First in scoring

Chapter 538 537. These are the real Big Three!
After the halftime break, Budenholzer sent out a combination of Harden, DeRozan, Zhang Yang, Ed Davis, and Zubac; the Warriors sent out a combination of Curry, Thompson, Durant, Josh Smith, and Green.

Zhang Yang saw the two short players in the interior and guessed that Kerr must have guessed Gentry's response strategy.

When he was with the Suns, Kerr was Gentry's immediate superior. In this timeline, in the summer of 12, after the Suns traded Nash, they stopped playing run-and-gun and fired Gentry. Gentry was then recruited by Mark Jackson to serve as an assistant coach and tactical consultant, providing valuable run-and-gun tactical experience for the Warriors' creation of the Death Five. After Kerr became the head coach of the Warriors in 14, he did not replace his old subordinate, but promoted him to chief assistant coach. After the Warriors lost in the Western Conference Finals in 15, Gentry chose to leave the Warriors.

At that time, many head coaches including Rivers of the Clippers, Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers, and Fisher of the Knicks invited him. The Pelicans also offered him a head coaching position. Finally, Budenholzer lured Gentry back by exchanging ideas about the Spurs system and the run-and-gun system. Gentry made important contributions to the Lakers' dynasty in the 15-16 season and the great journey of this season. Mike Brown was signed by Buss with a three-year, $3 million assistant coach contract after Harden and DeRozan returned to Los Angeles to play hometown basketball last summer.

Zhang Yang speculated that Kerr was very familiar with Gentry's response thinking and knew that once the game became tense, Gentry would choose to attack relentlessly. He did preventive work in advance and replaced the lineup with a five-small lineup in an attempt to limit it. Even if Budenholzer did not adopt Gentry's adjustment suggestions, Kerr could still play offense with a five-small lineup. Judging from Kerr's on-the-spot response in the past two seasons, he basically copied Mark Jackson and Gentry's on-the-spot response methods.

But their lineup rotation this time...

On the other side, Kerr looked at the Lakers lineup and really didn't understand it.

Ed Davis is the Lakers' best inside player in terms of catching dunks, counterattacks, and screens. He has an excellent sense of position on the court and both physical fitness and game experience. He was a top-notch role player who could have earned 3 million for three years in the old era. He was the highest-paid player on the Lakers besides the Big Three. Some media commented that he took the big contract too early. If he had signed another one-year contract in 2100, he would have had no problem getting tens of millions in annual salary in the free market last summer.

Zubac is the best performing center among this year's rookies. Although he just turned 3 in March, he started playing in the Croatian professional league at the age of 20. His skills in all aspects are not considered strong in the NBA, but he has them all, with a catch-and-shoot percentage of 13%+ from mid-range.

There is no position conflict between the two, but Ed Davis did not pass the ball, and Zubac passed the ball but could not complete the inside transfer work alone. This season, Ed Davis usually plays when the Lakers play fast, while Zubac plays pure positional warfare offense...

Does this mean you want to fight while running, but also want to leave room for positional warfare?

This adjustment was not smooth at all. As an old rival in the Western Conference Finals, Kerr felt that it was not in Budenholzer's character.

The third quarter began amid Kerr's confusion.

The Warriors attacked first. Durant came out around the baseline and received the pass from Josh Smith on the right side of the free throw line. He threw it to the high left position. Klay Thompson received the ball with the help of Green's screen and turned around to make a long two-pointer.

69 to 69, the Warriors continued to tie the score in the second half, not giving the Lakers a chance to get started.

As Kerr expected, they scored a goal. Harden received the ball and started a fast break. He and Zhang Yang charged on both wings, while DeRozan and Ed Davis quickly went down the sideline.

This formation, even if it fails to defend, is very effective when bullying weak teams. During the regular season, the Lakers often fell behind by more than ten points at halftime when playing against weak teams, leaving passers-by confused. Then, at the beginning of the third quarter, they erased the score difference in just a few minutes. Then Zhang Yang came on the scene and defeated the weak team in the first quarter of the third quarter.

The Warriors also played this style of play in the past two years. They were always anxious no matter who they played against, and were jokingly called a conscientious team. However, after Durant came, their stability in regular time increased dramatically, and such situations rarely occurred.

But this style of play can only bully weak teams. Teams with good defensive discipline, as long as they don't miss shots, can mostly block the Lakers' strong fast breaks.

What's more, it was the Warriors team, and he sent out a five-small lineup. The opponent had only four players in the fast break, and they blocked the four Lakers players without even disrupting their defensive formation.

After Harden rushed to the three-point line, he protected the ball, waited for Zubac to slowly run over and get into position, and then passed the ball to Zhang Yang... to help Zhang Yang block Thompson.

Curry switched defense quickly with a numb look on his face, and immediately stuck close to Zhang Yang who was circling the post to avoid being blocked by the pick-and-roll, and then he was directly run over by Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang rushed all the way to the free throw line. Green's double-team came quickly. Zhang Yang went deep into the double-team, and after Curry and Green had completely formed the encirclement, he jumped up and passed the ball!

Durant actively retreated and blocked Ed Davis who was cutting in, but Zhang Yang did not pass the ball to this person.

Zubac pressed into the reasonable collision zone, squeezed Josh Smith who was switching defense, received the ball and shot high into the basket!

With a barefoot height of 213 cm and a wingspan of 226 cm, few people remember that when Zubac participated in the joint training session, the representatives of each team gave him a static physical condition score of 120 points, with each team representative giving him 3 points out of .

The centers who had such evaluations on their static physical conditions before him were Oden, Thabeet, and Embiid. In the rookie portraits given by Sports Illustrated before the draft, Zubac was evaluated. If time had gone forward five years, Zubac would have been a lottery rookie, but times have changed and his playing style is no longer suitable to be a core inside player in the NBA.

However, being picked low at the end of the first round has its advantages, because with this pick, Zubac has been actively developing towards a role player from the very beginning, focusing on playing simple balls. He does not have the kind of on-court status of the big centers in the past, but he does not have to do much more. He quickly became the main rotation center of the championship team. His style of play relies on his height, wingspan, touch, and basketball IQ. He has just turned 20 years old, and he may be able to get two or three long-term contracts of more than million for three or four years in the future, which is a small goal for him.

Instead of being like the 15th No. 76 pick Jahlil Okafor, who was unwilling to become a supporting role due to the changing times and refused to change, he fell out of the ers' main rotation in his second year and was in a situation where no team wanted him even if he was sold.

Like now, Zubac seized the opportunity to go inside and use his thick body to block the position to catch the ball, and Josh Smith had no way to deal with him.

When the Warriors attacked, Green went to screen for Curry after the card was issued at the top of the arc. Harden had prepared to go around the slalom in advance and teamed up with Ed Davis to double-team Curry who had no ball.

Green pulled out from the top arc, received a pass from Josh Smith, and shot a three-pointer from the front... The ball hit the neck of the rim, and with good luck, it bounced into the frame.

Looking back, Zhang Yang continued to target Curry. After being blocked by Harden, Thompson chose to retreat and together with Curry blocked Zhang Yang outside the free throw line.

Zhang Yang grabbed the ball and threw it behind his head. Harden took a step inside the arc to receive the ball and then withdrew from the three-point line. He jumped and shot... and it went in!
At the beginning of the second half, both sides were evenly matched, and both created good shooting opportunities, all of which were scored.

But in the next two rounds, the Warriors suddenly fell into a disadvantage - Green and Josh Smith missed two consecutive open shots!
When Durant went to double-team Zhang Yang, DeRozan received the ball twice in a row and made a fadeaway shot against Josh Smith's defense!
78 to 72, two minutes into the third quarter, the Lakers extended their lead to 6 points!
Durant quickly asked for the ball for a one-on-one play and passed the ball.

With Durant attracting the defense in the middle and Thompson drawing Ed Davis over with a weak-side screen, Curry ran back to the left sideline, received the ball and made a quick shot before Harden could get back on target, narrowing the score to 75-78. The Warriors finally survived the first crisis at the start of the second half.

It was the Lakers' turn to attack. Zhang Yang, who had attacked for four consecutive rounds, moved to the wing.

Curry was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally survived Zhang Yang's fierce attacks at the beginning of the game, when he saw Harden pass the ball to DeRozan and then block Durant.

Primary school student: What?
DeRozan used the screen to shake off Durant's defense, jumped towards Curry who didn't stick to him immediately, and shot a three-pointer after the pick-and-roll...

DeRozan in this timeline was influenced by Zhang Yang and Harden to practice three-pointers as early as his student days. Although he still loves mid-range shots, he didn't work on the supporting techniques for three-pointers. He only knows two tricks: the frontal pick-and-roll three-pointer and the pull-up three-pointer. The three-pointer after catching the ball and turning around is difficult to control because the distance is too far. When he doesn't have the ball, he can only catch the ball and shoot at a fixed point. But the basic skills have not been lost. Three or four years ago, his three-point shooting percentage was stable at 35%+.

Curry's defense of the pick-and-roll was so "perfunctory" this time, it was like shooting training for him, and the ball went straight into the basket!
81 to 75, the Lakers lead by 6 points again!
However, it was not that Curry looked down on DeRozan's three-pointer or was perfunctory in defense, but that he guessed the opponent's intention and was briefly flustered and distracted.

Zhang Yang called for a start, then DeRozan called for a start. After DeRozan finished, should Harden start shooting right away?

And he is always the one being targeted and beaten!

Anyone who suddenly realizes that they are in such a defensive situation will be stunned.

When it was the Warriors' turn to attack, Green was ready to pass the ball at the top of the arc.

Durant waved at Green, signaling him to go inside.

Seeing Durant's gesture like chasing a dog, Green's mood instantly became bad, but he did not lose his temper. He ran into the inside and pointed at this guy to help him win the championship, and endured it.

Durant certainly didn't know Green's inner thoughts. Used to being the boss, how could he pay attention to the emotions of what he considered a "role player"?

Like Curry, he also saw the opponent's tactical intentions - the Big Three kept targeting Curry.

The Lakers didn't send out an inside transfer point, but sent out a big center. He was also confused when he was on the court, but now he understands that the opponent doesn't need it at all! The opponent doesn't play a complete tactic, just pure singles and points, and doesn't need an inside transfer point, but only players who can catch the ball and shoot mid-range shots!
He didn't dare let Green stay on the outside anymore.

Green's passing connects the team's offense, and they can indeed create shooting opportunities, but it is difficult for him and Curry to get shooting opportunities. Thompson is the best receiver in the league, so he has no problem catching the ball.

But the chance is more likely to appear with Green and Josh Smith, which would be bad.

The two had just missed consecutive shots. When Green was asking for the ball at the top of the arc, Ed Davis didn't follow him at all, but stayed at the free throw line, ready to defend the two wings! Zubac didn't follow Josh Smith either, but stayed at a close distance, ready to get back to the basket at any time.

This makes it more difficult for him, Curry, and even Thompson to create opportunities.

If it were another opponent, it wouldn't matter if the role players were a little tougher. Even when playing against the Spurs, Green's 40+35 shooting rate would be acceptable.

But the opponent in front of him is different. He scored in all the past four rounds. DeRozan scored 4 goals in a row and scored 3 points. Harden also scored a three-pointer after receiving the ball. Although Zhang Yang has not fired yet, this is the most terrifying thing...

Then he must direct Green to the inside, at least to attract Zubac's attention when protecting the rim, so that he will be in a better position to score when he breaks through alone.

Yes, after Durant saw through the opponent's tactical intentions, his on-the-spot response was to respond with a singles!

At the critical moment that could determine the direction of the game, Durant withstood the pressure, broke through to close range and made a quick stop jump shot!

Zhang Yang let out a "tsk" sound, and scored 11 points with 7 of 17 shots. This guy is really fierce when he is in good physical condition!
It was obvious that the opponent had seen through his intention, which was within his expectations. Durant's response choice was also within his expectations, but Durant just made another shot.

However, even if Durant continued to score goals, it was within his expectations!

After he ran to the front court, he continued to open up the wing, closed the door, and released Ronaldo! After Ronaldo, there was Erha!
DeRozan continued to call out Curry, and this time Curry pressed forward. DeRozan broke through to the high post and passed the ball to the left side. Harden turned and cut in, and received the ball and attacked the basket under the pursuit of Thompson...but the jump shot missed.

Green grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Curry to advance the counterattack, but it failed. Josh Smith followed up to catch the ball and was blocked by Ed Davis! He couldn't jump up, and his strong shot was slapped down by Zhang Yang who rushed in!

Josh Smith, who is already 31 years old, has long lost his explosive power. The exact time point is that when he was 29 years old, his athletic ability dropped drastically. From being on par with James, he became an ordinary athletic forward. His playing style purely relies on talent, and the talent of an ordinary athletic forward simply cannot support him to continue to be the core... Then he was laid off by the Pistons with two and a half years left on his contract. Except for the 1400 million that season when he was laid off, he could still get 15 million from the Pistons every year from the 16-19 season to the 20-533 season.

Fortunately, Thompson, who followed up from the left sideline, grabbed the ball and passed it back to Curry, preventing the opponent from counterattacking.

As soon as Curry received the ball, he was stuck by Harden who was actively defending. He pulled out of the three-point line, waited for his teammates to get into position, and engaged in a positional battle.

Kerr on the sidelines finally understood why Ed Davis was at the power forward position. Although he was a little slower than Curry and Durant in reaction, he also saw the opponent's intention when DeRozan called on Curry for the second time. But he was still puzzled at that time. Judging from the previous few rounds, using Nance Jr. or West as the power forward position would not be much different from Ed Davis, and there would still be room for inside pass.

Now I understand, it is to defend against his five-small fast break!

Nance Jr. and West are also not lacking in defensive enthusiasm, but Nance Jr. is thin and cannot withstand the rushes of Josh Smith, Green, and even Durant; while West is slow and cannot retreat, so Ed Davis was used.

Seeing Durant continue to ask for the ball and attack in singles, Kerr chose to follow the example of Zen Master, mainly because he couldn't think of any better way...

The game entered the situation that Zhang Yang and Budenholzer had anticipated during the halftime break, and entered the star-to-star showdown right from the start of the second half!

In fact, there are risks. For example, if the three brothers are not good at catching the ball and shooting, especially long-range shooting, they will most likely be overwhelmed by the opponent.

The counterattack after Harden missed the shot was able to be defended because Curry received the ball in the interior.

But fortunately, they scored 4 points in the first 10 rounds and successfully forced the opponent to fight against them!
After Durant fought with the opposing Big Three for three rounds, Curry also joined the battle.

Curry's ball-carrying pick-and-roll offense, Durant's one-on-one play, Thompson as the wing receiving point, Green also has good receiving and passing ability in the interior, and after playing two more rounds, Kerr took advantage of the dead ball to replace Josh Smith with McGee to strengthen the cutting and receiving ability. After the Warriors started the star showdown, they performed very fiercely and overtook the score from time to time!
But the Lakers also withstood the pressure. Whenever the Warriors overtook the score, Zhang Yang would stare at Curry and force a shot, driving Curry crazy and making Durant's scalp tingle.

When the head coaches of both teams were rotating the lineups, they did not dare to replace the Tsunami trio and the Big Three, and only dared to make adjustments in the interior.

It's just that Budenholzer was proactive and Kerr was passively following, and Kerr even only dared to make substitutions at the center position, alternating between McGee and Pachulia, and did not even dare to replace Green, the transit point.

When Kerr replaced the center, Budenholzer's micro-management conditions improved a lot. According to the needs, Nance Jr., David West and Blake could also rotate into the game.

At 9 minutes and 49 seconds into the third quarter, both teams had scored over 10 points. The Warriors scored 34 points in less than 101 minutes, catching up with their score in the second quarter, and their total score increased to points.

The Lakers scored slightly lower, 'only' 31 points, with a total score of exactly 100.

However, Durant, who only threw 10 shots in the first half and made 10 of 6 shots, had already taken 7 shots in the third quarter! After the first two minutes, Durant threw almost once every minute!
It was the Lakers' turn to attack again. It was Zhang Yang's turn to hold the ball. He used the screen to face Curry's defense, easily passed the opponent, slowed down in the elbow area, stopped suddenly and moved one step to the left into the three-second zone to avoid Durant's defense, and made a fade away jump shot facing Pachulia who was coming up!

In this ball, Curry's pursuit and Durant's backup defense were obviously slower than before!

After fighting for 10 minutes, both of them had obviously lost strength.

Zhang Yang's physical energy consumption was actually quite high, but his physical energy pool was much deeper than those two. Moreover, there were three of them taking turns, while there were only two on the other side, and he was still in good shape!

It was the Warriors' turn to attack. Curry suddenly passed the ball to Green, who passed it to Durant who took a long stride to the free throw line. Durant turned around to receive the ball and took his eighth shot of the quarter... This shot was almost perfect, as he shot from the free throw line, but Durant's shot was short and hit the front of the basket!

Harden grabbed the rebound and passed it to Zhang Yang, who counterattacked!

The Warriors did a good job of blocking the middle, and Zhang Yang had no conditions to chase and shoot, so he passed the ball to DeRozan, who then broke through and passed the ball to a close range, then lobbed it... Harden went straight to the basket, dunked it with both hands and scored two points!

104 to 101, the Lakers regained a 3-point lead!
This round became the turning point of the game.

Curry + Durant, in competition with Zhang Yang + Harden + DeRozan, failed to gain any substantial advantage. When their strength declined... Zhang Yang's time is up!

In the last minute or so, Zhang Yang made a step-back three-pointer, broke into the inside and caused Green to foul and made both free throws, and also gave a three-point assist to Harden who ran around the top arc. The Lakers team scored 1 points!
As for the Warriors, their offense was interrupted after Durant missed his turnaround jump shot from the free throw line. They made only 4 of their last 1 shots. Only Green grabbed an offensive rebound and passed the ball to Thompson, who made a three-pointer.

The third quarter ended as Curry caught the ball from the backcourt and threw it, hitting the net and flying out of the baseline.

23投15中，其中三分球8中5，外加10中8的罚球……湖人队第三节打出了65.2+62.5+80的命中率！

As for the Warriors, before the last few rounds, their shooting performance was 19 of 12, which was higher than the Lakers' 19 of 11 at the time.

但从杜兰特那次被打了反击的罚球线转身投篮打铁开始，5投1中，最后投篮表现变成了24投13中、其中三分球9中4、外加7中7的罚球……命中率变成了54.1+44.4+100。

单节比分43比37，三节打完，湖人队以112比104将领先优势扩大到8分！
Durant scored 14 points in the third quarter, only 15 point less than the 1 points in the first half, but his shooting performance was 9 of 7 in the first 5 minutes, and he missed two consecutive shots from the free throw line, which reduced his single-quarter shooting rate from 71.4% to 9 of 5, 55.5%... His personal scoring, which had always been higher than Zhang Yang's, was also caught up!
Curry's situation was similar. He shot 6 out of 4 in the first half, including 1 out of 1 three-pointers, and 2 out of 2 free throws, for 11 points. He missed a shot in the last two minutes of positional battle, and with the final buzzer-beating shot, his shooting performance in the quarter became 8 out of 4. In the final moments, he "actively" reduced his shooting percentage to %.

During the intermission, the two MVPs of the Warriors did not return to the bench immediately. Instead, they stood together with their hands on their hips and looked at the three big guys on the opposite side.

At this moment, they were somewhat depressed. The two of them scored a total of 25 points and 4 assists in a single quarter, leading the team to 37 points.

But on the other side, Zhang Yang had 14 points, Harden had 10 points, and DeRozan had 12 points, and their entire team combined only had 1 point more than these three!
(End of this chapter)