Increased intensity 50: 49.
Increased intensity The next day, a rest day after having just finished three games in four days, the Spurs got three days off.
Zhang Yang arrived at the ATT Stadium just after 9 am, requesting the scout reports for the remaining 12 games from Popovich to study.
Over a month had passed; he had diligently studied tactics and techniques and trained.
Although his shooting and playmaking did not show noticeable improvement, the techniques to execute those skills had become much richer than before.
And it was precisely because of his solid basic skills that he could learn so many things so quickly and put them to use.
Having introduced rotations early on, although a bit late after a four-game losing streak, its benefits were starting to show.
And even if it was only starting now, it was better to have Duncan and Ginobili rest one game and play the next rather than being continuously defeated and exhausted.
Besides, the chances of winning were higher after a rest.
All these things, including studying the scout reports now, were preparation for the final 12 regular-season games.
Just by looking through the names of the upcoming games, Zhang Yang discovered another reason for the Spurs’ “end-of-season collapse.”
Out of 12 games, they faced 10 different opponents, nearly all unique, and except for the Kings, all teams were at least 40-win level, equivalent to playoffs caliber, and mostly contending for a playoffs spot.
An absolute killer schedule!
Zhang Yang felt the deep malice from the Jewish schemer; without looking at other teams’ schedules, he could guess that no other team projected to win 50 games had a harder end-of-season schedule than theirs.
When Zhang Yang saw the scout report for the Grizzlies, he looked at the current standings.
He remembered the theory that the Grizzlies deliberately dropped to eighth in the Western Conference to pick the Spurs to compete against, given the Spurs’ continuous losses at the tail end of the regular season.
Now, he also believed that was the case.
But the Grizzlies likely did not have much choice, as they had no chance of moving up to top six.
If they could have surged to fifth to play against the Thunder Team, or sixth to face the Mavericks, Zhang Yang didn’t believe the Grizzlies would have chosen not to try.
The second spot was held by the two-time defending champion Lakers, who were in formidable form.
Given a choice, the Grizzlies would definitely not want to face the Lakers, as their strongest duo, the Black and White bears, had no advantage at all in front of Bynum’s triplet towers.
In other words, regardless of whether the Grizzlies had the confidence to defeat the Spurs, their only option was to drop to eighth and face the Spurs.
After briefly reviewing the scout reports, Zhang Yang placed them in his shoulder bag to study slowly before sleeping, continuing the training: pick and roll breakthroughs, mid-range shots post-screen, Euro step basics…
On March 20th, the Spurs headed to the Pepsi Center in Denver to challenge the Nuggets Team.
During All-Star weekend, the Nuggets sent Anthony and Billups to the Knicks Team; the “Where’s Melo going?” soap opera had been running for over a year.
With the Nuggets dropping out of the Western top eight before the All-Star break and their core players traded away, everyone thought they’d tank the season, with Duke’s Kyrie still very tempting…
However, the group of physically impressive role players received from the Knicks were just what Nuggets Team’s head coach George Karl liked.
His long-suppressed desire to run gun-and-run basketball resurfaced, deploying an eye-catching track-and-field style run-and-gun game.
The Nuggets’ record improved rather than declined, surpassing the Rockets, the Grizzlies, and the Hornets, now competing with the Trail Blazers for fifth in the West!
At 8 pm, the game between the Spurs and the Nuggets began, and the Spurs were having a hard time—the opponents were too fast, and Popovich didn’t let Duncan play.
In the first quarter, the Spurs took a three-point lead, 29 to 26.
In the second quarter, the Nuggets went on a mad sprint, scoring 40 to 35 against the Spurs, taking a two-point lead, 66 to 64, into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Nuggets continued their rapid pace, scoring 33 to 31, extending their lead to four points, leading the Spurs 99 to 95.
However, by the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets could not maintain their pace anymore, the Spurs’ advantages began to show.
The Nuggets Team got bogged down in position battles, almost without any tactics left.
Previously they had Billups initiating attacks and Anthony playing solo, but now it had turned into Felton initiating and JR Smith playing solo…
In the final quarter, having played only 15 minutes in the first three quarters, Ginobili asserted himself by scoring 3 out of 5 shots, including 2 out of 4 three-pointers, plus making both of his free throws, totaling 10 points.
Zhang Yang made 2 out of 4 shots, along with making both of his free throws, scoring 6 points.
Parker hit 3 out of 5 shots to also score 6 points.
The trio joined forces to lead a 29-19 run in the quarter, turning the game around with a 124-118 victory over the Nuggets Team, improving their record to 57 wins and 14 losses!
Zhang Yang played for 32 minutes, making 9 of 16 shots, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 3 out of 4 free throws, scoring 22 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals, marking his third time scoring 20+ points since joining the Spurs!
Defeating the Nuggets Team, Zhang Yang was very excited.
From his memory, the Spurs had started a terrible losing streak from the 12th-last game.
Seeing the ferocious momentum of the Nuggets Team tonight, if Duncan and Ginobili hadn’t rested, even if Duncan had played this game, the Spurs would probably not have outpaced the Nuggets Team, and would have been worn down further after being dragged into a frenetic pace, with each subsequent game possibly ending worse…
But the Ginobili here dazzled in the final quarter, smoothly dominating his matchup against JR Smith, practically showing people through his actions, not to compare any erratic sixth man with him.
Ginobili was able to perform brilliantly in the final quarter not only because of the rest he got, but also because Zhang Yang held the fort in the first three quarters, hitting 7 out of 12 shots for 16 points, which allowed Ginobili to rest for an extended period.
Defeating the Nuggets Team was Zhang Yang’s first step in “changing history”!
Playing against the Nuggets Team was the start of the Spurs’ four consecutive away games, followed by challenges against the Trail Blazers and the Rockets on the 22nd and 24th, respectively.
Both games were tough battles, but luckily they managed to win them both without any mishaps.
Playing the fifth-seeded Trail Blazers in the Western Conference, the Spurs went all out with their main players and led by just 4 points, 96-92, with one minute left.
However, at that time, no one from the Trail Blazers could step up to make crucial shots, and Aldridge looked soft in critical moments, easily blocked by Duncan.
Roy… had been run into the ground by the Trail Blazers, and at just 26 years old, his season stats plummeted to an average of 12-2-2 and a shooting percentage of 39.7%.
In critical moments, Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan didn’t even send him in.
Eventually, the Spurs defeated the Trail Blazers 99-92.
Playing against the ninth-seeded Rockets, Duncan didn’t play, and although Coach Popovich thought the game would be an easy win, they led by just 12 points at the end of the first quarter, 32-20.
However, the Rockets showed resilience and managed to tie the score.
Fortunately, in the third quarter, the Spurs again extended the lead, holding off the Rockets’ comeback with their lead advantage to narrowly win 109-105, achieving a 5-game winning streak and improving their record to 59 wins and 14 losses.
The Nuggets Team, the Trail Blazers, and the Rockets—all three teams tested the Spurs’ strength.
Although the Spurs won all the games, they experienced firsthand the power unleashed by competitors for playoff spots and ranking contenders at the end-season sprint stage.
If they had performed poorly in any aspect, they could have lost!
However, in Zhang Yang’s view, these three games were just the warm-up.
The real test of strength would come in the final game of the four-game road trip—against the Memphis Grizzlies Team!