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Being behind 0-3 is like a huge mountain pressing on the Spurs players!
For them, that means an impending elimination in the series.
In this game, Zhao Chen scored an inefficient triple-double of 37 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
Zhao Chen's score was not high compared with other games.
But the most critical thing for Zhao Chen was that he hit three consecutive step-back three-pointers at the last moment to beat the Spurs to despair!
Post-match press conference.
Leonard spoke out after losing the game: "I can learn a lot from Zhao, and I will try my best to help the team win the 4th game."
Leonard has only averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in these three games, and his shooting percentage is only 40%, which is lower than the regular season level. When facing Zhao Chen, he always falls behind.
Ginobili said: "We had a chance to win this game, but the last moment was too difficult for us. We couldn't stop Zhao from scoring. This has been a problem for us."
Duncan said: "Danny and Kawhi both did a great job defensively. They tried their best in this game. We did not put enough pressure on our opponents at the last moment, which taught us a lesson."
The Spurs players didn't say much, but they all pointed out that the defense at the last moment was the root cause of the defeat.
They were unwilling to lose this game.
The Spurs players were not in a happy mood, but the Lakers players were in a very good mood.
Jokic said: "They played very hard and caused us a lot of trouble. With 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, we were 7 points behind and the situation was always under their control. I thought we We’re going to lose, haha, but you guessed it, there are people here who don’t want to lose!”
Kobe said: "I also experienced the pain of falling behind 0-3 the year before last. It's time to give it back to them."
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"In this game, the Spurs did the best they could, and it was the closest to victory among the three games. However, they still lost in the end, and now their series has fallen behind 0-3. There has never been a team in the history of the NBA that has come back from a 3-0 deficit," Barkley said.
"In this round of the series, the Lakers did not expose their weaknesses. On the contrary, they firmly adhered to their own style and brought out their advantages. Several of the Lakers' rookies became better and better as the playoffs progressed. I have more and more confidence, especially Jokic, tonight he once again scored 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, and his progress is obvious to all," Smith said.
Both TNT commentators talked about the match.
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In addition to the Lakers' 3-0 lead, another set of matchups in the Western Conference also led 3-0.
The Game 3 between the Warriors and Pelicans was the first time the Pelicans played in the playoffs in New Orleans since the Pelicans changed their name. Amid the crazy cheers of the home fans, the Pelicans performed well and led by 20 points in the first three quarters.
Unfortunately, the 20-point advantage was still not enough, and the Pelicans were overturned and fell into a desperate situation of 0-3.
Just like Zhao Chen who performed well in Spurs G3.
Curry also played very well.
Curry failed to hit a three-pointer with 9.6 seconds left in regular time, but his teammates grabbed the offensive rebound and quickly passed it to Curry. Curry miraculously hit a three-pointer when his body was off balance, and the score was Tied 108-108.
Curry made two three-pointers and left his opponent with 2.8 seconds. The Pelicans missed the shot at the buzzer and the two teams entered overtime.
In overtime, Curry made two crucial free throws to stabilize the morale of the team, and ultimately helped the Warriors complete a reversal and win.
The same goes for the Eastern Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 103-95 on the road to gain match point 3-0 and are on track to advance.
LeBron James scored 32 points and 11 rebounds, Love made 6 of 10 three-pointers and scored 21 points and 9 rebounds, JR Smith had 12 points, and Kyrie Irving had 16 points and 7 assists.
The Celtics' ticket to the playoffs is already a success. They also played very tenaciously against the powerful Cavaliers, but victory still eluded them.
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Zhao Chen also watched the game between the Warriors and the Cavaliers at the hotel.
Zhao Chen has always believed that the Warriors and Cavaliers are strong rivals in this year's playoffs. In their previous lives, they met in the finals.
The Lakers are in great shape, but they're not in bad shape either.
Curry and James are still in their respective primes, and the teammates around them are not weak either.
Thinking of this, Zhao Chen had a headache.
The series is a test of the depth of both sides' lineups, unlike a single game which is full of surprises.
It would be too difficult for the Lakers to defeat these two teams in the series.
After thinking for a while, Zhao Chen did not hesitate, but continued to focus on the Spurs as his opponent and continued preparations.
Take one step first and see what happens. The trump card he prepared is for such an opponent.
The G4 game started the next day after the end of G3.
The Spurs are different from young teams. They have a lot of veterans. Having too many veterans means they are prone to lack of enthusiasm.
Being behind 0-3 made the Spurs veterans feel desperate. They no longer had any hope in this series.
The veterans even gave up early and showed their attitude on the court that they did not want to go to Los Angeles to play G5.
They just want to have an early vacation.
Faced with such a demoralized Spurs, the entire Lakers team exploded.
Duncan faced the impact of Randall and Jokic and ended the game with two Ts in the first half.
On the surface, Duncan seems to be dissatisfied with his opponent, but everyone can see that he is dissatisfied with his teammates.
Such a game made him feel desperate.
The Spurs' morale is so low that they don't seem to want to win.
The Lakers' internal bloom led to the outside shooting.
Zhao Chen didn't score much in this game. He focused on sorting out the team's offense.
Rookies such as Clarkson, Harris, and Jeremy Grant may not be tough enough in tough battles, but bullying such a demoralized team is definitely exciting.
Many Spurs fans thought G4 would be a face-saving game, but no one could have imagined that it would be a rout from start to finish.
At 5 minutes and 11 seconds of the third quarter, Zhao Chen hit a three-pointer after facing Ginobili's continuous sideways moves!
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At 3 minutes and 02 seconds of the third quarter, Zhao Chen rushed to the basket and scored a super pull-up layup! !
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With 2 seconds left in the third quarter, Zhao Chen received a long pass from Jokic and hit a three-pointer before halftime! !
When Zhao Chen received the ball, Spurs fans were already on the verge of collapse...
They thought the goal was going to go in!
Not to their surprise, Zhao Chen made the shot at the buzzer! !
This buzzer-beater helped the Lakers widen the point difference between the two teams to as much as 40 points! !
A crushing defeat, a 40-point loss cannot be attributed to the difference in strength between the two teams, but this is the point difference in G4 so far.
In the fourth quarter of the game, both sides sent substitutes to fight, and Popovich was directly ejected after criticizing the referee.
The Lakers' substitutes are all rookies. Rookies are notorious for not saving face for their opponents, and they rush forward with all their strength.
The Spurs substitutes are also struggling to cope! !
In the end, the score of this game was fixed at 133-80.
The Lakers slaughtered the Spurs with 53 points in an away game! !
This is the largest point difference the Spurs have lost in NBA history!
Compared with the G3 which can still be anxious, this G4 does not have any anxious moments.
The Lakers started with a 15-2 start...
The Lakers team is in hot shape, while the Spurs team is in sluggish shape!
The fans at the ATT Center Arena started leaving after the third quarter!
Female fans and young fans were sobbing softly!
They never imagined that the Spurs would end the season with such a disastrous defeat.
The Lakers completed their sweep of the Spurs!
