Chapter 604: Three Thunder Young Masters Confident in G2
The day after the game, the Thunder didn't rest.
Head coach Brooks called everyone together to watch the game video and patiently studied the problems that existed in the previous game.
Although the Thunder are 0:1 behind, as long as the Thunder can take away a victory from the away game, the situation will be very different for the Thunder.
Especially after returning to their home court, their operating space and fault tolerance will be greater.
The chances of winning the championship will also be greater.
So, no matter what, Durant will fight hard in the next game!
However, after studying the tape, Brooks didn't pin all his hopes on Durant.
Facing the joint stranglehold of Lian Dao and Tony Allen, Durant is unlikely to have too many opportunities.
And putting all the offense on Durant alone is also a test of his physical fitness.
The last game has proven that this path does not work.
Therefore, Brooks needs Westbrook and James Harden to step up and score.
Help Durant share the offensive pressure while also attracting the Knicks' defensive attention.
This is the last solution Brooks can think of...
New York State, New York City.
It can be said that this is a big football market and a big city that all football stars aspire to.
As long as you become famous here, you will never lack money, beautiful women, flowers, applause, and admiration...
To be honest, this is the place James Harden longs for, with feasting, life and death...
In the past, whenever there was an away game against the Knicks, Harden would basically appear at a famous New York nightclub to party at the end of the game.
Compared to Goose City, the Big Apple City is simply paradise for Harden.
However, this time Harden did not go to nightclubs or entertainment venues as before.
In addition to being in a bad mood after losing the game, another reason is that the Thunder's management and his agent made their first contract extension offer.
General Manager Presti offered Harden a four-year, $52 million contract extension.
The contract price did not meet Harden's expectations.
Harden wants a four-year, $60 million contract extension.
You know, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season.
No matter what, this data can match the contract he expected.
But this is just the first tentative offer and has not yet been finalized. Even if the contract is finally renewed, it will not be until the summer when the finals are over.
If he had just renewed his contract with the Thunder, Harden wouldn't be so melancholy.
Looking at the bright stars of Lian Dao in the same class, the New York God of War, the city hero, the championship, the scoring champion, mVp...
[A novel app that has been running stably for many years, comparable to the old version of the source-changing app, huanyuanapp, that is used by all chasing bugs.]
Looking at myself again, I am just a Sixth Man of the Year. Although among the rookies in the same class, my current achievements are second only to Lian Dao.
But the sixth man will always be a substitute. Even if he has the title of "Best" in front of him, he cannot get rid of his status as a substitute.
With Durant around, he will never be able to become the brightest player in a team or even a city like Lian Dao.
He will never become a superstar like Lian Dao.
He craves attention and a contract worthy of him.
This gave him other thoughts...
…
June 14th, the day of the G2 game between the Knicks and the Thunder in the Finals.
At the pre-game press conference, the three Thunder players all expressed their confidence to win the second game.
Especially Durant, his tone is very firm and confident.
It can be seen that the previous failure did not frustrate his confidence. On the contrary, he is becoming more courageous as he fights.
"We watched the video carefully with the coach yesterday. We underestimated the Knicks before and thought he was no different from the teams we had played against before!"
"However, after playing against each other in the last game, we know that the Knicks are different from the Spurs and other teams we played against before."
"We didn't have enough experience, we didn't return to defense fast enough, and we didn't do some details well..."
"So, this time we will adjust our mentality and play style!"
After losing the first meeting in the finals, Durant, as the star player, was also questioned and criticized by the outside world.
In this regard, Durant also said that he is no longer sensitive to this.
"It doesn't matter. I accept all criticism. I know losers have no right to speak. I understand all this."
"No matter what questions reporters ask us or how fans criticize us, I can accept it."
"But what I want to say is that everything before does not mean now. We will continue to improve and grow in the game, and we are ready to fight back!"
Before the start of the second game of the Finals, Durant expressed their goal to win one of the first two away games.
At the same time, he expressed full confidence in winning the second game.
"Our goal here is to win a game, and at this point, I think both teams are capable of winning at each other's home court."
"I thought we had a chance to win the first game, but we let the victory slip away."
"Today we will seize the opportunity. This game will be a test. We will definitely play better than the last game."
Westbrook is also becoming more courageous as he fights, and he was also full of confidence before this game.
James Harden looked at his eldest brother and his second brother, who were already burning with ambition.
Naturally, he followed in the footsteps of his eldest and second brothers, saying that he would go all out for this game.
Compared to the Thunder's lofty ambitions, the Knicks' pre-game press conference seemed very lackluster.
After Lian Dao heard the Thunder team's speech, he just smiled indifferently.
"No team can take away victory from Madison this season, not the Heat, and certainly not the Thunder!"
Lian Dao has said this sentence many times this season, but his deterrence has only increased instead of decreasing.
Sometimes repeating a sentence multiple times is more effective than replying in different ways.
The most important thing is that what Lian Dao said is an indisputable fact, which puts a lot of psychological pressure and deterrence on the Thunder team!
…
In the second game, the lineups of both teams did not change much. The Knicks only made minor changes.
D'Antoni did not let Danny Green down in this game.
Instead, put Tony Allen in the lineup.
During the jump ball, tNt once again gave Lian Dao and Durant a split-screen close-up to capture the pre-match expressions of the two stars.
As for Westbrook, Holiday and Harden, they were once again excluded from the leading role.
Westbrook's influence has grown rapidly this season, but compared to Durant, he is still slightly behind.
In this regard, if Westbrook says he is not envious at all, that would be an absolute lie. Who doesn’t want to be the one who shines brightest in the spotlight?
But although Westbrook is envious, he is not jealous.
He just held his breath and prepared to show off in the competition.
The referee's whistle sounded, and the second game of the series officially began.
Cousins defeated Yin Baka during the jump ball and won the ball for the Knicks first.
Although Yin Baka has gradually begun to grow up and has outstanding talent, he is still inferior to Cousins.
Whether it is athletic ability or static talent, Cousins is better, and this advantage can be seen when jumping the ball.
Durant stood ready, ready for Lian Dao's first attack.
But on the Knicks' side, Lian Dao didn't hold the ball.
Holiday methodically dribbled the ball across half court, preparing to organize the Knicks' first attack.
After the last game, D'Antoni knew that the Thunder would definitely take special care of Lian Dao.
If Lian Dao ends up attacking power as soon as he comes up, it is estimated that the Thunder will directly send three people to double-team him.
But if the Knicks had someone to help Lian Dao share the pressure from the beginning, it would be much easier for Lian Dao to fight later.
Holiday is not afraid of Westbrook. Although Westbrook is bigger, Holiday is not bad either.
Especially in the last game, Holiday also had a preliminary understanding of Westbrook.
Holiday also has his own thoughts on facing Westbrook.
Westbrook is good at everything, but sometimes he is too easy to get excited and too irritable.
This is true on the offensive end, and so on the defensive end.
He likes gambling steals very much, and Holiday is forcing Westbrook to do this now.
Holiday deliberately dribbled the ball under his crotch in front of Westbrook, as if he was about to break through.
Durant is also a little worried about this. He doesn't know if Westbrook can control his impatience.
Seeing the right moment, Holiday suddenly accelerated!
But this time, Westbrook didn't reach out in a hurry, but quickly moved his steps sideways, puffed out his chest and blocked it.
"Peng!"
The two collided violently, and Holiday felt like he had hit a cow.
Some of them couldn't control their center of gravity, and their steps couldn't help but stagger.