Chapter 320: Strike Again
In the fifth game between the Warriors and the Rockets, the Warriors did not give another chance.
That way, both teams have plenty of rest, and the Cavaliers don't take advantage of that.
In this game, Harden's performance was extremely sluggish, he scored 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting, but handed out 13 turnovers. This is not only a career-high turnover for Harden, but also an all-time NBA playoff record.
The Rockets lost 90-104 to the Warriors after a hard-fought away game, thus exiting the tournament with a total score of 1-4, and the journey of the season ended.
For the first time in 40 years, the Warriors reached the Finals and met the Cavaliers.
No matter which team wins the Cavaliers and Warriors, it is a break with tradition, and the Finals are full of gimmicks.
At the same time, both teams have offensive stars and stars, which is also a good option for the league.
Zhang Xiaotian was full of confidence in the interview, but he was also very wary of the Warriors' lineup.
The Warriors are one of the few teams in the league that are strong in offense and defense, and they are more wary of the Warriors' defense than the offensive Cavaliers.
This is a big threat to the Cavaliers' star to lead the offense.
Of course, the Splash Brothers' shooting will definitely be a big problem, and unlike the average shooter, they are not so easy to defend after turning a conventional weapon into an ultimate.
The only thing that can be proud is that the Cavaliers have a lot of experience in the finals, especially the two strong points James and Zhang Xiaotian.
On June 4, the first game of the Finals was played on the Warriors' home court.
The Warriors are a big and four small lineup, and Draymond Green is a swing forward, although he plays the No. 4 position, he is actually not as tall as James.
However, they often don't have a center on the court, let Draymond Green play the No. 5 position, and use a pure small lineup to break down the opponent's defense, which is known as the Death Five.
The Cavaliers didn't follow the opponent on the big and four small, they went up first on the double inside, and the Warriors will definitely use Barnes, Draymond Green and Iguodala to take turns against James, and the Cavaliers won't let James go inside to fight the opponent in the first place.
At the beginning of the game, Curry, the new regular season MVP, didn't feel good, and Klay Thompson did the same, they were playing the Finals for the first time, and they would definitely be a little nervous.
Owen also doesn't feel good, but Zhang Xiaotian is different from James, they are already familiar with this kind of matchup.
At the beginning of the game, James ate Barnes alone several times.
Barnes has been doing well as a rookie, but the Warriors have been getting better and better in recent seasons, and this guy doesn't feel like he has any offense, maybe it's because the Splash Brothers are too good and it's affecting him.
With someone on the inside to help defend, he doesn't limit James well.
However, on Zhang Xiaotian's side, Klay Thompson was very annoying, and it was difficult for Zhang Xiaotian to get a suitable shot, but he still seized a chance to hit a three-point shot in the first half of the quarter, and he didn't have a chance against Klay Thompson.
After playing half a quarter, Barnes was replaced, and the main defense of James became Iguodala.
Iguodala is good defensively, but he also has the problem of not being as strong as James.
If you want to fight with James, Draymond Green has hope, but Draymond Green may have a little more difficulty with James.
The reason why James is difficult to defend is that his quality is too strong in all aspects, and the only shooting problem is better than most players.
In fact, the Warriors' defense worked, and James broke into it and was also covered by Bogut.
But the Warriors' own offense didn't come out, and the Cavaliers were the main opponents, whether it was covered or what, an old player like James didn't care at all.
Take advantage of the position to play, and when you are caught in the bag, you will distribute the ball to the outside line, which is simple and effective.
However, the MVP is not blown, Curry adjusted his feel in the second quarter, and his shooting suddenly became full of shots, and under Curry's power, the Warriors' overall offense was also active.
The essence of the Warriors' offense is not in the three-point shooting, but in the coordination of passing and cutting, and the constant passing and cutting are unguardable.
So to deal with the Warriors, there must be top defensive players on the inside, and the Cavaliers are still a little short of this standard, but why did they defend it in the first quarter, because the Warriors only play pass cuts and the Hawks and Celtics are similar, and the three points are their sublimation on the offensive end.
In particular, the unreasonable three points of the Splash Brothers are the finishing touch of tactics.
Without their terrifying shooting percentage on the outside, any team can stock up on two inside and watch them cut the basket like this.
After Curry was unreasonable, the Warriors quickly chased the score.
At halftime, the Cavaliers' double-digit lead was three points.
Defending Curry can also switch defenses, but a player of his level can't completely limit it with defense.
Curry's three-point strength gives the impression of being in other aspects, but in fact, his breakthrough and organization are at the top level, and even the rebounds are very good, and the top All-Stars are not so easy to do.
At halftime, the team didn't think of a one-size-fits-all solution to Curry.
I've thought about this question countless times before, but I can only follow him and not let him take an easy shot from outside the three-point line.
Because you can't always pinch him outside the three-point line, this is the most difficult place for Curry to defend, his range is too far, not only outside the three-point line, but also two or three steps outside.
On the offensive end, James had a good hand in the first half and basically didn't need to adjust much.
It's useless to talk too much, there are a lot of things that the athlete needs to feel on the field.
In the third quarter, Klay Thompson also adjusted, and came up to meet Zhang Xiaotian's defensive shot.
As soon as the Splash Brothers opened, the pressure on the knight's side was high.
And there is a big problem, that is, in terms of bench tactics, the Cavaliers are too far behind.
There is a problem with too many star tactics, and the substitutes will not attack many times.
has reached the finals, and there is no need for the knight to hide it, he will directly make a big move, and he will not rest on the top of several strong points.
Fortunately, James is physically strong enough, otherwise he would have been killing ordinary people in it, not to mention tired, and those fouls should have hurt people.
At the last point of the third quarter, Zhang Xiaotian went down to take a short rest to prepare for the end of the quarter.
And at the beginning of the fourth quarter, James also had to take a break, all of which was to slow down and then make the final fight.
On the Warriors' side, Curry is actually playing against the top, but his style of play looks easier.
In the final moments of the third quarter, Iguodala steals James to help the Warriors tie the score.
Iguodalara's hands are about the same as knives.
The two sides are standing on the same starting line, and whether the Cavaliers can have an advantage in the final quarter depends on Zhang Xiaotian.
A large number of his supporters are also waiting for this moment.
At the finals, the gods descended and once again thought about the highest honor sprint. Read the latest chapters, stay tuned