The Warriors were able to narrowly defeat the Trail Blazers and ultimately sweep the promotion, thanks to Curry's heroic performance at the last minute.
In this game, the Trail Blazers, who had their backs against a cliff, did a very determined job of flanking Curry. In addition, the rest of the Warriors had poor three-point shooting skills, and the Blazers had a hot outside shooting, so it was very difficult for the Warriors to win.
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Fortunately, Curry is not only good at playing with the ball, he is even better without the ball!
With the ball in hand, the opponent can flank me, but when I'm running without the ball, you can't just defend me with two people, right?
Likewise, fortunately Curry can not only shoot three-pointers, but he can also break through with the ball!
If you don't let me shoot three-pointers, I'll rush inside to score, and I can still find the touch!
The importance of the stars can also be seen through this game.
At critical moments, the quality of the stars and the upper limit of the stars determine the fate of a team.
Aldridge is a good inside player, and it is good to be a second-in-command, but it is unrealistic for him to step up and lead the team forward at the critical moment.
Even if Roy is seriously injured, he can still stand up at critical moments.
It shows how big the difference is between the stars!
This is especially true for the Warriors. When no one else can score points, Curry can only rely on Curry's strong attack to lead the team forward.
Having said that, the Trail Blazers are still a very good team.
The Warriors were able to sweep the Trail Blazers. Apart from a little bit of luck, the main reason was Curry's incredible performance and the heroic performance of the bench.
Although the Trail Blazers have been flanking Curry, Curry has performed well in all four games.
In Game 1, Curry scored 45 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
In Game 2, Curry even set a record, scoring 54 points and 11 assists.
In Game 3, the Trail Blazers attacked Curry more decisively, but Curry still scored 29 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
In the fourth game, the Trail Blazers flanked Curry to a frenzied level. Curry only scored 3 points on free throws in the first three quarters!
However, after the game, Curry still scored 18 points, 20 assists, and 5 steals!
15 of the points were scored at critical moments in the final quarter.
If I am not allowed to score, I will attract flankers and help my teammates score!
As long as your physical fitness decreases, as long as you relax a little and give me a chance, I can get a lot of points!
In a word, it is impossible to completely restrict a superstar like Curry.
Whether to let him score or to help his teammates score, you have to choose one of these two cups of poison.
In addition, the Warriors' bench performance was quite impressive.
If we only look at the starting lineup, there are still several teams in the league that can compete with the Warriors.
But no team's bench is as good as the Warriors.
On the offensive end, the Warriors' substitutes may be a little weaker than the starters, but they are definitely stronger defensively.
Many times, the Warriors relied on substitutes to completely widen the point difference.
That's it against the Trail Blazers!
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The Warriors ended their first-round games early so that they could have more time for their players to rest, and at the same time, they could study their opponents in the next round.
The Warriors' next opponent is the winner between the Thunder and the Mavericks.
Before the Warriors game started, the fourth game between the two teams had already been played.
Although this game was played at the Thunder's home court, Nowitzki showed off his prowess, making 12 of 20 shots and 14 of 15 free throws. He scored 40 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The entire Thunder team performed well, with a total of 5 players scoring in double figures.
However, the Mavericks' zone defense was very good, completely limiting the Thunder's breakthrough.
At the end of the game, Durant sent out 4 assists but made 9 turnovers, while Westbrook sent out 8 assists and made 6 turnovers.
James Harden was completely restricted. He played 23 minutes, made 3 of 5 shots, only scored 7 points, 2 assists, but made 4 turnovers, and finally left the game with 6 fouls.
The Mavericks turned the ball over 13 times, while the Thunder turned the ball over 25 times.
The gap between the two teams in free throws is also quite large. The Mavericks made 34 of 39 free throws in the game, while the Thunder made 19 of 25 free throws. In free throw shooting alone, there was a 15-point difference between the two teams!
In the end, the Mavericks won the game 112:105, and the series score between the two teams became 3:1. The Thunder were in danger.
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In another game, the Grizzlies, playing at home, won.
Both the Spurs and the Grizzlies scored more points with five players, but the Grizzlies relied on their tenacious defense to cause the Spurs 17 turnovers, while the Grizzlies only had 8 turnovers.
In addition, the Grizzlies targeted the inside and continued to cause damage in the penalty area. They made 17 of 21 free throws in the game, while the Spurs only made 11 of 14 free throws.
The Grizzlies also shot better on three-pointers. Although they took 12 shots in the game, they made 5 of them, with a shooting percentage of 41.7%.
The Spurs took 18 three-pointers and hit 5, with a shooting percentage of 27.8%.
Obviously, the Spurs couldn't guard against the Grizzlies' inside attack. The Grizzlies created better three-point shooting opportunities for the outside through their strong inside threat.
After this game, the big score became 3:1, and the Spurs were in danger.
No one expected that the Spurs, who were so successful in the regular season, would be so vulnerable in the playoffs.
In another game, there was no suspense in the match between the Lakers and the Nuggets. Relying on the heroic performance of Kobe Bryant and Gasol, the Lakers won another victory in the away game, turning the big score into 3:1. Promotion is just around the corner.
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The Pacers in the Eastern Conference also won a game at home.
The Bulls felt cold in this game, shooting 3 of 20 three-pointers in the game, with a shooting percentage of only 15%.
The Pacers took advantage of their home court advantage to continuously attack the paint and get many free throws. In the end, they made 22 of 34 free throws, while the Bulls only made 19 of 24 free throws.
In the end, the Pacers narrowly defeated the Bulls 89:84, avoiding the fate of being swept.
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In another game in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers also won a game relying on the performance of their substitutes and tenacious defense.
In this game, 5 players of the 76ers scored more points, while only the Heat's Big Three scored in double figures.
The 76ers' Lou Williams and Evan Turner even stood up on the bench, both scoring 17 points, overwhelming the Heat's bench.
The final score of the two teams was 86:82. The 76ers narrowly won and also avoided the fate of being swept.
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The Eagles also won at home.
The Hawks' method to deal with the Magic is very simple, which is to defend the perimeter.
Howard played bravely in this game. He made 9 goals in 14 shots and made 11 of 16 free throws. He performed exceptionally and scored 29 points and 17 rebounds, but he also made 8 turnovers.
Although Howard played bravely, the Magic were extremely defensive on the outside. In the end, they made 2 of 23 three-pointers, and their three-point shooting percentage was only a pitiful 8.7%.
After losing this game, the big score between the two teams became 3:1, and the Eagles are expected to advance.
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The only player in the first round who is the same as the Warriors is the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks learned their lesson from the game against the Celtics and successfully defended the Celtics from the outside, but the Celtics scored a lot of points in the penalty area.
In the end, the Celtics relied on the performance of the entire team, with five players scoring in double figures, and won the away game 101:89, sweeping the Knicks.
For a team like the Celtics with a majority of veterans, having one less game is better than anything else.
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The Warriors ended their first-round series early, and they were not idle.
Although the score in the series between the Mavericks and the Thunder was 3:1, and theoretically the Thunder still had the possibility of a comeback, Deng Fang knew that there was no suspense in this series.
The Warriors' opponent in the next round is the Mavericks!
Historically, the Mavericks are the championship this season. If the Warriors want to break out of the Western Conference and win the championship, the Mavericks are a hurdle they must pass.
It can be said that the next round of the series is the finals of this season!
As long as they beat the Mavericks, the Warriors will have no opponents!
Of course Deng Fang knew the importance of this series, so the Warriors did not have too much entanglement with the Trail Blazers and ended the series early.
As soon as the first round series ended, Deng Fang and the coaching staff returned to Golden State overnight. Without a moment's rest, they immediately started studying the Mavericks' tactics.
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On April 27, the fifth game of the first round was completed.
The Mavericks, who returned home, did not give the Thunder a chance. Relying on their excellent zone defense, the Mavericks successfully dragged the Thunder into the quagmire of a positional battle.
As long as the Thunder can't rush forward, it will be difficult for them to cause damage and score inside, and their advantages will not be fully utilized.
In the positional battle, the Mavericks were more sophisticated and got more free throws.
In the end, the Mavericks took 36 free throws and made 31 of them, while the Thunder only made 21 of 25 free throws.
In the end, the Mavericks narrowly defeated the Thunder 100:96 and won the series 4:1.
The Thunder are very similar to the Heat. Both are good at breakthroughs and have amazing impact. The Mavericks have great experience in dealing with such a team.
If we set up a joint defense, we won’t let you in!
Let's compete with three-pointers to see who can make the shot!
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The same goes for the Lakers. They returned to Staples Arena with an extremely fierce performance. Five members of the team scored in double figures and eliminated the Nuggets with a total score of 4:1.
This is also a series with no suspense.
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The Spurs, who returned to their home court, successfully pulled back the game through overtime and saved a match point.
The best performer for the Spurs in this game was Manu Ginobili. He made 10 of 18 shots, hit 4 three-pointers, and 9 of 10 free throws. He scored 33 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds.
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If Ginobili had not missed Game 1 due to injury, the current situation might have been the other way around.
I guess the Spurs are now feeling regretful...
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The Bulls, the top team in the Eastern Conference, did not give the Pacers any chance when they returned home. Six members of their team scored in double figures and beat the Pacers 116:89, eliminating their opponents 4:1.
The Heat, who returned home, also didn't give the 76ers a chance.
Although 5 players of the 76ers scored in double figures and the whole team performed well, their three-pointers were severely restricted. They made 2 of 10 shots from the field, with a shooting percentage of only 20%.
In addition to the outstanding performance of the Heat's Big Three, Chalmers stood up on the bench and scored the team's third-highest 20 points.
In the end, the Heat won the game 97:91 and eliminated the 76ers 4:1.
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It has to be said that the power of the home court is still quite huge, and the Magic team played extremely fiercely after returning to the home court.
The Magic, which was lagging behind by a big score, made considerable changes. Howard only took 4 shots in this game and only scored 8 points.
However, the Magic's outside performance was quite good. The team made 11 of 26 three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of 42.3%.
In the end, the Magic defeated the Hawks 101:76 at home, evening the score to 2:3, retaining hope of continuing.
As a result, only two sets of matches have not been played in the first round of the series.
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On April 29, the first game was Game 6 between the Grizzlies and Spurs.
This game was still full of hand-to-hand combat.
The Grizzlies targeted the Spurs' weakness and kept attacking the penalty area. They took 30 free throws and made 22 of them.
Although the three-point shooting was very poor, only 1 of 9, the Grizzlies relied on free throws and defense to win the game 99:91.
In the end, the Grizzlies also eliminated the Spurs 4:2.
This series is the most unexpected matchup in the first round.
In the regular season, the San Antonio team performed extremely well and was almost unstoppable. However, no one expected that in the playoffs, the Grizzlies would find their weakness and be eliminated.
The Spurs' biggest problem is their poor interior defense.
Due to Duncan's aging and the lack of fresh blood, the Spurs' inside line is still very weak.
If we change our opponent and rely on the stable performance of GDP, the Spurs should be fine.
But the Spurs were very unlucky and happened to meet their opponent, the Black Bears.
The Grizzlies' strong point is their inside and outside defense. These two points happened to be the key to the Spurs' success, making the Spurs very uncomfortable.
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Another set of matchups in the East also had a winner.
The Hawks played very well back at home. Five players on the team scored in double figures. They relied on their excellent defense to successfully restrict the Magic from the outside. In the end, the Hawks narrowly defeated their opponents 84:81.
In the end, the fifth-placed Eagles in the Eastern Conference also eliminated the fourth-placed Magic with a big score of 4:2, and staged a second-place win in the first-round series.
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At this point, the first round series is over, and the Eastern Conference semifinals matchups are officially announced:
The Bulls, ranked first in the Eastern Conference, will face the Hawks, ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference.
There is a lot to watch in this matchup. The upstarts of the league face off against the Eagles, who are all in the same league. It is hard to predict who will win and who will lose.
The Heat and Celtics, who ranked second and third, also "got their wish" and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The season opener is a duel between these two teams, and now the two teams are finally going to have a real showdown in the playoffs, which is definitely exciting.
The Lakers' opponent in third place is the dark horse Grizzlies, who eliminated the Spurs.
Can the defending champion last year withstand the impact of the Black and White Bears?
Can Kobe Bryant break Tony Allen's blockade?
This showdown is quite interesting!
The Warriors, number one in the Western Conference, will face the Mavericks, number four.
Can the league's No. 1 Warriors handle the Mavericks' zone defense?
Do the Mavericks still dare to use zone defense against the Warriors?
Both teams are led by a single core, is Nowitzki the best, or is Kuritian unstoppable?
