"The Lakers beat the Thunder in their first game? It's unimaginable. Okay, but the truth is that the Lakers played their best game of the season, and the Thunder were like little sheep with no ability to resist at all. Obviously, this is a very bad sign. The Thunder need to make a change, or they're in big trouble. ”

USA Today's sports section reviews the games that have just ended.

The Lakers were so strong that everyone was starting to feel worried about the Thunder.

Judging from the game between the two sides, the Thunder does not seem to have the strength to compete with the Lakers, which makes the voices supporting the Lakers to advance extremely dense.

In fact, you must know that before the series began, most people were on the side of supporting the Thunder.

But after just one game, the perception changed, and it was so sudden that it felt like a dream.

"The next game, still at the Staples Center, the Lakers have the score to 2; 0. It is believed that the pressure on the Thunder is enormous, but they don't seem to have a way to resist. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have to make changes, and if they can't play at their usual level, 2-0 is inevitable. "ESPN's rhetoric is clearly pro-Lakers.

However, Charles Barkley has changed his optimism about the Lakers this season and vigorously supported the Thunder.

"The Lakers have a stronger team, and their bench lineup is one of the best in the league. However, the Thunder have two of the top three players in the league who have the ability to change the game and play phenomenally. And with the Lakers, no one is able to do that right now. As much as I love this Lakers team, I don't think it's going to be able to beat the Thunder in four of the seven series. ”

The reason why Barkley is optimistic about the Thunder is very simple, that is, the existence of the Thunder two less.

Really, this is understandable. After all, this season, the Thunder played an absolutely dominant individual performance. If James hadn't played the best season of his career, the MVP of the season would obviously be one of the two.

Given their individual strength, it's clear that the Thunder can't afford to be as sluggish as they were in the first game, and Durant and Westbrook will obviously make adjustments.

As the head coach, Chu Xuan can certainly think of this, and he still takes the study of defending Dewey as the most important job.

After the first game, the Lakers coaching staff continued to analyze Dewey's individual games, hoping to get more ways to defend the two.

During this period, the Lakers players practiced extremely hard.

It can be said that the entire Lakers team has not had any slack.

Soon, the time came on May 3, and the second game of the series began.

Before the game, on the *** live broadcast station, Barkley, as a commentator, made a prediction again.

"The Thunder obviously need more time to get used to, and I think the Lakers will win two home games, and then the Thunder will win two of their home courts, and the two sides will eventually fight the battle of the Kings, and the Thunder will win the series in the sixth game after getting the match point."

There are many people who agree with Barkley's sentiment, especially Lakers fans, who believe that the team can win Game 2 of the series, and this belief continues into the final quarter of the game.

However, in the final moments, the importance of the superstar was on display, as Westbrook scored back-to-back baskets, and Durant, who was out of shape in the first quarter, followed up with a game-deciding three-pointer to seal the victory.

Faced with this situation, Chu Xuan was a little powerless, and he hoped that someone on the Lakers team would be able to stand up. However, Kobe Bryant is too old, he is no longer young, and the Lakers have no stars on the outside, and they do not have an absolute advantage on the inside, and it is extremely helpless to lose.

Although Kobe Bryant cut down the comprehensive data of 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, but two fists are hard to beat with four feet, how could the 36-year-old Kobe Bryant play the Thunder two young in his youth.

Westbrook contributed a big double-double of 34 points and 15 assists, and it can be said that he single-handedly supported the Thunder and led the team to victory at critical moments.

And in this battle, the role and prestige of the second young man obviously overrode the head of the young Durant.

Truly, I have to say that Durant played badly in the first two games. He's an all-time super scorer, but he didn't score 20 points in either of those games, which is a huge stain.

"Kevin Durant has to step up, and with Russell Westbrook alone, the Thunder obviously won't be very safe if they want to advance. The series is 1:1, and he only needs to play at the level that MVP should have, then the possibility of the series Thunder advancing is very high. ”

The situation changed again, leaving fans feeling stunned and incredible.

And they're prepared for the fact that it's going to be a series that will change dramatically after each game.

Losing at home, from active to passive, is only changing in an instant.

As the head coach, Chu Xuan naturally knew the reason for the loss, that is, the lack of star-level scorers to fight against the Thunder Ershao. However, at this juncture, where did Chu Xuan find such a person. There is no doubt that Chu Xuan can only consider the Lakers' existing lineup and think about ways to win.

However, that obviously won't be easy, and in a game as competitive as the playoffs, the absence of a super scorer means a lack of strength in key moments.

Unless they can maintain a big lead, the Lakers will be in danger of collapsing once the crucial moment of decision or defeat comes.

However, where can the Lakers maintain a big lead like in the first game, after all, there is still not such a big gap in the strength of the two sides.

In the next two games in Oklahoma, Brooks' strategy was very clear, that is, to use defense to bite the score and not let the Lakers have any chance to open the difference.

For this approach, Chu Xuan was very helpless, he could only watch the game decide the winner in the last two or three minutes every time, which made the Lakers very passive.

Although Chu Xuan racked his brains to arrange appropriate tactics, he couldn't stop Dewey's offensive edge at the critical moment.

In the end, the Lakers lost both of the two games in Oklahoma, and the third of them was defeated by Wesley Johnson.

"Won three games in a row by the Thunder, the shortcomings of the Lakers are already very obvious. The team lacks a Mamba-esque perimeter star to take the pressure on Kirby. Although Norris, Hassan, Draymond and Paul have been playing well on the inside, that can't decide the outcome of the game. Therefore, this series also pointed out a direction for the Lakers in the offseason, and that is to find a super scorer on the outside. (To be continued.) )