I’m Really Playing Basketball

After losing the first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took the initiative to take the blame himself, allowing other role players on the team who did not perform well enough to receive maximum protection.

Although losing in the first game of the Western Conference Finals is certainly uncomfortable, it is better than losing and being scolded again.

On May 21, 2013, after the Warriors and Spurs had a day off, G2 of the Western Conference Finals continued at the Spurs' home court.

In the last game, Cole's attempt to speed up the game with a three-pointer failed because of the cold hands of Clay and Beal.

Tonight, Cole had no intention of changing his style of play.

Because this is almost the only chance the Warriors have to get past the Spurs.

The Spurs are strong both inside and outside, and sophisticated both inside and outside, especially their outside perimeter which is very restrictive to the Warriors.

As for the current Warriors, the killer is the outside splash trio of Chen Xiao, Klay and Beal.

If only Chen Xiao is open in the trio, even if Chen Xiao scored 49 points extremely efficiently in the last game, there is still no way to win.

Therefore, if the Warriors want to win, at least two of the three need to perform well, and at least the other one cannot be a hindrance in order to defeat the Spurs.

And this requires the Warriors to master their own rhythm of the game and bring it up.

Once the rhythm is up, the Spurs can't defend in position, and Chen Xiao, Beal and Klay can shoot three-pointers on the fast break.

Although shooting in a fast break is not easy, it is at least easier than facing Leonard, Maizi and Luo Ge's position defense in a positional battle.

Therefore, before the game started, Cole shouted to all the Warriors players: "Rhythm! Rhythm! Rhythm!"

In order to be able to play the rhythm the Warriors want, the Warriors no longer stick to the Warriors' three outside players throwing three-pointers in this game.

As the team's two starting insiders, Lopez and Big Eyebrow are also required to take more outside shots. It is best to shoot decisively after catching the ball on the outside.

In fact, Lopez and Big Eyebrow rarely shoot three-pointers.

Of course, both have good shooting abilities.

In the last game, the two faced a very experienced and tough inside combination of Duncan and Al Jefferson, and they played a little cautiously.

It doesn't really matter whether they can hit too many shots. What's important is that they need to create some inside threats so that Maizi, Luo Ge and Leonard can't keep staring outside.

This is not to reduce the pressure on Chen Xiao. No matter how Chen Xiao adjusts, the pressure will not be reduced. It is mainly to reduce the pressure on Bill and Clay.

You have to say whether Cole's style of play is successful.

Tonight, Cole's style of play was indeed successful.

Although the Warriors lost again in this game 127-136 on the road.

But Bill and Clay really hit it off.

In this game, Bill made 9 of 16 shots, 0 of 5 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 21 points. This performance was not a little bit better than the previous game, although the three-pointer was still blocked by Luo Ge. Damn it, but Luo Ge blocked his three-pointer too hard, allowing him to get a chance to score two points from a long distance after breaking through one step. Bill's shooting rate tonight was very good, and the rhythm slowly picked up.

Clay, on the other hand, made 8 of 14 in this game, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and no free throws. He scored 19 points in the game. Clay was also very efficient in this game.

As for Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao faced Leonard's full defense and made 18 of 34 shots, 7 of 15 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored a game-high 46 points and 12 rebounds.

In this game, Chen Xiao was still quite explosive. Although Leonard's defense was a one-on-one defense, everyone who watched the game knew that Leonard's one-on-one defense was already very good, but it still couldn't stop Chen Xiao's offense. .

Of course, there is one thing that Leonard does very well, and that is his defense, which is really clean!

So much so that Chen Xiao had very few free throw opportunities in these two games.

It is indeed quite incredible to be able to provide such an excellent defensive effect while defending so cleanly.

However, although Cole's strategy was successful in this game, and the three Splash brothers scored 89 points in one game, success or failure was a failure.

Big Eyebrow and Lopez took a lot of shots in this game, but their shooting percentage was not high enough.

Nongmei made 5 of 15 in the game, while Lopez made 6 of 15 in the game. At the same time, the two had to follow the rhythm and play fast, and they made a lot of mistakes. One made 6 turnovers and the other made 5. The Warriors made all mistakes in the game. 21, while the Spurs only had 14.

By the way, substitute power forward Ibaka performed very well in this game. Facing the Spurs, he actually made 4 of 5, scored 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. You know, he only played 20 minutes.

Extremely efficient.

Dragic and Barnes have been relatively uncomfortable with the Spurs' rotation. It can be said that they have been pulled out for two games.

In this game, the Warriors lost because of their rotation.

The Spurs' rotation is undoubtedly the best in the league.

The Spurs' rotation led by Parker and Ginobili is really strong!

Therefore, everyone in the Warriors team saw it in this game.

When the Spurs are performing normally or very well, if the Warriors want to win, it's not enough for Chen Xiao, Beal and Klay to perform well. They also need Big Eyebrow and Lopez to perform extremely well.

In this game, if Lopez and Ibaka have better handles than Ibaka, then the Warriors may win.

Well, this is really not easy.

By the way, for the Spurs in this game, Luo Ge made 13 of 26, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 32 points. Duncan made 6 of 15, 7 of 8 free throws, and scored 19 points. Maizi made 7 of 11, three-pointers. He made 1 of 1, 3 of 5 free throws, and scored 18 points. Leonard made 6 of 10, 2 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 16 points.

Ginobili, who came on the bench, made 8 of 14 shots and 6 of 9 three-pointers. He played 27 minutes and scored 22 points!

It can be seen from the data that the Spurs' performance is very average and also extremely reliable.

In fact, this season, the Spurs are definitely the most stable team in the entire league.

Whether it is Wheat, Leonard, Duncan, Luo Ge, Ginobili, Parker, or even Al Jefferson, they rarely go out of control.

Of course, Ginobili definitely broke out in this game. Usually his three-pointers are not so accurate.

Therefore, after this game, many people said that the Spurs are a team with championship looks.

In fact, this is indeed the case.

Chen Xiao has been in the NBA for so many years, and he can see that the Spurs are very strong this season!

Luo Ge and Leonard have stable mid-range singles, while Duncan and Al Jefferson have superb basket singles and basket shooting.

The arrival of Maizi provides the Spurs with undefeated invincible singles.

Perhaps the worst thing about the Spurs is their three-point shooting.

However, Gary Neal, Ginobili, and even Zhu Fangyu on the bench can provide very good three-point shooting capabilities.

As for Leonard and Luo Ge in the starting lineup, even though they didn't shoot as many shots, their shooting percentages were both around 40%.

Not to mention Maizi's three-point pull-up that ignored the defense.

You can say that the Spurs don't have as good a three-point ability as the Warriors, but you can't say that the Spurs don't have an excellent three-point ability, nor can you say that three-pointers are a shortcoming of the Spurs.

Facing such a team that has no shortcomings, cooperates with you tacitly, plays with you in positions, can guard you for less than a hundred times, plays with you fast, and can score 130 points with you.

To be honest, the current Warriors are actually quite desperate.

Just like the Spurs that the Heat's Big Three encountered in history.

And the current Spurs are better than the Spurs that the gentleman swept the Heat in history, and much better.

After the defending champion Bobcats' dynasty came to an end due to Chen Xiao's departure, the NBA has truly entered a world of great competition.

The Spurs in the West, as well as the Heat and Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals, are now the biggest contenders for the championship.

Of course, compared with the fact that the Spurs seem to be able to reach the finals easily, the series between the Heat and the Bucks does not seem to be that easy.

After the two teams played the first three games, the two teams played from 1 to 1 to 2 to 1, and the Bucks temporarily took the lead.

Losing two games in a row to the Spurs on the road was indeed a big blow to the Warriors.

This kind of blow is not only due to the score, but also because the Spurs have shown such strength in these two games that people don't know how to play with strength.

With such a team that can only be defeated by a super genius stands in front of you, it is difficult to say that you can maintain a calm mentality.

Especially when most of the team is still young people.

On May 22, the Warriors returned to Golden State for their first training session. Faced with extremely low morale at this time, the Warriors players were shrouded in dark clouds and might not even win a game. After training, Chen Xiao Said all the Warriors players with a smile.

"In my career, I have experienced successes and failures. I know that there is no eternal undefeated person in this world. Heroes are not eternal victories, but never give up any hope. I don't have any. The Spurs will never be undefeated. As long as we are ourselves, we can find that fleeting opportunity."

"Guys, in my career, I've never been swept in the playoffs, no matter how strong or weak the team I've been on, and that's the secret to being able to do that, to be the best that I can be. , Never give up, the result may not be the best, but it will definitely not be something you regret.”

After Chen Xiao's lecture, the Warriors players came out of their extremely decadent mood.

Indeed, in the last game, the Spurs were able to defeat the Warriors even if they played fast. What made them scary was their slowness.

Cole said that as long as the rhythm is in their hands, they can win.

But you see, the rhythm is in our hands, and we also lost, and we lost in a way that we had no ability to fight back.

It's hard not to make these young people doubt life.

To be honest, in the face of these young warriors who doubt their lives, Cole himself doesn't know how to adjust their mentality.

Therefore, Cole was relieved to see Chen Xiao using his career experience to comfort these young people and comforting these young people.

"If there is any NBA player in the world who has the most convincing career, there is no doubt that it is him!"

"Our God!"

A yellow man who is most looked down upon in the basketball world has become the GOd of the basketball world!

You cannot accept such a person!

On May 25th, G3 between the Warriors and Spurs continued in Golden State. With a 0-2 deficit, if the Warriors did not want to sweep the series and fight for honor after this series, then this game would be Just can't lose.

It is worth mentioning that although the Warriors were already behind 0-2, when they returned to their home court, the Warriors fans still treated the Warriors players with great courtesy. No matter who played, there were thunderous cheers.

To be honest, this group of young players on the Warriors need this kind of support.

The support of the team boss, the support of the fans, all of this made them once confused and full of fighting spirit again.

And this is directly reflected on the court. The Warriors players who returned home showed strong confrontation intensity and hard work in the game.

"In the last game, the Warriors and Spurs fought hard and attacked. In this game, the Warriors actually took the initiative to play fast and positionally!"

Not to mention Barkley was surprised at this time, even the Spurs were surprised.

Are you kidding me?

In the first two games, you played faster and faster, always emphasizing the rhythm. This game suddenly slowed down and started a confrontation. So what did you use the first two games for?

Contract, double-team, fight, and do your best with what you can do. As for what you can’t do, leave it to God.

"We can't pray for victory. Victory is not something we can decide. What we can decide is to be our own heroes!"

Looking at the Warriors players on the court, Cole was very pleased on the sidelines.

Because this is not his requirement before the game. Before the game, he actually still needs the rhythm and speed.

He asked the players to continue gambling their lives.

The players, on the other hand, chose to bet on themselves.

Maybe you can win by betting on your life.

However, if you win by betting on yourself, that is a victory that truly has no regrets and no regrets!

Can they do it?

At the end of the game, when the Warriors defeated the Spurs 100-96 at home, Cole excitedly rushed onto the court with a group of Warriors substitutes.

In this game, the Spurs made 5 of 21 three-pointers. When the Warriors players changed their style of play and hurriedly changed their style of play, the Spurs were unable to play a normal offensive level. The Warriors players took the initiative and caught Seize this fleeting opportunity!

Of course, in this slow game, Chen Xiao, who made 13 of 24 in the game, 8 of 9 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws, scored 38 points and 14 rebounds, was the only one that the Warriors could do in this game. The real reason to win.

The Spurs are a better team in positional warfare.

But there is no doubt that Chen Xiao is the best positional player in NBA history!

When the Spurs' players were disrupted by the crazy Warriors players, Chen Xiao's ability to score no matter what made him seem to be the brightest star in the game.

Maybe Duncan, who scored 23 points on 9-of-20 shots on the opposite side, and Maizi, who scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shots, can shine a little under Chen Xiao's shine.

By the way, in this game, Chen Xiao took the initiative to target Luo Ge and Ginobili. In the entire 48 minutes, he targeted them 11-for-36!

Therefore, at this time, Barkley and Kenny Smith were both roaring about the greatness of these young Warriors players in this game. Everyone was watching these young Warriors players not giving up or collapsing.

On the sidelines, Spurs head coach Popovich could only see the smiling Chinese man applauding his teammates.

"The truly great one is him!"