The Basketball Court Swordsman

As Henson expected, the Pacers didn't have a great time in San Antonio.

Since there is only one day between the two games, there is almost no adjustment time for both sides. It can be said that almost just after a good rest, the third game of the finals began.

The Spurs know very well that in the 2-3-2 format, the three home games in the middle are the key to whether they can win the finals. So in the first game after returning, the Spurs played very hard.

On June 8, at the ATT Center in San Antonio, Spurs fans finally ushered in their long-awaited victory.

"At the end of the game, 96-90, the Spurs succeeded in regaining a victory at home! This is the finals. No one is safe until they win the O'Brien Cup! The gDP has been very strong after returning to the home court. The trio scored 58 points, which accounted for more than half of the Spurs’ total points. The San Antonio Spurs’ banners set an example and avoided the appearance of 3-0."

At the end of the game, Mike Brin chanted a hymn to the Spurs. Players who have stood up three years later, can actually play a dominant performance in the finals, which is indeed worthy of praise.

Duncan had 20 points and 14 rebounds, plus 3 blocks. Parker had 20 points and 8 assists, which is not far behind Paul. Ginobili came off the bench and played 32 minutes, scoring 18 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Most importantly, Ginobili's many goals directly disrupted Henson's deployment. This "old demon" with little hair left can always bring vitality to the Spurs that does not match their age.

This time, we didn't rely on the role players to ventilate, nor did the Pacers rely on their own bad condition. The San Antonio Spurs relied on the gDP itself to finally save the situation!

But after the game, there was a very strange scene. Popovich, who won the game, did not act very happy, and Henson, who lost the game, did not seem to be depressed.

This situation has left many reporters puzzled. what happened? Could it be that they read the score wrong? No, the total score is indeed tied to 1 to 2.

The reporters couldn't figure it out, but Popovich and Henson felt like Spiegel in their hearts.

The reason why the Spurs were able to win this game was because all three of the gDP played very well at the same time, rather than Popovich's tactical way to contain Henson.

The process of the game between the two sides is similar to that of the second game. At the beginning, the regular lineups faced each other. In the middle stage, Henson went on a small lineup to try to open the score. At the end, a "death defense" was deployed to close the game.

The difference is that Ginobili, Parker and Duncan can still score efficiently in the final stage, which makes the result of this game different from the previous one. To put it bluntly, the Spurs still rely on the key ball to win the game.

"coach?"

"Huh?" Popovich suddenly recovered when he heard someone calling himself. Only then did he realize that he was already in the media reception room. And below, there are a group of reporters who are waiting for him to answer questions.

"Excuse me, can you say it again?" Popovich waved his hand.

"Does the victory in this game mean that you will launch a Jedi counterattack in San Antonio?"

"Um...yes, that's it." Popovich replied very briefly, seemingly confident.

But Duncan, who was sitting next to Popovich, knew very well that the old man was nervous! Because he never hesitated to answer such questions before!

On the other side, Henson has returned to the hotel where he stayed with his team. As soon as he returned to the room, Henson turned on the computer and studied the game that had just ended.

Since the team is now playing away in San Antonio, Henson did not bring An Jiali with him. It was not because An Jiali was inconvenient, but Henson knew that he needed to lead by example.

He asked the players not to play around during this time in San Antonio and concentrate on the game. But if Henson himself spends a good night with his girlfriend every night and runs out to eat and drink every day, would the players still listen to him? Is there any prestige in what Henson said?

Therefore, Henson needs to set an example by himself. So although he wanted to stay with An Jiali, he didn't let An Jiali follow him to San Antonio.

"Are you sure you don't need to take a break?" Stevens, who lives in the same room as Henson, watched the video as soon as Henson entered the room and couldn't help taking out his phone to check the time.

Now, it's 12 o'clock in the morning.

"Look, Brad, what did you find?" Henson didn't answer Stevens's question, but posed a new question about the video.

"Why? Who can see it so fast?" Stevens found that Henson watched the game video at an accelerated rate. Unless he encountered a more critical round, he would return to the normal speed.

"Borris Dior, Split, Matt Bonner... the Spurs’ insiders, except for Tim Duncan, the efficiency values ​​of the others in the last two games are terribly low. The reason is that in the last two games we have used one big and four small lineups. The other inside players of the Spurs obviously cannot cope with this speed. Their performance on the defensive end is a mess, and the offensive end cannot find an advantage through dislocation. "

Henson looked at the data while watching the video, and Stevens sometimes admired Henson's mind that can do two things.

"So?"

"So, I guess, I'm just speculating. In the next game, Popovich may take the initiative to adjust the lineup to keep up with our offensive and defensive rhythm. If that's the case, we can take the initiative in the game! Think about it, take over the rhythm control from Popovich’s Spurs...As long as the next game, we can turn the total score to 3 to 1, maybe, we can really hold Orb The Lane Cup is home!"

"Boom boom boom boom... Coach Henson, are you asleep?"

Just as Henson and Stevens explained that they were excited, their door rang.

Henson walked to the door and looked at the cat's eyes, then opened the door with confidence. It was not a stranger who knocked on the door, but John Mox, the equipment manager of the Pacers.

In any team in the NBA, in any game, perhaps they can lack a player, but they absolutely cannot lack an equipment manager. Without him, the game cannot be played.

In fact, this position is like a team steward. Washing underwear and socks is just the tip of the iceberg of the daily work of NBA equipment managers.

It is the job of the equipment manager to purchase and prepare relevant food and items before the game, and prepare shoes, jerseys, protective gear, socks, towels and other game supplies for the players.

If it is an away game, the equipment manager is also responsible for the player’s luggage. Why do players always pack light when getting off the plane, and often only carry a small bag? Because their luggage was properly handled by the equipment manager early on.

Equipment managers also often do extra work, such as refueling players' cars, sending children, etc. Of course, these players will also give some cash compensation appropriately. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the team's equipment experience is the steward of the players.

In addition to those, one thing that equipment managers often do is to help players and coaches who play away games receive express delivery.

"Henson, there is your courier. During your game, the courier company put the package at the front desk, and I just picked it up for you." The equipment manager outside the door handed a small box to Henson.

"Thank you, Mox! When I go back, I will invite you to dinner."

"That doesn't have to be Henson, this is what I should do. Rest early and let us take the O'Brien Cup home."

Mox waved goodbye amiably, while Henson sat down at the desk happily, and could not wait to unpack the package.

"What did you buy?" Stevens was a little curious, because he had never seen Henson so excited about things outside of the game.

"This is the diamond ring I asked Mr. Giorgio Armani to recommend to me." Henson said, taking out a sparkling ring.

Although a bit exaggerated, Stevens must admit that when Henson took out the ring, he felt his eyes flashed.

"Mr. Armani and I discussed this diamond ring together for more than a month, and finally the Bulgari Jewelry Company designed it for us. Of course, this 8.5 carat ring cost me nearly 1 million US dollars. I have to admit , These things... are terribly expensive. But now it seems to be worth the money."

"Why are you buying a diamond ring? Is it possible..."

"I'm going to propose to An Jiali, Brad." Henson smiled slightly, and Stevens assured him that it was just the softest smile he saw Henson ever smiled.

"I think it's a bit too hasty to get married just like this. So, I plan to start with the proposal and engagement this summer. Hey, you can't tell anyone about this and keep it secret to me, okay?" Henson finished. Put the diamond ring back, and put it carefully.

After all, this is also $1 million! Henson couldn't even think of such a number before! This little ring is enough to buy a few sets of Henson's current little house.

Stevens tilted his head and made a zipper movement on his mouth, indicating that he would be tight-lipped.

"The premise of the proposal is that we have to win the championship first. So, let's focus on the game first. Where did you just say? Yes, Popovich is likely to lower the height to keep up with our rhythm. So the following For one game, we have to play the fast-paced offense in a vivid and colorful way. Maybe, we can send more shooters to the field."

Henson stroked his chin. He had already used two of the three words he hoarded for the playoffs, which were applied to Leonard and Horford. In return, Leonard played a superstar-like performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, while Horford contributed a lore for Henson and an excellent defense against Duncan.

Now there is one last word to "become a superstar", the effect is to release a player's peak state for one game.

With this game, the total score of the series will become 3 to 1. In the history of the NBA Finals, no one has ever been able to reverse the situation after falling behind 1 to 3! In other words, as long as he wins the next game, Henson is basically equivalent to winning the finals!

So which player should I use this technique for? This kind of happy trouble, Henson really hopes to have more...