Legend of Tomorrow

The Spurs returned to their home court and won the third game 111-105.

Aldridge was the Spurs' top contributor. He played 42 minutes, making 15 of 21 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 10 of 10 free throws. He scored 41 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.

Leonard, Gasol, and Ginobili also performed well and fought hard for the Lakers to attack the whole court.

The media praised Tucker for his good defense, which stimulated Ade. In this game, he actively wanted the ball and scored almost all in singles, beating Tucker and Horford.

Tucker is certainly outstanding, but that is because his height and ability are out of proportion, just like the short center Chuck Hayes back then. It would be outrageous to say that he could prevent Ade from dying. Most of the time, Ade did not grasp his touch well.

When Ade's hands are hot, no one on the Lakers can guard him, and he goes in one-on-one. His problem is that his shooting lacks stability and his iron skills are scary.

At present, Ade's career mid-range jump shot rate is 41.5%, and his two-point shooting rate is 42.3%, which is inferior to his predecessors such as Garnett and Nowitzki.

When the opponent's inside players showed off their power, Guo Xu was unable to help his teammates. Due to his height, he could only be a spectator.

Guo Xu still focused on passing the ball this time, unlike the regular season where he kept throwing the ball. He tried to help his young teammates find confidence. Even if they shot hard, he would still try to pass the ball to the open space again and again.

If everyone relies on Guo Xu to score like they did in the regular season, it will not be easy to play in the next round if they get past the Spurs. One star and four shots is the simplest offensive mode. On the other hand, if they can ensure the hit rate and score the ball, they can also help Guo Xu create singles opportunities.

Guo Xu scored 27 points, 3 rebounds and 15 assists in this game. Discussions on the Internet felt that his performance was substandard and there was no reason why he could not score 30 points no matter how bad his condition was.

Guo Xu did not give any explanation at the press conference. In fact, he was too lazy to score points in the first few rounds of the playoffs. High scores in such games are generally not remembered by fans. If you want to make people remember it deeply, the best thing to do is to produce luxurious statistics in the finals.

Just like Nowitzki last season, no matter how many points he scored in the playoffs, people only remembered the few times he performed poorly. The good games are not mentioned at all, because the Mavericks did not have the last laugh.

Last season, Nowitzki showed off his power in the Finals and stole Curry's FMVP. The number of people who said he was underestimated suddenly increased. He received more evaluation than Garnett, who is about to retire and has never performed in the Finals in his entire career.

The fourth game,

Aldridge's touch was gone, and he only scored 9 goals in 21 shots. In addition, he made 4 of 5 free throws and scored 22 points and 6 rebounds.

Leonard's performance was average, making 7 of 19 shots, 0 of 4 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals.

The performance of the two important stars was mediocre, and the Spurs could only be beaten by the Lakers. They lost by 25 points at home, with a total score of 1-3.

Guo Xu still played the same way as in the last game, dividing the ball when double-teamed were attracted, and his teammates stood up.

Horford's performance in the first three games was not as good as Ade. This time he made 7 of 11 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Veteran Carter hit 6 three-pointers, played 30 minutes, and scored 24 points and 3 rebounds. The Lakers signed a three-year contract with Carter. Last summer, many people thought that he would have to retire after not playing for two years. Now it seems that the Lakers have made a profit.

Even if Guo Xu reduced his shots, he still scored 32 points, 4 rebounds and 15 assists in 38 minutes of playing time, and his serious defense limited the Spurs' two point guards. As long as two people on the team can stand up and support him, the game will be easily won.

Tony Parker will definitely have to take the blame for the defeat again. He did not score in double figures once in four games and was guarded by Guo Xu.

At the post-game press conference, someone stole the limelight from Guo Xu. This person was veteran Carter. Everyone has long been accustomed to Guo Xu scoring 30+10. It is even more rare for the 39-year-old veteran to score 24 points.

Carter smiled and said: After joining the Lakers, I am playing a completely different basketball game. With Jason as a teammate, I feel that scoring has become easier now. It is very difficult for the opponent to retreat during the game.

The reporter asked: Whether it was in the past or now, the pressure and expectations placed on players by the outside world are huge. You were once called the new generation of Michael Jordan by the outside world. How did you deal with this considerable pressure at that time?

Carter lamented: Of course, all these so-called expert assessments are going to be exaggerated. You just have to take a casual look and dismiss everything else as a lie. I tried to distance myself from this comparison from the beginning. It didn't make me bloated to get out of the game, but I definitely wasn't at the level that everyone expected me to be.

The reporter asked: When Jason first entered the league, experts did not give him a template. What do you think of this?

Carter laughed and said: Fortunately, Jason didn't have a clear template, otherwise it would have been a big joke today. The person who was regarded as his template would be talked about by fans for a lifetime. It would be worse than coach Tyronn Lue who only replaced Jason.

Carter did not forget to tease Tyronn Lue. The relationship between the Lakers is very good, and Coach Lue will not be angry because of this kind of thing.

The reporter asked: When you retire in the future, how do you want NBA fans to recall basketball player Vince Carter? Is he the dunk king? Or a person who changed the course of league history?

I have not changed the course of history... Carter thought for a moment and replied: I hope to be remembered like this, a player who has always loved the game and played for a long time. This is the most important thing.

Returning to the fifth game at home, the Lakers did not give the Spurs another chance, winning 116-99 and advancing to the Western Conference Finals 4-1.

In the third quarter, the Spurs knew they were going to lose. Guo Xu scored consecutive breakthroughs during the counterattack, and Parker was so defensive that he didn't even dare to shoot the ball. A defender who is strong in offense and weak in defense completely loses confidence, which is a huge blow to the team's morale.

Popovich did not scold Parker, nor did he think of arranging an unimportant role player to foul Guo Xu and win with an off-the-disc move. After Bowen retired, the Spurs' defense was much cleaner than in the past.

People change, and as he gets older, Popovich's temper is not as bad as it used to be. This may have something to do with his life, as his wife Eileen has long struggled with respiratory illnesses. Popovich has always been careful at home, never losing his temper for fear of irritating his wife.

And he knows that the Lakers are not a team that can be eliminated through dirty tricks. It will only make the Spurs lose games and lose people, and become the target of public criticism.

The Spurs' problem is not just that the No. 1 position was blown away by Guo Xu. It is also a major flaw that they don't know who is the boss of the team. When the score is behind and needs to chase points, the role players don't know who to give the ball to.

Ade lacks leadership qualities. Popovich gives him unlimited shooting rights, and he can't shoot too many shots in a game. In this life-and-death battle, he made 9 of 18 shots, scored 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists, and did not make a single free throw.

Leonard dared to take responsibility, making 9 of 23 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws. He only had 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

When the tide was over, Duncan got a lot of playing time, scoring 19 points and 5 rebounds in 34 minutes.

When Duncan was replaced in the last minute, the Lakers home fans gave him warm applause, and the cameraman also gave him many close-ups. At the end of the game, Guo Xu, Carter and others came forward to shake hands with Duncan.

Everyone knows that this is the last game of Duncan's career. His curtain call performance was not satisfactory and was very low-key, just like his character.