At the beginning of the second quarter, both teams used substitute lineups.
On the Warriors' side are Livingston, Iguodala, Brandon Rush, David Lee and Ezeli.
On the Pelicans side are Norris Cole, Holiday, Pondexter, Ryan Anderson, and Asik.
If it were the Warriors' previous substitute lineup, there would be no suspense in the game, but now, there is still a little suspense.
Brandon Rush's defense is average, David Lee is a cash machine, Ezeli is a black hole on the offensive end, Livingston's defense is very good, his assists are great, but there are no three-pointers, and Iguodala's three-pointers
The scores are just average, with some scores but no scores.
Fortunately, the Pelicans' bench strength is not that good either.
The two teams had a chaotic fight!
The second quarter lasted for more than 5 minutes, and the score difference did not change much.
There was an official timeout, and after the timeout both teams replaced their starters.
Deng Fang did not dare to start and substitute one quarter each as before.
To be on the safe side, the only option is to let the starters play for a while, which is also impossible.
Of course, this was rare for the Warriors before, but it is normal for other teams.
No matter which team, the main players play for about 35 minutes, and some head coaches will let their stars play for about 40 minutes!
For example, Thibodeau...
It can only be that the previous Warriors were too extravagant, and that was a special situation.
The advantage of this is that although they have reached the finals for several consecutive years, the Splash Brothers and others have not exerted much physical exertion and have maintained their condition very well.
Now that the system restrictions have increased a lot, there are not enough people, and it is time for the main players to spend more time.
In the starting matchup, the Warriors are obviously much better than the Pelicans!
Again, the Warriors beat the Pelicans!
The Pelicans don't have a No. 1 guard, and their star player is a gold-medal scorer who can only score points but cannot connect the team. Such a flawed team will naturally be at the mercy of others in the playoffs!
No matter what Holiday's condition is, how much time he plays!
The only difference is whether you lose more or lose less!
As soon as the Warriors returned from the starting lineup, the point difference immediately widened by a few points. Although the Pelicans strengthened their defense, their constipated offense made it difficult for them to narrow the score.
Offense and defense are inherently integrated. If you can't make any shots or keep making mistakes, it will be difficult to show off your best personal defense!
Of course, it's possible to drive offense through defense, but the problem is that the Warriors' defense is also very good, or better than the Pelicans, so it's impossible to play!
Eric Gordon's offensive ability is okay, and his three-pointers are also good, but he is definitely far behind compared with Kobe, Wade and others. However, Clay's defense is one of the best in the league, no worse than Holiday.
How could Gordon have a chance to score easily in front of Clay?!
Holiday has a physical advantage in front of Curry, but Curry's defense is not bad. Deng Fang specifically told him to prevent sudden shots. Barnes is inside and is ready to help defend at any time. In this case
Holiday was also at a loss.
As for Evans, as long as he doesn't hold the ball, Barnes basically doesn't care about him!
For a player who doesn't have a three-pointer and doesn't have the ball in his hands, even looking at you is an insult to my IQ!
Anthony Davis's scoring ability is strong, but Green's defense is not exaggerated. Coupled with the help of other Warriors to attack and defend, it is difficult for Davis, who has average organizational skills, to fully utilize his strength.
As for Norris Cole or Asik, they are also characters that can be ignored!
The Warriors' defense is already very good, and every Pelicans player has a weakness. You can imagine how constipated the Pelicans' offense is in the face of the Warriors' defense.
After the second quarter, the Warriors' lead reached 25 points!
As soon as the second half started, the Pelicans removed Asik and brought on Pondexter.
One big and four little ones start up and attack with all their strength!
Pondexter has three points, but that's it, much worse than Holiday!
Deng Fang was well prepared for this move against the Pelicans. He also replaced Bogut and brought on Iguodala.
Five little ones start walking!
The third quarter is exclusive time for the Warriors, and this is Oracle Arena!
Anthony Davis felt hot from the start and made consecutive shots, scoring 11 points in two minutes. The Warriors had a poor touch and missed several three-pointers in a row. The difference between the two teams quickly shrank to 16 points.
Anthony Davis suddenly became energetic and started to shoot three-pointers from outside the three-point line while he felt good!
The result was okay, I scored two goals in three attempts!
Curry made two mistakes and made one mistake.
The score difference immediately reached 10 points!
Deng Fang called a timeout. After the timeout, the Warriors strengthened their defense and attacked Davis frantically!
I'll bully you for your poor organizational skills, let's see what you do!
Davis's offensive method is more about facing the frame. This method basically only allows the big man to score. It is difficult to pass the ball and assist!
You are not a small guard, with slow breakthrough speed and average ball-handling ability. How can you look at the basket and take care of the position of your teammates at the same time!
It is possible to do both in post-up situations, but Davis's post-up ability is average. He relies more on his height and touch to score, and his organizational and linking abilities are very average.
As soon as the Warriors double-attacked, Davis immediately wavered and made several mistakes in a row!
The Warriors took the opportunity to hit an 11:1 spurt, and the point difference between the two teams once again widened to 20 points!
Although the Pelicans called two timeouts, it was difficult to stop the decline.
Why?
Because in these few fast break counterattacks, Curry found his touch!
Curry had a chance before, but failed to make a shot. Now that he has found his touch, the game is no longer suspense!
In just three minutes, Curry threw 5 three-pointers, one of which was a super long three-pointer, and the other was a three-plus-one shot with Davis!
Curry went completely crazy!
One second before the end of the third quarter, Curry picked up a rebound in the backcourt and threw the ball directly. The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and fell straight into the net bag!
A three-pointer at the buzzer, a three-pointer that almost ran the entire length of the court!
Although Davis started the second half well, the Warriors responded with a more intense scoring wave!
At the end of the third quarter, the Warriors led by 31 points, and the game completely lost its suspense!
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors all came on the bench and the Pelicans played three minutes in the starting lineup. The point difference did not change much. Monty Williams had to replace the starter and announced the end of the game.
Although the Warriors' bench is much worse than in previous seasons, it is still much better than other teams in the league!
A shot against the wind may not necessarily be good, but a shot with the wind is definitely no problem!
The game played very quickly, and when the final buzzer sounded, the score was fixed at 138:97. The Warriors won by 41 points and won the first victory in the series.
Anthony Davis played 34 minutes and scored 31 points, 3 assists, 12 rebounds, but also made 8 turnovers!
Curry played 30 minutes, making 8 of 14 three-pointers, scoring 37 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. Another big triple-double!
Somehow, as long as he plays the Pelicans and faces Davis, Curry is particularly energetic and performs very well...
