On May 5, Beijing time, the Lakers lost 100-127 to the Warriors and lost G2 in the Western Conference semifinals. James had 23 points and 7 rebounds, Thick Brow only scored 11 points, Thompson hit 30 points + 8 three-pointers, and Curry had 20 points and 12 assists. Where did the Lakers lose this game? In this issue of "Data Don't Lie", let's discuss this topic.
Defeat factor 1: Thick eyebrows are obviously limited
The Lakers can win G1, and the thick eyebrows of 30 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks are a big key. G2's loss of the game is also closely related to thick eyebrows. Skip, a famous mouthful, said that James' scoring is not as influential as before, and the Lakers' victory and defeat are closely related to the performance of thick eyebrows. Previously, many experts said that the state of thick eyebrows determines the direction of this series. Thick eyebrows only had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in this game, and the threat at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends was far less than in the previous game. After the warrior changed formation, the thick eyebrows of the dream chaser received a good effect.
Thick eyebrows faced Chasing Dream's first two shots in the first quarter, he missed both shots, and he also had many fouls on his back, and the defensive end will naturally be daunted. When the thick eyebrows are not present, the Warriors can also seize the opportunity. With 2:53 left in the second quarter, the Warriors went on a 10-2 run as they rested off the court. Although James has a good shooting percentage, what the Warriors really fear is that they can threaten their thick eyebrows on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and when the thick eyebrows are limited, the probability of the Warriors winning is significantly improved.
Defeat 2: Loss of interior advantage
In the G1 game, the Warriors' interior was blown up by the Lakers, who scored 54 points and the Warriors only 28 points. But in this game, the inside scoring advantage became the Warriors, which has something to do with limiting thick eyebrows, in addition, the Warriors also pay more attention to the impact on the Lakers' inside. They also hope to cause more fouls on thick eyebrows. In this game, the Warriors scored 48 points inside, and the Lakers only had 42 points. The Lakers' defense has indeed had a lot of problems, and even Chasing Dreams can easily enter the inside dunk. In terms of rebounds, the Lakers G1 led 53-49 with rebounds, but G2 trailed 49-65 in rebounds.
Defeat 3: The Lakers' free throw advantage is also gone
In the G1 game, the gap between the two sides was large, and the more aggressive Lakers on the inside got 29 free throw opportunities and hit 25 of them. The Warriors only had six free throw attempts. "They're going to make more free throws than we do," Cole admitted after the G1 game, "and I think they're number one in the league [free throws] and we're last or second from last." So it's not surprising, it's just that the gap is too big this one and we need to close it a bit. ”
The Warriors did, and this game, they paid attention to the control of shooting fouls, which well limited the Lakers' free throw advantage. The Lakers had just four free throws in the first half and just 17 overall. The Warriors made 16 free throws in the game. As Cole hoped, the gap between the two sides in free throws narrowed significantly.
Defeat 4: Thompson's form rebounds
The biggest contributor to the Warriors' offensive end is Klay Thompson. In the G1 game, Thompson shot 9 of 25 from the field, shooting only 36%, and in this game, Thompson was in hot form, shooting 11 of 18, hitting 8 three-pointers, scoring 30 points, including 19 points in the first half. It was the sixth time in Thompson's playoff career that he hit at least eight three-pointers, the first in NBA history.
When the Lakers lose their inside advantage and the Warriors can maintain their outside advantage, the Warriors' odds increase. G6 soup returned for a limited time, which escalated the Warriors' offense.
Defeat 5: The Warriors attacked the Lakers quickly
In the G1 game between the two sides, the mistakes were the same 8 times, and the fast attack was not much different, the Warriors fast attack 14 points, the Lakers fast attack 11 points, but this game, the fast attack gap between the two sides is relatively different. The Warriors were better at catching Lakers' mistakes to fight back, and in the end, the Warriors scored 17 points on the fast break and only 7 points on the Lakers fast break.
The data shows that in the NBA's 7-game 4-win series, counting the Lakers, the last 16 times the away team led 1-0, all of which were tied 1-1! The G3 of the two sides will move to the home court of the Lakers at 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on May 7, who can win the G3? Let's wait and see.