One Hundred and Thirty: 3rd Position

Five minutes into the second quarter, Matt Bonner went to the perimeter and received a breakthrough from Tony Parker.

Once again, Gasol did not keep up. The defense of Gasol during this period was not so versatile. Also, this isn't the era when centers are all shooting 3-pointers.

The sudden appearance of a Bonner who can shoot three-pointers makes Gasol very uncomfortable. He's used to defending in the low post, and he can't change that defensive habit in a few minutes.

Bonner catches the basketball and shoots it straight out of nowhere! Bonner is a 45.7 percent 3-pointer, and the 3-pointer is his foundation for the Spurs.

Pau Gasol's defensive defense didn't work. When he pounced, Bonner's basketballs were already halfway through.

Bonner did not disappoint Popovich, and his open shot hit again! Yes, again!

The second quarter of the game has played so far, and this is the second three-pointer that Bonner has made. When both sides rely on tight defense to contain each other, the three-pointer is the best way to open the score.

"Cut again! Bonner performed very well after his appearance today. On the defensive end, he did not let Gasol take too much advantage. But on the offensive end, he has already scored 6 points! This guy may be inconspicuous, and he may not be able to kill. Dead game. But you gotta understand that Coach Popovich doesn't send people he doesn't trust!"

Originally, the Spurs entered the second quarter with a one-point disadvantage, but now, after Bonner hit the second 3-pointer, the Spurs led the Grizzlies by six points.

To put it bluntly, the two teams are fighting each other with one punch and one punch. What really opened the gap was these two three-pointers.

Popovich smiled, even if it is only a 6-point advantage in this kind of grinding game, it is an extremely huge advantage. Bonner didn't play for a minute in the first quarter, so Popovich decided to keep the "Red Mamba" on the court and continue to suppress the Grizzlies.

But now, that guy Link is still a big trouble. So far, Link has scored 10 points and 4 assists. In the second quarter, Link scored another 4 points with a catch-and-shoot after an off-ball run and a pull-up jumper after a tentative step. After that, he sent two wonderful passes, assisting Conley and Tony Allen to score a goal each.

To Popovich's evaluation, Link led the Grizzlies' offense in the tight defense of the Spurs. Now, the Grizzlies have two brains, Conley and Link.

Without a solution to Link's troubles, the Spurs will never really be able to take the initiative. It has to be said that this is the first time Popovich has been so troubled by an undrafted pick.

The old man hasn't come up with a solution yet.

Hollins stopped. Hollins called the timeout very timely, and there would be no situation where he called a timeout after the momentum was completely captured by the opponent.

Link came off the court out of breath. Don't look at the slow-paced games played with the Spurs, but under the high-intensity defense, even Link's physical fitness felt a bit difficult.

He is very happy that his performance today did not hold him back. He scored 10 points and 4 assists before finishing two quarters. Such a result cannot be said to be bad.

But good personal data does not satisfy Link. What he wants is to win the Spurs, and now the Spurs are 6 points ahead.

Hollins is also in some trouble now, and has a feeling of being led by Popovich. Small Gasol does not have the ability to defend three points, he needs to send a more flexible inside. But who can choose? Darrell Arthur? His rebounding was terrible, and Hollins was uneasy about his consistency.

Haddadi? Well...when he didn't say.

To be able to defend the perimeter three and attack, Hollins suddenly had a bold idea.

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"Matt, you'll keep looking for three shots later, you did a great job today, keep it up!"

Popovich continued to encourage Bonner. Once the "Red Mamba" feels better, it is not without miracles.

Not long ago, in November of 2010, Bonner made 7 of 7 three-pointers in the game against the Thunder, making the young Thunder want to cry. before? He's also done 6-for-6 from the field. In short, Bonner is the kind of player who can create magic.

So far today, Bonner has made two shots, making Popovich eager to keep him trying. With Duncan and Parker both in poor offense, if Bonner can maintain his sights, it will be more effective for the Spurs.

The timeout ended, and the Spurs continued to play with Parker, Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Duncan and Bonner.

But when the Grizzlies players came out, Popovich was shocked. Hollins guy, what tricks are you playing?

Conley, Tony Allen, Shane, Link and Randolph! The Grizzlies were on the court, leaving only Randolph as an insider! Two forwards, Shane Battier and Link, played at the same time, and one of them must play the No. 4 position!

"The Grizzlies are... sending out a major and four minors?"

"No," Steve Kerr hurriedly rejected his partner, "the Grizzlies' tallest Randolph is only 2.06 meters, so to be precise, the Grizzlies sent a lineup with no height. ."

At that time, there was no such thing as five small, and the Grizzlies lineup surprised everyone when they saw it.

However, Hollins is not worried about the height of the team. Although the maximum value is not high, the average value is not short. Compared with the Spurs, only Duncan is taller than 2.10 meters, so Hollins is not afraid of the team losing.

Before the Spurs fans could close their mouths, the Grizzlies attacked. Shane made a screen for Link. The purpose of this screen was not to let Link get an empty seat, but to force Richard Jefferson and Bonner to switch positions!

Bonner was in front of Link, and a dislocation opportunity was formed in an instant. Popovich gritted his teeth, is this the Grizzlies' strategy?

Link held the ball from beyond the arc and was very calm. He made a few tentative steps, but Bonner was unmoved. So Link made a decisive three-pointer, and suddenly pulled up and shot!

Bonner jumped to block in a panic, but because he was too anxious, he directly hit Link's hand. When the referee's whistle blew, Link missed the ball, but he still got three chances to hit the free throw line.

"Really decisive, don't you think that Link's offense is more mature than before since he won the rookie mvp? Bonner seems to be struggling to defend Link."

Link went to the free throw line, and he deflated Bonner in countless ways. Bonner is actually very tough on the defensive end, which is why Gasol just suffered a loss.

But perimeter defense, Bonner is not so good at. This guy is not fast, and his judgment on Link's ghostly footsteps is not so accurate. For example, just now, he thought that Link would not dare to shoot directly. Who knows, one shot is deadly.

Link made 2 of 3 free throws. Although he missed a free throw, Bonner paid the price anyway. Hollins' strategy is simple, let Link continue to attack Bonner, making Bonner the Spurs' biggest hole on the defensive end.

As a result, Popovich must not dare to let Bonner play again. In that case, Hollins can also play his "black and white double bear" tactics with peace of mind.

Popovich knew that Bonner was being targeted, and it was no coincidence that Link and Battier had just switched positions. But Popovich also wants to see how Bonner plays on offense. He wants to see who the Grizzlies are playing at the 4.

As expected, it was Link who was defending Bonner on the defensive end!

"Link guards Bonner, which means he's playing at the four. Fantastic player, he's played shooting guard, small forward and power forward with the Grizzlies. At two or three, Link's It's been a good performance. Now let's see how he plays at the four."

Bonner is a space 4 who doesn't pose much of a threat in the low post. This is why, Hollins dared to let Link defend him.

This time, when Bonner pulls to the 3-point line again, he's no longer alone. Link is no small Gasol, he can keep up with Bonner wherever he goes.

Bonner also wanted to sit inside to play Link, but Link's rude shove made Bonner unable to even stabilize his position.

Parker didn't dare to lob the ball easily for Bonner, and the inside player was also unstable in receiving the ball without having to stabilize his position. The Spurs aren't the type of team to take risks, so Parker ended up picking someone else.

Richard Jefferson catches the ball in the right bottom corner, catches and throws. But unfortunately, Shane Battier's defense did not make Jefferson much easier. His blindfolding technique made Jefferson lose all his sights.

Link jammed Bonner behind Jefferson the moment Jefferson shot, and then protected the offensive rebound. The Grizzlies didn't lose rebounds because of their height disadvantage. Link has always been an excellent rebounder, even better than Bonner's serious 4.

After grabbing the basketball, Link personally controlled the ball and pushed forward. Just after halftime, he suddenly hit the ground with a long pass. The long-hitting pass is the most difficult way to pass the ball, but once it is passed, it is very pleasing to watch and practical.

Link, on the other hand, has shown his excellent ground-hitting skills more than once.

Link's pass passed through the crowd and bounced back to Tony Allen who cut into the penalty area. In the end, the Spurs' retreat was not faster than Link's pass, which traversed the entire line of defense and eventually formed an assist.

Tony Allen scored an easy layup after catching the ball. Ginobili simply didn't take off, because if he took off, he could only get one foul.

The entire Grizzlies bench was cheering. Seeing that the Spurs were about to take control of the situation, Link's appearance brought the Grizzlies back to life again!

"Blair, get ready to play. Next time the ball is dead, you replace Bonner." Popovich walked up to DeJuan Blair, and he had to admit that he couldn't keep Bonner on the court.

If Bonner continues to play, he will only become a burden. On both ends of the offense and defense, he is targeted by Link. Replacing Blair is Popovich's only option. Bonner may have some amazing performances in the future, but not today.

As a result, Popovich's strategy failed again, and the two sides must once again be caught in a fist-and-kick fight. And it was Link who destroyed all of this.

Popovich suddenly found that for a while, he really couldn't find a way to deal with that kid.

No. 1 in the West and may be dragged into the water by an undrafted pick.

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