You only have one chance to detonate the whole game to end the game, don't miss it, such an opportunity will only be once in the game.
Beijing time on February 17, Chase Center. With only 5.5 seconds left in the game, when Nikola Jokic dribbled all the way from the bottom line to the free throw line to play a low-post single, Jokic's "gravity" pulled Stephen Curry's attention, and the wandering Curry was too close to Jokic. Curry-oriented defender Monte Morris secured a large open space just outside the right-wing three-point line. Jokic may be the biggest man with the best pass in NBA history, or he may be the most cunning big man. He read the gap keenly, and given the situation and additional benefits of the team at this moment, his intuition told him: if there is only one chance to end the game, don't miss it.
114-116, the Denver Nuggets trailed by two points. Morris scored a deadly three-pointer in the buzzer's piercing voice as Curry's improvisational play gave him an absolute chance. The Nuggets managed to reverse a 16-point trail to a 117-116 win over the Golden State Warriors. The Golden State Warriors have lost four of their last five games after a nine-game winning streak. That put the Warriors' pre-All-Star record at 42-17, as many as seven games behind the Phoenix Suns.
Curry was also very upset, and after Morris made a three-point shot, he turned and sat on the bench, looking frustrated. Curry consciously took responsibility for the loss of the game.
In a post-match interview, Curry said: "Jokic back beat Looney, the whole world knows what Joe will do, I was fooled and did a stupid reading. I took a slow step back, thinking it would be too late, but Jokic passed out, and Morris just had a chance to kill. I was going to interfere with Jokic's shot, but Morris hit the dead end, which was the chance I gave. The least likely thing to do with a 2-point lead is to let the opponent shoot three points, and I let the opponent shoot. ”
In the first three quarters of the game, the Warriors controlled the initiative of the game. In the final quarter, the Nuggets still did not give up, Rivers three-pointer, Forbes jumped to hit, the Nuggets only trailed by 4 points. At this time, Porter stepped forward and scored six points in a row of free throws, and he helped the team lead by 10 points again. With 6:26 left in the game, Jokic's three-pointer helped the Nuggets chase the score to 98-94, after which Thompson scored another three-pointer. Jokic's dominant performance under the basket helped the Nuggets take an absolute 48-38 advantage in rebounds.
"I just thought about going under the basket and throwing a hook shot," Jokic said. "I saw Stephen and he did me a favor and Morris was in the big empty position, so I passed the ball."
Curry and Jokic's two major MVPs are fighting on the court, and Nuggets coach Mike Malone and Warriors coach Steve Kerr are also strategizing, calculating their strengths and weaknesses, alignments and substitutions.
The inside line is the Warriors' weakness, with Jokic and Demarcus Cousins having an absolute advantage in the inside side. Cole also understood that whoever sent to defend Jokic could not defend himself, and there was no other way but to pinch. The Warriors are caught in Jokic almost the whole game, and as long as it is a single defense, Jokic can score. Jokic's 24 shots were concentrated in the Warriors' three-second zone, with just five shots in the middle and long range.
"He's the current MVP, he gave and took in the fourth quarter from the basket... Our defence has gotten a lot better, but Jokic is in charge of the game. Warriors coach Kerr said helplessly after the game.
Fans questioned why curry would stay on the pitch in the last defense, and there was some legitimacy. Before that, Curry had just scored a 2+1 to give the Warriors a two-point lead, forcing the Nuggets to call a timeout. Next, Cole could have scheduled Gary Payton II to play, and Peyton Jr. did whatever it took on the defensive end.
In this game, Payton contributed 6 steals, setting a new career high in steals, plus-minus +13.
In the post-match press conference, Kerr admitted he made some mistakes but declined to give details, and Payton's failure to replace Curry in the end may be one of them. With 2 minutes and 37 seconds left in the game, the Warriors lead by 8 points, as long as the Warriors play steadily and without making any mistakes to consume the game time, they can lock in the victory. But Coach Malone decided to adopt a "desperate" gambling tactic, ordering players to deliberately foul Kevin Looney, which the team used to gain the ball.
'I realised Looney was struggling a bit at the free throw line. Malone said.
Looney has shot 63.1 percent from the free throws this season, the eighth-to-last free throw percentage of the league's 128 players who have made at least 100 free throws this season. Sure enough, in the next minute, Looney conceded four of his six free throws on the free throw line, essentially equal to the Nuggets getting two more waves of possession. Malone said: "The strategy of cutting Looney is desperate, the purpose is not to let Curry or Thompson get the ball. The strategy worked because Kerr kept Looney defending Jokic. This changed the situation of the game. ”
After Malone's strategy succeeded, Kerr did not replace Looney, who said he had only one task to keep Looney on the pitch - to defend Jokic.
The third foul occurred within the last two minutes of the game, and according to the rules, a deliberate foul on a player at this time will be two penalties and one throw. And jokic's next move explains why he's the NBA's most cunning big man, and his ball quotient is the top.
After Curry held the ball past halfway, Looney stepped forward to cover high, and once you're on offense, the rule no longer applies. Jokic shoved Looney for a foul that he wanted, and Looney missed two free throws after walking up the free throw line. Jokic not only read the game, but also the rules perfectly, which was another strategic mistake by the Warriors and Kerr, which also gave the Nuggets a chance to knock on the door to victory.
"Both scenarios can happen." Kerr said, "If you let him go off at that time, Jokic can score when he goes in, I will also feel remorse." You'll find that there are several times tonight when there are such two sides. "What you choose is what to accept, Kerr did not regret it too much, but brought optimistic prospects in the post-match press conference. Kerr said he was thrilled by the team's professionalism and competitiveness and that the game had also helped with the rotation adjustments.
Damien Lee dropped out of the rotation and Payton Jr. took over Jonathan Cuminga's starting position. It was done to strengthen the defense, and Kerr wanted to regroup and try something different. Cumminga came off the bench with Jordan Poole in the middle of the first quarter, providing an offensive punch to the recently lacking dynamic bench line-up. These are very Cole-esque adjustments.
Commenting on whether he was worried about the team's interior defence, Kerr said: "We are understaffed right now. When we have Draymond (Green) and James (Wiseman), we will have more options. "There are still a few weeks to go before The Dream Green returns, and once Green returns, the playoff rotation will need to be reimagined. However, there are still many important games before that, and Cole has his own ideas.
"I just told the players to enjoy the All-Star vacation first and get some fresh air." Cole said, "We've had a tough journey to get to our current record of 42 wins and 17 losses. Tonight we found something and our rotation will change a little bit. ”