roccoschili Chapter 647 The Battle Begins
Chapter 647 The Battle Begins
Chapter 647 The Battle Begins
On May 2019, 5, the Western Conference Finals officially kicked off at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
For this game, everyone has been waiting for a long time.As the two strongest teams in the Western Conference, the duel between the Thunder and the Warriors can easily catch everyone's attention.Originally, there were many gimmicks between the two teams.Although the "grievances" between Durant and the Thunder have dissipated a lot, they will always be discussed again at critical moments.Coupled with the fights over the years, especially the matchup in the Western Conference Finals last year, this series has attracted much attention.
Before this game, the Warriors had a bad news.Their head star Curry will continue to miss the game because of an ankle injury.
Curry's absence made the game less colorful.In the Western Conference finals last year, the three-point battle between him and An Luo has always been talked about.However, judging from the news announced by the Warriors, Curry's injury is not particularly serious.Resting two games in a row is also due to caution.
However, Curry's absence made Kerr feel great pressure.It can be seen from the previous games that without Curry, the Warriors' combat effectiveness has dropped seriously.This is a very bad thing for other players.Especially for Durant, his ability to lead the team has been greatly questioned.In the absence of Curry this season, the Warriors lost more than they won.Even if he can always play extremely well in the game, it is useless not to win the game.
This is also some hidden dangers within the Warriors.The conflict between Durant and the former Warriors players has exploded as early as the beginning of the season.The sentence "We were the championship before you came" deeply hurt Durant's heart.Although everything seemed to be calm afterwards, the thorn in my heart was not so easy to pull out.After entering the playoffs, the emergence of injuries and the absence of players caused the contradiction between the two to be aroused again.In the two games Durant missed, the Warriors won all; in the two games Curry missed, the Warriors lost all.
This is embarrassing for Durant!He needs to prove himself with a win.This game is an opportunity, and winning it in Curry's absence is enough to free Durant from all criticism.However, the Thunder will not allow him to do so.
When the players came out, the big video screen in the Chesapeake Energy Arena played the wonderful moments of the Thunder winning the championship last season.The roar after Westbrook's dunk, the excitement after An Luo's three-pointer, and the wonderful shots of Paul George, Adams, Grant and other players slowly ignited the atmosphere of the entire arena.
Compared with last year, the Thunder's starting lineup has changed a lot.Noelle is a new face, having played soy sauce in Dallas last year.Grant can be regarded as the "old man" of the Thunder, but he has always served as Robertson's substitute.The strength of these two people is definitely not as good as Adams and Robertson, but it is enough to pass.After all, if the Thunder wanted to win money, they must be counting on the Big Three.
The Warriors' starting lineup is also different from the past.However, the abilities of Cook and Rooney are still very good.Judging from some previous games, under the leadership of several big brothers, the two played pretty well.
Players from both sides stood in the middle circle, Rooney and Noelle scrambled for the ball.
"Di..."
Noelle jumped high and slapped the ball into Westbrook's hands.The latter catches the ball, observes it briefly and throws the ball to the frontcourt.The moment An Luo received the ball from Westbrook, he rushed to the offensive area he was most familiar with, waiting for the opportunity.With Westbrook's vision and passing level on the court, he naturally saw An Luo.He passed the ball immediately.
After An Luo received the ball, he was about to make a shot immediately.The Warriors' defense was fast, and Thompson went straight to An Luo.An Luo made a shooting motion, but he didn't actually shoot the ball. Instead, he feinted and avoided Thompson who was flying over.Then, he exerted strength on his legs, pulled up and threw the ball.
"Shh..."
The basketball crossed a beautiful arc and hit the bullseye.The score became 3:0, and the Thunder took the lead at home.
Looking back, Durant played from the three-point line.A large CROSSOVER swayed Paul George, rushed to the basket in two strides, scored the ball against Noelle, and caused a foul by the opponent.Amid boos all over the sky, he steadily scored a goal to tie the score.
Subsequently, Westbrook assisted Noelle to catch a dunk.From this ball, it can be seen that the cooperation between Noelle and Westbrook is still a bit jerky, which is also a pick-and-roll tactic.If it wasn't for his good physical fitness, even if Noelle could catch the ball, he wouldn't be able to complete the dunk.
After this alley-oop dunk, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly rose.This is the difference between Noelle and Adams.More flexible, jump higher, more powerful.
The Warriors were not disturbed by the aggressiveness of the Thunder.Under Green's scheduling, the basketball was finally scored by Rooney under the basket.Rooney was very active on the court, seized the opportunity to get rid of Adams and cut to the basket, and completed the offense.
The game has been very anxious.The confrontation between offense and defense was fierce.Lei Ting's side is considered to be all soldiers.Under Westbrook's organization, An Luo, Paul George, Noelle and Grant all got a lot of opportunities.Of course, the efficiency is good and bad, but the score is not inferior.The Warriors are just the opposite.In the first 5 minutes, apart from Rooney and Curry, Durant was the only one scoring.It is said that two fists are difficult to defeat four hands, but Durant really carried the Thunder's offense alone.
However, judging from the current situation of the game, the pressure on the Warriors is greater.On the Thunder's side, An Luo and Paul George, both scorers, have not yet fully utilized their abilities.It is an exaggeration to say that before sweating even a drop, it was a tie with the Warriors.As for the Warriors, although they are still able to maintain a balance with the Thunder, it is difficult for Durant to resist the entire game alone.Once the Thunder break out at full strength, if no one else in the Warriors stands up, they will fall into a very passive situation.Thompson is a very critical point. After Curry is missing, the Thunder's defensive strategy is to strictly limit Thompson.They would rather let Durant finish the offense than let Thompson score.For this reason, Donovan set up double insurance for An Luo and Grant.Judging from the effect of the game, such a strategy is very useful.In the first 5 minutes of this game, Thompson did not score a point.This is a great hidden danger for the Warriors.
(End of this chapter)