On May 19, 2014, the first game between the Warriors and the Spurs officially started.
This matchup can be said to be highly anticipated, even more so than the finals!
As for the reason, the Spurs are very strong and are currently the only team that has the potential to overthrow the Warriors!
In terms of regular season record, the Spurs rank second in the league, second only to the Warriors. In terms of various statistics, the Spurs are also the closest to the Warriors!
This Spurs is indeed very strong!
Historically, the Spurs won the championship in the 13-14 season, and it only took them five games to defeat the invincible Heat, which had the Big Three!
You know, the last season in history the Heat stole the championship from the Spurs!
If it weren't for Ray Allen's fatal three-pointer, the Heat in history might have disintegrated a year early!
I have to say that this Spurs are really very strong. They regretted losing the finals just now, but they immediately made a comeback and regained what they lost with an even stronger attitude!
The characteristics of this Spurs are the combination of young and old, both offense and defense, internal and external balance, and no weaknesses.
The veterans are the GDP trio, Parker is the key one, Ginobili is equally good on the bench, and Duncan is getting stronger with age, playing a huge role on both offense and defense!
Although these three are older, no matter which one of them has the potential to break out, they all have the ability to score 30+ points in a game!
Even 38-year-old Duncan is the same!
In the semifinals against the Thunder, Duncan also scored 27 points. He is still the most reliable one in the Spurs!
In addition to GDP, the Spurs also have three young players in the starting lineup: Leonard, Danny Green and Splitter. The three of them did a good job on the defensive end and did not stretch their hips on the offensive end.
On the bench, Diaw is a versatile player who can attack, defend, shoot, break and pass. Mills is a shooter who shoots wildly and Belinelli's shooting is also very reliable.
The main force of the Spurs composed of these people cooperates tacitly, is both offensive and defensive, and is astonishingly efficient.
Duncan has always been the inside gatekeeper. Although he is older, he still has no problem defending in the penalty area.
Danny Green is a high-quality 3D player. Needless to say, his defense is very good.
Not to mention Leonard, he is the league's top defender, no matter who is in front of him, he will frown.
Split is also a good defender.
Mills is very strong on the defensive end and dares to take the initiative to engage in physical confrontation with opponents. Although Ginobili is old, his golf intelligence is online, his acting skills are top-notch, and he does not suffer on the defensive end.
The Spurs defense line composed of these people is very strong, and it is difficult for opponents to break through.
Of course, the most lethal thing about this Spurs is their offense!
Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll are extremely harmonious and very lethal. Danny Green and Leonard are high-quality 3D players who can open up the space. On the bench, Ginobili, Mills, and Belinelli are very good at three-pointers.
It's reliable, and Diaw is both inside and outside, a jack-of-all-trades player.
In short, this Spurs are very scary on both the defensive and offensive ends.
Of course Deng Fang knew this, so this time he rarely boasted too much.
The Spurs' starting lineup remains unchanged, with Parker, Danny Green, Leonard, Duncan and Splitter.
The same is true for the Warriors. The starting five remains unchanged, with Curry, Clay, Barnes, Hayward and Bogut playing.
The Spurs are twin towers, while the Warriors are one big and four small!
The Warriors have great firepower, and the twin towers are generally troublesome, but Popovich still chose to trust the starter.
You are stronger on the outside, which I can't compare with. In this case, I can only fight with you on the inside!
If I have an advantage on the inside and you can't guard against it, wouldn't that be great?!
The most important thing is that the Spurs have been using this starting lineup throughout the regular season, and Popovich doesn't want to suddenly change the lineup.
But Popovich regretted it once the game started.
Duncan and Split can't defend themselves at all!
The Splash Brothers' off-the-ball movement alone was too much for these two to handle!
That is the duo with the strongest movement without the ball!
Coupled with the cover cuts of Bogut and Barnes, the Spurs' defense was very painful, and they were always hesitating between switching defenses and not switching defenses.
If you switch defenses, you will be defeated by the Warriors. If you don't switch defenses, you will be killed by the Splash Brothers!
In the first three minutes, the Splash Brothers took 5 three-pointers and hit 4 of them!
The Spurs are in pain on the defensive end and equally annoyed on the offensive end.
The Spurs' original intention was to focus on the inside and slow down the pace, but the result was that they simply couldn't take advantage in the paint.
Bogut defends Duncan. It is very difficult for Duncan to defeat Bogut alone, and the success rate is very low.
After all, Bogut is still the top pick. He started out on defense, and single defense inside has always been his strength.
Needless to say, 38-year-old Duncan, even 28-year-old Duncan, will not be too relaxed in front of Bogut!
The 28-year-old Duncan definitely has an advantage when facing Bogut, but he won't do whatever he wants!
Not to mention the 38-year-old Duncan!
As for Split playing Hayward alone, there is no need to think about it!
Split has always been a human shield on the defensive end, and his inside singles ability is close to zero!
There is no post-up play, no mid-range shot, and his physical fitness is average. Even if Hayward is defending alone, you don’t have to worry too much!
Not to mention that the Warriors still have a double attack!
As long as Split gets the ball, Barnes and Clay will come over to attack!
Just bully you for not passing the ball!
Duncan can play in isolation if he wants, firstly because his passing is very good, and secondly because Bogut is reassuring to defend him, but Split is different!
Duncan, who has the ability to play in singles, can't hit a defensive gate at all, and his efficiency is extremely low. Split, who has no ability to play in singles, is double-teamed as soon as he gets the ball. The Spurs' idea of playing singles in the penalty area is simply impossible to realize.
If you can't hit the inside line, there will be no chance for the outside line.
The Spurs only have two guns on the outside in their starting lineup. These two guns are not at the level of the Splash Brothers. What can the Warriors fear?
If you dare to use the twin towers, I will shrink the defense!
Duncan and Splitter all make a living in the penalty area. Parker also mainly shoots mid-range shots and his three-pointers are very average. So what are you afraid of?
Just shrink and you’re done!
Hayward and Clay never left the three-second zone and kept wandering around the penalty area!
Only Curry and Barnes were watching Danny Green and Leonard near the three-point line.
In the first three minutes of the game, the Spurs didn't score a single goal in a sports match. They only scored 1 point with Duncan's free throw!
14:1, the Warriors' lead reached double digits in the first three minutes!
Popovich called a timeout with a dark face.
It seems that the Twin Towers really don’t work!
After the timeout, the Spurs replaced Split and replaced him with Diaw.
Dior has three points. Although it is not very accurate, it is still better than Split.
More importantly, Diaw also plays from the back, can hit mid-range shots, and passes the ball well.
The Warriors' defensive end has not changed much. They still shrink the attack and do not give Diaw a chance to play in isolation.
If you want to pass the ball, just pass it, let's see whose outside line is better!
Relying on inside singles to attract double attacks, the Spurs got a lot of open three-point opportunities from the outside. Danny Green and Leonard were also very good and shot very accurately.
However, the Warriors' offensive firepower is stronger, and the Spurs still can't defend it!
After all, Diaw is still an inside player, so switching defense to the outside is still not possible.
Soon, after the first quarter, the score became 39:27.
Thanks to Danny Green's four three-pointers, the Spurs didn't fall behind too far.
