Chapter 509 Sweeping the Trail Blazers in the first round
I have said before that because the current Warriors rely too much on Wang Feng, it is more difficult to play high-end games. Unless Wang Feng plays a super personal performance, they will be at a disadvantage against any of the league's top teams. After all, the other four
It's hard to take advantage of the location.
But if it's a game of abuse, it's completely the Warriors' specialty.
The Trail Blazers' record and overall strength cannot be completely compared to each other, but their overall strength is still much worse than that of the Warriors. After all, star Clifford Robinson's average per game is about the same as Garnett's.
With the end of the regular season, Garnett, the Warriors' first-year rookie, finally averaged 18.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 51% from the field.
Judging from the data alone, this is already close to the data of the original Timberwolves version of Garnett in the third season of his career.
It's not that Garnett has grown to the heights of the third year of his career. The main reason why he can get such data is that he frequently cooperates with Wang Feng in pick-and-rolls on the court and then cuts to the basket to receive Wang Feng's assists.
He gets the cake, which means he still gets the credit for Wang Feng's super deterrent power on the offensive end.
But in any case, Garnett has already shown his star style in terms of statistical performance. You must know that he is only 19 years old at this time, and he has a promising future!
The first game between the Warriors and Trail Blazers takes place on April 25.
At the home court of the Warriors, the two sides started their first showdown.
As soon as the game started, Wang Feng from the Warriors fired frequently, quickly helping the Warriors take the initiative on the field.
The Trail Blazers have absolutely no way to defeat Wang Feng. Their forward player is Harvey Grant, a little-known role player. He averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds per game with the Washington Bullets early in his career, but
He quickly got back to his original form. Last season he averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 assists per game. This season he also averaged only 9 points and 5 rebounds per game.
How can such a role player, who has little lethality on the offensive end and is average on the defensive end, defend Wang Feng?
After all, Wang Feng is a super scorer who cannot be restrained even by Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and others taking turns.
The Trail Blazers were completely unable to stop Wang Feng's scoring. Even double-teaming was of no avail, because most of Wang Feng's offense was outside shooting, and the number of times he chose to break through with the ball was minimal. Moreover, once an effective double-team was formed against Wang Feng, he would always
It is to be able to pass the ball out immediately and accurately pass it to the open players.
In the first quarter of the game, the Warriors scored 31 points, of which Wang Feng scored 13 points.
On the other hand, the Blazers can rely on the interior twin tower combination on the offensive end.
Clifford Robinson's playing style is soft, and he was restrained by Garnett. In the first quarter, he only scored 2 points on 1 of 5 shots. However, the 2.21 meter big center Clifford Robinson performed well under the basket.
Not bad, 4 of 5 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, 10 points and 3 rebounds.
There's nothing we can do about it. The center position is indeed the Warriors' shortcoming.
The team's starting center Ronny Sekali's competitive status this season is very similar to last season, averaging only 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the regular season.
In fact, Caselli is 2.11 meters tall and weighs only 104 kilograms. As a big center, his mobility is very good, and he has a place in the Warriors' fast-paced offensive and defensive transitions.
This is one of the reasons why the Warriors' Nelson chose to trade him to the Warriors in 1994.
Unfortunately, Sekali, who came to the Warriors, was troubled by injuries and only played 36 games last season.
His attendance rate this season is also not particularly high, and he has missed nearly 20 games. However, because he is suffering from injuries and is slow at this stage, the difference between the Warriors and him without him is actually not very big.
Sometimes, the Warriors even put Garnett at the center position and moved Wang Feng to the power forward position, and the effect was equally good.
In the second quarter, Wang Feng continued to work hard, scoring 10 points and 3 assists in a single quarter, helping the Warriors score 32 points again.
At halftime, the score between the two teams reached 63:49, and the Warriors already held a 14-point advantage.
Even if Sabonis, a 2-meter-21 big man, takes some offensive initiative in the paint, the Blazers' offensive rhythm is still far inferior to that of the Warriors because Sabonis's offensive ability is not very strong. His huge body and
The clumsy movements looked very weak under the Warriors' extremely fast-paced offensive and defensive transitions.
What the Warriors are more afraid of are post players like O'Neal from the Magic, Olajuwon from the Rockets, and David Robinson from the Spurs who are very strong and can run like flying.
For a bulky big man like Sabonis, just running back and forth on the court can give him a lot of trouble.
In the second half of the game, there was no more suspense.
Another important scoring point for the Trail Blazers, point guard Rod Strickland, who is good at breaking through and attacking the frame, faced Blaylock with extremely outstanding defensive ability and Garfield, who is extremely mobile in the paint and has first-class assist and defense capabilities.
Nate, he didn't get a good chance the whole time.
As the physical fitness of the two main inside players declined, the Blazers' offensive ability further declined.
At the end of three quarters, the point difference widened to more than 20 points.
The subsequent fourth quarter of the game became a garbage time with nothing to watch.
In the end, the Warriors easily won the first game at home 115:97.
Wang Feng easily scored 37 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists in the entire game. Although he did not get a triple-double, his performance was almost perfect.
After the game, Trail Blazers head coach Carlesimo looked very helpless at the press conference.
"The Warriors have a super scorer whose offensive ability is like a combination of Jordan and Bird, and this super scorer also has the passing ability of Magic Johnson. I can't think of any way to stop him, so
We lost the game."
"Although we lost this game, the series is not over yet. When we go back, we will carefully study the video of today's game and come up with a way to deal with it."
That said, but two days later, still at the Warriors' home court, the Trail Blazers lost the second game of the series.
110:102.
Like the previous game, Wang Feng scored 21 points in the first half, and then a wave of sharpshooters dominated the game in the second half. In the end, his personal score was fixed at 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
In the 1996 playoffs, the first round of the playoffs was still a 3-win system of 5 games. The Warriors, leading 2:0, already had the match point and were only one step away from eliminating the Trail Blazers.
Facing the reporters at the press conference again, Carlesimo's face turned a little dark.
"Now the team has reached the most critical moment. When we return to home for the next game, I believe that my players and I can regroup, resolutely defend the home court and recover the score."
But when he said this, Carlesimo's tone didn't have much confidence.
There was no way, he really couldn't find any way to deal with the Warriors, or to deal with Wang Feng.
In the two games, he used all tactics, including full-court press, double-teaming, and even pseudo-zone defense.
But these moves were of no use to Wang Feng. The defensive intensity of the Trail Blazers players could not put any pressure on Wang Feng at all. While he was demanding on the offensive end, he also drove the overall offensive rhythm of the Warriors accordingly.
On April 29, the G3 game of the first round series began, and the game venue came to the home court of the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland fans spontaneously came to the stadium to cheer for their home team, hoping that the team could play again at home.
Keep up the good work, win the game and refuse to be swept.
But soon they became completely desperate.
Before halftime ended, the stands at the Blazers' home court were already quite empty.
Because at home, the Blazers' performance was even worse than on the road.
In the first quarter, the two sides were barely evenly matched. The Warriors scored 28 points in a single quarter, while the Trail Blazers scored 29 points, leaving a slim lead of 1 point.
But the game suddenly changed in the second quarter.
The Warriors suddenly launched a fierce attack and launched a 14:0 offensive wave, which directly confused the Trail Blazers.
Carlesimo couldn't even call two timeouts to restore the situation.
The players of the Trail Blazers, whose mentality had exploded, played disorganized on the offensive end and did nothing on the defensive end. No matter who the Warriors were, it was so easy to cut through the air, and scoring was like chopping melons and vegetables.
Just by watching the second quarter, you can understand that the Blazers have absolutely no chance of winning this game.
This is also true.
As the whistle sounded at the end of the game, the score of the two teams was fixed at 102:75.
The Trail Blazers, who had no fighting spirit in the second half, only scored 75 points in the end.
The final total score was 0:3 and they were swept by the Warriors.
Three games and three wins, the Warriors advanced to the second round easily and without any ripples or suspense.
In these three games, Wang Feng averaged 32.6 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists per game. It seems that the data has dropped significantly compared with the regular season, but there is no way. Who makes the Blazers so careless? I haven't exerted myself yet.
You fell down.
Especially in the final third game, Wang Feng only played just over 30 minutes, scoring 28 points, 6 points and 9 assists before leaving the game early. At this time, the third quarter was just over halfway, but there was no way, the Warriors had already taken a break.
With a lead of more than 30 points, the Trail Blazers were completely defeated. If Wang Feng stayed on the court, he would inevitably be suspected of brushing up statistics and insulting his opponents. He would easily be fouled by his losing opponent.
Warriors fans discovered that the most effective way to limit Wang Feng's performance is this!
Without giving you a chance to play, would you still be able to average such an exaggerated triple-double per game?
…
While the Warriors successfully advanced to the second round, the first-round matchups of other teams in the league are also becoming clearer.
In the West, the other three matchups are currently all 2:1, with the SuperSonics 2:1 Suns and the Jazz 2:1 Lakers. The only surprise is that the Spurs and Rockets took the lead 2:1 in the first round.
The Rockets are ranked seventh in the Western Conference.
It has to be said that although the Rockets teamed up by Olajuwon and Drexler have not been very good in the regular season over the years, their combat effectiveness in the playoffs was really explosive. For a while, even Wang Feng was not sure about the Warriors.
Which opponent the team will face in the second round will be the Spurs or the Rockets.
Compared to the Western Conference, the first round of the Eastern Conference was much smoother.
Four rounds of duel, three groups swept.
The Bulls swept the Heat 3:0, the Knicks swept the Cavaliers 3:0, and the Magic swept the Pistons 3:0.
The Knicks, who had received a lot of criticism due to their record during the regular season, finally felt proud and proud. They swept the Cavaliers, who had a better regular season record, and proved to the entire league the true fighting power of the defending champions.
Unfortunately, this highlight may only be temporary, because their opponent in the next round will be the 72-win Bulls.
With the Knicks' current strength, it would be considered a success if they can guarantee that they will not be swept.
A few days later, the results of the remaining groups of duels were finally decided.
The SuperSonics eliminated the Suns 3:1, and the Jazz also sent the Lakers home 3:1.
The Rockets played five games with the Spurs, and finally defeated the Spurs with difficulty and advanced to the second round, causing a slight upset.
Olajuwon averaged 26 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 5 games. His performance overpowered David Robinson's 23.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists, once again proving to the league who is the leader among the four major centers.
Of course, the data gap between the two is actually not big, and their shooting percentages are also similar. The real key to the Rockets winning the game is that the Rockets have another All-Star player Drexler.
Drexler, who suffered an injury during the regular season, made a successful comeback shortly before the start of the playoffs. Although his condition has not returned to his best, or it may be difficult to return to his best due to his age, even though
It's Drexler who is in poor condition, and he is also at an All-Star level.
In 5 games, he averaged 18.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5 assists, becoming Olajuwon's most effective helper.
On the other hand, the Spurs have five players scoring in double figures, but apart from Robinson, the best performer is Sean Elliott who averages 15.5 points per game.
During the regular season, Elliott performed very well with the Spurs. This season, he averaged 20 points and 5 rebounds per game, and was successfully selected as an All-Star substitute. However, his true colors were immediately revealed in the playoffs, and his scoring average dropped to 15.5 points per game.
, the shooting percentage also dropped sharply from 46% to 40%.
In any case, the Spurs' playoff journey is over. Next season, if nothing else goes wrong, David Robinson will suffer a serious injury that will end the season, and Popovich will decisively choose to play badly and finally win.
The No. 1 pick in 1997 ushered in the Spurs' greatest star, Tim Duncan, the number one power forward in the league's history who would dominate the league for more than ten years.
Some conspiracy theories even speculated whether David Robinson's injury was really as serious as the Spurs officials said? Could this be a smoke bomb thrown by the Spurs in order to publicly compete for the No. 1 pick?
Wang Feng is not clear about this, but he feels that the league will definitely prevent such incidents from happening. Just like the Timberwolves' yin and yang contract is investigated in the future, they will also pay serious attention to David Robinson's injury situation, so the season reimbursement should be
real.
These are all things for later. The issue that Wang Feng and the Warriors need to consider now is their opponent in the next game, the Houston Rockets.