novelaction 710 Su Hao, who is firmly on the bench!
710 Su Hao, who is firmly on the bench!
Popovich remained expressionless, silently scanning each player on the field with his gaze.
These players, who are usually full of fighting spirit and confidence, all had lost their usual excitement and self-assurance on their faces.
"So, do you really think we need to give up on this game so early?" Popovich asked, staring at everyone.
For a moment, the entire locker room was completely silent; not a single player dared to stand up and answer his question.
"What's going on? Have you all become mute? Or did that guy named Su Hao scare you so much that you can't even speak?" Popovich continued, seeing the situation.
At this point, Ginobili finally couldn't help but speak up: "Coach, in my opinion, even if we don't give up, it will be difficult to win this game. Rather than struggling to the end in vain, we might as well just give up tactically."
After listening, Popovich did not immediately express his opinion, but instead turned his attention back to the other players.
Seeing this, Parker quickly said, "I think we should bring on the starters first and see how things go! After all, this is a home game!"
Popovich heard Parker's words and then looked at Duncan.
"Coach, I agree with Parker!" Duncan said softly.
"Looks like everyone still lacks confidence in beating the Clippers! Let's do as Parker suggests!"
After saying that, Popovich walked out of the locker room!
Watching their head coach's retreating figure, the Spurs players finally relaxed a little.
They gradually broke free from the tense atmosphere and regained their composure.
By this time, the cheerleaders inside the stadium had finished their performance and were leaving the field.
Immediately following, the third quarter was about to begin, and players from both sides began to take the court one after another.
Surprisingly, Su Hao did not appear at the competition!
"Huh? Why hasn't Su Hao come on yet? Is he deliberately leaving us a way out, giving us a chance to catch our breath?" Parker turned to look at Duncan sitting on the bench with suspicion and asked casually.
Upon hearing this, even the usually composed and reserved Duncan couldn't help but show a look of surprise.
As expected, at the start of the third quarter, the Spurs only fielded two starters, Parker and Ginobili, along with three other reserve players.
In contrast, the Clippers were led by Curry.
Just when everyone thought that Su Hao's absence from the game was intentional, a deliberate attempt to throw the game, little did they know that it was just a routine tactical personnel adjustment by the Clippers.
After all, the Clippers had already established a huge lead in the previous games, and even if Su Hao is temporarily absent from the court, it is unlikely to have a fundamental impact on the current situation.
Moreover, right now the Spurs only have Parker and a few substitutes on the court, so their strength is relatively limited.
As soon as the players stepped onto the field, cheers from the audience surged like a tidal wave.
As Gang Yi entered the game, Parker shouted at Curry, "Hey Curry! Is Su Hao deliberately trying to go easy on us?"
Upon hearing this, Curry was slightly taken aback and replied, "What on earth are you thinking? He's just taking a normal rest. Besides, you guys didn't let Duncan play either, did you? Don't be so smug after getting the benefits!"
At this moment, judging from the rosters of both teams, it is clear that the Clippers' overall firepower is slightly inferior to that of the Spurs.
After all, the Spurs currently have players like Manu Ginobili, known as "The Maniac Blade," and Tony Parker, the master of ball handling, on the court!
With the referee's whistle, the third quarter officially began.
Gordon then passed the ball steadily to Curry.
Despite facing Ginobili's tight defense, Curry showed no signs of panic, his face radiating confidence.
He closely marked Ginobili, skillfully dribbling the ball all the way to the vicinity of the free-throw line.
Immediately afterwards, Curry executed a beautiful fadeaway jump shot in one smooth motion, the basketball arcing gracefully through the air before landing accurately in the basket.
"Wow! Look how spectacular that shot was! Curry has already taken the lead at the very beginning of the game! It seems that if Su Hao weren't on the court today, Curry would have completely taken over!" Yang Yi shouted excitedly.
Su Qun, standing nearby, chimed in with a smile, "That's right! Without Su Hao competing with Curry for the ball on the court, Curry will undoubtedly get more shot attempts, and his scoring will naturally skyrocket!"
"Wow, I have to say, Curry is really amazing! Just that one play, Ginobili tried his best to defend, but he just couldn't stop him! You know, if Su Hao isn't on the court, Curry is really like a fish in water, playing with ease, scoring is a piece of cake for him!" Coach Zhang said with a smile.
Just then, the Spurs launched a new offensive.
The substitute player quickly passed the ball to Parker.
At this moment, facing the Clippers' defense without Su Hao, Parker's offensive desire was instantly ignited, and his confidence soared.
Gordon, who was responsible for guarding Parker, stayed close to him at all times, not giving him any easy opportunities to shoot.
However, the resourceful Parker quickly found a way to defeat the enemy.
He cleverly used the screen set by his teammates' timely movement to successfully get rid of Gordon's tight defense and jumped up without hesitation to shoot the first three-pointer of the quarter.
With a crisp "swish," the basketball swished cleanly into the net.
Seeing this, Gordon was so anxious that he stomped his feet and waved and gestured at the referee, shouting that the screen was suspected of being an illegal screen and a foul.
Unfortunately, this time the referee did not seem to respond to Gordon's protests.
After successfully sinking the three-pointer, Parker appeared exceptionally excited and domineering.
As he smugly charged toward the sidelines, he gestured a large three-pointer with his hand, as if showing off his superb shooting skills to the entire audience.
It also seemed to be specially made for Su Hao, who was sitting on the sidelines with his eyes closed, completely unaware of the changing situation on the field.
However, although Su Hao was resting with his eyes closed and did not notice Parker's provocative actions, David Lee, who was standing to the side, saw everything.