NBA: Starting with Jokic template

Chapter 249: Sweep the Clippers, Finals vs. Heat, the First Rival
The Thunder beat the Warriors by 59 points in Game .

The series is leading the opponent with a score of 3:0.

For the current Warriors.

There has never been a comeback record for a team that was trailing 0:3.

Not to mention that the opponent is the Thunder team that had 80 wins and 2 losses in the regular season, swept all opponents in the first round of the playoffs, and averaged a net win of more than 20 points per game.

Even if they wanted to put up more resistance, the gap in the teams' strength was like an insurmountable chasm.

Everyone knows that the Thunder will once again step over them to advance to the Western Conference Finals, and then enter the Finals to win their third consecutive championship.

But even so, the Warriors never thought of giving up.

Even if there was no way they could win the game, they wanted to inflict some damage on the Thunder.

Don't let them get away with it easily.

In the fourth game, Westbrook and his teammates tried their best.

In the first quarter, they suppressed the Thunder and took the lead.

Even kept it going into the third quarter.

The Splash Brothers also started to miss shots frequently and were in poor form.

Even the referee started pretending not to see anything and stopped calling the shots even when they were clearly hit.

It seemed that the Thunder were about to fall in this game and suffer their first loss of the playoffs.

The Thunder's original trump cards, Durant and Lin Chuan, stood up.

The two started playing solo and gave up on the series.

One ball, one ball, the score was gradually tied.

With three minutes left.

Lin Chuan made a judgment shot from the top of the arc, widening the point difference to double digits.

Totally killed the game.

In the end, the Thunder surpassed their opponents and reached the Western Conference Finals.

Here, they will face the Clippers.

The Spurs, who had played them to seven games last season and nearly beat them to defend their title, were defeated by Paul's buzzer-beater in Game 6 against the Clippers and fell in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Clippers' lineup has not changed much this season.

The core of the team is still Griffin, Paul and Jordan.

As well as three-point shooter Redick and best sixth man Crawford.

Relying on this strong lineup, not only were two people selected for the All-Star Game, but the team also achieved a record of 62 wins and 20 losses in the Western Conference, which is full of strong teams, ranking second in the Western Conference and also second in the league.

It was thanks to these few people that the Clippers were able to successfully defeat the Spurs and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

After the game, Paul burst into tears and couldn't hide his emotions.

After countless attempts, they were defeated in the first two rounds due to injuries.

Until today, he finally broke the Western Conference Finals curse that had plagued him for more than ten years.

It was a historic moment that they reached the Western Conference Finals.

"Chris, you have surpassed the Spurs. This is not only the first time that the Clippers have entered the Western Conference Finals in decades since the team was founded, but also the first time that you have entered the Western Conference Finals in your ten years of career. What is your goal this season?"

In the interview room after the game, facing the questions from reporters, Chris Paul, who was still a little excited, said loudly,

"Of course it's the championship! We have only one goal this season! And that is the championship!"

There was an immediate burst of applause from the audience.

But amidst the applause from countless media, a faint but clear voice suddenly came out:
"But, your opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Thunder team that only lost two games in the regular season and has won all the playoffs so far. Do you have the confidence to surpass them and make it to the finals?"

The applause stopped abruptly and everyone looked over.

Paul, who was still excited on the stage, was also stunned for a moment.

He looked at the reporter who asked the question.

The other party thought he didn't hear the question clearly, so he repeated his question again.

"Forehead."

Suddenly, Paul, who had been so passionate just now, fell silent.

The reporters in the audience also turned their eyes to him, waiting for the answer from Paul, the leader of the Clippers who had just defeated the Spurs and entered the Western Conference Finals.

After a long silence, Paul suddenly looked up, pulled the microphone in front of him, and said seriously,

"Of course, we have only one goal, which is the championship. Even if the team in front of us is the Thunder team that has created an incredible record, we are never afraid. We will definitely surpass them and enter the finals to bring a championship to the Clippers."

Paul's words were very serious, but compared to his passionate tone just now, his calmer tone still made the reporters read a guilty feeling.

Yes, facing this kind of opponent, no one can be sure of defeating the opponent easily.

But in just two minutes, such a contrasting attitude still made Paul look very humorous.

The post-match interview video quickly went viral on the Internet.

As the party being mentioned.

The Thunder also learned the news.

"That's what I said. What do you think?"

In Oklahoma, in the training hall, after a set of training had just ended and everyone was still resting, Brooks walked towards the crowd and repeated Paul's interview in full.

"Paul said he wanted to beat us and get to the finals? That's pretty courageous."

Durant, who had just finished shooting a basketball, was very disdainful when he heard the news.

Their brows were furrowed, as if they felt that the other party was overestimating himself just by hearing this news.

"Are all Americans so confident? Or is it because his record, which would have ranked first in the league in previous seasons, gave him enough confidence?"

Lin Chuan also asked at the right time.

"Well, after all, they just won with a buzzer beater. If they don't have the confidence to belittle themselves in the interview, then they really won't have any chance of winning at all."

Curry, who is also a point guard, heard what everyone said and said a few words to help Paul smooth things over.

"Yeah, after all, no matter what, we can't give up before the game even starts. Otherwise, what's the point of working so hard to get to this point? It would be better to just give up and not enter the playoffs, so that we can go back and rest earlier."

Thompson echoed.

"But didn't the New York Knicks, who have reached the Eastern Conference Finals, say that? They were the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, with 59 wins and 23 losses. They felt that this season was hopeless after playing the first game against us. They said they felt that this season's championship belonged to us, didn't they?"

Brooks scratched his head and said helplessly,

"Maybe they were convinced by us. After all, they lost by more than 30 points in a single game in the finals and were swept 4-0. No matter how you look at it, they are completely different from us. It's normal for them to be afraid of us. But it's normal for the Clippers to be more confident. They beat the Spurs in 7 games against us last season. They may also think they have a chance to win against us."

"That makes sense." x2
Durant and Lin Chuan said in unison.

"Then quickly make targeted arrangements and continue practicing!"

Brooks waved his hand and everyone wailed, but their bodies continued to move honestly.

The game starts soon.

The first two rounds still begin in Oklahoma.

As the best team in the Western Conference and even the league, they have absolute home-court advantage in every round of the playoffs.

When Paul entered the stadium, he saw the Thunder players warming up and couldn't help but become nervous.

Although after the semi-finals, he had vowed to defeat his opponent and advance to the finals.

But when he really stepped onto the Western Conference Finals court and saw his opponent, he still felt a trace of fear deep in his heart.

His eyes were fixed on Lin Chuan.

It was this man who scored 60 points and blocked a triple-double in a single game against them in the regular season last season, beating them badly.

This season, the team once again achieved an 80-win record, which made many media outlets call it a miracle.

Facing a team led by such a man, it was hard for him not to feel nervous and afraid.

Even though their record is already very good, the difference in wins between them and their opponents is still 18 games, which is terrifying!
This tension made it difficult for him to relax until the game started.

The shots were repeatedly missed, and although Curry was struggling on the defensive end, the Thunder's offense was still smooth under the attack of Durant and Lin Chuan, and they easily took the lead. In front of the two of them, Jordan and Griffin were pure toys, and they were of no use at all.

Even in the middle of the fourth quarter, Jordan Jr. was fouled out by the opponent.

In the end, in the first round of the Western Conference Finals, the Clippers lost by 18 points.

In the second game, Paul's performance improved, but Curry was also in great form and was not restricted by him.

Although Redick stood up and made an unreasonable three-pointer from time to time.

But when it comes to unreasonableness, no one is more unreasonable than Thompson.

Redick scored one and the opponent scored two.

In the third quarter, the Thunder scored 42 points.

The team beat the Clippers by 15 points in a single quarter.

In the fourth quarter, even though the Clippers worked together and played their best offense and defense, they still scored 33 points, even higher than the Thunder's 27 points.

But the hole they dug earlier was too big and they eventually lost the game.

In the end, the Clippers lost to Oklahoma City with a score of 0:2 and returned to Los Angeles.

"That's all. This Clippers team isn't much different from the teams we played in the first two rounds."

After the game, Lin Chuan said this as he was preparing to leave for Los Angeles.

"Lin Chuan, we can achieve a record of 80 wins and 2 losses in the regular season. How big of a difference do you think there is between a team with 60 wins and a team with 40 wins?"

Durant said casually.

Lin Chuan counted with his fingers and was suddenly surprised to find that

"Fuck, it's true. The difference in wins between us and them is the same as between them and the Lakers who didn't make the playoffs. Isn't that the same as the No. 1 team in the Western Conference playing against the No. 8 team in previous years?"

"That's right, so of course you feel it's easy to fight."

Durant took off his eye mask, put his hands behind his head and prepared to take a nap.
"Just beat them cleanly and create an undefeated playoff run."

Lin Chuan nodded. This was also his wish.

During the long regular season, there are moments of slackness.

So even though they had played to this point, they still lost two games.

But in the playoffs, the outcome of every game is crucial, and there are only four rounds.

Therefore, as long as they give it their all and don't relax, they will have the chance to create such a miracle.

Landed in Los Angeles.

Lin Chuan followed the crowd towards the Staples Center again.

This time, they once again saw the several bronze sculptures at the entrance of the stadium, which were used to reward those who made significant contributions to the team.

When he saw these sculptures again, Lin Chuan did not feel envious.

Because he knows that as long as he can help the team win the championship again and establish a dynasty, the Thunder will definitely build a sculpture for him and place it at the entrance of the stadium so that countless fans can witness his heroic figure.

By then, he only needed to worry about what posture the sculpture should be cast in.

Stepping onto the court, Lin Chuan put aside those messy thoughts and focused his attention on the court again.

His eyes also became sharp at this moment.

He knew that if he wanted those things, he had to fight for them himself.

The most important thing is to win every game so far.

Don't leave your opponent any chance to win!

From the jump ball stage, Lin Chuan focused his attention completely.

After successfully winning, he quickly rushed to the front court.

He helped the team open the scoring door with a dunk.

During the defensive phase, he began to remotely control the positions of his teammates from the first ball.

Paul's first pass was intercepted, leading to a successful counterattack.

In the first quarter, he led the team to a 13-point lead.

The second quarter also continued to gain momentum.

The familiar three-point rain came again, directly extinguishing the enthusiasm of the local Clippers fans in Los Angeles.

Leading by 24 points at halftime.

The fans of the opposing team's home stadium were beaten and forced to leave.

The second half was even more surprising.

The Thunder won another game.

3: 0.

In the fourth game, Lin Chuan could feel the opponent's last-ditch effort.

But he didn't feel any pressure at all.

He knew it too.

Mental strength can sometimes make up for the gap in hard power.

The desire for a championship can give a team unexpected strength.

The Clippers reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the team was founded, and they also have their own ideas about the championship.

I want to break history and join the ranks of champions.

But Lin Chuan and his team are much more eager for the championship than their opponents.

If they win the championship, they will be the second team to win three consecutive championships after the Lakers in the early 21st century.

Can establish the Thunder dynasty.

In the fourth game, the Clippers exploded.

He kept making amazing shots under the Thunder's tight defense.

The Thunder also exploded and never missed a shot.

In the first half, both teams shot over 65%.

And in the second half.

The familiar Thunder third quarter began again.

The three-point rain came again.

The three points poured down like heavy rain.

Leading by 17 points in a single quarter.

The Clippers, who had been trying hard throughout the game, were defeated again.

In the fourth quarter, even though the Clippers' Big Three fought until the last minute, the 20-point gap was still difficult to narrow.

They can only leave with regret.

In the end, the Thunder defeated the Clippers again 123:104.

Sweep the opponent 4:0.

Advance to the finals with a perfect record of 12:0.

The opponent on the other side will be the winner between the Knicks and the Heat.

After another seven-game battle a year later.

This time, it was the Heat team that no one was optimistic about having the last laugh.

They turned the tide from 2:3 to 4:3, defeated the Knicks and advanced to the finals.

After two years, they entered the finals again.

And this time, just like in 2012, it was once again the Heat and the Thunder who were competing in the finals.

(End of this chapter)