All-round Athlete

Chapter 933 Entering the Finals

"Unexpectedly, the opponent turned out to be the Lakers, not the Spurs." Durant looked at the Heat's bench opposite, with a serious expression on his face. Compared with it, the Thunder might hope to meet the Spurs.

In the past two years, in the history of confrontation between the two teams, the Thunder has the upper hand. In the four regular season matches between the two teams this season, the Thunder won all four games. From this point of view, the Thunder has a psychological advantage. And in the Western Conference finals of the 2012 playoffs, the Thunder also defeated the Spurs 4-2.

As for the Los Angeles Lakers, the entire league now knows that is the toughest team to deal with. The Lakers, who fell behind 0 to 3, have completed a transformation. The Lakers seem to have regained the confidence and resilience of the dynasty. This can be seen from the 4 to 0 sweep of the Trail Blazers. This Lakers team is like the Zijin Dynasty back then. Once they enter the playoffs, they will aim at the championship.

However, the Thunder are not the soft persimmons of the Trail Blazers. Dewey, who is in full form this year, is enough to compete with the Big Three of the Heat.

The Thunder's regular season record is 59 wins and 23 losses, second only to the Spurs in the West, and also ranks second in the entire league. In contrast, the Pacers, the No. 1 Pacers in the East, are 56 wins and 26 losses, and the Heat, the No. 2 Heat in the East, are 54 wins and 28 losses, which are not as good as the Thunder. In addition, the competition in the West has been very fierce for several years, so the records of the teams in the West are obviously more valuable.

Durant's state this year can be described as overwhelming. Although Westbrook has experienced injuries and has been sidelined for half a season, he has played even harder since his return. Compared with last season, Ibaka's statistics have improved comprehensively. Even on par with Bosh. The Big Three of the Thunder have basically taken shape.

However, the Thunder's luck was a little bit bad. In the last game against the Clippers, Ibaka was pulled by Paul, who seemed to have sprained his knee, and then returned to the locker room with an unknown injury. However, Ibaka has always been an "iron man" and the Thunder are playing at home. Even if he is injured, Ibaka will appear injured.

In the Thunder's starting lineup, Sefolosha is considered a relatively non-existent player, but from the data point of view, he may not be worthy of a starting position. But his flank defensive efficiency can definitely rank among the top five in the league. With Er Shao on the court, the Thunder have no shortage of firepower. It is indeed a better choice to have a defensive champion on the court.

The Thunder's starting center, Perkins, became a loophole on the court when facing the Lakers.

Perkins is a very strong low-post defender. The Celtics won the championship. Perkins can be said to be indispensable. At that time, Perkins could fight against any insider in the league. Howard in the magic team , or Bynum, who has not yet been abolished, has suffered in the hands of Perkins.

Whether it is against the Grizzlies' Black and White Bears, or against the Rockets' Howard, or against the Clippers' Jordan Griffin, Perkins can play a very good role. Si has almost no effect, because he can't run.

Perkins has gained a lot of weight in recent years. For this kind of player, gaining weight means running slower and unable to jump. The current Perkins is not fast enough to retreat, the offense does not exist, and the range of the defensive end is also reduced. Apart from being a human shield, it has almost no role. This kind of player is indeed very intimidating on the defensive end of positional warfare, but if you want to run and bomb, what's the use of a defensive player with a meat shield?

Perkins played only five minutes before being replaced by rookie Adams, who was much more athletic than Perkins.

Caron Butler and the old fish Fisher also played very well in the first contest between the two sides. Although Fisher was a defensive loophole, he made a three-pointer. He made four of five three-pointers in the game, giving the Thunder a lot of firepower to supplement.

On the other hand, for the Lakers, the player's touch is relatively average. Maybe it was because they swept the Trail Blazers 4-0 before, and they rested for too long, and the players were a little out of shape.

Nick Young didn't bring his nerve knife today, and he made 1 of 9 shots; Gasol also didn't feel good, and was severely restricted by Ibaka on the offensive end; Wesley Johnson, Meeks, Bazemore, Jordan Hill, Farmar and others also performed averagely.

In the first contest, the Lakers lost the game 105 to 122. The two young men scored 60 points together, turning Zhang Guan's 35 points into empty cuts.

However, in the second game, the Lakers finally recovered, at least the player's touch became normal.

The game was so close that the two sides went to overtime. In the end, Zhang Guan took away the Thunder with a lore, making the total score 1-1.

It's not good news for the Thunder that they didn't get two wins at home. Next, they will go to Los Angeles. The current Staples Arena is a devil's trip for the visiting team, especially for the Thunder.

The Thunder eliminated the Clippers in the last game to advance, and the Clippers are also a Los Angeles team, so when the Thunder visited again, the fans in Los Angeles were even more united.

Back at home, the Lakers are obviously determined to win. Their goal is to win two games and get the match point of this round of the series. The Thunder's second young master will not make the Lakers happy. If the Lakers win two consecutive victories, the total score will become 3 to 1. There are only 8 comebacks in the history of 3 to 1.

However, the Staples Arena has become the most difficult home stadium in the league. The foundation accumulated by the Lakers over the years is unmatched by other teams, let alone a Lakers team that is expected to win the championship.

The third game of the series was held in Los Angeles, and the collective performance of the Thunder players was somewhat inaccurate. Although the statistics of the second junior were still good, the shooting percentage was lower than usual, and the turnovers were more than usual. In this game, the Thunder's second youngest took a break after three quarters. The Thunder played the entire fourth quarter with an all-substitute lineup. Reggie Jackson scored the highest score in the Thunder.

The final score was that the Lakers defeated the Thunder 112-81. A point difference of more than 30 points is relatively rare in the playoffs, especially at the level of the Western Conference Finals. A point difference of 30 points is even rarer. .

In this game, the Thunder lost quite badly, but they were also accumulating energy for the fourth game. The Thunder's second youngster left the game early to better adjust themselves so that they could counterattack in the next game.

Sure enough, in the fourth match between the two sides, the Thunder's two juniors both played god-level performances. Both played more than 45 minutes and their shooting percentages remained above 50%. In the end, Westbrook scored 40 points and 10 assists. No. Double-double, Durant's comprehensive data of 39 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, the Thunder won 115 to 109 in the away game with difficulty.

In the first four contests, the Thunder and the Lakers drew 2-2, and then came the key Tianwangshan battle, which will be held at the Thunder's home court.

...

"Durant, a three-pointer, unfortunately, didn't make it."

"Westbrook, layup, almost made it!"

In the Ford Center arena, all Thunder fans looked anxious. In today's game, both Durant and Westbrook are not allowed! Durant's shooting percentage reached 40%, but he only made one of six three-pointers; Westbrook was even worse, with a shooting percentage of less than 35%.

This is the biggest problem for a dual-core team. Two superstars are together, and if they play normally, they can basically win. If one of them plays well, they can win, let alone if they both play well. But if neither of them are accurate, they will definitely lose.

For a long time, most NBA teams have a dual-core team building idea, and it is not uncommon for two superstars to win the championship together. However, the shortcomings of dual-core are also obvious, so the Big Three model appeared later. Three star players get together. Even if two of them feel bad, there is still a third person who can provide firepower guarantee.

The Thunder's second youngster can be said to be the most powerful combination of offensive firepower in the league. In many cases, the Heat's Big Three may not be able to score as much as the Thunder's second youngster. The Thunder also relies heavily on the second youngster's scoring ability. Other players only need Just be defensive. Today, the two young players felt cold at the same time, and the Thunder lost their main source of scoring in an instant. Although the defense was still very strong, they just couldn't score, and naturally fell behind in the score.

In this game, the data of the second young master is still very good. Durant has a large double-double with 31 points and 15 rebounds, and Westbrook has 34 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. However, the cumulative number of shots of these two is close to 70 times , and the entire Thunder team only took 85 shots in total. Er Shao occupies a lot of ball possessions, but the shooting rate is not high, which is tantamount to wasting a lot of shots.

The final score was 107. The Thunder lost the game at home and the Lakers got the match point.

...

On May 31, Los Angeles, Staples Field, the sixth game of the Lakers against the Thunder.

With the last five minutes left in the game, Durant looked at the score with a look of despair in his eyes.

The current score is 111 to 93, the Lakers have fallen behind by 18 points, and the Lakers still hold the ball.

The ball was passed to Gasol, and Gasol made a hook layup and scored the ball. The score became 113 to 93 points, and the point difference was widened to 20 points.

There are still five minutes left before the end of the game, and it is impossible for Durant to catch up with the 20-point gap in five minutes.

"Are we going to stop in the Western Conference Finals again?" Durant sighed, he had already lost his fighting spirit.

Westbrook next to him seemed like a stubborn little donkey who refused to admit defeat. Although he was behind by 20 points, he was still working hard.

With a pick-and-roll, Zhang Guan faced Durant.

At this time, Durant already had some annoyance about losing the game in his heart, and he spewed out a lot of trash talk.

Trash talk is also a part of the NBA game. In terms of trash talk level, Durant is also top-notch. Drummond Green, a big mouth like this, admits that Durant's trash talk is better than himself.

However, Zhang Guan didn't take it seriously. He smiled at Durant and asked suddenly, "Kevin, are you interested in playing in Los Angeles?"

"What did you say?" Durant was stunned for a moment. He thought that Zhang Guan would also spit trash talk back, but he didn't expect Zhang Guan to ask this question.

"Kobe's contract will expire in 2016, and your contract will also end in 2016. How about coming to Los Angeles after your contract ends? Los Angeles needs a new king to replace Kobe!" Zhang Guan continued.

"Replace Kobe? The new king of Los Angeles!" Durant was suddenly at a loss.

Los Angeles has an unparalleled attraction for players. For some nightclub cafes, Los Angeles is simply heaven; and for some big-name players, Los Angeles can also bring them more wealth, not to mention the Lakers. A team with a solid background, which can replace Kobe as the new king of the Lakers, is very attractive to a star like Durant.

Of course, for Durant, he will also consider whether the team has the ability to win the championship. If it is a bad team, Durant will definitely not go. And if they also have the potential to win the championship, the Lakers must be Durant's first choice.

Zhang Guan's words are not aimless. He knows that the future Lakers will be reduced to a big tragedy. They have been poor for several years in a row. Although they have won several lottery picks and two second places, they have selected some relatively poor rookies. . Because the team's record is so bad, the stars are not willing to come to the Lakers.

For a team like the Lakers, it is indeed more appropriate to directly sign big names than to train players themselves.

Today, Zhang Guan wants to plant a seed in Durant's heart. Zhang Guan believes that, with the attractiveness of the Lakers, as long as he can make up a championship lineup, Durant has a great chance to join in two years later. lakers.

...

The score was finally fixed at 120 to 113. The Lakers only scored 7 points in the last five minutes, but the previous lead was too great. Although the Thunder scored 20 points crazy, it was still difficult to recover the defeat.

"Win! We won!" The fans at the scene fell into a jubilation.

After four years, the Lakers reached the finals again, and their opponent is naturally the Miami Heat, which has won two consecutive championships.

...

Miami, American Airlines Arena, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

No team player Sloan hit a three-pointer, and the score became 92 to 117. At this time, the sound of the end of the game sounded.

The Pacers lost, and in the total score, they also lost to the Miami Heat 2-4.

Last year's Eastern Conference finals were also held between these two teams. At that time, the Pacers caused a lot of trouble for the Heat. The two sides reached the seventh game to decide the winner. At that time, the biggest contributor to the Pacers' ability to resist the Heat was power center Hibbert.

Last year's Hibbert was hailed as the "LeBron" terminator. He averaged 22.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game when facing the Heat. It was also completely exposed, and many people even felt that if the Heat's insider was a top traditional center, the Heat would have lost.

However, in the era when traditional centers were declining, Hibbert could be regarded as a general who was pulled out of the cripples.

In this year's playoffs, when people expected Hibbert to continue to explode the Heat, he was not as good as before, averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. For the Heat, the threat is not as good as before.

So the Heat killed the Pacers relatively easily and advanced to the finals.

In the locker room, James, Wade and Bosh got together.

"I didn't expect that the Lakers would be played in the finals. I thought it would be the Spurs or the Thunder. The Clippers are more likely than the Lakers!" Wade said.

"Isn't that right? The Lakers are not easy to deal with this year. They can enter the playoffs even when they are at a disadvantage. We can't take it lightly when we face the Spurs with a 0-3 comeback," Bosh said.

James didn't seem to hear the conversation between the two, but sighed to himself, "It's been six years, time flies so fast, in a blink of an eye, it's already been six years!"

When Wade and Bosh heard the words, their faces turned serious at the same time. Both of them knew what James was referring to for six years.

At the Olympic Games six years ago, the Dream Eight team came aggressively, but was defeated by Zhang Guan and lost the Olympic gold medal. At that time, James, Wade and Bosh were all in that team!

"I thought there would be no chance of revenge in the future!" Wade's eyes also flashed coldly.

"Revenge! You're right, not only do we want the championship, we also want revenge!" James murmured.

Thanks to Tang Tang, I am Luo Mi, book friend tail number 5223, Thai old man Zhang, Bubble 2016, Ma Yuchen, [⌒◎⌒], Uncle 1983, colorful mud, blue fantasy, legendary gynecological master , Hunan Army 1 reward!