Chapter 415 The situation in the west, historical deviation!
Five minutes into the second quarter, Thunder coach Brooks made a wave of his hand and replaced Dewey on the field.
After five minutes of rest, these two young people had returned to full physical fitness.
Coupled with Harden, who was in excellent condition, the Thunder began to stage a youthful storm in the next few minutes.
First, Durant faced the defense at the top of the arc and hit a catch-and-shoot three-pointer.
Then, Westbrook went one-on-one with Parker, got inside and caused a foul on the Spurs, and made two free throws.
The eldest brother and second brother have both contributed, so the third brother Harden is naturally unwilling to be left alone.
He used the pick-and-roll to get to the free throw line, attracting a double-team from the Spurs.
Just when people thought Harden had nowhere to escape, the bearded golfer flicked his wrist and made a no-look pass to Ibaka who was ambushing on the baseline.
The latter jumped up, caught the basketball in the air, and slammed the ball into the basket...
"bang!"
A powerful and heavy one-handed dunk helped the Thunder launch a 7:0 shock wave, and the point difference between the two teams further widened.
Not only that, the morale of the young Thunder team has greatly increased after this small climax.
In the subsequent games, both on the offensive and defensive ends, the boys were very excited and even more engaged than at the beginning.
The Spurs have been trying to interrupt the Thunder's rhythm.
But once young people gain momentum, it is very difficult to suppress them.
At least in this game, the Spurs didn't do it.
At the end of the first half, the Thunder led the Spurs by 20 points, 70:50.
In the second half of the game, the Spurs adjusted their strategy and began to try more three-pointers.
As a result, their offensive efficiency has indeed improved.
But back to the defensive end, the Spurs still had no good way to defeat the Thunder's three young men, so the point difference did not narrow much.
After the third quarter, the score became 93:78, and the Thunder entered the final quarter with a 15-point advantage.
It can be said that the balance of victory has tipped towards this young team from Oklahoma.
ESPN broadcaster A-Smith commented:
"The team defense that the Spurs are proud of seems to be ineffective in the face of the super personal abilities of the Thunder teenagers."
"There is a saying circulating in the NBA - the first game of the series is just a test for the two teams."
"But we all know that if the upper team loses the first game, it means that the home advantage they have worked so hard to gain in 82 regular season games will disappear. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the players' mentality."
"The Spurs have rich experience and may be able to minimize such impact, but they definitely cannot have no impact at all."
"Of course, the game is not over yet, they still have 12 minutes to give it a try in desperate situations!"
Watch Parker in good times, Duncan in bad times, and Ginobili in bad times - this is a saying often said by Spurs fans.
And now, it is a desperate moment.
Amidst the constant calls, Ginobili really stood up!
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game once again entered the transition period.
For the Thunder, the two young men took a break, and Harden once again took on the responsibility of leading the team.
As for the Spurs, Parker and Ginobili appeared together.
............
Thunder offense.
Harden holds the ball at the top of the arc and directs his teammates to move.
Soon, Ibaka followed the tactics and set up a cover.
The simplest pick-and-roll tactic, the Thunder tried it repeatedly today.
Especially the pick-and-roll between Harden and Ibaka, the Spurs had almost nothing to do.
But this time, it was Ginobili who defended Deng.
Demon Sword noticed Ibaka's arrival early with his peripheral vision and moved ahead to seize a favorable position.
As Harden stepped around the screen, Ginobili took a sudden sideways step.
Ibaka wanted to help his teammates block the defender, so he subconsciously turned his shoulders slightly.
Naturally, he came into physical contact with the moving Ginobili.
The next moment, the demon knife flew out...
The distance he "flyed", the screams were loud, and the pain on his expression made it seem as if he was not hit by Ibaka but attacked by a truck.
"Beep!"
The buzzer sounded and the Thunder fouled on the screen.
Ginobili was lying on the ground. After seeing the referee's penalty, the corners of his mouth secretly raised for a moment, and then changed back to a look of pain.
A complete set of acting.
Pampas Demon Sword knows this well!
With the support of his teammates, Ginobili got up with difficulty and came to the baseline to catch the ball.
10 seconds later, he turned into a bolt of lightning and went straight into the Thunder penalty area. He faced Ibaka's defense and succeeded in a layup.
93:80, the Spurs slightly narrowed the point difference.
Ginobili silently clenched his fists to cheer himself up.
Not far away, Harden had a complicated expression.
During the transition between offense and defense, Brother Deng held the ball in singles at the top of the arc.
After a series of dazzling dribbling "stews", he successfully swayed Ginobili and headed towards the Spurs' hinterland.
I saw Brother Deng holding the ball with his straight arm, and suddenly raised it in the process.
McDyess, who was defending seriously, snapped and was hit by Harden.
McDyess has been in the league for many years, and this is the first time he has been "violated" by an offensive player on defense.
But before he had time to react, Harden jumped up with a look of pain on his face, and then threw the ball to the basket...
"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle again, but this time it was for a defensive foul on the Spurs.
McDyess looked confused. He spread his hands and looked at his teammates and then at the referee.
No one responded to him.
Ginobili on the side looked solemn.
[What a good guy! He is a man of the same mind! He is so young and has such skill, and his method of making fouls is also unique. Heroes come from young!]
Yaodao sighed in his heart.
Harden smiled slightly, stood on the free throw line, and made two free throws.
During the transition between offense and defense, Parker passed the half court with the ball.
He took advantage of his speed to pass the defender, get inside and score the ball.
Ginobili caught the ball from the outside and shot...
The basketball left his fingertips and spun at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
95:83, the score difference is still more than ten points.
One minute later, the Spurs completed a wonderful defense.
Through excellent rotation, they forced the Thunder to make a hasty shot at the last moment of 24 seconds.
After the basketball bounced out of the basket, McDyess took off the backboard.
The Spurs took advantage of the situation and launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, Ginobili flicked his wrist and hit Parker with a long pass.
The latter turned into a sharp knife and struck straight into the heart of Thunder.
He turned around without slowing down, passed Sefolosha neatly, and then made a layup!
95:85.
The point difference is only 10 points.
At this time, just 2 minutes had passed in the fourth quarter.
10 minutes, 10 points difference.
The Spurs generals see hope of a comeback!
At the same time, Thunder coach Brooks turned and looked at the bench.
Young Master Dewey stood up at the same time.
After the three people exchanged glances, Brooks immediately signaled to the technical desk for a substitution.
Soon, with the opportunity of a dead ball, Dewey came on the stage again.
In the following games, the Thunder once again took the absolute initiative.
Under the joint attack of the three young men, the Spurs' aging defense lost sight of one thing and lost ground after another.
Even if Ginobili and Duncan hit difficult goals several times, it was difficult to stop the decline.
When the red light on the timer came on, the score of the two teams was fixed at 121:107.
The Thunder won Game 1 of the series at AT&T Arena!
After the game, the Thunder's young players hugged and celebrated on the court.
Every player's face is full of joy and excitement.
At the same time, the Rockets generals far away in Houston also finished watching the game and began to make final summaries.
"The strength shown by the Thunder is indeed much stronger than expected. But this is the first game, and we don't know who will win."
"But we have to put the Thunder into the scope of observation in the future. They are the kind of team that can burst out with amazing energy."
Mark Jackson looked at the page full of notes and analyzed.
The players nodded after hearing this.
"It's normal for Durant to be unable to guard against this. There are not many wings in the league who can limit him."
"The problem is that the Spurs' back line, Parker and George Hill, are just giving away when they meet Russell (Westbrook)."
"Hill is better. When Parker meets Russell on the defensive end, it's basically like a cash machine."
Lowry added.
"Let's see how the Spurs adjust."
"I hope they can help us find an effective defensive plan, and we can reap the benefits."
Yao Ming said with a smile.
Why do NBA teams have to strive for the top spot in the regular season?
In addition to the home court advantage, another big advantage is that you can play weaker opponents in the first round.
In this way, you can retain your strength as much as possible without showing all your "trunk cards".
In the fourth and fifth games, the two teams are similar in strength. If they want to advance, they must use all their abilities.
This means that even if you pass the risk, many of your tactics and your team's strengths and weaknesses will be exposed.
Sometimes even the weaknesses of core players and how to target them will be thoroughly studied.
In this way, the opponents in the next round are equivalent to taking an open-book exam and can prepare reference answers in advance!
"That's the truth, let's just let them fight until the sky is dark."
Lori nodded in agreement.
"Okay, it's getting late. Let's clean up and go back to rest."
"Have a half day off tomorrow and gather in the video analysis room in the evening."
After saying that, Mark Jackson closed the notebook.
After the Rockets player left, his phone suddenly rang with a text message alert.
When I opened it, I saw that it was information about my boss.
"The Spurs have no hope of advancing, study the Thunder."
Shen Fei's words were concise and to the point, and he directly gave Mark Jackson a conclusion.
[Good guy...]
Mark Jackson couldn't help but be surprised.
There was only one game in the series, and the two teams were evenly matched, and they fought fiercely until the last quarter...
Even the most experienced scouts would not dare to come to such a firm conclusion!
If anyone else said this, Mark Jackson would just laugh it off or refute it as being arbitrary and radical.
But this is a text message from Shen Fei...
Mark Jackson wanted to persuade himself to question, but his finger was placed on the screen and he didn't press a word.
Obviously, deep down in his heart, he already believed the conclusion given by Shen Fei.
"Okay, who told you to be Shen Fei?"
Mark Jackson muttered to himself, then opened his notebook and marked the page where the Thunder information was recorded with an asterisk.
............
Shen Fei never comes to conclusions easily.
The reason why he believes that the Spurs cannot pass the Thunder is mainly based on the additional information of the time traveler.
Shen Fei clearly remembers that in the original time and space, the Spurs were the top team in the Western Conference in the 10-11 season.
But they unexpectedly lost to the Grizzlies in the series.
Although the Grizzlies are very strong, the Spurs' upset exit was more due to their own reasons.
Among the team's core g.d.p., Duncan and Parker are both injured, and the team lacks new generation strength, which is the main reason for their defeat.
(Two years later, Duncan, who had returned to health, led the Spurs and eliminated the Grizzlies 4:0 in the series, killing every game.)
In other words, the Spurs may not be able to display even 70% of their strength this season.
How can we defeat the rising Thunder team in such a state?
This is why Shen Fei dares to draw such a decisive conclusion!
[Have the Lakers also finished their game? Take a look...]
Shen Fei clicked on the web page.
The title that caught my eye was: "Unstoppable! Kobe scores 42 points, Lakers beat Nuggets at home."
Clicking on the details page, Shen Fei discovered a detail from the report—Kobe Bryant made 10 of 12 free throws.
This means that he should kill the inside several times and draw fouls.
In the original time and space, Kobe suffered from a serious knee injury this season, his breakthrough ability was almost zero, and he could only rely on shooting to output firepower.
"The wheels of history are heading in different directions..."
Shen Fei murmured.
If Kobe is healthy, this year's Lakers will actually be very strong.
So, if the Mavericks meet them in the second round, they will definitely not be able to take advantage.
There will definitely be a big battle between the two teams!
"The situation is getting more and more interesting..."
Shen Fei murmured with a smile.
After that, he checked his cell phone for a while and then went to bed to rest.
Tomorrow morning, Shen Fei has one more important thing to do - meet Sun Yue.
Since the Rockets signed Sun Yue, Shen Fei has not taken the time to meet and communicate with the former.
The purpose of the meeting was also very simple, which was to tell Sun Yue that the Rockets would reuse him in the future, not just because of his Chinese nationality.
............
In the early morning of the next day, Shen Fei got up very early and drove to the training hall.
As soon as you enter the door, you can hear the sound of dribbling one after another.
In addition to Sun Yue, young people such as Curry, George, and Griffin have all chosen to practice extra.
"Young people are still very motivated."
Shen Fei sighed.
Soon, everyone noticed Shen Fei's arrival.
Everyone paused their training and said hello.
"Boss!"
"Good morning, manager!"
"Boss, I've come up with a new dunk action. Do you want to come and compare it with me?"
Finally this has attracted Shen Fei's attention.
He looked around and saw that the person speaking was neither Griffin nor George, but Stephen Curry.
Shen Fei couldn't help laughing.
In his previous life, Golden State LaVine was famous all over the world.
In this time and space, Curry has not yet made contact with the "dunk general".
"Next time, I will discuss dunking with you next time."
Shen Fei said with a smile.
Then he motioned for everyone to continue training, and he walked towards the court where Sun Yue was.
"Boss!"
When Sun Yue saw Shen Fei coming, he quickly said hello.
"How's it going? Are you still getting used to it after coming to the Rockets?"
Shen Fei asked with a smile.
"fine."
"Brother Yao and Brother Yi often give me guidance, and I also got a lot of playing time in the Development League."
Sun Yue replied.
"Ah That's good."
"I'm looking for you today mainly because I want to talk to you about the contract."
"You are currently signing a two-way contract, which will expire at the end of the season. Do you have any career plans for the future? Do you want to stay with the Rockets?"
Shen Fei asked.
"I..."
Sun Yue originally wanted to express his desire to stay in the team, but as he spoke, he worried that he was overestimating his abilities.
After all, he hasn't played well in the Development League recently.
Sun Yue felt that Shen Fei probably knew about his performance and might have come to persuade him to quit today.
We are all from China, so it would be a bit embarrassing to be laid off.
"I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to stay on the team..."
Sun Yue thought about it again and again, and said helplessly.
"You didn't hear my question clearly."
"I asked you if you wanted to stay in the team, I didn't ask you about your abilities."
Shen Fei corrected.
"???"
Sun Yue looked at Shen Fei with confusion.
After reacting, he said firmly: "I think so!"
"Then I need you to fully cooperate with my training arrangements in the next offseason."
Shen Fei continued.
"Training schedule? No problem! As long as you can stay in the NBA, it doesn't matter if you practice in the training hall every day until you vomit!"
Sun Yue quickly assured.
"That's not necessary."
"Okay, your attitude is enough. During the playoffs, you can follow the team and feel more about the atmosphere of the game."
"Next season, you will get a lot of playing time."
Shen Fei said lightly.
After hearing this, Sun Yue still couldn't believe it, but still nodded firmly.
After that, the two chatted for a while, and Shen Fei left the arena.
............
In the evening, the playoffs continue.
The Heat were at home and defeated the Pacers again.
The Mavericks also maintained their good form in the previous game and also defeated the Hornets.
After seeing the two major opponents gain a 2:0 advantage, the Rockets generals are also sharpening their knives, waiting for a second battle with the Grizzlies!