inspire-indiana Chapter 160 Sweeps the Thunder and advances to the Western Conference Semifinals
Chapter 160 Sweeps the Thunder and advances to the Western Conference Semifinals
Chapter 160 Sweeps the Thunder and advances to the Western Conference Semifinals
On April 4, the Clippers and the Thunder played G23 in the first round of the series.
The Clippers, who won two games, did not have a carefree mentality. Instead, they had to do their best to win tonight's game.
Facing the well-prepared and ready Clippers, the Thunder did not achieve the desired effect at the beginning of G3.
Durant was hitting the iron as soon as he came up. Whether it was a three-pointer or a mid-range shot, he was not accurate at all, and he even made a three-point shot.
The Thunder went from a multi-core team to a single-core team led by Westbrook.
This was something no one expected in advance.
Taking advantage of your illness to kill you, the Clippers also know that such opportunities are rare. Since the Thunder has a problem, they will naturally take the opportunity to add insult to injury and quickly open the gap.
Ever since, the Clippers allowed Lu Yi to play all the time on the court in the first quarter. In the second half, almost Lu Yi took the ball to attack, creating better scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Although Lu Yi exhausted a lot of physical strength, the number of times he actually completed the finish was not many. Generally speaking, the physical exhaustion was acceptable.
As for Lu Yi himself, he made 5 of 3 shots in the first quarter, 2 of 1 three-pointers, and scored 7 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. This is also a situation that the Clippers can accept.
With the help of Lu Yi, the Clippers blossomed more in the first quarter, scored 32 points in a single quarter, and quickly suppressed the Thunder at home.
The Thunder scored only 21 points in the first quarter, and just like that, the Clippers opened the gap by 11 points in a single quarter.
Entering the second quarter of the game, Durant regained his touch slightly, but did not regain his confidence.
Perhaps because he was not born with the temperament of a master, Durant was strictly guarded by the Clippers. After double-teaming, even if he got the ball in the second quarter and had a certain chance to make a move, he still chose to hand it over.
Unless it is a completely misplaced singles opportunity, or an open shot opportunity, Durant will not make a shot.
It seems that Durant himself agrees that Westbrook's offense with the ball is acceptable even if the efficiency is not high.
It's a pity that Westbrook's shooting percentage is relatively stable, just over [-]%.
Westbrook has a lot of offense with the ball, which is within the acceptable range of the Clippers.
Even after the first half, Westbrook has scored 22 points, but what's the point if he can't kill someone.
While Westbrook had to fall into the predicament of singles, Westbrook's rebound and assist data did not go hand in hand as before.
After all, Westbrook is not really a star who collects statistics for the sake of collecting statistics. Westbrook just wants to win and use statistics to prove his contribution on the court.
When Westbrook discovered that offense and scoring are the most urgently needed things to help the team, Westbrook will not hesitate to put offense first.
The final result will naturally have a slightly favorable impact on the Clippers.
59 to 46. After the first half, the Clippers have led the Thunder by 13 points. You must know that this is the home court of the Thunder.
From the point of view, the Clippers did not gain much advantage in the second quarter.
But from a certain point of view, being able to maintain the difference is also a skill.
Lu Yi played for a long time in the first quarter, so he definitely needs to take some time to rest in the second quarter.
And when Lu Yi rested for nearly half of the game, the Clippers were able to further widen the point difference, which is enough to see how big the real gap between the two teams is.
As long as the Clippers get a big lead, the Clippers, who are good at playing tailwinds, can even make a team the master.
Of course, Lu Yi's role in the Clippers is indispensable.
Lu Yi, who re-entered the field to lead the team in the third quarter, quickly led the Clippers to widen the point difference again.
He played so hard in the first half, even if he was as strong as Westbrook, he had to take a breather.
At this time, the Thunder need Durant to stand up and withstand the pressure.
But Durant was a little soft today and couldn't stand up straight.
In the end, it was Ibaka who grabbed a lot of rebounds inside, including several key offensive rebounds, which helped the Thunder barely hold on.
Fortunately, as soon as the substitute Harden made a three-pointer, Westbrook regained some vitality and attacked with the ball again.
Westbrook is fighting hard, but sometimes it may be counterproductive.
For the Clippers, Lu Yi took the lead to play a few, and then Gordon, Ariza, and Boozer took turns.
After half a quarter passed, Iverson came up again, the small forward was replaced by Korver for a while, and the Clippers' offensive firepower was more fierce.
After all, the Thunder and the Clippers are fighting for offense. As long as Durant can't stand up, what will the Thunder do?
86 to 71, after the third quarter, the Clippers have established a 15-point advantage.
The rhythm of the whole game has been firmly in the hands of the Clippers.
Thunder wants to rely on the fourth quarter to fight back and turn defeat into victory. The hope is not that there is no hope, it can only be said that it is extremely slim.
Will the Clippers give the Thunder this chance?
Obviously not, Lu Yi continued to appear in the fourth quarter.
In order to strengthen the defense and ensure that the rhythm can be controlled in the second half to win, Gordon and Lu Yi played together at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Without Iverson's defensive loophole, the Clippers' perimeter defense is perfect.
The inside line can also rely on zone defense to strengthen the defense. As long as the defensive enthusiasm does not drop, the Clippers will still be very stable in winning this wave.
To put it bluntly, Westbrook, who forcibly played for three quarters, seemed to have a sudden enlightenment in the fourth quarter.
Like an ordinary point guard, Westbrook dribbled the ball across half court, and then handed the ball into Durant's hands, with an honest and honest look of "Boss, I'll give you the ball."
But in this way, Durant's mentality exploded!
I was ready to join if I couldn't beat it. Now you treat me as the boss and give me the ball to play. This is trying to roast me on the stove.
There is no way, although Durant is complaining in his heart, but this kind of ball should really be handed over to him.
Durant didn't have the habit of passing the ball directly when he got the ball.
Durant tried it and felt uncomfortable, so he was going to throw the pot away.
But Westbrook suddenly fell ill, lost his defense on the outside, and ran inside to grab a rebound.
When Durant passed the ball out of the sideline, Westbrook, who came back from the baseline, was still plausible: "I'm already stuck in the basket, why don't you shoot?"
Durant looked at the righteous Westbrook, and said with a guilty conscience: "Mine, mine, I really should vote."
In fact, no one knows what Durant is thinking in his heart.
I have to say that it is never the opponent who can handle Durant, but the teammates.
Westbrook suddenly became wise and stupid, and Durant had no choice but to force his shot.
In the fourth quarter, most people were exhausted.
In the first three quarters, Durant, who had been exempt from battle, had slightly more physical strength.
Therefore, relying on physical talent, it is understandable for Durant to play with good efficiency.
After all, there are enough ball possessions, and if you keep shooting, you can make shots.
And for a star at Durant's level, it's easy to play if you give him the ball a little bit and give him a touch.
Forced by helplessness, Durant concentrated most of the team's ball possession in the fourth quarter, and finally scored 15 points in a single quarter.
However, such scoring performance did not help the Thunder turn defeat into victory.
It's not that no one scored on the Clippers side, Lu Yi scored 8 points in the fourth quarter!
Gordon, Jordan, and Boozer also scored 4 points each, so that's 20 points.
The Clippers already had a 15-point advantage.
Coupled with the second half of the fourth quarter, the Clippers obviously lowered the rhythm of the game.
At the moment when the game time was reset, the score on the court was 108 to 95. With a huge advantage of 13 points, the Clippers won the crucial G3 and grasped the match point in advance.
To advance to the Western Conference semifinals, there is only one victory left.
However, the Clippers are quite familiar with such a scene.
As long as you don't advance, you must keep an eye out.
To be able to really breathe a sigh of relief, we have to wait for the official promotion.
"The next game is two days away, so rest well tonight.
The situation of our future opponents is still unclear, and we need more preparation time.
So, don't waste any more stamina, we have to deal with our current opponents as soon as possible. "
After the game, Dunleavy emphasized in the locker room the importance of taking a good rest, adjusting his state as soon as possible, and sweeping the Thunder.
If, like last year's Western Conference semifinals, a must-win series is delayed until the situation changes, then it shouldn't be.
In any case, the Clippers lead the Thunder 3-0, and the advantage lies with the Clippers.
The Clippers can solve their opponents as soon as possible, so they don't need to keep their cards.
Save time, recuperate better, maintain your state better, and spend more time preparing for the next round of opponents. This is what the Clippers should do.
Fortunately, the Clippers are basically players with playoff experience.
Seeing that the victory in the first round is in sight, everyone can persevere and adjust their state as much as possible to meet the next game.
On April 4th, the mountains and rain were about to come, and the Clippers and Thunder G25 started their fight.
Durant has obviously been scolded. At the beginning of the game, he had a strong desire to attack and played more resolutely.
In the final battle, if the team boss is soft, then there is really no way to fight.
Westbrook was also very well-behaved when he came up. If Durant didn't take the initiative to pass the ball, Westbrook would first hand the ball to Durant to play.
As Durant's fierce offensive firepower opened up the situation, the Thunder also had a certain amount of offensive space in other points outside the line.
It's a pity that there are still too few pitchers these days.
There are not many people who shoot three-pointers directly, and the Thunder often go to the basket immediately after receiving the ball.
This did not create too much pressure on the Clippers, who are good at playing zone defense.
After withstood Durant's first wave of offensive momentum, the Clippers quickly took control of the situation.
25 to 24, relying on the protection of rebounds and the frequent counterattacks, the Clippers finished the first quarter and even led the Thunder by one point.
This is naturally good news for the Clippers.
Durant's touch can't always be as hot as the first quarter.
And Durant's physical strength does not support him to fire infinitely for a full four quarters.
However, in order to weaken Durant's offense and its impact on the Clippers' defense, the Clippers adjusted their manpower.
Deliberately defend Scola to play the third position.
The main reason is to match Durant for size, and then make containment on the outside, hit Durant with the ball behind him, and consume Durant with offense.
As for Scola's defense, whether it will be sieved by Durant.
In fact, there is no need to worry, Durant's touch today is not bad.
Since Ariza can't guard Durant, try a substitution, there's nothing wrong with it.
Originally, it was not a matter of one person to defend against a star of Durant's level.
The Clippers consume Durant at the same time on both ends of the offense and defense, depending on Durant's personal ability to lead the team to victory.
It turns out that no matter who it is, it will be weakened and restricted.
Durant's magic and toughness lasted only one and a half quarters.
The Clippers used rotation and bench players to destroy the Thunder's offensive strengths, and the next game was much better.
The situation on the field has entered the point where Westbrook has to take over the ball and take over the game.
And this is exactly what the Clippers are happy to see.
"AI, you should rest off the court for a while, the team needs you to control the rhythm at critical moments."
Dunleavy made adjustments in this regard, Westbrook's offense with the ball still needs to be paid attention to.
With Gordon replacing Westbrook, there must be some improvement in defense.
It's just that Westbrook rushed up, and no one could guard against it, so there's nothing to say about it.
The Clippers double-team inside and outside, and wait for Westbrook to rush to the basket to see if Westbrook's finishing ability can hit the ball into the basket.
After all, Gordon is young. As long as he stays behind Westbrook without losing his position, he can interfere with Westbrook and reduce Westbrook's final shooting rate at the basket.
And when the Clippers are attacking from the outside, Gordon's rotation as a Clippers guard also makes sense.
"You've hit a lot of balls, give me the ball!"
As Westbrook continued to attack with the ball, the point difference between the two teams was gradually widened. Durant, who was unwilling to be swept away, couldn't help but speak.
Durant's state is indeed good today, but physical factors affect his state and cannot hold the ball.
Durant smoked in the bottom corner of the court, and after a while of defensive eyes, his physical strength recovered.
However, I never expected that Westbrook's scoring efficiency was too low, which seriously hindered the team.
Seeing the Clippers grasp the rhythm of the game and slowly widen the point difference, Durant, who was originally like the dominant game, couldn't bear it.
However, Westbrook didn't care about Durant, but continued to kill the basket with the ball.
After Westbrook finished dunking on Jordan forcefully, he roared angrily, and said to Jordan on the baseline: "Come and double-team me!"
The courageous Westbrook's violent buckle is really exciting.
But seeing Westbrook stealing the limelight, Durant felt uncomfortable.
Obviously I came first!
Obviously I am the boss of the team!
After Lu Yi quickly returned a three-pointer, Durant's desire to attack with the ball further intensified.
"Give me the ball! Do you want to ruin the team?" Durant had completed an early contract extension with the Thunder as early as last summer, so he is naturally qualified to say that.
Coincidentally, this summer, Westbrook, who will also start talking to the management about renewing his contract in advance, needs certain guarantees from other aspects.
If you want to get a big contract, there is nothing more convincing than playoff data.
Westbrook was originally the MVP of life, and the prerequisite for ensuring the standard of living is to be rich enough.
Westbrook and Durant are just colleagues, and people don't want to kill the world for themselves. After Westbrook tasted the sweet taste of the ball, he was naturally unwilling to hand over the ball easily.
And for a team whose stars are out of character, if they want to win, it can only be said to be an idiot's dream.
103 to 95, the Clippers defeated the Thunder again by 8 points.
In this way, the Clippers became the first team in the Western Conference to sweep the record, defeat their opponents, and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
(End of this chapter)