new lord of the rings

Chapter 196 Counterpoint Ibaka!
The second quarter begins.

Steve Kerr dispatched troops, sent Zhang Xin, Harrison Barnes, Sean Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and David Lee.

The Thunder played Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka, Anthony Morrow, Nick Collison and Steven Adams.

The Thunder had the ball, and Reggie Jackson quickly dribbled the ball across half court.

Barbosa led the defense against Reggie Jackson, Zhang Xin went to defend Ibaka, and Adams could only be carried by David Lee.

Seeing Zhang Xin's defense, Ibaka thought there was an opportunity, so he quickly signaled to Reggie Jackson, and Reggie Jackson understood.

Serge Ibaka slid to the right wing and stuck Zhang Xin, and raised his hand to ask, and Reggie Jackson immediately lobbed the ball in.

Ibaka is 208cm tall and weighs 111KG. Ibaka sat back with the ball, thinking that he could sit Zhang Xin away, but a burst of force came from behind, and Ibaka almost jumped forward!

"What the hell! This kid looks gentle, why is he so powerful!" Ibaka wondered in his heart.

Ibaka didn't believe in evil, and he slammed into it with enough strength. Zhang Xin felt a burst of force and was knocked half a step away, but his center of gravity was still there. Ibaka thought he had knocked Zhang Xin away, and turned around to make a jump shot.

Zhang Xin seized the opportunity and cut it with a slap. Ibaka felt pain in his palm and the ball flew out of his hand. Zhang Xin took a stride to control the ball.

The first time Zhang Xin controls the ball is to look at the frontcourt. Sure enough, Barbosa is already running ahead. Zhang Xin avoids Ibaka's interference, and with a long pass, the basketball is like a cannonball. Bosa stretched out his ape arm, fished the ball into his hand, and then went straight to the layup!
Zhang Xin's way of defending a strong inside line is similar to that of Iguodala:

One is to rely on footsteps, not allowing you to break through easily, and always keep in front of you;
Secondly, rely on a strong body to constantly fight against you and disrupt your rhythm;
The last thing is to rely on a pair of fast hands. At the moment when you are about to make a shot, you can cut the ball directly. It is better if you can cut it.

Ibaka didn't believe in evil, and turned around and asked Reggie Jackson that in this lineup, he is the boss and can choose how to play.

Reggie Jackson quickly gave the ball inside, and Ibaka received the ball, but this time he hit back, and he didn't have the confidence to pass Zhang Xin in front of the frame.

Zhang Xin lowered his weight and pressed against Ibaka tightly. Ibaka hit Zhang Xin once and twice, and the two were constantly wrestling.

The home fans at the scene opened their mouths wide. Ibaka is a beast inside. Zhang Xin, a guy who looks white and clean, actually managed to hold Ibaka, a big black man!

Ibaka carried it a few times, but he didn't reach the position of the shot, so he had to repeat the old trick of turning over and jumping. This time, he made enough preparations. Zhang Xin didn't cut the ball. Bounced a few times on the rim before falling to the net.

Zhang Xin shook his head, defense is like this, you can't expect to be able to guard everyone, every ball, because that's impossible.

Zhang Xin and Livingston nodded, then got into the crowd, ran low on the right wing, stuck Ibaka, Zhang Xin wanted to pay Ibaka back, and wanted to weigh the three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team and the two-time NBA block leader How about defensive skills.

Livingston lobbed the ball to Zhang Xin, and Zhang Xin tried to sit on Ibaka. Ibaka behind him rushed forward, and he was really tough enough, but Zhang Xin's post-up singles were not comparable to Ibaka.

Zhang Xin turned directly to his right hand and dropped the ball. While Ibaka was following up, he pulled the ball to the middle with his right hand, took two steps towards the middle, opened a step away, and shot with a gesture. Ibaka jumped up to block the shot.

Zhang Xin made a false shot, shook Ibaka, took a step forward with his right foot, and left Ibaka behind. Adams hurried over to help defend, Zhang Xin hid in the air to avoid Adams, pulled the bar with his right hand, and hit the board!

"Wow, what a play! Zhang Xin's dreamy footsteps! Shaking Ibaka, pulling the lever in the air to avoid Adams' block wiper, it's so beautiful!" The commentator on the scene explained excitedly.

Ibaka scored one of two goals, but it was not easy. After two goals, Ibaka knew that it was not easy for him to play Zhang Xin, so he did not choose to attack in the low post and started to run to help his teammates cover.

Seeing that Ibaka left the low post, Zhang Xin did not follow closely after seeing Ibaka leave the low post. Ibaka has a mid-range shot, but it is not enough to make a deadly shot. It is not too late to defend when the ball reaches him. Zhang Xin has this speed.

Zhang Xin began to help defend other people and take up the role of defensive sweepers. This was devastating to the Thunder's offense. Without Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder's offense was like constipation. The Thunder have played 14 games so far. In the game, 3 wins and 11 losses, averaging 89.9 points per game!
What level of offense is this?Far below the league's scoring level!
Under such circumstances, Zhang Xin also began to assist in the defense, and the Thunder's offense came to a complete standstill.

The Warriors' offense has not stagnated. The Thunder's starting lineup is defensively strong, and the rotation lineup is far inferior to the starting lineup.

The Warriors' offense was like quicksilver under Zhang Xin's adjustment. The Thunder was stunned. Thunder coach Scott Brooks made adjustments repeatedly, but it didn't work. A smart woman can't cook without rice. You can't count on these players who were originally in the rotation The rotation can suddenly show up with a savior.

The adjustment was ineffective. Coach Brooks simply let the starting lineup come back early, and then waited and watched. In fact, even if the starting lineup came back, it was nothing more than a stronger defense, but it still didn't help the offense.

After losing so many games, Thunder lost all their spirit. At the beginning, their fighting spirit was just to weigh the weight of the Warriors. Facing the blows of the Warriors like a storm, Thunder fell into a depressed mood again, and the resistance had slowed down. Slowly getting weaker, Zhang Xin took the opportunity to set off a more violent blow!
In the second quarter, Zhang Xin led the team to a climax of 32:16. There was no mistake, the Thunder only scored 16 points in one quarter!
It is conceivable how bad Thunder's offense is. There are no arrow attackers, no organizers, and a mess. In front of the top three defenses in the Warriors League, it is like attacking an army armed to the teeth with paper knives and wooden swords. Blue eyes are a strange thing!

After the first half, the Thunder trailed by 18 points. Zhang Xin scored 22 points, 9 assists and 11 rebounds, just one assist away from a triple-double. Zhang Xin's efficiency is getting higher and higher.

Several other people also had their own statistics. In this quarter, the Warriors are in full bloom, and the defense that the Thunder is proud of has also been sieved. This is the difference between whether the team has a leader or not.

A team with a leader, whether it is offense or defense, has a core leading, and all the people work together to perform well, but there is no way to organize a strong defense when the hearts of the people are scattered.

　Happy National day!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)