Chapter 783 [All Hits, Explosion! 】
111 to 95, the Clippers got off to a good start in the finals.
After the game, Yang Rui commented on the game and said: "The Nets are very strong. They definitely have the ability to compete for the championship. It's a pity that they can't do it this year because the Clippers have reached their peak and their regular season record is enough to prove everything."
Paul scored 19 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals, and Deron scored 21 points, 2 rebounds and 10 assists. The two performed equally well.
Deron couldn't even do the daily "eating, sleeping and beating Paul" that fans said, so how could he beat Paul Gacury?
Curry finally played 34 minutes and scored 31 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, the highest score in the game. If Paul wants to win the MVP, he still has to compete with him.
Nash didn't play well today. He made 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 1 of 1 free throws. He only scored 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Nash's fans hope that he can realize his championship dream at the end of his career and play to the level of a star.
It's a pity that if you want to play a role in the finals, you must first not be a defensive black hole. As he grows older, Nash's defense is getting worse and worse. In this year's playoffs, he was not accurate from three-point range, only 38%, and averaged 0.6 shots per game. It was not a good opportunity to miss.
Even if you put aside defense and only look at offense, Nash's scoring efficiency has dropped far compared to his peak, with only 13.3 points and 6.4 assists every 38 minutes. Therefore, he is not even a good role player in the positional offensive system.
Yao Ming played 34 minutes, making 10 of 18 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. But he exposed his physical problems, and his efficiency dropped significantly in the last 6 minutes of the final quarter.
The problem for many Chinese athletes is that their physical condition declines rapidly as they age. Yao Ming is 33 years old, not too old, and has lost weight, but after all, he is a 226cm giant, and his consumption on the court is much greater than that of shorter players.
In the first three quarters, Yao Ming could keep up with the rhythm. In the last quarter, he was one of the slowest players in the league. He was like O'Neal after the 2006 season. He could no longer perform 20+10 because his efficiency would drop after playing more than 25 minutes. , the overall playing time must be controlled within 30 minutes, this game timed out.
When the players were interviewed, they all said that it was no different from last season's finals and they were confident of winning.
Paul said: "Our mentality is very relaxed. As long as we perform at a normal level, the Clippers will definitely win. What everyone has to do now is to clearly divide the work and seize the opportunity."
Griffin scored 17 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists. His performance was average. He didn't take many shots. He mostly used screens to create opportunities for his teammates. When asked about the data, he said: "I don't care about the data. I just want to defend my title successfully. This is the goal of all of us."
The reporter asked Curry: "You won the regular season MVP, but you have to play as a substitute. How do you feel about this matter?"
"I don't have any special feelings. I will always follow the coach's arrangements. We won easily today, which shows that the coach's arrangements are correct."
Curry doesn't think it's embarrassing to be on the bench. This is the benefit of communication. He knows that he will be on top. If Yang Rui didn't talk to him and Paul during the season and pointed out that Paul would leave in the summer, Curry would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Now, the team in the finals wants Paul to win the Finals MVP. Curry is just an assistant. No one will blame him for the difference in statistics. If he plays well as a substitute and steals Paul's MVP, no one will blame him, only Paul. Disappointing.
Therefore, he is not under any pressure and can perform more freely, which is an unexpected blessing.
After two days of rest, the two sides played their second game in Los Angeles on June 9.
Stevens arranged for the players to practice tactics for two days and find ways to strengthen the offense and defense in the second quarter. If the offense cannot be stronger or Curry is restricted, it will be difficult for the Nets to win.
The final plan decided by the Nets was to flank Curry from outside the three-point line. To deal with Paul and Griffin, it was enough to flank him near the penalty area.
Doing so really limits Curry, causing his shooting percentage to drop. One person constantly looking for physical confrontation makes it difficult for Curry to get the ball.
After getting the ball, the two men teamed up to prevent him from taking an easy shot, forcing him to distribute the ball. The Nets would rather let Gay, Danny Green, Tony Allen, Battier and others shoot open shots than make Curry comfortable.
However, the result of this defensive strategy was that they led by 27 points in three quarters and entered garbage time.
It doesn't matter if you leave Tony Allen and Battier open. They are not accurate in shooting this playoffs. You can get by with Gay if you leave him open. His three-point ability is average. His state in this playoffs is not very good. He averages 10 points per game. 10.2 points, just an ordinary role player.
But leaving Danny Green short will cause big problems. His three-point accuracy this season is no worse than Curry and Korver.
Green broke out this time, playing 30 minutes, making 6 of 6 shots, 5 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 17 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.
In Yang Rui's previous life, the Spurs were reversed by the Heat and won the championship in 2013. If a player shoots accurately next season, the CCTV5 commentators will not say that this person looks like Curry, but will say, "This is simply Danny Green"!
Before Curry and Thompson received the nickname "Splash Brothers", Green was considered the most accurate for a while.
In this life, because there are too many people playing in the Clippers, Green's statistics are not very conspicuous. In the finals, the Nets underestimated him and paid a heavy price for his comeback.
Paul also performed very well. He could always protect the basketball, find open spaces, and pass the ball to his teammates. He scored 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists in three quarters with zero turnovers. He still didn't score a lot, but he drove the team's offense.
There are two things Curry can't compare to Paul, and that is passing and controlling the rhythm.
"Orc" Farid also got a chance to play for 10 minutes, actively played fast breaks and scored 8 points.
In the last game, Faried didn't play for even a minute. He was so weak that he almost exploded. He was full of energy and rushed forward. Not to mention Blatche, Favors, and Yao Ming in the paint, even Joe Johnson and Bogan. Stuart couldn't catch up with him.
Seeing that the score was too far behind and the tactics were ineffective, Stevens simply gave up the game and replaced all the main players.
In the final quarter, there was a substitute battle between the two sides. Yang Rui let Paul play for another 6 minutes. Against Nash, Curry rested. This was a clear intention to help him win the MVP.
Paul led the bench, and the offense was still very organized. The players played as they practiced before the game, with pick-and-rolls in the middle, side screens, and occasionally an Eagles offensive routine.
Nash can't guard Curry, and he can't guard Paul either. Curry catches the ball and shoots towards Nash, while Paul uses another method, forcing a breakthrough, getting rid of Nash for a layup, or attracting the defense and assisting his teammates.
Paul scored 8 points and 4 assists in the final quarter, and scored a total of 22 points, 6 rebounds, 16 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes, leading the team to continue to widen the point difference.
Nash didn't rest in the second half, and finally performed against Barbosa, hitting two three-pointers and one mid-range shot, scoring 8 points.
The scene seems to be about friendship first and competition second. When Barbosa broke through, he was knocked over by Reggie Evans, and Nash gave him a friendly hand. The two hugged lightly and patted each other on the back.
The two have been teammates on the Suns for many years and have a good relationship.
Although many media claimed in 2011 that Nash was cuckolded by Barbosa and the child born to Nash's wife was Barbosa's biological child, Nash became furious and immediately divorced his wife. Barbosa was also traded away by the Suns. But it was later confirmed that Nash's cheating was the real reason for his lightning divorce, and Barbosa was lying on his back.
In the end, the Clippers won 123-95, leading the total score 2-0.
Although there is a precedent in NBA history for coming back from a 0-2 deficit in the Finals to win the championship, the target of the reversal will definitely not be a team like the Clippers, which has broken historical records in the regular season.