Thunder and Spurs, after two years, these two teams met again in the Western Conference Finals.

Two years ago, the Thunder defeated the Spurs to advance to the finals with the popularity of the league. But this year, San Antonio people clearly don't want to see something like that happen again. In the first two games of the series, the Spurs completely suppressed the Thunder. One of the main reasons for this is that Congolese striker Sergi. With Sergio Ibaka sidelined through injury, the Thunder have lost their most solid interior defense.

And in the third game of the series, Ibaka was willing to play closed and come back early for the Thunder. Closed shot, this is a choice question of choosing whether to choose the present or the future. Closing the needle can get a player back on the pitch immediately, but it is bound to have an impact on his career later in life.

But the Congolese man knows very well that the Thunder don't want to wait any longer, they are so close to the Finals or even the championship, and he is willing to overdraft his future for the sake of this team. So in the third battle, Ibaka made a brave comeback.

He limited Duncan to just 16 points and shot just 41 percent from the field. He scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks to help the Thunder pull one back at home.

At this point, the series between the Spurs and the Thunder was 1-2, and the Thunder avoided the embarrassing situation of falling behind 0-3.

Ibaka's return caught Popovich off guard, but Popovich knew that a mere Congolese striker would not be able to prevent the Spurs from shooting for a championship. Two years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder qualified because of the referee's biased whistle. But this year, Popovich doesn't plan to let the tragedy happen again.

The San Antonio Spurs are a complete, united team, so Popovich isn't going to worry about a mere Ibaka's sudden comeback. He knew that Thunder was already at the end of their power, and it was almost their limit to be able to win the third battle. Westbrook's immaturity and Ibaka's not-so-peak form meant they couldn't go any further.

Of course, Popovich also knows that now is not the time to think about the Finals. It's just hard not to let his mind wander there, because just a day earlier, the Indiana Pacers had won at the American Airlines Center, turning the series to 3-0.

Paul. George's ankle injury didn't affect his form in the slightest, and after taking out the Heat in Game 2, the Pacers came out on top to score an 11-point win at the American Airlines Center.

The Heat's offense was ferocious in that game, because everyone knew that if they were tied 3-0, the Heat's championship dream would be almost shattered. At this point, the Heat and the Thunder are the same.

The difference is that the Spurs couldn't withstand the Thunder's frantic comeback, while the defending champions withdrew.

The fact that James and Wade were able to win the game even more underscores the strength of the Pacers on the defensive end.

So now, the bandits from the cornfields of Indianapolis are almost on a rampage waiting for their next opponent in the finals.

Trailing 0-3, there has never been a team in NBA history that has been able to come back from 3-0 down.

Therefore, Popovich must now prepare for a duel with his old rival Henson in addition to the Thunder.

If even the Thunder struggle to play, how will the Spurs compete with the Pacers this year? Popovich doesn't want to drag it out any longer, and he wants the team to be able to finish the Thunder in less than 6 games!

"It's here, Pop." While Popovich was thinking about all these miscellaneous things, the Spurs' chief assistant coach after Budenhozer, Chip Brown. England reminded the old man.

The old man looked up and saw the Chesapeake Energy Arena, which was once home to the Hornets. In the last game, his team lost here. But today, the old man will not allow his team to fall twice in the same place.

So he stood up, walked to the front of the bus, and cleared his throat.

"Listen, just win one more game and we'll get that damn match point! As long as we get match point and go back to San Antonio for the next game, we will have the initiative. I know that people outside are saying that we are old, that this is already a young age. But I'm going to tell you, it's all fart! ”

If Henson had been on the Spurs team bus at this time, he would have been surprised by Popovich's similar tone to himself.

"Now, step into that beautiful stadium! And when we come out, I hope we have a win in our hands! Let's go, don't keep the Pacers waiting too long! Our goal, but the championship! ”

As soon as Popovich waved his hand, everyone on the Spurs rushed off the bus excitedly like bandits.

Duncan was the last of all the players to get out of the room, and before he did, Popovich tapped the "stone man" on the shoulder and told him, "I'd like to talk to you alone when I get to the locker room later." ”

Looking at Popovich's serious expression, the "stone man" nodded his head slightly.

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"You know, they're almost in the finals, and the Miamians are done." In one corner of the locker room, San Antonio's greatest No. 21 was hunched over and listening to a white-haired old man in front of him whisper.

"Hmm." Duncan nodded slightly, and did not make any more unnecessary responses. He knows very well that the "they" in Popovich's mouth are the biggest opponents of the Spurs this season, the Indiana Pacers!

"The fact that Miamians are powerless cannot be changed. But what hasn't happened yet, the possibilities are endless. You know what I mean? The championship awaits us in June, we haven't lost yet, and the Pacers won't necessarily be able to crush us. We're only two games away from proving those, two games. As long as we can crush the Thunder today, I believe we'll have that chance to prove ourselves in two games. ”

"Well," Duncan replied with just one word, but after a few seconds of froze, he added, "They're strong, but we can break them." ”

Popovich smiled with satisfaction, yes, the Pacers are strong. But in his hands, there is a living legend of No. 21! As long as there is this dumb-looking big guy around, Popovich believes that any game has a chance to win!

"Alright, go ahead, unleash all your true nature from this game onwards. The time has come, Tim. The bloodiest part of the season has begun. Let's see the Pacers' bungrels that our Western team isn't easy to mess with. ”

That's it, Popovich and Tim. Duncan, the master and apprentice, ended a brief conversation. The conversation was short, but the effect was outstanding.

Four hours after the two spoke, the Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-89 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Even though the Thunder scored 46 points, their team still lost by 28 points.

Among them, Tim. Duncan alone chipped in 26 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 61.5 percent from the field. Ibaka, who was extremely excited in the third game, was prevented from shooting 3 of 10 today, and only scored 6 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in the whole game. Of course, he also had 4 turnovers because of Duncan.

Duncan's excellent play allowed the Spurs to get a match point in Oklahoma with a 3-1 aggregate score. And in the next game, the Spurs are bound to try to win the Western Conference championship in San Antonio!

In other words, after a year, the Spurs and Pacers will most likely meet again in the Finals! And this time, Popovich and his players are undoubtedly here for revenge.

After the game, Duncan, the man of the match, spoke to reporters outside the court.

"Indiana Pacers? They are indeed a problem. But it's helpful to think about past failures in a way. But the most important thing is to work the pitch and execute the coach's tactics. And it's too early to talk about the Finals, and the Western Conference Finals aren't over yet. ”

Although Duncan said so, it was clear to everyone. In the case of the Spurs taking a 3-1 lead. The Western Conference Finals, like the Eastern Conference Finals, actually ended early......