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

Chapter 461 A Brief Temptation (Part [-])
The battle between the Thunder and the Clippers must be sparks hitting the earth.

The matchup in the semi-finals last season still left the fans unsatisfied.

Both teams are full of talent and play well, and they are fast-rising popular teams in the league.

The Thunder, who are playing away, are determined to win this battle of revenge.

Experts, commentators, and fans all want to use this game to see who will be the future king of the two most talented teams in the West.

In the starting lineup, the Thunder's main backcourt, Sefolosha, was absent due to injury, so Eric Gordon replaced Sefolosha in the starting lineup.

This makes the Thunder's starting lineup more aggressive, but Gordon, who is used to playing as a substitute, may not adapt.

Moreover, the thickness of the Thunder's bench has been weakened.

The Clippers are still all healthy tonight, because the sufficient rotation keeps everyone in good health.

The starting lineup is still Randolph, Gasol Jr., Ricky Davis, Harden and Curry.

Of course, the Clippers, who have just experienced the plateau battle, are still in doubt about the status of the team.

Did the players get a good rest?Did Curry go home and sleep?Where is Harden?

Did Randolph go to the bar?Ricky Davis is not at ease to adjust at home?Did Little Gasol go to his brother's house to eat, drink and have fun...

Only the players know this, so sometimes there may be reasons behind the players' abnormal performance on the field.

The good news is that since Min Congda's "Team Depravity Plan" failed, he no longer has the heart to lead everyone on an adventure.

The current atmosphere in the Clippers can be said to be clean and upright, with the only exception being Harden. This kid's state has been ups and downs recently, which is obviously abnormal.

Jump ball, Gasol Jr. and Ibaka stand in the middle circle.

Ibaka's jumping ability is amazing, he took the lead to get the ball, and the Thunder launched the first offense.

The game officially started.

In the first tentative offensive round of the two sides, Westbrook chose to pass the ball to Ibaka after the pick-and-roll.

Ibaka received the ball at the corner, and the Clippers adopted a one-on-one defense to cut off the Thunder's passing line.

This is a relatively conservative and effective defensive strategy at the beginning.

After receiving the ball, Ibaka turned left and looked right. There was no good chance to pass the ball, so he simply leaned back from the middle distance!
The shot was a bit unexpected for Randolph, and Ibaka's mid-range shot was surprisingly good.

The ball went into the net hollow and scored the first point of the game!
Don't look at Ibaka as a jumping slugger, and has the nickname of 28 cards, which can be described as a talent.

But he has a pretty good mid-range and long-range shot, which can provide the team with stable scoring in regular time.

This is why Ibaka can partner with Perkins as a stable starting power forward.

If this guy is also an offensive guy with no range at all, then the Thunder's starting inside offensive power is too lacking.

Compared with the relatively conservative and moderate one-on-one defense of the Clippers, the Thunder's defense at the beginning seemed more targeted-double-teaming.

The opening began to double-team Curry and Harden.

The Thunder's three outside players, Durant, Gordon, and Westbrook are all players with strong athletic ability and excellent physical fitness.

With Ibaka, a power forward with super mobility and jumping ability, he can do a lot of oppression and double-team defense on the opponent's perimeter.

As for the inside line, leave it to Perkins to handle it alone.

Therefore, the Thunder's defense line is sometimes squeezed and deformed.

But the Thunder can rely on the strong athletic ability of the players to quickly rotate and come back from defense.

Regardless of the outstanding talent of the Thunder, they have super attackers like Kevin Durant and Westbrook.

In fact, they are a defensive team, just like the 76ers led by Allen Iverson.

They can suppress the opponent's scoring average to 95 points per game, while averaging 103 points per game themselves.

The Clippers scored 105 points per game, while their opponents scored 99 points.

The Thunder also lead the league in blocks per game.

Their players are very strong in defending and blocking shots.

This puts a lot of offensive pressure on the Clippers outside.

After double-teaming, Curry decisively passed the ball to Gasol Jr.

Gasol Jr. is giving Ricky Davis who came out to catch the ball at 45 degrees.

Davis chose to try a three-pointer, but the ball missed.

Then when it comes to the offensive end, the Thunder are still a little sluggish.

Durant passed the ball after the pick-and-roll, Westbrook failed to break through, and then picked and rolled again.

Perkins and Ibaka continued to pick and roll, pick and roll and pick and roll at the high post.

Finally caught a chance, Durant lobbed the ball to Ibaka who cut inside.

Gasol missed the ball defensively, and Ibaka dunked with both hands after receiving the ball!
The Thunder scored consecutively at the start, and their state is obviously better than the Clippers.

Back-to-backs still have an impact on the Clippers players, and the players have a sense of inattention on the court.

But soon, the Clippers also scored the first point after the start.

Gasol supported the ball in a high position and gave it to Curry, and Curry lobbed it to Randolph who came out from the baseline.

Randolph turned around immediately after receiving the ball, and shot with a left-handed hook. The ball bounced twice on the rim and fell into the net.

Goals scored, this looks like Steve Kerr's pass and cut system, the players played very smartly.

Neither Curry nor Harden started aggressively, and they themselves knew that consecutive games started too aggressively.

Usually, the Clippers start from the outside first, and let the three-pointer feel hot.

But you can't fight like this in the face of Thunder, you will die, you must be steady and take your time.

Both sides started off relatively softly, and Durant on the Thunder side didn't seem to want to do it himself so early.

Instead, I choose to assist my teammates more, let my teammates open first, and then I will use my strength to close the game later.

This can be regarded as the usual game rhythm of superstar players.

Create opportunities for teammates by using passing and defensive attraction.

When it's time to get strong, shoot to kill the game.

Yes, Durant thought so.

The through ball just passed to Ibaka, although it was slow and not very beautiful, but the assist was successful!
Do it again, this time on the right side, pick and roll, Ibaka cuts outside, and Durant jumps for another lob pass!
As a result, the ball was blocked by Ricky Davis!

You pass the ball too slowly, do you think you will always be allowed to pass like this?
Ricky Davis dribbled the ball halfway, he didn't go up by himself, and came out in a circle to Curry who was keeping up.

Curry caught the ball at 45 degrees on the right and made a direct three-pointer!

The ball flew straight to the basket and made a precise hit!

The first cheers of the night erupted at Staples Center.

Curry's three-pointer is like a loud arrow, indicating that the short-term temptation of both sides has passed.

A high-intensity duel is coming soon.

(End of this chapter)