Unconsciously, the Spurs have not made the playoffs for two seasons, and almost everyone is saying that Popovich is paranoid, for personal historical honor, regardless of the future of the Spurs in The Holy City. But who would have thought that Popovich, who always refused to mess up the rebuild, still helped the team develop an All-Star player, Murray. Yes, Murray not only crowned the All-Star this season, but also became the three-double king in Spurs history, and Popovich also successfully became the head coach of the first win in NBA history.
Of course, with the Spurs' 28-41 record and the eleventh place in the West, it will take a lot of effort to get back to the playoffs. In this game, Popovich pulled the team to Portland to challenge the Blazers on the road. At the beginning of the game, the Spurs launched a strong offensive aggressiveness and gained a score lead. Murray shot 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in the first quarter with 100 percent shooting from 4 of 4 of 4, and Vassell also had 13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal, helping the team to play a 45-27 single-quarter score to take an 18-point lead.
The start of the game was a feat of domination, and the Spurs continued to threaten after entering the second quarter of the showdown. Murray continued to maintain a 100% shooting percentage, delivering 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal, and Kelden Johnson also delivered 11 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal, leading the team to a 36-26 score and another 10-point lead. By the end of the first half, the Spurs were already ahead of the Trail Blazers by a crucial 28 points. There is no doubt that the Spurs have beaten the Blazers with no ability to fight back, and it is imperative to win the game.
The situation is still developing smoothly. In the third quarter, the Spurs continued to play 33-28 with the two reverse eyes on the team. By the time it reached the crucial final-quarter showdown, the point difference between the two sides had reached 33 points, and the game had lost suspense. In the end, the Spurs closed the army early, sending only rotating players to continue to consume the remaining regular time, and scored a 133-96 score, completing a 37-point victory! Without the core players with high picks, Murray and Kelden, the two reverse eyes, once again played the value.
Among them, Murray gave a game-high score of 28 points in the course of 30 minutes, as well as 6 rebounds and 7 assists. And Kelden's performance is also good, also handed over 26 points and 4 rebounds, in the process of helping the team to establish a lead, made a big contribution. In fact, the Spurs were able to achieve a big win, not only thanks to the outstanding data performance of the team's reverse charts, but also the overall outside three-pointers in the team, but also achieved a major breakthrough: 19 of 44 three-pointers in a single game, playing the style of the small-ball era.
Of course, their opponents in this game, the Portland Trail Blazers, have lost their original competitiveness without the star Lillard, and gradually deviated from the normal track. In the face of such a kneading fish belly team, popovich wants not to bully them.