Chapter 38 The second round, against the Grizzlies
Wang Feng didn't have any special feelings about eliminating the Pelicans.
It is said that the intensity of the playoffs is not at the same level as the regular season, but Wang Feng really doesn't feel it.
Maybe it's because the Pelicans' level is too low, or maybe the Warriors are just too strong at this stage.
The Warriors, who easily advanced 4:0, did not have to wait long, and soon their opponents in the second round came out.
The Portland Trail Blazers, fourth in the Western Conference record, faced off against the fifth-ranked Memphis Grizzlies, but the result was that the Grizzlies completely defeated the Trail Blazers.
The total score is 4:1. Although it is not a sweep, the difference is not big.
The Grizzlies' regular season record is actually better than that of the Trail Blazers, but they are ranked fifth in the Western Conference due to the format.
In the playoffs, the Grizzlies are obviously stronger than in the regular season.
The reason is very simple. The Grizzlies are a team dominated by a dual-core interior. The black and white duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph can be regarded as the top interior combination in the league.
As the defensive intensity increases in the playoffs, the shooting percentage of outside shots will naturally be affected. In contrast, stable inside offense will also account for a significantly higher proportion than in the regular season.
The Warriors are a team with perimeter players as the core, and the inside has always been a weak point.
But facing the Grizzlies, the Warriors also have an advantage, and that is speed!
Both Gasol and Randolph are heavy insiders who move slowly and often become a liability when transitioning quickly between offense and defense.
The Warriors, with their five-death squad, are the fastest fast break team in the entire league!
In the first game between the two teams, the Warriors taught the Grizzlies a lesson.
Relying on their absolute advantage in the paint, Gasol and Randolph frequently scored in singles in the paint. The Warriors had only one blue-collar center, Bogut, who was unable to support himself and was replaced soon after due to too many fouls.
At this time, Cole decisively changed to a smaller lineup of the Death Five. Aren't you very good at playing inside? How about I play track and field with you?
This move has immediate results!
Gasol and Randolph have a high success rate in singles inside, but they are unable to cope with the highly mobile Warriors' small lineup when transitioning between offense and defense. Often, they fail to return to defense in time, resulting in a 3-and-4 backcourt situation!
In the end, Gasol and Randolph each scored 20+ points, but the Grizzlies lost the game 86:101.
In this game, Wang Feng became the biggest beneficiary due to the many situations of rapid transition between offense and defense.
Throughout the game, he received passes from the corner many times and took open shots.
The purple hall-of-fame-level corner three-point shooter badge, coupled with the silver catch-and-shooter and quick shooter, make Wang Feng almost perfect!
He took a total of 8 shots from the outside and hit 7 of them. He scored 21 points, second only to Curry who scored 22 points! And even Curry took 18 shots to score 22 points!
In the second game, the Grizzlies obviously made tactical adjustments and strengthened their perimeter defense.
The Grizzlies are still very capable of perimeter defense. Starting point guard Mike Conley has been selected to the All-Defensive Team. Shooting guard Tony Allen is the league's top perimeter defender and has been selected to the All-Defensive Team six times in his career!
The Grizzlies' defensive tactics worked wonders. Curry's shot rate when defended was only 36.8%, and Thompson's shot rate barely reached 40%.
But even so, the Warriors still won this game, 94:92, which was a very difficult win.
The reason why we were able to win the game was because the team's bench showed its strength!
The Warriors' bench was considered luxurious by the league's standards, with former All-Star Andre Yingodala, mid-range shooting king Shaun Livingston, and at the end of the regular season, former starter Barnes.
Barnes, who was sent to the bench, has always been resentful about this. He never said a word to Wang Feng in the team, and he did not pass the ball to Wang Feng in daily training or on the field, but his level was still there.
Even because he played as a substitute, he did get more opportunities than when he started!
In this game, Barnes had a meal of Chinese New Year dumplings. With a hot touch, he came on the bench and used a long-range shot to beat the Grizzlies bench. He made 8 of 12 shots in the game, including
Scored 22 points and 6 rebounds on free throws! He is the highest scoring player on the Warriors!
After finally eating the dumplings, Barnes even felt proud.
During the media interview after the game, he even got excited and said into the reporter's microphone.
"I have been in good form recently and I am ready to take on more responsibilities in the team."
Seasoned reporters immediately noticed the hidden meaning in Barnes' words.
"Are you saying that you are a little dissatisfied with the head coach's arrangement of you as the team's substitute?"
"No, no, no! I didn't mean that." Barnes quickly waved his hand to explain. "I understand the coach's intention. The sixth man is also an important puzzle piece for a team and also bears important responsibilities. I agree with the coach's intention."
In terms of practice, I think the reason why the team has achieved such excellent results this season is closely related to the head coach's reasonable arrangement of each player's position and responsibilities."
Although Barnes said this, the reporter obviously didn't believe it.
Just one day later, news is already everywhere about Barnes being dissatisfied with his position on the team.
Barnes immediately went to Cole to explain that that was not what he said, and that the reporter had maliciously distorted his words.
But even so, Cole also clearly showed dissatisfaction. In the third game of the series that followed, Barnes' playing time was greatly reduced, and he only played less than 20 minutes in the game.
However, the Warriors still won this game.
After all, Curry is the league's top star. Even if the opponent arranges targeted defensive tactics, it is impossible for him to do nothing in two consecutive games.
After making 2 of 11 shots from beyond the three-point line in the previous game, Curry rebounded strongly in this game, making 6 of 10 shots from beyond the three-point line. He scored 31 points and led the team to win the game again!
With this game won, the Warriors have a 3:0 lead and are basically confirmed to enter the Western Conference Finals!
This is quite different from another time and space.
According to the original historical process, the final score of the second round of the playoffs between the Warriors and Grizzlies should be 4:2. The Grizzlies should have won the second game, and the Grizzlies also won the third game smoothly, 2:
1 lead.
Then starting from the fourth game, Curry completely rebounded, scoring 30+ points in a row to reverse the Grizzlies.
Wang Feng can only think that it is due to the butterfly effect.
The second game was originally a game that should have been lost after Curry Thompson was restricted, but because of Wang Feng, Barnes, who was pushed to the bench, had a chance to break out and instead won the game.
In the third game, Curry broke out early. Thinking about it carefully, it also had something to do with him.