Two consecutive blocks, two consecutive three-pointers.

A 6-0 run narrowed the deficit to 1 point.

Were the Spurs in poor form as a whole? Yes.

Could Tang Tian turn the tide on his own? No!

When the offense couldn't find its rhythm, defense was the real solution!

Strong, even overwhelming defense!

Bledsoe's attack in the frontcourt was disrupted by Diaw, who grabbed the defensive rebound and immediately spotted Tang Tian streaking down the court.

A long pass spanning the entire court, Tang Tian caught the ball and jumped up for a two-handed slam dunk!

37-36!

The Spurs took the lead!

Tang Tian personally launched an 8-0 run!

So satisfying!

Really satisfying!

D'Antoni quickly called a timeout.

As Tang Tian left the court, he was met with a thunderous roar from the crowd.

Many of them remembered something.

Tang Tian, at the beginning of the season, had scored 20+ points in ten consecutive games!

He wasn't just a defender!

He could score!

Although his offensive moves were limited, he could be terrifying when he heated up!

Popovich felt the enthusiasm of the fans and smiled wryly.

It seemed that his previous attempt to divert the fans' attention to Tang Tian's defense, thereby lowering his market value, had failed.

He had completely failed to do what Holt had asked him to do.

Tang Tian was proving his importance with his strength.

He was too lazy to do it now. Since Holt didn't want to pay the luxury tax, he would throw this headache to Holt and Foster to deal with!

Anyway, if it really came down to being unreasonable, he was just the head coach of the team, wasn't he!

The Spurs' defense was already strong, and under Tang Tian's leadership and inspiration, the whole team played suffocating defense in the second quarter.

Crawford scored 7 consecutive points at the beginning of the second quarter, but they only scored 7 points in the remaining time of the quarter!

The Spurs outscored the Clippers 40-14 in a single quarter!

Leading by 23 points at halftime!

The fans on the hotline were in an uproar.

"This is too fake! Crushed in one quarter?"

"Haha, one person's defense is indeed limited, but you all forgot that defense is the thing that can best drive the state of teammates!"

"But the Spurs really seem to get excited every time they play the Clippers!"

"So satisfying!"

"This Clippers team is really poisonous, obviously their strength is not bad, but they just can't fight tough battles, they can only play well when they have momentum."

"Paul is limited by his height and it is difficult to score explosively, Griffin's style is more suitable for exhibition games, neither of the two cores can be tough, how can this team be tough?"

"Seems to make sense..."

"Logically speaking, very few NBA point guard led teams are successful, because when it comes to life-and-death situations, it depends on who can score more."

"The person with the higher score wins the game, even in the Finals that year between the Pistons and the Spurs, it was Duncan and Ginobili's stable output that helped the Spurs win the championship."

...

The fans on the hotline discussed a lot, but they didn't grasp the most crucial point.

The fundamental reason why the current Clippers can't play against the wind is their defense.

When the offense is flowing, they are unstoppable, and the players' form can cover up the defensive problems.

But once the offense is blocked, their defensive problems are completely exposed.

Back in the third quarter, the Spurs outscored the Clippers 30-9 again.

The Clippers had 10 turnovers in this quarter!

Their mentality was obviously wrong, and they habitually collapsed.

After three quarters, the score on the court was 96-52.

With a huge 44-point difference, Popovich gave face this time and gradually replaced all the bench players.

D'Antoni put Paul and Griffin back on the court at the beginning of the fourth quarter, his approach clearly not wanting the team to lose too badly.

But with such a huge point difference, Paul and Griffin obviously didn't want to play anymore, and their performance was extremely poor after being forced to stay on the court.

Paul was even stolen by Joseph, and Griffin was blocked twice in a row by Aron Baynes.

And looking at Baynes' sturdy body, Griffin didn't dare to say a word.

After playing for more than five minutes, not only did the point difference not narrow, but it actually exceeded 50 points.

D'Antoni at this time was like an ostrich, reaching out and burying his head in his chest, already a little desperate.

The point difference fluctuated around 50 points. Near the end of the game, De Colo found his touch and hit two three-pointers in a row from the outside, bringing the point difference to 58 points.

In the Clippers' last attack, Paul adjusted his emotions, shook off Joseph and broke into the inside to score a layup.

The Spurs didn't attack in their last possession, and the score on the court was finally fixed at 126-70.

"F*ck! As a Clippers fan, I am speechless!"

"The Spurs really have a grudge against the Clippers, every time they can score so exaggeratedly..."

"Last time it was at least the playoffs, but this regular season is also going all out like this."

"This time it's really not the Spurs' fault, didn't you see that Popovich put all the bench players on in the fourth quarter? It's the Clippers themselves who are not up to par!"

"D'Antoni still let Paul and Griffin play the entire fourth quarter, he is a complete waste! Get out of here!"

"But actually D'Antoni is okay, Paul's 2 points at the last moment were crucial."

"Yes, dare to fight hard in garbage time, successfully avoided 58."

"Paul's Fist Warning!"

"You guys are really poisonous! As a Paul fan, I am really powerless now, I hope he can prove himself in the playoffs."

"You still hope that their regular season record is either a little better or a little worse, otherwise if they meet the Spurs..."

...

Tang Tian only played 25 minutes in this game, but what was obviously different from the previous few games was that it was 25 minutes in the first three quarters. He didn't play 30 because the last quarter was pure garbage time.

And his performance was also the most efficient in recent games.

10 for 8 from the field, 6 for 7 from three-point range, 22 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.

A big win over the Clippers, ending a three-game losing streak, this was the best news for the Spurs after the All-Star Game.

And this was just the beginning.

Two days later, the Spurs sat at home to face the 76ers, who had just beaten them at home last week.

In this game, Tang Tian's playing time exceeded 30 minutes for the first time in nearly half a month. He had 16 points, 6 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks, helping the Spurs beat their opponents 103-91.

Immediately afterwards, they had another home back-to-back game against the Celtics and the Trail Blazers.

Tang Tian's playing time in these two games both exceeded 30 minutes. He even played 38 minutes against the Celtics because the game was intense.

One game with 23 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks, and another with 15 points, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.

The Spurs also eventually won both of these games.

Popovich's adjustment had an immediate effect. After Tang Tian's playing time was released, the Spurs ended their three-game losing streak and directly ushered in a four-game winning streak!

And after this four-game winning streak, they also widened the gap with the Thunder again, and returned to the top spot in the West!