rpbooks Chapter 357
Chapter 357
Chapter 357
The general manager of the Thunder is Sam Presti, who took office with the Sonics in 2007.He was initially discovered by RC Buford and served in various positions with the Spurs, during which he suggested that the team select French point guard Tony Parker.The first thing to do when he took office as the general manager of the Supersonics was to clear out Ray Allen and Rashad Lewis and completely rebuild.
Presti's greatest achievement was in the 07-09 season, when the Thunder selected Durant, Westbrook and Harden for three consecutive summers.It was with these three as the main body that the team reached the finals in 2012.
On October 2012, 10, the Thunder failed to renew Harden in advance. Presti traded Harden to the Rockets in exchange for Kevin Martin and some draft picks, and used these draft picks to select Steven Adams, Alexander Max Abrines and Grant Jarrett.This deal should be regarded as the biggest mistake in Presti's general manager career.
In the 12-13 season, the Thunder lost Harden, but their offensive firepower did not decline. They achieved a record of 60 wins and 22 losses in the regular season, ranking first in the Western Conference.In the first round against the Rockets, Patrick Beverley crashed into Westbrook in a dead ball state, causing the latter torn the meniscus in his right knee and being reimbursed for the playoffs.Although the Thunder passed the Rockets, it was a pity that they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round and stopped sadly.
In the 13-14 season, Durant played a perfect season and led the team to withstand the pressure of Westbrook's absence. In the regular season, he achieved a record of 59 wins and 23 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference.Durant won the regular season MVP award.
In the playoffs, the Thunder and the Grizzlies reached a tiebreaker in the first round and passed through danger.In the second round against the Clippers, the Thunder advanced in six games, but Serge Ibaka, the core insider of the team, was accidentally injured.In the Western Conference Finals, Ibaka forced his comeback with an injury, but he still failed to stop the fiery Spurs and was eliminated.
The Spurs became more and more courageous, and then defeated the Heat 4-1 in the finals to win the championship.
Ibaka lost his previous dominance on the defensive end because of his forced comeback from injury in the Western Conference Finals.
Last season, the Thunder suffered extensive injuries. Durant only played in 27 games due to a Jones fracture in his right foot. Westbrook was injured at the beginning of the season. The team started with a 3-12 record, and then conflicts broke out in the locker room.Then Presti sent away Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins and draft picks, and traded to Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter, but the pits were too big at the beginning of the season. The Pelicans played against each other at a disadvantage and missed the playoffs.
This season, the Thunder finally had no more injuries, but the strong performance of the Warriors, the stamina of the Spurs and the sudden emergence of the Lakers have turned the situation in the West upside down.Both Durant and Westbrook have shown great abilities, and they only led the team to rank fourth in the West.
In the first three matches between the Lakers and the Thunder, Xu Tianjun scored 30+ triple-doubles, and the current mutual record leads 3-0.Therefore, the Thunder is eager to win and get rid of the demons of the Lakers.
Westbrook is very afraid of Xu Tian. Although his physical fitness is not weaker than Xu Tian, he is easy to be swayed on the defensive end and will always be easily swayed away.In the first three matches, he suffered a lot and wanted to fight back in this match.
After the pre-match warm-up and introduction, the Chesapeake Energy Arena played a tribute video, and the fans gave Kobe applause.However, the loyalty of Oklahoma fans is very high. When the real game starts, they will no longer cheer for the Lakers.
The starting lists of the two sides were released on the TV screen by TNT, so that fans can know the situation of the match in advance.
Thunder starters: Westbrook, Dion Waiters, Durant, Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams.
Lakers starters: Xu Tian, Kobe, George, Josh Smith, McGee.
Lakers starting center Tyson Chandler suffered a sore shoulder and sidelined the game.
Kenny Smith and Barkley are well-known "Xu Blow", and before the start of the game, they were dramatically booed by Thunder fans, which is a kind of pre-match adjustment.
After Xu Tian greeted the opposing players, he put the braces in place, touched the bracelet on his right with his left hand, and quickly entered the game state.
McGee's athletic ability is much better than that of Adams. He easily jumped to the ball and helped the Lakers win their first offense.
Xu Tian received the ball, and under the strong boos of the fans, he slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.
Josh Smith's athletic ability is also very good, he took the initiative to come to the top of the arc, and cooperated with Xu Tian in the pick-and-roll.
Serge Ibaka and Westbrook switched defenses, and Serge Ibaka was responsible for defending Xu Tian who was holding the ball.
Xu Tian carefully observed Ibaka's movements, looking for breakthrough opportunities.
Ibaka has lost the mobility he is proud of, and his defensive coverage has dropped a lot compared to his peak. He can only minimize the distance between him and Xu Tian, trying to limit breakthroughs and shots at the same time.
Xu Tian is not a simple player, and the Lakers are not a team that only relies on individual singles.
Kobe shook off Dion Waiters, cut to the basket without the ball, and the ball was passed to him before he could complete the action.
Adams is 213 cm tall and weighs 116 kg. He has a pretty good figure in the interior.It's just that he only entered the league in 2013. Kobe, who defended his full-body fakes, suffered a big loss in experience and was easily shaken up, giving Kobe a chance to go up to the basket.
Kobe moved beautifully, hit rebounds and made layups, and easily scored two points.
2-0!
The Thunder fans showed full emotions from the beginning, trying hard to cheer for the home team and strive to maximize the home court advantage.
Westbrook quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, ignoring Durant on the left, broke through to one step inside the three-point line, and pulled up the middle distance of the emergency stop.
Westbrook is often compared to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by domestic fans. He plays the ball well and has outstanding dunk ability among point guards. However, the stunt he is really used to is the emergency stop jumper that finds space with his bounce and speed.
The basketball draws a high arc, crosses Xu Tian's fingertips stretched out with all his strength, and makes a hollow hit!
2-2!
Westbrook is a very good player, and he didn't play very well against Xu Tian a few times before, so he let out the anger in his heart and roared.
Under normal circumstances, players only vent their emotions when they score a dunk or a key ball, but Westbrook has been trying to get back from Xu Tian for too long.As soon as the opportunity is touched, there will be an emotional reaction naturally, and there is no time to pay attention to the eyes of others.
Westbrook has always been regarded as a man of true temperament, and no one will care too much about him.
Xu Tian has a very high ball quotient, and it is difficult for him to be influenced by his opponent. Unless he deliberately protects himself, there will be basically no conflicts.Calmly dribble the ball to the front court, dribble the ball at the top of the arc, and move laterally to observe the running position of teammates.
Adams didn't pay attention to McGee, but focused on Xu Tian.This allowed McGee to find an empty cut opportunity.
Xu Tian held the ball with both hands, flexibly shaking his wrists, and pushed the ball near the basket.
McGee took off easily, fully extended his right arm, caught the pass slightly higher than usual, and dunked wildly!
4-2!
Adams has a beard and long naturally curly hair tied together, giving people a very fierce feeling.But he was very smart, knowing that it was impossible to defend, he didn't reach out and let McGee complete the lob.
(End of this chapter)