Popovich, on the other hand, was relatively calm. This ball wasn't that difficult to get in. What's more important is the timing and suddenness of the cut. In other words, this was an opportunity gained with brains rather than ability.
High basketball IQ, this is consistent with what Tang Tian's draft report said.
Besides, it's just one ball. If the Pistons are on guard in the next round, there may not be another opportunity like this.
Monroe continued to play one-on-one in the low post. Leonard shrunk inside. Monroe passed the ball to Singler on the outside. Singler caught the ball and shot a three-pointer.
"Swish!"
The ball went in cleanly.
16 to 14!
The Pistons took the lead again!
The two teams were trading blows on the court.
"This is for you!" Just then, Singler shouted at Tang Tian while retreating on defense.
After Monroe took over the ball, he had already scored 5 points with a baseline cut layup and now a three-pointer. Moreover, this three-pointer was crucial. He finally vented his anger.
"Hey, don't do that." Gordon said to Singler when he saw him provoking Tang Tian.
Singler completely ignored Gordon. He knew that Gordon and Tang Tian were alumni, but alumni were an off-court relationship. Now the two sides were opponents, and Gordon's approach was completely disregarding priorities.
Gordon shook his head helplessly at Singler's reaction. He had watched many of Tang Tian's games in the NCAA. It's better not to provoke him. If you provoke him, you won't have a good ending. He was just giving a friendly reminder as a teammate, but he didn't expect Singler to ignore him directly.
In the Spurs' offense, Gordon kept a close eye on Tang Tian and didn't give him a cutting opportunity. Joseph's layup was also interfered with by Monroe and didn't go in.
Tactics are built on top of individual abilities. Whether it was the "Pistons' Bad Boys" or the later "Hawks' Team Basketball," although the players seemed to have average talent, if you really delve into it, they were actually not ordinary, with at least two or three All-Star-level players.
The Spurs' lineup on the court can be driven by Parker, but without Parker, scoring is indeed difficult.
"Do you want to make a substitution?" Budenholzer turned and asked.
Popovich shook his head. Of course, he knew these things, but only in this kind of unfavorable situation can you see who is truly capable of great things.
In the Pistons' offense, Singler used Maxiell's screen to go against Bonner. After a crossover and a hesitation move, he stopped suddenly and shot a three-pointer.
"Swish!"
He made consecutive three-pointers, and he was feeling hot right now.
"Hey, you see, this is the NBA. Without Walker and without Parker, you can't do anything!" Singler continued to shout at Tang Tian.
He also scored 8 points in a single quarter, and he was very confident at the moment.
Just like he said, Tang Tian is just a 3&D player. Without strong enough teammates, there is no room for him to perform.
But he is different. He can cut, he can shoot open shots, and he can also take the initiative to attack.
What Tang Tian can do, he can do. What Tang Tian can't do, he can also do!
Tang Tian changed his life, so he is going to change Tang Tian's now!
In the Spurs' offense, Splitter's strong attack under the basket was blocked by Monroe.
Popovich made a substitution at this time, letting Green go up to replace Bonner.
Zip Hammer play, Leonard had an open three-point opportunity in the corner, but he didn't seize it. After the ball bounced off the rim, the rebound was taken down by Monroe.
The crowd was restless. After Parker left the court, the Spurs' offense was like constipation.
Green came on the court, Leonard swung to the power forward position, and Tang Tian also swung to the small forward position.
Monroe was holding the ball in the low post, and Leonard quickly retreated to the basket to double-team.
Monroe passed the ball to Maxiell. Maxiell had no offensive ability. He hesitated for a moment and didn't attack. After turning around, he signaled Singler at the top of the arc to come and接球(jie qiu - receive the ball).
As a veteran player, he knew very well who to look for on the court. Singler was on fire right now, and it was time to let him play more.
Singler ran over to接球(jie qiu - receive the ball), paused for a moment, and saw that Monroe had boxed out Splitter. He took the ball and was about to break through to the basket.
"Pa!"
But just as he was about to start, he suddenly felt a lightness in his hand.
The ball had disappeared from his hand!
There was a cheer from the crowd.
The moment Singler stopped the ball, Tang Tian snatched the ball from his hand!
Although Tang Tian had lived a lifetime, his personality was relatively calm, but that was also relative. Singler's continuous provocations had long angered him. After experiencing the rekindled passion of the NCAA, he had just brought out 100% of his defensive focus.
Under full concentration, his dynamic vision reached a peak. Even if it was just a momentary opportunity, he completely grasped it.
"How is this possible?!"
Singler looked incredulous. He had played against Tang Tian in the NCAA. Tang Tian's defense was good, but how could he have stolen his ball in that situation just now?
Before he could react, Tang Tian passed the ball to Joseph after stealing it. Joseph accelerated and got rid of Stuckey and made a fast break layup to score.
Joseph's organization is average, and his outside shooting is not yet stable, but his breakthrough finishing is the reason why the Spurs chose him. This kind of fast break opportunity is most suitable for him.
16 all!
The Spurs tied the score!
In the Pistons' offense, Monroe was double-teamed continuously in the low post and had no chance. At this moment, he was coordinating at the free throw line.
Singler made a quick cut to the basket. Monroe made a no-look pass.
"Pa!"
But the ball didn't reach Singler's hand, and it was stolen by Tang Tian again!
Tang Tian was very familiar with Monroe's style of play in the Big East Conference, and after his dynamic vision improved, he also spotted Monroe's pass at the first time.
Consecutive steals!
Joseph dribbled the ball for another fast break. This time, he chose to pass the ball to Green, who was following up, in the face of Stuckey. Green's layup also went in!
The Spurs answered with a 4-0 run!
The crowd cheered, and those fans holding Godfather signs were already climaxing in place!
After scoring 11 consecutive points, Tang Tian was heavily guarded and had no chance to perform. The Spurs' offense also stagnated.
In an unfavorable situation, it was still Tang Tian who stood up, but this time it was with defense!
Tang Tian's consecutive steals also greatly boosted morale, and the Spurs' on-court players' defensive intensity obviously increased.
Monroe had no chance to pass the ball to Stuckey, and Stuckey passed it to Singler for transition.
Singler wanted to pass the ball, but Tang Tian had already stuck to him, and he held the ball over his head to protect it.
But just as he raised the ball, Tang Tian suddenly reached out quickly and grabbed the ball.
The two of them directly turned into a ball-grabbing contest.
Singler wanted to pull the ball back, but Tang Tian suddenly let go, and his whole center of gravity fell backward, and his control of the ball was also lost.
At this moment, Tang Tian tightened his grip again, and then used his strength to directly snatch the ball from Singler's arms!
There was a burst of exclamation from the crowd.
Here it comes again, a hard snatch!
In the last game, Tang Tian hard-snatched one from Jackson, and this time he hard-snatched the ball from Singler's hands again!
Singler fell to the ground and tried to grab the ball but failed. Tang Tian dribbled the ball, jumped over him, and then took the ball directly for a fast break!
Gordon turned around to chase and defend at this time, and he couldn't help but curse Singler in his heart.
This death-seeking guy!
Tang Tian's fast break wasn't fast, but because his hard snatch happened so suddenly, even Gordon, who was the closest, was a little too late to chase and defend.
After his fast break to the frontcourt, he didn't choose a layup, but held the ball with both hands, jumped up, and then scored with a two-handed dunk!
This was his first dunk in the NBA!
The cheers from the fans on the sidelines had exploded.
Three consecutive steals, plus a fast break dunk!
Tang Tian was really radiant at this moment!
ps: Let's update here today, and continue tomorrow! There are still 8 updates owed for rewards and 2 updates for monthly tickets! There are a lot of rewards and monthly tickets, thank you very much for your support, Shui Qie will continue to work hard to码字(ma zi - write characters/code)!