Spurs
87 to 79 Warriors.
It’s not the best warrior.
Bogut, Ezeli, and Iguodala are not there.
The second back-to-back away game.
The Spurs are on the top three home winning streaks in history (by the way, the Warriors’ home winning streak is now the first in history. The Immortal Bulls 20 years ago is second).
But seeing is believing. Anyone who has watched the game knows that the Spurs played the best single-game defense of the season.
In fact, both sides played a phenomenal defense, the kind of vibe that reminds me of Kerr as a Spur.
How well did the Spurs defend?
In the first half, the Warriors made 16 of 43 shots and 1 of 14 three-pointers, a season-low 37 points.
In the game, the Warriors made 31 of 82 shots, 9 of 36 three-pointers, and a season-low 79 points.
Curry made 4 of 18 shots and 1 of 12 three-pointers.
The three-pointer blocked by Danny Green in the second quarter was the first time he had a three-pointer blocked this season.
Of course, both the Warriors and the Spurs felt bad and missed a lot of open shots.
But what the Spurs really did well was not to suppress the Warriors’ efficiency, but to slow down the Warriors’ rhythm: using collar defense, offensive rebounds and countless rotations.
The rhythm is slow, and the hand feels cold.
You need to understand how great the Warriors’ offense was before to feel how terrible the Spurs’ defense is tonight.
In the first game of the season on January 26, the Spurs’ preparations were far from thorough enough, and they were beaten badly by the Warriors.
That night, the Warriors restrained the Spurs include:
Green lowered his focus and resisted Aldridge’s inside cut.
Barnes blocked Leonard from cutting the middle.
Cut the Spurs passing line, hit and chase.
Play the Spurs first team with a chasing three-pointer (hit them slowly); use the basket to attack the Spurs second team (bully Dior West without basket protection).
Curry fixes Mills and Parker as he pleases.
Today, Popovich made a move: Diaw started and Tim Duncan came off the bench for the third time in his career.
-Wrote this two days ago:
Parker Green Duncan Leonard Aldridge may be the Spurs’ best defensive five, but the offensive end is not smooth.
Duncan’s defense is still the top in the league, but when he and Aldridge are on the court at the same time, the Spurs can’t speed up or open up space.
Popovich is so ruthless, and, seriously.
Then:
The Spurs’ defense against Curry is unprecedented this season.
——Last Christmas, the Cavaliers kept flanking Curry and defended him (Curry made 6 of 15 shots and 19 points), but Green had 22 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists.
Flanking Curry has to pay this price.
——At the end of last month, the Thunder switched defenses infinitely. As a result, the Warriors were wiped out, but Curry scored 46 points, including the halftime lore.
In fact, the six games the Warriors lost before this season, except for the Lakers, were basically “Curry went crazy, but we killed the rest of the Warriors”.
In the Rose Garden, Curry scored 26 minutes and 31 minutes.
In Detroit, Curry scored 38 points.
Against the Bucks, Curry scored 28 points.
Against Denver, Curry scored 38.
Only against the Lakers, Curry made 18 points on 6-for-20 shooting.
The Warriors and Curry, you have to put one end at the other.
Today, the Spurs are probably the first team of the season, holding both Curry and the Warriors.
Both hands are grasping, both hands are hard.
Who is the hardest?
The Spurs hit iron king Danny Green this season.
Two days ago, I talked to someone:
People complained: Green’s defense is good, but the three-pointer is still not good.
Me: In the past, Uncle Bowen and Bao’s three-pointer was only reliable from the bottom corner. Why don’t you say it?
the
Person: But third uncle can defend.
the
Me: so.
Think of Green as the third uncle.
Don’t think about “Green can make three-pointers, and it also comes with defense”, think about “Green defends well, and the three-pointer is a gift”, and the mentality will be flat.
Just like today.
Green and Curry are old acquaintances.
In the 2013 Western Conference semifinals, the Spurs relied on Green to defend Curry (and Curry’s ankle injury) to pass.
Of course not just Green.
In fact, the Spurs’ defensive rules against Curry are:
——Curry/Parker/Leonard, whoever is close, will defend alone.
——When Curry calls a screen, the inside line comes out to delay and partially flank; according to Curry’s position, switch defenses.
——When necessary, use a Sibodo-style partial pincer attack.
——The most important thing is: when the opponent attacks the basket or transfers to the weak side, Green or Leonard, as long as they are not in the defense, will make an emergency replacement.
That is: start to defend Curry from the frontcourt; if Curry wants to single out, he can switch defenses infinitely; when Curry finds a cover, he can flank Curry.
Some teams have been able to do this before, but what they can’t do is: Leonard or Green, whenever they are not facing Curry, they are responsible for the weak side contraction protection: guarding Curry, but not letting others go.
——Leonard had 2 blocks and 8 backcourt rebounds in this field.
Green blocked 3 shots in this game, including blocking Curry’s three-pointer.
That’s not counting the countless rotations the duo made to cover up and kill off a couple of Klay Thompson’s empty baskets.
The fact is: In the second half, because Curry kept calling screens, the Spurs kept switching defenses. In the second half, Aldridge basically faced Curry near the three-point line-just like ten years ago, it was Duncan watching from the three-point line.
Nash-like.
Green blocked Curry’s two shots, both of which are models of Spurs defense.
First, Curry got rid of the fake shot after walking the screen. While Green was chasing the block, his teammates also arrived behind him.
Second, Curry swayed Aldridge away after forcing a switch, Parker made up for it, and Green followed up on the weak side, interfering with Curry’s layup.
Three locks one.
——This is not Sakuragi Flower Road, Rukawa Kaede, and Akagi dealing with Ze in “SLAM DUNK”