NABC Chapter 710 Another internal conflict? This time, it's not my fault, Master Lin!
Chapter 710 Another internal conflict? This time, it's not my fault, Master Lin!
"If you want to win, then let me take more shots! I want this game to be my primary focus, my main offensive weapon. I promise I can lead everyone to the finals! I'll crush Kenyon once again!"
After speaking, O'Neal looked expectantly at his teammates and Popovich, repeating similar remarks he had made many times when he was with the Lakers.
He was waiting for his teammates to applaud and support him, and then everyone would unite to win the sixth game.
During his time with the Lakers, Kobe would look at Shaq with disdain and say that he could lead the team to victory by himself. Then he would keep feeding Shaq the ball during the game. Jackson would squint and say that they should play the triangle offense. Then he would secretly tell Shaq that tonight they would rely on him and that they could not do without him.
But in San Antonio...
No one spoke, but many people subconsciously glanced at James.
James, on the other hand, seemed not to have heard anything and continued to sit there biting his fingernails.
Popovich patted O'Neal on the shoulder to calm him down, then looked at everyone and said, "The game depends on everyone's efforts. We have to work together and give it our all to win! We need to play more as a team."
"As for Shaq's statement, I think it makes sense, but how to play it specifically depends on the actual situation in the game. If the Suns don't change their defensive strategy, then we'll let Shaq play more. If they do change it, then we'll handle the game according to the actual situation."
At that moment, O'Neal knew.
This is no longer his team, and his teammates no longer respect him or treat him as their savior.
He was just a passerby who came to assist others.
As for Popovich's words?
It's all just a bunch of nonsense!
If you say the Suns will make changes on offense, that they will use more pick-and-rolls to attack O'Neal, that they will run more screens, then the Spurs need to be careful with help defense and rotations.
That's serious talk.
But you said to be careful that the Suns' defensive strategy might change?
That's just nonsense.
What changes can their defensive strategy make?
The team's defense relies on only one move.
Person-to-person surveillance.
This lousy team's defense is even worse than the Knicks'!
The Knicks can occasionally pull off some clever tricks, but the Suns are truly unguardable.
But at this point, O'Neal was no longer the dominant 25-year-old monster under the basket and the league's undisputed king. He was no longer the tyrant who thought he was the only one who mattered and everyone had to listen to him.
He is very calm now.
If Popovich isn't going to grant tactical authority, then he shouldn't.
O'Neal sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and drifted off into a daze.
"In this game, we'll start with penetration and passing! LeBron, you attack Nash with pick-and-rolls, then draw the Suns' help defense to find your open teammates. Everyone else, once you get the ball, shoot immediately! We're going to crush Phoenix!"
……
In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Suns faced the Spurs on the road.
At the start of the game, the Suns relied on their usual three-pronged approach.
Counter-attacks, long-range shots, pick-and-rolls!
Their pick-and-rolls are incredibly varied. Centered around Nash, he and the other four players can initiate pick-and-rolls anytime, anywhere. He knows each teammate's habits, their running direction after a screen, and where they like to receive the ball and shoot.
He also knows which positions his teammates have the highest shooting percentage.
At the same time, the biggest difference between traditional guards like Nash and Kidd is that their offensive abilities are also quite impressive!
Although his average points per game are not high, when it's Nash's turn to shoot, when it's his turn to score, Nash can easily rack up 40 points to show his opponents how good he is!
Simply put, this guy is almost perfect on the offensive end!
He can do anything.
Besides defense.
It's no joke that you can't guard against this!
One of the Spurs' main strategies is to have James use pick-and-rolls to constantly attack Nash and launch attacks against him.
Wear down Nash, attack Nash, and get him into foul trouble. Even if he can control his fouls, you need to wear him down quickly.
This is also the main strategy used by almost all teams that want to beat the Suns when facing them.
Everyone knows that Nash is the soul of the Suns, Nash is everything to this Suns team!
With him on the team, the Suns are a top team in the league.
The Suns don't have him?
They're just bottom-of-the-barrel teams in the lottery!
The game started with James getting past Nash after a pick-and-roll and driving straight to the basket for a powerful dunk.
The Suns then quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Nash quickly moved to the frontcourt, found Marion cutting to the basket, and made a bounce pass. Marion jumped and made a floater for 2 points.
Then O'Neal quickly went out of bounds, quickly inbounded the ball, and the Spurs started running!
James dribbled the ball up the court at high speed, and halfway through, he suddenly passed the ball to Bosh who was following behind. Bosh received the ball and jumped to make a layup, scoring 2 points!
At that moment, O'Neal had only just sprinted to the center circle.
In this match, both sides need to play fast! Both sides need to attack!
Tonight will definitely be an offensive battle!
These two rounds alone are enough for everyone to see what the rhythm and trend of this match will be like.
LeBron James vs. Steve Nash!
The game was progressing rapidly, with players from both sides constantly running around the field.
The score was rising rapidly on both sides, and the pace of the game was extremely fast.
At the end of the first half, the score was 60-57!
The Suns are currently leading by 3 points.
Nash recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists in the first half, while James on the opposing team had 21 points!
With 4 rebounds and 7 assists, he remains incredibly versatile!
Both sides played quite well, focusing on their respective key players!
"Shaq, we're having a problem with rebounding! We were outrebounded by 5 in the first half!" Popovich exclaimed, looking at the stats. "This won't do! We can't win like this! We need you, Shaq! We need you!"
"You have to step up, you have to become that monster under the basket! We need a great white shark to help us, okay? Go and grab those damn rebounds, all those damn rebounds, and take them all! Kill them! Dominate the paint!"
"Oh." O'Neal responded casually with a simple "hmm," ignoring Popovich completely.
In the first half, although he grabbed 6 rebounds, he only took 2 shots and scored 4 points.
This is not a game he likes.
Now Popovich is making him grab rebounds again?
Do you think I'm some kind of weakling like Ben Wallace?
I am the greatest center in history! I am the most dominant center in history!
You want me to be a blue-collar worker grabbing rebounds?
O'Neal was becoming increasingly agitated, but he didn't say anything.
To reiterate, he's matured, but no matter how mature he becomes, he's still Shaquille O'Neal, one of the league's top centers. If you don't give him shooting opportunities and only want him to be a role player and finisher, that's fine.
The team also launched fast breaks every now and then, without giving him any chance to shoot, allowing him only two shots in the entire first half.
Given his tactical position, expecting O'Neal to bring out full motivation and passion to grab rebounds and engage in physical battles is clearly impossible.
Everyone has emotions!
So in the second half, O'Neal's enthusiasm for rebounding didn't increase much, and he still played listlessly.
With rebounding faltering and shooting and offense falling short of the Suns, the Spurs gradually lost ground in the second half, and the gap between the two teams began to widen.
With four minutes left in the third quarter, the Spurs were down by 10 points! Popovich had no choice but to call another timeout.
"Shaq! We need you, you need to wake up!" Popovich pressed his hands on O'Neal's shoulders, looking at him and saying, "Without you, we couldn't have beaten the Suns! We couldn't have made it to the Finals!"
"Don't you want to win the championship? We need you to get fired up!"
Popovich's simple words were quite effective. O'Neal's eyes lit up, and he looked at Popovich, nodding, "I will try my best! I will give it my all!"
Shaquille O'Neal is still a child at heart.
He's the kind of person who needs to be flattered and fawned over. He loves hearing praise and being in the spotlight! He's willing to do anything to make himself happy!
That's how Phil Jackson convinced him to play pick-and-roll with Kobe, and that's also how he convinced him to practice free throws.
Today, Popovich solemnly stated that the team can't do without you, and O'Neal immediately felt confident again, thinking, "As long as you need me, I can definitely do it!"
What was that saying again?
A scholar will die for one who understands him!
Then, Popovich patted O'Neal on the shoulder again and began to give instructions on tactics.
"They'll still run pick-and-rolls! Shaq, I want you to move faster, take two steps forward, and stop letting them shoot so easily! Disrupt the shot, then get back to the basket. We need your presence under the basket! With you there, they won't dare to drive!"
"We need your rebounding and defense!"
"On offense, they run pick-and-rolls, great! We'll run them too! Shaq, go run pick-and-rolls with LeBron! Screen for him! You're born for pick-and-rolls, you've got that energy!"
"Shaq, unleash your power! Stop Marion! Clear a path for LeBron! Only you can do this!"
Listening to Popovich's words, a rather painful memory surged into O'Neal's mind.
"We can't give you too much, or Anfernee will be unhappy."
"Orlando fans don't think you deserve a max contract."
"You need to create space for Anfernee to break through!"
"Hey fatso, stop standing under the basket! Who wants to see you back down? We want to see Kobe drive in and dunk!"
"If you can make your free throws, we won't lose to Indiana!"
……
Is it all my fault?
Why is it all my fault?
Why am I always the one who has to make sacrifices? Why do I always have to set screens for others or create space for them?
I'm Shaquille O'Neal!
Why should I set a screen for this kid who can't even shoot a basketball?
"I don't think we can win like this."
Just as Popovich continued to strategize, O'Neal suddenly said, "I can easily destroy Martin and all their other big men."
"It was much easier than LeBron destroying Marion."
"I should be the one to take the low-post one-on-one; that's how we won before, isn't it?"
Popovich was stunned. He didn't expect O'Neal to refute him like that, and he certainly didn't expect O'Neal to dare to defy him like that.
He instantly realized that all the comforting and encouraging he had just given the dog had been wasted!
Damn it!
"If you don't want to play my way, sit down! If you think your personal will is more important than the team, then you can sit down too! If you only have yourself on your mind and not the team, then great! We don't need you, you can sit there until the end of the game!"
Popovich glared fiercely at O'Neal. Based on his previous experience coaching David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and others, he believed he could intimidate O'Neal and make him obey. He thought O'Neal was just like those two guys.
They are all easy to talk to and will submit to the coach's authority.
He didn't believe any player would cause trouble in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals!
"Okay, then I'll sit down." O'Neal laughed, annoyed by Popovich.
In his life, the thing he feared least was threats.
He sat down directly in the chair, even putting on a coat, then crossed his arms and remained silent.
He ignored Popovich, who was still strategizing, and everyone else, and sat there by himself.
Do whatever you want, I don't care anymore.
"Come back here! I didn't give you permission to rest! Come back here! Apologize to everyone!" Popovich glared angrily at O'Neal, telling him to come back.
Unfortunately, it was as if O'Neal's ears were blocked.
He remained silent, offering no response, sitting there without uttering a sound.
I can't hear you, and I don't care.
Can't I just stop fighting?
FUXX!
Popovich was furious at being completely ignored.
But he didn't have the time or energy to get angry right now.
The timeout has ended, and the referees are urging the Spurs players to come back onto the court!
Popovich glared at O'Neal again, then looked away and called on five players to come on and continue the game!
At the same time, Popovich made up his mind.
He won't let O'Neal play today!
You bastard, you think I can't handle you?
Without O'Neal, the Spurs' offense is actually smoother. They can penetrate more easily, there is more space in the paint, and the lineup of one big man and four small men runs faster. James is more adept at pick-and-rolls, penetrations, and passing!
But this certainly doesn't mean the Spurs would be better off without O'Neal.
Because the gap between the two sides is still widening and getting bigger!
To reiterate: when it comes to offense, pure offense, there are few teams in this league that can rival the Suns!
Once they start running and charging, it's a real splash of water and crazy scoring!
If you want to take them down, you either need to pin Nash down so hard he can't even stand up straight.
Either you control the rebounds, slow down the pace, and grind out a positional game.
Either you can attack better than them and score more goals.
If Francis is still in his prime, the Spurs could try the first move.
If O'Neal hadn't clashed with Popovich, the Spurs could have tried their second tactic.
But both of those paths are now blocked, so the Spurs can only try a third option.
It's a contest to see who scores more goals.
Therefore, in the following games, James's points and assists continued to increase, Bosh's shooting accuracy was terrifying, and Francis and JR were also able to make shots continuously.
The Spurs' offense is on fire; their offensive efficiency, scoring efficiency, field goal percentage, and points scored in this game are all heading towards their best of the season and even franchise records.
However, the gap between the two sides continued to widen.
Ultimately, it comes down to offense?
You can't beat them!
If you try to compete against the Suns using methods you're not good at, and you can't win, that's normal!
As time flew by, O'Neal never stepped back onto the court; he had even changed his clothes and was now sitting on the sidelines watching.
Popovich was also very stubborn. He watched the team go from being down by 5 points to 10 points and then to 15 points, but he just wouldn't go to find O'Neal or have a talk with him.
He would rather watch the team drift further and further away from advancement and victory than back down. He is also completely incapable of coaching those temperamental and individualistic players.
This is actually a microcosm of Popovich's entire coaching career and his biggest shortcoming.
In terms of system building, tactical design, and on-the-spot adaptability, he is among the best in history.
He is equally excellent at developing player potential, unleashing the energy of role players, maximizing team strength, using surprise players, and cultivating players.
His problem is that he can only coach obedient players who respect him like a father and fully cooperate with him.
In his entire life, he never managed to deal with even a single troublesome person.
From his inability to manage Rodman as a manager to his conflicts with Richard Jefferson, Leonard, Steve Jackson, Hudson Blair, and others during his coaching career, which were irreconcilable, ultimately leading to his being traded or forced to do so.
Even towards the end of the GDP trio, Ginobili was almost forced out by him with a minimum salary, and Parker had to leave because of the Leonard incident.
Popovich failed to resolve any internal team conflicts, manage any troublemakers, or make any player who disliked or disobeyed him eventually become extremely respectful to him.
In this respect, he was far surpassed by Jackson.
This time, Popovich failed to see how upset the sensitive O'Neal was, failed to comfort O'Neal in the right way, and failed to maximize the Spurs' strength.
The Spurs, whose internal structure was crumbling, were naturally unable to catch up, even though James once again recorded a 40+ triple-double, even though Bosh scored 30+ points, and even though the team's performance tonight was actually quite good.
However, they still lost to the Suns in Game 6 of the series and were eliminated!
The Phoenix Suns have made it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993!
Last time, an MVP power forward and an All-Star point guard led them to the Finals, only to lose to a dynasty-building king.
This time, an MVP-caliber point guard and an All-Star power forward led them to the Finals. And this time, they faced yet another king who had created a dynasty!
Will the Suns win this time? (End of Chapter)