17, Iguodala does not need to be injured at all without a tiebreaker!
After the semi-finals, the regional finals will begin immediately.
The Eastern Conference Finals are between the Celtics and Cavaliers, while the Western Conference is between the Warriors and Rockets.
Obviously, the west side is full of attractions and more eye-catching.
The Rockets performed very well this season. Although the Cosmos stood in front of many teams in the Western Conference, they did not back down and chose to challenge the Warriors for the throne.
Paul's arrival has indeed given the Rockets a new look. Their record this season is outstanding, surpassing the Warriors and ranking first in the Western Conference. This has also greatly boosted the Rockets' confidence.
In order to fight against the Warriors, the Rockets have taken the magic ball theory to the extreme this season: the Warriors' trump card is the five-point team, and the Rockets' five-point lineup is even smaller! The Warriors' specialty is three-pointers, and the Rockets' three-pointers are even more crazy. In addition to breakthroughs,
When it comes to scoring in the penalty area, the Rockets almost always take three-point shots, with almost no mid-range shots!
Of course, there are differences between the Rockets and the Warriors. The Warriors' style of play is to share the ball, keep passing and cutting, and everyone is on the same team, while the Rockets line up shooters and let their stars play unlimited singles.
Although the Warriors and Rockets play different styles, their purpose is the same: to create open opportunities for shooters, and once the opponent saves, they go to the basket and score.
The Rockets and Warriors have the same goal, but choose different methods. This is mainly because the core players of the two teams have different abilities.
The core of the Warriors are Curry, Clay, Durant and Dream Chaser, with Durant coming later. The core of the Warriors' style of play is the Splash Brothers.
There is only one most lethal weapon of the Splash Brothers, and that is the three-pointer. There is no doubt about this.
Green is often left open on the offensive end, but he still plays a big role. The main thing is that he can find the Splash Brothers well and pass comfortable balls to them.
Even though Durant's arrival has increased the Warriors' isolation rounds, the Warriors' most important style of play is based on the Splash Brothers' off-ball movement.
If the Splash Brothers don't cut and move, the Warriors can't pass and cut.
The Rockets are different. Harden and Paul have almost no ability to move without the ball. Both of them play with the ball and are strong in singles. Therefore, the Rockets' style of play is unlimited singles, forcing the opponent to attack, and then
A teammate takes the ball and scores an open shot.
Although the playing methods are different, the purpose is the same.
The Warriors' style of play is cumbersome and complicated. The advantage is that there are many easy scoring opportunities. Everyone on the team is willing to run and everyone is equipped. The disadvantage is that there are many mistakes and it is difficult for those with low golf IQ to adapt.
The Rockets' style of play is simple and effective. The advantage is that the division of labor is clear and there are few mistakes. The disadvantage is that it relies heavily on the performance and physical strength of the main player. Once the main player does not perform well, the game is basically handed over.
Both styles of play have their own pros and cons, so I can't say which one is better.
But when the two teams meet, the Rockets' style of play has a certain advantage.
Because the trump card of both teams is the five small players of death, and the defensive method of the five small players of death is unlimited defense changes. This is the biggest nemesis of the passing and cutting style!
No matter how you move, I will always switch defenses. Everyone in front of you will be defended, and all of a sudden your off-the-ball movement and passing and cutting will be useless.
Of course, the Rockets' off-ball movement is useless, but people are not afraid of it because they have no off-ball tactics and basically play one-on-one.
The Rockets' strategy is to force their opponents to play in the way they are familiar with, and then use Harden and Paul's strong one-on-one abilities to win.
Harden's singles ability is indeed great, and Paul's small and large plays after the pick-and-roll are not difficult to deal with.
Therefore, many people say that the Rockets are the nemesis of the Warriors and that this series is an early stage of the finals. This statement is not an exaggeration at all.
With the strength shown by the Rockets and Warriors this season, no matter which team enters the finals, the championship is basically guaranteed.
Deng Fang is also very familiar with this series. He knows the final result in history and the reason why the Warriors finally won.
Historically, this series can really be said to be a match between Mars and Earth. The two teams reached a tiebreaker, and in the end the Warriors narrowly defeated the Rockets to advance to the finals.
Although there is nothing to criticize about the referee, Rockets fans are not convinced. The main reason is that Paul is injured!
"If Paul hadn't been injured, the Rockets would have had the last laugh!"
"If Paul hadn't been injured, the Rockets would have won the championship that year!"
Deng Fang did not agree with these statements, and he did not agree at all.
Paul was injured for the season, but Ying Guodala of the Warriors also missed several games, playing fewer games than Paul!
If Yingodala was not injured, there would be no chance that this series would even reach the seventh game!
What Deng Fang wants to prove most is: if neither of them is injured, the final winner will definitely be the Warriors!
For this reason, Deng Fang did not deliberately arrange anything in the first few games. Instead, he trained according to the class and arranged it as he wanted.
On May 15, 2018, the Houston Rockets hosted the first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors at home.
In order to deal with the Rockets' small lineup, Deng Fang, like Cole in history, directly put Ying Guodala in the starting lineup.
This is the Warriors' top five and their strongest lineup.
The Rockets started normally and did not directly take the top five.
The first quarter was extremely explosive. Durant made a breakthrough and was blocked by Capela. After Harden made a layup, he was viciously pushed by Dream Green, who received a technical foul.
Seizing the chaos at the beginning, Harden scored 9 points in a row, and the Rockets led 9-2. But then the Warriors stabilized their position, Tang Shen, Curry, and Durant scored consecutive points, and the point difference was narrowed to 1 point. Gordon
, Harden hit another three-pointer, Kawhi scored twice in a row, and the Rockets led by another 9 points.
Harden was accidentally injured and fell to the ground in pain during a confrontation, and then sat back on the bench. The Rockets had no way to limit Durant. Du Shao continued to hit jumpers accurately, scoring 13 points in a single quarter. The first quarter was over.
, the Warriors are temporarily behind 29-30.
In the second quarter, the two sides fell into a defensive battle. The Warriors were slightly more efficient. West and Green cooperated in passing and cutting. Nick Young also hit a three-pointer, and the visiting team achieved a lead.
For the Rockets, Paul and Ariza scored consecutive three-pointers to help the home team stop the bleeding. But then the Rockets misfired in the sports game, and Curry succeeded in a reverse layup. The Warriors once led by 7 points.
In the passive situation, Capela stood up first. He chased Curry and blocked the shot. Then Harden found his offensive inspiration. His breakthrough layup, connection with Capela, and step-back three-pointers worked one after another.
At the end of this quarter, Harden's two dunks completely ignited the passion of the audience, and he scored 24 points in the half. But soon, Nick Young responded with a three-pointer. At the end of the half, the two sides were tied at 56.
After changing sides, Harden continued to carry the Rockets and attack the Warriors. After throwing throws and step-back jumps into the back of the net, he personally scored 30 points.
On the Warriors' side, Durant, Curry, and Tang Shen took turns to attack successfully, which was in stark contrast to Harden's isolation.
To make matters worse, Ariza received consecutive fouls, and the number of personal fouls reached 5. Then the Rockets became more passive. Durant made an emergency stop and made another jumper. When the point difference was the largest, it was stretched to 13 points.
In adversity, Paul made 2 of 3 free throws for outside fouls. Gordon and Gerald Green hit three-pointers successively to help the Rockets stop the bleeding. Durant returned and also made free throws. After three quarters, the Warriors led the Rockets 87-80.
In the last quarter, Gordon's three-pointers and breakthroughs helped the Rockets catch up with the score. However, the Warriors' cold-blooded three-pointers from Durant and Tang Shen still hit, and the point difference reached double digits again.
The Rockets did not give up. Harden faced the defense and hit a difficult three-pointer, and Ariza's change-speed layup was also able to hit the net. But every time the Rockets scored, the Warriors always responded.
Entering the last minute and a half, the Rockets resorted to foul tactics, but were too far behind. As Green hit a free throw, the Warriors ended the suspense.
In the end, after the whole game, the Rockets lost to the Warriors 106-119, trailing 0-1 with a total score.
For the Warriors, Durant scored 37 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. He took 27 shots and scored 14 goals, including 3 of 6 three-pointers and 6 of 6 free throws. He was the number one hero in the Warriors' win.
In addition to Durant, Draymond Green scored 5 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, Ying Guodala had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, Curry had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, and Clay Thompson had 28 points and 4 steals.
Rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, Nick Young scored 9 points, and Livingston had 7 points and 5 rebounds.
For the Rockets, Harden scored 41 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, Paul had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists, Capela had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, Ariza had 8 points and 2 rebounds, and Gordon had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Winning this game is of great significance to the Warriors. They gained the home court advantage and fully proved the team's ability to adapt.
The Rockets want to force the Warriors to play in isolation, but the Warriors are not afraid. In turn, the Warriors can still perform passes and cuts, which the Rockets do not have.
