The Nets established a 20-point lead in the first quarter and countered the opponent in the final quarter, eventually beating the Cavaliers 115-108 at home to advance to the playoffs with a seventh-place position in the East. In this campaign, the "Duou" combination scored 59 points, Irving shot 12 of 15 shots, including the first 12 shots all scored, bombed 34 points and 12 assists; Durant efficiently cut 25 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists on 9 of 16 shots, and also contributed 2 steals and 3 blocks. For the Cavaliers, Garland scored 34 points and five assists, Mobley had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Love came off the bench for 14 points and 13 rebounds.
"Like people advertise every day, they're superstars and they do what the top players do."
Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash flashed a smile on his face, referring naturally to the two treasures he had in his hands: Kevin Durant and Kerry Irving.
On April 13, Beijing time, the Nets sat at home to usher in the most important game of the season so far, and they will compete with the Cavaliers for the 7th place playoff ticket in the East. While staying in the top half of the play-offs gave both teams a chance to live one more life, no one wanted to force themselves into a desperate situation of life and death. Before the game, Nash said that "we are going to do everything we can to win the game", and the opposite Cavaliers core Darius Garland also did not consider the potential next opponent, "We are going to win today." ”
Owen said that the birth of the play-off system must have made someone behind it steal the fun, and this life-and-death showdown brought a nervousness like the NCAA's crazy March. The Nets were clearly the more bullish side of the game, and they also ended up beating the Cavaliers 115-108, and the whole story wasn't complicated, in Nash's words, "as advertised."
Everyone predicted that the Nets would leave a message in World War I: The Nets have Durant and Irving.
The playoffs are the moments when the stars are in full swing, and while none of the playoff statistics count toward the playoffs, the intensity and importance of the game are the same. Looking at the entire league, I am afraid that no one is more accustomed to performing in such a big scene than Dou. They all wear championship rings on their hands, Irving has hit one of the most exciting key balls in the NBA Finals, Durant is two consecutive FMVP, and almost single-handedly cut down the final champion Bucks in the second round last year. It's hard not to believe them, and they really won't disappoint you.
Since returning to full-time status, Irving's offensive efficiency has declined significantly, and there are still 26.9 points and 6.5 assists in the final 8 games of the regular season, but the shooting percentage has fallen to 41.9%. The impact of more frequent competitions and Ramadan on physical reserves, many people are not optimistic that Irving can stand up in hard battles. You can't blame the skeptics, Irving's really good game after full time is only 2 games, a 42-point win over the bottom-of-the-line Rockets, and a 35-point net to win the poorly defended Pacers. But today, the Nets 11 responded to everything with a performance that was a perfect game.
In this game, Irving hit all 12 of his first 12 shots.
With 34 points and 12 assists, Irving had his third double-double of the season, his first 30+double-double, and more importantly, he hit 12 from 15 shots, 3-of-6 from three-point range and 7-of-7 from the free throw line, with an exaggerated 94 percent true shooting percentage. Looking back at history, the last player to shoot 80% of the 30 points and 10 assists in a single game was LeBron James in the 2020 campus rematch, and if it is subdivided into 30 points and 10 assists, 2 points and 100% of the free throw shooting rate, and 50% of the three-point shooting rate, Irving is the only one in NBA history. But such a string of data will only pale compared to Irving's performance tonight.
Despite the lack of Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers are not short of defensive resources, with Irving scoring just 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting in the most recent meeting between the two teams. The City of Croix will let O'Corro, the team's best defensive tip, stalk Owen while relying on long men like Mobley to protect the penalty area. But if you've watched Irving play this season, you'll understand that his personal attack and defense are far less than normal, and whether he scores or plays iron, his shots are often hellishly difficult.
And with Irving hitting three goals in a row at the end of the first half of the game, his first half stats were fixed at 20 points, 4 assists, and 9 shots! The Nets have scored at least nine goals at 100 percent from the field four times in halftime, two of which belonged to Irving and the other two of which were with interior players Josh Boone and Blatche. The final three goals were the bottom corner tentative step to raise his hand against Markkanen to hit a three-pointer, holding the ball to single out Okoro to withdraw the shot, switching counter-attacks to face LeVert and Mobley's chase and pressure drift mid-shot!
Every goal makes no sense, every goal is self-evident to his superstar status, and such goals make up his 100% shooting half. And Owen continued this miraculous performance for more than a second, until he hit all his first 12 shots. It was also the first time in Irving's career that he had hit all 12 of his first shots.
"It's like a movie I've seen before." Cavaliers interior Kevin Ralph described Owen's performance as saying.
Throughout the Nets' storyline this season, Irving is like the bad student, who missed the class for strange reasons, but handed over a full score answer sheet in the important big test, making people shake their heads and smile in the face of extreme talent.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself in the final stages of the season, you see I've got some games that rush to shoot, I've shot 32 times in one game, 26 times in one game, and 22 times. I felt like I was standing there knocking on the door, trying to find the efficient version of myself. Owen said. I just feel good physically, find the rhythm, trust my teammates, play as the game flows, and don't overstep anything. ”
Considering that Owen played this kind of performance before sunset without eating or drinking, you have to marvel at his ability. Durant said: "These people in Ramadan deserve praise, especially when you can still do work like this, Owen is a different kind of human being. ”
When Irving packed his offense and played his best tandem performance since full-time, the Nets had the upper hand for most of the time. But if Irving is alone, the Cavaliers aren't too upset, and it's really desperate when you realize that the best guy in the Nets is still more restrained.
Turning the statistics, Kevin Durant's performance tonight was 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks, 9-of-16 shooting. When Irving hit 100 shots in the first half, KD also scored 12 points on 4-of-5. Durant in the third quarter did look a little chilly, and he once lost four consecutive shots in the middle, giving his opponents the opportunity to catch up with the score. But in the final quarter, it was Durant's two unreasonable shots that completely killed the game.
KD's killer nature has long been familiar, but it's the Nets forward's recent passing and defensive performances that are truly impressive. After just delivering a career-high 16 assists in the last game, KD had just 1 turnover with 11 assists tonight and less than 2 assists for the first assist of the season. "I just want to slow down my game, make the right decisions, and get my teammates involved."
After a defensive baptism since his comeback, Durant is more comfortable reading the game. Today the Cavaliers are constantly changing their defensive strategies, staring at people, 3-2 joint defenses, defensive demolition small delays and pinch attacks, but the Nets are clearly ready for everything. "We just keep our confidence, we know that the opponent will defend us in various ways, such as this round of joint defense, the next round of blocking and dismantling. Sometimes they just throw the ball and make us hesitate. But I think I've coped well. ”
Irving has praised KD's passing performance since the last game, and tonight he went on to say that not many 7-foot players have KD's passing ability. When it comes to height, Durant's play on the defensive end is crucial.
From the data point of view, Durant is already the Nets' second-best frame guard, his average number of frame guards per game is second only to Drummond, and he is second only to Clarkston in 6 feet to reduce the opponent's shooting percentage by 8.7%. Tonight KD made several slashes to complete the co-defense cover, so that Clarkston could safely switch to the outside line.
When it comes to his defensive performance, KD remains humble. "We can't let the defense become a weakness ... Everybody defends with pride, and I don't want to be the weak ring in it. "While reporters praised his defensive play, Durant gave the praise to Clarkston, who delivered five blocks." That kid covered 5 bubbles, but you said I was the core of the frame? ”
Admittedly, the Nets' role players had big spots, Bruce Brown once again contributed a quasi-triple-double, and Drummond and Clarkston scored a steady combination of 29 points and 17 rebounds, but the Nets' ceiling remained in Durant and Irving's hands. This battle is just another proof to everyone that no one can ignore this offbeat 7th in the East!
The Celtics and nets are reunited, and the story of the feud is writing a new chapter
Not surprisingly, the Nets beat the Cavaliers in the 7-8 playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, they will play against the Celtics.
The feud between the Nets and the Celtics dates back to the early 2000s. In the years when Kidd was wearing nets No. 5 and Pierce led the Celtics forward, the two teams had met many times in the playoffs. But the story between the Celtics and the Nets over the past few years seems to be a bit richer than it was then.
After the 2012-13 season, the Celtics started their rebuilding mode. Pierce, Garnett and Terry were traded to the Nets, earning several future draft picks from Brooklyn. The core of the Celtics now, Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum, are the future assets that Angie exchanged for that transaction.
Subsequently, the Celtics acquired Irving on a trade in the summer of 2017. But after two seasons in Boston, Irving did not renew his contract with the Green Army, but chose to join the Nets. Before and after Irving left, he left some not-so-good memories with the Celtics team and the city of Boston.
Also, the two sides actually met in the first round last season. It's just that the Celtics were seventh at the time, and Jaylen Brown was absent due to injury, Walker and Lowe also had absent experiences, and the Nets eliminated the Greenshirts with a 4-1 overall score. After the end of the series, Irving deliberately returned to the venue and stomped on the team logo in the center of the Celtics' home stadium.
Although many Celtic players, including Tatum, Smart and Jaylen Brown, have said that they do not have a personal grudge with Irving, but have always maintained a good friendship. However, Celtic fans have long identified the player as Boston's sworn enemy. When Irving appeared at the Garden Arena this season, he was greeted by huge boos in decibels. To be sure, in the playoffs, a similar situation will still occur. Speaking about the next game against the Celtics, Irving said: "It's going to be a great test, I know that team very well and they know us very well. ”
However, when the Celtics and Irving play now, there is a big difference from last season. In the first half of the regular season, the team performed badly. But as the season progressed, Uduka's adjustments to the team at the defensive level gradually showed an effect. The reason why they were able to finish second in the East with a record of 51 wins and 31 losses stemmed from the strongest defense in the Celtic League.
"I was very impressed with the Celtics' performance." Nash said, "Uduka has done an excellent job. Playing against them was definitely a challenge for us. As a brand new team, it's definitely a great test to face a team with a good attack and defense, and hopefully we can play our best performance. ”
On the other hand, Tatum is also a better player than before. This season, he has not only become a candidate for MVP, but also has the opportunity to enter the team of the year. Previously, when the two sides met, Tatum once scored 54 points in a single game. Durant said in an interview that defending Tatum is a very tricky problem for the Nets. Owen added: "First of all, limit Tatum's speed, he always plays well against the Nets, and his teammates around him can provide offensive firepower. ”
However, there is also a problem with the Celtics, with the team's interior defensive stalwart Robert Williams unable to play. He is the core of the team's change defense system, but also protects the basket and protects the rebounds. Lowe's absence will certainly affect the quality of Celtic's interior defense.
Bruce Brown was also very blunt about this, "First of all, we can't let Tatum score 50 points. The Lowe in their squad can't play, which is very critical, we are going to attack Horford and Theis. ”
After hearing his teammates' expressions, Durant offered a different opinion. The veteran, who has been through many battles, said that Brown's current mentality is not advisable, which is not conducive to their due performance in the confrontation with the Celtics. KD said: "We have to respect our opponents, there is no need to talk about how we will deal with them. I don't like that. There's no need to say this kind of, just see you on the pitch. ”
Wen | Kong Dexin Kong Yang
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