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Chapter 48 Creating Opportunities for Performance

"Grandpa, don't worry, I will definitely control my emotions and not let you worry."

In the end, the old Jack's eyes were red, and he looked at Yang Ke and Leonard with apologetic eyes before leaving with Alice in his arms.

"Alice is such a brave little girl."

Yang Ke sighed, looking at Alice lying on Old Jack's shoulders, her small eyes were still red and moist, but there was already a smile on her face.

When Alice walked away from the two, she wrapped her left hand around Old Jack's neck, and waved her right hand towards Yang Ke and Leonard.

Seeing that Old Jack took Alice completely out of sight, Leonard frowned, and murmured, "Yang, what disease do you think Alice has? Is it serious?"

"Don't worry, the problem is not serious. Isn't there an operation in a week? It means that Alice's disease can be cured."

Yang Ke smiled, and seemed to be talking easily, but what he thought in his heart was not so certain.

Nodding his head, Leonard persuaded himself to relax. Thinking of Alice's trust and hope for the performance of the two of them on the court, he tilted his head and stared at Yang Ke: "Yang, have you rested enough?" ?”

"It's enough rest, let's continue training."

Talking calmly, turning around, Yang Ke stared at the basketball hoop under the dim light, and slowly clenched his hands, even if it was for Alice, he should work harder.

Then in the empty gymnasium, accompanied by the sound of the two people breathing more and more, the sound of fierce basketball movement came out again, and all the confrontational individual training performed by Yang Ke and Leonard was standing in the office on the second floor Popovich and Duncan by the window could see clearly.

"What do you think?"

Holding a cup of coffee in his hand, Popovich looked out through the window at the two figures doing intense exercise on the court outside, while the lively discussions of the entire coaching team behind him rang in his ears.

"I never realized that Young and Leonard are improving so quickly. They are really two very talented rookies."

Duncan exclaimed in surprise. Through his careful observation of the confrontation between the two, he discovered that Yang Ke's technical level has improved dramatically.This surprised him very much. As teammates of the two of them, he hadn't noticed such a large-span improvement.

"In the Spurs, Young and Leonard may get steady playing time, but that doesn't mean they have a chance to express themselves."

Popovich said calmly that the Spurs' style was cultivated by him, the ultimate team basketball, and defense as the foundation of the team.So he knows very well that the Spurs already have very limited performance opportunities, and it is difficult to allocate some to Yang and the others.

"We can create performance opportunities for them that don't exist. Old man, don't you often do that?"

Looking away from the window and looking at Popovich, Duncan smiled and said that in his memory, Popovich created a lot of performance opportunities.

"Retire how many old people in your team? Do you want to rest again?"

Resting some players in the middle of the game is the most direct way to create some performance opportunities, and Popovich has often done this in the past.He gave Duncan a blank look, Popovich's mouth was slightly raised, and the coffee in his hand was placed on the table beside him.

Duncan shrugged and didn't deny it: "I'm not young anymore. Why not do something that can not only rest well, but also give the young people in the team a chance to perform?"

He glanced at Duncan with a smile. He felt very lucky to have a player like Duncan in the team. He turned around and found Borrego, and asked, "Who did we play away from in the last two games?"

"The Jazz and the Lakers, and the game against the Lakers is broadcast live across the United States."

Borrego looked at the schedule in his hand.

These two teams are hard nuts to crack. The former has a hot-blooded fighting style and has few flaws in the lineup, while the latter is more difficult to deal with. In the city of Los Angeles, there is a well-deserved king of the league, Kobe Bryant special.

In contrast, the former is easier to deal with, and although the latter has a bigger stage, the Spurs led by Yang and Leonard may not be able to deal with it.

Frowning, Popovich had difficulty making a choice for a while, and finally looked sideways at Duncan, wanting to hear what he thinks as a player.

"Let Young and Leonard lead the team to play the Jazz?"

Duncan frowned, thought for a long time and said with some uncertainty, as Kobe's old opponent, he knew very well that as a paranoid competitor, what Kobe wanted to do was to do everything possible to destroy the opponent's confidence, no matter where he was aspect.

For now, if you want to solve the current dilemma faced by Yang Ke and Leonard, you really need opportunities to perform, but a big stage is equally important. After all, the attention of the Spurs and Jazz is low.

Popovich glanced at Duncan and asked, "Are you worried that Young and Leonard won't be able to bear it?"

"That's true. I'm afraid that under the impact of Kobe, the two of them will not perform well, and then it will be counterproductive."

Duncan nodded. No one would underestimate a Lakers with Kobe and Gasol. Although Yang and Leonard have improved a lot in his opinion, he still doesn’t believe that they can lead the Spurs without GDP. team, returning from a victory in Los Angeles.

"We gave them a chance to vent. When all the repressed things in their hearts burst out, their immediate combat ability will be improved! They may not perform poorly."

Popovich frowned. He was a little unwilling to give up such a once-and-for-all opportunity. If Yang Ke and Leonard performed well in the game against the Lakers, don't think that more than half of those media reporters would definitely Shut up.

"Ordinary explosions are not enough, unless you can find a way to add fire to them, it is best to add fire to the entire team. Otherwise, it will be very difficult, because they are going to face Kobe!"

Shaking his head, Duncan sighed, the game against the Lakers is generally a very good training opportunity for rookies.However, given the encounter between Yang and Leonard, they must never experience another failure in the game against the Lakers. Under the attention of the global media, it will be a disaster for the two.

"Okay, when we gather tomorrow, I will announce that I will be resting in the game against the Jazz, Parker, Ginobili and you."

After pondering for a while, Popovich finally gave up his idea. As Duncan said, it is very difficult for two rookies to pass Kobe and step on the Lakers in an ordinary outbreak. It is very difficult to become famous in one battle.

You can dislike Kobe's independence, or even the entire Lakers team.But anyone who knows basketball knows that Kobe's dominance on the court is all-round. He is paranoid, powerful, and extremely destructive.

The Lakers with Kobe in a healthy state, coupled with a seasoned Gasol, have the strength to win the championship, so it is necessary for the incomplete Spurs led by two rookies to win a victory at their home court. very tough.

(End of this chapter)