On May 22, 2016, the third game between the Warriors and Thunder started at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Although they were behind 0:2, the Thunder returned to their home court with undiminished momentum. They were very proactive on the offensive end and very aggressive on the defensive end.
Although they are young, several members of the Thunder are very smart, especially Dewey. Both of them are good at drawing fouls.
Westbrook mainly draws fouls by rushing to the basket and using his incredible physical fitness to push people to the layup to draw fouls. This makes sense. Durant mainly draws fouls by relying on giant loops. This move is his signature move.
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Of course, compared to Harden, who left for the Rockets, the two are still a bit far behind.
Even in the away game, Durant and Westbrook received a lot of whistles. Now that they are back at home, they are even more confident.
Get to the basket!
Barnes sticks to the defense, and Durant breaks through to the basket. There are people inside, so he hits them!
Just change direction slightly before hitting someone, as long as you don't hit someone straight.
The same goes for Westbrook. Didn't Clay take two steps back? Then I'll take two steps forward and let's see what you do!
If you are still moving back, then I will continue to move forward!
There’s no way you wouldn’t defend me when I got to the basket, right?!
As long as you get close, I will rush in!
Durant and Westbrook reduced their shots and began to attack the basket non-stop.
I have to say that this trick is still somewhat effective. Although the hit rate is not high, I still got a few fouls.
Of course, it is unclear whether the two had a strong impact or the referee came to the home court to give face.
On the defensive end, the Thunder were very aggressive and constantly challenged the Warriors players with physical confrontations.
The Thunder still have a big physical advantage, and it would be to their advantage if the referee's whistle was looser.
In fact, the Warriors are not afraid of loose whistles. What the Warriors are afraid of is that referees only loose whistles on the Thunder...
It doesn't matter whether the whistle is loose or tight, as long as the scale is consistent.
The problem is that the referee obviously doesn't want to do this.
The Warriors are leading 2:0, and it's on the road. If the referee isn't targeting you, who is he targeting?
Of course, Deng Fang also knew this and did not react too radically.
Deng Fang's arrangement is the same as that of the Thunder. You rush to the penalty area, and I keep breaking through!
Your breakthrough caused a foul, and I rushed in desperately!
One home whistle is understandable, two can be tolerated, but what about three, what about four?
With so many eyes watching, the referee is not a fool. Even if he has a little home whistle, he can't go too far!
The Thunder did have a slight advantage at the beginning, leading for more than a quarter with breakthrough free throws. However, as the game progressed, the Thunder gradually could not hold on to their lead.
There was no way, everyone on the Warriors side was rushing in. With the same action, the referee couldn't be blind and just not give the whistle.
If the whistle is slightly more balanced, the Thunder will lose its advantage.
On the Thunder side, two people broke through, but on the Warriors side, everyone went into battle!
Curry, Clay, Green, Barnes, Iguodala, Barbosa, and Livingston, these guys just rush into the penalty area when they get the ball, and it doesn't matter even if they get caught!
Of course, compared to the Thunder, the Warriors are still much smarter.
When the Thunder breaks through, they really go to the basket. For the Warriors, it depends on the situation. If no one is helping to defend, or the person helping to defend is not a big man, then go for a layup. If someone is helping to defend, then pass the ball to the empty position.
Receive or shoot an outside three-pointer.
No matter how good your free throws are, it still depends on your shooting percentage. How high is your alley-oop shooting percentage?
Even if it's a three-pointer, the Splash Brothers' open shots are more efficient than many people's free throws!
The Warriors also made adjustments on the defensive end, that is, one-to-one coverage: one person sticks to the ball carrier, and the other four shrink the penalty area to help defend, and let in three-pointers from the outside to prevent Durant and Westbrook from breaking into the penalty area.
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The more you want to do something, I won’t let you do it!
Deng Fang concluded that the Thunder could not kill the Warriors by relying on three-pointers, especially when they were leading two games by a big score.
Even if Ibaka takes an open shot from the outside, he is not afraid. After all, he is a big man, his shooting rate is just that, and his shots are not fast. He only needs a little interference.
With the Warriors' defensive execution, it's still possible to interfere.
After more than five minutes in the second quarter, the Warriors took the lead.
The Warriors did a good job of defending the penalty area. Westbrook and Durant were caught several times when they broke through.
Because the whistle was not called, the two complained to the referee and were each whistled for a technical foul.
The referee has no choice: we are not fools, we can't always favor you!
In desperation, Durant and Durant started shooting outside.
However, the Warriors did a good job with their one-to-one four-man combo, and neither of them took shots easily.
Durant is okay, and his shooting percentage on difficult shots is guaranteed, but Westbrook is not good, his zombie jumper is messy when there is interference!
What annoys Donovan is that the more Westbrook fails to make shots, the more he ignores them and takes more and more shots!
I don’t believe it anymore, I must surrender to you!
No matter who you are, I am the most powerful one!
If you dare to let me go, I will surrender!
As soon as Westbrook's brain became hot, the game situation immediately changed.
The Thunder's scoring efficiency quickly dropped, while the Warriors' morale was high, and the point difference quickly widened.
In desperation, Donovan had to replace Westbrook.
Durant leads the team on his own and the effect is better. The only trouble is that he consumes too much.
From the opening to the second quarter, Durant barely rested for a minute!
Fortunately, Durant played well and recovered the point difference a little.
Soon, at the end of the first half, the score became 66:53, with the Warriors leading by 13 points.
The second half started quickly. The Warriors' defensive strategy remained unchanged. Westbrook went on a rampage at the beginning. After being slapped twice, he made a zombie jumper.
There's no way, Westbrook has this character, this is his way of playing, and you can't change it if you want.
At best, he has a true temperament, but at worst, he has low IQ and no skills!
This is what playing with your body is like!
There is a saying that goes well, Westbrook’s brain is full of muscles!
The first few shots were good, and Westbrook made all the shots, but soon Westbrook's true colors were revealed. As soon as his shooting percentage dropped, the point difference quickly widened.
In desperation, Donovan had to replace Westbrook again.
It's time for the Thunder to be led by Durant alone.
After hitting several difficult mid-range shots, Durant made consecutive mistakes. The Warriors succeeded in several fast breaks, and the point difference quickly reached 18 points!
As the Splash Brothers found their touch and hit several three-pointers in a row, the point difference reached 25 points!
At the end of the third quarter, the score became 101:76, with the Warriors leading by 25 points.
In the fourth quarter, Durant led the team to play for a few more minutes, and the score difference kept hovering around 25 points. Seeing that the situation was over, Donovan had to call a timeout and replaced the main player.
In the end, after the game, the score was fixed at 135:102. The Warriors led by 33 points, and the series score became 3:0!
Durant and Westbrook took a total of 62 shots in the game, accounting for most of the Thunder's shots!
Durant scored 33 points and Westbrook scored 21 points. The two sent a total of 9 assists, but made 11 turnovers!
