Game 1 was dominated by OKC’s energy, in game 2 Dallas found an amazing evening shooting three-pointers and now the series is perfectly tied at 1-1. Game 3 could be the crossroads of the comparison between Thunder and Mavs, who, despite having very different ways of playing, seem almost equivalent. The match at the American Airlines Center is at 9.30pm on Sky Sport NBA and streaming on NOW, but the match will also be exceptionally visible to everyone in streaming on the Sky Sport website
Getting to same result con different ways and starting from very distant basic ideas between them. This could be the brief summary of the comparison between Oklahoma City e dallas that is worth a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Thunder e Mavs they are in fact two teams designed in an almost diametrically opposed way and who experience parables distant from each other. On the one hand there is theThe youngest team ever to end the regular season at the top of the Western Conferencewith a nucleus surrounding the star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander promises to be a contender for the title for a long time. On the other hand there is a group of players assembled in an attempt to find the best supporting cast possible to adapt to Luka Doncic’s unique and overflowing talent. And the first two episodes of the comparison did nothing but confirm these differences, reiterating how the series is destined to be balanced also in its continuation.
Race-1: an explosion of energy at the Paycom Center
That for middle age and roster structure i Thunder they were the team with more energy from an athletic point of view it was predictable, but what was put in place in the first episode of the series by the coach guys Mark Daigneault It still made many people frown. With 7:25 on the stopwatch of 3° quartoIndeed, dallas had come close to just one point on the 66-65. From then on, however, in the last 20 minutes of the match OKC posted a devastating 51-30 run who completely annihilated his opponents. The first to pay the price of the accelerated dei Thunder was Luka Doncicmarked effectively by the tandem Lu Dort-Jalen Williams and entrusted to the care of the other duo Cason Wallace-Aaron Wiggins in the owners’ moments of rest, which he finished with 6/18 from the field and a very unusual one -21 plus/minus. And in the clear victory 117-95 there is also a unexpected rebound dominance (40-32), the result of the excellent performance of Chet Holmgren (19 points e 7 rebounds), better than his usual set Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderfor large stretches unmarkable and very close to a triple double with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
Game-2: whoever scores from three wins
To avoid returning to dallas under 0-2ai Mavericks Three things were essentially needed: smooth out the defects shown in race 1, find Doncic again and fishing a surprise protagonist. No sooner said than done: rebound battle rebalanced (won 44-41) and limited the lost balls (10 against 15 in game 1), i Mavs they snatched the victory 119-110 on the shoulders of the Slovenian and the best P.J. Washington of the season. Doncic he immediately showed more shooting accuracy, finishing with 29 points e 5/8 from three, and his excellent start (18 points in the first half alone) paved the way for the rest of the team. First among all Washingtonready to take advantage of the attention paid by the defense of Thunder to the former Real Madrid and to a Kyrie Irving very skilled at finding companions with 11 assist. L’ex Hornetscon 29 points and 11 reboundsbecomes the X-Factor of a very hard-fought match, where OKC still find a great one Gilgeous-Alexander (33 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists). A make the differenceas often happens in contemporary basketball, is the long distance shot, with i Thunderbest team for three-point shooting percentage this season, who shoot 10/30 eh Mavs which close with an amazing result 18/37.
Game 3 and the turning point of the series: who will break the balance?
After the first two challenges, with the move to Texas the series is clearly beyond the numbers the match between Thunder and Mavs is destined to run on the edge ofequilibrium. If it is true on the one hand that the evening’s three-point shooting dallas in we are 2 is perhaps unrepeatable, on the other hand the feeling is that if the series were to be prolonged the greater experience of the boys trained by Jason Kidd could become a significant factor. The first problem per OKC will find a way to keep Josh Giddey on the fieldwho so far in the few minutes played in the first two games (13.8 on average) collected a plus/minus of -13.5. The Australian, with his ability to read passing lines, remains however, a crucial element for Daigneault’s offensive maneuverwho in this sense has rather limited alternatives from the bench. dallason the other hand, will have to try to exploit the greater weight in the area better and more consistently, aiming for the excessive physical power exercised by Dereck Lively II e Daniel Gafford on the package of long opponents. All things considered, it could however be the direct clash between the series that decides the fate of the series Gilgeous-Alexander e Doncic.
Challenge between (almost) MVPs
After placing respectively at second et al third placed behind Nikola Jokic in the race for the MVP award, the Canadian and the Slovenian are more than ever the two key men of the series. Until now Gilgeous-Alexander he seemed more on the ball, also because dallas he doesn’t seem to have any valid specialists to dedicate to marking him, while Doncic up to now he has suffered from less than optimal physical conditions. Fresh from knee problem already emerged in the series with the Clippers in the first round, the number 77 of dallas he also hurt himself ankle after a game clash with Wallace in we are 2. His presence in game 3 would therefore be in doubteven if considering the precedents it is reasonable to expect that Doncic do everything to be on the field in what can really be there match that decides the direction of the entire series. The appointment is for this evening at 9.30pm with live commentary from Francesco Bonfardeci e Mauro Bevacqua are Sky Sport NBA e in streaming su NOWbut the match will also be exceptionally visible to everyone in streaming on the Sky Sports website.
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2024-05-11 12:00:06
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