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Wait... Bucks Won BECAUSE OF THIS?!?!
Look at this defense on the pick and roll. Lopez stops the penetration and Holiday is quick to get out of that screen. Great activity by both players, and once it gets to a 1 on 1, Jrue is absolutely attached to Kyrie, forcing a contested jumper and a bad miss. And watching this whole possession you’ll understand why this game ended with the score in the low 80s. Look at the multiple deflections, the aggressiveness, and ultimately the block, to force a 24 second violation as the crowd goes crazy. The game ended that way as well. Scramble situation, great double team on Irving, and they made Bruce Brown beat them which if you’re the Bucks, that’s exactly what you want, as this wild shot hits nothing but the backboard. Milwaukee somehow survived, but it definitely wasn’t pretty, and if you ask me I’m afraid that it’s hard to sustain as well. Let me go through some clips and explain exactly what I mean. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. Starting off with what I loved from the game. There were multiple instances of suffocating defense, and part of the reason why KD and Kyrie shot 39 and 41% respectively is exactly that. Brook Lopez had 6 blocks in this game, and the perimeter defenders did a good job of pressuring and funneling guys towards him, so as you can see this sequence here, Irving has Holiday on him the whole time, so he’s not really able to see Brook coming to help. And as he flips it up, Lopez is there for the block. And as always I gotta give credit to PJ Tucker for fighting hard against possibly the greatest pure scorer the NBA has seen. Stays with him right here the whole time, goes up to contest and you see the result. But this is also where we get to a grey area in the game. Check out this drive for example, where we can clearly see the bump by Tucker. Last night this was a miss and play on, but we saw these being called in Brooklyn so PJ was constantly in foul trouble. This subtle bump right here by Jrue as well. Disrupts the rhythm of Irving, and even tho overall I loved this defense both from Holiday as well as Lopez, I’m afraid that they could be called on the Nets home court. But I never wanna comment on officiating so let’s move on. Instead, check out some of the missed shots by Brooklyn. A lot of these as you can see are wide open looks, that they usually are able to knock down. Especially when we talk about one of the best shooters in the league Joe Harris. Like, look at these. The Bucks really dodged a bullet in this game, as I really don’t see Joe going 1-11 on shots like these again in the series. Culminating with this last one with under a minute to go. He’ll never be more open than this. Wow. Anyway, a good thing for Milwaukee is the fact that Chris Middleton finally made his presence felt. After the abysmal shooting of 6 for 23 and 7 for 20 in the first 2 games, he exploded for 35 points on 48% shooting. On this pick and roll with Giannis, Brooklyn wasn’t switching, to keep the primary big on Antetokounmpo. So with the defender trailing him, Khris just raises up and hits the midrange shot. Again in the 4th, Blake gives him cushion, to defend the roll, and Middleton uses that to swish a clutch shot with the game on the line. And you know you have it going when you raise up above the long arms of KD and knock down a three in his face, and especially in transition, on a semi fast break, stopping on a dime and shooting a heat check to send a crowd into a frenzy. And the greek freak...maaan I could make a dedicated 1 hour video solely about the blessing and the curse of having him on the team. I’ll just explain that in under a minute. You have moments like these in transition where he looks unstoppable. Dunking all over the defense while guys just bounce off of him. But then in the half court, look at this absolutely mind boggling sequence of him just dribbling around going back and forth and back and forth which ultimately ends up with a jump ball. As you watch some of these bad looking possessions I’m not going to overcomplicate things and say that Giannis is at his best when he’s used as a screener, so if Im Budenholzer that’s what I'm doing. Either run a pick and roll with him and Middleton or him and Holiday, and make things happen from there. As for right now, as a neutral NBA fan, and one that’s always against superteams, I’m just happy that this series is getting longer. That’s all I need to enjoy at this moment. That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
The Most UNEXPECTED NBA HEROES In Clutch Games
Shake Milton of all people was the sixers hero of game 2. Doc Rivers put him in the game out of sheer desperation. And he delivered big time. Scoring 14 points in just as many minutes and while being blazing hot from downtown. In a way he brought Philly the win, by blowing the game open with this truly unexpected and memorable performance. So today, we’re taking a look at some of those unsung heroes. What up everybody my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. Leon Powe: A 49th selection in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, Powe was subsequently traded to the Celtics. His rookie season was modest to put it lightly. Powe averaged 4.2 points in 11.4 minutes per contest. Yet, the formation of the big three in the summer of 2007 in Boston might have been the best thing that ever happened to him. Though his averages in the 2007-08 season, too, were unspectacular, people in and around the league began noticing him. But what happened around five months later shocked the entire basketball world. In Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals, Powe erupted for 21 crucial points as Boston won, 108-102. The sophomore was aggressive from the moment he entered the floor, as evidenced by the fact that he scored nine of those points from the free-throw line. An underrated stat of his performance is that he spent just 15 minutes on the floor. As we all know, the Celtics would eventually go on to win the 2008 title. That’s why Celtics fans will always have a soft spot for him. Mike Miller: Did you know that Mike Miller was actually the Rookie of the Year in 2001 and Sixth Man of the Year in 2006. But even though he was a spectacular shooter (40.7% from deep for his career), his career until he joined the Big Three in Miami didn’t suggest he would one day be perhaps the crucial factor in a Finals game. Even LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, and Spoelstra and Riley for that matter, had to have been shocked after Game 5 of the 2012 Finals. The Heat, up 3-1 against the Oklahoma City, needed a win to secure the second title in their history. The focus was of course on the LeBron-Durant matchup. However, Miller outshone even them, despite James’ triple-double and KD’s 32 points. In just 23:14 minutes on the floor, Miller was unconscious from deep, hitting seven three pointers. What’s crazy, even by his standards, is that he needed just eight attempts to do so. Miller finished with 23 points and five rebounds, his performance being entrenched in Heat history. Mike would stay with this team for the following season as well, and win another championship. Which was followed by a one-year stay in Cleveland, and a two-year stint with the Nuggets to finish off his career. John Paxon: Most people remember John Paxson for his three-pointer against the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 Finals, which effectively sealed the Chicago Bulls’ first three-peat. Yet, though such a shot may be the pinnacle for a player of а similar stature, that is not the case with the Bulls guard. In Game 5 of the 1991 Finals, Paxson went off for 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the clinching 108-101 victory. He scored 10 of Chicago’s last 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the final minutes to break open a close game. Though Jordan scored 30 points, there was a moment in the fourth quarter when Phil Jackson specifically told Jordan to get the ball to Paxson. And of course the sharpshooter delivered big time, helping the Chicago Bulls secure the title. As one Bulls fan would jokingly explain, Paxson’s three against the Suns is for boys, his Game 5 performance against the Lakers is for men. Paxson, who averaged 7.2 points per game for his career, would retire with the Bulls with three rings in 1994. And he has held various positions within Chicago's front office since 2003. Kenny The Jet Smith It seems that as time goes by, younger fans will remember Kenny Smith more as the guy from Inside the NBA than as Kenny “the Jet’ Smith from the Rockets. That, however, would be unfair. This is not to say that Smith was a spectacular player, but anytime you win two championships and average 12.8 points per game and 39.9% from deep for your career, a majority of players would take that any day. Kenny Smith Game 1 of 1995 Finals: 23 PTS / 9 AST / 7-11 3PT But what he did in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals against the Magic made basketball fans forget all about those numbers. The Jet played 42 minutes, finishing with 23 points and nine assists. 21 of those points came on a then-Finals record seven three pointers (on 11 attempts). His contribution cannot be overstated, especially since the Magic had been up by as many as 20 with a little under four minutes to go until the end of the half. His career moment even came at the end of regulation. With his team down by three. Mario Elie inbounded to Kenny, who dribbled twice to the top of the key, pump-faked Penny Hardaway and leaned left to bury a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to tie game and force overtime.
EXPOSED: The REAL Reason For The LAKERS ELIMINATION
As Lebron James gets the deflection and the Lakers go in transition, he stays in the backcourt. And the Suns are able to contain the initial attack, so you can see at this moment that all the Lakers are in the front court but he’s not even in the frame. Oh there he is riiight here. In an elimination game at home, down by 21 in the second quarter, I absolutely expected more out of the king, and if you stick around you’ll see why it’s actually not surprising that the Phoenix Suns eliminated the Lakers. But at the same time, I’m not blaming James as well. Why? Let me explain everything. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. First things first, all credit goes to the Phoenix Suns. Like, look at this. You got 3 defenders literally standing in front of the basket, there is no possible way to get inside. And you got the 2 guys on the outside also being active. Woow talk about executing a game plan to perfection. Just look at Crowder and all the pushing and shoving and fighting that he did in this game to help his team out with every ounce of energy, battling on the defensive end against the much bigger Lebron. Check out the multiple efforts here as he ultimately ends up with the block for the jump ball. And lastly, with another block, saving what would have been 2 points here. But maaan, as much as was about the defense, look at Lebron, he’s got no lift whatsoever. That’s the reason why he misses this layup in the first place in my opinion. Same reason why he misses this one as well. Come on now, Devin Booker should not be able to contain him in normal circumstances right?! And let’s compare yet another missed layup on the drive against Frank Kaminsky right here… To another drive from earlier in the season against Rudy Gobert, when Lebron hammered it down, as the defensive player of the year finalist actually got out of the way in time. My point here is: James did not seem to have the strength nor the endurance to go in these playoffs. You could see him being gassed and hanging his head, not crossing half court as I already mentioned, being passive at times, and flat out asking for a sub in the fourth quarter just as the Lakers battled back all the way from 29 point deficit to make this an interesting game down the stretch. The face says it all tho, as this was far from the player that famously said “the whole game, I’m playing the whole game” in a similar elimination type setup from a few years ago. This exhausted and worn out look is definitely a lot different than this iconic death stare that we all remember from the legendary Heat vs Celtics series. Thing is, even if you have the determination and the will, you can only go as far as your body takes you. Whether it was that ankle injury that’s been bothering him, or the undefeated father time catching up to Lebron, he is starting to look like a mere mortal on the court possibly for the first time in his career. That was only amplified by the fact that the Suns only needed to cover him defensively, since Anthony Davis gave it a go with the groin injury but in only 5 minutes on the court, he saw that he’s by no means healthy enough to play, so as you can see right here, the painful grimace, the disappointment, as he left the game early in the first quarter, leaving the king all by himself. If you ask James himself tho, there’s no room for concern whatsoever, as he said that the prolonged rest that he’ll be able to have this off season will take care of all problems and come next season, he will be ready to compete at the highest level. (LEBRON INTERVIEW) And despite the loss, after a hard fought series, I love the humility as we see Lebron James and Devin Booker here. James gifting an autographed jersey saying continue to be great to Book, which of course most of you know is sort of like a 2nd chapter in Booker’s career after Kobe Bryant famously gifted his sneakers to Devin and wrote Be Great on them. Something that meant so much to the young fella that he even went and tattooed that same Kobe writing. And boy am I glad for him! From being attacked year after year that he’s kind of an empty calories type of player, that he can only put up big numbers on a losing team, Booker led Phoenix to the next round defeating the champions of all teams, and putting up ridiculous numbers. Just look at some of these games that he had. Culminating with this game 6 where he exploded for 47 points on 8 for 10 from downtown. 80% from beyond the arc! Book had the flamethrower on him for this one. He burned the Lakers 2 times in a row with this action, starting from under the basket, then curling around for the handoff and fir ing away for the bucket. Exact same thing again. And when you get it going like that, then it’s heat check mode, raising up from anywhere! hand in his face, it didn’t matter.
Luka Doncic Did THE UNTHINKABLE & Nobody Is Talking About It
On this drive, Luka Doncic sees 3 defenders on him. Look at Morris swiping at the ball, Nick Batum is on his hip, and then right in front is Terrance Mann. Still, Luka handles a triple team like it’s literally nothing, as he easily lays it in. And right here, check out how much attention he attracts, as he’s boxed in by 4 Clippers players, but he sees Maxi Kleber wide open at the three point line, kicks it out and Maxi knocks down this great opportunity provided by Doncic. These plays are just an illustration of how dominant Luka was in this game. Doing absolutely anything he wanted on the court. But what if I told you that he did something that nobody else has in NBA history. What if I told you that this performance by him was one for the record books. Sit tight and follow along closely. We got a big one today. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. If you watched the game, or even if you didn’t and only took a look at the boxscore, you would see a stat line of 42 points and 14 assists which of course is monster in itself. But then, the unthinkable. Check this out: What you’re watching right now are 6 field goals, 4 made by Tim Hardaway Jr, 1 by Dwight Powell, and 1 by Kristaps Porzingis. These 6 were the only possessions that Luka Doncic was not involved in. Either by scoring or assisting on it. As we take a look at the complete list of field goals in this game, the red being the points by Luka, and the green being all of his assists, you see that he was directly involved in 31 out of the 37 made baskets for the Dallas Mavericks. Wait what?! Doncic created virtually all of the made baskets for the team in the entire game. So basically if you take away Luka, you take away 75 points from the Mavs in this game. If we factor in the free throws that other players made, 75 out of the total 105 points that Mavericks ended up with as a team is 71.4% that Doncic was personally responsible for. And 31 out of 37 is 83.78% if we talk about field goals. This is an unfathomable level of carrying a team. That’s virtually every successful possession for the team was in a way because of him. I’ve definitely never thought of this stat but if anyone told me I would watch a game like this, I’m not sure if I would believe them. This is crazy. Now, there are players that have a combined scoring + assisting number that’s higher than Luka’s 75. Just think of Kobe’s 81 + the 5 he assisted on that’s 86. Or Wilt’s 100 + the 4 assisted ones. However, percentage wise, Kobe’s 86 out of the Lakers total 122 in that game is 70.49% And Wilt’s 104 from the team’s 169 is only 61.54% compared to the 71.4% from Doncic. This puts him near the very top when we talk about carrying a team and how much a franchise is dependent on its star player. But he’s not number 1, and I will make a list about that in a video in the near future. Make sure you’re subscribed for that as well. Factoring in the circumstances of the injury that Luka’s been dealing with and we could see the previous game that it’s bothering him quite a lot at times, and the fact that this was a playoff game, a pivotal one at that, on top of that being played on the road, makes this one heck of a heroic performance by the young slovenian. He was a bit less enthusiastic than that however, and in the postgame Doncic said that he played pretty bad according to his standards. (DONCIC INTERVIEW) Luckily coach Rick Carlisle agreed with me so much that he actually was stumbling to find the right words to explain what he saw in game 5. (CARLISLE INTERVIEW) Talking about how great he is, Luka just had his 4th game with 40 or more points in the playoffs. And in just 11 career postseason games, he has as many 40s as Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard and Karl Malone had in their careers. Doncic has more than some NBA greats like Kyrie Irving, Paul Pierce, Anthony Davis, Patrick Ewing, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Just think about how unbelievable of an achievement that is at only 22 years, and again, with only 11 playoff games under his belt. Incredible. Even with all the heroics, the job is still not finished tho. Going back home for a closeout game 6 should be the perfect setup for the Mavs but this series has been so wild and unpredictable that we should absolutely be prepared for anything. This playoff matchup between LA and Dallas is only the second one in NBA history to have every road team win it for the first 5 games. The first one being the 1995 Western Conference Finals between the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs. So since Kenny the Jet Smith was a part of that, he had something to say about this on Inside The NBA.
NOBODY IS TELLING YOU THIS: How The Suns SHOCKED The Lakers
As Lebron James gets the ball, great pressure up top by Crowder but then look at the rest of the suns, how they’re all in the paint ready to help. So as Lebron drives, he sees all these bodies, and look at this. This turns into a dogfight. And even after James was able to escape from that, you see again how Phoenix is protecting the paint at all costs. He’s forced into a contested jump shot and you see the result. There was a lot of this in game 5, as the Suns absolutely shocked the Lakers to get 1 step from winning this series. Let me reveal everything. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. Similar situation here: Crowder is extra aggressive on this screen, and as soon as Lebron steps into the paint, look at all of these Phoenix defenders on him. The pass goes out to Dennis Shroeder who’s a below average 3 point shooter and he misses right here. Thing is, with the way LA has been shooting from downtown at only 30.2% the Suns had every right to take this gamble and make them hit shots from outside. Even in this situation, as the exact same thing happens, the drive, the multiple bodies in front, we got a great find in the corner for the wide open Carusso who knocks it in. This didn’t alter the game plan whatsoever for the Suns, as they played the numbers and it ultimately showed as the right move for them. In transition, check out the familiar defensive strategy of forming a wall that teams usually use against Giannis. James sees that and knows how tough it would be if he decides to go inside, so instead, settles for the long three right here and misses the shot. Even on the backdown, as the king steps inside, look at all this crowd here, and the great defense by Bridges here who stays vertical, hand up, forcing the kick out, Kuzma does a hot potato pass to Caldwell Pope, and this ultimately ends up being a bad, bad possession. Phenomenal rotation by the Suns tho. I gotta give them credit for executing the game plan to perfection. And I guess this whole thing of parking everyone under the basket, kind of surprised Dennis Schroeder, as he was a complete no show in this one, settling for long range shots, and shooting 0-9 and finishing game 5 without a single point. His drives were some of the main weapons offensively for the Lakers and a big reason for the 2 wins. But again, with this type of defense, there was not a lot of room for him to operate and just couldn’t figure things out. On the other side however, Devin Booker exploded from the very beginning. He was aggressive and looking to attack from the opening tip. Dude finished the first quarter with 18 points, and watching some of these shots, you can absolutely see why he can be one of the streakiest, hottest shooters in the league. I like the approach however. Booker knew that in order for Phoenix to win this game, he had to have a big game, and in front of the home crowd, Devin started off hot, and in combination with the team defense, they put the Lakers away by halftime. Leading by a mind boggling 30 points at the break. Now of course, all of this was made possible in part because of the absence of Anthony Davis who didn’t look good at all before the game, at this moment it seems like he won’t play in the next one as well. And if that’s the case, we may just have a new champion at the end of this season. But let’s wait and see. Let me know what you think, can Lebron will this team to the next round? That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
Can You Win A Championship PLAYING LIKE THIS?! 🔥🔥🔥
With the game on the line, the Grizzlies hunt Mike Conley defensively. They set the screen but as Morant goes inside, Mike steals the ball, and just moments later, during the same sequence- he calls his own number here with the double screen on the perimeter, fires away and knocks down the dagger to give Utah a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. The Jazz are playing their type of basketball, that brought them great success throughout the season, and they still win that way. But the question is: Can you win a championship playing like this? Let me explain. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. Speaking of Mike Conley, he’s still elusive off the dribble and it’s hard for the defense to stay in front. In transition, as Gobert goes to set the high pick, check out the in and out dribble by Mike to fake Morant, which opens up the drive, the defense has to rotate, and look at all the time and space that Bogdanovic has to shoot this 3. Heck, even I might be able to make this. Probably not tho. Moving on. Again, early offense, great run by Gobert here, as goes to set another screen up top but actually slips it, and right here, with Rudy in the paint, as Conley jumps, the help defender commits, but incredible mid air adjustment by Mike, to riffle this pass in the corner to Niang, and again, check out how wide open he is and this 3 goes in as well. The point here is as you can see from some of these plays from game 4, the Jazz are able to generate a lot, and I mean a lot of open 3 point looks, and as a result they make a ton of them at a great percentage. I mean, look at this, Mitchell had a decent look himself, but decided to penetrate and kick it out to O’Neale, and at this moment, the closest defender is more than 3 meters away from him, this is social distancing type of space. And because of this exact playing style, with a lot of movement and penetrate and kicks, Utah led the league in 3 pointers made with 16.7 which is the most in NBA history, all that while being number 4 this season in efficiency- hitting them at almost 39%. And like I said in a previous video- That’s the deadliest combination possible. Shoot a lot of threes and hit a lot of threes. Well, the thing is, they’ve become even deadlier in the playoffs. Raising the makes by a decimal, but then going up to 41.1% in this 4 game battle so far against the Grizzlies. So things are going great for them right? Well, there’s always a flip side to this style of play. In the words of the great Charles Barkley: Even tho he’s not great with analogies, I’m sure you get the idea. Especially if we remind ourselves of game 1, when the Jazz kept jacking up threes despite the fact that they obviously couldn’t hit anything that night, but they looked like they had no plan B. Granted, Donovan Mitchell didn’t play and Utah was missing a lot in terms of scoring and playmaking, and this team looks a lot different with him on the floor. Here is proof of that: Look at the percentages from downtown, in game 1 without him, and since then with Spida in the roster. This type of blazing hot shooting is unbelievable to me. Look, I don’t hide my affection for the Jazz and I root for them in the west, but what I want to see is 1. If they can sustain this historically great outside shooting, and 2. When they hit adversity, can they keep themselves in the game by doing other things and attacking from different angles? As long as the Jazz get such wide open looks tho, I’m not too worried and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead of them. Let me know in the comments how far do you see them going. That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
Luka Doncic Is INJURED & This Changes EVERYTHING!
If you didn’t watch the game, you may not know that Luka was struggling with a neck injury throughout the entire game. Visibly wincing and being in pain, his production was clearly being impacted. And even tho I’m not saying that this is the only reason for their loss in game 4, it could change everything for the rest of the series. What up everybody my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. Doncic ended the game with 19 points on 9 for 24 shooting. And after being unstoppable for the first 3 games, you know that something was wrong here. Luka didn’t want to make excuses postgame and focused on the loss instead. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the injury is making things much harder for him on the court, as if the Clippers aren’t enough. And speaking of them, lost in this whole thing is the performance of the 2 LA superstars. Kawhi is having an unbelievable series with 33 points and 8.5 rebounds. All of that while shooting a blistering 63% from the field. That’s virtually unstoppable. As you can see he loves the right side of the floor, of course owning the midrange. The Klaw has been torturing the Mavs with his backdown turnaround jumpers, regardless of who the defender is. Right here on the wing, he gets a switch away from Kleber who’s Dallas’ best big defender and you can see the entire team is clearing out on the left side, leaving Luka on an island with Kawhi. He attacks, the half spin, the leaning shot and the bucket. Again, with the slower Boban in the game, on the pick and roll, Leonard has all this space to just raise up and shoot from his favorite spot on the court. He does that and easily knocks it in. But he’s even deadlier every time he decides to put his head down and go all the way to the basket. There is nobody on the Dallas roster who’s been able to consistently stop him in his intention to attack the rim. Even with Kleber on him here, the Clippers isolate him again, and you see the determination to go all the way and look at the strength here as he bumps Maxi to the side for a layup. That was too strong, and this is too quick on the perimeter, as you can see the double screen setup up top for him to curl. But instead the Klaw flies by with the crossover and there’s no way Kleber can catch him as we check out this 2 handed dunk. But I have to point out Paul George deserves just as much credit honestly. Think about it: If the Mavs won game 3 and went up 3-0 everybody would disregard the fact that they hit 20 threes on a mind boggling 51%. Instead, people would take the low hanging fruit and instantly blame Pandemic P for it right?! Thing is, Pandemic P is an automatic 25 point per game scorer on 50% from the field so far in these 4 games. And almost 8 rebounds to go along with that. Sure, his 3 point shooting has been extremely bad so far but similarly to Leonard, there is no answer for PG when he goes inside. Luckily for him however, George doesn’t need to defend his good performance from the haters just yet, since the Clippers have tied the series all of a sudden, winning 2 on the road after losing the first 2 at home, and having the entire NBA world write them off. Talk about a wild series. Most importantly however, their sense of urgency and defensive intensity has been ramped up to playoff type level. After the initial 127 and 113 points that Dallas put up in games 1 and 2, they were only allowed 108 and only 81 last night. Although there were some wide open misses that the Mavs shooters should have knocked down and 5-30 from downtown wasn’t entirely because of the defense, the fact remains that games 3 and 4 the Clippers really had their backs against the wall and had to go all out on both ends of the court to get back in this thing. And they did that. Now with the Doncic injury, and going back home, the momentum seems to be entirely on the LA side. This matchup has proved to be wild however and I’m looking forward to a pivotal game 5 in Staples. Let’s see what happens. Let me know in the comments who you got in the next one. That’s it for now. Subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
LOOK At What The Lakers Did To Steph Curry
If this doesn’t reveal the Lakers strategy and how they won this game, I don’t know what will. 5 guys on Curry forcing anyone else but Steph to beat them. The Lakers survive and go to the playoffs on this Lebron James 3 from out of this world. But to really understand what happened and how the Lakers were able to get the win, let’s go deeper and break it down. What up everybody my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. Look at this. 3 guys on Steph. Right from the start, the Lakers made it obvious that they didn’t want him to get hot. He was hounded all over the court and in order to get some shots off, look at where he needed to fire away from. He missed that one, but made a rainbow over Lebron and KCP, and this mind blowing shot with 3 guys chasing him at the buzzer. Despite having the entire focus on him, Steph finished with 37 points on 52% shooting. Amazing. However, to win a game as a team, you need a lot more points. This is what the Lakers were counting on. Frank Vogel’s defense was going so aggressively at Curry, at times leaving the other Warriors completely wide open like in this situation right here. And in the first half, the supporting cast was knocking down shots. Right here, everyone is chasing the main man, and on the rebound, the ball finds Bazemore, nobody around him, and hits the open shot. Again, multiple defenders up top, he gets rid of it, Green penetrates, finds Mulder who dunks it. So look at the numbers at the half. Curry had 15 and the rest of Golden State had 40 points. And Golden State had a surprising lead of 13 points at the break. However compare that to the second half numbers. Steph with 22 and all others 23. LA really kicked their defense up to a whole new level forcing a lot of turnovers by the Warriors. 15 in the second half to be exact. That’s more than teams sometimes have for an entire game. And in a situation like this where every possession matters, for a playoff spot, they are extremely costly. In the fourth quarter the Lakers also put Steph in some pick and roll situations, and as you can see that scramble opened up some nice looks, especially right here: Everyone is focused up top, and Lebron catches Bazemore watching, so he fires a bullet pass to Caruso, who has the angle for the drive. The help comes from Green, but a great pass to AD who finishes this wide a dunk capitalizing on this opportunity created by putting Curry in a position to defend the pick and roll. And all of that was capped off on the very last possession of the game when LA once again knew exactly who they need to guard for the final shot, and as you can see they get the turnover and seal the deal to go to the playoffs. At the end it was nothing but respect between the 2 superstars, as they provided us with great theater even before the official start of the postseason. For the sake of more drama and excitement, I do hope that Golden State can win their deciding matchup against Memphis, and sneak in at the 8 spot in the west. Stay tuned for that and much more breakdowns throughout the entire playoffs. And make sure to subscribe and not miss out. Talk to you in the next one. Peace out.