Chapter 903 Stubborn Cole, the boss takes responsibility
The Warriors have a very high level of tacit cooperation among the five young players, and they change possession of the ball very quickly. They are very good at finding opportunities, and it is unrealistic to completely strangle them.
Even facing Beverley, one of the league's top perimeter defenders, Livingston was able to stand up, proving once again that the Warriors' five young players are not afraid of perimeter defense, but are most afraid of the super inside line.
No matter how strong Green is in confrontation and good defensive ability, it can't change the fact that he is a short inside man.
Therefore, if the super inside man is to fight him alone, the Warriors can only send people to help defend against double teams, and double teams mean that there will be opportunities at other points.
After the advent of the small ball era in the original timeline, super insiders have completely become a scarce commodity. This is also a big reason why the Warriors are able to kill everyone with their five deadliest players.
Later, the addition of Durant made the five small lineups become a historical super group.
In the minds of many fans, the Warriors' top five at the time were fully capable of arm wrestling with the Celtics in the 1980s, the Bulls in the 1990s, and the OK Lakers dynasty in the early 2000s.
However, the current Warriors have not collected all the Durant fragments, and there is a high probability that they will not have the chance to collect them.
At the same time, the Trail Blazers happened to have a super insider sitting under the basket. On the offensive end, it was difficult for the Warriors inside to parry, and on the defensive end, the Warriors' outsiders were afraid to attack the basket wantonly.
Trail Blazers offense.
Everyone knows that every offensive strategy of the Trail Blazers lineup is dominated by Wang Zelin. Every round will pass through his hands, whether it is shooting or passing, it is all handled by him.
So when everyone else came to the front court, they all opened up.
Beverley passed the ball to Wang Zelin.
Wang Zelin glanced at the left side of the basket, where Harrell and Livingston were fiercely fighting for position.
Controlling the ball with his right hand, he waved at Harrell with his left hand, signaling him to leave the penalty area.
Patton's previous goal made the Warriors feel threatened and did not dare to double-team in the first place.
If that's the case, don't blame him for being rude.
Wang Zelin faced the frame in singles, took a tentative step, and then suddenly rushed forward.
Green reacted very quickly and hurriedly stepped forward to defend him, but the terrifying power gap between the two allowed Wang Zelin to easily squeeze past Green.
Hearing a muffled grunt, Green's expression immediately changed drastically. He felt as if he had been run over by a tank, and his chest hurt slightly from being hit.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Zelin pulled up mid-air on the spot, turned around in mid-air and directly slashed, scoring two points.
"Oh my God!"
"This is too terrifying. Draymond Green was eaten alive by the king..."
"What kind of bullshit is the fifth child? It's not good enough in front of the king!"
"The king is mighty! The pioneers will win!"
In a simple offensive round, Wang Zelin directly crushed Green.
The huge power gap meant that Greenray's defense was simply not enough in front of Wang Zelin.
This round is actually the epitome of Wang Zelin's one-on-one victory over his opponent in the paint in this series.
Just after landing the dunk, Green stood firm and rushed towards Wang Zelin angrily.
The two of them didn't even reach out, they just put their heads on top and chest against chest, just like the dueling bulls in the Colosseum.
"Damn Asians!"
Green roared loudly, venting the anger in his heart.
"Stop it, you weakling! You are simply softer than any woman I have ever had sex with!"
Wang Zelin also responded mercilessly, just like adding salt to a wound, making the already sensitive Green even more angry.
The referee rushed over and the two separated to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
The game continued, but the Warriors' offense still couldn't find a good opportunity. Seeing that the attack time was halfway through, Curry went around to the outside to catch the ball, changing from not having the ball to holding the ball.
After he holds the ball, he immediately looks for Livingston to pick and roll.
Curry's three-point threat was too great, and the Blazers had to change. After the change, Curry had the opportunity to hit Harrell in a misplaced position.
With continuous changes of direction, Harrell's confrontation increased, but he still couldn't keep up.
But it’s not his fault. Apart from the Trail Blazers’ No. 36, there is probably no big man in the league who can switch to guard Curry.
Curry seized the opportunity to get rid of Harrell in disguise, Wang Zelin shrank the defense, and Curry directly passed the ball to Thompson while moving.
The latter made a three-pointer from the bottom corner!
Curry's condition and strength this season are at the peak of his career. Not only his three-pointers, but also his breakthrough and passing are also top-notch.
In terms of shooting and passing, if two of the three are at the top level, you can still become an All-Star player. If all three are at the top level, it will definitely be a historical level.
Even though Curry ranked second in the MVP list for two consecutive years and missed out on the MVP for two consecutive years, it is undeniable that he and Wang Zelin are now super players of the same level.
Just like the "Flash" Dwyane Wade during this period of the year, due to the high overlap between his peak period and the "Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant at the same position, Wade has won many high-level honors.
The second choice after Kobe, but this does not prevent Wade from having MVP-level personal abilities in recent years!
Beverly continued to hand the ball to Wang Zelin throughout the game.
Wang Zelin continued to play singles in the low post. This time Green did not hesitate to reach out for help, and Livingston quickly moved in to help defend.
At the same time, the Warriors' small rotation also started. The advantage of the five small defensive ends is not only unlimited defense changes, but also the speed of defensive rotation.
Livingston had just shrunk to the basket, and Harrell, who was open a second ago, was taken care of by Thompson.
"This is the scary thing about the Warriors' five-small lineup. Many people only notice their offense, but ignore their defense, which is also the top in the league."
Kenny Smith analyzed at this time.
"Cole is a very talented head coach. He has built an epoch-making team, but it is a pity..."
Halfway through his words, the special guest Magic Johnson shook his head slightly and said no more.
But many people guessed what he didn't finish.
What are you sorry for?
Naturally, it is a pity that the fifth child of the Warriors who came out of nowhere met Wang Zelin, who was a pillar in the penalty area!
With this guy here, the Warriors' elimination seems to be doomed.
As soon as the two people finished speaking, a figure suddenly cut into the inside line.
It's Batum!
Known as the "French Pippen", Batum is undoubtedly an all-around fighter. After Wang Zelin and Lillard grew up rapidly, Batum gradually reduced his offense with the ball and spent most of his time playing without the ball in the past few years.
This cut is comparable to a textbook!
Wang Zelin's reaction was quick enough. With a flick of his right hand, the ball flew straight into Batum's hands.
Batum caught the ball, jumped up, and directly hit the basket with one arm.
"boom!"
There was a muffled sound, and the ball was hit hard into the basket.
The scene burst into cheers.
From the start to the present, the Trail Blazers have made four shots and scored in all of them, and each time they exploded, this time it was a direct dunk!
9:5!
Before it was over, the Warriors' offense was slapped away by Wang Zelin. Beverley caught the ball and moved it to the frontcourt. After waiting for his teammates to get into position, he passed it back to Wang Zelin.
The two teams had a grudge last season, and this series has further intensified. Now the Trail Blazers are holding on to the Warriors' five to seven inches to fight to death.
This time Thompson moved in to help defend, and Button also cut in.
Wang Zelin turned around and made another through ball to Button.
Button was not polite when he saw Thompson turn around, sprinted faster, jumped up, and directly pushed the ball into the basket through people.
11:5!
After Wang Zelin threatened by scoring, he sent two assists in succession.
The most versatile center in history, truly worthy of the name!
There were constant cheers at the scene. The Trail Blazers returned to their home court with great momentum, as if they wanted to end this series. They suppressed the opposing Warriors at the beginning.
These opening rounds also became a microcosm of the first quarter of the game.
One thing to say, Cole is really persistent at times, even to the point of being stubborn. Even though Green was always at a disadvantage against Wang Zelin, he just put BoG on the bench and didn't make five substitutions.
About 10 minutes into the first quarter, the two sides rotated, and Speights was replaced.
At this time, the score on the court was, and the Trail Blazers' lead had reached double digits.
Entering the substitute stage, Speights and Barbosa on the Warriors side are in good shape and have repeatedly made great achievements.
As for the Trail Blazers, Lillard and Aldridge, whose strength level overwhelms their opponents, have an absolute matchup advantage, and the two lead the team to continuously respond.
By the time we got back into the second quarter, the substitute lineups on both sides were evenly matched.
When the main players from both sides came back, everyone saw Cole's stubborn side again. He continued to put up a five-small lineup to compete with the Blazers' unlimited defensive lineup.
However, Green finally learned his shame and acted bravely, and lived up to Cole's expectations. Taking advantage of Wang Zelin's slack time, Green fired from the outside and hit the first three-pointer of the game.
And in the next round, Green successfully blocked Batum's layup, and the Warriors immediately launched a defensive counterattack.
The Trail Blazers returned to defense very quickly, but the Warriors failed to complete the fast break. Seeing that the two sides could only fall into a positional battle and slowly grind out the rhythm, Green suddenly came out from the low post to the top of the arc, received Curry's sudden pass, and hit the target.
The second three-pointer of the game.
Due to Wang Zelin's brief relaxation, Green actually hit consecutive long-range shots, helping the Warriors narrow the point difference to single digits.
The Warriors are strong this season. In addition to the splash brothers Curry and Thompson, Green's performance on the outside is also crucial.
In the last game, Green was completely strangled, causing the latter not to score a single three-pointer. Today, Wang Zelin was inevitably a little relaxed and focused mainly on the three-point line.
But he never thought that this would actually allow Green to seize the opportunity.
Of course, this is also inseparable from the trust that Cole and Curry have in Green. In the last game, they made 0 of 5 three-pointers and 0 of 2 in the first quarter. After seven games in a row, the Warriors still dared to pass the ball to Green, but Green failed.
It is indeed his ability to still hit.
After scoring the goal, Green beat his chest and roared, feeling very excited.
Considering how aggrieved he felt during this series, it is not difficult to understand.
Beverley dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, saw the boss reaching out, and continued to hoist the ball in.
Cole's insistence on using the fifth primary school is a story about his coaching habits and his trust in Green!
What the Trail Blazers are doing now is their trust in Wang Zelin!
Wang Zelin held the ball and hit Green with his back, and Iguodala quickly helped defend, forming a double-team with Green in tandem.
"It's dangerous! Pass the message quickly, Your Majesty..."
The fans in front of the TV became nervous and excited.
"Come on! I'm not afraid of you anymore!"
Green shouted at Wang Zelin from behind. The two three-pointers and a successful defense in front of him made his self-confidence explode again. This method not only stimulated Wang Zelin, but also helped to increase his own momentum.
Harrell was already empty in the bottom corner. He believed in his boss's vision and was ready to catch the ball.
Including the fans on the sidelines thought so too.
However, Wang Zelin, who was flanked by two people, did not distribute the ball this time, but chose to continue playing from behind.
Play aggressive generals?
Then I will do as you wish!
Kenny Smith immediately explained: "In terms of shot selection, this is a wrong choice. Wang is too irrational. It is obvious that his teammates are empty..."
Magic Johnson suddenly laughed and said: "My opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. At this critical moment, as the team boss, you have to stand up and carry the team forward. I look forward to his performance!"
The two explanations each have their own reasons, which has a lot to do with the different roles they played in their playing careers.
Kenny Smith was known as the "Jet" as a player, mainly because of his speed. Later, he won two championship rings with the Mosaics in 2001.
But the main position of his career is just a piece of the championship puzzle. He is important, but it is far less than Magic Johnson, who served as the team's absolute ace core for most of his career.
This resulted in a different state of mind between the two!
The former only needs to fulfill their responsibilities on the court and shoot those damn open balls; while the latter needs to choose more seemingly "unreasonable" shots.
Just like Wang Zelin, who was facing two defenders on the court at this moment, but stubbornly chose to fight by himself.
At this time, as the team leader, he will not give up the ball.
Because of his negligence earlier, Green easily scored two three-pointers, and now it's his turn to respond.
"Bang! Bang!"
There was a big muscular collision under the Warriors basket, and the audience in the front row could hear it at close range.
Green was hit and kept retreating. Wang Zelin suddenly turned around. Green was too late and pounced on him immediately.
But don't forget, there is Iguodala guarding him?
Wang Zelin turned around and jumped up with all his strength. Iguodala also took off, and his hands went straight to the basketball in Wang Zelin's hand.
"Snapped!"
Has the hat arrived?
Defended!
A palm covered the ball, and Kerr and the Warriors players on the field were immediately overjoyed.
But then, there was another loud shout on the court, and Wang Zelin completely ignored Iguodala in front of him, used his hands again, and slammed the ball down.
"boom!"
Wang Zelin slammed the ball into the basket through Iguodala.
The scene exploded instantly.
This is a personal dunk!
There were so many assists in the past that people almost forgot that Trail Blazers No. 36 can not only play with technology, but also with violence!
Iguodala was knocked out of the court by Wang Zelin. He looked helpless and looked at the referee with his hands spread out, seemingly looking for a foul.
But there was really no foul point in the ball just now, not to mention this was the Rose Garden Arena. The referee didn't bother to pay attention to him, turned around and walked away.