I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 366 Bringing Back a City (Third Change)
The Clippers' starting lineup is the same as the previous round, with Curry, Baron, Ricky and the duo.

The Thunder's starting lineup is also stable, with Perkins, Ibaka, Durant, Westbrook and Sefrosa.

From the perspective of matchup alone, the Clippers have an advantage inside, but the advantage is not obvious.

The inside combination of Perkins + Ibaka is fierce defensively, which is very likely to offset the power of the duo.

In the backcourt, the combination of Curry + Baron-Davis is more powerful.

And Westbrook + Sefolosha, both offensive and defensive, more balanced.

In the critical third position, the Thunder undoubtedly have an absolute advantage.

In his fourth year in the league, Kevin Durant has grown into a top scorer.

Durant averaged 30 points per game last season, and the last player to average 30 points per game in his third year was Michael Jordan (37 points per game in his third year.)
This season, Durant's scoring average has declined, not because of a decrease in ability, but because he has reduced his shots and allocated more possessions to Westbrook.

Durant must have a great advantage over Ricky Davis, not to mention crushing.

On the bench, Harden and Gordon, who have swapped teams, are currently neck-and-neck.

Harden is more imaginative in playing, has strong organizational and coping skills, and is very strong in key shots.

But the defense is average, he lacks experience on the court, and sometimes gets confused.

Gordon plays tough, has excellent offense and defense, has microwave attributes, and is extremely tough.

But the ability to organize offense is average, and he needs to partner with Westbrook or Eric Maynor to support the backcourt offense.

Relying on him alone, it is impossible to carry a second team.

From a comparison, it can be seen that the two teams are evenly matched.

The two sides will definitely not be able to easily decide the winner like the first round.

Min Congda continued to sit behind the team's bench, watching the game with his arms crossed.

Putting aside the emotional standpoint, combined with the performance of the regular season, in Min Congda's eyes, the Thunder are stronger than the Clippers.

There are mainly two aspects. First of all, of course, is the strength of Kevin Durant.

When you have a super-scorer like Durant on his team, that's a huge advantage in itself.

Especially in the playoffs, why did the Spurs lose so easily to the Clippers in the first round.

You tried your best every game, but you couldn't win in the end?

Duncan, as the team's once super giant, averaged 12 points per game in the first round.

As long as he can average 20 points per game regardless of tactics in the low post, it is impossible for the Spurs to lose so simply.

Duncan is in a period of decline, while Durant is on the rise. He hasn't reached the peak yet, and he is already one of the most terrifying scorers in the league.

Secondly, the second aspect is that the Thunder's overall lineup is younger, with excellent athletic ability, height and long arms.

The Thunder's selection of talents in recent years has paid special attention to the physical and hardware conditions of the players.

Height, wingspan, lateral movement, these basic qualities must be strong.

In the regular season, the Thunder's stealing ability is among the best in the league, and it is one of the teams with the strongest stealing ability.

The ability to block shots ranks second in the league, and the players' blocking and blocking abilities are quite outstanding.

"Our Clippers are now focusing on passing and cutting. The most important thing about passing and cutting is to be able to create space, but the Thunder's long arms and legs are best at controlling and cutting space. They are all young people against young people. You guy, there's no way to do what you did to the Spurs, you can just throw a three-pointer and score."

Min Congda gave his conclusion, which is quite accurate.

Playing the Spurs in the first round, the Spurs defenders didn't really lose their positions in many cases.

But the Spurs' No. [-] Jefferson has a mediocre defense, a short and old backcourt, and an old and slow inside.

The Clippers can always move the ball and shoot one step faster than the opponent, turning the Spurs around.

The Thunder are different. They are as young as the Clippers, fast and brave, and have inexhaustible energy on both offense and defense.

Min Congda's perception of the situation between the two sides is correct.

From the first quarter of the game, the Thunder has grasped the rhythm of the game.

Durant opened the series with a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

The Clippers have been unable to enter the state on the offensive end.

As a barometer of the team's outside offense, Curry missed two three-point attempts in the opening.

The Thunder did not let Westbrook match up with Curry, but used the tall and long-armed Sefolosha to interfere with Curry's shots.

Sefolosha, as the Thunder's outside defensive expert, is much more difficult to play on the outside than Parker.

When the outside line cannot be opened, the Clippers naturally seek to open the situation from the inside.

Zach Randolph has a stable performance, using his flexible feet and strong body in the low post to eat Ibaka alone.

Playing against Duncan and McDyess, Randolph is the young and strong one, and he has repeatedly shown off his power at the basket with his body.

Countering Ibaka's role reversal, Ibaka is younger and stronger, his muscles are as perfect as a sculpture.

And he also has an amazing bounce, the ability to protect the basket and block shots under the basket is extremely strong.

Baron Davis, who frequently scored in the paint in the first round, hit the basket twice in the first quarter.

In the first quarter, the Clippers mainly relied on Randolph's offense in the low post to maintain points.

In the case of successful defense, the Thunder frequently counterattacked.

Westbrook's ability to push and counterattack is really thunderous.

The Clippers' ability to defend against fast breaks is inherently poor.

No one can intercept Westbrook once he starts up.

The Thunder played halfway through the first quarter, leading the Clippers by 19 points with 10:9.

Dunleavy had to call a timeout to adjust the team's offense and defense.

"Hey, these brats, have you grown up after sweeping the Spurs 4-0? Are you proud? Are you underestimating the enemy?"

"It's okay, after this round, I can take a complete rest, and I can take a good rest."

In fact, the Clippers players did not underestimate the enemy, but it is true that they have been rested.

Sometimes resting for too long is not a good thing for players to maintain their state.

Especially for a three-point shooter like Curry, the feeling of shooting in practice and shooting in games is very different.

Moreover, the Thunder and the Spurs seem to come from the same discipline, but their playing styles are quite different.

The last round of the Clippers was a young team that ran fast and jumped high.

Running against the Spurs exhausted Duncan and Parker with their injured legs, and Ginobili with an injured arm.

Now that the two levels are reversed, and the faster and higher jumping Thunder is encountered, the feeling and rhythm of the game will be completely different.

Dunleavy asked the players to adjust immediately and find their own rhythm of the game.

Easier said than done, the Clippers were 21 points behind the Thunder at 33:12 in the first quarter.

After that, the Clippers began the difficult pit-filling road.

This kind of game is the most difficult to play, it is a test of the players' ability to resist pressure, and it is also very tiring to play.

Because of the backwardness, Dunleavy didn't dare to let go of the rotation boldly, and ruthless the main force, leading to a vicious circle.

The half-time point difference opened to 15 points, and in the third quarter, they chased all the way to about 8 points.

As a result, in the fourth quarter, another 11:3 offensive shock wave brought the Clippers back to before liberation overnight.

In the end, the rested Clippers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 96:110 and 14 points away.

The Thunder successfully won their first victory in the semifinals, leading 1:0.

Min Congda also successfully regained a victory!Finally got the first defeat in the playoffs!

(End of this chapter)