There are a lot of things to watch in the Western Conference Finals, and the same goes for the Eastern Conference.
The Heat's Big Three have been aiming for the championship since the moment they were established, and are the biggest favorites to win the championship.
But in the regular season, the Heat have been under pressure from the upstart Bulls, with no chance of making a comeback.
Rose's performance is also much better than James and Wade.
Is the Big Three of the Heat more powerful, or the Bulls led by a single core?
Is Thibodeau's defensive system still useful against the Big Three?
This is all very curious.
Therefore, there are a lot of things to watch in this series, which is very exciting.
…
At 8pm on May 17, 2011, the game between the Warriors and the Grizzlies officially started at Oracle Arena.
This is the first matchup in this year's Western Conference Finals.
This game attracted great attention, and the Oracle Arena was filled with fans an hour in advance.
The Warriors are making great progress in the playoffs, the team's ticket sales are booming, sponsors are coming in an endless stream, and their offers are high. Owner Cohan is happy every day.
There is a lot to watch in this year’s Western Conference Finals.
Needless to say, the Warriors have the best record in the league and have swept their opponents in two consecutive rounds. Can this performance continue?
It can be said that compared to the Heat, which has the Big Three, the Warriors' performance in the playoffs was even more explosive, and Curry is the invincible existence!
Except for the Warriors die-hard fans, almost everyone is looking forward to the emergence of an opponent to slow down the Warriors' progress and add a little suspense to this season's championship.
The Grizzlies happen to be such an existence!
The Grizzlies didn't perform well in the first half of the season, but after the mid-term trade, they found a feeling and clarified their style of play. Their record was very good, their rankings rose rapidly, and they finally caught up with the last train of the playoffs.
Due to injuries, the Grizzlies also relied on their matchup advantage to surpass the Trail Blazers, ranking seventh in the Western Conference, and successfully evaded the Warriors!
This is the best outcome for the Grizzlies!
Although the Spurs, second in the Western Conference, are also very good, there is obviously no suspense against the Warriors.
The Grizzlies are also very promising. In the first round of the match, they successfully defeated the Spurs with the explosive performance of the Black and White Bears. The Black and White Bears succeeded in the seventh round and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals.
Defeating the Spurs greatly boosted the Grizzlies' confidence. The management also saw hope and spent 10 million to treat Rudy Gay.
Rudy Gay's comeback won't be of much help to the Grizzlies in the semifinals because he needs time to find his form.
But one more general is never a bad thing!
Rudy Gay can at least come on as a substitute for more than ten minutes in every game, which is also good.
As the game progresses, Rudy Gay's playing time gradually increases.
In the fourth game against the Lakers, Rudy Gay was able to start.
Rudy Gay can play three or four, both offensively and defensively. His ability to find his form is absolutely great news for the Grizzlies.
Especially against the Warriors!
In theory, the Grizzlies are the most likely option to cause trouble for the Warriors.
The Warriors are extremely accurate on three-pointers, unrivaled in shooting, play at a very fast pace and are highly entertaining to watch.
If you want to compete with the Warriors for three points and play at a fast pace, you are courting death!
The Grizzlies are just the opposite of the Warriors!
The Grizzlies play a slow-paced positional battle, focusing on attacking the interior. Do they fight hand-to-hand throughout the game and rely on defense to make a living? It’s not very exciting to watch.
If the Warriors can be pinned down in a positional battle and unable to run? Then the Grizzlies are very likely to win!
Do grizzly bears have this ability?
Judging from the results of the first two rounds of the series? It is possible!
And this possibility is very high!
Since Duncan has aged, the Spurs have focused on the perimeter.
But facing the Spurs, the Grizzlies took full advantage of their inside advantage and successfully eliminated the Spurs.
Especially when facing the Lakers in the second round of the series, the Grizzlies played more confidently. Not only did they perform well inside, they also developed their outside firepower. In the end, they swept the Lakers in just four games!
Those are the Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Gasol!
Many people have begun to look forward to the grizzly bear!
The Grizzlies are the Warriors’ terminator!
Grizzlies are born to be the nemesis of the Warriors!
The young warrior is likely to fall at the feet of the grizzly bear!
As long as the Grizzlies display their normal strength, it will be difficult for the Warriors to win!
The Warriors may be in big trouble!
Only games with suspense are interesting to watch? Even if there is no suspense, we must forcefully create suspense!
Before the game, almost all media made a fuss, and many commentators expressed their optimism about the Grizzlies. This successfully attracted a lot of attention.
Although the outside world was noisy, Deng Fang didn't care.
Because Deng Fang knows that in front of the Warriors, the Grizzlies pose no threat!
Are grizzly bears powerful?
sharp!
Especially after adding Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies became even more powerful? It was very difficult to deal with.
But the Warriors are not afraid of such a team!
Why?
Because compared to a grizzly bear's shield? A warrior's spear is sharper!
In a word? The Grizzlies can't guard against the Warriors' offense!
To say the least, even in positional battles, the Warriors are not afraid of grizzly bears!
The Warriors can be fast or slow, but the Grizzlies can only play slow-paced games!
Warriors can slow down, but grizzlies can't speed up!
The Warriors can guard against the Grizzlies' inside offense, but the Grizzlies can't guard against the Warriors' outside shooting!
There is no point for the Grizzlies that the Warriors can't solve, but Curry on the Warriors' side is something the Grizzlies can't solve!
The Grizzlies' style of play is the Warriors' nemesis, but conversely, the Warriors' style of play is also the Grizzlies' nemesis!
So Deng Fang didn't care.
The Grizzlies took this game very seriously and sent out the team's strongest starting lineup: Gasol, Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley.
This is Rudy Gay's second start in the playoffs this year.
The defensive end of this Grizzlies lineup is very scary: Mike Conley, Tony Allen, and Gasol's defense are all top-notch in the league. Rudy Gay is also very good at defense. Even Randolph has no problem with interior defense.
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On the offensive end, Randolph is a monster in the penalty area, with rich offensive skills and delicate touch. Few people in the league can guard him alone.
Gasol's inside offensive skills are much worse than Randolph's, but with his strong body and excellent touch, Gasol can also score easily in the penalty area.
Mike Conley's three-pointers are very accurate, and Rudy Gay's three-pointers are not bad either.
The only weakness on the offensive end of the Grizzlies' lineup is Tony Allen.
Tony Allen has very good physical fitness and is very good at defense, but he has no shooting, let alone three-pointers, which makes him an easy target on the offensive end.
Although there are serious problems on the offensive end, for the sake of defense, Grizzlies head coach Hollins still chose to put Tony Allen on the court.
In order to deal with the Grizzlies' lineup, Deng Fang also made some changes.
Many people speculated that Deng Fang would bring on DeAndre Jordan and create a twin-tower lineup, but Deng Fang did not do so.
The Warriors' starting five are Curry, Prince, Tucker, Kirilenko, and Lopez.
Although they are one senior and four young, the four warriors are not short!
Prince, Tucker, and Kirilenko are all tall forwards who can defend from one to four!
Seeing the Warriors' starting lineup, A. Smith in the commentary box frowned and said: "Deng Fangtuo is too big! He will die miserably if he does this!"
Reggie Miller also said: "Yes, the Warriors' lineup suffers greatly in the penalty area! This game is on the line for them!"
Neither commentator was optimistic about the Warriors, but as soon as the game started, they realized they were wrong!
The Warriors' strategy on the defensive end is crazy flanking!
It was Tucker who defended Randolph. As long as he got the ball in the penalty area, the Warriors would decisively attack him.
Determined not to give Randolph a chance to play in singles!
Mike Conley can't let it go, Rudy Gay is also very accurate in three-pointers, and Gasol can leave it alone outside the three-point line, and he can also let it go when he's out of the penalty area.
Gasol can shoot three-pointers, but that was late in his career. At this time, Gasol can't shoot two or three three-pointers in a season.
As for the mid-range shot, Gasol's shooting speed is very slow, so he only needs to interfere with the ball appropriately when he gets it.
The one the Warriors shorted was Tony Allen!
Tony Allen's three-point shooting percentage this season is only 17%, and it is even lower in the playoffs, only 14%!
It would be an understatement to say that this kind of hit rate is ridiculous.
You have a black hole on the offensive end, why don't I take advantage of it?
Of course, a person's three-point shooting percentage will be much higher when he is completely open than when he is defended.
But for Tony Allen, even if his three-point shooting percentage is doubled!
Gasol and Lopez were wandering near the penalty area, Randolph was near the penalty area, and Tucker and Kirilenko who were guarding him were also staying in the penalty area!
There are five people near the penalty area. It is impossible for Tony Allen to cut in through air!
If Randolph wants to play in isolation, under the attack of the Warriors, the only thing he can do is to pass the ball to Tony Allen!
Tony Allen wanted to shoot after catching the ball, but the Warriors ignored him at all!
Push in?
There are three shot-blocking masters waiting for him in the penalty area!
Under the attack of the Warriors, Randolph's singles was completely wasted.
Of course, the Grizzlies have another option on offense, and that is the pick-and-roll.
Conley and Randolph's pick-and-roll, Conley and Gasol's pick-and-roll.
The Warriors' response is to help defend!
Tucker huddled behind, and Curry went around Randolph, not giving Conley a chance to break through.
As for shooting, Prince is there to help defend!
It’s still the same old problem, Tony Allen doesn’t have three points!
Of course, with the Warriors defending like this, Conley can still shoot a three-pointer.
It's just that his shooting space is not that big, and his chances are not very good either.
This is enough!
If you have the ability, just stop and make a three-pointer as soon as possible!
I'll admit it if you invest!
Conley's three-pointers are good, but most of them are open three-pointers. If it is a pull-up three-pointer, his shooting percentage will not be good.
At best, it’s league average!
Warriors at this level are not afraid at all!
Because looking back we have a big killer that you can’t guard against!
He is Curry!
What should the Grizzlies do in Curry and Lopez's pick-and-roll?
Can Randolph defend him?
Can Gasol make the save?
If Curry can't get out, he'll have to throw a three-pointer!
After making the save, Curry will break through to the basket and score!
Pincer attack?
Then pass the ball to an open teammate!
The three-pointers of these guys on the Warriors court are pretty good!
Even Kirilenko, after a season of training, shot a career-high in open three-pointers!
The main reason why the Warriors dare to defend like this is because they have confidence in their shooting!
Shoot three points better than you!
Whether it's Tony Allen or Conley!
As long as you shoot a three-pointer, you don't have to worry about whether or not you make it!
Once we get in, we can get in when we turn around!
If we don’t score, we have to grab rebounds and play fast break!
In order not to engage in positional warfare and to speed up the pace, the Warriors would rather let the Grizzlies shoot three-pointers!
Anyway, looking back, we definitely have an open three-point opportunity, so let's compare!
Let’s see who casts correctly!
Let’s see if it’s Tony Allen’s open three-pointer, or Kirilenko’s open three-pointer!
Let’s see if it’s Mike Conley’s emergency three-pointer that’s accurate, or Prince’s open three-pointer that’s accurate!
The game lasted 5 minutes. Randolph didn't take a single shot. Instead, Tony Allen and Conley shot 6 three-pointers!
There is no other way but to take action!
Everyone is watching!
There are people in the penalty area, what are you going to do if you don't take a three-pointer?
Win the conflict?
Isn’t that seeking death?
Tony Allen and Conley felt pretty good, making 3 of 6 three-pointers. The Grizzlies scored 12 points in 5 minutes.
This is already a very good result for the Grizzlies.
But the Warriors had more firepower. Driven by Curry, the Warriors took 7 three-pointers and made 4. Lopez also scored 4 points in the pick-and-roll!
In addition to relying on double attacks to cause mistakes, the Warriors also had 3 defensive counterattacks!
At 12:22, the Grizzlies fell behind by 10 points, and Hollins had to call a timeout.
After the timeout, the Grizzlies replaced Tony Allen and replaced him with Battier.
Now the Grizzlies have no offensive black hole on the outside.
However, the Warriors did not change their defensive strategy, they still frantically flanked Randolph.
Others can take shots, and they can shoot three-pointers from outside, but Randolph can't do it alone in the penalty area.
Battier has always been very good at three-point shooting and is a standard 3D player.
However, due to being traded once in the middle of the season, Battier's three-point shooting was very poor in a different environment.
Battier's three-point shooting percentage in the regular season was a career low, and it was also very poor in the playoffs, with only 27.6% of his three-point shooting percentage!
Even if it's a big open space, it's only the league average at best!
Such a three-point shooting rate is no threat to the Warriors!
No matter who the Grizzlies replace, the Warriors will attack the inside and not give the Grizzlies a chance to play singles in the penalty area!
The hallmark of the Grizzlies is singles in the penalty area, slow pace, and full-court fighting.
Once they start running, the disadvantage of the black and white bears' slow speed becomes apparent!
The Warriors speed up the pace at all costs!
Even if we give you an open three-point opportunity from the outside, we will still attack from a double flank!
We force you to shoot three-pointers and force you to run with us!
With the Warriors' defensive strategy, the Grizzlies have nothing to do.
Even if O'Neal is at his peak, five of us are near the penalty area, and if two of us are guarding you and one is guarding you, you won't be able to get in, and you still have to shoot three-pointers!
This is the difference between inside play and outside play!
No matter how powerful the inside players are, you still need the cooperation of your teammates. If they attack you one after another, you won't be able to get the ball!
And if a defender wants to take action, no matter who comes, as long as it is a one-on-one defense, as long as the offensive player is not too bad, he can throw the ball!
If you are farther away, I will shoot a three-pointer directly. If you are closer, I will rush you!
If you dare to help defend me, I will pass the ball. If you stay inside, I can also throw the ball and make a mid-range shot!
Whether you get in or not is another matter, there is no problem in taking action!
