Chapter 1578 1577. Strength Advantage

16 of 28 shots, including 7 of 12 three-pointers, scored 48 points, 6 rebounds and 13 assists!

In the first game, thanks to Liu Mang's spurt in the second quarter, the Hawks defeated the Suns 129 to 118 and defended their first home court!

This finals score is unparalleled, the Hawks almost scored 130 points in a single game!

Everyone knows that the Suns have little chance of defending Liu Mang, but not many people thought that the Suns would let Liu Mang shoot 16 of 28 in the first game. If Liu Mang's buzzer-beating three-pointer with 23 seconds left in the game had not been missed, and the Suns did not attack, the Hawks would not have been embarrassed to steal the ball, otherwise Liu Mang might have scored 50+ in the first game of the finals!

Liu Mang's 48 points means that the Suns have no way to defend him.

13 assists in a single game prove how smooth the Hawks' team offense is when Liu Mang performs well and creates enough threats!

The playoff version of Liu Mang made the Suns players feel more horrible than encountering Liu Mang in the regular season!

Although the Suns also had three players scoring 20+ and six players scoring in double digits, they could not withstand the fierce attack of the Hawks led by Liu Mang's 48+13!

...

Before the start of the finals, many fans and media were still optimistic that the Suns could counterattack all the way to the end. After all, they defeated the Spurs and Lakers successively to enter the finals, and the Hawks lost to the Lakers in the finals last year, so the Suns had a high support rate, even higher than the Hawks' support rate for winning the championship.

After all, the Hawks' opponents this time are not the Lakers and Spurs, and they do not have the innate public opinion advantage of "representing the whole United States to fight against you".

But after the first game of the finals, many fans found a logical bug.

The Suns can beat the Spurs and Lakers in the playoffs this season... It does not mean that the Suns are stronger than the Hawks.

It is true that the Hawks lost to the Lakers in the finals last year, but they swept the Spurs and Lakers in the regular season this year!

Moreover, the Suns were swept by the Hawks in the regular season this year.

The direction of public opinion changed suddenly, from "the Suns have a great chance to win the championship" to "the Suns have a chance to try to win the championship."

A few changes in vocabulary have very different meanings.

However, what was discussed more about this year's finals was the rhythm of the finals!

The finals played by the Hawks and the Suns were refreshing!

Occasionally watching such a finals, watching the two teams score points without scruples on the final stage... fans feel a different taste.

Regardless of other things, the scene is very good!

And it's not just throwing three-pointers. Liu Mang scored 27 points with 5 three-pointers in the first half and 21 points in the second half, but only two of them were three-pointers.

Shots that use various techniques and methods to score inside the three-point line still account for a much higher proportion of Liu Mang's shots than three-point shots.

Only with enough offensive techniques can you shoot the ball in any position where you have a chance to shoot, instead of just gambling on your touch.

The first game for the Hawks was basically Liu Mang showing off his personal skills, while the Suns kept doing all kinds of pick-and-rolls in the half court, explaining what the art of pick-and-roll is. Watching Josh Smith blocking people everywhere like a hard worker, doing dirty work non-stop, after the game, you will know the positive effect. 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, Josh Smith scored the highest score in the first game for the Suns.

You may get tired of watching three-point battles for two years, but such a finals... even if it is not a traditional offensive battle, fans will not get tired of it!

…

After winning the first home game, the Hawks did not relax. It was the last moment, and any time had to be invested in preparing for the next game.

Sleeping and resting is also preparation, watching videos is also preparation, and research and discussion is also preparation...

When the outside world was hyping up that this year's game style was very different from the finals in the past years, the day's rest time passed quickly. On June 8, the second game of the finals between the Hawks and the Suns started.

Compared to the first game, the Suns just wanted to use their strength to try to win and see how strong the Hawks were. In this game, the Suns' goal was much clearer, and they wanted to block the Hawks' outside line.

In the second game, the Suns chose to defend by blocking the upper line, but this way, the inside line was empty!

The Suns' style of play was too contemptuous of the small-handed No. 1 pick. Kwame Brown scored 33 points and 16 rebounds in a single game, and Marion, McGrady and Wade's cuts were also very effective.

After Liu Mang scored 48 points in the first game, he encountered the strictest defense in the second game. Liu Mang did not want to continue to brush up the data. When his teammates had the opportunity, he passed the ball and ran well to find opportunities.

In the second game, Liu Mang only scored 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, but the team won more!

125 to 104, the Hawks beat the Suns by 21 points, making the score 2 to 0!

In today's game, the Hawks scored a terrifying 71 points in the three-second zone!

On the contrary, the Suns had to expand their defense to defend the perimeter, which caused them to consume too much energy on the defensive end, and their offensive efficiency declined, and they even failed to take care of the offense.

In this game, it can be said that the Suns had to expand their defense to create more and better opportunities to double-team Liu Mang; it can also be said that Gentry made a wrong decision, not only failed to defend the opponent, but also failed to play out the team's original advantages.

However, Charles Barkley, a famous player of the Suns, pointed out that this is the gap in strength!

Whatever the Suns did, the Hawks could take it and fight back.

The Suns wanted to change their style of play and try to come up with some surprise moves, but not only did they have a low success rate, but they also lost their original advantages while trying to come up with some surprise moves!

For a while, people focused on the Hawks' special team system!

The most amazing system at the beginning of the regular season was the "Spurs system" named by Liu Mang, but later on, people found that the Hawks' system was better!

…

After the two finals, there were two days of rest between the second and third games, and Liu Mang went to Phoenix with his teammates on June 9, the day after the second game.

This time, the players also brought their families to Phoenix.

Although it may sound arrogant, the Hawks said in interviews that they wanted to win the championship away from home.

And the first two games can't be said to have a clear advantage, at least it can be said that from decision-making to execution, the Hawks are stronger!

It's not that the Suns don't have a chance to counterattack, but Gentry is too young. When playing against the Spurs and Lakers, the Suns have an advantage in strength, and the problem of decision-making is not yet visible.

But when playing against the stronger Hawks, Gentry's flaws as a second-year head coach were exposed!