You should cross the mountains like a brave man

Chapter 906 Domination
"Damn!"

"mine!"

"It's still mine!"

The game started in the second half, and the toughness of the 76ers dominated the invincible Warriors.

They played an eight-man rotation, withstood the narrow space where Rondo couldn't make a three-pointer, and exerted pressure to their heart's content, forcing the Warriors to be a barbarian like them.

And in this epic hand-to-hand battle, the 76ers' unsung hero is DeMarcus Cousins.

Before the Finals, Cousins ​​was such a center. He had the league's best ability to attack independently inside the line. He was able to support but preferred personal offense. His defense was neither good nor bad. Pick-and-roll defense was limited by his mobility and often suffered a disadvantage. He was emotionally extreme and easily possessed.

Extreme adjectives like angel and demon can certainly be applied to him.

However, in the first game of the finals, people saw Cousins ​​like this.

He took the initiative to fight in the penalty area; provided the best rim protection; attacked the offensive rebound; fouled when there was no other way-only these things, there are many insiders in the league who do better than him.

But: He has done all the dirty work, and if the team needs it, he can catch the ball and play singles, Drummond/Pau Gasol/Green, no matter who he is, he has confidence; infinitely changing defenses and following high positions, his speed will be suddenly killed when encountering defenders, but he believes in the ability of his teammates to help defend; he can play more than 37 minutes while running with his teammates; he can always maintain a rare tension;

In a word, if the 76ers want to beat the Warriors in the finals, Cousins ​​should have such performance and awareness.

That's what he did tonight.

Anyone who knows Cousins ​​knows that he is not this kind of player. He should not be keen on dirty work. He always wants to be the protagonist, and he has the ability.

Wei Xia was surprised by his changes and his understanding of the situation.

Perhaps, it was really the tenacity and tenacity shown by the 76ers in Game [-] of the Eastern Conference Finals that made him wake up?
A person's destiny, of course, depends on self-struggle, but the itinerary of history must also be considered.

Cousins, a giant baby who has never grown up in Wei Xia's eyes, has always been a time bomb for the 76ers threatening the team for several years. How could he become the player they most wanted in an instant, and even suppressed Drummond and Gasol in the finals, causing the Warriors a headache?
His changes are big enough to make the warriors fear and raise their vigilance.

Therefore, in the fourth quarter, they deliberately targeted Cousins' weakness in defense against pick-and-rolls and made continuous attacks.

Cousins ​​still can't defend against pick-and-rolls, and will be eaten raw when he meets a small guard, but the 76ers already have a solution to this.

Faried's athletic ability and Wechat's threat to protect the basket on the inside are both weapons for the 76ers to deny opponents from getting involved in the penalty area.

Cousins ​​has no worries about retreating, but he is willing to fight with his body when he advances.

Therefore, Wei Xia singled out and missed a three-pointer. Cousins ​​scored four offensive rebounds in a row and hit a 2+1 to make Drummond leave the field with six fouls.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

"Don't be afraid, this is DeMarcus, we call him Little KG behind our backs!" Wei Xia said to the startled Wall.

Wall was teammates with Cousins ​​in college, and he knows this stuff all too well.

As soon as Wei Xia finished speaking, Hayward patted Cousins ​​on the back and said, "What little KG, it should be said that KG is DeMarcus Jr., look at the body of the steel egg, can KG compare?"

Oubre yelled from the outside: "Incomparable!"

Kevin Garnett, who is probably banging his head against a steel plate in countless cities, would not have imagined that he would be so entertained by the 76ers.

The Warriors haven't realized how much confidence they have given the 76ers by being suppressed.

Before the start of the game, the Warriors were proud of the world with an invincible halo of 74 wins.

Everyone felt that the finals were just a formality, and the Warriors would defeat the 76ers in a devastating manner.

Even the Warriors themselves, and some individuals within the 76ers, think so.

The so-called arrogant soldiers must be defeated, the 76ers did not let the Warriors fight peacefully for a few minutes.

Now, they have taken the initiative of the game with an 8-point lead over the Warriors.

Cousins ​​scored an extra penalty, 77 to 68, 9 points behind.

"So far, the overall shooting percentage of the Warriors is below 40%. Except for Marc Gasol, no one in the team has a shooting percentage of more than 50%. They also have very few assists, and the rebounds are dominated by the 76ers." Before browsing the data, Mike Breen did not expect the Warriors' data to be so ugly. "But...the stats of the 76ers are almost the same as theirs. The only part where they have a clear advantage is rebounding."

But Van Gundy knows that rebounds are the key: "When the game is a war of attrition, rebounds are the life and death line. Defensive rebounds can give the team more opportunities to counterattack, and offensive rebounds can regain 24 seconds of attack time. The benefits of the two cannot be replaced in a war of attrition."

As soon as the words fell, Curry desperately caused a foul, but made one of two free throws when he went to the free throw line.

That's rare for someone who shoots 90 percent of his free throws.

Under high-intensity confrontation, the Warriors are not as comfortable as the 76ers, but they are still looking for a style of play that suits them.

Passing and cutting, transferring the ball, Curry switches back and forth without the ball and with the ball.

They put in a lot of hard work and it paid off when the pressure was the most.

Curry couldn't find his shot from the outside, and there was a risk of being knocked over when he hit the paint with the ball, but he rushed in without hesitation and used a throw to break the deadlock.

Thompson also got opportunities in running without the ball again and again, scoring three-pointers.

The Warriors' strategy has undoubtedly been very successful.At the beginning of the fourth quarter, their touch was not good, but the players still worked hard to run tactics and create opportunities through their own running.Gradually, the offense began to pick up.On the defensive end, they, like the 76ers, adhere to the strategy of unlimited defense changes, using Thompson or Iguodala to face Weixia, and when Weixia goes to play pick-and-roll with teammates, they will switch defenses, shrink the defensive area, and block the 76ers' passing routes as much as possible.

This strategy once made the 76ers very uncomfortable. The existence of Rondo and the 76ers' poor three-point shooting tonight. The 76ers have very little space to hold the ball.Especially Wei Xia, the Warriors don't double-team him, but as long as he wants to pass the ball, the nearby Warriors players will try their best to intercept his pass.

Therefore, Wei Xia's turnovers in this game exceeded the number of assists.

In the same way, this is also the reason why Holiday made the Warriors crazy because of consecutive mistakes.

The Warriors' ability to disrupt passing lanes is invisible on the surface.

With the Warriors rediscovering their offensive status, they are ready to give this game a break.

In a pinch, Curry still believes in his three-point shooting.

Even if their team's three-point shooting rate tonight is less than 30%.

Sometimes, the luck on the court is so wonderful. If Curry has not recovered his form before, then the 76ers will play against the Warriors until the end of the game.If Curry did not persistently shoot three-pointers when the Warriors were in full swing, but used the advantage of the lineup to grind 76 points with the 2ers, then the suspense of the game will definitely last until the end.

But it's a pity that every superstar has his own pride.

During the dynastic period, Jordan has developed a terrifying aura of "I am the destiny", he is invincible in the world; Duncan is the ultimate winner in the post-Jordan era, and the best cornerstone player in modern basketball; Kobe and James believe in two completely different game philosophies-Curry, this elf who has grasped the context of the times, his philosophy is three points.

In Game 1 of the finals, when the Warriors were on the rise, he faced Weixia's defense, dribbled continuously and then pulled up a three-pointer.

There are still about 6 minutes before the end of the game. In the eyes of others, his goal does not determine the outcome.

But in fact, what determines the situation on the field is the one or two balls.

He failed to hit this three-pointer, and since then, he has given up the stage to No.1 in the league, and the overlord who has led the team to win the championship for two consecutive years will not let go of the opportunity to reap the game.

Wei Xia, who scored 25 points in the first half, focused on defense in the third quarter and only scored 6 points. After 31 points in three quarters, he scored another 5 points in the first half of the fourth quarter.

At this time, Wei Xia, who had already scored 36 points, switched to offensive mode again and started a personal attack.No complicated dribbling and amazing off-ball moves.

Wei Xia is completely mobilizing his instinct and potential.

Like Kobe, the unreasonable pull-up jumper;
Like Havlicek, layups in transition;
Then combined with the post-up singles formed by the style of many superstars;
A direct [-]-pointer after a three-point threat from beyond the arc.

For the fans, every goal he scored during this period was not a good opportunity, but Wei Xia knew that even if he passed the ball, there would be no better opportunity, and this is how he handled the game.Today he faced the Warriors' single-defense wheel battle.

It's a shame the Warriors don't have enough wings to stop him.

So he scored on the opponent's head time and time again.

At the beginning, Curry, Thompson, and Wall could respond with three-pointers and breakthroughs, but in the later stage, he dominated the offense and led his teammates to block the Warriors' offense with intensity.

It is unimaginable that a player's energy can permeate the stadium with such intensity, intensity, and durability.

106 is better than 98
In the whole game, the 76ers beat the Warriors by 8 points.

The big upset in Brin's mouth, Van Gundy said of course-in terms of dedication and preparation, it is only natural that the 76ers won, and it is upright.

Wei Xia played 47 minutes and 9 seconds.

His rest time during the game was only the last 51 seconds of the first quarter and 15 minutes at halftime.

Under such a load, he persisted until the end and still had the strength to take over the game. Curry, who was his main defense, scored a substandard 22 points, not to mention his rotation, off-the-ball coverage, strong start, support when he was behind, offensive and defensive shoulder-to-shoulder during a stalemate, and dominance in the fourth quarter-every time the 76ers started, he was there, and all the moments that established the victory were brought by him.

"This is the best player of our time - and I don't think there will be a better player than Wish for the next 20 years!"

Wei Xia's performance cannot be overstated. He just hung a towel around his neck and told the reporters on the scene: "We will not be complacent. After all, this is just the first game of the finals."

However, from the perspective of probability, the 76ers have reasons for joy.

In the history of the NBA, the team that wins the first final has a probability of winning 71.2%.

　Guess how many games will be played in the finals
　　
　
(End of this chapter)