Mobilizing Troops, Tit for Tit, Widen the Gap
It was not unusual for Big Yao to increase his stats in the NBA. Li Muchen did not object to increasing his stats. He even took the initiative to let the entire team help Big Yao increase his stats in the preseason.
However, in a crucial match, Li Muchen had zero tolerance for the act of increasing his stats!
Competition was about winning. The 76ers were aiming for the NBA championship this season. Don't talk about friendship first and competition second. For Li Muchen, the competition was always the first.
Li Muchen could not accept losing the match because of the data!
Just now, Marcus Camby had the idea of increasing his stats. He missed his own defender and deliberately helped defend, wanting to sneak up on Ginobili from behind to block the shot.
One had to know that Ginobili was attacking Kevin Cato in the paint this time. If Kevin Cato did not lose his position, why would Camby go to make up for it?
If the player who was supposed to fill in the defense was someone else, Li Muchen might not have thought in this direction, but the person who was supposed to fill in the defense was Cambi.
On the court, Canbi, who had been scolded by Li Muchen, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as if he had been completely seen through.
How did the manager know what he was thinking?
Like a thief, Marcus Canbi quietly raised his head and glanced at Li Muchen. When he saw Li Muchen looking at him with a stern gaze, he immediately squeezed out a smile."Coach, I will. I will definitely do it. Don't worry, Coach!”
"Ha!"
Li Muchen responded to Marcus Canby with a smile.
Seeing Li Muchen's smile, Marcus Canby was suddenly quick-witted. He immediately abandoned some things in his mind and decided to be a conscientious reserve power forward.
Ginobili made two free throws and managed to score two points. As a result, Crawford scored a 3-pointer from the outside and pulled the score to double digits.
Di di!
Seeing this goal, Popovich could no longer sit still. He scolded Speedy Clayston and replaced Kevin Wesley and Speedy Clayston.
Kevin Wesley, who had been replaced, was dumbfounded." You're scolding Speedy Clayston. Why did you replace me?"
The player who replaced Speedy Clayston was Marek Ross, and the player who replaced Kevin Wesley was Danny Ferry.
Marik Ross was a forward, 201CM tall. After he played, Steve Cole could only return to the position of point guard.
The two players that were replaced had the ability to make three-pointers. Marek Ross had a 40% three-point shooting rate last season, while the power forward Danny Ferry had a 35% three-point shooting rate last season.
After Popovich brought on these two players, the number of players who could shoot three-pointers in the Spurs reached four. If the Sixers continued to use the 2-3 defense to shrink the paint, they would be killed by the Spurs.
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Seeing the Spurs change players, Li Muchen naturally did not passively take the beating. He took the initiative to attack and also changed players.
Li Muchen replaced Butler with Prince and Kevin Cato with Samuel Dalembert.
Prince was one of the Five Tigers in his previous life. He had a pair of amazing long arms and was extremely good at defense. He was not as good as Butler on the offensive end, but he was far better than Butler on the defensive end.
Marek Ross had a good long shot, and Prince, who had a pair of long arms, was definitely much better at defending against him than Butler.
Similarly, Samuel Dalembort was also a player with a pair of long arms. This player lacked strength in the paint, but his speed, agility, and flexibility were very high. His jumping ability was excellent, and his ability to protect the rebound was very strong.
Both players were long-armed and very suitable for defending against players who focused on shooting.
The Spurs made a substitution, and the Sixers followed suit. This action made Popovich look at Li Muchen. Li Muchen seemed to have noticed Popovich's gaze. He turned around and smiled at Popovich.
Popovich also smiled back. When he turned around, his face instantly darkened.
In his impression, Li Muchen was a playboy who relied on a large amount of money to buy the 76ers and then play with them.
Popovich had never thought that Li Muchen had the ability to select talents and coach. In his opinion, Li Muchen's actions were just for fun, just like how other rich second-generation heirs played sports cars and planes, and Li Muchen played the team.
But now, Popovich had changed his mind. The black-haired manager on the other side of the field was definitely a difficult enemy.
Popovich took the initiative to change the formation, but it did not make the Spurs better. The 76ers changed from the previous 2-3 defense to man-to-man defense.
The Sixers no longer shrank the paint, but stared at the Spurs 'shooters. They would rather let the Spurs break through and score than give the Spurs players any opportunities to open up.
In the Sixers 'lineup, the weakest defender was Crawford. Crawford could not defend against Ginobili at all, but like Butler, he only defended against Ginobili's shots and allowed him to break through.
Although the inside of the Sixers was no longer shrinking, after bringing on Samuel Dalembert, the movement speed of their players inside increased by a large margin. Marcus Camby was an extremely fast player who liked to assist in defense. With Samuel Dalembert, the two of them guarded the inside, making it even more difficult for Ginobili to score.
The perimeter shooters were stung to death, and Ginobili could only hold the explosive bag and rush to the enemy's lineup. Ginobili was indeed a strong player, but how could he compare to the 76ers by scoring alone?
With Billups guiding the offense, the Sixers continued to widen the gap. With nine minutes left in the second quarter, the gap between the two teams was 15 points.
When Crawford hit a three-pointer from the outside and pulled the score to 15 points, Popovich could no longer sit still. He could only replace Duncan, who had rested for less than five minutes.
If he didn't bring on Duncan, this game would be GG!
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