Thunder doesn't have a lot of cards in their hand, but it's just a very good hand, but it's not the best yet.

Durant, Westbrook, and Gordon are still growing, and if they play well, they will blow the table, but when they enter a headwind, they are prone to make mistakes.

In the first three games, the Thunder have always been relatively smooth, and if the final stage of the third game did not meet the referee's home whistle, they have been taking out the Clippers with the wind.

Or like the Dallas Mavericks, even if the referee is at the home whistle, even if the headwind, with the blessing of tenacity and experience, these disadvantages can be eliminated.

Durant was very unaccustomed to the tough guy defense of PJ Tucker in the first quarter.

It's a shame to be locked up by an unknown person like Tucker.

But the more anxious you are, the more you want to get back on the field, the easier it is to make mistakes on the offensive end.

Offense and defense are two kinds of work, offense needs to be calm, defense needs passion.

Most of the scoring masters, especially the shooting masters, are ancient wells without waves, and their faces are like a flat lake.

Passion is often released after the hit, and if you haven't shot yet, your stomach is on fire, and it's hard to shoot well.

PJ Tucker doesn't trash talk with Durant, he just follows, inseparably follows.

In the first quarter, Durant went off the court, Tucker also went off the court, and as soon as Durant came on the court, Tucker immediately came on the court.

It's just eyeing you.

Durant's offensive means are very comprehensive, low-post, mid-range in the face frame, and step-back jumpers, all proficient.

Tucker's defense is very single, just one word, wrapping, always pestering you.

And Tucker was not discouraged at all, he threw it in, and I was not discouraged, and the next one was to follow.

His defensive willpower is as strong as a rock, which he has earned from a basketball career on the move overseas.

It is not easy to eat a stable basketball meal in Los Angeles, so you must cherish it and play well to be worthy of Mr. Smart's cultivation and fanciing.

Tucker still remembers the despair he felt in the summer of 2009 after trying out a lot of teams.

He has bought a plane ticket to Israel and is ready to continue playing there and continue to improve himself to get back to the United States.

As a result, a phone call came and said that the Los Angeles Clippers had signed him, and instead of a 10-day contract, they had directly given him a guaranteed contract.

That feeling of dying in a desperate situation, Tucker always remembers it vividly.

He admonishes himself every day to work hard and play hard.

Every game is played with all his strength and everything is done for the team to win.

Tucker didn't play much during the regular season and even less in the playoffs.

Faced with a hard-won starting opportunity in this game, how could Tucker not seize it?

After Durant returned to the court in the second quarter, Tucker also followed suit and continued to pester Durant.

He is silent, does not engage in verbal battles with Durant, does not spew trash talk, and is silently defensive.

This kind of entanglement made Durant a little nervous, and he chose to hold the ball and force Tucker.

On the inside, he was interfered with by Matt Bonner's defense.

Bonner came in for Gasol Jr., but his ability to protect the basket was terrible.

In the face of Durant's breakthrough, there was no choice but to foul and send Durant to the free throw line.

Brooks also didn't quite understand why the Clippers replaced Gasol Jr. with Bonner.

Milicic is much more effective in protecting the basket than Bonner.

And Milicic is not afraid of Perkins.

Perkins can scare others with a poker face, but not Milicic.

The confrontation between the two on the inside was extremely fierce, and now Milicic will not let him play.

Durant hit both free throws, and in the second quarter, the Clippers were 34-33, and they also led the Thunder by one point.

The two sides played very anxiously, and the offensive efficiency of both sides dropped compared to the previous three games.

At this time, when it came to the offense, Curry and Bonner blocked high and broke through with the ball.

The Thunder's defense contracted, Curry immediately returned the ball to Bonner, and Bonner hit a three-point shot from the front!

At 37:33, the Clippers stretched the score to four points.

Bonner can shoot three-pointers, and the Thunder's defense is difficult.

Do you want to keep Perkins on the court?

Stay, he can't prevent it from going out.

If you don't stay, what should you do with the inner line basket?

And Perkins was badly lame on offense.

Bonner completely abandoned Perkins on defense.

is to squat under the basket, and the opponent rushes him in to protect the basket quickly.

In this scorching atmosphere, Westbrook chose to shoot a dry pull-up jumper and missed......

Bonner grabbed the rebound in the backcourt, and instead of pushing the counterattack, the Clippers slowed down.

Continuing to open up space, this time it was Harden who carried the ball to the basket.

Bonner pulled away, and Perkins had to come over to defend Bonner.

As a result, the basket was empty, and Harden broke through and made a layup.

At 39:33, the Thunder called a timeout.

The situation turned out to be bad for the Thunder.

Durant is the tactical core of the team, the foundation of all the Thunder's tactics, and the person who can give the whole team a cover.

A core player who can give the whole team a tactical backdrop, and is contained by a certain defender of the opponent in a game, is redeemed, this card is very difficult to play.

It's like playing chess, where someone swaps your rook with a pawn, and that's a big disadvantage.

At this point, either the superstar himself stands up and breaks down the opponent's defense.

The other person must use two or more people to deal with him.

Either the team adjusts its tactical strategy and opens the situation with other points.

The Thunder's second point is Westbrook, who was just named an All-Star this year.

already has a very strong offensive ability, but can he take over the burden of Durant in the playoffs and support the team's offense?

Brooks was ready to give it a try, and after the timeout, the Thunder used Westbrook as the starting point for the game.

On the first round after the pause, Westbrook broke through to the basket with a block and a dunk!

The first step started so quickly that it was a lightning bolt, and Curry couldn't guard against it.

Without Gasol Jr. on the inside, it's hard to protect the basket with Bonner.

But then, the Clippers outside Bonner hit a three-point shot again!

Then Westbrook quickly countered with a pass error.

In the Clippers positional battle, Randolph was able to eat in the low post.

Westbrook misses a three-point shot from the outside.

Randolph was able to eat in the low position.

Westbrook passes the ball to Durant and PJ Tucker makes a steal.

In the counterattack, Curry hit three points again!

The Clippers pushed back with a wave of 10:2 offense, instantly stretching the difference to more than 10 points......

At the end of the first half, the Clippers were 55-46, leading the Thunder by nine points.

The Clippers had the best start to the first half of the series, the biggest margin of advantage.

With Durant pinched in defense and Perkins removed on offense, the Clippers seemed to have found the code to deal with the Thunder.

From the first quarter onwards, Min Congda remained silent, and he didn't eat much of the pizza Ida brought him.

At the end of the half, Min Congda suddenly asked Ada: "Ada, who made the adjustment of our Clippers' starting lineup?" How did you get Harden to start? ”

Ida said, "This... Didn't you ask this to be adjusted, Mr. Smart? ”

"What? Did I make adjustments? Impossible, isn't that the job of a coach? ”

"Yes, but that's what you asked Dunleavy and Mr. Cole to adjust at the coaching workshop, and I was there."

"Why don't you stop me, Ada?"

"What are you kidding, why should I stop you. Look how good it works... Mr. Smart, why are you crying? ”

"Huh? I'm crying? Am I crying? No, no, you've seen it, I'm hungry. The pizza is cold, you go and heat it up for me, and get another cup of coffee by the way, thank you. ”

(End of chapter)