Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Dong Changshuo
On the last stop of this road trip in the Eastern Conference, the Warriors came to Detroit today and played back-to-back games against the Pistons, who ranked second from last in the Eastern Conference. This campaign can be called a military parade for the Warriors, reviewing the scoring ability of the team's young people in the absence of Curry, Green, Iguodala and Porter. After the game started, all eyes were focused on Poole and Wiggins to see if they could help the Warriors win this victory on the offensive end.
Compared with Poole, Wiggins' offensive efficiency is more stable. Although the three-pointer was a little tough in this campaign, and he made 1 of 4 shots, but throughout the game, his output efficiency was quite high, especially in terms of finishing inside, he was very aggressive. Wiggins got 11 free throw opportunities in this game, tying the Warriors' career high. He scored 27 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. He had a strong offensive and defensive presence. On weekdays, Wiggins is most criticized by the majority of fans for his desire-free approach to health. Compared with him, Poole's aggressiveness is too high, even to the point of being "superior".
Before the start of today's game, Poole had made 10 of 50 three-pointers in the past six games, and his season three-point shooting percentage was only 28%. So much so that in the last game against Cavaliers , when the Warriors needed to chase points in the final quarter, Poole was completely abandoned by Cole . In the fourth quarter, the Warriors made a huge comeback. Poole sat off the court the whole time and did not get even a minute. playing time. Since Curry takes a rest, Poole also knows in his heart that this game is to watch his performance. In the opening stage, Poole's performance was indeed eye-catching, directly using two unreasonable three-pointers to establish the lead for the Warriors. Poole played 37 minutes in the entire game, making 4 of 8 three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of 50%, and scored 32 points, which set a new season high and was also his second 30+ game in this season. "I shot 50 percent tonight. That's it, that's all it is, I wake up and it's a new day. I think the team has a very clear goal and we know what we need to do to achieve it." Reach the goal. The coaches and veterans will continue to teach me, and I have to find a way to do those things," Poole said after the game.
In this game, Poole's biggest highlight was not actually regaining his shooting touch from outside the three-point line, but his clear thinking and extremely high efficiency in attacking the opponent's inside line. In this game, Poole took 22 shots, 8 from outside the three-point line, 1 from mid-range, and the remaining 13 shots were all in the opponent's paint area. He made 9 of 13 shots, with a shooting percentage of 69%. Including two free throws, 20 of Poole's points in this campaign were obtained by attacking the basket. One-on-one positional battles, air cuts, and the ability to cut to the basket in transition are the real trump cards that Poole showed in this campaign. "Tonight it was Poole who carried us on the offensive end. He has been a bit sluggish in the past few games. We need his offense tonight. I am really proud of him." Cole said after the game when talking about Poole's performance: "He is stronger. "
Although Pistons is a weak team in terms of performance, its defense is not bad. The inside players in the five small lineups, such as Sadiq Bay, Stewart, and Grant, are all against very aggressive young players. This season, the Pistons have limited their opponents' shooting percentage in the paint to a mid-range level in the league. They average 44.4 points per game in the paint, ranking 11th. It is not the top in the league, but it is impressive enough for teams in the lottery. . But Poole, who was extremely aggressive in this game, was a problem they couldn't solve.
At this stage, Poole's biggest problem lies in the reasonable choice of offensive methods. Curry's three-point shooting, at least for Poole now, cannot guarantee a stable shooting rate. The season's 29% three-point shooting rate is the best proof. In order to improve offensive efficiency, Poole's best choice is to use the gravitational pull of screen and Curry to find open opportunities. At the basket level, Poole has the ability to break through with the ball that many young players do not have. And this season, Poole's shooting rate at the free throw line is as high as 94%. He should have gone to the basket more, looking for confrontations and creating free throw opportunities.But at present, despite his exquisite skills, Poole is very afraid of confrontation. The purpose of all his movements after taking off is to avoid confrontation. Unlike Curry, Harden , Paul and other top defenders who actively look for confrontation and create space at the end, Poole is always passively looking for space.
So far this season, a total of 46 players in the league have averaged 14.9 shots per game, and Poole's average of 2.1 free throws per game ranks third from the bottom. Poole is physically strong enough, and his fear of confrontation is entirely a psychological issue. If Poole can be more determined in rushing to the basket and more actively seek confrontations, it will be the key to improving his personal offensive efficiency, and can also help the Warriors solve the problem of unstable scoring at critical moments.
The poor performance at critical moments continues
The Warriors were able to win this game because of the performance of Poole and Wiggins, but they are still far, far away from perfection, especially the problem of not being able to score at critical moments. Still can't be solved. In the last 3 minutes, the Warriors did not score any sports goals.
At the critical moment, after the Pistons continued to use breakthroughs and fouls to reduce the point difference to single digits, the Warriors' offensive strategy was very clear, which was to put the ball in the hands of Poole and Wiggins. But the performance of the two was indeed quite poor, which was completely opposite to the message conveyed by the statistics of the entire game. Wiggins hit all three mid-range singles at critical moments, and his last shot under the basket was blocked by Cunningham. If it weren't for the Pistons' two three-pointers in the last round, it would have been difficult for the Warriors to escape without Curry. Poole's performance in the last three minutes was even worse. He made three mistakes in three minutes, ruined three offensive opportunities, and almost let the cooked duck fly. He was hit hard and couldn't control his emotions. Poole's old problem still hasn't gotten rid of after 16 games. After
won this game, the Warriors continued to lead the league with a record of 14 wins and 2 losses. This Eastern Conference away trip, the Warriors ended with an excellent record of 3 wins and 1 loss. Last season, the Warriors were 1-8 when Curry was on hiatus. This season, Curry missed the first game, and the Warriors got off to a good start with a victory. After a day off, the team will return to Chase Center to play three home games, facing the Raptors, 76ers and Trail Blazers respectively. Then, the Warriors will start a trip to California to challenge the Clippers and Suns , and the intensity of the schedule will gradually increase. The good news is that Curry, Green and Porter are likely to return in Monday's game, while Iguodala is on the daily observation list due to knee swelling.
Source: Sports Weekly All Media
