NBA: I am the card dealer

The third battle arrived amidst a boiling atmosphere.

TNT broadcast the game live.

Before the game started, the three chatted.

Ernie Johnson: "After the Warriors return to their home court, they will definitely launch a more fierce attack. I don't know if the Nets can withstand the pressure."

Barkley: "At this point in the game, the situation is basically clear. If the Nets want to complete the comeback, Xue Liancheng needs to really stand up and explode. Only in this way can the Nets have a glimmer of hope."

Even Barkley thought so. It was conceivable that everyone had reached a consensus that Xue Liancheng could turn the tide.

Or to be more precise, only Xue Liancheng can save the Nets.

O'Neal: "But Xue Liancheng didn't respond in Game 2. I'm not sure he can save the Nets."

After losing the first game, everyone thought that Xue Liancheng would definitely step up to turn the tide and keep the victory in Brooklyn.

result.

Xue Liancheng is disappointing.

This is very demoralizing.

After all, given the Nets' situation at the time, they could only have hope of a reversal if they tied the score to 1:1 and went to the Warriors' home court, which would also boost the morale of all the Nets players.

But none of this happened.

This makes people wonder whether Xue Liancheng can still create the myth of a god descending to earth.

Barkley: "Xue Liancheng should still have the ability and responsibility, but relying on Xue Liancheng alone, even if they win a game, it is just to save face."

Ernie Johnson: "The game is about to start. Let's take a look at the starting lineups of both teams. The Warriors are still the same old ones. There is no change. Point guard Curry, shooting guard Thompson, small forward Durant, power forward Green, center McGee."

"Huh? The Nets finally made a lineup adjustment. Point guard Xue Liancheng, shooting guard Joe Harris, small forward Anunoby, power forward Vonleh, center Sabonis Jr."

Barkley frowned, "I thought the Nets would make changes, but I don't understand this lineup. Joe Harris can only shoot three-pointers, which may have a positive effect on offense, but on defense, the Nets are definitely losing a lot of blood. Covington's defensive ability is not something Joe Harris can replace."

O'Neal: "Covington is too inefficient, and his explosiveness and athleticism are very obvious. His role in defending Durant is not as big as expected. Another point is that he is more of a matchup with Green, so it seems a bit redundant for him to occupy a starting position."

Barkley asked in return: "Can Joe Harris's explosiveness and athleticism keep up?"

O'Neal: "At least he has a stable three-pointer, which is more accurate than Covington, and his role in pulling space is still not small."

Barkley smiled: "Covington's three-pointer is not bad either."

O'Neal: "That was the regular season. After entering the playoffs, his three-point shooting percentage was only 33%. It was even worse in the finals, less than %."

Barkley: "So, Atkinson is trying to change the offense by changing the lineup, even at the cost of giving up their defensive pillars?"

O'Neill: Maybe?

The two were arguing.

The game also proceeded quietly.

McGee was still able to jump and once again won the first round of offense for the Warriors.

They suddenly abandoned their previous cautious cooperation. Durant pushed the ball and went straight to the basket. Caught off guard, Vonleh and Sabonis Jr. could only watch.

Durant drew first blood for the Warriors.

Ernie Johnson: "Sure enough, the Warriors' offense has become fierce."

Barkley: "After the investigation, they naturally hope to defeat the Nets in one go. If they can achieve a 3-0 score, then they will be very close to the championship."

O'Neal: "Now let's see what the Nets will respond to."

Off-site attack and defense.

Xue Liancheng rushed forward quickly with the ball, and then facing the Warriors' retreating defense line, he not only did not stop, but accelerated forward.

The Warriors immediately contracted their defense and surrounded the entire restricted area.

Since Xue Liancheng could no longer advance, he had no choice but to pass the ball to the newly replaced Joe Harris.

pity.

Facing Thompson's quick defense, Joe Ha hesitated slightly and missed the opportunity.

The last shot failed!

Barkley did not shy away from saying, "It's over! The Nets' three-point shooting didn't seem to be that good again. This lineup adjustment won't have any effect."

O'Neal: "I shouldn't have hesitated on this kind of ball. What a pity..."

Retreating.

Xue Liancheng looked at Joe Harris's regretful expression and wanted to comfort him, but in the end he gave up.

Atkinson mentioned this lineup adjustment to him, and he did not object, adhering to the principle of giving it a try to see if there would be any improvement after the change.

Just looking at the beginning, it's still quite disappointing.

What no one expected was that this was just the beginning.

When Durant got the ball, he immediately called out Joe Harris for military training.

Basically no resistance.

Even his defensive effect is not as good as Xue Liancheng.

In the next few rounds, Joe Harris was always called upon. Durant called upon Thompson, Thompson called upon Curry, and Curry called upon Durant.

He really played the role of the military training background perfectly.

Atkinson on the sidelines couldn't stand it anymore and finally took Joe Harris off.

Barkley laughed directly: "This personnel adjustment ended before it even started. It's really surprising."

O'Neal had to admit the fact: "It's really embarrassing that Joe Harris didn't have a three-pointer."

When I saw that the person who came on as a replacement was Hart.

Barkley exclaimed: "What's going on? Let a rookie come up?"

O'Neal also held his head in his hands: "Wang Defa, is Atkinson crazy? This is the finals, and they let a rookie play?"

Ernie Johnson: "I don't understand it at all. I don't understand what Atkinson wants to do."

Even Xue Liancheng was a little surprised.

In the backcourt, he and Anunoby have always been the starters, and the substitutes are basically Joe Harris, Crabbe, and Powell.

Even if Hart played, it was just a temporary switch and he would not stay on the court for too long, especially after entering the finals.

And the reason is simple.

Hart is just a rookie.

In such an important series, he had no place at all surrounded by a group of strong players.

It's really surprising that it's suddenly deployed on the scene now.

He didn't understand what Atkinson was thinking, but he didn't question him. After all, at such a critical moment, he couldn't cause an internal conflict in front of the whole world.

Apart from that, Hart's performance during the regular season was still very good. He could attack with the ball, shoot three-pointers, and his defensive commitment was very high. Of course, he was not top-notch in any of these areas.

He is just a relatively mediocre player, but his fighting spirit is definitely worthy of praise.

When Hart came on the court, although he was very confused, he was still willing to believe in Hart's ability in his heart.

The game continues.

Xue Liancheng simply made a cross-cooperation with Hart, and Hart also understood the situation. After getting the ball, he took two steps and immediately passed it back.

Xue Liancheng came one step outside the three-point line and rushed in without hesitation.

The Warriors' defensive strategy is very clear. No matter how you move around with the ball outside, you will be kept one-on-one, but if you want to rush in, you must be tightly clamped.

This time is no exception.

After Xue Liancheng was caught in a pincer attack, he subconsciously reviewed the image in his brain and found that Hart's position was the best.

This is obvious.

Hart was slighted.

This is understandable. As a rookie player, it is difficult for you to be taken seriously on the stage of the finals. After all, you are not Anunoby. As a rookie, you are the target of the Warriors' strict defense.

But Xue Liancheng did not hesitate and immediately passed the ball to Hart.

The latter did not hesitate and took a three-point shot.

Swish!

Enter!

This time.

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Barkley said: "Hey! This guy is good! He has a very high psychological quality."

O'Neal: "This three-pointer is very crucial and brings a lot of confidence to the Nets."

The result was really unexpected. After that, the Nets seemed to turn on the switch button and made three-pointers one after another.

Xue Liancheng came out and made a three-pointer.

Vonleh received the ball during a fast break counterattack and was left open, but he also made a three-pointer.

Sabonis Jr. played a one-on-one game in the low post, Anunoby received the ball in the corner, and the Warriors double-teamed him, which gave Anunoby a chance to shoot a three-pointer from the corner. And there it is!

It was really like a violent storm, it came madly.

in contrast.

Curry on the Warriors side was out of focus, making 3 of 0 three-pointers.

Thompson only made one shot.

The Big Three only rely on Durant to fight.

And that's not even the point.

The key point is that the Nets' space was opened up, and Xue Liancheng directly used pick-and-roll screens to break into the Warriors' restricted area.

At the end of the first quarter, the Nets led the Warriors by 35 points with 28:7.

Barkley: "After the Nets opened up the three-point shooting, there is still some hope."

But just as he finished speaking, the Nets lost their three-point shot again in the second quarter.

The sound of hammering iron continued to clang, and the small lead they had was about to be narrowed.

Atkinson quickly called a timeout.

on the seat.

Xue Liancheng was still wiping his sweat when Atkinson suddenly poked his head over and said, "Xue! We can't wait any longer. I need you to make a move unconditionally."

Xue Liancheng was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at his teammates.

They all lowered their heads and stared blankly ahead.

It was at this time that he realized that the team's morale had been broken.

If he doesn't step up, this series will probably end early.

At this point, he did not hesitate: "I will take over the game."

Halfway through the second quarter, he was still in very good shape, shooting 8 of 5 overall, 4 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 16 points, with 5 assists and 3 rebounds.

But the teammates' touch was just average.

In that case, he might as well take more shots himself, maybe his efficiency will be better than that of his teammates.

And at this point, they no longer have any way out. As the team leader, he must step up and take over the game.

It's that simple.

The game continues.

The Warriors played well together, but Curry still missed shots and was in poor condition.

But the problem is that the Warriors still have two top scorers who can score.

As for the Nets, if Xue Liancheng's touch ever becomes a problem, then it's all over, there's no hope.

Off-site attack and defense.

Xue Liancheng advanced quickly, still one step outside the three-point line, and then suddenly accelerated.

In fact, it is not that sudden. Almost every star has this habit of breaking through. After all, you can't always be in a charging state. When you come to the three-point line, the distance and the opponent's defensive attention are very suitable for charging.

Thompson retreated subconsciously.

But at this moment Xue Liancheng suddenly pulled back and raised his hand.

Thompson's defensive habits are still very good. He didn't jump up, but stepped forward and reached out to try to interfere.

Xue Liancheng was waiting for Thompson to pull out his weapon. He predicted Thompson's movement and took another step forward.

then.

Thompson's hand just happened to be hanging on Xue Liancheng's arm.

Xue Liancheng forced a jump and took a three-point shot.

Beep!

Whistle!

Xue Liancheng did not use the 100% hit rate skill.

He went to the free throw line and made three of three free throws.

The Nets bench was excited.

The score difference finally stabilized.

Barkley commented: "This time difference was played beautifully, and Thompson's action was very obvious. Xue Liancheng is really good at catching the opportunity."

O'Neal: "Now the Nets really rely solely on Xue Liancheng. Will this work?"

Ernie Johnson didn't care: "The Warriors are currently relying solely on Durant."

That's right!

杜兰特截至目前也10中7，三分4中2，罚球3中3，拿到19分。

Xue Liancheng also scored 19 points with these three free throws.

The two of them are really evenly matched.

And what happened next was a bloody fight between Xue Liancheng and Durant.

The two of them went back and forth, constantly scoring points with their personal abilities.

It’s just that the two people get points in different ways.

Durant played purely one-on-one, shooting directly from a standing stick position.

Xue Liancheng gave up organizing the offense and instead played off-ball running and cutting, then waited for an opportunity to shoot.

After all, as soon as he gets the ball and breaks through, the entire penalty area will be blocked, and he can only move back and forth without the ball.

Sabonis Jr. became his passing point, and Hart became his ball-handling substitute.

The two of them completed their tasks quite well and were able to share some of the pressure.

The second quarter ends.

The Nets still lead by 62 points with 56:6.

Xue Liancheng made 13 of 8 shots, 6 of 3 three-pointers, and 7 of 7 free throws, scoring 26 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds, finally showing his violent attitude. His empty-cut shots always succeeded, which helped him.

Durant was not far behind, making 14 of 9 shots, 5 of 3 three-pointers, and 5 of 5 free throws, and also scored 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, showing the level of a top superstar.

Barkley: "It's really nice to see the two superstars going back and forth, but Curry hasn't started shooting yet. This point difference can't guarantee the safety of the Nets!"

O'Neal: "Durant is really a killer. He scores no matter how he shoots. However, Xue Liancheng's tricky way of scoring is also unstoppable. This is what a top star should be like."

Ernie Johnson: "I hope this game goes down in history."