The game was very intense and the pace was very slow.
This is the result that the Rockets have been trying to achieve all season: unlimited defense changes, dividing the game, unlimited singles, and costing you ball by ball!
No one can compete with the Warriors in passing and cutting, and the Warriors are even better at fast breaks. In this case, slow down. Unless there is a particularly good fast break opportunity, otherwise you will not play fast breaks. Positional warfare will be a grind for you!
With his unique ability to touch porcelain, Harden's one-on-one ability is not worse than Durant's, while Curry is limited in strength and his singles ability is worse than Paul's.
If it's a one-on-one duel, Paul and Curry are about equal on the offensive end, but Paul still has a big advantage on the defensive end.
Curry's advantage is that he is accurate in three-pointers. Paul's mid-range shot is also very stable, and his three-pointers are above the average line. Due to his sufficient strength, singles under the basket or singles from the waist are tactics that Paul often uses, and Curry is very good at it.
Stop doing this.
It's not that Curry can't get to the basket or play singles at the waist, but that's not his advantage. Curry's biggest advantage is three-pointers, especially quick three-pointers, and instant snipers without making any adjustments after running out!
Of course, emergency three-pointers or breakthrough layups are also Curry's specialties.
However, if faced with an experienced, not slow, and powerful defender, Curry's breakthrough would be a little difficult, and the emergency three-pointer would be a bit reluctant.
It's not that you can't take shots, but the hit rate will be much lower.
Paul's duel is much more stable.
Generally speaking, Paul's style of play is relatively stable, suitable for slow-paced one-on-ones, and is especially good at small plays after pick-and-rolls. Curry, on the other hand, is more accustomed to running without the ball or making quick-stop three-pointers.
Once Curry bursts in, he often only has a layup. Although the success rate of breakthroughs is also very high, compared to Paul, Curry still lacks a little in the mid-range.
Compared to Curry, Paul rarely makes layups. He is more accustomed to solving battles in the mid-range.
In one-on-one duels, most of the points are scored through the mid-range.
If we use two words to describe the two people respectively, then Curry's advantage is speed, while Paul's advantage is strength.
Whether he is running without the ball, making a three-pointer on a sudden stop, or making a layup, Curry is fast, elegant and elegant.
On the contrary, Paul is calm, experienced and orderly, giving people a very stable feeling.
Specific to the impact on the game, as soon as Curry breaks out, the game is over in minutes. But Paul rarely has explosive performances like Curry.
Therefore, the Warriors' opponents often strangle Curry - even if they only relax for three to five minutes, once Curry finds the feeling, the game is over!
So Paul still has a certain advantage in a one-on-one fight.
It is precisely for this reason that the Rockets adopted this strategy: unlimited one-on-one duels to slow down the pace of the game.
Harden and Durant can trade, but Paul is our advantage!
Or to put it another way, as long as the game is not played at the pace Curry likes, the Rockets will have a chance to win!
Even if Curry and Paul have similar one-on-one strengths, it would still be beneficial to the Rockets.
Harden, Paul, Curry, and Durant all cashed in, and the game became a 50-50 game. This was a victory for the Rockets!
After all, passing and cutting is the rhythm that the Warriors like. If they play at a fast pace, the Rockets won't even have a 20% winning rate!
Being able to play the game at a 50-50 pace with the Warriors is a victory!
The Rockets' strategy is very simple, it's unlimited one-on-one battles!
Harden is the main attacker, Paul is the secondary attacker, and Gordon can also come up as a substitute during the substitute period.
I have to say that Gordon is also an advantage of the Rockets: Gordon's one-on-one efficiency is very high, and in some periods he is even better than Harden and Paul!
There is no such person here on the Warriors: Ying Guodala, Green, and Clay are not such a role. Ying Guodala and Green are more willing to pass the ball, but their shooting is not good, and Clay is just a fixed-point shooter, and he always has one-on-one.
Not his strong point.
As for Livingston, although he can also play one-on-one, in such a high-intensity game, his one-on-one efficiency is still far behind Gordon's.
Not to mention that Livingston's arrival will affect the Warriors' defense and also have a certain impact on the Warriors' space on the court.
The Rockets are constantly dueling. Due to the Rockets' unlimited defense changes, the Warriors also have many more duels than in the regular season.
However, the Warriors did not completely fall into the Rockets' rhythm. They still tried to use more ways to play.
For example, let Green hold the ball at the waist to provide support, and Curry and Kelai will intersperse without the ball. At the same time, Ying Guodala and Durant will cover the two of them. Curry and Kel will run outside the three-point line, and Ying Guodala and Durant will cover the two.
Durant made a cut to the basket.
Although they know that the Rockets have to switch defenses infinitely, it is still useful for the Warriors to do this: players are not robots after all, and they cannot be so tacitly coordinated every time they switch defenses. If any Rockets player slows down the shot, the Warriors will have an opportunity to score easily.
Especially during the substitute period!
Even if the Rockets switch defense in a timely manner, the Warriors can use everyone's advantages as much as possible to make the game easier.
Durant cuts to the basket. If the Rockets are guarding Paul, Green can pass the ball to Durant even if Paul is not out of position!
It would be troublesome to challenge Paul one-on-one, but it would be great if I could use my height advantage to crush him directly!
If Curry uses the screen to run out, if the guard is Harden or Capela, there is a high probability that Curry will have a chance to shoot a three-pointer!
In short, it is important whether I am happy or not, but it is even more important to make you unhappy!
Try to use the style of play I like, and try to make the game play at a rhythm you don't like!
If the Warriors are really the same as the Rockets, playing in isolation, then the Rockets will be very happy. After all, they are most familiar with this method, and there is no need to think too much on the defensive end, even if they rely on instinct, there will be no problem.
But if the Warriors keep passing and cutting, running without the ball, and playing in a way that the Rockets don't like, the Rockets' defense will consume more energy.
Defense is always more tiring than offense.
The Rockets played one isolation after another, while the Warriors kept moving without the ball. They only played one or two isolations when the attack time was almost up.
In short, if you hit yours, I'll hit mine!
Of course, both teams have priorities. The Rockets focus on Curry, while the Warriors focus on Harden.
Although Paul is older and shorter, to be honest, Paul is more difficult to deal with and more unwilling to admit defeat.
Harden is a softie. As long as you keep targeting him, he will always collapse.
The Rockets were well prepared, and the Warriors were also 100% prepared. The score rose alternately and they were very tight.
Halfway through the first quarter, the score became 16:15, with the Rockets leading by one point.
Soon it was time to substitute. For the Warriors, it was Durant, Ying Guodala, Nick Young, Livingston and Looney. For the Rockets, it was Harden, Tucker, Gerald Green, Mbah a Moute and Gordon.
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The Rockets have a purely small lineup, while the Warriors have a regular lineup.
With accurate three-pointers, the Rockets had an 18:9 spurt at the end of the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, the score became 34:24, with the Rockets leading by 10 points.
