"Cameron, can you explain why your shooting percentage suddenly became so low in the second half!?"

"Russell, what do you think of Carmelo Anthony's ups and downs!?"

"Coach Billy Donovan, how do you solve the problem between Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony in terms of ball distribution!?"

At the press conference after the game, the Thunder, who played away and lost the game, were unexpectedly warmed up by reporters.

Of course, reporters came to interview the Thunder not because of how good they were, but because they had just dropped an important game by a huge margin of 18 points. And Anthony, who has a major relationship with the loss of this game, is still one of the cores of the Thunder team.

You must know that this showdown has been hyped by the media before it started. The popularity of the Thunder and Trail Blazers series has even far overshadowed the Spurs and Warriors on the other side.

Losing in a high-profile situation, it became a sure thing that the Thunder were besieged by reporters.

'There's no problem between Cameron and Russell, they're evenly split their shots, because we've been playing like this for a season. Losing today is just a good enough defensiveness. It doesn't matter much about who shoots. Donovan was actually a little dissatisfied with Anthony's performance in the second half, and the All-Star small forward wasted too many opportunities in the second half. Even if only half of those opportunities are seized, the Thunder won't be in trouble.

But dissatisfaction is dissatisfaction, and Donovan will certainly not be able to express his dissatisfaction at this juncture. And he also believes that Anthony will not play out of style every game. Similarly, Anjie and George on the Trail Blazers' side can't play so well in every game.

"Coach Ricard, what do you think of Ann's five blocks in this game!?" Like the Thunder, the media room on the Trail Blazers' side was also packed. But unlike the Thunder, the questions reporters asked Ricard were questions that made the guy laugh from ear to ear.

"What do you think? When you see Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony and the like just shoot crazy from the outside to close the gap, you know how I feel about it. Ann completely sealed off our box, bringing the Thunder's offense to a halt for a while. Five blocks?If it weren't for a few fouls that were blown out, Ann would have had more than five blocks!"

Angelga Morris's combination is indeed very strong, so strong that even a team with strong offensive firepower like the Thunder is helpless.

"Coach, how much do you think Damien's absence has affected the team?" another reporter with gold-rimmed glasses stood up and raised his hand to ask, and Ricard looked at the guy with a very different look.

If Rickard had said something to Lillard, the next day, the media would have changed the headline to "Coach unhappy with Napier's performance, saying he's disappointed!"

Rickard smiled lightly and aimed at the microphone. "Losing Damien is a loss for the whole series, because he was injured by a foul and the series was a lot less and there were so many more highlights. Luckily, we still have Napier. His excellent performance ensured the victory of the match and made the fans proud to continue to see the high level of play. Okay sir, next question!"

Ricard's answer was seamless, and the young journalist was still a little too immature. To get out of the old fox's mouth, he had to be more cunning.

After the press conference, the player tunnel was full of reporters, and there were only a few players who attended the press conference.

Coincidentally, on the way back to the locker room, Anjie ran into Westbrook and Anthony, who had also just attended a press conference.

Anthony glanced at Anjie and left on his own. Westbrook, on the other hand, can't pretend not to see it like Anthony.

"Hey, congratulations buddy, you guys played well. Westbrook forced a smile and punched Anjie.

"Alright Russell, you don't have to congratulate me. I know you're sick of it right now. Who will be happy if they lose the game?" Anjie did not smile and say thank you, but encouraged Westbrook to release his true thoughts.

"Phew, man, you still know me. That's right, I'm in a terrible mood right now, bro. 18 points, are you serious?How can someone like you be so ruthless!?"

"Hahaha, yes, this is my brother! Hey, let's say yes before the game, don't be soft! Look, I did what I said. An Jie smiled triumphantly.

"Wait, Ann, you won't keep winning like this. Rest well, we're not done yet. Westbrook said, walking past Anjie. An Jie looked back at the back of the man wearing the No. 0 jersey, as an opponent, this guy is difficult to entangle. Don't think that an 18-point win won't stop Westbrook, as long as it's not eliminated, Westbrook will never know what it means to give up.

Maybe this win will make the next game easier, but maybe this game will make every game more difficult? The playoffs are a cruel game where you never know the outcome until you win the fourth game.

※※※

The night after the loss, when the whole team returned to the hotel to rest, only Westbrook and Anthony were still leaning in front of the technical table in the Moda Center.

"Do you know why I chose to leave the Nuggets for the East in the first place? Russell. Looking at the seats around him, Anthony suddenly asked Westbrook this question.

"Why? Because New York is a big city?"

"No, because of that playoff game in 2010, we lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of our ambitions!" Anthony suddenly raised his head, back then, Russell was still his opponent.

"I remember! The Thunder and Nuggets battled six games before finally deciding the winner. It was a tough series, but you also caused us a lot of problems. Westbrook also recalled that year, but unfortunately, after passing the Nuggets, the Thunder was won by the Los Angeles Lakers, the champion of that year, in the second round.

At that time, Kobe Bryant was still the ruler of the alliance. But now, it's the second year after Kobe Bryant's retirement.

"To be honest Russell, it wasn't you, nor Kevin, but Ann who impressed me the most in the playoffs that year! But the moment I lost the game, I told myself, get out of the West, Cameron, it's hard to get out of the West with this big man. So in the middle of the season the following year, I decided to go to the New York Knicks and work with another big man who was awe-inspiring and couldn't share the same sky. As it turned out, I made the right decision. Ann ruled the entire West, and indeed the entire Union. We can only be overshadowed by his light. Anthony looked up at the ceiling of the Moda Center, and his thoughts were swirling.

"Then why are you back again?" Russell asked quippedly.

"Because I was thinking, why, can't we be the ones who rule the League? That's why I'm here in Oklahoma!"

Obviously, Westbrook was touched by Anthony's answer. There's no way a competitive guy like Westbrook doesn't feel anything like that.

"In the second half of today, I really didn't play well enough. In the next game, I promise I won't be so impatient. "Anthony knew that from the manager to his team-mates, they were all taking care of themselves, so he didn't say it. In fact, he himself knows very well that his poor performance in the second half of the game is the main reason for the team's defeat.

"I'm so happy to work with you, Cameron. "Westbrook climbed the tech bench and sooner or later, he's going to be here and be a winner!

"Do you want to see the scenery up there?" Westbrook held out a hand at Anthony!

"The day after tomorrow, we're going to have to do a big job here!" Anthony said, taking Westbrook's hand and stepping onto the tech desk.

The winner's vision, that's good......

As An Jie thought, his former teammates would not give up so easily. The hardest part of the series is just around the corner......