Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

At the end of the first half, the Lakers were still behind in the score.

Although they were only two points behind, they were still behind. However, after just a while in the third quarter, the Lakers were leading by 3 points.

The reason for this is that the Warriors' offense during this period was obviously not as good as in the second quarter.

"Coach Kerr, KD's condition seems to be a little wrong." The assistant coach came over and said to Coach Kerr.

"Yeah." Coach Kerr nodded with a serious expression. He also noticed it.

Before today, he had met with Cousins ​​and Durant individually to ask about their recovery status. Both of them said there was no problem, so he let Durant and Cousins ​​start and return today.

In the first quarter, Durant played more without the ball, and Cousins ​​didn't attack much on the offensive end, relying on Curry and Klay.

But the Warriors fell into a disadvantage, and when it came time to call a timeout in the second quarter, Coach Kerr specifically found Durant and expressed his hope that he could step up his ball-handling offense in the latter part of the game, use his outstanding one-on-one ability to tear open the Lakers' defense, and create better shooting opportunities for Curry, Klay and others.

Durant also agreed, and in the last few minutes of the second quarter, he used his ability to hold the ball and play one-on-one to help the team catch up and surpass the score.

It all looks good.

However, at this time Coach Kerr found that Durant did not seem to be telling him the truth, and his body did not seem to have fully recovered.

In the second quarter, because he was facing Korver, Durant's performance in singles with the ball on the offensive end was still excellent.

Although Coach Kerr noticed that KD didn't attack the basket much, he didn't care.

Just now, when the Lakers replaced Zhuang Yu to defend Durant and further limit Durant's shooting, Durant should have attacked the basket, but he did not do so.

why?

Obviously, Durant is deliberately avoiding physical confrontation, but he is not the kind of person who is afraid of confrontation during the game. The reason for this must be physical reasons.

This made Durant no longer so sharp on the offensive end, and his restraining effect on defense was also discounted. The Lakers no longer had to be so wary of Durant and could focus more defensive energy on Curry and Klay. They were consciously limiting Curry and Klay's outside shooting, forcing the two to break through.

Of course, Curry is not incapable of breaking through. His ability to break through is also very strong. His high rebound after a breakthrough is even more amazing.

But this is obviously not Curry's best way to score.

In addition, when Curry and Klay had to rush to the inside, Cousins' offensive space in the low post was further compressed. Even if the Warriors gave the ball to Cousins, Cousins ​​was not able to play a big role on the offensive end.

After all, there is Lopez to guard against him.

What's more, Cousins ​​has suffered injuries in the past two years. He has not been in such good condition when he just returned from the injuries. Especially when facing strong defense, his shooting percentage has dropped significantly.

The result was that after a few minutes, although the Warriors were still scoring, their scoring efficiency was obviously not as good as in the second quarter.

"Requesting a timeout."

The Warriors called a timeout.

Several players came off the court, and Coach Kerr pulled Durant aside and asked quietly, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Hearing the coach's question, Durant immediately realized that the coach had seen through the clues, so he had to answer honestly: "My legs are still a little uncomfortable when I'm exerting force, especially when I'm in confrontation, I feel like I can't use enough strength."

This is why Durant dares not to confront.

He knew very well that today's game was very important to the Warriors. They lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season, and they lost very unwillingly. Everyone wanted to win today's game to avenge the defeat. At the same time, they wanted to prove to everyone that they were stronger than the Lakers and that they were the real championship team.

Moreover, winning today's game will definitely greatly boost the Warriors' morale and increase the players' confidence.

So when Coach Kerr said he wanted him to come back, he didn't refuse.

When Coach Kerr asked him to strengthen his one-on-one play in the second quarter, he responded decisively.

But as a professional player, he knows very well that he must be extra careful when he doesn't feel well and needs to avoid risks as much as possible.

If today's game wasn't the Western Conference Finals, wasn't against the Lakers, he might have chosen to rest...

Coach Kerr took a deep breath, and without showing a reproachful expression, he reached out and patted Durant's arm, saying, "I see. KD, I don't mean to blame you, but I hope you can tell me in advance next time. I know you want to help the team win this game, but your health is equally important to us. We have to win not only this game, but also the entire Western Conference Finals and even the Finals. We still have a long way to go, and if you need time, I think all of us are willing to wait."

Durant's nose turned sour and his eyes turned red after hearing these words.

He choked up and said thank you to Coach Kerr.

Coach Kerr patted Durant again, then turned around and called the players: "KD and Cousins ​​will come down to rest later, and Rooney and Iguodala will come up."

This substitution left the Warriors players a little confused, but Coach Kerr did not give any explanation?

He spread out the tactical board and made some arrangements.

The timeout ended soon and both sides returned to the court.

At this time, the Warriors' lineup on the field became Curry, Klay, Iguodala, Green, and Rooney.

The Lakers also made a substitution, Korver was replaced by Cunningham.

After this substitution, the Warriors had fewer offensive points, while the Lakers' defensive strength was enhanced.

As one side gains strength while the other loses strength, the Lakers still have the upper hand.

Although Curry played very hard on the offensive end, trying to help the team stabilize the situation with his personal offense, every time he scored a goal, Zhuang Yu would return the favor.

Curry's scoring ability is naturally strong, but Zhuang Yu is equally unstoppable on the offensive end.

As time went by, the gap between the two sides widened further. Seven minutes into the third quarter, the Lakers had widened the gap to 3 points.

The Lakers were trailing by two points at the end of the first half, but now they were leading by eight points, forcing the Warriors to call another timeout.

After the timeout, both sides sent out their rotation lineups. Coach Kerr replaced Cousins ​​but did not put Durant on.

The Warriors players couldn't help but look at Durant, somewhat puzzled as to why the coach didn't play Durant?

It was understandable that the coach replaced Durant during the timeout, as he wanted Durant to come down for adjustment. However, the adjustment had already lasted for a few minutes, and both sides had replaced their rotation lineups. The Lakers still had Holiday on the court, so they also had to have a star player on their side. Why didn't they let Durant play?

If Durant were allowed to play, he might be able to take advantage of these few minutes of rotation time to help the team catch up.

After all, the Warriors were already 8 points behind at this point.

"Shh!"

A light sound came from the field.

Clarkson hit a three-pointer, and after this three-pointer, the score difference between the two sides widened to double digits.

Suddenly, the home fans couldn't help but worry.

The situation on the court was not very good for the Warriors at this time. The score difference between the two sides was widened to double digits. If this continued, the Lakers would enter the final quarter with a double-digit lead, and it would not be easy for the Warriors to turn the tables.

"What's wrong with Coach Kerr? Why did he substitute KD so early? Now the score difference has been widened to double digits, why didn't he substitute KD?"

"Yeah, although Cousins ​​is on the court, he obviously can't replace KD..."

The fans also don’t quite understand.

At this time, the Lakers still have Holiday, Rose, and Clarkson on the court, while the Warriors have only Cousins ​​in the starting lineup, except for a few substitutes.

Cousins ​​also tried to play one-on-one in the low post, hoping to help the team on the offensive end. However, his condition on the offensive end was really bad, and his hit rate was very low. Not only did he fail to help the team, but he also wasted a lot of offensive opportunities, further widening the gap between the two sides.

On the sidelines, Coach Kerr frowned.

He also understood that the situation was not good. He looked at the game time and sent Curry and Green back on the field with more than a minute left in the third quarter.

In the last minute or so, Curry and Green returned to the court, which really worked. Curry made a three-pointer, and Green grabbed the rebound and attacked on the second attack. Although he failed to score, he caused a foul and made one of two free throws at the free throw line.

When the third quarter ended, the Lakers led by 10 points.

Green and Curry came off the court. Curry sat down on the bench and wiped his sweat with a towel, while Green looked at Durant with some annoyance.

Sensing Green's gaze, Durant opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing because Coach Kerr didn't tell everyone the reason.

......

Soon, the second section began.

Both sides sent out their rotation lineups, but what puzzled the fans was that Coach Kerr sent Klay but not Durant.

In the past, at times like this, Coach Kerr would either send Curry or Durant, letting the two teams' strongest players lead the rotation lineups respectively.

Although the team has no shortage of All-Star players, such as Klay and Green are also All-Star players.

But Klay is an off-ball shooter. He mostly gets opportunities to catch the ball and shoot through running and tactical pick-and-rolls. He cannot be the offensive core on the court, and ball-holding offense is not his forte.

Although Green can hold the ball and pass the ball, his shooting is very unstable and he cannot serve as the team's offensive core.

If you want a player to lead the bench, you naturally need to make him the offensive core and drive the team with scoring.

So it has to be Curry or Durant.

Durant was replaced early in the third quarter, and Curry played longer, so it stands to reason that Durant should be sent in to lead the rotation. It would be better if the score can be reduced, but even if it can't, the team must maintain sufficient competitiveness and not let the opponent further expand the score difference.

But Durant didn't play, Curry didn't play, but Klay played instead...