In the East, the Boston Celtics, who were at home, narrowly defeated the Heat 93:91 after overtime.
In this game, both teams worked hard on the defensive end and fought until the last moment to determine the winner.
After the whole game, 6 Celtics players scored in double figures, but apart from that, only Daniels scored one point.
Rondo played 47 minutes in this game and scored 15 points and 15 rebounds. His performance was quite impressive.
For the Heat, James made 12 of 25 shots and scored 29 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, and 7 turnovers.
Wade's performance was average, making 7 of 22 shots, scoring 20 points and 6 assists.
The two teams tied at 89:89 in regular time. In overtime, both teams were exhausted and no one could score. In the end, the Celtics narrowly defeated the Heat with a 4:2 overtime score.
By winning this game, the Celtics tied the series at 2:2.
…
On June 4, 2012, Game 5 between the Warriors and Thunder began at Oracle Arena.
In the last game, the Thunder got back a win at home, and the series score became 1:3. It seemed that the Thunder had some hope of winning.
However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Thunder team tried their best in that game and beat the main players to death. Coupled with the home field factor and the referee's help, they won the game.
More importantly, the Warriors obviously don't want to be like the Thunder. They don't want any accidents to happen to their players.
For the Warriors, it doesn't matter whether they sweep or not.
Being able to return home and win is also a good choice.
At least a few million more dollars in tickets can be earned!
This also gives the alliance an explanation.
Of course, the Thunder generals don't think so. They believe that the Warriors are not invincible and that the last game was their true strength.
The Thunder sent the same starting lineup as the previous game, Fisher, Harden, Saflosa, Durant, and Ibaka.
Westbrook was still assigned to the bench.
Facts have proved that a defender without a basket is useless!
If the opponent defends in a targeted manner, Westbrook will be a liability on the court!
The Thunder's starting lineup is both offensive and defensive, and the space on the court is very wide.
After a few games, even Ibaka has become much more decisive in the mid-range!
There is no way, what the Warriors give Ibaka is the mid-range and three-pointers.
There's no way to get in!
The Warriors' starting lineup has also undergone some changes, with the Splash Brothers, Prince, Tucker and Yao Ming playing.
Kirilenko was brought on as a substitute.
Kirilenko has height and bounce, and can defend Durant better than Tucker, but his three-pointers are not as reliable as Tucker.
Without Kirilenko, Durant's defender becomes Prince.
Prince's height and wingspan are also sufficient, and he is also very suitable for Durant, who mainly defends shooting.
Tucker is only used to switch defenses and assist in defense.
Once the rotation stops, Tucker switches to Durant, and there is no problem in switching to the inside.
The multi-functional striker is still easy to use!
Both teams have made good preparations, and the final effect still needs to be seen on the court.
As soon as the game started, the two teams started fighting each other.
There is no way, with the current lineups of the two teams, it is difficult for anyone to guard the other.
Since you can't defend yourself, let's see who has more firepower!
The Thunder had no problem at first, but after a few minutes, the Warriors returned home and showed their strength as the defending champions.
Both teams are very mobile, with one senior and four juniors, and outside shooters can open up space. At this time, the competition is about who is more accurate!
The effects of Ibaka's downward attack and Yao Ming's downward attack are almost the same, and neither team dared to let it go.
When Harden held the ball in the pick-and-roll, the Warriors chose to switch defenses. Yao Ming defended Harden and did not give him a chance to shoot a three-pointer.
If Harden breaks through, the Warriors will help defend and leave Saflosa open from the outside.
Savlosha's three-pointer is not as good as Kirilenko's, why don't you dare to let it go!
Fortunately, Saflosa was very strong today and had a good three-point touch.
The Warriors used a pick-and-roll, and the Thunder chose to double-team Curry.
There is no way, switching defenses is not very effective for Curry. If you are not careful, you will give Curry a three-point opportunity.
If you are flanked at the top of the arc, you have to help defend from behind.
Without Kirilenko, the Thunder have no one they can target.
The two teams play similarly, and the final opportunity is in the same position, both from outside three-pointers.
But the Warriors' three-pointers are obviously more accurate!
If nothing else, one Clay is enough for Thunder to drink a pot!
Also, Yao Ming is even harder to guard against.
Ibaka can only slide down after the pick-and-roll because he does not have the three-point ability at this time.
But Yao Ming is different, his three-pointers are more accurate than Kirilenko.
If Yao Ming goes down, the Thunder can help defend, but if Yao Ming goes outside the three-point line after the pick-and-roll, the Thunder have nothing to do.
Also, Yao Ming can drop to the low post and beat Ibaka in singles, but Ibaka doesn't have that ability!
So the Warriors have one more tactical option.
It won't show up after one or two rounds, but it will be different after more rounds.
In more than 5 minutes, the score became 21:17, with the Warriors leading by 4 points.
Although the lead was not much, it was obvious that the Thunder would not be able to hold on.
Clay missed the first two three-pointers, then threw 4 consecutive three-pointers, scoring 12 points in a single quarter!
That's what Clay is for!
As long as the opponent flanks Curry, Clay will make the opponent pay the price!
With Klay's outbreak, the Thunder were less decisive in attacking Curry.
So Curry also got a chance to take action.
Ibaka hesitated for a moment when he stepped forward to attack, and Curry threw the ball!
The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and hit the net.
Thunder coach Brooks immediately called a timeout.
This is a very bad signal!
As soon as Curry opens, the Warriors are alive!
Anyone can open it, except Curry.
After the timeout, the Thunder attacked Curry more resolutely, but they also paid the price.
Clay and Tucker both got good open opportunities, and Yao Ming also dunked twice!
On the Thunder side, Saflosa showed his true colors, shooting four consecutive three-pointers and only making one.
The difference is getting bigger and bigger.
Soon, after the first quarter, the score became 41:32, with the Warriors leading by 9 points.
Durant was still on the court in the second quarter, but this time it was Westbrook leading the team, and Cook, Collison and Perkins were also on the court.
There's no way, there are only so many people the Thunder can use, and those who should be played will have to be played.
Westbrook was still the same as in the last game, charging in at full speed.
But this time the Warriors were well prepared. Lopez was waiting inside, and Kirilenko, who was replaced as a substitute, was ready to block shots at any time.
Lowry took two or three steps back. There were two shot-blocking masters waiting. Westbrook rushed in and was slapped away!
This is Oracle Arena, not the Thunder’s home court!
The Warriors also let a game go, which is interesting enough, and the league will not push further.
Without the care of the referee, without the blessing of home court advantage, without three-pointers, he would be blocked when he entered, and Westbrook played very depressed.
No matter how hard Durant works, his physical fitness is always limited.
What's more, the physically fit Kirilenko is still waiting there!
The score difference is getting bigger and bigger!
