Net defeated the Cavaliers and officially took on the Boston Celtics.
— But the Celtics won 3-1 against the net this season, including a 54-pointer from Tatum.
But on the Celtic side, Robert Williams is still recuperating.
But Tatum has won two 50+ games on the Top of the Nets over the past year.
Mixed feelings.
Net defeated the Knights.
- But the Cavaliers are missing ace Garrett Allen.
- But the first quarter of the net 40-20 lead to lock in the victory! Irving hit all 12 shots in the first 12!
- But the Cavaliers chased back in the fourth quarter. Irving was too physically drained and the defence was weak in the second half.
But Durant locked in the win anyway.
— But Seth scored 0 points on the field and only shot 9-of-28 from the net from three-point range.
But the Net also only let the Cavaliers shoot 9-of-26 from three-point range.
Mixed feelings.
Net vs Cavaliers this game, the pros and cons are out.
The advantage is that the duo of Durant and Irving are invincible in the combination of 59 points, 23 assists, 31 shots and 21 shots, especially Irving's first 12 shots.
The problem was that Irving was so brave, the young Cavaliers trailed by 20 points in the first quarter and were still missing the center, but the net was chased in the fourth quarter and had to rely on Durant to solve the problem.
The third active attacker on the team is Bruce Brown.
Brown is diligent and active, defensively hard, single defense is good, the basket is active, the ball is keen, can defend four positions, good at empty cutting, can steal rebounds in the front court, 193 cm tall but can block the internal cut, is the team's golden oil, when played well, it is simply a compressed version of Iguodala + Smart.
But relying on the diligent and clumsy he to connect, it seems that the peripheral operation of the network is a little thin:
That's draggitić and Seth's job, right?
Of course, it has to do with the Cavaliers' playing style. With a lot of changes, pressure on the perimeter, except for occasional miscommunication (Dragic's vacant three-pointer) and a lack of keep-up with the defense (Irving's pursuit), the Cavaliers locked the perimeter of the net at other times.
Allen is not there, Mobley can't cover the sky with one hand, Mackanen is slow to shoot again, the Cavaliers have leaked a lot of inside lines, And Clarkston and Zhuang Shen are happy to eat cakes today, but they don't help on the outside line.
Probably today the knight can chase back, is this meaning:
Sticking to the perimeter, missing a little empty connection and mid-range, it was also hard to carry; forcing Irving and Durant to take over with the ball; and then Irving was tired, the net's attack was still not smooth, and when he was relieved, the Cavaliers caught up.
Thanks to Durant taking over, two difficult jumpers held down the Cavaliers' chase points.
But Durant and Irving each played nearly 42 minutes — a game that led by 20 points in the first quarter and was supposed to be a group holiday in the first half.
On the Celtic side, Tatum + Jaylen soared, not necessarily overpowering Durant + Irving, but the Celtics will most likely empty Bruce Brown to suppress the shooter group led by Seth. The Nets cut Janjo to make way for Kessler Edwards, so maybe Nash will try to use Kessler?
The most interesting point today is Durant vs. Mobley. While not too much on top — the net has been pulling away Mobley's defense with Bruce and Clarkston 's moves — it's still mysterious when two seven-foot-tall, defender-moving geniuses face each other when they occasionally collide.
Durant's defensive performance today was outstanding, not just 2 steals and 3 blocks: his assistant defense made up a lot of table for Chuang Shen, and the Cavaliers fed Mobley a few balls in the second half when Durant was not on the inside line, showing Clarkston's difficulty in single defense, and the Celtics must have seen it clearly:
The real home base of the net is the physical strength of Irving and Durant.
Role players are not alive, and the net has to consume the physical strength of the two superstars to gain momentum; by the time they are physically exhausted, both ends of the net will decline.
Speaking of which, it is nothing more than:
Find the third flashpoint of the net VS do not let the network burst the third point.
Sure, the net can free up space and ease the offensive burden on the double aces by putting in a small-ball lineup, but will Nash do that? I don't know.
Durant's goal to seal the win today was a jumper shot over Mobley's head after pulling away. This ball is certainly a death stunt, unstoppable, but Mobley finally did not lose his position: judgment, lateral movement, jumping. Speed and size, have caught up.
It wasn't Mobley who shot it, it was Durant who was too strong.
In the playoffs last season, Durant made this move against Giannis, which directly shook Giannis away.
Joked before: Mobley and Barnes are like the twins of KG and Pippenson, Mobley with KG a little, Barnes with Pippen a little.
Mobley's size and movement are just so magical.
When Durant cast this trick on Ci Shiping ten years ago at this time, it was unimaginable that someone could keep up with the magical beat of "seven-foot long guard pulling the ball high point strong shot".
But today's Mobley can keep up.
Although it is still a high level of Durand stunts, the little geniuses of this era are really endless.
The Timberwolves are in the playoffs. KG left for the second time since.
Eerie but brilliant game.
Towns played six fouls in 24 minutes and was limited by fouls. Subtlely, after he left the game, the Timberwolves erupted into wildness, and the Clippers could not hold back.
The big change for the Timberwolves this season is that Coach Finch changed the previous center to withdraw from the defense, and made a big change of defense and pressure.
Inside there is Van Der Biao, outside there is Beverly, Russell turned to supplement the defense, so the bite was fierce.
After Downs went off today, the Timberwolves fought fiercely.
Originally, the Clippers had been tearing up by putting a small ball to bite all the way to the Western Finals, and today Coach Lu was torn apart by the fierceness of the Timberwolves.
— A bit like in 2015, Houston didn't go to Harden, but relied on Josh and Brewers to reverse the Clippers?
The Clippers were chased around by the Timberwolves' defense in the final moments, and Reggie couldn't find a shooting space with the ball, and could only count on George to shoot strongly.
Edwards can force a breakthrough by explosive power, and that's the difference.
The day before yesterday, I also said in the public account: Edwards' move is the most like that of young Jordan since Wade...
Both he and Wade can move quickly with their center of gravity low every day (it's a knee-wrenching concern), and they can make a lightning first step at any time without warning.
Of course, he is not a talented pitcher, the shot is still a bit of a leisurely pushing action, the gesture is not soft, so today's last moment is not three not one.
But a 20-year-old kid who was able to make 5 of 11 three-pointers and 5 of 6 free throws in today's big game (although the arc is really a problem) really relies on a big heart and hard work.
Edwards 30 points today... His subsequent duel with Morant exploded when he thought about it.
Russell scored 29 points, and the final-minute scribbles and long-range shots determined the direction of the game.
But today's Timberwolves spirit is tied to Van Der Biao, who has 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, and Beverley, who has 11 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block although shooting 8-of-2.
The 185-centimeter 33-year-old guard grabbed 4 frontcourt rebounds and 7 backcourt rebounds...
In the last round, Beverley copied the ball from Reggie's hand, and after watching Edwards take the ball, he stopped attacking quickly and began to roar.
At the end of the game, he jumped on the scoreboard, just like Wade did back then, as if the Timberwolves were his team.
Of course not, but to some extent, it can also be:
The timberwolves' talent is that Downs, Edwards and Russell are in support, and Van Der Biao is the chief iron man, but the bloodiness of this young wolf army is brought by Beverley.
This man has a lot of problems, and today on the field is not all good, but in the end he won the game, and the tears he cried were sincere.
His role in the team throughout the year is vividly reflected today:
The Timberwolves can win the adversity ball.
The last time the Timberwolves made the playoffs was when Jimmy Butler roared all the way.
The last time I made the playoffs was in the KG era.
Beverly, Jimmy and KG are not players of the same level, but the Timberwolves' historical toughness has always been related to such a bloody man who is easily agitated.
In contrast, Loew, Wiggins, Lavin and Downs are all fine, but they seem to lack such a little roar...
- Think a little further:
In a way, Edwards' performance today is probably more than the Timberwolves' playoffs themselves, which is enough to make Minneapolis fans happy.
After all, young, the playoffs may not go very far, but Edwards proves that he — as long as he doesn't get hurt — is reliable in adversity, both physically and mentally.
Moreover, he is not yet 21 years old.
- How to say it? It's a bit like Game 4 of the 2000 Finals, when the Sharks came off the bench and Bryant took over the game that won the Pacers.
Of course, the stage size is far from the same, but it is a defender in his early twenties who tells everyone at the time of life and death:
"In addition to that center, this team can also rely on me!"