Warriors vs Nuggets, this is a set of MVP showdowns, but also the most interesting showdown in the West End.
But in the first round of G1 battle, it made people see a one-sided situation. The Warriors won 123-107 at home, and what left the Denvers speechless more than the score was that the Warriors were expected to be the first to attack and defend at both ends of the game.
Curry made a comeback in this game, rarely starting from the bench. But not long after the crowd exclaimed, "Don't do it," people couldn't help but throw another question at Cole: "Or not?" What will we do next? ”
In another playoff focus game, The Timberwolves' Edwards staged a youth showdown with the Grizzlies' Morant, and after being upset by the opponent to win, the Grizzlies also had to worry about the opponent's fangs.
Curry made a comeback.
Curry substituted, "Death Five" is still strong
In this confrontation, the most surprising thing for fans is naturally Poole. He started with Curry in this game, 9 of 13, including 5 of 7 from three points, 7 of 8 from the free throw line, and 30 points and 3 assists, worthy of the manager's trust.
Before the start of this round, some experts pointed out that the Nuggets' position is on the inside line, and it is difficult to limit the Warriors' outside line. G1 started, and Cole did specialize in making a fuss on the outside.
He seized on the Nuggets' 2 interior line jokic and Cousins' heavy body and slow foot range, either letting the guard hold the ball to block it, or letting the defender without the ball use cover to receive the ball projection. As a result, jokic and Cousins were struggling with the question of whether to mention it and whether they could return to defense in time after mentioning it.
The combination of splash brothers + Pooler, holding the ball has a pulling force, the projection bullet has no false hair, and can play without the ball, pressing the gourd up the scoop, which really makes the Nuggets' outside defense stretched.
The Nuggets may want to learn from their predecessors. At that time, the Rockets "resisted courage" by competing with the Warriors for unlimited defense and three points. But both of these Nuggets are currently underserved. On three points, the Nuggets scored 11 of 35 three-pointers, shooting only 31.4%, and the three-point shot was not less than 3 times but none of them hit a shot, so the three points did not hurt the Warriors at all.
As for the infinite change of defense, due to the Nuggets' slow movement of the inner line, the lack of height of the outside line, and the limited reserves of the front line, it is impossible to talk about, not to mention that the Warriors also have the killing move of "new death five small".
Poole made a brilliant performance.
Of course, all of this may have flashed in the mind of Nuggets coach Mike Malone, who had already anticipated this scene. The original Malone's strategy was probably "you hit yours, I hit mine", using the two major weapons in the inside line, stalemate with the Warriors, and waiting until the end to decide the winner or loser.
In theory, Malone's strategy was wise, but it did not play well in this game.
Lacking the support of his teammates, Jokic was unable to stand alone
Jokic is expected to win the MVP this season, his team leadership ability, strategy and interior scoring are all the league's first-class level, before even Dream Green admitted that in terms of limiting Jokic's scoring and passing, defenders can only take into account one side, the so-called "choose one bottle in two bottles of poisonous wine".
But in this game, the Warriors' defensive strategy can be described as properly used. Against Jokic, the Warriors sent Green and Looney, who were in charge of the top defense, which was the foundation. In addition, the Warriors also clamped in time, forcing Jokic to play the ball, while allowing the defenders to create a misalignment when covering, specifically picking Jokic to play a war of attrition.
In addition to Jokic, the Nuggets need more people to come forward.
With a strong medicine, the problem of preventing Jokic was immediately solved. Jokic had 25 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and three steals in this game, but in the second and third quarters, he did not have a single assist, could not move the whole team, and was forced to become a scorer. That's the last thing the Nuggets want to see.
The Nuggets also tasted the lack of major generals at this time. News broke today that Jamal Murray's comeback has been granted by a doctor, depending only on his personal wishes. But even if Murray returns, whether he can return to the unmatched form of the first two rounds of the 2020 playoffs will also be a big question mark.
Without Murray (and Michael Potter Jr.), the Nuggets were incredibly inefficient in converting passes into points. There are data as evidenced by the fact that when Jokic was wrapped up today, the Nuggets shot 0 of 5, 3 of which were teammates receiving Jokic's pass, but it ended in iron.
In fact, in terms of overall strength, the Warriors with a neat lineup are slightly stronger than the Nuggets. Whether Jokic and his Nuggets can deal effectively with it and avoid the premature end of the series can only be proved by their performance on the field.
Edwards attacked with the ball.
The Timberwolves burst into the cold, and the rookie played the veteran feeling
The warriors' and Nuggets' strong dialogue is surprisingly one-sided, and on the other side, the confrontation between the Timberwolves and the Grizzlies also has an unexpected ending.
The Timberwolves overthrew the Grizzlies by 13 points on the road, and the youth showdown between Morant and Edwards was a huge hit, but the deeper reason the Timberwolves were upset was that they did what they had to do, and the Grizzlies didn't.
From the perspective of star duels, the matchup between Edwards and Morant was the best on the first day. Edwards was 12-of-23 in the game, including 4-of-11 from three-point range and 8-of-8 from the free throw line, with 36 points, six assists and two blocks, not at all like a playoff rookie; Morant had 32 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, 8 of 18, no three-pointers, and 16-of-20 free throws. In terms of plus-minus, Edwards +12, Morant -16, Edwards came first.
Edwards won and won more applause because he didn't rely on free throws, his repeated rushes to the basket also caused headaches for the Grizzlies, and half of Morant's scoring came from free throws, which was somewhat inconsistent with his performance in the regular season.
From the scene, Edwards really explains what "lethality" is, and Morant is not like a player who has played 5 playoff games. However, in addition to the performance of the core defenders, what really makes this game unpopular is the strengths and weaknesses of the two teams.
Morant
The Grizzlies are defensively fierce this season (109 points per 109 rounds, league no. 4), strong rebounds (first in total rebounds and offensive rebounds per game, 8th in defensive rebounds), second offense (18.7 points), fast-break scores (17.7 points) and interior scores (57.6 points) all topped the league.
But in this game, the Grizzlies' defense allowed the Timberwolves to score 130 points and lose to their opponents in the rebounding game. The Grizzlies grabbed 35 rebounds, eight of which were offensive rebounds, far behind the Timberwolves' 46 rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds. Rebounds can't grab opponents, and the second offense that the Grizzlies are good at suddenly loses power.
The foul problem needs to be addressed urgently by the Grizzlies
When it comes to rebounding, the Timberwolves are all soldiers in this game. Towns took 13 rebounds, needless to say, and Jaden McDaniels, Vanderbilt and Beverly combined to grab 25 rebounds, which was a thumbs up.
Mike Daniels is a rookie who made his career playoff debut and Beverly is a defender. In contrast, the Grizzlies' big center Adams was completely invisible in this game, grabbing only 3 rebounds without a point, and Brandon Clark took the most 13 rebounds in the game, but who was his helper? "Human Creep Essence" Kyle Anderson (6)!
Adams (left) didn't have much of a performance in this game.
It's not hard to see that foul play has had a big impact on the Grizzlies' interior. Jalen Jackson Jr., a favourite for defensive player of the season, delivered seven blocks but also lost five fouls, with Adams also making four fouls. Grizzlies coach Jenkins also blamed Adams' stealth for too many fouls after the game.
As a young team, the Grizzlies are characterized by active scrambling and high-speed counterattacks, and the Timberwolves are not lacking in these 2 points; the Grizzlies are a team that loves to use substitutes and is good at using substitutes, averaging playing time and scoring per game this season, ranking 1st and 6th respectively, but the Timberwolves are not spared, ranking 10th and 8th respectively. The two teams scored points on the bench, and the Timberwolves also won 43-32.
Morant loved to carry the explosive pack to the impact, but Edwards was able to rush more than him. Seeing timber wolves, the Grizzly Bears will have the feeling of looking in the mirror. After this battle, the Timberwolves' fear of the grizzly bears decreased a lot, and the grizzly bears increased sharply.
However, since the two teams are so similar, and the advantages and disadvantages are so obvious, it means that the series has no secrets from the beginning, and the two sides are not so much behind-the-scenes strategy as tit-for-tat confrontation on the field. Whoever is in better shape and can give full play to his own advantages will have the upper hand. (Supine Braces/Hairy)
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