rpbooks Chapter 638 The Crucial Steal
Chapter 638 The Crucial Steal
Chapter 638 The Crucial Steal
In the second half of the fourth quarter, the game entered the most intense confrontation.At this time, the defense of both sides finally came in handy.All kinds of double-teaming and changing defenses made more and more collisions in the game.The atmosphere of the game also began to become more and more anxious.
After the last quarter started, the main players of both sides took a rest for only 2 minutes.No matter which team or head coach it is, it will rely more on the core players in the team, especially those stars, which will basically increase a lot of playing time.
Take An Luo as an example. He averaged about 30 minutes per game in the regular season, but in the playoffs, this number has approached 40.Although the playing time has increased by one-third, An Luo's average data per game has not increased by a little bit compared to before, but has actually decreased.Of course, this is normal, and one of the differences between the playoffs and the regular season is this.
When Westbrook, An Luo, and Harden all went into battle, the atmosphere in the Chesapeake Energy Arena suddenly became tense.The Thunder's defense was pushed directly in front of the three-point line, Adams guarded the basket, and Grant was near the free throw line. His position is very critical, taking into account both inside and outside.Not as good as Robertson, but it's not bad under the Thunder's entire defensive system.
Chris Paul holds the ball and hits in from outside the three-point line. When other players' positions are not good enough, he will be responsible for tearing apart the Thunder's defense and creating some opportunities.After the pick-and-roll, small play is Paul's forte, but Adams did not completely switch over. His footsteps and speed could not keep up with the opponent, but Paul's breakthrough speed was only delayed.Westbrook went around directly, his speed is not slow!Has been stuck in the opponent's position near the basket.After Paul took the ball for a circle, he walked out again.Westbrook naturally followed closely behind.But at this time, Chris Paul suddenly shot back the carbine, turned around to a position close to the baseline, and pulled it up to make a fadeaway jumper.
The whole process was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, Paul completed this attack.But what is worthy of recognition is that Harden and Gordon, who have been floating outside the three-point line, did not get the slightest chance throughout the offensive link.An Luo and Paul George, as if they were attached to them, defended very tightly.More importantly, although the Thunder lost one Robertson, their infinite defense can still function normally.This is the most important part of the Thunder's defensive system, and it is also a barrier for them to face teams with star guards and star strikers.No matter what, there is always a good defensive player putting pressure on the opposing player with the ball.
Switching to the Thunder's offense, they also encountered a stronger defense.Although the Rockets' lineup is short, their defense is not weak.Westbrook is facing Harden. Speaking of which, these two guys still have some similarities.In college, both men started out on defense.After entering the league, due to various reasons, he became a player who everyone saw unwilling to participate in defense.But the last two seasons, especially when they both won regular-season MVPs, have re-engaged on the defensive end, and they've done a good job.
Of course, D'Antoni will still face Chris Paul, who has the best perimeter defense, against An Luo.He'd like to see Westbrook score.In his basketball philosophy, three-pointers are the most efficient means of offense.Westbrook's three-pointers are not stable, and his shooting percentage in this game is very poor.His defensive strategy is to let Westbrook shoot three-pointers.
Compared with Westbrook's "relaxation", An Luo and Paul George are uncomfortable.Especially An Luo, he has to face Chris Paul.Among the opponents An Luo has encountered in his career in the past few years, Chris Paul's defense is the most uncomfortable for him, not one of them.
First of all, Chris Paul is very strong.The strong lower body strength allows Paul to have enough confrontation ability and will not be easily squeezed away.Therefore, he is not afraid of confrontation, and even likes to use physical confrontation to disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm.Whether it is ball control or shooting, as long as the rhythm is interrupted, it will be difficult to cause damage.
Another very famous feature of Chris Paul's defense is small moves.This is what An Luo hates the most.In defense, Chris Paul always bears against his thighs, waist and eyes.When the referee is not paying attention, push, pull, grab, and punch with your arms, whatever makes you feel uncomfortable.A disgusting trash talk from time to time really gave An Luo a headache.
Therefore, in the Rockets' game, An Luo tried not to attack with the ball.Run around the court all the time, catch and shoot, and don't give Paul a chance to disgust himself.
This time, Westbrook also played by himself.He didn't choose to shoot from the perimeter, and even though Adams' screen was wide open, he went to the free throw line and finished the offense with his zombie jumper.After missing several shots in a row, Westbrook became less confident in his own [-]-point shooting.
The two sides have been entangled until the last moment.
With 25 seconds left in the game, the two sides tied again at 100:100.Harden's step-back three-pointer wasted the opportunity to take the lead. After Adams grabbed a key rebound, the Thunder temporarily took the initiative on the court.
"Don't worry! Control the rhythm and hit the basket..."
Donovan loudly reminded Westbrook who was holding the ball from the sidelines.He has used up all the timeouts, so he can only remind him like this.There were too many twists and turns in the last few minutes.The Rockets repeatedly emphasized their lead, but were tied by the Thunder.Now, they have the opportunity to confirm the lead.
Westbrook drives the ball over the halfway line, and he controls the clock.In this case, using the last bit of time to score the ball is the most ideal result.
With 8 seconds left, Westbrook moved.He didn't do too many fancy moves, and rushed to the free throw line with Adams' screen.However, Tucker's supplementary defense made him lose the chance to score.The situation was wrong, and Westbrook immediately passed the ball.By this time, Gordon, who came out to steal the show in the first half, stood up again.He anticipated the direction of Westbrook's pass in advance, and directly dropped Paul George and rushed to the direction where the basketball flew.
There was a very surprising scene, Westbrook passed the ball directly to Gordon.
At that moment, no one reacted.Only Chris Paul on the side reminded D'Antoni to call a timeout, and he was so anxious that he kept jumping on the spot.
(End of this chapter)