In the regular season, the Mavericks are the distinguished second in the Western Conference, while the Thunder are just the "ordinary" and confident sixth in the Western Conference. In addition, the Mavericks have reached the Finals four times in the past five years. Therefore, before the start of this Western Conference semifinals, Most experts are optimistic that the Mavericks can meet the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
But in fact, this season, except for the outstanding Lakers, there is no gap between the second to sixth regular season records in the Western Conference.
The Mavericks won a total of 57 games in the regular season, while the Thunder won a total of 51 games.
Of course, the Mavericks' lack of momentum in the regular season is related to their slack this year after realizing their dream last year and their desire to preserve their strength before the start of the playoffs.
But the reason why the Thunder are only ranked sixth in the Western Conference is also related to the fact that this young guard is still training, and there are many games that should have been won, but they lost due to lack of experience.
But as the Thunder players gradually demonstrated their talents on the playoff stage, the team transformed into a "dump truck" from top to bottom and began to rampage...
In the first round of the playoffs, they first knocked out Anthony, who vowed to lead the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals, and then killed Kobe in front of him in the Western Conference Finals to prove to Wang Shuo how sweet he was. ...
Then, in the Western Conference semifinals, they defeated the Mavericks, whose average starting age was 32 years old, in Dallas.
Although after the first four games of the Western Conference semifinals, the Mavericks wanted to denounce the Thunder for cheating and sneak attacks on the elderly when they disagree.
But the young and energetic Thunder proved with his strength that talent is so terrifying.
After all, in competitive sports, youth is invincible!
"Do you think the Mavericks still have hope for a comeback?" That day, while studying the Lakers' opponents in the Western Conference Finals with Wang Shuo, Mike Malone asked curiously.
Wang Shuo shook his head and said: "I can only say that it is possible, but difficult."
After watching the videos of the first four playoff games between the Mavericks and the Thunder, Wang Shuo knew very well that the Thunder were extremely restrained in style against the Mavericks.
The 37-year-old Kidd's current defense is in a state where other defenders except Fisher can get past him in one step.
Therefore, in this series, facing Rose, every minute Kidd spent on the court was torture.
The shooting guard position is the Mavericks' only strong point against the Thunder.
But Sefolosha completed the exchange with Ray Allen in the first four games.
In the first four games, Sefolosha averaged only 5 points per game.
But Ray Allen only averaged 12 points per game for the Mavericks, and his overall shooting percentage was only 38%.
Marion has no time to care about others in this series.
Because his main energy has to be used to deal with Durant.
As for the Mavericks' interior barrier...
The new dpoY Chandler was made very uncomfortable by the tough Ibaka and Yi Jianlian.
Because these two brothers are always floating on the outside, forcing him to follow him on defense.
And, even if Chandler can rotate in when Rose completes the drive, he will find...
In the NBA, not all blasting masters can be dealt with by Chandler.
Historically, this is the case with the "God Zhao Yun" who can rely on his "lost steps" and excellent dribbling skills to kill seven in and seven out in the Mavericks position.
The same is true for this blooming "Ok City Rose."
If Wang Shuo remembers correctly, even counting the matches he played against Chandler after Rose was seriously injured, there was nothing Chandler could do against Rose.
Because when he helps defend himself in front of Ross, Chandler will find out as horrifyingly as if he were watching a horror movie...
Whenever he lands, Rose is still folding in the air.
In addition, after entering the rotation lineup, the Mavericks' bench gang may not be able to take advantage of the Thunder's second lineup led by Harden.
On the contrary, as they entered the playoffs, Brooks increased the playing time of the main players, allowing Durant and Harden to lead the second team together...
Whenever the two sides enter rotation time, the Thunder can beat the Mavericks without the ability to fight back.
On the day the Lakers successfully advanced to the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles media published an article mocking the Mavericks: "Rick Carlisle, stop worrying about us!
You'd better think about how you can lead the Mavericks to complete a comeback when trailing 1-3! "
To put it bluntly, although the ridicule from the Los Angeles media was full of yin and yang, it also pointed out another reason why the Mavericks were stunned by the Thunder in this round of the Western Conference semifinals.
That is......
The Mavericks did not take the Thunder and Nuggets into consideration from the beginning.
Otherwise, how could the Mavericks fall behind the Thunder 0-2 from the start when they have the advantage in the regular season and have the advantage of home first and then guest in this series?
In the West, the sudden emergence of the Thunder has completely disrupted this year's Western Conference playoff situation.
In the East, the Knicks currently lead the Pacers by a score of 3 to 1.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks and Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers and Heat with scores of 4-0 and 4-2 respectively.
Compared with last year, even after returning home this year, the Pacers can still get help from the referees.
But as the Knicks captured Conseco Arena in Game 4, the Knicks have basically locked in a seat in the Eastern Conference Finals in advance.
Just rely on the normal home whistle...
It is destined to be difficult for the Pacers to repeat the miracle of eliminating the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last year this year.
As for the other Eastern Conference semifinal matchup between the Celtics and Wizards, the two sides are currently tied at 2-2.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics and Wizards eliminated the 76ers and Hawks by scores of 4-1 and 4-2 respectively.
After being traded back to Randolph from the Heat, the inside combination of Gasol and Randolph showed great power in the Wizards' playoff journey this year.
With these two people ensuring the lower limit, one of Maggette and Arenas is responsible for breaking out, and the other is responsible for shooting...
Don't tell me, using the legacy left by Wang Shuo, the Wizards have returned to the top team in the Eastern Conference.
However, it would be better not to compare.
When compared, Suns fans were collectively depressed.
Because this year, among the three teams that Wang Shuo has coached, only the Suns started fishing mode early.
Even the media in Phoenix complained about themselves: "If you don't understand, just ask, if a team can have Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, La'Gar Bell and Amar'a... Len Iverson...
So how will they perform in this year's playoffs? "
It’s true.
If Sarver doesn't mess up, even if Iverson cannot reproduce his peak performance, the Suns will still be the top force in the Western Conference.
Because Xiaosi in this life...
But Stoudemire, who won the regular season MVP.
Not to mention Marion and Bell, both of them still have a certain level of strength and are still outstanding wing defenders in the league today.
But now...
Phoenix fans are destined to live in the memories of the Suns in the 2003/04 season.
Don't ask, just ask because Suns fans can only live with memories every day now!
…
In the West, the Thunder didn't let the Lakers wait too long.
In the G5 game, before the Dallas people sounded the clarion call for a counterattack in this Western Conference semifinals, under the leadership of Rose, the Thunder once again overwhelmed the Mavericks' position.
In Wang Shuo's eyes, this G5 battle has no technical content at all.
Because the Thunder just passed by, the Mavericks couldn't resist it.
Previously, Wang Shuo thought that the Mavericks underestimated their opponents and were beaten by the Thunder in this Western Conference semifinals.
But now...
Wang Shuo finally discovered that after realizing their dream last year, the Mavericks were not mentally and physically prepared to defend their title this year.
On the day they lost to the Thunder 1-4, Carlisle took the initiative to take the main responsibility for the team's defeat.
But compared to dividing the pot after the game...
In Wang Shuo's view, the next thing the Mavericks need to think about is how to solve the problem of the team's aging lineup structure.
According to the schedule, the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Thunder will begin on May 21. The Lakers, who won the league's first place in the regular season, will have home court advantage in this series.
Before the start of the Western Conference Finals, at the Lakers' tactical preparation meeting, Wang Shuo said to Malone and others: "In this series, I want Stephen to start and put Monta on the bench."
Hearing this, Ma Long, who was getting closer to Wang Shuo, smiled and said: "You want to speed up the rhythm of this game when it comes to the rotation time, right?"
Wang Shuo nodded and said: "In the Thunder's starting lineup, Serge Ibaka is a player with excellent defensive ability.
But after entering the rotation time, neither Nick Collison nor Nenad Kostic could stop Monta's assault on the court.
Therefore, having Monta on the bench is more conducive to our attack on the Thunder. "
Then, after fiddling with the tactical board, Wang Shuo continued: "In addition, in this series, I want to use Kobe to defend Derek."
After thinking for a while, Malone said: "About this, we have discussed before, Kobe is indeed the best player in our lineup to defend Derek."
Wang Shuo knows very well that because the Thunder's fourth and fifth positions have the ability to retreat.
Therefore, the breakthrough space that the "Russian City Rose" can obtain on the court is by no means comparable to the "Wind City Rose" in Wang Shuo's memory.
Of course, once Rose stands out on the court, even Kobe after losing weight may not be able to keep up with him.
But as long as Kobe can use his snake entanglement to make Rose pay a corresponding price for every breakthrough, in Wang Shuo's view, the Lakers can disrupt the Thunder's offensive rhythm.
On the side, Coach Lu asked curiously: "But if Kobe is responsible for guarding Derek, what should we do with Kevin?"
This is a good question.
In Wang Shuo's previous life, Durant averaged 30.2 points per game when facing Gallinari, and his shooting percentage was as high as 50.2%.
Gallinari has a good defensive attitude, but is limited by his physical talent. When defending an outside scorer like Durant who can wander without the ball, the Italian cannon really doesn't have much to do with Durant.
In fact, if the Thunder's number one position was me instead of Rose...
So among the Lakers, the player best suited to guard Durant...
In fact, it’s also Kobe.
Because in history, this is what the Lakers did in the 2009/10 season.
If Wang Shuo remembers correctly, in that series, under the restrictions of Kobe and other Lakers forwards and defenders, Durant's shooting percentage was only 35%.
But as the saying goes, this time, that time.
Because compared to the Thunder's explosion at a single point, what the Lakers need to worry about is that under the leadership of Rose, the Thunder continue to play internal and external linkages on the court.
Therefore, when Kobe is unable to use the Shadow Clone Technique, Wang Shuo plans to suffer Odom's pain again in this round of Western Conference Finals with the Thunder.
Wang Shuo knew very well that in this series, in terms of Durant's critical hit damage...
As long as Odom can only let Durant play at his normal level, the Lakers don't need to worry that they will lose to the Thunder in the confrontation.
Wang Shuo's defensive philosophy never requires that one's side be able to defend every player of the opponent's side.
No matter which opponent he faces in his coaching career, Wang Shuo's defensive strategy is always aimed at the opponent's players who can pose the greatest threat to his side.
For example, he led the Wizards to face the Lakers in the Finals.
Wang Shuo chose to defend Kobe Bryant mainly and consume O'Neal.
Because the composition of the Lakers' lineup is determined, as long as Kobe can't raise the Lakers' ceiling, the Lakers simply can't beat the Wizards with O'Neal alone.
In addition, in this round of the Western Conference Finals, in Wang Shuo's view, the Thunder's biggest weakness lies in their head coach Brooks.
Therefore, as long as Rose, the starting point of the Thunder's tactics, is killed, Wang Shuo believes that Brooks, whose CPU is extremely prone to overheating, will inevitably make frequent mistakes on the sidelines.
It is true that the Thunder played many eye-catching high-level tactics in the game against the Mavericks.
But the key to the successful launch of these high-level tactics was that Rose had already used the breakthrough space created by his teammates to penetrate the Mavericks' position.
Overall, in Wang Shuo's eyes, this Thunder is a team whose tactics are relatively monotonous and whose offensive routines are not complicated or difficult to guess.
Of course, the reason why Wang Shuo put the Lakers' main defensive focus on Rose in this series...
It also has something to do with his hope that Curry can continue to seize an advantageous position as the NBA's first active point guard in the next era.
As of now, Rose is undoubtedly the leader among the new generation of point guards in the league.
In Wang Shuo's previous life, excluding Rose's record of playing against Curry after Rose was seriously injured, the two played against each other a total of 5 times.
In these five encounters, Curry had the upper hand in front of Rose three times.
Although under the Thunder's tactical system, Rose will be more difficult to target.
If Wang Shuo still used Curry to defend Rose as he remembered, the primary school students would most likely be beaten by Rose.
But with Kobe...
Wang Shuo obviously hopes that Curry can unilaterally tear this "Occasion Rose" into pieces in the "matchup" with Rose like he did with Deron.
Wang Shuo knows very well that with the development and progress of the Internet, in the future people will definitely only care about the "matchup" Excel between Curry and Rose compared to the game process.
Therefore, in Wang Shuo's view, this year's Western Conference Finals is definitely a great opportunity to help Curry lay the foundation for becoming the number one point guard in history in the future!
Just like this season, as Kobe scored "50+" in front of James, and as Kobe defeated opponents one after another, more and more fans began to think that he was comparable to Bull Joe.
In the future, when Curry retires, Wang Shuo also hopes that people will say this sentence with emotion when checking the Excel of his beloved disciple's career "match":
How come Stephen Curry is good at playing with everyone?
…
On the evening of the 21st, the Western Conference Finals officially started at Staples Center.
On the court, after the entrance ceremony, the starting lineup of the two teams was announced.
Thunder: Ibaka, Yi Jianlian, Durant, Sefolosha, Rose.
Lakers: Kawhi, Odom, Gallinari, Kobe, Curry.
Ellis, who is on the bench tonight, has no complaints.
Unlike Wang Shuo's memory, Ellis once squeezed out Curry because of his right to fire and the ball.
In this life, Ellis has already been conquered by Curry's performance in his debut season.
In addition, many Kumi may not believe it when told.
In fact, in the future, Ellis will also be one of the most famous players in the league.
Historically, Ellis will publicly state many times in the future that the Warriors' choice to support Curry was an extremely wise decision.
Moreover, Ellis would generously admit in an interview that he had indeed questioned the Warriors' choice because of Curry's thinner figure than himself, and said, "Stephen and I can't coexist." talk.
Can......
How many people know that when Ellis gets married in the future, one of the only two former teammates he will invite is Stephen Curry?
In Wang Shuo's view, in the future, some extreme Kumi will grab Ellis and make fun of him all day long, which is also an extremely stupid behavior.
Because the future relationship between Ellis and Curry is not as bad as these extreme Kumies who know little about Curry think.
And these two people...
After the breakup, they did not stay away from each other forever. Instead, they cherished each other and established a true brotherhood in various senses.
After all, when Ellis talked about Curry in the future, he never said that Stephen was just a former colleague who shot well in three-pointers.
You know, every time Ellis mentions Curry, he always says "my forever brother Stephen."
Of course, if it weren't for Wang Shuo's prestige and his ability to convince the players, Ellis would not have so calmly accepted Wang Shuo's decision to serve as a substitute in the Western Conference Finals.
It is true that Ellis, who is at the peak of his career at the moment, is not only arrogant, but also a little bit mentally ill.
But for Ellis, who is also a passionate person...
As long as you can convince him.
Then all the problems he has will be turned into advantages.
Arrogance among young players is never a bad thing in Wang Shuo's eyes.
Because without this arrogance, how could he not be afraid of powerful opponents every time he took the field?
In the center of the field, after a jump ball, the Thunder attacked first.
On the court, Rose was entangled by Kobe's snake just after halftime.
The Thunder's opening horn tactics failed to follow Brooks's design, because Gallinari and Marcia blocked the pick-and-roll routes of Ibaka and Yi Jianlian respectively.
On the side, Sefolosha pulled up from the wing to the high post to create a wall for Rose, trying to change Curry in front of Rose.
Judging from the results, Sefolosha succeeded in doing this.
But what was different from what he imagined was that Curry and Kobe didn't want to deal with him at all. Instead, they teamed up to flank Rose.
Historically, Sefolosha's career scoring average was only 5.7 points per game.
In addition, when most opponents will take the initiative to let him go, his career three-point shooting percentage is only 34.9%.
Therefore, when he goes to pick and roll Rose, let alone create space for Rose...
At this moment, he is clearly the Lakers' sixth man on the court and the key player in helping the Lakers complete the attack on Rose.
On the court, Rose, who was flanked by the Lakers, took advantage of the relatively spacious space high in the top arc to pull out of his position and hurriedly passed the ball to Durant on the wing.
But this pass was predicted to be successful by Odom.
After reaching out to intercept Rose's pass, Odom immediately launched a fast break, and Kobe scored the first two points of the night for the Lakers through a layup.
On the court, Rose obviously blamed himself for his mistake in the opening game.
But compared to the high-pressure environment Rose historically had to face every night while playing in Chicago...
Brooks' coaching ability is a little bit worse, but he does a better job than most coaches in this league in motivating young players.
On the sidelines, Brooks, who noticed Rose's change in mood, immediately shouted to Rose on the court: "Derek, don't take that ball to your heart!"
It was just a mistake, no big deal! "
At the same time, Harden on the Thunder bench also amused Rose with his dance on the sidelines while waving a towel.
“It’s no accident that the Thunder made it to the Western Conference Finals this year.
The atmosphere within this team is really great. "On the Lakers bench, Wang Shuo, who saw this scene, turned to Mike Malone and said.
After hearing this, Malone sighed and said: "We are also the boss of the team, and some players will blame themselves after making mistakes.
Some players will complain about the coach's tactics and teammates' movements after making mistakes. "
Wang Shuo: "..."
On the court, the Thunder have the ball.
After holding the ball and observing Kobe's defense, Rose launched the attack in advance before Ibaka was raised to a high position to create a wall for him.
Boom, boom!
On the left side of the top arc, after pulling the ball with his right hand and making a forward change, Rose caught Kobe off guard and suddenly stepped on the accelerator.
This is an advanced action.
What's so advanced is that... when Rose dribbles and accelerates, not only does he not feel stuck at all, but every detail of his movements is a textbook.
Again.
Everyone knows advanced skills.
The key depends on who uses it.
On the court, the moment Rose penetrated the Lakers' defense, Garfield had no time to defend Kobe and could only sit back and watch Rose score the ball.
This "Oklahoma City Rose" was also imposed by Presti. As long as he can get a layup, Rose is not allowed to dunk or use the pull rod seal in the game.
Such a seal would help Rose extend his career.
After all, Rose's dunks are awesome.
But the price it needs to pay for this is also painful.
Come back, the Lakers have the ball.
Curry holds the ball and uses the horns with Kawhi and Odom.
Odom, who noticed that Yi Jianlian's defensive focus was on Curry, suddenly accelerated and cut into the Thunder basket during the fake screen.
Upon seeing this, Curry immediately smashed the ball into Odom's chest.
However, Ibaka also showed his terrible defensive ability and returned to the penalty area immediately.
But at this moment, a second ago, on CCTV, Director Zhang just said, "Odom won't vote for this"...
The next second, Curry, who received Odom's return pass, used the screen of Xiaojia to score the Lakers' first three-pointer tonight without anyone around him.
In Wang Shuo's memory, Rose's defense has always been criticized.
In this life, Rose's defensive attitude is better than that of Wang Shuo in his previous life, but when guarding the opponent's pick-and-roll, Rose will still miss people and lose position.
If it is Ellis with a shorter range, even if Rose is out of position, Ibaka can make up for him.
But facing Curry, once Rose is out of position, Curry will directly launch a long-range attack on the Thunder from the outside.
On the sidelines, Brooks couldn't help but have a headache when he saw this scene.
Because when Curry and Kobe are on the court at the same time...
No matter who Brooks asks Sefolosha to mark, the other person will definitely get a broad offensive space.
After thinking carefully in his mind, at this moment, Brooks could only choose to pretend not to see the Lakers' goal just now.
Because compared to Curry...
If Rose were to guard Kobe...
Even if this Rose is not Jaylen Rose, it is not impossible for Kobe to score 81 points again in this year's Western Conference Finals.
If the Thunder wants to win this game, they still have to rely on offense.
On the wing, after receiving a screen from Yi Jianlian, Durant pulled to the right to receive the ball at a 45-degree angle.
Durant hit the "Praying Mantis Pull" and added two more points for the Thunder.
There's nothing wrong with Odom's defense on this ball.
In the process of Durant's movement, he had forced Durant to go around an extra circle before successfully catching the ball.
On the sidelines, after giving a thumbs up to Odom, Wang Shuo turned to Barnes on the Lakers bench and said: "When you play in the second half of the quarter, you have to guard Kyle like Lamar." Wen, do you understand?"
Hearing this, Barnes nodded and said, "Put it on me, boss."
On the court, it was the Lakers' turn to attack.
Rose was out of position again when defending. Although Ibaka blocked the gap for him in time, after Curry passed the ball to Kawhi, the Lakers formed a two-on-one situation in the Thunder penalty area.
The small extra point ball was given to Odom, who scored a layup.
On CCTV, Director Zhang cried out for Yi Jianlian: "This kind of one-to-two defense, even if you replace Yao Ming, Yao Ming will not be able to do anything!"
On the Lakers' bench, Malone asked curiously: "If you were the head coach of this Thunder, how would you deal with the Lakers' offense tonight?"
Wang Shuo pondered for a while and then replied: "I think I should use Sabo to defend Stephen."
Malone asked: "What should Kobe do?"
Wang Shuo said: "I will consider using Kevin and Kobe to face off, guard one and four, and try to hide Derrick on defense as much as possible."
Malone asked: "Can Kevin guard Kobe?"
Wang Shuo shook his head and said: "Absolutely not, but Kevin is tall and has long arms. He is the only player on this Thunder team besides Sabo who can guard Kobe."
On the side, Director Lu, who has gradually gained enlightenment since the second half of the season, smiled and said: "This is the resource exchange you often talk about, right?
As long as I can achieve what I want, then this defense will be considered a successful defense. "
Wang Shuo patted Coach Lu on the shoulder and said: "Basketball is ultimately a sport that is about who can score more points on the court.
Previously, wasn't the Grizzlies' defensive quality high?
But why is it so difficult for the Grizzlies to defeat us as long as we can stay calm?
Because the Grizzlies' scoring ability is limited, no matter how good their defense is, they can only score 100 points per game.
So we just have to score more points than the Grizzlies at the end of the game. "
In the first quarter, after six and a half minutes, Wang Shuo replaced Odom with Barnes.
The Thunder withdrew Durant with two and a half minutes left in the first quarter to prepare for the rotation of the two teams in the second quarter.
However, on the court, as soon as the Thunder removed Durant, the Lakers went on a 9-0 spurt.
Brooks's step-by-step substitutions and adjustments this time hit the Lakers' wish.
Because after Durant left the game, the Lakers immediately stepped up their efforts to suppress Rose.
Although Wang Shuo complained about Durant's low critical hit damage all day long, when he was on the court, the Lakers really didn't dare to target Rose like this.
At the Staples Center, the Thunder, which played well for most of the quarter, fell behind 28-39 at the end of the first quarter.
Curry, who performed well in the first two rounds of the series, scored 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists for the Lakers in a single quarter tonight.
tNt TV station, Barkley commented on this: "Stephen's performance tonight was obviously better than Derrick...Although he did not provide many assists on the court, he is definitely the offensive engine of the Lakers."
On the sidelines, Smith echoed: "Steph proved how good he is during the Lakers' playoff journey this year.
The Thunder are in trouble now, because before Kobe Bryant even exerted his strength tonight, they were already trailing by double digits in the first quarter. "
To be honest, even if people don't talk about the post-game Excel in the future and only look at the game process, in this game, Curry will still leave the stereotype that "matchup" defeated Rose.
Because with the help of Kobe, the Thunder not only couldn't target Curry's offense, but also couldn't take advantage of Curry's defensive weaknesses.
so......
In NbA, it's not just the numbers that can deceive.
In fact, even the truth you see with your own eyes is often deceptive.
In terms of the Thunder's personnel composition, if they want to take advantage of Curry's defensive weaknesses, they can only put Harden into the starting lineup.
But in that case, the Thunder will face new problems.
That is, in addition to the firepower of the rotation lineup being affected...
If you ask Harden to defend Kobe now, what's the difference between asking him to score points for Kobe?
In Wang Shuo's view, Kobe definitely contributed a lot to Curry's ability to "match up" and defeat so many star guards.
Because when Kobe is willing to play support...
He is definitely the best "second in command" in this league.
Before the start of the second quarter, looking at Kobe sitting on the bench talking and laughing with Curry, O'Neal always felt that Kobe had been fooled.
Because he was clearly sold by Wang Shuo, and he was still counting money for Wang Shuo!
Brother, haven't you noticed...
Curry is the boss of the Lakers in this game, and you...
Is it just Pippen next to Curry?
At this moment, O'Neal felt very tired.
Because he never expected that his unruly little brother would be willing to assist a rookie now.
so......
How could Kobe be as smart as Jackson said?
Of course, this game was said to be for Kobe to assist Curry. In fact, Wang Shuo also intentionally asked Kobe to save energy in preparation for taking away the Thunder in the second half of the game.
After all, it doesn’t matter how good Kobe’s physical fitness is...
Given that you need to be responsible for guarding Rose tonight, how do you ensure his scoring efficiency on the court?
In the second quarter, the Lakers' lineup was DeAndre Jordan, McRoberts, Green, DeRozan, and Ellis.
In a chaotic battle with the Thunder in the first half of the second quarter, the Lakers had the upper hand.
Ellis, who traveled at the wrong time, turned into a sharp sword on the court, piercing the Thunder's chest again and again.
Ellis was also a severely underrated player at the peak of his career.
As an All-Star level offensive defender, historically, during this period, Ellis was able to stay on top of most star defenders and even counterattack his opponents.
However, because the Warriors at the same time in history were busy rebuilding, Ellis never got the opportunity to prove himself on a higher stage.
This game...
Ellis, who traveled at the wrong time, almost single-handedly overloaded Brooks in the second quarter.
As Wang Shuo predicted before the game, once the CPU was overloaded, Brooks began to frequently make stupid moves.
In order to limit Ellis, Brooks replaced Sefolosha early in the second quarter.
But this move not only failed to limit Ellis's scoring on the court, but also aggravated Sefolosha's physical exhaustion.
Because Sefolosha, who is 201 centimeters tall, can't keep up with Ellis' speed no matter how hard he defends.
In addition, in the second half of the second quarter, in order to cope with the Lakers' high-speed offense and defense, Brooks also took the initiative to adjust the lineup on the court to Ibaka, Durant, Sefolosha, Harden, and Rose.
Seeing this, Wang Shuo left Ellis on the court and replaced Curry to partner with him, switching to Kobe to play the third position.
In the second half of this quarter, Wang Shuo did not let Kobe Bryant defend Rose.
Because as the Lakers established a nearly 20-point lead on the court, coupled with the back line sent by the Thunder, they could only be described as half-matched defensively with Ellis and Curry.
Therefore, Wang Shuo decisively chose to fight against Lei Lei.
Yes, you are not mistaken.
Even if we reach the Western Conference Finals...
Wang Shuo, who has always been good at making his team members perform better in Excel, has not forgotten the great cause of brushing up data.
In the second quarter of the game, Ellis and Kobe each played well for half a quarter.
The former scored 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Lakers in this quarter.
The latter scored 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists for the Lakers.
After halftime, the Thunder trailed the Lakers 57-77.
During the halftime break, Coach Zhang commented on the Thunder’s tactical arrangements tonight: “The Thunder picked up the sesame seeds and lost the watermelon tonight as we often say.
In the first quarter of the game, Brooks should not have replaced Durant at that time.
Moreover, Brooks' several substitutions and adjustments in the second quarter are also open to question.
You see, the Thunder want to guard Curry, Ellis, and Kobe.
But what's the result? The result is that the Thunder hit from behind and no one can guard it. "
These sharp comments from Director Zhang all hit the key points.
After the intermission, in the second half of the game, as Kobe continued to exert his strength, Sefolosha, who was severely physically exhausted in the first half, immediately became the Lakers' breakthrough point.
At this time, Coach Zhang made another sharp comment: "Brooks should replace Sefolosha now.
Because now Sefolosha can't defend and can't make a shot, he might as well let Harden come in and try to see if he can narrow the score gap between the two teams as quickly as possible through offense. "
However, on the court, Brooks, who couldn't hear Zhang's explanation, not only did not replace Sefolosha...
In order to increase the team's ability to defend pick-and-rolls, he also replaced Nico Collison, who will have his jersey retired by the Thunder due to his loyalty in the future.
Collison, who has average physical fitness, has always been known for his fierce defense on the court.
And this guy is also very good at drawing offensive fouls from the opponent and guarding pick-and-rolls through position selection.
But Collison is obviously not suitable for tonight's game.
At least it's not suitable to appear at this time.
Because as Kobe Bryant plays, the Thunder have to focus on Kobe first. Collison's advantage of relying on position selection to defend the pick-and-roll will turn into a disadvantage.
Why?
Because of Stephen Curry’s ball-handling pick-and-roll...
Mainly three-pointers, supplemented by breakthroughs.
No matter how good Collison is in position selection and no matter how good he is in causing offensive fouls, his advantages will not come in handy when facing Curry.
On the contrary, because of his slow movement ability, the Lakers will easily switch him in front of Curry, and Curry will perform small and large attacks on him.
In this quarter, Kobe and Curry both broke out.
The two teamed up to create a "1+1 is greater than 2" effect on the court.
After three quarters, it was 84 to 115. The rest of the game was basically turned into garbage time by the Lakers.
However, considering the Thunder's ability to chase points, Wang Shuo still let Kobe and Curry play for a while in the final quarter.
It wasn't until Brooks took the initiative to withdraw all the main forces that Wang Shuo chose to withdraw his troops.
In the end, the final score in G1 of the Western Conference Finals was 108 to 138.
The Lakers successfully won the Western Conference Finals with a 30-point victory at home.
Kobe scored a total of 31 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in this game.
Curry scored 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Ellis, who came off the bench, also scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
For the Thunder, Durant performed steadily, scoring a total of 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists for the team.
Rose, who was targeted by the Lakers, also scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but his shooting percentage in this game was only 30%, and his scoring mainly relied on free throws.
Affected by the overheating of Brooks CPU, Arab League only played 21 minutes in this game and scored 10 points and 5 rebounds for the team.
Ibaka, who was busy, scored 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Harden, who played as the Thunder's super sixth man, scored a total of 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, but like Rose, Harden's shooting percentage in this game was only 30%.
After Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, 99% of fans were optimistic that the Lakers would advance to the Finals.
Because judging from the performance in the G1 game, fans generally believe that the Thunder can't compare to the Lakers in both offense and defense. Their fairy tale performance in this year's playoffs has come to an end.
However, Wang Shuo, who is a party involved, does not see it that way.
Because he knows very well that Brooks' CPU is easily overloaded...
But with Brooks having enough time to adjust, there is still a chance that this Thunder will cause trouble for the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
In the G1 game, the Lakers could easily defeat the Thunder, mainly because Brooks turned into an undercover agent for the Lakers.
This year, if the Lakers really want to win the championship, in Wang Shuo's view, the Lakers must treat every subsequent game as a life and death battle.
Because only in this way can the Lakers be in their best condition to face the New York Knicks in the finals, who will most likely become the Lakers' opponents!
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