【Highlights】Warriors 118-113 Nuggets Kucha Tang scored 80 points on the road and won the game point against the Nuggets
Before the Nuggets' home game with the Warriors' third game, Nuggets coach Mike Malone was interviewed.
"Coach, the Nuggets are 0-2 behind, how do you turn things around?" The reporter asked.
Zhuge Malong calmly said, "I have Admiral Campazzo, who can play a key role today." The Warriors are the equivalent of a Maserati, and we're a Pinto (a car that's small, low in fuel, and cheap), so we have to slow down and beat our own pace. ”
As it turned out, Malone was solid enough to release a smoke bomb, and Campazzo was discarded after only 4 minutes off the bench. Malone's real move after a fake move is unexpected, and the effect is indeed outstanding, and the Nuggets rely on strategic changes to play the highest level of offense in the series.
However, such nuggets still can't win the Warriors. The Warriors withstood the Nuggets' counterattack and eventually won 118-113 to take a 3-0 lead at the game point. At this point, this round of the series has basically lost suspense. Although the Nuggets have completed a 1-3 reversal, no team in history has ever achieved a 0-3 reversal.
Facing the highest level of Jokic and the highest level of nuggets role players, the Warriors withstood the test. Now the Warriors are constantly proving their strength, and they are already the most championship team at the moment.
In the first two games, the Warriors had many highlights. The Warriors' new version of the Death Five is amazing, Stephen Curry as a substitute only averaged 23 minutes per game but played MVP output and influence, and Draymond Green's defense against Jokic in the low post is impeccable. With such momentum on the warriors, it is curious what adjustments the Nuggets can make with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter showing no signs of a comeback.
Ma Long deserves the nickname of "Zhuge Ma Long", and he did come up with a change of tactics under the condition of limited conditions. Since the Warriors like to use the three-guard tactics of Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, I not only follow up, but also add weight. You use a three-back tactic, I use not only three-backs, I also use four-backs.
Malone's adjustment, at first glance, is indeed crazy. Because the Warriors use three guards to be two All-Star guards plus a new star guard who has already shown All-Star potential, what about the Nuggets backcourt? Monte Morris can only play as a substitute in other teams, Austin Rivers is estimated to be unable to play in other teams, Hyland is a rookie, Byron Forbes is as good as that, and Will Barton is just a notorious mess. Malone with three or even four low-grade defenders on the field, no doubt to seek their own death, the attack is not good or not, the defense must be broken.
Malone's move is indeed unexpected, when did you see which coach dare to use such a small lineup to play against the Warriors? This is also a long time to see. In the second quarter, the situation did move in favor of the Warriors. The Nuggets' three-guard and four-guard tactics abandon defense and fight with the Warriors, their firepower is good, but the Warriors are better, and the Nuggets once fell behind by double digits. If it continues to develop, Malone's change of moves may end in a laughing stock, and the Warriors' 100-round score in the first half once exceeded 140 points, and the shooting rate has been above 60% for a long time.
But as the game progressed, the Warriors found that the three guards and four guards were actually a cover, and Malone just used this strategy to disrupt the rhythm of the Warriors. When the Nuggets used three guards and four guards, the Nuggets opened up space, and the attack on the basket was good, and Cousins also ate and drank when he was on the court. Barton and Rivers Jr. both found their touch on the outside today, and they provided space support to the Nuggets' interior. When the Nuggets used three guards and four guards to generate explosive attack efficiency, the Nuggets returned to the lineup configuration of two guards + two forwards + centers, especially when Aaron Gordon found normal form.
At this time, the Nuggets' offense is basically unstoppable. Gordon came out of the opening slump and went all the way in the second half, scoring 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. The most critical thing is Jokic, his attack on the basket is still efficient, but today his biggest change is that the three-point shot finally found the feel, a total of 3 shots 2, Green in the second half is too jealous of Jokic's three-point shot, many times by a point to fly, Jokic breakthrough attack under the basket no one can stop. In addition, Jokic reduced the hard-hitting with Green in the low post, and he was more involved in blocking and dismantling the easy catch. Throughout the game, Jokic scored 37 points, 18 rebounds and five assists.
Purely in terms of offensive strategy, the Nuggets' adjustment has been done to the extreme. Jokic's influence on this point was even greater, and the Warriors did not establish an advantage when Jokic was not present. The Nuggets didn't make many shots from the outside, but the intensity of the attack on the inside was full, scoring 46 points in the box and making 22 of the 27 free throws. The Nuggets had 4 players score in double figures, and 11 players played 10 people with points in the book. The Nuggets scored 117.7 points per 100 rounds, which is already the first level of the season, and the Jazz scored 117.6 points per 100 rounds in the regular season.
Moreover, the Warriors encountered four major surprises today. Looney received four fouls early, Green nearly sprained his ankle in the third quarter, Poole injured his left arm when he landed, and the warriors' proud version of the Death Five failed in the first three quarters.
But in the fourth quarter, the Warriors still withstood the Nuggets' counterattack. This is a victory that belongs to the Warriors' elder brothers, and it is also a victory for the Warriors' new generation of young players. In the first half of the fourth quarter, Thompson's two key three points, really can be described as a desperate situation to see the god of soup, Iguodala also talked about the old man to complete the breakthrough of the violent dunk 2 + 1 to win.
In the closing stage of the second half of the fourth quarter, the Warriors' death five finally played their due performance. Curry blocked against Jokic, a key three-pointer, a breakthrough layup. In the end, Jokic still lost on his inherent defensive flaws. Wiggins hit a three-pointer in the bottom corner of the open space, returned to the defensive end to defend Jokic's back to single, and on the next round offensive end he grabbed an offensive rebound, and Poole completed a second offensive layup. Although Green didn't score, he gave Jokic a fatal steal on the defensive end.
After three games, the Warriors have proven themselves terrible, and now they may be even more terrifying than when they were at the top of the league in the league at the beginning of the season, because Thompson returns and regains his touch and Green recovers his health, which is the most complete Warrior.
From the 2019 Finals to today, 3 years have passed, the Warrior Trident is older, and there are more injuries on the body, but the healthy Warrior Trident is still the best combination in the league (probably not one), and there are still few opponents who have the certainty of winning the Warrior Trident. During these 3 years, the Warriors also added more puzzles to the trident.
The playoffs have indeed just begun, but now, with multiple playoff teams hit by injuries, the Warriors are the most champions of the moment, both in terms of lineup integrity and performance.