from attacking the basket, let alone others?
Lu Yuanzhi's tricks may seem simple, but because of his huge size, he puts huge defensive pressure on the Spurs.

"Steve, what do you think of Max's offense?" Popovich turned to ask Cole next to him.

Cole is experienced, but his physical function has declined significantly this year. Except for occasionally being able to shoot three-pointers at critical moments, he is almost unable to adapt to the fierce confrontation of the game.

Therefore, after Cole expressed his desire to retire and take up a coaching position, Popovich also exchanged a lot of ideas with him about formation.

"His offense is very efficient, and neither Manu nor Bruce can defend him effectively."

"Huh?" Popovich was a little surprised by Cole's comment.

"Greg, I have to say that the era you played in was still so far away from now that you lacked an intuitive understanding of Max's threat."

"Why do you think Manu failed to defend those rounds of offense?"

"Did he not know that Max might be faking? No, he knew, but he had no choice!"

"If he didn't pounce, Max might really have to shoot!"

"At that moment, Manu could only choose one of two, pounce on him, or continue to block Max's breakthrough route."

"Just like what you were taught in that era, raise your hands and take small steps to defend. It seems that you can defend against breakthroughs and shots. In fact, you can't defend against neither shots nor breakthroughs."

"Believe me, the physical fitness of players now is so strong that you can't understand it. Just like Tim."

Speaking of Duncan, Popovich's eyes lit up and he seemed to understand something. He tried to say, "It's like Tim. Everyone knows that he is going to hit the board and shoot, but his opponent is not as strong or as strong as him." He’s tall and not as flexible as him, so before Tim’s shot, his offense has already destroyed the opponent?”

"It's not that his shots are difficult to defend, but by the time he can take them, the opponent has completely lost their ability to defend?"

"That's right, Greg," Cole nodded in agreement, "To put it simply, people who are not talented enough can't guard Duncan at all. Only players with similar physical talents like Chris and Kevin can limit him. Duncan's performance." "Similarly, Max is in the same situation now. Look at his height, his wingspan, and his speed. Such a guy actually has a precise three-pointer!"

"His attack method is very simple, just like Duncan's attack at the basket, but if you don't jump, you can't interfere with his shooting. And if you shift your center of gravity slightly, his first step is extremely quick."

"He doesn't need too complicated offensive skills, and he doesn't need to change directions in front of his body to occupy space. As long as he sets his sights on the basket, you have to worry whether he will jump up and shoot a three-pointer in your face!"

Popovich nodded helplessly. According to Cole's analysis, Lu Yuanzhi's offensive method requires talent, but unfortunately, he does not have players with that kind of physical talent.

"Who do you think can guard Max well?" Popovich continued to ask, hoping to find a way to defend Lu Yuanzhi.

"The best one should be Kirilenko. Your Russian compatriot's talent is coveted."

Popovich's face suddenly fell, "Don't make such silly jokes on me, I'm just of Slavic origin and have nothing to do with Russia!"

"At least when you were born, you were still in the same country, right?" Cole continued his cold joke, "Okay, okay, don't be angry. After all, Tracy should be a good choice too."

"Although he is this year's scoring leader, I have to say that I prefer the defensive ability he showed when he was with the Raptors. That was DPOY level!"

"As for the other guys, the only ones I can think of are Shawn Marion and Paul Pierce, but they have their own issues defensively."

"No Bowen, Kobe and Christie?"

"This is exactly what I want to say. When facing Max, the defensive master we often talk about, his size was at a disadvantage. There was a height difference of nearly 8 centimeters and a wingspan difference of more than ten centimeters. Can you imagine that the opponent would take a What does it look like to be guarding Duncan who is just over two meters tall?"

Popovich stopped talking.

He had never seen Lu Yuanzhi from this angle.

Before, he just regarded this kid as another Stojakovic, but after Cole's reminder, he suddenly discovered that Lu Yuanzhi might be an enlarged version of Tracy McGrady.

Even better projection ability!

Although the trade window has now closed, and although the two teams are still playing in the Western Conference semifinals, Popovich suddenly has a strong idea - to get this kid Max!

On the court, Ginobili is still trying to lead the team to chase points. He can indeed score, using weird snake-shaped lines to break through Lu Yuanzhi's personal defense.

But Ginobili's scoring was not continuous, and the Spurs failed to set off a counterattack. The point difference between the two teams still hovered around 8 to 10 points.

Seeing that Ginobili failed to produce the results he wanted, Popovich could only return the team to a Duncan-centered style of play.

The game inevitably fell into the Kings' rhythm.

In the end, the Kings defeated the Spurs 96:102 at home.

The Spurs left the game expressionlessly, but Cole pulled Popovich and asked, "Greg, I heard that you went to Moscow to be a spy?"

"Then do you know how to dance the Cossack dance? It's the so-called 'Soviet Commissar Dance'! How about you do a dance to cheer everyone up?"

"roll!"

　The next chapter will be around 1 o'clock
　　
　
(End of this chapter)