Switching back and forth between tragedy and comedy, the Spurs always fight with their neighbors

Major historical events happen twice, the first time as a tragedy and the second time as a laugh riot.

For the Rockets, this famous quote, written by two philosophers, Hegel and Marx, aptly sums up their two comeback upsets with the Spurs -

In the first game, they took a 16-point lead into the fourth quarter, then were dragged into overtime by a Spurs defensive rebound and three Lonnie Walker threes, so much so that they had to go back and find the dunk that was blown off by the refs to vent their frustration at being turned back by a large margin.

The Spurs led by as many as 20 points at one point in the second, with Bryn Forbes hitting all six of his three-pointers and Harden's first two of 15 shots again as if the 6818 fiaschi from the previous game had come back to life. However, when the Rockets learned from the Spurs in the fourth quarter of the last game, to improve the intensity of defense, playing defensive counterattack, the Spurs became the Rockets in the fourth quarter of the last game: facing a strong opponent offensive and defensive mishaps, 6 of 6 in the first half Forbes 0 of 6 in the second half, watching the opposite eat away all the lead.

It was only at this time that I remembered that when I was leading by ten or twenty points, I lost a corner three and missed two free throws, so I realized how important these two points were to the whole game. The situation can be remembered, but at that time been confused.

Popovich said after the game, "Every time you get turned around, it's like the worst nightmare, in a sense. You get up to 20 points quickly, but you know at some point that's going to change, and you just have to go and hope it doesn't happen, and that's the game."

So true, that's how Mike D'Antoni felt last game and yourself 15 years ago when you were shown the door by Maddie.

Specifically in this game, while Harden was shooting 2 for 15 from the field, Willis was reveling in the fine tradition of "coming on when you play the Spurs," scoring a game-high 31 points with (relative to his own) remarkable efficiency and dragging the Rockets to the light of Harden's 8 for 14 shooting from behind the arc.

"Sometimes we're more hungry to win than other teams, it's as simple as that. There's no playing style or shooting adjustments that can change that." While Willow's chicken soup is certainly rich, it was their suddenly awakened defense that put the Spurs in the "35 points in a half" dilemma.

The Spurs' old problems came to a head like the flu at the end of the season, as Dejounte Murray and DeRozan's blocked shots were rounded up by the Rockets.

DeRozan, who had taken a stroll on the new three-point shooting boat, looked at the great view from the three-point line and simply said, "These are great, but I don't like them," before stepping off the boat.

In the final moments of the game, the Spurs would rather put up Belinelli, who shot 0 for 4 from three-point range, than remove DeRozan: "It's a tough time, I want to go out there and win for my team, and when you can't go out there, you're in a bad mood."

When you get on the floor and can't pull up, you feel worse.

History gives birth to absurd and ironic coincidences due to its long and steady cycles and frequent and intense conflicts, and the Rockets and Spurs are no exception. In less than 10 days, similar scripts have played out back and forth twice in the form of tragedies and laughs, not to mention all the drama the Spurs and Rockets have had in recent years.

Since Harden joined the Rockets, and Dantoni together with the "three points + basket" magic ball system practiced almost to the point of obsession, the Rockets in the netherworld and the Spurs dovetail. The offensive side of the pursuit of extreme efficiency, the defensive side of the pursuit of five small outside pressure of the Rockets, and ride the mid-range of the small sampan against the water, pinch three points to guard the basket to pursue the discipline of the Spurs, formed a stark contrast between offense and defense to fight each other.

The Rockets' (Harden's) three-point + basket offensive model fell right into the Spurs' defensive map, and the Spurs' tall interior represented by Ade became the focus of the game between the two sides (Ade opened the game yesterday with three straight shots, and I thought for a moment he was going to teach Capela a lesson.) The second round of the 2017 playoffs was the most targeted contest between the Spurs and Rockets' two basketball philosophies, and the most targeted contest between the two sides. The most extreme manifestation of "infinite magnification of each other's shortcomings".

However, with time, the Spurs today are not what they used to be, and with the ninth-lowest defensive efficiency in the league, they have lost the intensity from the outside of the deadly three-point line. Murray and Derrick White can't cover the entire perimeter, not to mention the Spurs have to split those two up.

But the funny thing is, even if the Spurs' outside defense level dives, as long as the defensive strength is in front of Harden, Harden will have a certain chance to fall into the "iron, harder, forcing shots" riddle cycle. The game was played yesterday, Harden only harvested a total of 4 free throws, Lyles in the lane to make up for Harden, hands dancing like a belligerent crab, but not close to Harden's body half a point.

But while flirting, we still have to pay attention - with the Spurs' current defensive resources, Harden's two consecutive slumps don't show how well the Spurs are defending. What's more, when the Spurs dumped one of their few defensive strengths in Harden's face, that Willow became another sharp knife to stab the Spurs.

"I'm not worried about shooting 2 out of 15, even if I'm 0 out of 20 I still have the confidence to make the shot." True to the great heritage of point guards, Harden is also in the same vein as Kobe when it comes to his attitutowardrds iron play. I hope the Spurs' guards can learn from this valuable shooting optimism outside the three-point line, and strive to achieve the great goal of "opening up the offensive space" as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the rest of history will be a tragedy for the Spurs.