March 1, 2001, although today is Thursday, but the entire Sleep Train Arena still maintains a very high attendance, this season's Kings can be said to be the most successful season in the history of the Kings, after the introduction of Chris Webber and Verratti Divac last season, this team has been on the verge of the playoffs, this season has become a powerhouse in the West, excellent record, gorgeous style of play, Sacramento Kings in this season is also attracting the attention of countless fans, The Kings are currently ranked first in the league with a 40-16 record, and the Kings' star Chris Webber is also the biggest favorite for regular season MVP this season.

Spurs and Kings, today's game will determine the current No. 1 in the league, so this game that has attracted a lot of attention will also be broadcast live to the United States today, because last season the Kings were only ranked 8th in the West, so the number of live broadcasts of the Kings to the United States this season is also only a handful. But with the strong rise of the Kings this season and the gorgeous style of play under the Princeton system, many games of the Kings have been temporarily added to ABC's national live broadcast list this season, and the Kings vs. defending champion Spurs are undoubtedly on this list.

"Erwin, this one looks like it's going to be a very tight fight." As a player of the away team, when Meng Xu was the first to hold out his chest and wave to the fans in the stadium of the sleeping train, Michaels, the on-site commentator of the game, also said with a smile. Among the current 29 teams in the NBA, there are always some teams with extremely strange names on their home courts, and the Sacramento Kings are typical of them.

"Yes, this game is not only about the battle for the top spot in the league, but it will probably also determine the final MVP. I think both Tim Duncan and Chris Webber have been looking forward to this game for a long time. Magic Johnson nodded, agreeing with Michaels' statement, while also pointing out some of the reasons why the game was thought to be fierce before it even started. After Iverson has begun to gradually fall out because of the team's record, the biggest favorites for MVP this season are only Chris Webber and Tim Duncan, although Webber has a clear advantage in statistics, but the MVP selection is not only based on personal data, the team's record is the most important factor. In the first 3 games between the King and the Spurs, the King lost two of them, so if the King loses this game again, then Chris Webber will basically not be able to beat Duncan in the MVP competition, and Duncan is the same, as long as he leads the King in terms of record, and at the same time has an advantage in the confrontation between the two, then Weber will not be able to compete with himself at all.

When the Spurs' players finished playing, the Kings' players began to play one by one, and when the Kings' leading player Chris Webber played as the final finale, the atmosphere of the entire Sleep Train Arena instantly reached a climax. At the same time, the audience at the entire Sleep Train Arena also stood up and applauded Webb, which also shows how influential Chris Webb is now in Sacramento.

"Tim, I'm not going to lose to you in this game." When the warm-up of the two teams was over, and all the starters were on the court, the two protagonists of the game, Duncan and Webb, stood in the center circle at the same time, and when the referee on the side put the whistle in his mouth and held the basketball in both hands and was ready to throw it into the air, Chris Webber glared at Tim Duncan and said calmly.

And Duncan was still staring at the basketball in the referee's hand expressionlessly, and at the same time glanced at Webb on the opposite side, and Duncan was noncommittal about Webb's challenge. Although Weber's stats seem to be much better than Duncan's, and in the current media rumors, Duncan is no longer the strongest of the "four big forwards", but in Duncan's heart, he has only one opponent, that is, the big fat man of the Lakers, and only the big fat man can force himself to use his full ability, and still can't guarantee the team to win. As for the remaining 3 of the so-called "Big Four", as long as Duncan is willing, when facing them, whether it is scoring, rebounding, offense, and defense, it is a very easy thing. And what Duncan cares about is whether the team can win or not, and other than that, there is nothing that Duncan can't give up.

"I'm going to beat you." After seeing Duncan completely ignore himself, Webb also said fiercely in his heart, I must beat you in this game, and then see if you will be like this.

The starting lineup of the Kings in this game is center Verratti Divac, power forward Chris Webb, small forward Peja Stojakovic, scoring guard Doug Christie, and playmaking guard Jason Williams, the Kings' lineup has been very stable since last season, and the starting five have basically not been replaced this season. And the Spurs are still center David Robinson, power forward Tim Duncan, small forward Sean Elliott, scoring guard Mario Ely, and organization guard Meng Xu.

Today's game is undoubtedly a spear and shield matchup, this season's Kings are currently the most efficient team in the league in scoring, the most gorgeous offense, while the Spurs are the most solid defensively and the player who concedes the fewest points, this season's Spurs are still the only team in the league to limit opponents to less than 90 points. At the same time, this game is also given a deeper meaning, the Kings and Spurs, if nothing else, the two teams must have a good chance of meeting in the playoffs, so the current two teams also need to better understand each other's strengths and weaknesses and find ways to crack each other's tactics.

When the referee's whistle blew and Chris Webber beat Duncan's jump ball, the battle for the league's top spot officially began. And from the beginning of this game, the two sides did not have any reservations, the Kings side is constantly using rotation and running to try to tear apart the Spurs' defense, and the Spurs are just the opposite, David Robinson stays near the basket and does not go out, preventing the Kings' players from going to the bottom line and going to the back door, while Duncan is a one-on-one defense Chris Webber, the Spurs' tactics in this game are very clear, that is, to let go of Verratti Divac on the offensive end, for this center who now likes to float outside, in the case that David Robinson can't keep up with him, Spurs are resolutely letting him go. In the King's tactics, Verratti Divac, as a center, often pulls the center of the defense out, and then creates opportunities for Webb to go through the back door, in this case, many teams' defenses will be ravaged by the Kings at will, so most of the Spurs' defensive attention today is also focused on Webb.

"Jason, be careful." After Meng Xu posted Jason Williams who dribbled just after the middle circle, looking at the Kings guard in front of him who seemed to have a shadow on him, Meng Xu's mood was also very happy. At last season's All-Star Rookie Challenge, Jason Williams' elbow pass in front of him is still one of the most classic images in the Rookie Challenge, and I am afraid that I will have to use Jason Williams as a background board all the time. And Meng Xu's retaliatory defense against Jason Williams in the subsequent game was even booed by the fans at the scene, so as long as he met the king and Jason Williams after that, Meng Xu would play very excitedly.

"I'll go, slut." Jason Williams half-turned around and protected the ball very carefully, and at the same time called his teammates to block and dismantle, since last season's rookie challenge, every time he encounters this slut, Jason Williams will feel that everything is not going well, and even the mood is very bad, this game is the same, as long as he sees Meng Xu's cheap smile, Jason Williams's stomach is rolling.

At this time, Adelman on the sidelines is also frowning, the key to winning this game is whether Webber can tear apart the Spurs' defense and better organize the team in tandem, as the tactical core of this king, Webber is not only the team's first offensive point, but also the team's offensive initiation point and response point, so in this case, Weber's performance also directly determines the king's overall performance. On the opposite side, the Spurs from Duncan and David Robinson last season, to Duncan and Meng Xu this season, have always had two very stable players who can both attack and respond, so the Spurs' offense cannot be locked at all, especially Meng Xu, once this guy goes crazy, no one can stop him. To sum up, in Adelman's eyes, the Spurs have always been a team dressed as a team team, but in fact, it is a team with a superstar style of play.

At the beginning of this game, Popovich's tactics were slow, the slower the better, with Duncan and David Robinson, the two major inside lines, and Meng Xu, the Spurs who broke through well, the ability to attack and the rhythm of the game are among the best in the league, so the slower the rhythm on the court, the better it is for the Spurs. The Kings are different, the Princeton system requires players to have a lot of off-ball running, air cuts and counter-runs, and under such strict requirements, the slow pace of the game is undoubtedly very detrimental to the Kings.