The Lakers fell behind by 8 points in a single quarter, but they actually performed very well!
If Artest hadn't hit all three 3-pointers, if Kobe hadn't hit several incredible mid-range shots, and if the Warriors hadn't made mistakes that forced the Lakers into several fast-break counterattacks, the point difference would have been twice as big as it is now.
Got it!
There is no way, the current rhythm is the Warriors' favorite rhythm, shooting and fast breaks. As long as the game is played at this rhythm, no team can be the opponent of the Warriors.
In the second quarter, the Warriors played their entire substitute lineup, while the Lakers replaced two players.
Blake, Kobe, Jamison, Gasol, and Howard faced off against the Warriors' bench. Nash and Artest came down to rest for a while.
There is no way, Nash is already 38 years old, and Artest is also 33 years old.
Although Kobe is one year older than Artest, he still stays on the court because the Lakers can't do without him.
In order to win, D'Antoni had no choice but to fight hard.
D'Antoni knew that Artest's three-pointers were entirely dependent on his luck. The three-pointers he just made were more of luck. They wouldn't last forever. They had to change pitchers when they needed to.
Comparatively speaking, the Lakers' lineup is not worse than the previous starting lineup. The only problem is physical strength.
Kobe Bryant and Gasol stayed on the court without taking a minute's rest. This was a big test for the two of them.
The five substitutes for the Warriors are Lowry, Ariza, Kirilenko, Tucker, and Lopez. This is an upgraded version of the iron-locked bronze formation!
I can guard against all five of them, and all five of them are very tough!
Although the Warriors are a substitute lineup, their intensity has not diminished at all, and their defense has even been strengthened!
Five defensive heroes with full health suddenly made the Lakers uncomfortable.
It wouldn't be like this if the Lakers were also in a full-blooded starting position, but Kobe, Gasol and Howard had already been running with the Splash Brothers for a whole quarter, and their physical fitness had already bottomed out!
Under the defense of the Warriors' upgraded version of the Iron-Locked Bronze Formation, the Lakers' offense was helpless, failing to score and making constant mistakes.
Although the Warriors' bench lineup has average offensive firepower, it defends well and uses defensive counterattacks to be very efficient.
The point difference between the two teams continues to widen.
More than 5 minutes into the second quarter, the Lakers were already trailing by 16 points.
D'Antoni had no choice but to call a timeout.
After the timeout, the Lakers' starting lineup returned to the game.
After returning from the starting lineup, the Lakers' offense was slightly better, but the defensive end became worse.
There is no way, Nash's age is there, Kobe, Gasol and Howard have been fighting on the court without a minute's rest, and their physical fitness can't keep up.
The Warriors' bench got better and better as they played, suppressing the Lakers on both offense and defense.
To be honest, the strength of this Lakers team is not as strong as expected. They look very powerful and have a great reputation, but they are strong on the outside and dry on the inside, and their real combat effectiveness is not that good.
Kobe's scoring ability is indeed very strong, but it is based on a large number of shots and is not very efficient.
Especially in front of the Warriors, who have accurate shooting, Kobe's weakness of inaccurate long-range shooting is even more obvious.
Although he is a shooting guard, Kobe's career three-point shooting percentage in the regular season is only 32.9%. In the playoffs, it is slightly higher, only 33.1%!
This shooting percentage is very low among guards, and compared to Curry, Klay is even worse.
If the three-pointer is not accurate, the Warriors' players defending Kobe will dare to take a step back to prevent sudden shots.
Even if you make the investment, we will be more accurate than you when you look back!
The Warriors dare to defend Kobe like this because of their super high shooting percentage.
If it was a young Kobe, he could still cause damage with a sudden burst, but now Kobe's breakthrough is not that threatening.
It was hard for Kobe to play, and even less so for others.
Nash was indeed great in his prime, but now that Nash is 38 years old, he is not strong enough on the offensive end and is even more of a black hole on the defensive end.
Howard has a cynical look. He cannot be blamed on the offensive end, and it is also difficult for the defensive end to deal with the Warriors, who are mainly outsiders.
Gasol was unable to do anything under the Warriors' defense.
It's okay to deal with an average team. Facing the Warriors' young and tough forwards, once Gasol gets the ball in the paint, the Warriors double-team him, forcing the Lakers to shoot from the outside. It's hard for Gasol to perform well.
space.
As for Artest, he cannot be regarded as the backer of winning games.
It's okay to let Artest throw two three-pointers occasionally to try his hand. It's basically a dream to expect him to kill the game by shooting!
Artest's three-pointers in the playoffs are not as good as Kobe's!
If the opponent is a team like the Grizzlies or Nuggets, then the Lakers still have some hope.
After all, the Lakers' paper strength is there, and they also need to have more experience in the playoffs.
But when they meet the Warriors, the Lakers have no hope at all.
Soon, at the end of the half, the score between the two teams became 78:57, with the Warriors leading by 21 points.
To be honest, the Lakers' outside performance in this game was already very good. If it were at the level of the regular season, the point difference between the two teams would probably be more than 30 points.
Even so, the Lakers have put in all their efforts!
Kobe, Gasol and Howard played the entire first half, and Nash and Artest also played a lot of time.
The Warriors' starting lineup sat down for a whole quarter of the game, and the Lakers were still trailing by more than 20 points. How could they play this game!
Sure enough, three minutes into the second half, the Lakers collapsed!
The Warriors turned up the intensity as soon as they came on. On the offensive end, the splash brothers kept moving around people, and on the defensive end, they kept attacking, causing the Lakers to make several mistakes.
There is no way, the Lakers are not physically fit enough and their intensity simply cannot keep up.
When every move you make is one beat slower than your opponent's, and when your moves appear to be in slow motion in the eyes of your opponent, it's useless no matter how experienced you are!
In the competitive arena, the body still has to speak for itself.
The 60-year-old Jordan is no match for a 20-year-old rookie!
Compared with the Splash Brothers, who are around 20 years old, and Kobe, who is in his thirties, and Nash, who is close to forty, the advantages are very obvious.
As soon as the Lakers made a mistake, the Warriors counterattacked with a fast break.
The Lakers defensive end was a little slow, and the Splash Brothers shot a three-pointer from outside!
The key is that Howard doesn't have a long memory. If he comes out slowly once, he will still be slow next time in the same situation!
The score difference between the two teams quickly widened to more than 30 points!
Kobe was so angry that he started to fight with Howard on the court!
D'Antoni called two timeouts in a row to no avail.
Soon, at the end of the third quarter, the point difference between the two teams had widened to 40 points!
The game completely lost its suspense.
None of the Lakers' top four players played in the fourth quarter, and both teams played with full substitute lineups.
In the end, the score was fixed at 135:93. The Warriors defeated by 42 points and won the first game of the series!
