area51novel Chapter 161
Chapter 161
The time left for the Nets to prepare is always short.
The joy of just winning the Eastern Conference championship gradually faded.
For three consecutive days, the team and the coach discussed tactics against the Spurs.
During this period, many lineups were demonstrated, and the whole team watched most of the Spurs' playoffs this year.
On paper, the Nets' main lineup not only has no disadvantages, but should have some advantages.
The players are at least 55-50.
The substitutes are not so lucky. The Spurs' substitutes should be the best in the league, both in terms of experience and ability.
To deal with the Spurs' star player Duncan, the Nets decided to let Chandler try to defend him alone.
At least Coach Frank didn't want Roy to defend Shaquille O'Neal in the last series,
and then face the Stone Buddha Duncan in the next series.
Almost no team would use their star player in this way.
Unless like the Detroit Pistons, their star player Ben Wallace is a defensive blue-collar player.
As long as he is an offensive player, the home team will generally help him stagger the defense and let the defensive players of the team deal with the tough bones.
So that the star can focus more on the offensive end.
Another problem is Kidd and Parker.
As a veteran point guard, Kidd no longer has that extremely fast lateral speed after a serious knee injury.
In addition, as he gets older, this situation will only get worse.
Obviously, his speed is not enough to keep up with Tony Parker.
Now the coach is struggling whether to let Lagabell take on more roles. He is an ideal candidate to defend Parker.
But in this case, the offensive end will lack the firepower of Richard Jefferson.
During the preparation period, various problems are always found. The more you analyze the Spurs' lineup, the more surprising it is.
During the training period and waiting for the finals, a small episode occurred.
The words of the interview with Roy by ESPN Magazine were reprinted by major newspapers.
It was not about Roy's refusal to play for America.
But Roy said that every player should regard the championship as a lifelong pursuit, and the goal of entering the finals is the championship.
This was ridiculed by many media people.
Some said that Roy was overestimating his own abilities, and some said that the Nets were not strong enough. Some even said that Roy was not worthy of being compared with Duncan because he was not worthy!
Various comments are clamoring on the Internet.
Roy is numb. Since the second round of the playoffs, he has never been optimistic about the Nets.
Although these people are stubborn and refuse to admit it, they can't stand the Nets doing well.
But the Nets still rely on their teammates and their own efforts to get to where they are now.
But there are always some fans who think that Roy is too young and shouldn't go so far.
With the increasing number of keyboard warriors on the Internet, the Nets and Roy are subjected to more and more violent harassment.
Although it has not reached the kind of overwhelming online violence that has become a hot topic in the future, it has gradually affected his teammates.
Looking around, the Internet is full of one-sided bad news.
Fortunately, as long as you don't read these comments, it won't affect you!
After all, the episode is just a small episode.
The most important thing is to prepare for the finals.
Amidst the expectations of everyone, the finals are finally here.
On June 15, at the New Jersey Airline Center, the New Jersey Nets faced the Western Conference powerhouse San Antonio Spurs at home. This was the third matchup this season. As the first game of the finals, it was still very grand before the start. When the dull Duncan was interviewed by the media before the game, he did not hesitate to praise Roy: "Roy is a perfect player. I can't wait to play against him again. He looks great and doesn't look like a 19-year-old at all!" In addition, Duncan also gave high praise to the Nets: "New Jersey has done a lot of great work and trades this year. The overall strength of the Nets has improved by leaps and bounds. I am very happy to meet them here..." The flowery sedan is carried by people. No matter what, the opponent's affirmation must be the highest praise. When Roy learned about the situation and was interviewed, he also complimented the other party:
"The strength of the Spurs is unfathomable. Duncan has always been a player I respect. I am looking forward to their performance tonight."
...
During the warm-up, the Spurs seemed very calm. Obviously, they were experienced and did not have such a heavy burden on their minds.
On the other hand, Roy could clearly feel the nervousness of many players in the Nets.
They were distracted, dazed, and their shots were stiff.
They were not as agile as usual.
Even Carter, a long-established star, seemed a little unnatural.
Obviously Kidd has also noticedThe abnormal state of his teammates,
"Listen, guys, don't think of this as a finals, let's just treat it as a normal game and play it like a normal game."
The teammates nodded absentmindedly,
Roy's heart skipped a beat, this is not a good sign,
And the opponent is the Spurs, fortunately, Coach Frank's encouragement made his teammates cheer up,
Before the game, the teammates' mentality eased a lot, at least Carter could joke with Roy,
As the referee's whistle sounded,
The Spurs players and the Nets players walked onto the court one after another,
Kidd, who was familiar with Duncan, shook hands,
Then Duncan hugged Roy,
This made Roy a little flattered, which was not related to the introverted and dull Duncan in his impression.
"Congratulations, little guy. You've performed amazingly this year. You're the first inside player who's made me feel pressure since Shaq got old. The future will definitely be yours!"
Roy was stunned. Shouldn't this be said by Duncan to James? What's the matter with telling me?
No, we must stop giving out consolation prizes before the game even starts.
"Tim, you know, you're a benchmark in this position. I'm glad to meet you in the finals, but I don't want the future, I just want the present."
The two smiled and whispered softly, and Duncan didn't refute.
The two tacitly let go of each other. Facing the highest honor, both of them had endless desire.
The starting lineups of the two teams each set up their formations.
The finals are about to begin amid the cheers of the fans.
The starting lineups of both teams,
Spurs: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, Nazr Mohammed
Nets: Jason Kidd, Vince Carter , Richard Jefferson, Roy, Tyson Chandler
After thinking for a while, head coach Frank chose to believe that Kidd could handle Parker.
Richard Jefferson's presence can also provide the team with more firepower support.
The Spurs unexpectedly gave up the season's starting center Nesterovic,
and used the new center Mohammed who was traded in the middle of the season as the team's starting center.
It is indeed a bit puzzling to change the starting lineup before such an important game.
The Nets head coach Frank also had doubts in his heart, wondering what Popovich, who has always dared to use people, was thinking.