roccoschili Chapter 675 Finals Begin
Chapter 675 Finals Begin
Chapter 675 Finals Begin
On June 2019, 6, in this festival that belongs to children, the final NBA matchup kicked off at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Before the game, fans who followed the finals had a rather heated debate on this.Compared with last year, the biggest difference in this year's finals is the difference in strength between the two sides.
Last year, although James played the strongest season and led the Cavaliers all the way to the finals, no one would think that they could cause much trouble for the Thunder.The same is true of the fact that the Thunder brought the championship back to Oklahoma almost without bloodshed.
However, this year's Raptors are strong.They even beat the 76ers and Bucks at the championship level, and the bigger the better, the momentum is extremely strong.On the contrary, Thunder's combat effectiveness has declined.Although the basic combat power is quite intact, due to the loss of Robertson, the Thunder's defense no longer has the same dominance as last year.Whether it can restrain the Raptors' offense is the key issue for the Thunder to defend their title.
Before the Finals, Donovan was worried.The performance of the Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals surprised him, after all, they were not particularly good in the Eastern Conference semifinals.And the strength of the Bucks is obviously much stronger than that of the 76ers.The Thunder played against the Bucks and the 76ers twice in the regular season. They can feel that although the overall ability of the Raptors has increased a lot after strengthening, the Bucks led by Antetokounmpo are even stronger. Impact, more explosive attack.
The Raptors were able to beat the Bucks, which shows the importance of defense in the playoffs.This is the main reason for many fans who are optimistic about the Raptors.However, in the first finals between the two sides, the performance of the Raptors was very average.Especially on the defensive end, they couldn't suppress the Thunder's strong offense at all.
Although it was the first time to play in the finals, the Raptors did not show any discomfort.After all, Leonard, Green, and Ibaka are all people who have played in the finals, especially the first two, who have already won the championship when they were in the Spurs.Other players, such as Lowry and Gasol, have not missed the playoffs all year round.They are no strangers to such scenes.
There are many factors that affect the outcome of a game.The away game is even more difficult and must be strong enough.
Nass understands this.So in the first quarter, he put on an aggressive offensive posture.Unfortunately, what he wanted to play was met with a very tough defense from the home team Thunder.
This can be seen from the performance of Leonard, the core of the team.In the first quarter, Leonard did not have a particularly eye-catching performance.Although he has always been a very unpretentious player, his scoring ability is at the top level in the league.Paul George's defense prevented Leonard from playing tough.
Another core player, Lowry, did not perform very well on the offensive end.In this case, Gasol Jr. and Siakam became the two arrows of the Raptors.
An Luo scored the first goal of the game.Although he didn't get a chance outside the three-point line.But through his own running without the ball, with the cover of his teammates, he threw off Danny Green, cut to the basket and scored the ball.
Leonard then threw the Raptors' first shot of the Finals against Paul George at the right elbow.Unfortunately, the ball was thrown out of the basket under the interference of Paul George.Looking back, Paul George responded to the opponent in the same way.Perhaps because he felt that his hands were not very good, Leonard reduced his shots and began to break through to the basket to cause damage.
Siakam became the first player in Raptors history to score in the Finals.After he caught Grant receiving the ball on the left side near the baseline, he turned over and shot a jumper, hitting the bullseye.Subsequently, An Luo succeeded at the basket again.The Raptors seem to have special concerns about An Luo's three-pointer. Danny Green has been clinging to him all the time, with open hands constantly interfering.Even An Luo can score inside, but Danny Green just doesn't let him have a chance to shoot a three-pointer.
Of course, this doesn't limit An Luo's scoring.With Thunder's addition, his mobility has been greatly developed.Although there are not many outside calls, but the inside opportunities are still grasped.
In addition to An Luo, Westbrook is the second scoring point.Paul George can indeed limit Leonard, but he himself is also limited by the opponent.Ever since, all the Thunder's offenses were concentrated on the inside, and basically nothing was achieved outside.
In fact, the situation of the Raptors is similar.The three outside players Lowry, Danny Green and Leonard don't feel good.As a result, the area within the free throw line became the most intense battle between the two sides.The two players, Gasol Jr. and Siakam, stood still and moved, supporting the Raptors' offense.
In the first quarter, the two sides battled to 23:28.The Thunder opened the gap to 5 points with An Luo's three-pointer at the buzzer at the last moment.
Compared with the previous game, the scores of the two sides are not high.However, this is not caused by the defense of both sides.Whether it is the Thunder or the Raptors, the defensive state is not particularly good.
In an away game, not only must there be a stable and efficient offense, but also a tough defense.Only in this way can the aura be released, and there is a chance to retreat completely.Raptors, obviously didn't do it.
In the second quarter, the situation of the two sides has undergone some changes.The Raptors strengthened their offense, especially the three-pointer.After Gasol pulled to the outside line, he made two consecutive three-pointers.With his height advantage, no one can restrain the Thunder.Whether it is Adams or Noelle, the defensive attention is still on the basket.No one expected that Gasol would suddenly exert his strength outside the three-point line.
In fact, after nearly two years of transformation, many traditional inside players have begun to transform.They have developed their long-range shooting ability one after another, and no longer stick to the basket all the time.Among this inner player, Lopez of the Bucks is the most typical.His three-point shooting ability is outstanding, better than most perimeter players in the league.More importantly, his defensive ability around the basket has not regressed!It now appears that Gasol Jr. has also completed such a transformation.
However, Thunder responded quickly.An Luo, who has been running without the ball, has been trying to find opportunities, and other Thunder players are also creating opportunities for him.Although the Raptors have not relaxed their defense, in this case, the Thunder slowly recovered their offensive state.
When An Luo and Paul George started to hit three-pointers, the situation of the game began to be controlled by the Thunder.
(End of this chapter)