Chapter 481 In this age when defense still has conscience, not attacking from behind is the original sin!
Entering the February schedule, the Thunder have a devilish schedule in the first week.
We will soon face the Mavericks, Grizzlies and Spurs from the Southwest Division, as well as the Trail Blazers from the Northwest Division. Even though all four teams have various problems, they are still very difficult to deal with.
February 1, American Airlines Center.
The Thunder went on the road to challenge the Mavericks.
During the warm-up, Su Bei chatted with Nowitzki for a few cents, and also said hello to Yi Jianlian.
After all, Dirk Nowitzki is old, so it makes sense to sign Yi Jianlian, who has a salary base template based on Dirk Nowitzki.
When the game started, the Thunder dominated the Mavericks and the rhythm was firmly controlled by the Thunder.
"Billups is finally getting some fresh air.
Kidd was absent due to injury and faced Rodrigo Beaubois, who returned, and completely dominated his opponent.
The Mavericks' only chance to win is gone. They can't control the rhythm of the game. With the Thunder's physical talent, what can they do to defeat it..."
Not worth it!
The Thunder easily defeated the Mavericks with a score of 105-89 and a 16-point advantage, extending their winning streak to 14 games.
14 games are here, is 15 games still far away?
Sure enough, it's not far away, February 3rd, Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Return to the home court and face the challenge from the Grizzlies.
I originally thought this would be an easy battle.
After all, the Grizzlies' offensive killer Zach Randolph is injured. The Grizzlies, which mainly plays the Black and White Bears, only have Gasol left. How can they keep up with the Thunder offensively?
However, when the game started, the Grizzlies taught the young Thunder a lesson. They used non-stop rushing to the basket, a universal offense, and excellent defense to suppress the Thunder for the first three quarters.
It's a pity that Durant and Su Bei both broke out offensively in the fourth quarter.
Durant Terry made 5 of 7 shots from outside, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. As if death was coming, he scored 16 points and 4 rebounds in a single quarter, shattering the Grizzlies' defense.
.
Su Bei also performed very well. He made 4 of 5 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, and scored 10 points and 1 rebound in a single quarter. He and Durant formed an invincible double-gun, which completely destroyed the Grizzlies.
"The Grizzlies resisted the Thunder's impact for three whole quarters, but in the end they couldn't withstand it.
In the first three quarters, the physical energy was consumed so much that not even a drop was left. In the fourth quarter, when it came to real action, the Grizzlies couldn't even lift the gun..."
108 to 99, the Thunder achieved a two-pole reversal with a score of 35 to 17 in the fourth quarter and achieved 15 consecutive victories.
Durant made 14 of 24 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, and 7 of 8 free throws. He scored 36 points and 10 rebounds, despite being a scoring leader.
Westbrook made 6 of 18 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 8 of 9 free throws, resulting in 21 points and 7 assists. The statistics are pretty good, and his efficiency is incredible.
Fortunately, Su Bei withstood the situation and made 8 of 13 shots, 6 of 9 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He efficiently scored 24 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds, filling the hole dug by the Turtles.
The Grizzlies had 5 players score in double figures, but the highest was only Gasol's 24 points and 8 rebounds.
Without a superstar like Durant to hold the line, it would be difficult to withstand the Thunder's offensive explosion, and the loss was not unfair.
Being invincible is really lonely!
The Thunder, which continues to rank first in the league, has not faced many challenges.
However, February 4th is another damn schedule, back-to-back away games against the Spurs.
The Grizzlies didn't teach the Thunder a lesson, but the Spurs taught the Thunder a lesson.
When Ginobili did not return, the Spurs made a decisive change and brought in rookie Kawhi Leonard to face Durant.
Sure enough, Bo Povich's move caught the Thunder off guard.
Really hard.
Is it hard there?
Leonard's defense is very tough.
That long wingspan and excellent defensive sense are always in front of Durant, making Durant uncomfortable.
Although Durant continued his good form from the previous game and frequently showed off his excellent shooting in the first two quarters in front of Leonard.
However, in the second half, after adapting to Durant's depth, Durant, who was not in shooting condition, was immediately guarded by Leonard.
At this time, Durant, who has no post-up ability, faces a real challenge.
As a shooting scorer who attacks the basket, Durant is definitely at the league's ceiling.
But in this defense, there are still years of conscience, and you can engage in physical confrontation, and you will not blow body whistles at every turn. The hands of the defensive players are not blocked, and there is no background to defend with your hands behind your back, and you can only fight and retreat.
Down……
Not attacking from behind is the original sin!
Durant faced the basket and held the ball, and Leonard went to death. Durant didn't have a good jump shot opportunity and could only break through with the ball.
"Duncan was already waiting. He came to help defend. Durant came in and was immediately beaten..."
He had no touch on outside shots, and his inside attack was blocked by Duncan's strong help defense. Durant's powerful scoring ability was completely stripped away.
He had no choice but to shoot against the hands that were always in front of him, but the basket didn't tolerate him, so Durant could only make a lonely shot.
Bang-dang——!
…
Bang-dang——!
…
Durant's offense was finally caught up by Leonard's defense, protected by Duncan's inside escort.
Durant's offense is nothing.
5 of 8 in the first quarter, 3 of 4 in the second quarter, 1 of 6 in the third quarter, and only 0 of 1 in the fourth quarter...
Durant's offense was frozen, and Westbrook's offense was not considered alive by the Spurs at all.
Su Bei failed to stand up and solve all the problems. Jefferson's defense was also difficult to mess with. He almost gave up the offense and blocked Su Bei's offense defensively.
The tactics of exchange are very fun!
The Thunder's perimeter offense is useless.
Then, inside attack?
Nothing happened anymore. Duncan defended Yin Baka and Perkins to 4 of 9 and 0 of 2, plus poor free throws, only 2 of 7. The Thunder's main inside line only scored 10 points and 8 rebounds.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Duncan made 5 of 16 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. He did not score much. He only scored 13 points and 15 points in rebounds. On the backboard, it was a complete steal.
"The Thunder's offense was faced with tit-for-tat defense by the Spurs, and its efficiency plummeted.
This Spurs team, which shows a little bit of talent, can use solid defense to defeat the Thunder's talent and defense without any use of force..."
And this is just defense.
Offensively, without Ginobili's knives, the Spurs focus on Parker.
Breakthrough layup, small throw shot.
Break through the emergency stop and make a pull-up jump shot.
Duncan used pick-and-roll screens, misplaced calls on Yin Baka or Perkins, or made layups, or shot...
If you want a team, the Spurs can play as a team. If you want a superstar, the Spurs can also play as a superstar.
Defensively, Duncan and Leonard have become the two most beautiful boys.
Offensively, Parker can become the most beautiful kid. He made 16 of 29 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and 10 of 12 free throws. He scored 42 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. He played like a superstar and beat the Thunder.
The team's defense kept the victory in St. Anthony's hands.
The score is 107 to 96!
The Spurs dominated the Thunder throughout the game and led the entire game.
No one can underestimate this Spurs team, which is known for its stability. Even in the first meeting this season, the Thunder overwhelmed the Spurs with their talent flow.
However, after a month of adjustments, the new Spurs immediately used flip-flops to teach the Thunder how to behave.
Leonard's face was paralyzed, like a robot, but he showed great talent tonight and didn't look like a rookie at all.
The defensive potential is too strong, and he is indeed the successor that the Spurs are looking for. The player selected by the Spurs has genuine talent.
In addition to being able to freeze the scoring leader Durant defensively in the second half, Leonard also showed great talent offensively.
He made 5 of 7 shots, 3 of 3 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 15 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds, giving him the performance of a superstar.
Su Bei was defended by Jefferson and made 5 of 10 shots, 3 of 8 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He scored 17 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds. His performance was quite acceptable.
But he couldn't stand it. Durant made 9 of 19 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws. He only scored 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Just looking at the statistics, it was pretty good, but in the first half, Durant made 8 of 12 shots and 1 of 2 free throws, already scoring 17 points. When the game was decided in the second half, Durant only scored 5 points.
When his shooting touch is gone, he still looks like a scoring champion, but nothing else.
The Thunder's 15-game winning streak was also ended at the hands of the Spurs.
Fortunately, by losing this game, the Thunder only lost three games, which had no impact on the top spot.
The upcoming schedule is relatively easy for the Thunder.
The question is that the Thunder are too strong.
The Trail Blazers returned to the ordinary, without the dark horse appearance of winning streak in the new season, and were easily dealt with by the Thunder.
The remaining Kings will face the Jazz, Warriors, Rockets, Nuggets, Hornets, 76ers, Celtics twice...
No one can beat it.
The Thunder crushed them all the way and ended the February schedule with a 13-game winning streak, just like the January schedule.
32 wins and 3 losses!
The Thunder continue their unstoppable winning streak and sit atop the list.
The Heat are also very disappointing, with a record of 28 wins and 6 losses, ranking second in the league.
The Bulls led by Rose only ranked third in the league with a record of 29 wins and 9 losses.
Durant continues to lead the regular season VP list, and James continues to show his status as the second man in the league.