The best player on the Thunder team is James Harden.
Harden, who appeared as the sixth man, only played 5 minutes and 40 seconds, but made 3 of 4 shots and scored 10 points and 1 rebound.
If it weren't for Harden's outstanding performance, the Thunder's points gap would only be even greater.
Only Harden performed well on the Thunder team, but the Knicks performed well overall.
In addition to Lian Dao, Cousins had 4 points and 5 rebounds, Danny Green had 6 points and 2 rebounds, Millsap had 5 points and 1 rebound, and Tony Allen had 3 points and 1 rebound.
The Thunder's overall efficiency is much lower than the Knicks.
Durant walked off the court in a daze, feeling like everything was out of control.
The game was getting out of control, Lian Dao was getting out of control, the score difference was getting out of control, and his emotions were starting to get out of control.
He was originally ambitious, but now he is gradually dominated by the fear of the unknown.
The G2 showdown in the finals was not at all as smooth as Durant imagined.
The Thunder fell behind by 12 points in the first quarter.
For the Thunder, this is undoubtedly a very unfavorable situation.
However, on the other hand, the Thunder are very lucky.
Because they are not trailing by 12 points in the fourth quarter. At the very least, they still have three full quarters of game time to narrow the gap.
If the 12-point difference is divided into the next three quarters, it doesn't seem so scary.
They only need to score 4 or 5 points more than the Knicks in each quarter.
Durant, who had experienced confusion, comforted himself in this way.
This is the only way he can get back on his feet.
After he was beaten black and blue by Lian Dao in the first quarter, he looked forward to being able to turn the tide in the next three quarters.
He told himself that everything was not over yet, and they still had a chance to change the final outcome of this game.
When there is plenty of time, it is always easy for people to have all kinds of fantasies.
Basketball is like this, and life is like this.
I am still young, and I still have the opportunity to turn around in the future; I still have time, and my performance will definitely be able to catch up next time; I...
However, when the final time approaches, you will find that your previous turnaround has not been realized, and you are still doing nothing.
Next time, your performance will not catch up, you will not be in place at the critical moment, and you will fall behind step by step.
The Thunder are facing such a situation now.
The game has entered the fourth quarter, and there are only more than 5 minutes left before the end of the fourth quarter, but the Thunder are 18 points behind.
Instead of narrowing the point difference, the Knicks continued to expand their advantage.
At this moment, all Durant's previous beautiful illusions were shattered.
There is no chance and no time. There is no way the Thunder can tie the score.
Durant sat on the bench panting. Beside him, his teammates were in similar condition.
The Thunder played in a very awkward manner today, and it can be said that they had no power to fight back. Although the score difference was not more than 20 points, the situation on the court was firmly in the hands of the Knicks throughout the entire process.
Their offense was torn apart by the Knicks' defense.
It is difficult for the three Thunder boys to cooperate, and most of the time the Thunder boys can only fall into a situation of fighting alone.
And what about the Knicks' offense?
Under the leadership of Lian Dao, the Knicks have achieved more blossoming results.
From the second half of the first quarter, the Thunder coach implemented a double-teaming tactic against Lian Dao.
As a result, Lian Dao began to organize and coordinate, and the rest of the Knicks got and seized the opportunity.
This situation lasted almost throughout the game. Thunder coach Brooks made adjustments, but with little effect.
Lian Dao had already scored 32 points and 12 assists with 5 minutes left before the end of the game. So far, he has only made one turnover.
This speaks volumes about how smooth the Knicks' offense is.
In basketball games, although data cannot explain all problems, it is definitely the most intuitive reflection of the situation on the court.
Durant has made 8 of 17 shots so far and scored 27 points. He can be said to have continued his form from the previous game.
Unfortunately, Westbrook, who had high hopes from Brooks, did not perform as he should have.
So far, Westbrook has made 7 of 23 shots, with a shooting percentage of just over 30%.
The most critical thing is that Westbrook occupies a large amount of shot power, but does not achieve the desired effect.
This is what hurts the team the most.
Harden performed well in the first half, but in the second half, the Knicks tightened their coverage on him.
So far in the second half, Harden has only taken one shot from outside the three-point line, and it still ended in a blackout.
Up to this point in the game, Brooks can only pin all his hopes on Durant.
Because in the entire second half, only Durant's performance was the most reliable.
"Kevin, Kevin!"
Brooklyn called Durant twice, and Durant reluctantly withdrew from his previous emotions.
He looked at the head coach to show that he was listening.
"I know the current situation is very unfavorable to the Thunder, but the game is still going on and we cannot give up first!"
"Next, we will look for more opportunities outside the three-point line!"
"Kevin, cheer up, we still have a chance!"
Is there still a chance?! Is there really a chance?
Brooks himself didn't quite believe it. The Knicks were the defending champions, and their chance of making a mistake was really slim.
Falling behind by 18 points is no different than a death sentence for the Thunder.
But this is not G1. Even if they lose the first match, they can still maintain confidence and fight again.
This is G2. If we lose this game again, it will be two consecutive losses.
Especially for a team like the Thunder that lacks experience in the finals and is generally young, the psychological blow can be said to be devastating.
Therefore, Brooks knew that this game was far away, but he still could not express his frustration of giving up.
At the same time, the team had to fight to the end.
Even if they lose this game, he hopes to see the Thunder pushed to their limit.
He hopes to see the team have the courage to resist.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! If you give up easily now, what about returning to the home court?
Can returning home guarantee that the team can return to its best form?
If our confidence is shattered by the Knicks now, even if we return to Oklahoma and our home court, we are destined to be completely defeated.
Therefore, now we must risk our lives to survive and gain a chance of survival!
Durant didn't reply and just nodded.
The electronic buzzer sounded again, and after a brief pause, the final showdown ushered in.
Whether there is a glimmer of hope will depend on the next game.
Durant stood up, took a deep breath and walked back to the court.
Durant knew he couldn't give up easily, but at the end of the game, he was overwhelmed by Lian Dao.
Lian Dao's score was not higher than in the previous game.
But what frustrates Durant the most is Lian Dao's scoring ability at key nodes.
For example: every time when other Knicks players are in good form and the Thunder want to give up double-teaming him, he can always take over the game again and cause damage, so that the Thunder dare not relax at all against him.
Durant has a big responsibility in this.
Because he was at a disadvantage in the single-prevention and low-priced rice, which led to the current situation.
The game restarted, and except for Tony Allen and Millsap, who took a rest, the other three players on the Knicks team remained in the same lineup.
On the Thunder side, Brooks replaced Sefolosha with Harden, brought veteran fisher Fisher to the court, and replaced him with Nick Collison.
Yin Baka and Perkins, who did not perform very well before, were both taken off the court.
Durant went to the fourth position and staggered with Lian Dao.
The current lineup of the Thunder: Fisher, Westbrook, James Harden, Durant, Nick Collison.
This lineup may sacrifice interior defense, but it is very offensive. This is also the lineup Brooks put in to chase points.
After Lian Dao came out, he took the first look at Durant, but Durant avoided Lian Dao's eyes.
The corners of Lian Dao's mouth couldn't help but raise.
He knows: This game is basically stable!
This is not Lian Dao's overconfidence, but Durant's eyes tell Lian Dao that he is scared!
He has lost the courage to risk his life and fight against the odds.
The game may be decided in less than five minutes, or it may have already been decided.
Westbrook is no longer hot-headed this time.
He knows that his current task is to deliver ammunition to Durant outside the three-point line.
The Thunder attacked for the first time after returning from a timeout, and their tactical coordination was very successful.
Westbrook used the screen to break through, and Durant used the off-ball pick-and-roll to break away from the defense and lurk on the right wing.
The Thunder's tactics were executed very smoothly, but Durant's final shot failed to hit.
This made Brooks look gloomy.
The moment Durant took action, he was not decisive at all.
With his mind full of messy thoughts, he hesitated when taking action, which also gave the Knicks an opportunity to make up defense.