Uncover the Thunder's three-board axe to defeat the Warriors: size suppression & misplaced roll call and fast-break counterattack
(Text/Los Angeles Vansidy)
Even when the offense is played to the extreme, the Warriors still struggle to win, and the Warriors are still having problems defensively.
The Golden State Warriors shot 39.6 percent from three-point range in this game.
As the team that ranks fourth in the league in three-point shooting per game (39.9), sixth in the league in three-point shooting (14.7) per game, and has a three-point shooting rate of 36.8% (12th in the league), the Warriors have been overperforming.
On the other hand, the Thunder's three-point shooting rate is only 17.2%, which is a big drop compared to the league's No. 1 three-point shooting rate (39.6%).
But the Warriors still lost the fruits of victory.
To put it bluntly, Thunder seized the key to victory:
- Body suppression, misplaced roll call, and fast attack counterattack.
The Thunder has a very good body shape, as Su Qun said, the Thunder except for Chet is a 2.16m thin high school forward, Dort is short (1.91m), most of the players are between 1.93 meters ~ 2.03 meters, most of the players are mobile and can run, have a strong physique, and are equipped with many players who can shoot three points and defend to ensure offensive and defensive efficiency.
The Warriors are the shortest team in the league, and when the opponents are taller and faster than you, the offense can shoot you on the head and the defense can suppress you.
That's the Warriors' number one problem right now.
The second weakness of the Warriors is that their defense has slipped badly.
The Warriors, who had to go into the '22 championship season, still had a defensive efficiency of 106.6, second in the league, and the Warriors at the time had a good overall defense (Curry gained weight and improved defense). Porter contributed his best year to the Warriors, and that year the forward team Wiggins and Porter were able to ensure defensive quality. Although the Warriors are not large, they can switch defenses and zone defense (there are two other points that there were few injuries that year, and Poole also played the style of "Curry Jr.").
In the past two years, the forward team has dispersed, and the defense of the players represented by Wiggins and Klay has dropped, and the defensive efficiency of 113.2 (17th in the league) this season is unavailable. Regional joint defense and change of defense are also being rectified, but the effect is not as good as before.
Now Curry faces a lot of misplaced roll calls from his opponents.
As I said in an article, the only way to avoid roll calls is to change guards in advance, change guards after the fact, flank early, delays, etc. But it requires tacit understanding on the defensive end, and it also needs to be blessed by defensive giants.
22 The Warriors have a forward regiment that can protect Curry in these ways.
But it hasn't worked since last season, Porter is gone (in fact, there's no point in keeping), Wiggins Klay and others are degrading, and the young and strong Kuminga has a bad defensive IQ.
The Lakers set up a set of "multiple people take turns to roll call", and the three guards + James take turns to point Curry, which the Warriors can't come up with. Now whoever meets a warrior takes this trick.
In this game, Curry faced Alexander and Jalen Williams taking turns to be called and played without temper. In addition, Joseph was also punished by name and misplacement in turn.
Klay slid sideways so badly that it was difficult for him to defend Jalen, let alone help Curry?
Thunder took the misplaced roll call to the extreme. Alexander 38 points and Jalen 28. Chet's body was misplaced against the Warriors, scoring 21 points and making three key free throws to help the team tie the score.
The Warriors also have a zone defense move: when playing a small lineup, or when a slow-moving and poorly defended Saric comes on the court, using the strength of the group to ensure defense.
The Thunder's three-point game is not good, it seems to be targeted, but the Thunder does have two ways to use:
1. Hard solution, because the Thunder has the advantage of size and speed, and they are not afraid of the team defense on your regional joint defense, and do it directly.
2. Fast attack counterattack and early attack, take advantage of the Warriors' unstable joint defensive position, and directly counterattack you. The Thunder made 28 turnovers (9 turnovers) and scored 35 points (6 for the Warriors) on foul play
The Warriors' defense was paper-paste.
At this time, the Warriors can only talk about offense, and this three-point game is not bad, in addition, he relies on the league's first-class frontcourt board ability (this Warriors rebound 60, Thunder 39, frontboard Warriors 24, Thunder 11) to bring secondary offense (20 points for the Warriors and 11 points for the Thunder).
But he has an innate tendency, he is the worst scoring team in the league in the restricted area, relying on jump shots, and too lacking in basket ability.
To put it bluntly, the fighting hand, during the Warriors Dynasty, they used the top shooting feel in history to pull strong opponents and make up for the disadvantage in size.
Now the feeling is not as good as before, the offense is declining, and the offensive efficiency this season is only 113.6 (15th in the league), and it is too difficult to fight the Thunder.
What's more, the Thunder also have strict defensive discipline, agile defensive speed, and wide coverage area, cutting off the Warriors' passing and cutting system passes, causing the Warriors to make a lot of mistakes.
Of course, Green's inexplicable foul was indeed the cause of the Warriors' defeat, but not all.