686: He's just stubborn
On March 12, after Henson's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Pacers immediately defeated the New York Knicks and successfully avoided a losing streak.
This means that the Pacers are also the only team that has not tried a losing streak so far this season.
But the win over the Knicks didn't make Henson's pressure much less. After all, the real devil's schedule starts right after the Knicks.
Sure enough, on the night the Pacers defeated the Knicks, the pressure came.
"Before today, the Indiana Pacers fell in Philadelphia. And we will become the second team in a row to defeat the Pacers. ”
As soon as Henson returned to his hotel room after the game, he saw that the whole network was overwhelmed with Westbrook news.
As always, he chipped in another triple-double, and the Pacers ran into another win-hungry opponent.
Originally, Henson thought that as long as Westbrook continued to brainstorm, it would not be difficult to win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After all, today's Thunder is no longer the Thunder that can reach the Finals.
But he never expected Westbrook to be so interested in beating himself.
The outside world is saying that Westbrook is not, but Henson doesn't think Westbrook is an easy player to deal with. He thinks there's nothing wrong with Westbrook, just he's too stubborn.
He likes to lead the team in his own way, likes to go big to highlight his central position, and likes to be brave enough to storm the basket, even if it can be a bit reckless at times.
But there's no doubt that he's really trying to win. Henson doesn't rule out that Westbrook is deliberately swiping his stats, but most of the time, the original intention of that 0 good defender is to win.
He's just too stubborn, but not weak. When the stubborn guy tries to take out an opponent, Henson believes that Westbrook is just as hard to mess with.
Henson would rather overestimate an opponent than underestimate him. Because of the latter mentality, it often makes a person pay the price.
"Whew...... It's so tiring to be a big villain. ”
Thinking of this, Henson extinguished the phone screen and rubbed his face with his hands.
Everyone prides themselves on beating themselves, but they just don't understand one fact.
The Pacers can't be beaten!
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Westbrook has always been a controversial player, and since Durant's departure from Oklahoma, Westbrook has been thrust into the limelight.
The Thunder don't have the most luxurious configuration, but people always compare this team to top teams like the Warriors. It's as if the Thunder don't make it to the Western Conference Finals and don't defeat the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, it's a failure.
But in the West, with the Thunder's staffing, it's not easy to make it to the Western Conference Finals.
That's where the media and the fans are at odds, on the one hand, they don't like the way Westbrook plays. But on the other hand, they have inexplicable expectations for the Thunder.
For example, right now, many Russian media outlets believe that "the Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off the Pacers' terrifying journey to the West." ”
Some experts believe that although the Thunder are currently only ranked sixth in the West, their 42-26 record is equivalent to the Celtics in fourth place in the East. Therefore, the Thunder is also a top team in the East. So, they're sure to cause huge problems for the Pacers.
I don't know if these reports have further boosted Westbrook's confidence, but when the No. 0 guard stepped into the Bankers Living Arena and spoke to reporters today, he bluntly said: "I'm going to let the defending champions take a good look at the power of the West, they can make it to the Finals two years in a row, just because they can't beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs." ”
The words quickly reached Henson's ears, and at first, Henson was surprised.
He didn't know if Westbrook was trying to use that to boost the morale of his teammates, or if he was just that strong.
In the playoffs last year, Lillard also said that the Trail Blazers could sweep the Warriors. The result? Could it be that the defenders in the west are so reckless?
But then, Henson's expression gradually returned to calm. Facing the camera, he just said lightly, "The reason why he thinks this way is because he hasn't seen us in the playoffs for a long time." By the way, the Thunder met us in the last playoff game, and it didn't seem to end very well. ”
Henson isn't a manager who is afraid of getting into trouble, and since you're out of the question, don't blame me for revealing your scars.
In this way, the game was full of gunpowder before it even started. An unyielding Westbrook will be looking to topple the powerhouses, while Henson will need more wins to push him towards a 70-win run.
Against this backdrop, the referee threw the ball into the air. Steven. One card eight. Adams won the first attack for the Thunder, and the East-West War officially began!
Although this is the first time that Henson's team has met the Thunder this season, Henson's research on the Thunder has been thorough. Billy. Donovan is a good coach, but he doesn't have any spectacular tactical set-ups for the Thunder.
Their style of play is simple – Westbrook hits the basket and if he can't, breaks through the ball.
So in the first round, Westbrook carried Brogdon to the basket. Brogdon is tall and has long arms, and he doesn't usually suffer too much when defending the No. 1 position. But Westbrook, he could be called the LeBron in the No. 1 position. James too.
It is not an exaggeration to describe this guy's physical fitness with the word "pervert", and the slightly emaciated Brogdon naturally can't withstand the impact of a "little James".
And just like that, Westbrook forced a layup. The Thunder's offense is simple and rough, but it's with that offense that they're currently on 40 wins.
"Be patient, be patient, take it one step at a time." Henson stood on the sidelines and yelled at the players, he knew that the kind of goal he had just conceded was inevitable, but if Westbrook played like that, his shooting percentage would not be consistent.
What the Pacers have to do is play a more solid offense than the opposition. Therefore, today Henson did not advocate that the players play fast, but wanted the attack to fall into position as much as possible and slow down the tempo.
Brogdon took the ball across the halfcourt and handed it to Antetokounmpo, who defended Antetokounmpo by Jeramy. Grant. Known as one of the worst outside shooters in the league.
The highest three-point average in the first five seasons of his career was 0.8 per game. It wasn't until this year that Grant's outside shooting improved, but it still wasn't consistent.
Although he is not very good at attacking, he is tough defensively. When it comes to Jeramy. Grant, people's first instinct is to defend.
But after Henson's research, this guy's defense is actually not as good as he imagined.
Grant is still showing signs of being out of position, especially on the perimeter, where he can easily get rid of opponents and he still doesn't have enough speed to keep up with the opposition's small guards.
And against big players, he doesn't have enough height and reach to cope with it.
What's more, standing in front of Grant at this time is still a big man with a small speed.
Antetokounmpo didn't even take cover, he used a continuous change of direction and then suddenly accelerated, and Grant moved a step slower, so he was cleared.
Steven. Adams immediately rushed back to the basket from beyond the three-point line, but was still half a beat slow. Antetokounmpo scored a one-handed dunk with his own hands, and this guy's attack power this year is already among the top in the league.
2-2, Henson applauded in satisfaction. Compared to the stability and variety of the offense, the Pacers will never be afraid of the Thunder.
Henson then made a few gestures at the players, signaling them to shrink their defenses. It's easy to deal with Westbrook, just shrink and you're done.
That round was just a tentative, and from now on, Henson was going to make Westbrook pay a huge price for every goal he scored.
Westbrook also clearly saw the Pacers' defensive strategy, as Brogdon had even stepped back a little before the free-throw line.
It's not that Henson looks down on Westbrook, it's that Westbrook's stats are there. This season, Westbrook is shooting just 29 percent from three-point range, which is no better than Antetokounmpo.
The worst thing is that Antetokounmpo is not accurate, so he doesn't shoot very often. But Westbrook is different, this guy shoots three-pointers with a desperate head on the head. He averaged 5.6 three-point shots per game, which is not a low number.
It's the same this time, Westbrook saw that Brogdon didn't stick to himself, and after dribbling to outside the three-point line, he shot directly!
Henson almost didn't laugh out loud, and such a shot was no different from suicide.
But in the next second, the Nets were flooded with "white waves", and the crisp sound jumped into Henson's ears.
He looked at the basketball on the ground and Westbrook who was celebrating, he just scored the ball!?
"The ball is in!" On the commentary stage, Kevin. Harran shouted excitedly.
"Defend, keep defending!" On the court, Westbrook also commanded his teammates strongly, and there is no doubt that the three-point goal just now must have boosted the morale of the Thunder team.
Henson pursed his lips, and he found that Westbrook today didn't seem to be so easy to beat......