Chapter 86 The double crisis of physical strength and fouls
"The core players of the Thunder are not much older than us, but they were able to reach the finals last year. They will be our goal for a long time in the future..."
"To be honest, it's beyond my expectation that we can reach this level, but what I want to say more is that since we have reached this stage, why don't we try our best to keep the victory in the Rose Garden."
"Boys, the moment of real blood is coming..."
On the bench, all the players formed a circle around Coach Terry and were listening to his lectures.
As for tactics, they have been fighting until now. What the two teams are fighting for is a competition between stars.
Although Coach Terry also formulated corresponding tactics for the team on the training ground, he also gave the players a lot of freedom to play.
Because he knows a truth: the real players are always the players on the field, and all he can do is guide!
Playing against a strong team like the Thunder can allow potential newcomers like Wang Zelin and Lillard to grow extremely quickly, and it can also allow the Blazers, a young team, to accumulate experience in dealing with strong teams.
There is a lot of experience, which can only be accumulated quickly through competitions.
Before this game started, to be honest, not many people thought that the Trail Blazers would be the opponent of the Thunder, although the former had 5 wins from 5 games in the regular season and the latter had 4 wins and 1 loss.
But the opponent the Thunder lost that game was the San Antonio Spurs, also the league's top team. In the opening game, the Thunder was defeated by Parker and they only lost by two points.
The Thunder, who knew their shame but then became brave, faced Mosaic, Mavericks, Clippers and Nets in the next four games and won all of them.
When everyone thought that the Trail Blazers would be the turtle in the urn, when the game actually came, the Thunder realized that what they had captured was not a turtle in the urn, but a hidden dragon.
The crucial 4th quarter has finally begun. Those who play at this moment must be, and the rotation players can only wave towels off the court.
According to Coach Terry's arrangement, the team will focus on the inside first, because compared to the Trail Blazers and the Thunder, Wang Zelin has a strong advantage in the inside.
Although Ibaka has excellent athletic ability and outstanding shot-blocking skills, compared to Wang Zelin, who is 2.16 meters tall and weighs 130 kilograms, his intimidating power in the low post is still not as good. As long as Wang Zelin pays more attention to assisting defense, he can be invincible.
Afraid of Thunder insiders.
Therefore, the inside line is undoubtedly the point where the Trail Blazers are most confident.
Wang Zelin is also very motivated and has lived up to the trust of his coach and teammates.
In the first offensive round, he used his wingspan advantage to put the ball into the basket under the double team of two people, and caused Ibaka's second foul of the game.
After a slight adjustment, his free throws as high as 86 allowed him to steadily hit 2 1.
"Serge, you're not very good at blocking shots, you're too soft."
When retreating, Wang Zelin looked at Ibaka, who was traveling with him, and started to tease him.
Trash talking is a major feature of the NBA. An excellent trash talker can put a lot of pressure on opponents and even affect their performance.
But it was obvious that Wang Zelin's skills in this skill were still rudimentary, and Ibaka ignored him at all and quickly ran towards the frontcourt.
The Thunder's offense is much simpler than that of the Trail Blazers. They just open up and leave space for Durant to play in isolation.
At this time, giving the ball to the person who is most confident is the best tactic.
After receiving the ball, Durant turned sideways to face Batum.
After several consecutive feints, seeing that Batum was still as steady as a rock, he quickly turned around and slipped in.
Batum quickly followed up, but Durant suddenly stopped, jumped up near the paint area, and made a successful throw.
Players who can combine sudden shots well are the hardest to guard.
After seeing Durant score easily, Batum clapped his hands in frustration.
"Okay buddy, you have to be lucky that Durant is not that good at talking trash, otherwise you will be even more sad."
Wang Zelin came over and touched Batum's head, reminding him in a friendly way.
Is there anyone so comforting as you?
Batum glanced at Wang Zelin and did not answer. He was afraid that he would be mad at his teammate.
Relying on Durant's precise attack, the Thunder closed the gap to one point.
After Wang Zelin served the baseline ball, he quickly returned to his offensive position.
The moment he leaned against Perkins in the low post, Wang Zelin used his shoulder force to knock him out of balance and directly opened his hand for the ball.
After catching the ball, Wang Zelin jumped to the basket, raised his butt back to block Ibaka, and then jumped up and poured the ball into the basket.
"What's that look in your eyes? Are you not convinced? It's okay if you're not convinced. Stop me next round if you can."
Wang Zelin saw Perkins' sharp eyes and didn't take it seriously.
The NBA is a battlefield. The winner is king and the loser is the enemy. As long as the referee's whistle does not sound, it is a good goal.
After two consecutive successful attacks on the basket, the Blazers' morale began to rise.
So what if the opponent is a championship runner-up team, they are not bad either.
In the next attack, the Thunder continued to use their usual tactics: Dewey card mixed doubles.
At the 6th minute of the fourth quarter, because both sides had never called a timeout, the official timeout came directly.
Before the timeout, the score between the Trail Blazers and the Thunder was 87:85. Lillard's buzzer-beating three-pointer at the last moment helped the Trail Blazers lead the Thunder by two points.
In half a quarter, the Thunder scored 11 points.
The Trail Blazers scored 13 points.
You have Dewey, I have San Shao!
Although the personal ability of the Wang Zhao combination overwhelmed the Trail Blazers' three young players.
But basketball is not just about singles tactics.
The Thunder's individual offense is very strong, but the Trail Blazers' team offense is even better.
In the past half quarter, Wang Zelin scored 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 foul.
Not only did his rebounds reach a career-high 25, but his control of rebounds today exceeded everyone's expectations.
At this time, Barkley in the live broadcast room was sweating profusely.
However, his hard work on the defensive end also allowed Wang Zelin to commit his fourth foul of the game.
In order to win the game, Wang Zelin not only has to act as a deterrent on the offensive end, but also has to take into account Westbrook and Durant's attacks from time to time.
The focus on offense and defense caused Wang Zelin's physical energy loss to exceed the usual consumption rate.
During the timeout, not only did Wang Zelin's legs feel weak, but he was also panting heavily, and his entire jersey was soaked with sweat.
When playing a highly concentrated game on the court, Wang Zelin did not feel such a strong sense of load, but after taking a break, various negative effects on his body were reflected.
Fortunately, although Durant on the opposite side is in better shape than Wang Zelin, he is not much better.
Lack of physical strength is also a major problem that has always interfered with Durant.
As expected, Durant will definitely have to rest for a few minutes to prepare for the last moment. What the Trail Blazers need to pay attention to now is a thin guard with a bright smile.
In the deal between the Thunder and Mosaic in October, Mosaic's biggest bargaining chip was Kevin Martin.
A man who traded Harden!
A crooked machine gun that can stably contribute 20 output per game.
At this time, Kevin Martin was the sixth man of the Thunder, and he was also one of the representatives of strong offensive and defensive players in the NBA.
He averaged 24.6 points per game in his peak season, and has a stable output of about 20 points per game all year round. His weird shooting skills have made many players remember this thin shooting guard.
Until now, although Kevin Martin has only scored 6 points and 3 assists, the Trail Blazers still regard him as a serious problem and dare not relax at all.