On April 23, Beijing time, Warriors player Dream chased the Suns on a podcast to support the Suns, who were down 0-1 in total, and he believed that the Suns should let Durant be responsible for defending Edwards for the rest of the series, and that someone else needed to take responsibility on the offensive end.
"What the Phoenix Suns should do is let KD [Durant] stalk Anthony Edwards, which should be done throughout the series, and that's the defensive matchup that should be. The Suns have to rely on Booker and Beal, Grayson Allen, you have to hit some balls, they have to rely on those guys on the offensive end. Because Durant already has to keep an eye on Edwards, he also has to juggle offense, and this is his 18th season (note: actually 17th), and you can't count on him every game. ”
The Suns' strategy in G1 is mainly to have Beal keep an eye on Edwards, with other players assisting. The stats show that Beal actually defended well, with Beal being the No. 1 defender, Edwards shot 3-of-8 from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range, and had 4 turnovers. Edwards shot 4-of-7 from the field when Booker was at home, Edwards was 1-of-2 from the field when Royce O'Neale was at home, Edwards was 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range when Durant was at home, and Allen was 3-of-3 from the field when Allen was at home.
One of the most impressive scenes in G1 was when Edwards sprayed KD with trash talk in the face of Durant's three-point shot. "You can't stop me, I told you earlier, stinky old man!" Edwards squirted and Durant laughed.
After the game, Edwards said of Durant: "I looked at the stats and he took 17 shots and hit 11 of them. He only conceded 6 shots but scored 31 points. I mean, he's really the best player of all time. I sincerely pay tribute to him, he is undoubtedly the best. ”
Edwards G1 had 33 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Regarding Edwards' provocation to himself after hitting a three-pointer, Durant said frankly: "This is part of basketball, not just in the playoffs, but also in the moment of the goal. When you feel hot and hit shots in succession, especially difficult shots, your emotions will naturally become high. So I had to respond, he showed his toughness, and I was not to be outdone. ”
How will the two sides fare in G2 and will Durant go all out to guard Edwards as Dream suggests?