The competition in the Western Conference this year is indeed fierce enough. In the four playoff games, except for the Trail Blazers, which defeated the Rockets 4-2, the other three groups all reached the seventh game.
On May 3, the Thunder and Clippers both defeated their respective opponents at home. The two teams will meet in the Western Conference semifinals. In a playoff game held in the Eastern Conference on the same day, the Pacers also defeated the Hawks at home and eliminated the Hawks 4-3.
This is obviously a very bad sign for the Lakers. In all three sets of matchups that ended in Game 7, the home team won and the away team was eliminated. The next final game between the Lakers and Spurs was held at the Spurs' home court.
Returning to the ATT Center Arena again, the Spurs are united, and the Spurs fans also make the Lakers feel the pressure of the Devils' home court.
"BEAT-LA! BEAT-LA! BEAT-LA..."
This slogan should be extremely familiar to the Lakers, BEAT-LA, "Beat the Lakers." In 1980, when the Celtics played against the Philadelphia 76ers, the fans saw that there was no hope of winning, and the whole audience shouted "BEAT-LA" to express their feelings. The hope of defeating the Lakers was given to their opponent Philadelphia. This slogan is especially loud in the playoffs. For more than 30 years, every opponent of the Lakers, whether direct or indirect, has used this slogan at home as long as it is a key battle to enter the playoffs.
Today, this slogan echoed again at the ATT Center.
"If the Lakers can win this year, it will create a miracle! Not only a black eight miracle, but also a comeback from 0 to 3, which has never been done before." A photographer sighed.
"If this was the home court of the Lakers, it would still be possible, but this is the home court of the Spurs, and the Lakers have no hope. The Spurs are really too strong this year!" Mike Wells said. He is ESPN's ace sports reporter, and this time he was on hand to report on this focus battle.
"But look at the Lakers' lineup, it's not weak either." The photographer said.
"The Lakers' lineup is not weak, both inside and outside, and there are top star players, but the two sides are not on the same level at the tactical level. D'Antoni vs. Popovich is still a little bit behind! Just wait. Look, this game is going to be a tactical victory, just like it was a few years ago!" Wells said.
While the two were talking, the game had already begun. Both sides still fielded their regular starting lineups without any changes.
Of course, the Lakers still play run-and-gun, focusing on fast offense and fast-paced passing of the ball. But what D'Antoni didn't expect was that the Spurs actually chose to play against each other again!
It was indeed "again", just like when the Spurs played the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs.
D'Antoni's thoughts couldn't help but go back to a few years ago, when he was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Under his coaching, that Suns team was among the top three teams in the Western Conference for several consecutive years, and was considered the best team in the championship. A strong contender.
However, in the playoffs, the Suns lost to the Spurs. In the 2005 Western Conference Finals, the Suns lost 1-4 to the Spurs. In the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns lost 2-4 to the Spurs. At that time, the Spurs actually fought against the Suns!
That was the most painful experience in D'Antoni's coaching career. He vaguely remembered the first game between the two sides. At the Suns' home court, the Suns scored 32 points in the fourth quarter. For a team that bombarded them, 30+ in a single quarter is a normal number. However, the opponent Spurs scored 43 points in the fourth quarter!
At that time, the Spurs were a team that dared to compete defensively with the Pistons' "Five Tigers", but the Suns, who were good at bombarding, were not as energetic as the defensive-minded Spurs when they were performing normally. For D'Antoni, this was really It's a very profound lesson.
But now, the Spurs are doing their old tricks again. They want to compete offensively with the Lakers, and this time it's at the Spurs' home court, so they have an advantage.
…
"Tony Parker!" the DJ at the scene shouted Parker's name because he scored again.
In a head-to-head game, Parker is definitely more efficient than the aging Duncan, and now Nash is also a loophole on the defensive end. Parker can easily score on Nash.
At the same time, Danny Green and Ginobili, who came off the bench, also performed very well. Split was a little bit unable to use this kind of tactics, so he was replaced early. On the contrary, Boris Diaw got more playing opportunities.
Every time the Spurs scored, the scene would boil, and the shouts of "BEAT-LA" were still heard, but the Lakers did not fall behind.
"Zhang Guan, three-pointer! Go in again! This shot was beautiful, and he hit the ball against Leonard's defense. It was 28-28, and the Lakers evened the score again!"
"Zhang Guan, stepped back and made a three-pointer! 37 to 38, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 1 point again!"
"Zhang Guan holds the ball, time is running out, 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second, a three-pointer! In! A three-pointer at the buzzer! Leonard has already sealed this goal Zhang Guan's face, but Zhang Guan still scored the ball! At the end of the first half, with Zhang Guan's buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Lakers were 64-65, temporarily one point behind the Spurs."
Popovich looked at the statistics and suddenly felt distraught.
In the first half of the game, Zhang Guan took a total of 23 shots, but the key thing is that 15 of them were shots from outside the three-point line. Zhang Guan hit 9 three-pointers, and his three-point shooting rate reached 60%. ! Zhang Guan scored 27 points just by relying on three-pointers. Counting two-pointers and free throws, Zhang Guan scored a full 37 points in the first half!
There are some active athletes who can score more than 30 points in the half, such as James and Durant. They really let them score more than 30 points in the half. It is not difficult to score 30 points in the half. Chamberlain once scored 59 points in the half, and Kobe also scored 55 points in the half.
In terms of hit rate, Zhang Guan is not very exaggerated. That year when Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, his shooting percentage was over 60%. When he scored 65 points in a single game and 62 points in a single game, his shooting percentages were 59% and 58% respectively. When he scored 61 points in a single game, his shooting percentage was even higher. 61%. Those strong men who can score more than 50 points in a game keep their shooting percentage around 60% in half.
However, what worries Popovich the most is his 9-for-15 three-pointers!
In NBA history, JR Smith has made the most three-pointers in a single game with 22. Currently, Zhang Guan has made 15 three-pointers. In the second half, he only needs to make 7 more three-pointers to catch up. Tied with J.R. Smith's record, he can break this record by shooting 8 more three-pointers.
However, JR Smith shot 22 three-pointers at that time, but only hit 10, but Zhang Guan hit 9 in the first half!
It was Kobe who made the most three-pointers in a single game in the NBA. When he faced the SuperSonics in 2003, he made 12 of 18 three-pointers, with a three-point shooting rate of 66.7%. This record was not changed until 2016. The accuracy was exceeded by Curry. At that time, Curry only took 17 three-pointers and hit 13 goals, with a three-point shooting rate of 76.5%.
Zhang Guan's three-point shooting percentage today is exactly 60%, which is not as good as the Kobe Bryant of that year, and even worse than the Curry of the future, but it is enough to shock Popovich.
After the Warriors won the championship next year, the NBA began to popularize throwing three-pointers. At that time, some teams in the NBA that were good at shooting three-pointers were able to shoot more than 30 three-pointers per game, and D'Antoni's The Rockets are even more abnormal, averaging 86.8 shots per game, 40 of which are three-pointers. Almost half of the team's offense is completed outside the three-point line.
This season, the Spurs averaged only 21.4 three-pointers per game. Popovich watched Zhang Guan throw 15 three-pointers in the first half. How could he be so frightened
Throwing three-pointers is completely the style of play three years later. Even after three years, the Spurs already have experience in dealing with the Warriors, but they will still have a headache when encountering the Rockets who throw three-pointers. Now that he met a team that bombarded and threw three-pointers in advance, Popovich was at a loss for a while.
…
In the second half, when Zhang Guan made two more three-pointers, the commentator began to sit still.
"Zhang Guan only needs to make one more three-pointer to tie Kobe's record of 12 three-pointers in a single game! The third quarter is less than half-way through now. It seems that Zhang Guan will break this record. There’s no suspense anymore!” As soon as the commentator finished speaking, Zhang Guan took the shot in advance while still one step away from the three-point line.
"Three-pointer, scored! The twelfth! Zhang Guan's twelfth three-pointer in this game! He has tied Kobe's record of twelve three-pointers in a single game. If If he makes another shot, he can break this record!" The commentator shouted excitedly, and countless fans in front of the TV were also excited.
NBA records certainly don’t happen every day. Fans spend time watching games, and naturally hope to see exciting matchups. And if they can witness the birth of a new record, no matter whether the game is exciting or not, no matter what the result is, it will be a great moment for the fans. It's a worthwhile trip. For neutral fans, Zhang Guan's performance deserves their applause.
However, this is not good news for the Spurs fans at home. Having their record broken by an opponent at their home court, and in such a crucial game, is indeed very demoralizing.
The one whose morale was hurt the most was Leonard. He was responsible for defending Zhang Guan. As the top defender in the league, Leonard was not afraid at all even when he met LeBron James. But in today's game, he But he still couldn't prevent Zhang Guan's three-point shot.
James is a player who relies more on breakthroughs. The accuracy of his mid-range and long-range shots is not very high. He is the kind of player who does not need to defend too deliberately but cannot let him shoot. In the future, the Warriors will defend James and even take two steps back to defend. This is completely looking down on James' shooting.
James' shooting is indeed nothing in the eyes of the Warriors' "abnormal accuracy". However, in the 2004 playoffs, the Warriors' "abnormal accuracy" was only in its infancy.
The NBA center defense of three-point shooters has always been focused on interference. Instead of going up and guarding desperately, the result of going up and guarding a three-point shooter, Tracy McGrady's 35 seconds of wonderful performance has told the entire league, the result How it will be. However, when Curry's "abnormal accuracy" appeared, no one in the entire NBA could guard him. Parker even said that the best way to prevent Curry is to prevent him from catching the ball. Once Curry catches the ball, the only thing that can be done is to start praying.
Of course, later on, the NBA's tailgate also summed up some methods to deal with Curry, such as using height to put pressure, disrupting Curry's dribbling rhythm, covering the whole court, double-teaming in advance, etc. Each defender has a specific method to deal with Curry. Most of Curry's methods are to interfere with Curry before he takes action.
It's just that Leonard doesn't know these tips now. He still defends Zhang Guan the same way he used to defend three-pointers. Naturally, he suffers in various ways.
…
13 three-pointers seemed to be only a matter of time, and for the Spurs, they extremely hoped that this time would come later.
But what is supposed to come will eventually come, and now it is only halfway through the third quarter. Zhang Guan has plenty of time to make his 13th three-pointer.
"Zhang Guan, three-pointer! The shot missed!"
The Spurs home fans let out a sigh of relief, but at this moment, Whiteside jumped out of the crowd and pushed the ball to the outside. Bazemore grabbed the ball and immediately broke through with the ball. After attracting the Spurs' attention, he distributed the ball to Zhang Guan.
"Zhang Guan, another three-pointer, scored! With the 13th three-pointer, Zhang Guan broke Kobe's record of 12 three-pointers in a single game!"
The fans at the scene let out sighs of disappointment, and Popovich immediately called a short pause.
In fact, the Spurs are not behind in the score. The main purpose of Popovich's timeout is to stabilize the morale of the military and prevent the players from being psychologically affected.
I have to say that the Spurs players are still very stable. They did not show panic and continued to implement the tactics developed by Popovich.
I have to say that the Spurs' firepower is really very strong. Even in a head-to-head matchup, they are not weaker than the Lakers at all. Moreover, the Spurs' defense is obviously better than the Lakers in the last quarter. If it weren't for Zhang Guan who has always maintained a better If they had a high three-point shooting percentage, the Lakers would have been pulled ahead by the Spurs.
At this point in the game, the Lakers can only continue to believe in Zhang Guan's touch.
"Three-pointer, scored again, the 14th! The 14th three-pointer in a single game! Zhang Guan set a new record! At the same time, this was also Zhang Guan's 23rd shot in this game. He broke J.R. Smith A record of 22 three-pointers attempted in a single game!"
At the end of the third quarter, Zhang Guan scored his 14th three-pointer, and then the Spurs used a time-out attack to end the third quarter. At this time, the score between the two sides was 92 to 94, and the Spurs still led. Two points.
For the Spurs, Duncan had 12 points, Parker had 16 points, Ginobili had 11 points, Leonard had 11 points, Danny Green had 12 points, and Diaw had 10 points. Six people from the team scored in double figures. Zhang Guan scored 56 points alone!
"56 points in three quarters. Today's Zhang Guan is too scary. Are we going to run for 80 points?"
"If Zhang Guan plays the entire fourth quarter, he might really be able to break the 80-point mark. He is still 24 points away from 80 points. For top scorers, 24 points in a single quarter is not impossible."
"The Spurs also have six players scoring in double figures, and Mills and Belinelli are about to score 10 points. If they are given a few more shots in the fourth quarter, they will definitely be able to score in double digits."
"I can see it. This is a competition between stars and teams. The Lakers now rely entirely on three-pointers, while the Spurs only have five players."
"That's right. These are two completely different concepts of basketball, relying on teamwork or relying on superstars. The final result will be announced soon."
"The fourth quarter has begun! Look, Zhang Guan has not rested, he is still on the court! So he is going to play the whole fourth quarter!"
"Zhang Guan didn't rest in the third quarter, and then he had to play the entire fourth quarter. He was going to work hard."
"The Lakers are two points behind. At this point, it's impossible not to fight! D'Antoni doesn't dare to let Zhang Guan take a rest."
"The three-pointer was scored again! Zhang Guan's three-pointer was scored again! The 15th three-pointer, 95 to 94, the Lakers finally took the lead!"
Zhang Guan made his 15th three-pointer of the game to help the Lakers take the lead.
The next second, the scene erupted with a sound like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.
"BEAT-LA!"
Spurs fans won't accept falling behind, they want to knock down Los Angeles!
"BEAT-LA!"
The Spurs players all clenched their fists in excitement. They glared at every Lakers player with a strong fighting spirit on their expressions.
"BEAT-LA!"
D'Antoni unconsciously felt his hands begin to tremble. He knew that the moment the Lakers took the lead, the decisive moment had finally arrived!
I feel like I'm getting better. It's the end of the month. Let's try to prepare for another explosion. Let's have another explosion before the end!
(End of chapter)