(PS: I have entered the dark room and will be released tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.)
On May 7, 2017, the third game of the series between the Trail Blazers and Mosaics.
The venue for tonight's battle has become Houston's Toyota Center Arena, and the tone of this game is significantly different from the previous one.
In the first three and a half quarters of the last game, the two teams were in a very evenly matched battle, playing very passionately.
But today, everything has changed.
The fierce pursuit of each other once again turned into a one-sided one without any suspense.
Why do you say it is again?
Because the tone of this game was very similar to the first meeting between the two sides in the series. In that game, just like tonight, the Trail Blazers easily crushed Mosaic with overwhelming force.
After the first three games, the Trail Blazers have won consecutive games, and the series score has reached 3-0. The Mosaic team can already reserve fishing spots for this summer in advance.
As the old saying goes, there has never been a team in NBA history that has made a comeback from a 3-0 deficit.
In other words, Mosaic is going to be GG!
This time, the Aerospace City media and fans, who had previously been looking forward to the Mosaic team's comeback, completely shut their mouths.
"I've said before, those Houstonians are just dreaming. They want to beat the Trail Blazers? What are they going to do to win? I said, there are only two teams in the entire Western Conference that can pose a threat to the Mosaics. No, there is only one left now.
Yes, that’s the Golden State Warriors. Before the conference finals, I didn’t think the Mosaics would be in any trouble. Now it seems that my argument was not wrong.”
In the TNT commentary box, O'Neal put on an expression that said, "I'm a prophet, please praise me." His face was filled with pride.
Reggie Miller didn't attack him and just sat quietly. Because O'Neal was indeed right. This guy had previously asserted that the Mosaic team would not be an opponent of the Trail Blazers.
Today, the Mosaic team's three-point shooting rate is less than 40%, about 36%. Although this shooting rate cannot be said to be bad, compared with the 46% shooting rate in the previous game, it can be said to have dropped off a cliff.
When the Mosaic team's outside shooters lost their magical three-point protection, they were instantly knocked back to their original shape, and the entire team became vulnerable.
Facts have proved that blindly taking the magic ball and relying on three-pointers is not a good thing.
It is true that the "Magic Ball Theory" is the tactic with the highest offensive efficiency achieved through extensive data analysis by many experts.
But things like shooting feel can never be analyzed with cold data.
Because it's the people who control the ball, not the data.
As long as we are human, we cannot always make mistakes.
On the Trail Blazers side, ever since Wang Zelin repaired his computer with Ken Dou the night before yesterday, the tight string in his mind seemed to have been lubricated, and it was in an extremely hot state.
Since the Mosaic team did not have the magic three-pointer tonight, the Trail Blazers created the largest score difference in the series tonight.
After four quarters, the Trail Blazers scored 133 points, a new high in the series.
On the other hand, the Mosaic team only scored 92 points in this game. It was the first time in the series that the score did not exceed 100 points.
You know, the Houston Mosaics are one of the teams with the strongest offensive firepower in the league, and they are also the team with the craziest three-point shooting. During the regular season, the team's score ranked among the top five in the league in terms of production and efficiency.
But that's it, a three-point team full of firepower took 39 three-pointers tonight, but only made 14 goals.
Harden made 3 of 10 shots from beyond the arc tonight, Anthony made 2 of 6 shots, and Ariza made all 4 shots!
If it weren't for Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon on the bench who both made 2 of 2 three-pointers, Mosaic's three-point shooting percentage would have been even worse tonight.
Of course, facts have also proved that the extraordinary performance of role players such as Anderson and Gordon can hardly have a big impact on the game.
The playoffs are a well-deserved superstar stage!
In the end, it is the star players who can determine the trend of the game.
After tonight's game, no Houston media or fans shouted that the gap between the two sides was not big.
One thing to say, Harden has performed at the pinnacle of his career this season, averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game in the regular season. Among the active perimeter players, there is probably only one with more luxurious statistics than him.
He beat second brother Westbrook, who averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game, and averaged a triple-double.
If Harden's performance hadn't been phenomenal this year, Houston's media and fans wouldn't have been so crazy in the playoffs.
However, when it comes to the playoffs where tough battles are really needed, when it comes to being the star and determining the ceiling of a team, Harden has never been able to prove himself.
In moments of life and death for the team, Harden will never be as reliable as Wang Zelin.
And this is the unanimous thought of everyone after the first three games of the series.
After the total score of the series becomes 3-0, the Blazers' offensive in the next stop will definitely be more rapid. If they can sweep their opponents 4-0 in two consecutive rounds of the series, it will definitely boost the morale of the Blazers.
At the same time, advancing early can also give the team more rest time and better prepare for the next round of more difficult decisive battles.
Of course, the Mosaic team definitely doesn't want to be eliminated so dismally, even if they do, they still have to fight for their hometown brothers.
In any case, it is impossible for the Mosaic team to accept the ending of 0-4 elimination. They will definitely play harder and harder in the next game.
Perhaps, the G4 battle is the most anxious battle in this series between the Trail Blazers and Mosaic.
…
the other side.
San Antonio.
In the third game of the series between the Spurs and the Warriors, the Warriors played away from home, and they played like a smooth sailing.
Squirting will return to spraying, one code will return to another code.
Due to Pachulia's stepping down, the Warriors' reputation from the outside world has fallen to an unprecedented low, but the saliva of the majority of fans cannot stop the Warriors from moving forward.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! As countless media people have said, without Kawhi Leonard, the San Antonio Spurs will not look like a strong team that won 61 games during the regular season.
Basketball is a team sport, and a single player has a huge impact on the game, let alone the star.
In the playoffs, it is not surprising that a team suddenly loses its star player and the team's overall strength drops by half.
Therefore, in the third game of the series, the Warriors' defensive strategy was very clear, which was to keep an eye on Love. Love is the only stable and reliable scoring point in the Spurs' current offensive system. As long as he is dealt with, the rest of the Spurs will not be a concern.
Tony Parker? An old French sports car with almost rotten tires!
Manu Ginobili? The knife is almost rusty!
The rest, such as Danny Green, Patrick Mills, Joelson Simmons, Kyle Anderson and others, are all unable to influence the trend of the game.
In fact, Parker only played 24 minutes tonight and Ginobili only played 18 minutes.
Under the tight defense of the Warriors, Love took 28 shots in the game, but only made 11 of them, scoring 26 points.
The number of shots taken was higher than the number of points scored, which shows how brutal this game really was.
When Love couldn't drive the offense, the Spurs relied on a bunch of young players and aging veterans and couldn't score effectively.
On the other hand, the Warriors, without Leonard as a crucial defensive gate, the team's offensive system operates very smoothly, and the players play very comfortably.
Especially Durant, tonight he held two watermelon knives in his hand. He raised the knife and lowered it, slashing from one half of the court to the other half of the court.
The gap in talent is vividly displayed at this moment.
After four quarters, Durant played 38 minutes, making 11 of 19 shots from the field, with a shooting percentage of 57.9%, including 3 of 5 three-pointers, a three-point shooting percentage of 60%, and 8 of 10 free throws. The final score was 70.5
% of the super high true shooting percentage, scoring 33 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Best of the match, well deserved!
Curry played 34 minutes tonight and his efficiency was also outstanding. He made 8 of 15 shots and scored 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals with a shooting rate of 53.3%. The only drawback was that his three-point shooting rate was relatively average. He only made 7 shots in 7 attempts.
3 goals.
A 42.9% three-point shooting rate can be said to be something to be proud of for any outside player, but who makes him Stephen Curry!
This kind of shooting rate is a bit unsatisfactory when it comes to Curry.
What's more, the Warriors played a demoralized Spurs team tonight.
The other three, Thompson played 36 minutes and scored 17 points and 6 rebounds, McGee scored 16 points, and Green scored a near triple-double of 10 7 7 on a daily basis.
The five Warriors all scored in double figures, and finally defeated the Spurs 120:108... 3-0!
The Warriors lead 3-0. With the Spurs in such a vulnerable state, it is already certain that they will reach the conference finals.
The Trail Blazers are about to meet the Warriors in the conference finals for the third consecutive year, and a fierce battle is inevitable!
Sure enough, the fierce competition between the two sides that started during the regular season will soon continue in the playoffs.
…
In the following days, the Warriors and Trail Blazers continued to play away games.
Game 4 of the series between the Warriors and Spurs begins first.
After the first quarter, the score between the two sides was 31:19. The Spurs were 12 points behind their opponents, and the game was basically declared to have lost its suspense.
Curry scored 13 points in a single quarter as soon as he started, announcing to the outside world his desire for victory, and also demonstrating the Warriors' determination to eliminate their opponents 4-0.
Sure enough, Curry kept up his efforts in the second quarter, scoring 5 points on 2-of-2 shots in a single quarter, plus Durant, who scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shots. The two of them worked together to turn the Spurs' defense upside down.
At the end of the first half, the score between the two sides reached 65:51, and the Warriors already led by 14 points.
As with the previous two games, the tone was almost the same. The Spurs fell behind the Warriors from the beginning, and then were slowly expanded by the Warriors, beating them to death step by step.
Looking around the AT&T Center Arena, the surroundings were completely silent, and the Spurs fans in the auditorium felt extremely cold.
No more miracles!
The Spurs are about to be swept!
At this time, there was only one thought left in the minds of Spurs fans, and then everyone watched the scenes on the field with numb eyes until the end of the game.
129:115, the Warriors defeated the Spurs again with a 14-point difference, and the league score between the two sides was finally settled at 4-0!
At this point, the Warriors successfully swept the Spurs 4-0 and became the first team in the East and West to advance to the conference finals.
In this battle, Curry made 14 of 24 shots from the field, with a shooting percentage of 58.3%. He scored 36 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and was named the best player in the game.
However, his three-point touch continued to be icy tonight. He made 5 of 13 shots from the field and his three-point shooting percentage was only 38.5%.
Again, this kind of shooting rate is unqualified for Curry.
In contrast, Durant can be called a ruthless scoring machine, highlighting stability and efficiency.
He played 38 minutes and made 10 of 13 shots, with a shooting percentage of 76.9%, including 2 of 4 three-pointers and 7 of 7 free throws. His true shooting percentage was as high as 90.2%. He scored 29 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists in a super efficient manner.
Two pairs of large sizes.
In the absence of physical problems, Durant's ability in this area is simply inhuman in terms of scoring stability!
A natural scoring machine worthy of what many fans call him!
…
Houston.
On this night, the Mosaic team's three-point shooting feeling continued to be low, only 32.5%. They took a total of 40 three-pointers in the game and only hit 13 goals.
The overall shooting percentage was even worse. The team played 12 people, took a total of 77 shots, and only hit 22 goals. The field goal percentage was only 28.5%, and the true shooting percentage was only 42.6%.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The performance of the Mosaic team's shooters tonight is not an exaggeration.
At the end of the game, the Mosaic team, known for its offensive firepower, only scored 81 points!
Among them, Ariza is the only player on the team with a shooting percentage of 50%, and the remaining Mosaic players with the most efficient shooting percentage are only 42.9%.
It is worth mentioning that as the team's star, James Harden played for a full 37 minutes tonight. He only took 11 shots and hit 2 goals. His offensive efficiency was even more shocking, with a shooting percentage of only
18.2%……
If it weren't for the home court advantage, winning 6 free throws and hitting 4 of them, Harden wouldn't even be able to score in double figures tonight.
You call this a star player?
You call this the number one shooting guard on active duty?
Are you sure you're not kidding us?
120:81, the Trail Blazers won the away game by 39 points, easily defeating the Mosaic team again!
When the game ended, someone even booed in the Toyota Center Arena.
The one who was booing was none other than Mosaic star James Harden, who stretched his hips and "scored" 10 points tonight.
Mosaic bench.
At this time, Harden had completely wrapped his head in a towel and was sitting motionless. At this moment, no one knew how much pain Harden was feeling inside.
But the deal was already done, not only did the Mosaic team lose, but they also lost their home.
As a star player, he actually performed like this. I don’t know how to describe it.
It’s an unprecedented shame!
On the pioneer side.
Sweeping the opponent 4-0, Wang Zelin and his teammates hugged each other, and the entire bench turned into a sea of joy.
At this point, the Trail Blazers swept the Mosaics 4-0 in the series and successfully met the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Another year in the Western Conference Finals, it’s still the familiar open battle!
This scene is so familiar, year after year, nothing seems to have changed.
But what is different from the previous two years is that this year the Warriors have Kevin Durant, a top-five superstar currently in service, adding another variable to this series.
Before everything is settled, no one dares to predict which team will be the ultimate winner of this year's Western Conference Finals?
After all, the playoffs are the stage for superstars!
At this stage, it is recognized that the Warriors have two superstars, Curry and Durant, while the Trail Blazers only have one superstar, Wang Zelin.
Judging from the cards, 2 is greater than 1, and the Warriors seem to be the more dominant side.