In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the Clippers faced the Warriors at home.
In the Western Conference semifinals that ended a few days ago, the Clippers swept their opponents 4-0, while the Warriors and Rockets fought in seven games, so the physical exertion of the Warriors must be greater. More importantly, there is a core member of the Warriors. Players are injured and may not be able to play in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals.
The Clippers were waiting for work at home, and the result of the game was what most people expected. Although the Warriors showed a tenacious attitude, they ultimately lost to the Clippers.
In a best-of-seven series, the first game is more like a test. Both sides are testing the strength of their opponents, and the losing side will then make adjustments in the next game. Especially the losing side will make targeted tactical arrangements. Therefore, it often happens that you win one game and I win another.
However, after the loss, the Warriors did not conduct any tactical targeting. This was not because the Warriors coaching staff lacked tactical ability, but because there was really nothing to target against the Clippers.
The Clippers are playing star ball, and this is not a complicated tactic. Under normal circumstances, to deal with a team that plays star ball, it mainly involves targeted defense of its star players, such as double-teaming in front of them to interfere with their catching, restricting a certain scoring method, or using a wheel battle to create a "three-way" Yingying fights Lu Bu", which consumes his physical strength.
Sometimes when facing superstars, interfering with the ball and limiting scoring are not very effective, but wheel fighting is indeed a weapon that has been tried and tested. Prepare two or three strong villains to fight with you for six times. Getting ejected for a foul can also drain your energy. It's a time when an individual is physically exhausted. Even a superstar can't handle playing 48 minutes in a game, and it's even more impossible to play 48 minutes consecutively in a series.
However, this kind of tactic for star defense cannot be used on the Clippers because the Clippers have too many stars. A defensive champion can guard one star, and a defensive system can guard two or three stars. But even if five players from the best defensive team are put on the court, it is impossible to guard five stars.
In basketball, the offense always has the initiative. The five best defensive players facing the five best offensive players may play a very low-scoring and slow-paced game, but the one who wins in the end will definitely be the one who is good at attacking.
Facing such a Clippers team, the tactical adjustment the Warriors can make is not targeted defense, but targeted offense.
There are two ways to win. One is that your opponent scores less than you do, and the other is that you score more than your opponent. So in the second game between the two sides, the most obvious change for the Warriors is that the offensive rhythm has become faster and the ball moves faster. They need to score more points than the Clippers.
The Clippers' coaching staff also didn't make much tactical adjustments. For a team that plays star ball, too complex tactics may not have good results, as long as they can continuously create one-on-one singles opportunities. Unlimited one-on-one singles is the only tactic of Star Ball.
What's more, the Warriors' tactical system is also transparent to the Clippers.
A successful team's tactical system is always transparent. Like the Warriors, the most successful team in recent years, their tactical system has been studied not only by the NBA, but also by the world. European basketball, Asian basketball, and basketball from various national teams are all learning from the Warriors' style of play. Just imagine that all the basketball professionals around the world are staring at you, constantly studying every game you play, and every cooperation you make. No matter how complicated the tactical system is, there will be no secrets. Word.
So in the NBA, it is actually very difficult to build a dynasty. A dynasty means winning the championship for three consecutive years. Under normal circumstances, when a team wins a championship, its tactical system will be replaced by the other 29 teams. The team has studied it thoroughly, and after winning two consecutive championships, other teams have almost found a way to deal with it. At this point it becomes difficult to win the game.
In the third year, every team will deliberately target, and some teams will even introduce some players with restraint ability. At this time, in the playoffs, opponents will attack their own shortcomings every game. The difficulty of winning the championship has increased several levels compared to the first year.
Therefore, in NBA history, only the Celtics, Lakers and Bulls have been able to win the championship for three consecutive years and create a dynasty. It is really difficult for the Warriors to become the fourth.
…
Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals is still the home court of the Clippers.
The Warriors are playing faster and more like the Warriors.
The whole world knows that the Warriors want to run and play, and the whole world also knows that the best way to deal with the Warriors is to slow down. To compete with the Warriors for rhythm is to seek death.
A team like the Clippers that plays star ball needs to slow down even more. The five players can settle down and fight safely, turning the five-on-five game into five one-on-one games, and then use the individual singles ability of the star players. .
The Warriors still failed to win a victory in Los Angeles, and the total score of the series became 2-0.
This result was also within the expectations of many professionals. After all, the Warriors are missing a core player. Facing a group of strong men with strong personal abilities, it is indeed too difficult for the Warriors to win on the road. The Clippers have too many star players. If just one of them breaks out like crazy, it would be enough for the Warriors to have a headache.
The good news is that the missing Warriors player will also return from injury in the next game.
The third game between the two sides will be moved to the home court of the Warriors. For the Warriors, this is a game that absolutely cannot lose. Once they lose, a draw means falling behind 0-3. No team in the NBA has ever been able to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Losing the first two games, the situation was very unfavorable for the Warriors, but the Warriors did not sit still and wait for death. After all, they are a championship-level team. They have gone through a lot of hard work to enter the finals this year. How could they surrender so easily!
…
Oracle Arena, home of the Warriors, is still on the offensive.
This time, the injured Warriors players have returned from injury, and the Clippers are facing a full Warriors lineup.
Quickly moving the ball and constantly creating offensive gaps, the Warriors players also kept their feet moving, interspersed with air cuts, tearing apart the Clippers' defense. Once there is a defensive hole, Warriors players will not hesitate to aim the ball at the basket and score points.
The Warriors’ tactics are revealed!
Both coaching staffs are aware of this.
In the regular season confrontation between the two teams, the Clippers' star ball style can easily divide the game into one-on-one duels. This one-on-one duel also prevents the Warriors from fully exerting their own strength. Tactical system.
But today's game is different. The Warriors did not fall into the Clippers' singles trap. They did not insist on singles with the Clippers players. Instead, they used their own tactics, quick rotations, quick offensive and defensive transitions, and continuous His running positions and air cuts prevent opponents from building a complete defensive line.
If it were an ordinary team, facing a Warriors team that fully utilized its tactical system, it could instantly collapse at any time and be killed by the Warriors in a wave in the third quarter, or suddenly fall two behind the Warriors in the second half of the fourth quarter. Ten points is the norm in the NBA.
But today's Warriors are facing the Clippers, a team with enough stars and a team that uses star ball play to the extreme.
As long as star players are willing to work hard, their defense will not be bad. What's more, the Clippers have also gathered a group of veterans. Each of these veterans has more game experience than the last, and they are extremely sophisticated when it comes to defense. Prejudging is a must. Things are happening, and all kinds of defensive tricks are emerging in endlessly.
The style of professional basketball players must be getting dirtier as they play. Those veterans who have been playing for more than ten years will definitely make countless small moves when defending. These small moves may not have very practical significance, but they will interfere with the opponent's rhythm. , will induce the opponent to foul.
Relying on the rich game experience of a group of veterans, the Clippers survived the third quarter, but were taken away by the Warriors in the third quarter.
As for the Warriors, they also paused their offensive slightly. They began to accumulate strength for the next wave of offense. They wanted to deliver a killer blow in the fourth quarter.
…
On the bench, Dai Li felt unprecedented pressure.
This pressure comes from the noise of the surrounding Warriors fans, and also from the Warriors' perfect offensive system on the court.
A team that has won three championships in four years must have cultivated a large number of crazy fans, and it must also have a devil's home court. This is what Oracle Stadium looks like now. The tens of thousands of spectators at the scene have become a sea of yellow. Everyone was shouting crazily, and the craziness even gave Dai Li, who was a guest, a shuddering feeling.
When the Warriors are defending, the whole court's loud "DEFECE" is like a kind of hypnosis, making defenders excited and attackers hesitant. When the Clippers are holding the ball, the boos are endless. stress and frustration. This kind of atmosphere at home is really a torture for the visiting team.
After reaching the Western Conference Finals, Oracle Arena can indeed be regarded as a super devil's home court. Even experienced top teams will feel the pressure doubled in this home atmosphere.
As for the Warriors' tactical system, it has already made every NBA coach fearful. The Warriors have used their results in the past few years to prove the strength of their tactical system. For a basketball coach like Li Dai who became a monk halfway, tactics are his shortcomings and a source of pressure.
Tactical target? This word had long been ignored by Dai Li. I don’t understand tactics at all!
So it can only be you who plays your tactics, and I play my star ball. This trick is useful most of the time. In today's game, Dai Li faced a Warriors team that performed perfectly.
"The Warriors are feeling better!" Dai Li looked at the score. Unknowingly, the Clippers were already behind.
In terms of shooting percentage, both sides were great, but the Warriors hit more three-pointers, including many unexpected "magic balls", and therefore, the Warriors took the lead.
Three-pointers have always been the Warriors' biggest weapon. They were once the Warriors' bread and butter. Today, the Warriors have once again picked up this scoring weapon.
The Warriors, who were trailing 2-0, were forced into a corner. They increased their three-point shooting, which was also a gamble. For the Warriors, as long as they feel the shot is open, it will be an infinite rain of three-pointers, and the Warriors will also be in an invincible position.
After a timeout, the players returned to the bench.
The coaching staff of both sides knew that the two sides would send all their main lineups on the field, and the game would reach a decisive moment.
Even with a 2-0 lead, Dai Li did not want to lose this game. He hoped to win and use a 3-0 to completely extinguish the Warriors' hope of advancing.
With a "beep", the timeout ended and the players began to walk onto the court. At the same time, Dai Li took a deep breath and activated the lucky horseshoe's prayer skill.
In the next three minutes, Dai Li will have good luck, and so will the Clippers players.
But Dai Li's action was not over yet. He immediately used the lottery box. He hoped that the lottery box could give him a winning answer.
"Sign up!" Although Li Dai knew that with the blessing of good luck, he would definitely be able to draw a sign, but when the sign appeared, he still started to breathe quickly.
After looking at the draw results, Li Dai showed surprise, and then immediately said to the referee: "Substitute!"
Although the players have already taken the field, the ball is still in the hands of the referee and has not been handed to the player who served, so the game has not started yet. Substitutions are allowed before kick-off.
Li Dai replaced power forward Noel and replaced him with Vincent.
At the same time, the Warriors' coaching staff all showed surprised expressions. This substitution when the ball was about to be served was sudden, and it was obviously a spur-of-the-moment decision made by Dai Li.
Warriors head coach Nicholas couldn't help but look at Dai Li, as if he wanted to see through Dai Li's thoughts. Nicholas knew that this kind of impromptu substitution was dangerous and would disrupt the team's previous tactical arrangements. But if you think about it carefully, a team that plays star ball doesn't seem to have any tactics at all.
"Is it a lineup of one big and four small? Why are you using this lineup?" Nicholas murmured to himself. In his opinion, at this time, it is better to replace the space-oriented No. 4 position with a lineup of one big, four and small. , is not a good decision.
Not only Nicholas, but the commentators on the TV broadcast side also raised questions.
Even if the space-oriented No. 4 is just standing outside the three-point line and wandering around, it is enough to shock the opponent's defensive players. When the game reaches the final decisive moment, a space-oriented No. 4 position is obviously smaller than the first and fourth position. The lineup is more threatening.
Vincent, who was sent on the field, also seemed a little at a loss. He usually plays as a substitute and is used as the first scoring spearman of the substitute lineup. According to the normal rotation order, he should be resting off the court now. Now he was suddenly replaced on the court for the final battle with the Warriors.
This substitution was indeed too sudden. It almost kicked off. Dai Li suddenly made a substitution without any warning in advance. At that time, he had already put on his pants and jacket, and was lifted up from the bench by Dai Li. , hurriedly took off his coat and walked onto the court, even acting a little embarrassed.
More importantly, Dai Li let him play without explaining anything.
At such a critical time, this sudden substitution must require tactical adjustments! You, the head coach, have to give your players a few words of advice!
But there was none of this. Dai Li didn't say anything.
So when Vincent stood on the court, it was still an illusion.
Suddenly, Raymond stepped forward and patted Vincent on the shoulder.
"Brother, focus, the game is about to begin! If we win this game, this year's championship will be ours." Raymond said.
Vincent was stunned and immediately understood what Raymond meant.
If the Clippers win this game, the series will be 3-0. In history, no team has ever been able to come back from a 0-3 deficit, so it became inevitable for the Clippers to advance to the finals.
The situation where the West is strong and the East is weak has been going on for many years, and there is indeed a gap in overall strength between the East and West. It is not an exaggeration at all to say that the Western Conference champion is the championship.
Therefore, for the Clippers, this game is not just a playoff battle, but a key battle to win the championship.
"Championship!" Vincent couldn't help but think of the golden championship trophy.
He has a very successful career and has won numerous honors. He is a sure shot at entering the Hall of Fame after retirement, and will be rated as a "legendary superstar" a few years later. But he never won a championship.
For an NBA player, no matter how many honors he has won, as long as he does not have that championship ring, his career will be a pity, and it will even affect the player's historical positioning. Because of this, too many superstars will make sacrifices for a championship ring in the middle and later stages of their careers.
Vincent also made sacrifices for the championship. He took a salary cut, teamed up with other star players, and even went to teams with hopes of winning the championship. However, he always missed the championship, and even entered the division championship. Extravagant hope.
The cruel reality made him give up his dream of a championship. Instead of deliberately pursuing a championship, he found a team that was willing to give him enough playing time to continue his career and the basketball he loved.
But today, Vincent suddenly discovered that the championship he dreamed of was so close to him. There was an indescribable excitement in his heart.
"For the championship!" Vincent suddenly shouted, as if cheering for himself.
"Yes, for the championship!" Raymond next to him echoed loudly.
He is similar to Vincent. He has won countless honors, can be in the Hall of Fame, and can be rated as a legendary superstar, but he does not have a championship, or in other words, he is just short of a championship on his wall of honor!
"For the championship!" Another voice sounded, this time it was Hall.
Although his honors are not as good as the top two and his career is not too long, this does not affect his desire for the championship. A person who has had the meniscus removed from both knees still wants to play on the field. One can imagine the desire to win and the desire to win. How could such a person allow the championship to slip away from his hands.
"For the championship!" Wood also made the same sound.
The No. 1 pick in that year made a bold statement in the first season of his career that he would win a championship for the team. Now, after many years, he finally has the opportunity to fulfill his promise.
Gray looked at his four teammates. He has struggled with injuries almost all his career. He does not have such complicated experiences and does not have so many honors. He is not very dedicated to the championship.
But at this time, he had been infected by his teammates, and he felt the desire for the championship in their teammates' hearts.
"You are right, for the championship!" Gray's expression also became focused.
…
"The momentum is different from just now!" Assistant coach Cassel's eyes widened. In his opinion, Dai Li's decision to replace Vincent was not very correct, but after two minutes, he achieved very good results. Effect.
Cassel can feel that the Clippers players are working hard, and everyone has an all-or-nothing momentum. It seems that I have been forced to a dead end and must fight against all odds!
"Obviously we have an advantage! Why do we act like we are going to lose?" Cassell was a little confused. The Clippers now have a 2-0 advantage and have an extra home court. It can be said that the situation is great. , there is absolutely no need to show such a tragic momentum. On the contrary, the Warriors should fight to the death.
Cassell still underestimated the desire of a group of veterans for a championship. That championship ring is what these veterans have been chasing for half their lives. For them, it is not just the honor of a championship, but also a kind of sustenance for their careers.
To put it simply, they have lived for this championship for most of their lives!