After Ibaka passed the ball to Durant beside him, KD took up his long legs and rushed towards the Spurs half court.
Ginobili returned to defense at full speed, always keeping his body between Durant and the basket.
But what Ling Yaodao didn't expect was that KD dribbled outside the three-point line and instead of hitting the basket, he shot a chasing three-pointer!
The basketball left kd's fingertips and spun at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
5:2, the Thunder took the lead.
Spurs attack.
Parker used the screen to pass Westbrook.
After getting to the basket, he faced Perkins' defense and hit a layup with an underhand shot, causing the latter to foul.
Two points scored, plus a penalty!
This ball was like a muffler, making the noisy arena instantly quiet.
But...it was only quiet for a moment.
When Parker stepped to the free throw line, he was greeted with deafening boos.
The little French sports car took a deep breath and took two more moves before slowly taking action...
"Shua~"
5:5, the two teams tied.
After changing sides, Durant caught the ball in the elbow area and assumed a triple threat posture.
Jefferson lowered his center of gravity, opened his hands, and stood ready.
"You can't guard against me."
Durant said some trash talk lightly, and then pulled out his hand in front of Jefferson.
Jefferson was shocked and quickly reached out to interfere, but to no avail.
The basketball hits the net!
5:7.
In the subsequent game, the two sides went back and forth, refusing to give in to each other, and the game reached a deadlock.
With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the two teams were tied at 25.
At this time, the coaches of both sides dispatched substitutes to play.
The Spurs are left with Parker to lead the team, while the Thunder are led by Harden.
In the next few minutes, Harden performed well, effectively connecting his teammates and helping the Thunder gradually establish their lead.
The Spurs, on the other hand, were in a scoring drought. All the substitute players were unable to make any contribution, and only Parker was struggling to support them.
After the first quarter, the score was fixed at 33:29, with the Thunder leading by 4 points.
After the start of the second quarter, Thunder coach Brooks replaced Westbrook and let Harden, who had played the entire quarter, take a rest.
On the sidelines, Popovich saw that Westbrook was about to play, so he immediately removed Parker and replaced him with Ginobili.
Seeing the Spurs making such decisive substitution adjustments, all the Rockets players watching the game laughed.
"Popovich has understood that Russell has a certain restraint relationship with Parker."
Lori said with a smile.
"Whether it is size or explosive power, Russell is the better one. When Parker plays against him, the advantages cannot be brought out, and the shortcomings are exposed. It is better to let George Hill play against Russell.
Parker conserves his energy and uses it in more appropriate places."
Tony Allen analyzed carefully.
"This strategy is our China's 'Tian Ji Horse Racing'. I will chat with you someday when I have time."
"You have to call me Teacher Yao then."
Yao Ming was in a good mood tonight and said jokingly.
"I always feel that...the Spurs will be very difficult to win this game."
"They scored a lot of points, but the offense looked very laborious. On the contrary, the Thunder can get good opportunities with three passes and two leads."
McGrady held his chin with his right hand and said while watching the ball carefully.
"I feel the same way. Let me tell you a guess based on my own observations...Duncan actually went into battle injured!"
"Although the Spurs do not have him on the injury list, it can be seen from several attacks in the first quarter that Duncan's movement is not smooth and the speed is slower than before. I think the Spurs may have concealed the illness.
To prevent the injured Duncan from being targeted by the Thunder."
"With injuries to the core of the team, the Spurs have lost their strongest point, and it is understandable that the game has become difficult. However... no matter how difficult the game is, they will fight until the end."
Mark Jackson said.
After he finished speaking, the Rockets generals suddenly understood.
"Bah bang bang!"
"As expected of a coach! He sees more than us."
Lori smiled and clapped.
The smile on his face was still warm and innocent.
Immediately afterwards, everyone applauded one after another.
Mark Jackson smiled slightly, hiding his merit and fame.
In fact, he had not noticed that Duncan was injured before.
The reason why I was able to express my guess just now was actually due to Shen Fei.
Shen Fei previously asserted that the Rockets would meet the Thunder in the second round. Although Mark Jackson immediately started researching the Thunder, he still couldn't help being curious and asked Shen Fei the reason.
"Duncan is injured, but he hides it very well. If you don't believe me, watch his every move carefully in the next game."
Shen Fei said.
With this mission in mind, Mark Jackson always paid attention to Duncan's movements when watching the game today.
As expected, Shi Buddha's lateral movement when assisting in defense and his speed when attacking in the low post were slightly slower than before.
But I have to say that Duncan hid his injuries very well, and you really can’t tell without looking carefully.
Therefore, while enjoying the applause of the team members, Mark Jackson once again lamented Shen Fei's "magnificent powers" in his heart.
[With such observation skills, it would be a shame not to be a scout!]
Mark Jackson sighed.
............
While several people were talking, the second quarter had been fiercely fought for several minutes.
I originally thought that after Westbrook came on the court, he could lead the Thunder to pursue the victory and further expand the score.
Who would have thought that the attack led by Turtle would yield no results for three consecutive rounds.
Among them, two were his zombie jumpers and the other was a mistake.
The Spurs took the opportunity to catch up and even the difference.
After the two teams drew, Westbrook calmed down from the excitement and began to patiently sort out the team's offense.
The second quarter lasted about 4 minutes, and the two teams were tied at 40.
Taking advantage of a dead ball opportunity, the Thunder replaced Durant and the Spurs replaced Duncan.
kd performed well immediately after coming on the court.
He first singled out Ginobili from outside the three-point line and succeeded in a mid-range jumper.
Then, the Spurs' backup shooting guard, Gary Neal, hit a three-pointer, and the Thunder launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, Durant rushed into the heart of the Spurs.
After taking one step inside the free throw line, he jumped up high, "smashed Huashan" and dunked!
This is not over yet!
In the next round, Durant, who was going crazy, dribbled the ball through half court and directly faced the defender and shot a three-pointer...
The basketball draws a rainbow-like arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
In less than two minutes, Durant scored three goals in a row and scored 7 points!
On the other hand, for the Spurs, Duncan did not perform too well after coming on the court.
Facing Ibaka's defense, he had a very difficult time.
In three low-post attacks, Duncan only had one chance to get to the free throw line, and the other two ended in failure.
As one goes and the other goes, the point difference between the two teams naturally widens.
At the end of the second quarter, the score between the two teams was fixed at 60:50, with the Thunder taking a double-digit lead.
In the second half of the game, the Spurs fought back.
Whenever they would close the point difference to 5 points, the Thunder's three young men would step forward and use simple and direct singles to widen the point difference again.
After this situation happened several times, the Spurs' morale gradually dissipated.
At the end of the third quarter, the Thunder extended their lead to 15 points.
In the last quarter, the struggling Spurs burst out with a final wave of energy.
Duncan endured a foot injury and defeated Ibaka in four consecutive rounds.
Such a performance directly changed the Thunder's defensive strategy - they began to double-team Duncan!
As a result, the Spurs' offense instantly opened up the situation.
Gary Neal and Ginobili hit three-pointers successively, and the point difference between the two teams was once close to 3 points.
At the critical moment, Durant stepped forward again.
He starts with the ball directly from the backcourt.
After passing half court, Durant signaled for his teammates to pull away, and then launched an attack on Ginobili.
I saw him dribbling the ball from his hips to his left hand, then blasting the ball with his left hand, letting the ball float in the air while his body's center of gravity was slightly lowered.
This posture can not only connect the shot, but also serve as the starting point for breakthrough.
Ginobili felt like he was facing a formidable enemy, moving in small steps, ready to deal with it at any time.
The next moment, Durant pulled a green onion from dry land and shot a three-pointer...
"Shua~"
Hit!
One-on-one, Yan. Shoots a three-pointer!
Durant's offensive choices make no sense at all!
Ginobili, who was guarding him, had a look of despair after seeing the basketball fall into the net.
The Chesapeake Energy Stadium also turned into a sea of joy the moment the ball was scored!
I don’t know which fan took the lead, and the scene began to shout slogans uniformly——
"mvp!!!"
"mvp!!!"
"mvp!!!"
...
Amidst this deafening sound, Westbrook suddenly exerted force on the defensive end and cut off the basketball from Parker's hand.
During the counterattack, he selflessly passed the ball to Durant who followed up, allowing the latter to complete a wonderful dunk amidst the cheers of the audience!
After Durant scored 5 points in a row, the point difference between the two teams also changed from 3 points to 8 points.
At this time, there was less than one minute left before the end of the game.
The Spurs are in danger!
In the next round, the Spurs' offense was organized by Ginobili.
After covering with Duncan, he chose a difficult step-back three-point shot.
Durant raised his long arm high, effectively blocking the demon sword's sight...
"Duang!"
The ball hit the front edge of the basket and bounced out.
At this point, the game has completely lost its suspense.
In the end, the Thunder sat at home and defeated the Spurs 120:110, successfully winning the fourth game of the series.
The total score of the two teams has also reached 3:1. The Thunder are only one step away from advancing!
............
"How was it? How did you feel after reading it?"
Mark Jackson turned off the TV and turned around and asked.
"Those three of the Thunder have improved so fast. I even think Durant is much better now than he was in the first game of the series."
Lowry was the first to speak, as always.
"Kevin, Russell, and James are all very talented and have different styles. The Thunder management can select three such outstanding young people in a few years...ah!"
Tony Allen said, trying to touch his chin with his right hand, but the result was close contact between the plaster and his face.
"I'm afraid their vision can compare with our boss."
Teacher Tony finished speaking painfully.
"The three of them are indeed very strong, but currently, the most troublesome one is Durant."
"Everyone thinks, who should guard him and how is the most appropriate way to guard him?"
Mark Jackson asked the second question.
"Me." George immediately raised his hand: "I'll guard against him."
His tone was firm, and there was no timidity in his eyes, only the will to fight!
"I can also defend against it."
Tucker also raised his hand.
Also raising his hand at the same time as him was Danny Green.
"I..."
Tony Allen also raised his hands tremblingly.
Mark Jackson's eyes widened and he quickly let go.
"I can take precautions when necessary."
Maddie said calmly.
The team has many forward defensive resources. As the team's offensive core, he does not need to take on too heavy defensive tasks.
"Okay, you can all guard against it, so how can you tell me how to guard against it?"
Mark Jackson continued to ask.
"I think the most important thing is not to let Kevin get into the rhythm of shooting. Once you get him into the rhythm and finish the shot comfortably, even if the ball is blocked in the face, he can shoot it for you."
Tony Allen said seriously.
"So, physical confrontation is absolutely essential."
"Kevin has excellent shooting ability, but he is not a shooter after all. After a game, he won't catch and shoot too many times."
"As long as we can exert enough physical confrontation when he holds the ball to attack, so that he can't get into the rhythm... maybe we can restrict Kevin!"
Paul George followed Tony Allen's words and continued.
"I support Paul's point of view. Kevin is very confident in his dribbling, but in the final analysis, he is a forward with a height of nearly 2.1 meters, and his center of gravity when dribbling is naturally high."
"When we are defending him, we don't have to worry too much about being passed. We must boldly attack him and don't let him make moves calmly."
pj Tucker said.
Everyone's speeches can basically be summed up in three words - upper body.
"Okay, since everyone has the same idea, let's simulate it during training tomorrow."
"Tracy, I'll ask you to imitate Kevin's playing style when the time comes."
Mark Jackson said with a smile.
"Okay, no problem."
Maddie agreed immediately.
In his opinion, as long as he can win, he is willing to cooperate with any training method.
Mark Jackson nodded and said, "Okay, that's a happy decision. It's getting late. Let's go back and rest."
............
It is worth mentioning that while the Rockets players are still studying their opponents in the next round, fans are in full swing on major social platforms discussing their performance in the first round!