Originally compiled from: The Athletic
Written by Jovan Buha
原标题：Lonnie Walker IV and an undeniable truth: Lakers, not Warriors, have strength in numbers
With Walker's final quarter outbreak and the Lakers finally rewriting the score to 3-1, how did the Lakers manage to be surprised?
Walker Night
The first offensive round of the fourth quarter set the tone for the Lakers' final 104-101 comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors.
As space opened up and teammates spread out along the sideline, LeBron James and Lonnie Walker, defended by Stephen Curry, engaged in a block. The James Curry clash has been going on for nearly a decade. James likes to look for opponents of mismatched size in the fourth quarter and late in the game, and Curry has been his favorite target.
When Curry was switched to James, Andrew Wiggins, who initially defended James, hesitated and briefly turned to the Lakers' legend to prepare for the next switch. And that gave Walker plenty of room to make a jumper on the left side of the arc, and he made a three-pointer as Wiggins turned to defend.
The goal narrowed the seven-point gap between the Lakers and the Warriors to a more manageable 4 and heralded the hero of the fourth quarter (Walker) and the Lakers' preferred target (Curry).
Walker scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, nearly equaling the Warriors' total of 17. He became the first Lakers bench player to score more than 15 points in the fourth quarter of the playoffs, the first since Kobe Bryant 26 years ago — almost two years before Walker was born.
Now, thanks in large part to Walker's contribution, the Lakers led 3-1 in the series, one win away from beating the defending champions and reaching the Western Conference Finals.
"The ball for the game is definitely going to be given to him," James said. "We can't win without him."
James (27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 43 minutes) and Anthony Davis (23 points, 15 rebounds and 3 steals in 43 minutes) excelled in the game. Austin Reeves scored 21 points. But Walker stole the show in the end, and the game belonged to Lonnie Walker.
The Lakers will always have role players stepping up
The Lakers' playoff journey is filled with key performances from their role players. It's become an iconic trait of this team, with a player who wasn't James or Davis — sometimes two or three — excel in the game. Reeves played games one and four against the Grizzlies. Hachimura's first and second games in Memphis. De Angelo Russell's performance against the Grizzlies in Game 6 and Warriors in Game 3. Schroder in the play-offs against the Timberwolves and the first game against the Warriors. And now Walker has helped the team to their most important win so far this season.
The unexpected energy of these role players from Los Angeles is one of the key differentiators between the two teams in this series. In their competition, James' team, not Curry, had better outside talent for the first time. Walker's surprising outburst is a testament to this, as well as the Lakers' effective tactical setup on their playoff journey.
Walker's outburst was no accident
"It wasn't his fault that he fell out of the rotation." Lakers head coach Ham said, "He's still ready, he's still professional, he's still energetic and positive. He trained hard every day, challenged himself every day, and really kept an eye on the field, especially during the playoffs. When your mind and heart are in good shape, your body is also in good shape. ”
At the start of the season, the 24-year-old walker, as a starting shooting guard, withdrew from the Lakers' rotation after the trade deadline. Reeves is becoming the team's third-best player. Russell, who was traded from the Timberwolves, replaced Schroder as the starting line-up, making Schroder the team's sixth man. Malik Beasley, traded from the Utah Jazz, is the new favorite of Ham's offensive combination – and finally "Laser". Troy Brown Jr. has become an all-around bench winger, shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range. Therefore, there is no clear role or need to be given to Walker.
But after the Lakers suffered a crushing defeat in Game 2, Ham reassessed his rotation and determined that the Lakers needed more offensive momentum. The best defense against the Warriors is sometimes a better offense. If you don't score, you don't have a chance to bite the game.
With Brown and Beasley struggling to hit shots, and the series was more of an outside battle for guards, Ham turned to Walker in both the third and fourth games. Add to that Russell having another bad night (scoring 4 points on 1-of-10 shooting after Game 3), and the Lakers needed Walker's offense in the final moments.
Walker's speed and athleticism fit well into this series, which features a lot of conversions on both sides. In this game, when Drummond Green gave Wiggins a wrong pass, Walker chased Klay Thompson to get the ball, and then quickly passed him in the open for a layup to give the Lakers a temporary lead.
Walker's offense and speed fit series
Beasley and Brown failed to hold the ball or score.
The Warriors didn't do it either. In the final four minutes, Walker and James made a block, with James acting as cover. Both Wiggins and Curry were jealous of James' breakout, so Walker was able to make a jump shot in the box to tie the score at 96 with 3:43 remaining.
"I'm a score-first player," Walker said. "I'm very confident in myself. I know my worth. I know what I can do. ”
With 1:53 left in the game, James gave Walker a diagonal pass, and Walker caught the dribble against Curry and hit a jumper 15 feet away. The Lakers are still not losing their lead at this point.
"I'm just full of confidence," Walker said of his shot at Curry. "Before that, I had a couple of shots and I think my confidence was definitely at an all-time high. It may be hard for others, but it's really not hard for me. ”
In the final round, James asked Reeves to cover again, and Reeves is now defended by Curry after the Warriors swapped Thompson for Walker. James switched defenses and broke through Curry, causing Curry's fifth foul and almost getting a 2+1. James hit both free throws to extend the Lakers' lead.
When the final whistle sounded, Walker, who was trying to digest the moment, collapsed to the ground. James and Davis quickly picked him up and hugged him, sharing how proud they were of him and how important he was to the team. Soon after, the whole team gathered around him to celebrate.
"It's the most wonderful feeling you can imagine," Walker said. "As a kid, it's something I've always dreamed of doing. Not just being a part of the playoffs, but influencing the playoffs, let alone winning in the playoffs. I'm really proud of myself. This really shows what I'm capable of. Just my mental strength. I think the hardest thing was being abandoned after being able to play a lot of games, but I persevered. ”
No one could help Curry
Curry had his third career playoff triple-double — 31 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists — but missed two shots in the final minute as the Warriors failed to tie the score or regain the lead. The Warriors also trailed 3-1 in the 2016 Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma Thunder, but they still believe they can bounce back and win the series.
"It feels like that," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of trailing 3-1. "Go back to home and mind your business. Then win the game. Then the situation will move in your favor again. That's it. Someone has to win four games. That's why in the series you stay the course. ”
It's not clear right now where the Golden State Warriors can change the status quo except for another fiery shooting night. Jordan Poole played only 10 minutes in the fourth game and only 2 minutes in the second half and was already unavailable. The Warriors' starting lineup is the third in the series, with Gary Payton II replacing Jamachal Green. Payton scored a season-high 15 points, breaking up the Lakers' defense with a short block and taking Davis away from the basket. In the 23 minutes Payton played, the Warriors had a plus-minus of +3. But in key moments, Cole preferred second-year guard Moses Moody, who let him play the final 10 minutes of the game along with four other starters.
The Lakers always find a way to deal with the Warriors
The Lakers have basically found the answer to every adjustment made by the Warriors. Their lineup is deeper. They are bigger. They do a better job defensively. They have more offensive weapons. They have a tried and tested way of offense, attacking the basket and creating fouls. As Ham has been hinting at, there's more oil in James' tank and he's been preparing for the latter stages of his playoff journey.
Even though the chances are that the Warriors win Game 5 to extend the series, the Lakers' recent record suggests they're ready to finish at home, where they remain unbeaten at home (6-0) in the playoffs.
Led by James, Davis and Ham, whose role players stepped up at key moments to turn the game around, the Lakers were on the verge of the unthinkable: just four wins away from the NBA Finals after winning two series on the road.
"I think we'll be ready," James said, sitting next to Davis, of Game 5. "When you play the Warriors, you don't have a chance and you can't relax. So I'm not worried about whether we can finish the game comfortably. You just can't do that against the Warriors. It's impossible. ”
"Agree," Davis said expressionlessly, then put down the microphone.