Vol 3 Chapter 305: deadlock

By the second quarter, the situation became more severe for the Warriors. The Warriors bench led by Durant has never beaten the Thunder bench led by Paul George.
This surprised everyone! Judging from the lineup, both sides have their own merits and are on par. But the combat effectiveness on the bench, the Thunder is definitely not as good as the Warriors. So since the playoffs, many times Donovan had to let Westbrook and Anlow, the core players who should have been rested, play with Paul George. In order to ensure that during this transition period, the opponent will not be pulled too much.
But today they have the upper hand. In addition to Paul George's stable performance, the explosion of Kanter on the inside and Brewer on the outside is the key factor in the Thunder's advantage. Especially Kanter, every time he goes to the Oracle Arena, his performance is very eye-catching. It seemed that this arena gave him some mysterious power.
Of course, the Warriors' downturn has nothing to do with Durant, his performance is still eye-catching.
After Cook took the ball over the center line, he chose to hand it over to Durant. Although he is at the first position, he plays more like a shooting guard without the ball. Durant started holding the ball from the forty-five-degree angle of the three-point line, and shook Brewer away in disguise. Then go directly to the basket. Kanter, who has always been reluctant to guard against pick-and-rolls, was taken a European step by Durant when he changed defense. He caught up and tried to block from behind, but Durant pushed the ball directly into the basket.
But looking back, Brewer scored a three-pointer at the top of the arc! Livingston clearly did not make the most correct defensive choice. His position was too far back, giving Brewer a chance. Of course, no one expected that this guy would be so decisive. Even Donovan and An Luo on the bench didn't expect it. It really deserves to come out of Houston!
After the ball was scored, the score became 55:40. The Thunder's lead has come to as much as 15 points. The situation has become quite unfavorable for the Warriors. In fact, at the 17-minute point in the game, the Warriors' 40 points were not too bad. But the Thunder's offense is so smooth! Comparing the two, the Warriors have a great disadvantage.
"Russell, Ann, Steven, Andre, you guys are ready to play!" Donovan arranged for his main players to warm up during the timeout. He estimated that the Warriors' main players would come out early.
Sure enough, after the suspension came back, both sides sent all their main forces. The atmosphere on the court suddenly became serious. Everyone knows that the Warriors will be desperate for the next game! If you continue to fight like this with Oklahoma City, the game will be lost. This game was lost. With a big score of 0:3, it is almost impossible to make a comeback. Therefore, for the Warriors, the i game must be won. No matter how hard it is, no matter what you have to pay, you must win! Otherwise, everything this season will be in vain.
The only change is that Pachulia reappeared in the Warriors lineup. Green returned to the position four he was more familiar with. It has to be said that the Warriors' "Death Five" lineup made their offensive and defensive system more flexible, but for the competition in the restricted area, the Warriors did suffer some losses. When Adams was on the court, the Thunder almost always played inside. Anlow and Paul George are more often just helping Westbrook and Adams to open up space.
Surprisingly, it was not Iguodala who was replaced by Cole, but Curry! Although Curry can make up for his defensive weakness offensively, Cole must make a choice. The previous game proved that the Warriors' defense is too weak for the Thunder's scoring limit. Therefore, Cole decided to simply let Durant take over the offense. With Pachulia inside, Thompson outside, and Iguodala, the Warriors' offensive firepower is not bad. The most important thing is that, in this way, the Warriors' defense has improved a lot.
In this league, I am afraid that no other team will be like the Warriors! At the most critical moment, they let their head star sit down the court. But judging from the subsequent games, this is a very effective adjustment.
First of all, Adams and Westbrook are affected. Iguodala and Pachulia directly paralyzed their tried and tested pick-and-roll tactics! Adams' singles at the basket were also greatly restricted.
The offensive end was frustrated, and the defense also had problems. Durant kept using his height advantage to misplace the Thunder players. Neither Robertson nor Paul George can prevent him in a one-on-one situation. The double-teaming effect is pretty good, but in that case, it is bound to miss out. Prior to this, the Thunder were also double-teaming Durant. But at that time, Green's position was near the three-point line and could be directly shorted. Now Green is basically inside the free throw line. And his ability to attack the basket is pretty good.
The Warriors relied on Durant's continuous offense and played a wave of 9:3. They narrowed the difference to single digits in two minutes. Forcing the Thunder to have to call a timeout adjustment.
Faced with such a situation, Donovan should make a choice! Either continue to empty Green to limit Durant; or continue to rely on Robertson or Paul George to defend. If you choose the former, Green can score and it is more likely that both Green and Durant will play out in the end. If you choose the latter, the Thunder can only rely on their offense to make up for the loopholes caused by the weakness of the defensive end.
Donovan chose the former in the end. Compared to Durant, Donovan is obviously more assured Green. Even if he is standing at the basket, the threat is still not as threatening as Durant.
As soon as Durant holds the ball into the three-point line, Westbrook, who is now next to Green, will immediately double-team and fight Durant with Robertson.
Such an adjustment, the effect is not bad! After Green missed a near-open mid-range, Durant didn't play in the top two!
Green will never let Donovan down!
Of course, the Thunder's own offense has not improved much. Both sides are caught in a defensive battle. Ironing, steals, turnovers, fouls, and free throws are all things that people don't like to watch. Although the shouts of Oracle Arena are still very loud, the cheers from the heart are much less. The game became boring. The director’s camera was swept over, and some people started chatting. Attention is no longer in the game!
For the players in the game, they are very focused. Whether it is a Thunder player or a Warriors player, for every offense and defense, they do their best.