‘Whether or not the seagull runs out of control to win or lose the series?’ In the playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers ‘AD’ Anthony Davis (30‧208cm) is exuding a tremendous presence. The Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 in the first leg of the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs on the 3rd (Korean time). In a game where there is a lot of pressure on each other, who gets the first round can have a big impact on the entire series. Because it can give you an edge in a battle of momentum. In that respect, the Lakers were able to enter the second game after occupying an advantageous high ground.
The series that is receiving the most interest from fans among the current round 2 matches is, by far, the match between the Lakers and the Warriors. This is because the team is led by the best superstars, ‘King’ LeBron James (38‧206cm) and ‘Spicy Curry’ Stephen Curry (35‧188cm), as well as a battle of pride between teams that are considered famous families.
Considering only the name value and box office success, it would not be strange if interest was poured out beyond the final. It was expected that the match between the two teams would also depend on the influence of the two players. In fact, in the first game, the two still played an active role. Curry led the team with 27 points (6 3-pointers) and 3 rebounds, followed by Klay Thompson (25 points, 6 3-pointers, 4 assists), Jordan Poole (21 points, 6 3-pointers, 6 assists) and Kevon Rooney (21 points, 6 3-pointers, 6 assists). 10 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists) supported the back.
As can be seen from the fact that they pushed the Lakers to the brink of defeat with a 3-point shot like fireworks in the 4th quarter, which they were trailing, it seems that the players’ overall sense of outside shooting is reviving, led by Curry. Lebron (22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocked shots) also showed a good performance. As a team with a thick player base, D’Angelo Russell (19 points, 6 assists) and Dennis Schroeder (19 points) were also impressive.
However, it was neither Curry nor LeBron who dominated the game that day. It was Davis who was forming a ‘one-two punch’ with Lebron. As if proving that ‘As long as he’s healthy, he’s a big man who doesn’t envy Jokic and Embiid’, he flew wild throughout the game with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocked shots.
The remarkable thing about Davis on this day is the invisible contribution that surpasses his record on the surface. He played 44 minutes, the most among players on both teams, and played an active part in the offense and defense, and his presence in defense was especially evaluated. The Golden State big man who was mainly matched with Davis on this day is Rooney. He has good board control, as evidenced by his high number of rebounds throughout the playoffs. However, he is relatively lacking in offense and is particularly bad at shooting.
Davies, clever, actively exploited this advantage. Among the big men, he is one of the quickest players, and during the Golden State offense, he discarded Rooney’s out-of-bounds shot and actively assisted defense. When he tried to break through at Golden State, he did not stop moving to check various places, going back and forth as well as following and checking the opponent regardless of who he was.
In fact, he made 4 blocked shots, so Golden State couldn’t help but feel a lot of pressure. This is because he not only was pushed from the bottom of the goal, but also affected the outside play. The field goal success rate (40.6%), which dropped sharply compared to usual, proves this. In Golden State’s small ball, teams with team colors similar to theirs are crushed with more complete teamwork, and teams with good big men are defeated with advantage in speed and outside shots.
But that didn’t work for the Lakers. This is because there is Davis, who runs well, runs well, and has a good sense, in addition to a thick player base that can widely use players of various styles. Davis has a huge wingspan (227 cm) that makes up for his short stature for a big man.
On top of that, he had many advantages that a good defender should have, such as the mobility to follow the guard, the timing of the block shot, and the ability to know the opponent’s pass and cut it off. I can’t help but have nightmares. Currently, Golden State is facing the worst big man in Sangseong.
Davis, who is affectionately called ‘The Seagull’ among domestic fans due to his unique eyebrow shape, was once expected to become the best big man representing the NBA. His movement without the ball was also of a high standard, so he was good at simple scoring methods such as quick-break participation, footback, and 2-on-2 play based on his one-on-one as well as activity and aggressiveness. Due to this play style, he got along well with the bench resources as well as with star players.
However, repeated injuries hindered 먹튀검증him, and he had no choice but to walk a little farther from his initial high expectations amidst the harsh criticism of his ‘glass body’. His power when he is healthy is definitely top-class, as he was when he collaborated with LeBron to win the championship, but he is considered a player who rarely calculates because he cannot guarantee his physical condition every season.
In the meantime, the top center position representing the league passed to “Joker” Nikola Jokic (28‧211cm) and “Your Excellency” Joel Embiid (29‧213cm). Even if he expands to power forward, the strength of ‘Greek monster’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (28‧213cm) has increased. All three have regular season MVP titles, while Davis has yet to win an MVP title outside of the All-Star Game.
In evaluating a player, performance in a big game has a great influence. If it is not easy to perform consistently in the regular season due to frequent injuries, you can go crazy in the playoffs. Kawhi Leonard, who is called ‘the man of the big game’, is a representative example. If Davis continues his current performance and leads the Lakers to a championship and Finals MVP, his career could change drastically.
This is because Yokichi and Embiid have yet to win a championship, and two championships and one final MVP can come very close. More than anything else, it is Davis’ attitude that raises that possibility. Despite his great Game 1 performance, Davis is calm and unexcited. Even in interviews after the game, he said, “We know that Golden State is the defending champion. We saw the series against Sacramento in the first round, and we will not be vigilant until the end.” 2% Attention is focusing on whether Davis, a special big man who is disappointed, will overturn the evaluation through winning.