Back at home, the Nets lost 103-109 to the Celtics, trailing 3-0 in the series. Durant did not have any athletic shots in the final 11 minutes of the final quarter, while Tatum on the opposite side of the game felt hot and cut 39 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals, and the Barclays Center erupted into an MVP call to the opponent.
11 shots, 2 free throws, this is Kevin Durant's shooting performance in the Nets' life-and-death battle. Admittedly, a 3-0 draw doesn't eliminate a team, but past history tells us that no team can turn the tables in this situation, and all the last 143 attempts have failed. So, the question left for the Nets and Durant is only one: How are they going to fall?
Before the playoffs, durant and Irving were expected to join forces to challenge the Celtics. Durant, in particular, almost single-handedly toppled the Bucks in the second round of last year's playoffs, averaging third in history with 29.5 points per game in his career playoffs. In the first two battles of this round, KD was tied by the Green Army's iron cable series, although there are still 25 points per game, but the 31.7% shooting rate and the average of 6 turnovers per game are particularly glaring.
Even so, there are still people who believe in Durant. Or rather, those who still have hopes for the Nets, and the Nets themselves, must trust Durant. This was originally a matchup with a gap in strength, and the Nets had to rely on Duou to come up with a superstar peak state output if they wanted to win, and just playing an average level was not enough to pass. Before the two armies faced each other, most people believed that KD was the best player in this round, until G3, this judgment was completely overturned.
Prior to this campaign, Durant had 153 playoff games, including only 3 games with no more than 12 real shots, three of which occurred in the Warriors period - the 2019 Finals G5 came back with an injury and fell down, the first round of G4 in 2017 swept the Blazers, and the 2017 Western Conference Finals G2 beat the Spurs.
In three games, one injury and two easy wins, KD played no more than 28 minutes. In today's game, Durant fought on the court for 45 minutes and 54 seconds, and his teammates around him were not enough to provide enough fire support. But Durant only made 12 real shots, maintaining a decent shooting percentage, but watched the team go to the ghost gate.
"After watching the video of the G2 battle, I found that my teammates had many opportunities that I missed. I tried to play aggressively in the first two games, but it was a little too much. I've been watching my teammates this time, but I probably think too much about it. Durant's post-match explanation paled in.
The Celtics' defense is worthy of being the league's number one, and they have defenders like Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Horford and Smart take turns facing KD, while constantly setting up levels on the route he dribbles. Whenever KD attacks, there are Green Army players in the right position to assist in the protection, so Durant learned the lessons of the first two games and began to pass the ball to his teammates faster. But first, the Celtics' defensive slippage is faster than the Nets' conduction, and second, outside points like Bruce Brown are somewhat emptied by the Celtics, who will form a 4.5-man defense in the half.
All of the above makes the basketball game like playing chess, but if you really want to play chess, you can't win the Celtics with the configuration of the Nets, what they need is a miracle. Durant last year's second round of The King Mountain single core hit the whole game 49 +17 +10, that is the Nets can beat the Celtics basketball, even if Durant has to hold up 2 or 3 people to shoot the ball, but he is Kevin Durant.
But the reality is that Durant did not have any sports shots in the last 11 minutes of the final quarter.
This is the condensation of the Nets G3 collapse, in this long and bizarre season, Durant is their only stabilizer. But in the moment of life and death, even he was invalid.
Matching the KD, barclays center sounded MVP calls for Tatum
To fend off the Nets' rebound on the road, the most important task for the Celtics on the defensive end is still to limit Durant, and the extreme physical confrontation has also put KD in trouble.
Durant is frozen, and the Nets' defensive system has no way to beat the Celtics core Tatum. In this campaign, Tatum made 13 hits in 29 shots and scored 39 points, 5 boards and 6 assists, telling everyone that in the playoffs, this is the answer that a superstar should hand over. In the past 40 years, Tatum is the first player to be able to score 35 points, 5 boards, 5 assists and 5 steals in the playoffs, according to the statistics of the American media statmuse. Outrageously, Tatum played so well that it even conquered Brooklyn fans. In the second half, as he stepped onto the free throw line, the Barclays Center erupted into an MVP call.
"It feels good, especially on the road. Usually you'll hear that at home, but I'm sure I won't get the MVP this season. So my concern is to win every game. Tatum said after the game: "As I get older, I get better and better on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and when I was a rookie, my main job on the court was to defend. I said to my teammates, 'Nobody works harder than we do, we're the hardest team in the league, all 15 people on the team are united.' 'When I stepped onto the pitch, I tried to set the tone for the team's performance. When you see that Horford is all fishing and saving the ball, Brown and I can't make any excuses, we have to go all out. One of the big improvements our team has been mental toughness and our reaction when opponents score consecutive points, and I've always said that adversity will make us stronger. ”
After the three games of the series, Tatum averaged 29.7 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2.3 steals per game, shooting 43% from the field, durant averaged 22 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, shooting 36.5% per game, and 5.7 turnovers per game. After the game, Celtic star Pierce said on social media that Tatum may have surpassed Durant in the rankings. After the game, when Tatum was asked about his current ranking and status in the NBA, Tatum said he didn't care about those things.
"I like that the leaders in our squad trust their teammates and want everyone to be involved, they've been making sacrifices all season and doing everything about the details. Today, Tatum's pass to Horford is a good example. Uduka said.
After winning this game, the Celtics can be said to have stepped into the semi-finals of the Eastern Division with one foot. Even if Simmons had the potential to make a comeback in series G4, it would be difficult for him to make a decisive start in his comeback. Judging from the first three games, the Celtics have led the Nets in total points, rebounds and assists, and the strength advantage is obvious. "Winning has always been the most important thing. [To win] not only needs to hit the shot, but also to fight for rebounds, make the right passing choices, actively change defenses, and so on, you need to do these little things. We didn't always do that well in the early days, but now people are doing it. These are the keys to winning this series. Brown said after the game.
"We have to win one more game, our opponent is a very good team, we did play well, but we haven't won anything yet. We are happy, but we will not be complacent. We have to win one more game. Smart said. The next thing the Celtics have to do is take advantage of the chase, try to end the series on the road, get more rest time, and wait for the winners of the Bucks and Bulls.
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