Wang Tu Baye

Chapter 358 The Strength of the Western Conference Finals
"The Lakers led 58:45 in the first half. The Warriors looked a little stiff at home. They only scored 45 points in the half, which was far below the Warriors' expectations. Obviously something went wrong with the Warriors today."

"In terms of shooting percentage, the Warriors did a good job defensively. Both Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal were restricted by the Warriors' help defense, and their shooting percentages did not exceed 50%."

"But the Warriors didn't play well on their own offense. They focused on how to limit their opponents. Their shooting percentage was lower than that of their opponents. The cruelty of the NBA Western Conference Finals, most of the Warriors young players today are the first time. feel that."

"This is the truly brutal and bloody NBA playoffs. The further we play, the tougher the opponent's defense will be. Every shot and every rebound, the two sides have to fight repeatedly."

"The Lakers Rick Fox's defense is very strong. He can occupy the key position of the starting small forward of the powerful Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA West for several consecutive seasons, not only because of his good mid-range shooting and outstanding appearance. "

"The Warriors' forward and guard twin stars Tracy McGrady and Hill did not open up today. Under the close entanglement of the Lakers teenagers Kobe and Rick Fox, the two of them played a little abnormally and their shooting percentage was not high. Tracy McGrady even missed 8 shots in a row. "

"This is the case for competitive players. Once they feel cold, they can't shoot. At this time, the test for the team's head coach is more severe."

"Lenny called a rare timeout in the third quarter. He replaced No. 12 Bruce Bowen and No. 31 Shane Battier. Often more important than offense."

"In this way, the main attack direction of the Warriors fell on the insiders Dayao and O'Neal. Whoever misplaced the two of them and got a chance to stay away from Shaquille O'Neal would make a decisive shot. After all, the closer to the basket, the higher the shooting rate. "

"Dayao has obviously become a joker of feints. He pretends to play O'Neal with his back again and again. With his height of 2 meters, even the big Shark O'Neal must go all out. As long as the sight and attraction of the Lakers inside After being adjusted, Dayao will pass the ball immediately to create opportunities for teammates to play singles or open space."

"The Warriors scored 24:24 against the Lakers in the third quarter, but it was obviously not enough. The Lakers firmly held the initiative, and their offense did not open up, but the Lakers' defense was obviously better than the Warriors. "

"In the fourth quarter, in the face of the Western Conference Finals level confrontation with extremely high intensity and constant physical collisions, the Warriors players were obviously unwilling to give up. The No. 15 Paul Gasol and No. 20 Larry Hughes who came on the field continued to pass individual singles. , Help the Warriors recover the score."

"The defensive strength of the Lakers has always been maintained at a very high level throughout the entire game. The Warriors have continued to adjust, but they still cannot effectively attack the Lakers' formation. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors occupied the top points, but the speed of chasing points Obviously too slow."

"The head coach of the Lakers, Phil Jackson, keeps organizing his team to resist. Every attack is completed in 24 seconds. Even if a three-pointer is shot in a hurry at the last second, he will never give the Warriors a chance to play a fast break."

"The chaotic battles and three-pointers that the Warriors are best at have no chance to develop at all. The Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers is a pillar of the inside, and the four players on the outside are lined up to firmly defend the Warriors' three-pointers."

"McGrady made 4 three-pointers from the outside and only hit one. This is a reflection of the performance of the entire Warriors team. When the Warriors can't open the outside line, and O'Neal can't break out inside, this shot is very difficult."

"At the last moment, the head coach of the Warriors, Lenny, changed again. He replaced No. 10 Dennis Rodman and let No. 30 Ben Wallace play center. The cold No. 1 Tracy McGrady and No. 33 Grant Hill also went off, allowing rookies No. 31 Shane Battier and No. 12 Bruce Bowen to shoot three-pointers, and No. 4 Chauncey Billups cruising outside , waiting for an opportunity to sneak attack."

"The players of the Warriors are used to the intensity of the regular season. You must shoot from outside the three-point line. Generally, opponents will not follow too closely. A pick-and-roll and a running position will open up the basic space."

"But today the Lakers obviously taught the Warriors young players a good lesson. What is the intensity of the Western Conference finals in the playoffs? In the NBA playoffs in the past few seasons, the competition in the Western Conference is obviously more fierce. Can you get the Western Conference? Division champions, there is basically no suspense in the finals."

"After all, after the disintegration of the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the East, it is difficult for the East to have another team that can compete for the championship. How cheap."

"The gap between the east and the west in the nba is the biggest in the past two years. It basically doesn't matter which western team enters the finals or which eastern team enters the finals. The final championship is often the western team. Exceptions are rare."

"The top six teams in the West, if they go to the East, they all have the strength to win the Eastern Conference Championship, even if they are the seventh Portland Trail Blazers in the Western regular season, or the eighth Seattle SuperSonics, they will be the top three in the East. strong contender."

"Jerry Sloan's Utah Jazz team has a good record of 44 wins and 38 losses in the regular season of this nba season, with a winning percentage of 53.7%, but it can't make the playoffs in the west. If the jazz moves to the east, they can enter the east The top four are not a big problem, but if there is a team in the East that can win the Jazz, I really can’t count a single team.”

"The Warriors tried their best, but under the Lakers' delaying tactics, the game time was not enough for them to chase points. Even though Dayao and Rodman, who played in the last two minutes, started to attack the sharks, the clever Lakers coach Phil Jackson immediately replaced the Sharks to rest, and the Lakers left two tall power forwards at 2 meters inside, Samaki Walker and Robert Horry."

"At the critical moment, the Warriors can only attack Robert Horry of the Lakers, but the veteran of the Lakers, Horry, was also an excellent scorer back then. Although his athletic ability has declined greatly, free throws will not degenerate. Hit."

"The final score was 106:99. The Warriors played a very aggrieved game. In the end, it was a pity that they lost the first game of the Western Conference Finals. Their players didn't know it. Obviously the whole team worked hard, and the process of the game was not ugly. , but the game lost without any temper."

(End of this chapter)