Chapter 279: Young, Old and Spicy
"This way the Thunder team has got a match point! Oh my God, after a big loss in the last game, the Thunder turned out to be in Staples Lick Lakers! The playoffs are a real stage for fame, and in the regular season, the Thunder were considered at best a team with unlimited potential, but in the Western Conference semifinals, they pushed the defending champions into a corner! I believe that I am not the only one, but all of you have completely refreshed your understanding of the Thunder team! Although Yu Jia is a fan of An Jie and the Thunder team, he also said a lot of Thunder balls over the course of a season. Pen | fun | pavilion www. biquge。 It can be said that he is one of those people who knows the Thunder best. But even so, Yu Jia was still intimidated by the performance of the Thunder team. How big is the ceiling of this team, you must know that the backbone of the Thunder team is still just a group of rookies!
"If, I mean, if the next game is at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, if the Thunder do eliminate the Lakers, it's definitely a game that will make a splash in the basketball world. The Lakers have come up from rebuilding step by step in recent years, but if the Thunder win, then their rebuilding can be described as a step to the sky! In the three-year draft, they acquired Durant, Westbrook, Morris and Ibaka. In one transaction, they ushered in Anjie. I don't know how Presti did it, but none of the players he picked disappointed. Zhang Weiping had to praise the speed of the Thunder's revival, which was really compatible with the other side.
If you want a team to rise quickly, it is usually done through big trades. The Celtics and Lakers in recent years are typical examples of such a rise.
However, a team like the Thunder, which mainly relies on the draft to rise rapidly, is really the first time Zhang Weiping has seen it. Although Anjie was traded by them, it seemed that Jeff was trading at the time. The swap between Green and Anjie is not a big deal at all. Presti has built such a terrifying team without saying a word!
At the beginning of the formation of the Celtics' Big Three, people said that the league pattern would be changed, and Gasol's joining the Lakers was also a sensation. But when An Jie joined Thunder, in addition to the domestic media in China, how many people cared about it? However, it is in such a low-key posture that the Thunder team has now stood on the stage of the Western Conference semifinals and has just won the match point!
As soon as the game ended, Presti's phone was suddenly blown up. Countless managers are looking for trades, each wanting to take the group of lads Prestie has chosen for themselves. But before the alluring chips appeared, Presti answered "no way" to the managers of the other teams.
What are the most tempting chips? At the very least, you have to exchange your own star for Presti! However, few teams can accept such a bargaining chip, and even if they do, they will not use it for the immature Sanshao.
Even the strong Kobe Bryant emitted a feeling of fear from within. Now that he and the Lakers have been pushed to the edge of a cliff, the Thunder only need one more chance, and he and the Lakers will fall into the abyss. You can't lose, and if you lose again, there will be no chance of remedy!
Fans at the Staples Center held their heads one by one, unable to believe what had just happened right under their noses. Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 36 points and shot a not-so-bad 46%, and if Van Gundy hadn't changed his defensive strategy against Kobe in the fourth quarter, Kobe's shooting percentage might have been even higher.
However, even in such a situation, the Lakers still lost to the Thunder! In the Western Conference semifinals last season, the Rockets and Yao Ming suppressed the Lakers in this way, but from beginning to end, it was the Lakers who dominated the game.
This year, the Thunder team has beaten the Lakers again and again to the point that they can't hold their heads up, even today, when Kobe Bryant is in good shape, the Thunder team has always occupied the lead.
Both the Rockets and the Thunder have a super-center from China, but Durant, Westbrook and Morris are roles that the Rockets didn't have last season.
It's because of this difference that the Lakers' journey to the Western Conference semifinals is more difficult.
If Yao Ming hadn't been injured halfway through last season, it would have been hard to say whether the team that finally entered the Western Conference Finals would have been the Rockets or the Lakers. The Lakers' journey to the playoffs hasn't been smooth sailing, but after winning the championship, everyone forgot about their hardships.
So even if the Thunder did eliminate the Lakers, it wouldn't be a surprise. Because last year, Yao Ming and his rocket almost did this! Why can't the Thunder, who have a stronger lineup this season, do it?
"Today, the Thunder's three less scores are very even, Durant 25 points, Ann 22 points, Westbrook 18 points, don't look at the scores of these three are far from Kobe, but when they add up, the effect is different." After the competition, the T.NT TV program will continue. It is very necessary to make an analysis and summary of the game.
"Both teams are good and whoever wins deserves it. But in my heart, I still hope that the team that advances is the Los Angeles Lakers. "Kenny. Smith boldly expressed his opinion.
"Oh? Why? "Reggie. Miller couldn't tell Kenny. Smith has any holiday with the Thunder, and I can't see how he can have any feelings with the Lakers.
"I just don't want a young team to achieve too much too early, and I've always believed that Jiang is still old and spicy. For newcomers, it takes more time to hone it. If the Thunder break through the difficulties too early, it will not necessarily be a good thing for Sanshao's career. A career that has been honed and those that hasn't been honed is certainly very different. ”
"Come on Kenny, you're just jealous that this bunch of lads has the potential to win a lot more championships than you do. Why a group of fledgling newcomers should win the highest honors is an idea that every veteran player has. But this is the NBA, and here it is based on merit, not seniority. "Charles. Barkley couldn't resist Kenny. Smith, this has become his occupational disease.
"Whatever you want about Charles, this series won't end so easily. Fans of the Thunder and Lakers were blindly optimistic, and in the first game the Thunder beat the Lakers, Oklahoma fans were as happy as if the three young men had already qualified. A few days ago, the Lakers ravaged the Chesapeake Energy Arena, and Lakers fans were so happy that it seemed that Kobe Bryant had defended the championship. Again and again, these two groups of people ascended to heaven and fell into the trough. Although it seems that the Thunder have a good chance of winning the series, I still want to say that this series has not been easy from start to finish. The Thunder want to finish the game, and it won't be that easy. "Kenny. Although Smith is a little biased, it is not without reason.
The more times like these, the less we can afford to be blindly optimistic. There have been so many ups and downs in this series that even if the Thunder get the match point, they still can't relax in the slightest.
Although the Thunder won the game, the players felt very heavy. They finally won a fight, but a few days later, they had to face the exact same opponent again.
Their joy at victory is not as good as before, and a victory in one game only means that the next hellish game is coming.
"What time are we going to fly tomorrow." An Jie leaned back in front of the cabinet tiredly and asked Van Gundy listlessly.
"Let's do it tomorrow at noon, hold on a little longer, guys, we've got match point, and the series is almost over." Van Gundy doesn't know what the players are thinking, the playoffs are not only a hone of a team's technical and tactical accomplishments, but also a hone of a team's psychological will. Here's why young teams rarely succeed in the playoffs.
These guys have just stepped into the circle of professional basketball, and they have not even figured out the regular season, and they have to play five or six games or more against the best teams in the league. It's torture for anyone. Only traditional giants like the Lakers and Celtics would be accustomed to this kind of thing.
Van Gundy could only try to give the players as much rest as possible to let them relax. The game is played here, and you must not take the initiative to give up!
"It's better to be crazy in March, a game to decide, and don't drag the mud and water." Morris also complained about the league's best-of-7 system. Yes, more games are a good thing for the fans, but for the players, such a long format is nothing short of torture.
Van Gundy was starting to get worried, and the guys had won the game, but they were listless. They still want to win, but they don't seem to have the strength to keep their enthusiasm going.
The shortcomings of the young team seem to be exposed at the moment.
The series is indeed grinding when it comes to this. Neither side has a clear advantage, but both have hope of victory. The first time the Thunder played the playoffs, they encountered one of the hardest situations. But the Lakers have been through it countless times. For them, that's the norm in the playoffs. In this regard, the Lakers' willpower is significantly stronger.
In the home dressing room at the Staples Centre, you can't see how disappointed the players are. With two games to go, it's not the end of the world for the Thunder to get a match point. They all had resolute expressions, just waiting for the next game to win one back. Once you've experienced what it's like to be a champion, you know how fascinating that feeling is.
On one side, there are young people who are distressed by the arrival of the next game. On the one hand, there is the champion division who is looking forward to the next game. In a best-of-seven playoff game, a temporary lead is really not much of an advantage.
Kenny. Smith is right, the results of this series are not so easy to come by. The huge changes in the psychology of the two teams have subtly affected the final outcome.