In the G2 competition, although the Lakers are slightly inferior on paper and have a worrying future, they are still all out and do everything they can to find a breakthrough. The game is still going on, and the Lakers are clearly not going to rest on their laurels in the first game of the series.
However, with the resumption of the battle in G2, the game was more exciting, but the result was familiar, with the Lakers' initial dominance offering a glimmer of hope, followed by the Nuggets' tenacious catch-up and ultimate comeback. When the Nuggets once again ruthlessly extinguished the Lakers' hopes of victory, and James and Davis left the game, it is conceivable that every fan and player of the Lakers is on the verge of despair.
Despite losing the last game, it is widely believed that James and Davis have done their best. In this case, if the Lakers are still looking for a turnaround, then the role players need to burst out with more potential......
The Lakers did just that, especially guard Russell, who quickly overcame a mental block after the game started and showed the positives of his nerves. Starting in the first quarter, Russell hit a three-pointer on the fast break and contributed three of the Lakers' first four scoring attempts in a row, and three-pointers sprung up like mushrooms.
In addition to Russell's touch, the Lakers have also changed significantly defensively. Coach Ham sent Davis to take the initiative against Jokic after the opening game, which is different from the G1 where Hachimura mainly took on this role. Hachimura did his best, but his size disadvantage made his interference with Jokic mostly formal, which instead created more scoring opportunities for Jokic. At the same time, Davis is not directly opposed, but his large number of assists make his physical depletion more rapid. By the final quarter, when the two sides really entered star time, Davis was beyond his strength......
Therefore, instead of letting Davis consume on trivial defense early, it is better to let him go head-to-head with Jokic from the beginning. Actual combat has proved that this adjustment has an immediate effect. In the first half of the first quarter, under Davis's strict defense, Jokic once had no offense. It wasn't until 3:45 left in the first quarter that Jokic barely opened the scoring with a three-point shot that wasn't his best point.
Ham has done his homework defensively, while his tactical deployment on the offensive end has been resolutely executed. However, despite their near-perfect performance in the first two-and-a-half quarters, the Lakers were ultimately unable to withstand the Nuggets' counterattack, and their carefully constructed defensive system was completely crushed by the Nuggets in the final moments.
Especially in the decisive moment, the Nuggets' Murray was invisible for most of the game, but his awakening at the last moment brought a fatal blow to the Lakers. In the final attack of the game, Murray even gave up the opportunity to call a timeout, compressing the time to the limit, and in the face of Davis, his cold-blooded stunner without any drag and water also made the Lakers' efforts on the court go to waste. This kind of calmness and decisiveness in the big scene, even the experienced James has to be in awe.