As expected, Game 1 of the series between Riders and the Magic was a real trench war. With his slew of contacts, to show the opponent that nothing will be given in the duel.
The inevitable Moe Wagner, often in bad shots, started the hostilities by throwing Evan Mobley behind the basket. ” No “ he replied when asked if it was intentional. “I just try to play hard, focus on my teammates, my team, make an impact and not think too much about the other team. »
The gesture in any case set the tone of the match since, a few possessions later, it was Markelle Fultz who stopped Georges Niang's counter-attack on the shoulder…
“Either he was going to hit me first, or I was going to hit him” explained the playmaker about this gesture which, this time, does not really resemble him. “So I took the initiative to go there, not trying to hurt anyone, but just giving a blow, making it known that we are not soft.”
“We want the game to be physical. So I think that works in our favor.”
Between two teams that are very similar, with a defense based on size and physical impact, and an attack that is not really flamboyant, this kind of fight was obviously to be expected.
“I think we did what we had to do” explains JB Bickerstaff, whose players did not back down in the face of opposing intimidation, without however overdoing it in their responses. “We marked our territory above all. But we did not let ourselves be trapped. We continued to play good basketball – sharing the ball, executing what we wanted to do. I think that was their intention: to try to disrupt our game. And our players didn't take the bait.”
We will have to continue to do so, because the Magic have no intention of changing their approach.
“We love it all. We are a team of tough guys. We want the game to be physical. So I think that works in our favor.” concludes Cole Anthony, who still recognizes that Cleveland responded in the field during Game 1. “They brought physicality. I think we're honestly the more physical team, and I think we need to capitalize on that more. But hey, the last match showed that it’s a league where everything depends on skill.”
The physical impact cannot fully compensate for the clumsiness, when you shoot at only 33% (28/86) including 22% (8/37) behind the 3-point line, and 63% (19/30 ) on free throws…
