Ibaka and Duncan jumped up at the same time. The former bounced faster, reached the highest point first, and slapped the ball back to his own half.
Thunder strikes first!
Westbrook held the ball through half the court and came to the top of the arc to organize.
Durant ran back, came out from the right side, and opened his hand for the ball.
Westbrook flicked his wrist and quickly passed the ball.
After kd got the ball, he was immediately closely defended, but he took his time and assumed a triple-threat posture. He forced Jefferson back with just one tentative step, and then made a pull-up jumper...
"Shua~"
The basketball hit the net.
2:0, Thunder takes the lead!
Offense and defense transition.
Parker played a pick-and-roll with Duncan at the top of the key.
Wei saw the situation and adopted the strategy of retreating defensively, waiting for Parker to break through behind Duncan.
The two teams have played five consecutive games, and they basically know each other's tactics.
Parker has only two options after the pick-and-roll. One is to go to the penalty area and attack the basket, and the other is to make a jump shot from mid-range.
But no matter which method is used, it all starts with breakthrough.
At this point, Parker and Westbrook are similar.
At this time, when the French sports car saw that Westbrook let him shoot, he decisively shot from outside the three-point line...
"Duang!"
The ball hit the front edge of the basket and bounced out.
The next moment, Duncan relaxed his arms and collected the rebound.
Ibaka, who was next to him, was stuck behind the stone Buddha, and his jumping advantage could not be used at all!
After grabbing the rebound, Duncan made an underhand layup and easily sent the ball into the net.
2:2.
Ibaka quickly retreated outside the baseline and picked up the basketball.
At the same time, Westbrook was already ducking on the wing, ready to take off at any time.
Ibaka waved his hand and threw a long pass towards the Spurs half.
His passing skills are average, the ball was a bit big and the ball was very fast.
If it were an ordinary player, seeing such a pass, they would probably just stand there and watch the ball fly out of bounds.
But the ones in charge are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
I saw Westbrook take three steps followed by two steps, make a diving leap, and pick the ball off in mid-air.
"woo..."
The audience at the scene couldn't help but marvel at Westbrook's difficult save.
After taking control of the ball, Westbrook's front was clear.
"bang!"
Why should a young man dream of reaching for the stars and dare to draw a mulberry bow and shoot at a jade scale?
Westbrook's stunning tomahawk dunk demonstrated his physical fitness to the fullest!
4:2, the Thunder took the lead again.
His dunk also boosted the morale of the Thunder boys.
Looking back, Ibaka used a big shot to defend the penalty area and also win the ball for the team!
The Thunder took advantage of the situation and launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, Durant received a pass from his teammate and shot a cold arrow from outside the three-point line.
The basketball left his fingertips and spun at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
7:2.
The Thunder expanded their lead.
"Beep!"
The whistle sounded and the Spurs requested a timeout.
At this time, the game had just played for more than two minutes.
Calling a timeout in such a short period of time shows how cautious Spurs coach Popovich is.
In this game, he absolutely cannot let the Thunder gain momentum!
............
During the dinner, Popovich started a barrage of bombardments.
The Spurs generals seemed to be used to this kind of treatment and just listened quietly.
After Popovich finished his lecture, he began to lay out tactics.
"Tony, you made the right choice to shoot the three-point shot just now! If they let you shoot again, you must continue to shoot resolutely."
"As long as you take decisive shots, our offensive space can be maintained. Once you give up taking shots, the Thunder can easily shrink the basket without paying any price."
Popovich said seriously.
Parker nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
"Manu, you can be more bold in your passing. Don't worry about making mistakes. When you see an opportunity, you can pass it however you want!"
"You are the best passer in our team, just be yourself boldly!"
Popovich said and patted Ginobili on the shoulder.
Yaodao nodded, indicating that it was wrapped up on him.
"Last point... double-team Durant. If the rest of the Thunder throw us to death, we will accept it."
"The only thing we can't do is make Durant comfortable, do you understand?"
Popovich asked, looking around.
"clear!"
The Spurs generals answered in unison.
............
The timeout ends and the game continues.
After returning to the field, the Spurs played more proactively.
In the first round, Ginobili made a free pass from behind, assisting Jefferson who cut inside to complete a dunk.
7:4.
In the next round, Parker once again played a pick-and-roll with Duncan at the top of the arc.
And Westbrook once again chose to retreat on defense.
When Parker saw this, he didn't hesitate to collect the ball and take action...
"Shua~"
The basketball hits the net!
At 7:7, the Spurs used a 5:0 shock wave to quickly tie the score.
Offense and defense transition.
Westbrook, who had just scored a three-pointer, immediately wanted to get back on the court.
He broke through from a 45-degree angle on the right, and Parker blocked while retreating.
Westbrook suddenly pulled up while walking and made a zombie jumper...
He jumped so high, coupled with his super-fast bounce speed, that the defensive Parker didn't even have a chance to jump to block the shot, so he could only symbolically extend his hand to "interfere."
The ball bounced off the backboard and hit the net!
Shen Fei, who was far away in Houston, couldn't help but sigh after seeing Westbrook's goal: "It's great to be young!"
On the eve of Shen Fei's time travel, Westbrook had already become the target of public criticism in Los Angeles.
Chinese fans affectionately call him the comedian (although this is Westbrook's real dream).
Lakers fans denounced his junk contract.
There are many versions of speculation about Westbrook's decline in status.
Among them, the most accepted one is that Westbrook's knees have been eroded by injuries for a long time, and he has lost his explosive power, causing his competitive state to plummet.
One very intuitive evidence is that the height of Westbrook's "zombie jumper" has dropped a lot, and his mid-range shooting percentage has also dropped significantly.
In his first season with the Lakers, many of his rebound shots were off the mark, and some even hit the side of the backboard.
However, these are all things for later.
Now Westbrook is like the rising sun, rising slowly.
Beverley wasn't in his life yet, and his knee was still intact.
Because of this, Westbrook's zombie jumper is definitely a killer!
It has the stability and high release point of double-action shooting, and its release speed is so fast that it can even compete with single-action shooting.
Of course, all this is due to Westbrook's super physical fitness!
After scoring the goal, Westbrook was also very excited.
While returning to defense, he even ran to high-five Durant and said with a smile: "My shooting is not bad, right?"
KD smiled and nodded, his eyes full of doting.
Changing sides and fighting again, Ginobili holds the ball and launches an attack.
Jefferson asked for the ball in the low post.
According to Popovich's arrangement, he has to take on the task of consuming Durant on the offensive end!
After catching the ball, Jefferson tried to hit from behind.
But after trying it twice, he found that the effect was not good.
Although Durant looks lean, his core strength is surprisingly good.
In desperation, Jefferson had to change his strategy and switch to attacking from the frame.
I saw him slowly retreating to the sideline, then dribbling the ball from his hip to his left hand, and then mobilized his whole body's functions to make a huge crossover!
After all, Durant was not good at defense. Even though he couldn't react in time, he fell into Jefferson's trap and was shaken to his feet.
Jefferson glanced at the embarrassed Durant, smiled, and calmly collected the ball and shot.
But the next moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared behind him and slapped the ball and the person down head-on!
The person coming was none other than Westbrook.
His action was too rough and he was quickly called a foul by the referee.
But I have to say that Westbrookâs defense this time is very important!
Without his presence, the ball just now was Durant's one-on-one "military training".
If a team's ace player is played by the opponent's role players, it will definitely affect the team's morale.
Therefore, when the referee called a foul, other Thunder players stepped forward to high-five Westbrook and praise him for his excellent defense.
Jefferson, who was knocked to the ground, was speechless.
After being pulled up by his teammates, he walked to the free throw line while shaking his head.
"Duang!"
The first penalty shot out of the box.
The second penalty...
Hit!
9:8, the Spurs are one point behind.
For a period of time after that, the two sides went back and forth, and there was a stalemate.
With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the score was tied at 25.
Taking advantage of a dead ball, Thunder coach Brooks took the lead in making substitutions.
He replaced Dewey with Harden and Eric Maynor.
Popovich followed closely and also replaced Duncan and Ginobili to rest.
Once the game restarted, Harden took over.
This rookie guard, who has only been in the league for two years, uses wonderful singles performances to open up the points difference for the Thunder!
On the Spurs side, neither Gary Neal, George Hill, nor Tony Parker can do anything against Harden.
After scoring 8 points in a row, the Thunder temporarily led the Spurs 33:27.
After a short inter-section rest, the second quarter also started soon.
Gary Neal's three-pointer sounded the horn for the Spurs to chase the score.
But in the next round, Harden used his trademark breakthrough inside to draw a foul, scoring another two points for the Thunder.
Spurs attack.
Gary Neal used his off-the-ball movement and several screens from his teammates to finally break out of the siege and get an open shot.
Parker flicked his wrist and the ball arrived!
Gary Neal hits another three-pointer...
bingo!
As soon as the goal was scored, the players on the Spurs bench stood up and cheered for Neal.
This first-year shooter stepped up in such a crucial game.
His two consecutive three-pointers are as precious as gold!
At 35:33, the Spurs were only two points behind.
However, the Spurs have a substitute on their side, and naturally there are people on the Thunder side who are not willing to be outdone.
This is the case for backup guard Daequan Cook!
After the transition between offense and defense, Harden once again used the cover to break into the paint.
This time, he did not choose to attack the basket, but distributed the ball to Cook who was ambushing in the bottom corner.
After Cook caught the ball, he stretched out his bow and nocked an arrow, raised his hand and hit a three-pointer.
At this time, Neil, who was excited to play, jumped up hard and pointed his right hand directly at the basketball in the opponent's hand.
But limited by his height and arm length, Neal was unable to stop Cook's shot.
Not only that, because he jumped too hard and couldn't control his body, he finally knocked down Cook.
When Cook was knocked down, he had already completed his shot.
He lay directly on the ground, his eyes following the basketball and flying to the basket.
Thunder fans at the scene also stood up, waiting for the result of the shot.
...
...
"Shua~"
The basketball hit the net.
This means that if Cook scores a three-pointer, he will be punished!
Shen Fei, who was far away in Houston, couldn't help but complain after seeing this magical goal: "This is not Cook, it's obviously Curry."
"Pfft..."
Yao Ming and Ah Lian both laughed out loud after hearing this.
Shen Fei spoke Chinese, so only the two of them understood it.
"What did the boss say?"
Curry asked curiously.
"He said Cook's shot was just like yours."
Yao Ming said with a smile.
Curry felt a little shy after hearing this.
............
On the field, Cook stood on the free throw line and made the extra penalty steadily.
At 39:33, the score difference instantly reached 6 points again.
After that, the two sides were in a stalemate for another two minutes.
With 7 minutes left in the second quarter, Durant returned to the court first.
As soon as he came on the stage, he began to wield the scythe of "Death".
For three consecutive rounds, kd used his personal abilities to complete one-on-one singles in different positions!
With one of his moves, the Thunder's lead expanded to 10 points.
Popovich secretly thought something was wrong and quickly sent Parker and Duncan back to the court.
But it seems it's too late.
Once a young guard like Lei Lei gains momentum, it will be difficult to suppress it!
In the following games, under the leadership of San Shao, the Thunder continued to steadily expand their lead.
At halftime, they led the Spurs by 15 points, 70:55!
In the second half, the Spurs' veterans obviously had physical problems.
The core of the team, Tim Duncan, is in a sluggish state due to injuries.
On the offensive end, Ibaka was unable to contribute to Ibaka's defense. On the defensive end, he was also grabbed consecutive offensive rebounds by the latter.
This directly caused the Spurs generals to put all their efforts and the successful defense in exchange for wasted...
At the end of the third quarter, the score difference between the two teams exceeded 20 points.
In the last quarter of the game, the old boys of the Spurs made a last-ditch effort.
It's a pity that in the face of Thunder's youthful storm, their old age is fully revealed.
After only playing 4 minutes, Popovich knew the situation was over.
With a wave of his hand, he replaced all the GDP members, preserving the dignity of these three meritorious veterans.
As soon as the Spurs made a substitution, Thunder coach Brooks immediately responded and removed the third youngster.
Thunder fans in the Ford Center Arena stood up and gave warm applause to the three young core players.
At this moment, fans are already looking forward to the future battle with the Rockets!
When the red light on the timer lights up, the game officially ends.
In the end, the Thunder defeated the Spurs by 25 points 130:105 at home, successfully grasping the match point and advancing to the second round!
In the next round, they will face the Houston Rockets!
............
Shortly after the game, NBA officials released another big news.
Announced this time are the most valuable player (mvp), dpoy (best defensive player), and mip (most improved player)!