nycdaug Chapter 117 Popovich's Hack-a-King Strategy!
Chapter 117 Popovich's Hack-a-King Strategy!
Although it's an away game, San Antonio is only about 300 kilometers away from Houston, a three or four-hour drive.
So today, there were quite a few Rockets fans who drove to the Spurs' home arena.
Spurs legend Tim Duncan, who was just inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame this year, also came to the stadium to watch the game.
Duncan, sporting dreadlocks, was even sitting in the back row of the Spurs' bench; without careful observation, he could easily be mistaken for a member of the team's uniform staff.
As the players began warming up, the Spurs' home cameras were focused on Porter Jr. and Wood, who were returning from suspension that day.
Earlier today, several reporters, including Shams and Woj, reported that the Rockets have put Porter Jr. and Wood on the trading block and are willing to listen to offers.
Besides Gordon, two more players have been abandoned during the Rockets' rebuilding process.
Neither Shams nor Woj believe any team would be interested in either of them.
Unless the Rockets give away draft picks.
Yes, it's a pay cut.
Almost all teams consider these two players to be liabilities.
Rockets general manager Stone was sitting on the sidelines, scrolling through the news, shaking his head and sneering.
You idiots, how could you not see that Porter Jr. is such a great player?
If Fertitta hadn't spoken up, would I have been willing to put Porter Jr. on the market?
You are thinking shit!
Stone, using his alternate account, commented on Shams and Woj's tweets: "Wood is one thing, but Porter Jr. is still very talented. He's strong, young, can organize, and can score. The Rockets trading Porter Jr. is a loss for them. I have high hopes for Porter Jr.'s future."
After leaving the message, Stone put away his phone with satisfaction and began to focus on the game that was about to begin.
The Houston Rockets fielded the same starting lineup: Wang Xiucheng, Jalen Green, Shen Jing, Gordon, and Tate.
This roster includes rookies like Wang Xiucheng, Jalen Green, and Shen Jing, as well as seasoned veterans like Gordon.
The Spurs' starting lineup consisted of Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, Poeltl, Diop, and Primo.
Without a doubt, the Spurs are Coach Popovich's Spurs.
Even though Dejounte Murray has put on an All-Star caliber performance, the team's star player is still this old man.
As long as this old man is around, the Spurs will still be the Spurs.
With a whistle, the referee blew the starting whistle to begin the game.
From the kickoff, the two teams were like copy and paste.
Dejounte Murray of the Spurs and Wang Xiucheng of the Rockets are both players who can score and pass.
With the two players connecting, the Rockets and Spurs kept alternating leads.
Just as Wang Xiucheng delivered an alley-oop to Jalen Green, Dejounte Murray immediately followed with a perfect bounce pass.
Wang Xiucheng had just passed Gordon an open three-pointer when Dejounte Murray broke through and passed to the outside for a score.
The game proceeded smoothly, and neither head coach called a timeout.
When the game reached the 5th minute, after the Spurs committed their fourth foul, Popovich substituted in Cacok, a player who rarely plays.
No one knew what the old man was up to this time.
After the game resumed, as soon as Wang Xiucheng received the ball, Cacok pounced on him and grabbed his arm.
beep!
The referee immediately called a foul.
Cacok raised his hands earnestly and patted Wang Xiucheng on the back afterward.
It seems to be saying, "I'm sorry, brother."
Wang Xiucheng was stunned.
Looking at the smug old man with a bewildered expression, Wang Xiucheng really couldn't understand it. Was it really necessary?
Not just Wang Xiucheng, everyone knows what Popovich is doing.
"Kill King" tactics!
The camera immediately focused on the white-bearded old man sitting on the sidelines, and Popovich even winked at the camera.
Silas, who was standing at the technical table in the distance, shrugged and sat back down in his seat.
Wang Xiucheng had no choice but to take the free throw.
Two free throws and one goal.
Wang Xiucheng did not disappoint the old man at all, to the point that he himself was amused.
As they ran back, Popovich was still yelling at Wang Xiucheng, "Practice your free throws properly, even T-Mac can't teach you."
Wang Xiucheng shook his head with amusement.
McGrady briefly played for the Spurs at the end of his career, so it's not surprising that he had some connection with this old man.
What Wang Xiucheng found strange was that McGrady would actually mention himself to this old man.
The Spurs continued their attack, with Dejounte Murray providing an assist, and center Poeltl scoring off the backboard after shoving Shen Jing.
Wang Xiucheng pushed past Dejonte Murray to receive the ball, but Cacok came over and grabbed Wang Xiucheng.
beep!
The referee blew the whistle again.
Silas didn't even stand up this time.
He sat on the bench watching Popovich with a smile on his face, wanting to go over and ask, "Are you really going to treat a rookie like this?"
This "hack-a-boost" tactic is generally used against centers who are not good at free throws, such as Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard.
Popovich even used the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic at the start of a game, a move that fans still talk about today.
Later, the league changed the rules, and this tactic rarely appeared anymore.
But it's not impossible, especially in the last two minutes.
However, very few teams implement this tactic against a guard.
Although Wang Xiucheng's free throw percentage is not high, a percentage of over 50% shouldn't warrant such a sharp drop right from the start.
Wang Xiucheng went to the free throw line again to take the free throw.
This time I was lucky and made both free throws.
Even Wang Xiucheng himself found it hard to believe.
"Hey kid, 40% three-point shooting percentage and 50% free throw percentage, haven't you ever wondered why?"
This time, Popovich shouted at Wang Xiucheng from the side again, even making a megaphone shape with his hands, as if afraid that Wang Xiucheng wouldn't hear him.
Wang Xiucheng smiled and shook his head in response.
why?
Because I don't have any skill cards that increase my free throw percentage.
If I had one of these skill cards, would I let you bully me like this?
You wait, wait until I get to know a few more older sisters!
The Spurs attacked again, but this time they missed. Shen Jing grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Wang Xiucheng.
Kacok came over again, and Wang Xiucheng stopped running and just stood there waiting.
beep!
The referee blew the whistle again.
Popovich, sitting on the bench, gave Cacok a thumbs-up.
That seemed to mean that the tactics were executed well.
Cacok nudged Wang Xiucheng's shoulder again as an apology.
Wang Xiucheng patted the other person in response.
Wang Xiucheng certainly didn't blame Carcok; in fact, Wang Xiucheng didn't even know who Carcok was.
Popovich sent him to the free-throw line, and Wang Xiucheng was naturally happy to accept.
Wang Xiucheng took the free throw again, and this time, he once again made one of two free throws, a tradition passed down through generations.
When the second ball bounced out, Popovich laughed so hard he almost fell over, and even turned around to give the sullen Duncan a high-five.
Dejounte Murray dribbled forward, Green was close behind him, and seized the opportunity to reach for the ball. The basketball hit Dejounte Murray and was knocked out of bounds by Green.
Silas quickly called a timeout.
Wang Xiucheng was substituted, and Porter Jr., who was available to play today, was brought on instead.
Wang Xiucheng had never encountered such a situation before, and Silas was also afraid that Wang Xiucheng would do something outrageous, so he simply substituted him out first.
As for replacing him with Porter Jr., it was a decision he made after discussing it with Stone.
If you want to trade Porter Jr. and Wood, you have to let them play in games so that other teams can test them out.
Just like with Gordon now, if you want to trade him, you have to let him play.
If we don't use Wood and Porter Jr., we'll just be stuck with them, which would be like letting them leave for nothing, and that wouldn't be a good thing for the team.
"Your Majesty, you should rest for a while."
Silas said to Wang Xiucheng.
Silas did not provide Wang Xiucheng with any answers regarding the "King of Slashes" tactic.
Because Silas knew he didn't need to say anything more.
If Wang Xiucheng can't even solve this problem, how can he become the cornerstone of the team?
Yes, the cornerstone!
No one had ever said this word before, but everyone in the Rockets organization, from owner Fertitta to the parking lot attendants, knew that Wang Xiucheng was the cornerstone of the Rockets.
In just half a season, Wang Xiucheng had already won over all the Rockets players.
The last person to achieve this was James Harden.
The one before that is Yao Ming from the Great Wall of China!
The pause ended quickly.
The players from both sides returned to the field.
Cacok completed his task perfectly and returned to the bench.
The match finally returned to normal.
At the end of the first quarter, both teams had scored high points, with the Rockets leading 39-36 by 3 points.
After all, due to the "chop king" tactic, the game is often paused, so there are more rounds and the score is higher, which is normal.
The second quarter began quickly, with both teams bringing in substitutes.
With six minutes remaining in the second quarter, Wang Xiucheng finally stood up on the bench, ready to return to the court.
Popovich practically dragged Cacok to the scorer's table, where he stood next to Wang Xiucheng, waiting to go on the court.
Popovich stood in front of the scorer's table and shouted at Wang Xiucheng, who was a few meters away, "Kid, have you figured out what to do?"
Wang Xiucheng waved his hand.
What's there to think about?
Go ahead and commit the foul if you want.
So, after the game started, Cacok fouled out six times very quickly.
Cacok left the game with a bizarre stat line of 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, and 6 fouls.
Before leaving, Cacok waved to the audience, seemingly implying that he wasn't embarrassed.
Popovich called out to Anthony Lamb from the bench again and continued to execute his tactics.
Again?
Wang Xiucheng thought the old man would stop after he had his fill, but he didn't expect it to be over yet.
So when the game resumed, Wang Xiucheng stopped receiving the ball and instead let Green and Gordon receive it and advance the ball.
Wang Xiucheng stood at the corner of the opponent's three-point line, pretending to play off the ball.
Anthony Lamb held onto the corner of Wang Xiucheng's clothes with one hand, his eyes completely fixed on Wang Xiucheng, not even looking at the ball.
His task was to keep an eye on Wang Xiucheng and foul him as soon as Wang Xiucheng received the ball.
This task looks simple, and Cacok completed it very well.
But the prerequisite is that Wang Xiucheng has to receive the ball.
If Wang Xiucheng plays off-ball, then this task will be very difficult, and Anthony Lamb knows this well.
Suddenly, Wang Xiucheng, who had been supporting his knees, accelerated towards the center, and Anthony Lamb followed him out.
But Wang Xiucheng suddenly turned and ran towards the inside, then jumped high and caught Green's pass.
The ball was passed a bit high, but Wang Xiucheng used his hang time to intercept the ball even when his head hit the backboard.
Swish!
Wang Xiucheng's head was almost behind the basket as he lobbed the basketball in with one hand.
beep!
The referee's whistle blew.
Anthony Lamb commits a foul.
An additional penalty kick is awarded.
Wang Xiucheng lost his balance and stumbled back several steps before being caught by a cheerleader standing outside the baseline.
Of course, Wang Xiucheng's hands would inevitably grab around unconsciously a few times in an attempt to regain his balance.
Although he sensed that he had grabbed something, Wang Xiucheng didn't dare to look. What if it was a black woman?
The biggest difference between Wang Xiucheng and centers like O'Neal and Howard is that Wang Xiucheng can play off-ball.
O'Neal and Howard are only a threat when they have the ball in their hands.
But Wang Xiucheng is different; he is still a threat even without the ball.
Neither cuts to the basket nor three-pointers are abilities that O'Neal and Howard possess.
This is the answer given by Wang Xiucheng.
For the remainder of the game, Wang Xiucheng continued to play without the ball.
Sometimes Wang Xiucheng would directly use Shen Jing's screen to break into the paint.
Sometimes I catch the ball and immediately throw it up.
The Spurs were completely overwhelmed by Wang Xiucheng.
On the contrary, Anthony Lamb offered almost no help to the Spurs on the offensive end.
Popovich had no choice but to substitute Anthony Lamb, who already had four fouls.
This means that the "King of Chopping" tactic has failed.
So Wang Xiucheng started attacking again with the ball.
Wang Xiucheng, with the ball in his hands, will make his opponents even more desperate.
Swish!
Gordon received the ball from Wang Xiucheng and shot it directly. The basketball hit the top edge of the rim but still went into the net.
Three-pointer, in!
On the Spurs' offense, Dejounte Murray shook off Wang Xiucheng, who was guarding him, and then shot a three-pointer, which went in.
The ball rights transitioned and the Rockets attacked.
Wang Xiucheng used his speed to get past Dejounte Murray, then came to the inside, attracting two defenders to guard him. After that, Wang Xiucheng tossed the ball high, then turned and ran back to his own half of the court, as if the ball had nothing to do with him after that.
Green leaped high as he cut inside, and the basketball seemed to be drawn to his hand.
Bang!
A thunderous dunk over the rim!
The Rockets scored two more points.
On the Spurs' offense, Dejounte Murray used a screen to get into the paint and tried to pass the ball to center Poeltl, but Shin Kyung, who had been watching him, moved ahead of him and slapped the ball away.
Then Gordon picked up the ball and passed it directly to Wang Xiucheng, who was not far away.
With the advantage in position, Shen Jing swung her arms and ran, her face looking distorted.
Wang Xiucheng didn't accelerate fully, but crossed the center line and passed the ball to Shen Jing.
Shen Jing dribbled the ball straight into the paint, held it high, took two steps past Primo, and then dunked it into the basket.
beep!
The referee blew the whistle.
Primo committed a blocking foul.
Shen Jingjia gets a penalty kick, and the ball goes in.
Three points scored!
Time quickly came to the last minute of the first half.
With the basketball in Wang Xiucheng's hands, he took a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Enter!
The Rockets trailed the Spurs 63-67 at halftime, down by 4 points.