The Grizzlies' starting five are Conley, Mayo, Battier, Rudy Gay, and Randolph.
This is a lineup with strong offense and weak defense.
It's obvious that Grizzlies coach Hollins is beginning to waver.
What should I do if I can’t prevent it?
Only attack!
When he got to the Twin Towers, he was bullied by Curry without the ball. When Tony Allen was on the court, the Warriors unscrupulously let him go and frantically flanked Randolph.
Although Conley and Randolph played well in the pick-and-roll, the Grizzlies were unable to guard against the Warriors' offense, and the point difference kept widening.
What to do?
Only attack!
This is the only way for all Warriors opponents to reach the end!
The lineup the Grizzlies picked up is very flexible. Both Conley and Mayo can initiate offense. There are four shooters on the outside and a big killer Randolph on the inside. The offensive end is very threatening.
But the warrior is not afraid.
The Warriors' starting lineup remains unchanged, with Curry, Prince, Tucker, Kirilenko and Lopez.
Mayo's offense is indeed good, but when the person guarding him is Prince, Mayo's skills are useless.
Tucker defends Battier and Kirilenko defends Rudy Gay. The Warriors have advantages in both positions.
Lopez struggled to defend Randolph, but Prince, Kirilenko and Tucker's flanking defense made Randolph very painful.
Even Curry, with his excellent golf intelligence and tenacious fighting spirit, has no problem in rotating defense.
What Curry lacks is only his physical talent, and he has no shortage of hard work!
Curry is as good as anyone in his place!
As for the option of playing Curry alone, Deng Fang will not let the Grizzlies succeed.
What do the three forwards Prince, Tucker and Kirilenko do?
It’s used to fill in for Curry and help defend!
These three people have speed, strength, height, and rich defensive experience. Assisting in defensive rotations is a piece of cake!
Although the Grizzlies have strong offensive firepower, the Warriors have a better defense!
More importantly, the Warriors' offense is much better than the Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies can't defend them at all.
In order to attack, the Grizzlies gave up part of their defense.
Mayo's defense was average, and Gasol was not on the court. The Warriors simply couldn't defend against the Warriors' offense.
Curry found an opportunity to take action again!
A three-point shot after the pick-and-roll!
Forced Mayo to take a one-on-one three-pointer after changing defense!
A three-pointer after running without the ball!
He got past Randolph and broke through to the inside for an easy layup.
Passing between the two flanking players, he broke through and scored...
When it comes to offensive skills alone, Curry is not afraid of anyone!
In just 5 minutes, Curry scored 16 points and sent 4 assists!
The point difference quickly expanded to 25 points!
The Warriors' offensive firepower is very fierce, and Curry, who has found his touch, is unstoppable.
Even if the Grizzlies bring back Tony Allen and Gasol, it won't help!
Compared to defense, offense is always more proactive.
No matter which superstar he is, as long as he finds his touch, no one can defend him!
Soon, the third quarter was over, and the point difference widened to 30 points!
The game also lost its suspense.
In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies did not start the game. Both teams were substitutes and the game was played very quickly.
The final score was fixed at 132:101, and the Warriors won by 31 points!
The series score became 2:0, and the Warriors were in great shape.
In this game, as the Grizzlies strengthened their offense and their defensive intensity dropped a lot, Curry got a lot of shooting opportunities.
After the game, Curry made 15 of 22 shots and scored 39 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Less playing time? High shooting percentage? Lots of assists. Curry's efficiency is terrifying!
…
On May 20, the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals was also played.
This game was still played at the Bulls' home court, but it was the Heat who had the last laugh.
The Bulls' defense in this game was still good. They also grabbed a lot of frontcourt rebounds. However, the Heat did better on the defensive end, completely limiting the Bulls' offense.
The Heat only made 3 of 13 three-pointers in the game? The shooting rate is quite low? But the Bulls' three-pointers were even worse? Only 3 of 20!
Relying on a large number of frontcourt boards, the Bulls got a lot of shooting opportunities. However, their shooting percentage was very low. They made 28 of 82 shots from the field, which was only 34%!
Rose's efficiency was also very low. He made 7 of 23 shots and only scored 21 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.
Luol Deng's efficiency was not high either. He made 5 of 15 shots and only scored 13 points. He had 2 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 turnovers.
Apart from that, no one from the Bulls scored in double figures!
Four players on the Heat scored in double figures, and the best performer was James. He made 12 of 21 shots and scored a game-high 29 points, 5 assists, and 10 rebounds.
However, under the Bulls' targeted defense, James also made 5 turnovers.
I have to say that Spoelstra is really good at defense, even if he is no worse than defensive expert Thibodolby.
When both teams defend well, what everyone is competing for is the quality and quantity of their stars.
Obviously, the Heat have an absolute advantage in this regard.
In the end, the Heat won the game 85:75, and the series score became 1:1.
The Eastern Conference finals completely turned into a hand-to-hand battle. Both teams scored very low and the game was not enjoyable to watch.
Of course, the Grizzlies also want to change the game to this rhythm, but they can't...
…
At 7:30 pm on May 21, the third game between the Warriors and the Grizzlies officially started at FedEx Arena.
In this game, the Grizzlies once again made changes to the starting lineup. Hollins took down Randolph and Battier, playing a senior and a fourth.
Conley, Tony Allen, Battier, Rudy Gay, Gasol, all five defensive heroes are on the scene!
These five people are the five best defensive players of the Grizzlies. It is obvious that the Grizzlies are determined to defend against the Warriors.
Defense is the foundation of the Grizzlies!
I don’t have to make a shot, as long as you can’t make a shot either!
After trying in the last game, Hollins finally understood one thing, that is, fighting the Warriors offensively, and competing for three points is courting death!
Even if you die, you must die on a position you are familiar with!
I can let you die, but I can't let you die of fear!
The Warriors' starting lineup remains unchanged, with Curry, Prince, Tucker, Kirilenko and Lopez.
The Warriors' starting lineup is even stronger than last season and is truly both offensive and defensive!
In this game, the Grizzlies implemented the game principles very well. The whole game was in one word: defense!
Regardless of whether the Warriors are flanking or not, whether it's Gasol or Tony Allen, as long as there's a chance in the low post, just go for it!
Lopez defending Gasol?
singles!
Gasol’s low post singles skills are average?
It doesn't matter whether he scores or not, as long as he doesn't shoot three-pointers!
I won’t give you a chance to grab long rebounds and play fast breaks!
Kirilenko switches defense in front of Gasol?
singles!
Double team?
Either hit with two players, or pass it to a teammate who cuts in from the air!
Curry guarding Tony Allen?
Then give the ball to Tony Allen and let him hit Curry in the low post!
Curry guarding Conley?
Then let Conley and Gasol pick and roll, and after the pick and roll, they will resolutely break into the paint!
Curry huddled inside and rushed into the penalty area!
Until the last moment, you will not throw a three-pointer until there is a wide open space!
In short, it is a principle, go to the basket and score!
Anyway, letting Tony Allen shoot three-pointers from the outside is about the same as making mistakes, so he might as well just go to the basket resolutely!
Even if it's an offensive foul, it doesn't matter!
I can serve you baseline balls, but I can’t let you play fast breaks!
We are just grinding our ground!
The Grizzlies are very determined on the offensive end, and the same on the defensive end.
Curry lets Tony Allen chase him without the ball, and the others try not to switch defenses.
If it's too late, switch defenses. Everyone pays attention to Curry!
Curry and Lopez were in a pick-and-roll, and the Grizzlies resolutely attacked Curry without giving Curry a chance to take action!
Curry must not take a shot, even if he is allowed to take free throws, he cannot make a three-pointer!
No one else can vote, only Kirilenko can!
Battier helped defend in the penalty area, and the Grizzlies only gave Kirilenko a chance to shoot a three-pointer from the outside.
Even if Kirilenko shoots a three-pointer, you can't leave him wide open, and you have to make a proper pounce!
With Randolph, I dare not say that it is no problem for the Grizzlies lineup to achieve this level of defense!
Five defensive heroes!
That's no joke!
In addition, the Grizzlies quickly returned to defense after taking the shot, and no one except Gasol grabbed a single frontcourt rebound!
If the Warriors have a chance to break quickly, then foul and let the Warriors take free throws!
In a word, slow down the rhythm and deny the Warriors opportunities for fast breaks and three-pointers!
I have to say that this strategy of the Grizzlies worked very well. In the first quarter, Curry only took one shot!
That time it was against Tony Allen's strong three-pointer!
He only made one shot, and it was still a strong shot. The result was not surprising, he didn't score!
Curry only scored 2 points on free throws.
Fortunately, facing the Grizzlies' attack, Curry sent out 4 assists in a single quarter, and two or three more were indirect assists.
The Grizzlies were betting on Kirilenko's touch by doing this.
As long as Kirilenko fails to make a shot or his shooting percentage is lower, the Grizzlies will have a chance!
Although this possibility is unlikely, it is an opportunity after all!
To play against a strong team, you must be fierce!
The reason why they are a strong team must be better than you in many aspects!
If you can take a chance on gambling, that’s the best result!
Fortunately, the Grizzlies are lucky, Kirilenko feels bad tonight!
Kirilenko took 8 three-pointers in a single quarter and only hit 1!
This hit rate can't be any lower!
But Deng Fang did not replace Kirilenko!
The purpose is to give Kirilenko such an opportunity to hone his shooting in actual combat!
Kirilenko can hit a three-pointer!
No one can guarantee that the ball will always go in!
If you don't use it at this time, you won't dare to use it at the critical moment!
If Kirilenko is replaced at this time, Kirilenko's shooting confidence may not be regained!
Deng Fang's meaning is very obvious, Kirilenko need not be afraid, he will make a bold move when the opportunity arises!
As long as there is a big open spot, shoot!
Don’t be afraid if it’s not a big open spot, just shoot if you want!
Curry has this privilege, and so do you!
As long as there is an open space, anyone on the Warriors can take a three-pointer, and they must take a three-pointer!
If you don’t dare to shoot from the outside, there will be no chance of inside shooting!
It doesn't matter if you lose one or two games, but losing confidence in shooting is the scariest thing!
Of course, one of the main reasons why Deng Fang dared to do this was because of his confidence.
He carefully selected these Warriors players, and none of them is a three-point black hole like Tony Allen!
Except for DeAndre Jordan and Livingston, everyone else can shoot three-pointers!
Except for Jeremy Lin, everyone else’s three-pointers are fine!
Even for Kirilenko, as long as the opportunity is good and as long as he has confidence, he will still be able to score three points!
This has been proven in history!
Kirilenko's shooting touch was terrible, Curry was completely restricted, and the Warriors could only rely on piecemeal scoring.
After the first quarter, the Warriors only scored 21 points!
This is already a very low score for the Warriors, but the Warriors still lead by 5 points!
Why?
Because the Grizzlies offense is worse!
Because the Warriors' defense is very good!
What's a physical fight? Who's afraid of being hugged and thrown?
No matter which position the Warriors play, they won't suffer!
In the center matchup, Lopez is a little shorter than Gasol, but heavier.
The most important thing is that Lopez is three years younger than Gasol!
Boxing is afraid of young people, it doesn’t matter if you say this anytime!
Especially when fighting hand-to-hand and competing in physical fitness!
Kirilenko has no problem facing off against Rudy Gay. Regardless of his height, wingspan or defensive experience, Kirilenko can completely defeat Rudy Gay!
Tucker won't suffer against Battier, at least the two of them are the result of a matchup.
It's even easier for Prince to defend Tony Allen, and there won't even be any problem if Prince devotes half of his energy to help with defense.
Even if Curry defends Conley, he won't suffer too much!
Conley is 1.85 meters tall, Curry is 1.91 meters tall, Conley weighs 79 kilograms, and Curry weighs 86 kilograms.
In addition to his explosive power, Curry does not suffer in physical confrontation.
The most important thing is that the Warriors have very high basketball intelligence and work well together.
The Grizzlies want to attack the inside? Then we all stay inside!
I would rather give Conley an open three-point opportunity than let you rush in!
Hard shot? Sorry, whether it is Prince, Kirilenko, or Lopez, they are all masters of blocking shots!
Not to mention coming in and fanning each other, it’s almost the same!
The Grizzlies are determined to rush in, and the Warriors will not let the Grizzlies in even if they fight to death!
Offensive foul!
Rushed in and was blocked!
A steal by assisting defense during the breakthrough!
The Grizzlies have trouble getting the ball into the paint.
As a last resort, the Grizzlies could only throw three-pointers from the outside.
But the Grizzlies players were not ready to shoot at all!
The head coach said, you can't throw three-pointers casually!
Am I going to be scolded for taking action like this?
You shouldn’t even invest in it!
I...will vote or not...
There was a lot of pressure mentally, and the Grizzlies were not physically prepared.
Shooting requires the body to stretch and relax, not to tighten the muscles, and to exert force on the whole body.
But the Grizzlies players rushed in with all their strength from the beginning, all with gritted teeth.
It is very difficult to throw the ball calmly in this situation!
The result is that the Grizzlies only hit 50% of their free throws!
You can imagine how bad his three-point shooting is!
Unable to break out, Randolph is not around, there is little offensive threat inside, and they can't make three-pointers from the outside. The Grizzlies' offense is in a mess!
Therefore, the Grizzlies were extremely lucky to only be behind by 5 points in the first quarter!
