Although he lost the fourth game, Deng Fang didn't care.
Deng Fang knows how powerful this Thunder is, and he knows that it is almost impossible to sweep this Thunder 4:0!
It can be said that if the Warriors hadn't defeated the Thunder, then in the finals, the Cavaliers would most likely not be able to beat the Thunder.
Although it has always been a tiebreaker in history, the Thunder took the lead in pushing the Warriors to the edge of the cliff. The Warriors only escaped with Klay's explosion in Game 6.
Historically, the Warriors had an overall advantage against the Cavaliers in this year's finals. If it hadn't been for the Emperor's leap, it would have been almost impossible for the Cavaliers to come back!
Using the Warriors as a yardstick, you can see the strength of the Thunder and Cavaliers.
The Thunder's defense is extremely strong, and there are two monsters on the team. They have an overall physical advantage against the Cavaliers and can match up in every position, so they are not afraid of the Cavaliers.
Of course, this Cavaliers also has a weakness, and that is shooting. Robertson has no basket, and neither does Westbrook.
But at this time, Westbrook was not completely without baskets. Three-pointers were not accurate, but he could still shoot, and his zombie jump shots exceeded the league average. If he was completely short, there would be no problem in two or three games.
Durant is basically a constant. Westbrook's outbreak can only be determined by his character, which cannot be controlled by outsiders.
Once Westbrook breaks out, you can only look at your own offensive performance. If your own offense is good, the result is still unknown. Once your own offense is blocked, you will most likely lose the game.
The Thunder's defense is already top-notch, and it's the Thunder's home court, so Deng Fang was prepared to lose.
Of course, losing an away game is not a bad thing. Firstly, it can refresh the players' spirits, and secondly, they can return to home to settle the series. This is also a good result.
A home game in the playoffs can earn millions of dollars more, which is not a small amount!
…
On May 26, 2016, Game 5 between the Warriors and Thunder began at Oracle Arena.
Deng Fang made certain adjustments in this game and directly put on the death five. Iguoda played the first game and Bogut came on the bench.
Although Iguodala was brought in, the Warriors' defensive strategy did not change much, and they still let Westbrook shoot.
The only difference is that when Westbrook made the mid-range shot, Clay jumped a little harder. As for the three-pointer, he shot it casually!
Of course, there is also a strategy to the fierce attack. The first time Westbrook dribbled one step inside the three-point line, Clay took two steps back. It seemed that he was completely open, but Clay's focus was on preventing the shot.
As soon as Westbrook stopped the ball, Clay flew up!
It looks like I’m letting you shoot, but I’ve already made all the preparations!
The second time Westbrook dribbled the ball to the same position, Clay only took a step back, but in fact his center of gravity was behind him and he had no intention of rushing forward!
As soon as Westbrook breaks through, Clay quickly changes direction and blocks in front of him.
False and false, true and false, offense and defense are inherently cat-and-mouse psychological warfare.
Pounce on one, release three, then pounce on one fiercely, release four more...
Generally speaking, Westbrook is still allowed to make a mid-range shot, but the strategy has changed a bit.
It's easy to say, but difficult to do. It requires good defensive habits and good physical fitness.
Klay happens to have both of these two points: Klay has always been a very good defensive player. His biggest characteristic is that he does not make mistakes. Moreover, his height and strength are better than Westbrook, and his speed is not slow.
Of course, there is another reason why Clay dared to do this, and that is because the Warriors won the Death Five.
The tacit understanding between the Death Five is one of the highest among all five teams in the NBA. With Iguodala, Green and others by his side, Clay knows that he doesn't have to worry about what's behind him when he throws himself out!
Klay's change is not big, but the effect is good. Westbrook's shooting percentage has dropped a lot.
In addition to Westbrook, the Warriors' Durant's defense is also better.
The main reason for taking Iguodala is to defend Durant. Before, I always let Barnes start to defend Durant, mainly to prevent Barnes from losing confidence. Now Barnes is still starting, and Iguodala is still starting.
Pulling up to defend Durant, Barnes doesn't feel disappointed.
The starting position is still there, which proves that the coach still trusts him, and the most tiring work is not done by himself, so why not do it.
Iguodala's defense is much better than Barnes', there is no doubt about it.
In addition to the defensive end, taking Iguodala also has great benefits for the offense.
With Bogut around, Green either serves as a three-point shooter or passes the ball to Bogut, leaving him with few opportunities to pass the ball out.
There is no way, Bogut is no threat when he is not in the penalty area, and he has an impact on Green's breakthrough in the penalty area. Iguodala is not on the court, and Green's distribution of the ball is basically a one-time deal.
With Iguodala, Green can pass the ball to Iguodala or Barnes under the basket for dunks and alley-oops, or he can pass the ball to shoot three-pointers. If the opponent defends in time, Iguodala or
It's Barnes who can also distribute the ball again.
Even if there is no chance, Iguodala's independent offensive ability is not comparable to Bogut!
In the past, the Warriors had only one player, Curry, who could attack independently, but now there are only two. As a result, the Thunder's defense seems to be focusing on one thing and not the other, which is very annoying.
Westbrook's efficiency became lower, Durant was entangled by Iguodala, and the Warriors' offense became smoother again. With one ebb and flow, the Warriors quickly took the lead.
Thunder made several adjustments, but the results were not good.
This is the Oracle Arena, the referees are no longer helping, the Thunder are a little behind in terms of physical strength, Dewey cannot break out, and falling behind is inevitable.
After halftime, the Warriors led by 15 points.
The second half started quickly, but the Thunder still showed little improvement. The Warriors had a small climax and the point difference reached more than 20 points.
In desperation, Donovan chose to leave the perimeter open, allowing Green, Barnes, and Iguodala to shoot three-pointers from the outside to strangle the Splash Brothers.
To guard the penalty area and prevent the Splash Brothers from shooting, Donovan chose to take a gamble.
Deng Fang dared to bet, and Donovan also dared to bet.
But Deng Fang is not afraid, because he knows that Barnes and others are not bad at three points, at least not worse than Westbrook!
Westbrook suddenly found his touch, Durant also made several difficult shots, while Iguodala and Barnes missed several consecutive shots, and the point difference quickly returned to single digits.
Deng Fang was not worried and called a timeout. After the timeout, the defensive strategy remained unchanged, but the intensity of defense against Durant increased.
As for Westbrook, it’s still casual!
I don't believe you can kill me!
Sure enough, after scoring a few goals, Westbrook returned to normal and started the blacksmith mode again.
Iguodala and the others found their form and made repeated shots.
The gap widened rapidly.
After the third quarter, the point difference was back to 21 points again!
In the fourth quarter, the Thunder used a small lineup, with Ibaka playing center, and Durant, Westbrook, Waiters, and Randy Foye outside.
The Thunder are taking a gamble and starting a confrontation mode.
The Warriors did not dare to relax. The Five Death Squadrons entered the battle, and both sides started the point-brushing mode.
The fourth quarter lasted for more than 6 minutes, and the score difference remained close to 20 points.
With more than 3 minutes left in the game, Curry suddenly broke out and hit 3 consecutive three-pointers. The point difference quickly widened to more than 30 points.
The game completely lost its suspense.
In the end, the score was fixed at 122:93. The Warriors won by 29 points, eliminated the Thunder with a score of 4:1, and advanced to the finals.
