"I didn't expect that the opponent would be the Lakers instead of the Spurs." Durant looked at the Heat's bench opposite, with a serious look on his face. In comparison, the Thunder might prefer to meet the Spurs.
In the past two years, the Thunder has the advantage in the history of the two teams' confrontations. In the four meetings between the two teams in the regular season this season, the Thunder won all four games. From this point of view, the Thunder have a psychological advantage. And in the 2012 Western Conference Finals of the playoffs, the Thunder also defeated the Spurs 4-2.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, the entire league now knows that they are the most difficult team to play against. The Lakers, who came back from 3-0 down, have completed a transformation. The Lakers seem to have regained the confidence and resilience they had during the dynasty. This can be seen from the 4-0 sweep of the Trail Blazers. This Lakers is like the Purple and Gold Dynasty back then. Once they enter the playoffs, they will aim for the championship. Who will I choose
However, the Thunder are not a soft persimmon like the Trail Blazers. Dewey, who is in great form this year, is enough to compete with the Heat's Big Three.
The Thunder's regular season record is 59 wins and 23 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference behind the Spurs, and also ranked second in the entire league. In comparison, the Pacers, who are first in the Eastern Conference, have 56 wins and 26 losses, and the Heat, who are second in the Eastern Conference, have 54 wins and 28 losses, both of which are not as good as the Thunder. In addition, the competition in the Western Conference has been very fierce in the past few years, so the records of Western Conference teams are obviously more valuable.
Durant is in great shape this year. Although Westbrook suffered injuries and was out for half a season, he played even harder after returning. Compared with last season, Ibaka's statistics have improved comprehensively. Even on par with Bosh. The Big Three of the Thunder have basically taken shape.
However, the Thunder had some bad luck. In the last game against the Clippers, Ibaka was pulled by Paul and seemed to sprain his knee. Then he returned to the locker room with an unknown injury. However, Ibaka has always been an "iron man" and the Thunder are playing at home. Even if he is injured, Ibaka will appear injured.
In the Thunder's starting lineup, Sefolosha is a relatively insignificant player, but judging from the data, he may not be worthy of a starting position. But his wing defensive efficiency is definitely among the top five in the league. With the second Shao on the court, the Thunder do not lack firepower. It is indeed a better choice to have a defensive hero on the court.
Perkins, the Thunder's starting center, became a loophole on the court when facing the Lakers.
Perkins is a very strong low-post defender. He played an indispensable role in the Celtics' championship. At that time, Perkins could stand up to any big man in the league, including Howard, who was in full swing on the Magic. , or Bynum, who has not been eliminated, has suffered losses at the hands of Perkins.
Whether it's against the Grizzlies' Black and White Bears, Rockets' Howard, or Clippers' Jordan Griffin, Perkins can play a very good role, but facing the run-and-gun Lakers, Perkins Si has almost no effect because he can't run.
Perkins has gained a lot of weight in recent years. For this kind of player, gaining weight means running slower and being unable to jump. The current Perkins can't retreat quickly enough, the offense is non-existent, and the defensive range has been reduced. Apart from being a human shield, he has almost no effect. This kind of player is indeed very intimidating on the defensive end in positional battles, but in a run-and-gun game, what's the use of having a human shield defensive player
Perkins played only five minutes before being replaced by rookie Adams. Compared with Perkins, Adams' athletic ability is much stronger.
Caron Butler and veteran Fisher also performed very well in the first match between the two sides. Although Fisher was a defensive hole, he opened up three-pointers. He made four of five three-pointers in the game, which gave the Thunder a lot of firepower.
On the other hand, the Lakers' players' touch was relatively average. Perhaps it was because they had rested for too long during the 4-0 sweep of the Trail Blazers, and the players were a little out of shape.
Nick Young didn't bring his neurosurgery today and ended up shooting 1 of 9 from the field; Gasol also had a poor touch and was severely restricted by Ibaka on the offensive end; Wesley Johnson, Meeks, Bazemore, Jordan Hill, Farmar and others also performed averagely.
In the first game, the Lakers lost the game 105-122. The two young men worked together to score 60 points, turning Zhang Guan's 35 points into nothing.
However, in the second game, the Lakers' condition finally recovered, and at least the players' feel became normal.
This game was very close, and the two sides even went into overtime. In the end, Zhang Guan took away the Thunder with a buzzer beater, making the total score 1-1.
Not getting two wins at home is not good news for the Thunder. They will go to Los Angeles next. The current Staples Arena is a devilish trip for the visiting team, especially for the Thunder.
The Thunder eliminated the Clippers in their last game to advance, and the Clippers are also a Los Angeles team, so when the Thunder visited again, the fans in Los Angeles shared the same hatred.
Back at home, the Lakers are obviously determined to win. Their goal is to win two games and gain match point in this series. The Thunder's second youngster will not let the Lakers get what they want. If the Lakers win two consecutive games, the total score will become 3-1. There have only been 8 comebacks in 3-1 situations in history.
However, Staples Center has become the most difficult home court in the league to conquer. The Lakers have accumulated a wealth of experience over the years that other teams cannot match, let alone a Lakers team that has the potential to win the championship.
In the third game of the series, held in Los Angeles, the collective performance of the Thunder's players was somewhat inaccurate. Although the second Shao's statistics were still good, his shooting percentage was lower than usual and he made more mistakes than usual. In this game, the Thunder's second youngster took a rest after three quarters. The Thunder played the entire fourth quarter with a full bench lineup, but Reggie Jackson scored the highest score among the Thunder.
The final score was that the Lakers defeated the Thunder 112 to 81. A score difference of more than 30 points is relatively rare in the playoffs. Especially in the Western Conference Finals, a 30-point difference is even rarer. .
In this game, the Thunder lost miserably, but they were also building up their strength for the fourth game. The Thunder's second young coach left the game early to better adjust themselves for a counterattack in the next game.
Sure enough, in the fourth game between the two sides, the Thunder's two young men both performed at a divine level. Both played more than 45 minutes, and their shooting percentages remained above 50%. In the end, Westbrook scored 40 points and 10 assists. In a double-double, Durant had 39 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The Thunder defeated 115 to 109 and won a difficult away game.
In the first four games, the Thunder and the Lakers tied 2-2. Next is the crucial battle at Tianwangshan, and the game will be held at the Thunder's home court.
…
"Durant, three-pointer, unfortunately, he didn't make it."
"Westbrook, layup, almost made it!"
At the Ford Center Arena, the Thunder fans all looked anxious. In today's game, neither Durant nor Westbrook was accurate! Durant's shooting percentage reached 40%, but he only made 1 of 6 three-pointers; Westbrook was even worse, his shooting percentage was not even 35%.
This is the biggest problem of a dual-core team. If two superstars are together, they can basically win if they perform normally. One of them can win if he performs well, let alone if both of them perform well. But if neither of them is accurate, they will definitely lose.
For a long time, most NBA teams were built with a dual-core mentality, and it was not uncommon for two superstars to win championships together. However, the shortcomings of dual-core are also very obvious, so the Big Three model appeared later. Three star players are gathered together. Even if two of them are not good at playing, there is still a third person who can provide guaranteed firepower.
The Thunder's second young man can be said to be the most powerful offensive combination in the league. In many cases, the Heat's three giants combined may not score as much as the Thunder's second young man. The Thunder also rely heavily on the second young man's scoring ability. Other players only need Just be defensive. Today, the second young master felt cold at the same time, and the Thunder instantly lost its main source of scoring. Although the defense was still very strong, they just couldn't score, and naturally fell behind in the score.
In this game, the statistics of the second young master are still very good. Durant has a big double-double with 31 points and 15 rebounds. Westbrook has 34 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. However, the two men have taken close to 70 shots in total. , and the entire Thunder team only took 85 shots in total. The second young master occupies a large amount of the ball, but his shooting rate is not high, which means he wastes a lot of shooting opportunities.
The final score was 107. The Thunder lost the game at home, and the Lakers got the match point.
…
May 31, Los Angeles, Staples Center, Game 6 between the Lakers and Thunder.
There were only five minutes left in the game. Durant looked at the score with a look of despair in his eyes.
The current score is 111 to 93. The Lakers are already 18 points behind, and the Lakers are still holding the ball.
The ball was passed to Gasol, who made a hook layup and scored the ball. The score became 113 to 93 points, and the point difference was widened to 20 points.
There are only five minutes left before the end of the game. It is impossible for Durant to catch up with the 20-point gap in five minutes.
"Are we going to stop in the Western Conference Finals again?" Durant sighed. He had already lost his fighting spirit.
Westbrook next to him seemed to be a stubborn little donkey who refused to admit defeat. Although he was 20 points behind, he was still working hard.
In a pick-and-roll, Zhang Guan faced Durant.
At this time, Durant was already a little angry about losing, and he was spewing a lot of trash talk.
Trash talk is also a part of NBA games. In terms of trash talk, Durant is also top-notch. Big talkers like Draymond Green have personally admitted that Durant's trash talk is better than his own.
However, Zhang Guan didn't take it seriously. He smiled at Durant and suddenly asked: "Kevin, are you interested in coming to Los Angeles to play?"
"What did you say?" Durant was stunned for a moment. He thought Zhang Guan was going to talk trash in return, but he didn't expect Zhang Guan to ask this question.
"Kobe's contract will expire in 2016, and your contract will also expire in 2016. How about coming to Los Angeles after your contract ends? Los Angeles needs a new king to replace Kobe!" Zhang Guan continued.
"Replace Kobe? The new king of Los Angeles!" Durant suddenly felt at a loss.
Los Angeles has unparalleled attraction for players. For some nightclub barbers, Los Angeles is simply paradise; and for some big-name stars, Los Angeles can also bring them more wealth, not to mention the Lakers. A team with good foundation can replace Kobe and become the new king of the Lakers, which is very attractive to a star like Durant.
Of course, for Durant, he will also consider whether the team has the ability to win the championship. If it is a bad team, Durant will definitely not go. And if they also have the potential to win the championship, the Lakers will definitely be Durant's first choice.
Zhang Guan's words are not without purpose. He knows that the future Lakers will become a big tragedy. They have been bad for several years in a row. Although they got several lottery picks and two second place picks, they selected some relatively poor rookies. . Because the team's record is so bad, stars are reluctant to come to the Lakers.
For a team like the Lakers, it is indeed more appropriate to directly sign big names than to train players yourself.
Today, Zhang Guan wants to plant a seed in Durant's heart. Zhang Guan believes that with the appeal of the Lakers, as long as they can put together a championship-winning lineup, Durant will have a great chance of joining in two years. Lakers.
…
The score was finally settled at 120 to 113. The Lakers only scored 7 points in the last five minutes, but their previous lead was too great. Although the Thunder scored a crazy 20 points, it was still difficult to restore the defeat.
"We won! We won!" The fans at the scene were in jubilation.
After four years, the Lakers reached the finals again, and their opponent was naturally the Miami Heat, which had won two consecutive championships.
…
Miami, AmericanAirlines Arena, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
No, team player Sloan hit a three-pointer, and the score became 92 to 117. At this time, the sound of the end of the game sounded.
The Pacers lost, and in terms of total score, they also lost to the Miami Heat 2-4.
Last year's Eastern Conference finals were also held between these two teams. At that time, the Pacers caused a lot of trouble to the Heat. The winner was decided in the seventh game. At that time, the biggest contributor to the Pacers' ability to resist the Heat was power center Hibbert.
Last year, Hibbert was hailed as the "LeBron" terminator. He averaged 22.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game against the Heat, which overwhelmed the Heat inside. However, the Heat's weakness inside was a problem in front of the Pacers. It was also completely exposed, and many people even felt that if the Heat were sitting inside with a top traditional center, the Heat would have lost long ago.
However, in an era when traditional centers are in decline, Hibbert can be regarded as a general who emerged from the cripple.
In this year's playoffs, when people expected Hibbert to continue to destroy the Heat, he was not as good as before, averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. For the Heat, the threat was no longer as good as before.
Therefore, the Heat defeated the Pacers relatively easily and advanced to the finals.
In the locker room, James, Wade and Bosh gathered together.
"I really didn't expect that the finals would be against the Lakers. I thought it would be the Spurs or the Thunder. The Clippers are more likely than the Lakers!" Wade said.
"No, this year's Lakers are not easy to deal with. They were able to enter the playoffs despite being at such a disadvantage, and faced the Spurs with another 0-3 comeback. We can't take it lightly," Bosh said.
James didn't seem to hear the conversation between the two, but sighed to himself, "Six years, time flies so fast, in the blink of an eye, it's been six years!"
When Wade and Bosh heard this, their expressions became solemn at the same time. Both of them knew what James was referring to by six years.
At the Olympic Games six years ago, the Dream Team came with great momentum, but were defeated by Zhang Guan and lost the Olympic gold medal. At that time, James, Wade and Bosh were all on that team!
"I thought there would be no chance for revenge in the future!" Wade's eyes also flashed with cold light.
"Revenge! That's right, we not only want the championship, we also want revenge!" James murmured to himself.
Thanks to Tang Tang, I am Luo Mi, book friend tail number 5223, Thai old man Zhang, bubble 2016, Ma Yuchen, 〔⌒◎⌒〕, uncle 1983, colorful clay, blue fantasy, the legendary gynecological master , Hunan Army 1 reward!
(End of chapter)