When the Grizzlies players arrived at their home court, Memphis, by plane, they were all sleepy.

They had just had a sleep on the plane and hadn't woken up yet.

Although I won the ball yesterday, the Grizzlies players were still exhausted. They played 6 games in 8 days and saw that three games had been completed. The physical fitness problems that Stevens was worried about still appeared.

The battle with the Warriors yesterday really consumed the physical strength of the Grizzlies players. The Warriors are not weak teams now, and it is impossible to win them without spending some effort.

It is precisely because of this that Stevens is engaged in egalitarianism on the offensive end. He does this not only to improve offensive efficiency, but also to save the players' physical strength.

They have worked hard enough on the defensive end and cannot continue to fight the Warriors on the offensive end.

Even so, the Grizzlies players still consume a lot of physical energy. Especially for a few outside lines, they followed Curry and Thompson throughout the game, and were very tired.

This time, he returned to Memphis with victory, and the players did not look like a hero returning.

The reporters couldn't help but worry because just an hour ago, the San Antonio Spurs players had arrived at Memphis International Airport. They all looked full of energy, and in terms of mental state, they were much better than the Grizzlies.

Is there really no problem with the Grizzlies in tonight's game?

"We are indeed very difficult, but this is not the first difficulty we have ever encountered. I believe that the players can hold on until the end. The last time we played against the Spurs, we lost by a 4-point gap. However, we will not fall twice in the same place." Although Stevens's answer was passionate, his frown still showed his anxiety.

The Grizzlies players went home after leaving the airport. Stevens arranged the training in the afternoon, with the purpose of giving everyone a little more rest.

The Spurs' training was arranged by Popovich from noon to afternoon, which happened to be staggered with the Grizzlies.

Popovich attaches great importance to this game. After all, in the past two seasons, the San Antonio Spurs have been eliminated by the Grizzlies!

Are the Spurs' strength poor? It's really good. Although the lineup has aging, they are still one of the best teams in the league. After all, they were the second in the regular season in the West last season, and the first in the West the previous season! The only obstacle they encountered was the Grizzlies!

Two years ago, Popovich was able to look down on the Grizzlies. But now, the Grizzlies are definitely Popovich's number one imaginary enemy. If you can't defeat the Grizzlies, you'd be nonsense if you want to break out of the West.

Therefore, every time he encounters a Grizzlies, Popovich takes extra seriousness. He won the last game, but that can only represent a phased victory. If you want to suppress the Grizzlies, you must start from the regular season.

So, an hour before the start of the training, Popovich came to the training hall and prepared to discuss the training plan and combat plan with his colleagues in his coaching staff.

But what Popovich did not expect was that as soon as he pushed open the gate of the training hall, he saw the taciturn No. 2.

Taciturn, that guy is really taciturn. Unlike Duncan, Duncan actually talks a lot in private, and he is very funny, with a perfect score in the sand sculpture attributes, but he is calm on the court.

But Leonard, he is a taciturn person than Duncan. This is true from the court to life.

"Kavai! We've just got off the plane for a few hours! Follow my instructions, you should be resting now." Popovich looked at his watch, then shouted at Leonard, who was practicing shooting.

"I'm not tired, boss." Leonard responded simply to a few words and continued to do his own thing.

Only by talking to this guy can you know what it means to cherish words like gold.

"Boy, it's time to play tonight, so keep some strength. Link can have a drink. Remember what I arranged? Tonight, you have to fight Link and pester him like a ghost. If you can make him perform miserably in the whole game, that's even better."

"I still remember, boss. Don't worry, I won't waste my energy. Tonight, I will die with him."

Popovich nodded with relief. This No. 2 has just experienced a year of growth and is much more practical than last season.

Leonard's progress this year is all-round, and he dares to shoot offensively. This season, Leonard's average score has reached double digits. Of course, the most important thing is the defensive end. In Popovich's eyes, this kid is born a defensive machine.

Excellent wingspan, proper height, strong confrontational ability. Most importantly, Leonard's prediction of defense is now more accurate than last season.

When Popovich's assistant coach Budenhozer made him reluctantly give up and exchange George Hill for Leonard, Popovich refused. George Hill is a point guard with high plasticity, and Popovich firmly believes that the kid can play.

But now, Popovich undoubtedly thinks he has made a profit. Indeed, George Hill is a good player, but Leonard has higher potential. George Hill may be able to grow into a qualified player under the All-Star, but Leonard.

Popovich's expectations for him now are the key figure in the next Spurs!

Even the star!

Popovich believes that Leonard is now enough for Link to have a good drink. Maybe Link will play very smoothly in the first half. But as his physical strength is exhausted, Link will fall into Leonard's entanglement.

In tonight's game, the Spurs are bound to win!

※※※

When Stevens saw the players in the afternoon, everyone on the Grizzlies seemed to be even more tired.

Sometimes this is the case. If you don’t rest and hold on after continuous fatigue, you may be more energetic. But after resting but not resting well, your spirit will decline further.

Now, the Grizzlies players are in a state of "rest but not resting well".

During training, Stevens organized everyone to run the running tactics, but the effect was very bad.

The players who are dragging their tired bodies are unwilling to work hard and will not be able to achieve the training purpose.

In the end, Stevens had to finish the training half an hour early, allowing the players to receive half an hour of muscle relaxation massage.

"It's awful. After all, it's 4-day and 3 games. Today, everyone is too tired." Grizzlies assistant coach Dave Joggel shook his head, wondering how far the Grizzlies can implement the tactics today.

"There is no choice but to let them rest as much as possible. I hope that seeing those guys wearing black jerseys can arouse their fighting spirit at night. By the way, how is the situation on the Spurs?" Stevens wrapped his arms around his chest, very serious. Popovich wants to beat the Grizzlies, and Stevens wants to beat the Spurs too!

First of all, which young coach is not excited to be able to fight with Popovich? Stevens wants to win Popovich, just like Kobe wants to win Jordan back then.

Secondly, if the Grizzlies cannot defeat the Spurs, they cannot rush out of the West.

The Grizzlies' goal this year is very high, and Stevens doesn't want the goal to be unable to be achieved because of the Spurs.

"The Spurs' prediction today should be similar to before. Parker, Danny Green, Leonard, Duncan and Split. This lineup has been honed very maturely this season. On the bench, Ginobili and Burris Dior. I think we will encounter strong blocking today."

After Dave Joggel finished speaking, Stevens nodded silently.

If we can win this game today, Stevens believes that both himself and the players will benefit a lot.

After the massage, the players stepped into the stadium and began to warm up. When they went out, the Spurs, who were the visiting team, had already started to warm up first.
Chapter completed!