One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Three. The Other Party Will Not Be Fooled
In the last 6 minutes of the tough halftime, the Grizzlies continued their offensive state, but it was not a broad sense of continuing their offensive state. It was just that the two teams had a pretty good success rate under not very good opportunities, which was also a manifestation of good state.
The score was 13 to 14 in the first half, and the Grizzlies entered the halftime break with a two-point deficit of 61 to 63!
The two-point difference was acceptable to Sun Ce and his teammates and the coaching staff.
Harden scored 17 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in the first half, Draymond Green scored 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the first half, Iguodala scored 11 points and 2 assists in the first half, and Curry scored 13 points in the first half. The Warriors scored 48 points out of the 63 points.
On the Grizzlies side, Sun Ce scored 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in the first half, Paul George scored 15 points and 5 assists in the first half, Aldridge scored 12 points in the first half, and Klay Thompson scored 8 points in the first half... The Grizzlies had more players who scored than the Warriors, but the Warriors' superstars played very well tonight.
In this case, although the score was overtaken, the difference was only two points, and the Grizzlies felt very fortunate.
The Warriors, who were getting better, played really well in the last 6 minutes of the first half. They were not obviously suppressed, but played back and forth, which was a very good situation for the Grizzlies.
Playing away, the opponent was 0-2 behind and the atmosphere of the away fans was very good. The Warriors showed their strengths very well!
At halftime, Sun Ce was not tired in the first half. He played for more than 18 minutes in total. In the first quarter, he was still mainly focused on containment. He only had 3 rounds of ball attack and scored 4 points and 2 assists. In the second quarter, he scored 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal, which was a real all-out effort.
During the halftime break, Coach Hollins had no special adjustments to make. He only had to strengthen the confrontation and ensure the success rate of the attack... It all depended on the players' on-the-spot performance!
But the Warriors were the same on the other side. At this point, there was really nothing to adjust in terms of details.
What the head coaches of the two teams had to do was to make good rotations and not let the overall situation go wrong because of the state and physical strength of a certain player.
After the halftime break, the second half of the game began, and the crucial third quarter was here!
The Warriors sent out a combination of Curry, Harden, Harrison Barnes, Salinger and Draymond Green.
In the first half, it was mainly Harden who played hard. Harden led his teammates to play to their minimum strength.
Curry raised his ceiling! In the third quarter, Curry began to strengthen his personal offense.
The Grizzlies re-deployed the outside trio at the beginning of the second half, and the Warriors unexpectedly deployed the inside combination of Randolph and Aldridge, starting the triangle offense mode!
This is the first time in this series that the Grizzlies played the triangle offense with the full starting lineup of the regular season, and the Warriors almost forgot about it!
If the Grizzlies used this tactic as a regular tactic, the Warriors would probably have gotten used to how to deal with the Grizzlies' triangle offense. After all, the Grizzlies' triangle offense is not perfect, but it can be used. Unless the lineup is very restrained, it can only be used as a surprise move.
Because there are other better tactical strategies available, Coach Hollins temporarily hid this move, and now it is used!
The triangle offense greatly reduced the consumption of Sun Ce and Paul George in the third quarter, mainly playing Klay Thompson's running shooting and Randolph's low-post singles. Aldridge encountered Salinger's low scoring efficiency, but his high-low passes helped Sun Ce complete two cut-in layups.
The moment for the Grizzlies to really play an advantage in this game has come!
At 4 minutes and 55 seconds in the third quarter, the Grizzlies overtook the Warriors by 3 points with a score of 77 to 74!
At 6 minutes and 36 seconds in the third quarter, with Randolph's offensive rebound and Paul George's mid-range shot, the Grizzlies led the Warriors by 5 points with a score of 83 to 78 and entered the official timeout!
This time, Steve Kerr was forced to call a timeout again. He really didn't want to call a timeout to change players. They were already in a good state. The score was overtaken, but the Grizzlies played better.
He didn't know if he could continue to maintain his good state, so he didn't want to disrupt the rhythm of his own players, but hoped that the opponent's offensive performance could be reduced during the game.
And Steve Kerr saw that the Grizzlies' lineup was playing to consume Aldridge, Randolph, and Klay Thompson, creating easier scoring opportunities for Sun Ce and Paul George, two players who were in better condition tonight.
There is nothing wrong with such tactics. Sacrificing some players to create opportunities for the best players is the way the tactics should be.
So Steve Kerr wanted to further consume the three players who sacrificed voluntarily from the Grizzlies.
After all, the game was played by five people. If the opponent had three big stars and consumed a lot of energy, the Warriors, who also had five big stars, would be more advantageous.
But there was no way. The opponent's strength in the third quarter was too strong! The score difference was pulled to 5 points. If the timeout was not called, once the opponent established a clear lead, the nightmare scene would come again.
Steve Kerr obviously saw through the opponent's intention - sacrifice three big stars, pull the score difference, and start iron-blooded defense based on Sun Ce and Paul George!
...
Entering the timeout, Coach Hollins was a little regretful. The opponent's rookie coach was not fooled!
But think about the fact that the opponent won so many championships as a player and a role player, and served as the general manager of an NBA team for many years, so he must have some vision.
After the triangle offense showed its effectiveness, Coach Hollins took advantage of a dead ball to signal Klay Thompson, Aldridge, and Randolph to go all out and not worry about the next game, trying to reduce the consumption of the double-one defense combination of Sun Ce and Paul George, and try to open the score.
What he wanted to do next was what Steve Kerr was alert about.
And the relaxed confrontation in the playoffs gave Coach Hollins an opportunity!
Although the Grizzlies did not get many whistles, the opponent Warriors did not get too many whistles. The tactics of both sides were generally smooth, but the Grizzlies were in better shape at the beginning of the second half.
But unfortunately, the opponent called a timeout in time, otherwise it was possible to drag the standard official timeout time by one or two minutes, and the Grizzlies would have the opportunity to create a greater lead.
However, even so, it was nothing. A tactic that takes up to one quarter of the game to implement is often like this. If it succeeds, the reward is high, but it is very easy to fail.
Moreover, even though the big tactics failed, the Grizzlies didn't suffer any loss. They were leading by 5 points, which was not a loss at all.
After being beaten 20 to 12 in the second quarter, the Grizzlies returned a wave of 22 to 14 at the beginning of the second half!
Sun Ce played very well in this half. He scored 9 of the 22 points. He made a three-pointer from Aldridge's high-post pass in the bottom corner after a pick-and-roll, two layups, and two free throws after being knocked over by Draymond Green during a breakthrough. He easily got 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block!
With 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal, Sun Ce's score tonight has exceeded Harden and Curry! And compared with these two, Sun Ce played too easily in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, when it was time to stop, Randolph and Aldridge returned to the bench and sat down. Maybe because of fatigue or because they saw the 5-point lead, they felt obviously relaxed.
This is why Coach Hollins didn't want to call a timeout and didn't call a timeout. These two players who are extremely important in the triangle offense are both inside players. Although Klay Thompson is an extremely important part of the triangle offense, it is difficult for Klay Thompson to be the main attack point to make Sun Ce and Paul George play easily. He can't launch an attack at this point, so the two inside players are the two who consume the most physical energy. Maybe after the timeout, the two can't guarantee to play the previous performance.
But since it's already like this, Coach Hollins didn't feel frustrated. They already have a leading advantage. The next goal is very simple, to maintain the leading advantage and find opportunities to expand the leading advantage. The key is to maintain the leading advantage!
...
Sun Ce and Paul George continued to play, and Tony Allen, Larry Sanders, and Gobert were replaced.
Seeking stability, of course, is to defend!
Steve Kerr was very depressed at this time. Although he saw through the opponent's plan, they were still at a disadvantage. The opponent suddenly launched a triangle offense in the third quarter, and they were completely unable to cope with it. After the triangle offense of the five stars was played smoothly...Steve Kerr couldn't imagine how much the Grizzlies could play the strength of the five stars if they were given a summer to rebuild the triangle offense, have a complete training camp and preseason games to prepare, and then go through a regular season run-in!
Fortunately, Randolph's downward trend is obvious, and Steve Kerr feels that the pressure in the future is much less.
There is also the last year of Klay Thompson's rookie contract and he will face a contract extension in the summer. There must be many teams digging him, and the Warriors themselves will make progress. After all, Curry, Harden, and Draymond Green have not reached their peak yet, and there is still a chance to fight in the future.
However, Steve Kerr still thinks this season is the best opportunity! Leonard of the Lakers has also made great progress. As an excellent head coach, Steve Kerr can see that Leonard has almost laid a solid foundation. He is expected to average 20+ points per game next season! When Kobe retires or further reduces his playing time, Leonard is expected to become a top star! A top star on the offensive end! With defense, he is a real superstar!