Standing pretty old

Chapter 818 Competition for the Top of the Western District
On January 1th, US time, the Clippers were conducting pre-match recovery training in their own training hall. Tonight they will welcome last season's Western Conference Finals team - Oklahoma at the Staples Center thunder.

When Ruan Erniu communicated with Paul in private, he said: "In a sense, we still have a chance to come back after losing to the Heat, but losing to OKC is even worse, because we may have to wait for them to disintegrate themselves in the future. .”

Paul was taken aback for a moment, and then immediately reacted: "Because of age!"

"That's right, they are younger. Once we lose to OKC, our morale will plummet immediately. There is still a chance to make mistakes in the regular season. Once it comes to the playoffs, we will have no way out." Er Niu nodded and said.

Chris Paul laughed and said, "I thought you only had the championship in your eyes and nothing else. Why did you become cautious all of a sudden?"

Ruan Erniu also laughed and said: "Of course we must have long-term ideals, but short-term small goals and medium-term big goals must also be missing.

There has never been a soaring thing in this world, but most people can't see the process of accumulation.

Our group of NBA players shouted 'believe in basketball, believe in the process' all day long, isn't that what it is? "

Paul suddenly said: "It may be my biggest regret not being able to be friends with you. But it may be my greatest honor to be a teammate."

"Chris, we are all the same kind of people, why bother to say this, we understand each other, appreciate each other, or guard against each other, far better than those idiots."

After saying this, Er Niu immediately stretched out his big hand and slapped CP3, who is also a Taurus.

The way people get along with each other is a science.

Er Niu knew from the beginning that neither he nor Paul could completely let go of the self-esteem of a leader, but this did not prevent them from cooperating seamlessly and becoming the best duo in the league.

Speaking of the specific tactical plan, Ruan Erniu said to Paul: "Don't underestimate Russell. He used to be my teammate. I know his strength very well. He is a dangerous guy."

"Don't worry, I will take care of him. The problem is KD. It depends on the performance of the-claw (Magic Claw, Kawaii's nickname in the United States, but the cutie himself said he doesn't like it)!" Paul said with his hands outstretched.

Er Niu nodded and said with a smile: "It is estimated that he will be blown up by the tarantula, but it doesn't matter. In the regular season, we must give him sufficient room for growth. Even if he gets blown up, it will be a precious experience in his growth process."

……

The Clippers are full of expectations for the Thunder, and that's not the case for the Thunder.

After OKC's chartered plane arrived in Los Angeles, everyone had a short team meeting as soon as they arrived at the hotel where they were staying.

Their schedule is equally terrifying. After playing the Clippers, they will arrive in Dallas back-to-back the next day to play against the defending champion Mavericks.

It can be said that the schedule is so tight that they don't even have the minimum training time. The starting No. 2 Sapo Sovnosha suffered an injury in the last game against the Warriors and will directly miss tonight's game Contest.

Westbrook said: "Don't give LAC any chance, we must win the opponent and win tonight's game.

The Lakers are no longer good, the Spurs are also seriously aging, the Mavericks' lineup has disintegrated, and the Grizzlies were also killed by us last season. Only the Clippers gathered Kraft and Paul.

Therefore, LAC is our biggest opponent in the West. "

Perkins on the side smiled and said, "Russell, are you sure you don't equate the Chinese with the Clippers? However, I agree with what you said. If you want to win the championship, you must beat the Clippers."

Durant said: "Serge, you have to get Kraft Nguyen!"

Ibaka clenched his fist and said: "Don't worry, I will never let the Chinese get an easy shot. According to the plan, once he reaches the low position, I will double-team him with Kendrick (Perkins) as soon as possible. "

Durant warned again: "You can't ignore the three-point line, you must follow it out, and if necessary, I will even come to help defend."

James Harden wondered: "Doesn't that leave a bigger gap for other opponents?"

Durant stretched his neck, turned his head and said to Harden behind him: "Have you forgotten those games where the Celestials directly shot to death?"

Harden, who had already grown a beard, stopped talking immediately. Indeed, in the 09-10 season, when James Harden was still a rookie, he witnessed how Ruan Erniu killed OKC by himself.

……

As the evening game time approached, the number of fans at the Staples Center suddenly increased.

The Los Angeles Clippers, who have won 15 wins and 2 losses this season, will face the Oklahoma City Thunder with a current record of 16 wins and 3 losses at home.

The winner of this game will determine who will temporarily ascend to the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Clippers' starting lineup hasn't changed much tonight:

C DeAndre Jordan
PF Ruan Erniu

SF Kawhi Leonard

SG JJ* Reddick

PG Chris Paul
For the Thunder, due to the absence of Sofnosha, they directly mentioned the sixth man Harden to the starting position:

C Kendrick Perkins

PF Serge Ibaka

SF Kevin Durant

SG James Harden
PG Russell Westbrook

On the Thunder's bench, there are also Reggie Jackson, Nick Collison, Cole Aldridge and Nazr Mohammed.

Tonight's on-duty referee is Ken Moore. With the referee throwing the ball high, the game officially begins.

The high-jumping Jordan first touched the basketball, and Ruan Erniu caught the basketball from behind and directly pushed the ball forward.

When Ibaka hadn't reacted at the beginning of the game, the bull made a sudden stop and shot without hesitation from outside the three-point line...

"brush!"

The Clippers took the lead for the first time in this game.

On the offensive end of the Thunder, Westbrook held the ball and advanced the frontcourt. Ibaka and Perkins raised the screen at the same time. Dry pulling, standard straight up and down...

"brush!"

This season, Westbrook's shooting percentage has improved compared to the season, especially the mid-range and long-range two-pointers, which have begun to become lethal, and are no longer the original mid-range blacksmith.

However, in terms of three-pointers, he still hits an amazing number of irons.

Westbrook, who hit the mid-range shot in front of Er Niu, gave his former teammate a provocative look, but Er Niu didn't mean to fight him.

Kraft Nguyen knows Westbrook very well. If this guy is really hot-headed, it will be great news for the Clippers.

On the offensive end of the Clippers, Paul holds the ball from the outside, and Er Niu leans on Ibaka in the low post to get into position.

CP3 immediately sent a comfortable ground pass, but Perkins' double team followed.

Seeing that Ruan Erniu was about to be locked in a narrow space by the two burly men of Thunder, making it difficult to move, at this moment, Ruan Erniu suddenly threw the ball with one hand.

Unexpected shot, Er Niu didn't even observe before, just when the Thunder generals thought that the Celestial Man made a mistake, Jordan, who was lying in ambush, rushed out.

No one is guarding!
Little Jordan leaped vigorously, as if he had escaped the gravity of the earth and flew into the sky. With this ball, at least two-thirds of Little Jordan's head passed the basket.

"boom!"

With a powerful double-arm dunk, Jordan roared and directly detonated the Staples Center. This season, the number of Clippers fans is increasing. With Jordan and Erniu Ruan, all kinds of violent lobs are indispensable.

In the process of returning to defense, Paul did not hesitate to praise Er Niu and said: "Beautiful pass!"

Some passes naturally require imagination. Before Perkins' double-team was in place, Ruan Erniu found Jordan's position by feeling. This is an indescribable basketball talent.

Entering the fifth season of his career, Ruan Erniu's understanding of basketball has become more and more profound.

The two sides did not have any temptations, and directly entered the link of confrontation.

After each missed two shots, the basketball finally came into the hands of Thunder leader Kevin Durant.

The tarantula who touched the ball for the first time, faced Kawaii, took a tentative step, advanced with the ball, and pulled back.

"brush!"

Two points hit!

Kawaii's face is still paralyzed, but he knows very well that even if his block is in place, it is impossible to completely block the opponent.

Durant's arms are too long and his shot point is too high. What's even more terrifying is that this guy can actually hold the ball and break through like a backcourt player.

"I will never lose to him!"

On the offensive end of the Clippers, Ruan Erniu did not continue to ask for the ball in the low post, but took the initiative to raise it to cover for Paul. The three guns entered the penalty area with the ball, attracted double-teams and sent the ball to Erniu.

The high-ranking Ruan Erniu did not take a direct shot against Ibaka's supplementary defense, but threw the ball to the outside line and no one was watching Kawaii.

The latter received the basketball at 45 degrees to the left, and also pulled out without any hesitation!
bingo!

In the subsequent game, Ibaka tried to attack the basket twice in front of the two bulls, both of which ended in iron strikes, and Perkins also failed to cause trouble for Jordan, who had made rapid progress in single defense.

The most troublesome player is James Harden. Harden, who is used to grabbing points in the rotation lineup, is obviously not used to how to match Durant and Westbrook in the main lineup.

Beard was actually blocked by JJ* Redick in several offensive rounds when he finally got the ball!
It can be said that in the first quarter of the game, the Thunder relied entirely on Du Shao and Westbrook to score points.

Durant made 7 of 5 shots in a single quarter, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, scored 11 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist.

Westbrook made 8 of 4 shots in a single quarter, made 2 of 2 free throws, scored 10 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists.

The Thunder has twin stars, and the Clippers are not bad. Paul basically took over the game in the second half of the first quarter. He made 6 of 5 shots in a single quarter, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, scoring 11 points and 4 assists.

The other Clippers player who scored in double figures was not Ruan Erniu. Kawhi made 7 of 4 shots in the first quarter, including 5 of 3 three-pointers. He scored 11 points and 3 rebounds in a single quarter.

In a not-so-short period of time, the rookie played with confidence, and he was on par with Kevin Durant, the scoring champion of last season!

Er Niu's performance in the first quarter was not outstanding at first glance, but the data will not lie.

Ruan Erniu made 2 of 2 shots in a single quarter, including 1 of 1 three-pointers. Ruan Erniu, who scored 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, should be regarded as the most efficient player in the Clippers.

The most important thing is that he alone connected the Clippers' offense as a whole.

Under his feed, even Jordan Jr. was able to make 5 of 4 shots in a single quarter, scored 8 points, and 6 rebounds, which is very illustrative.

The Celestials did not focus on attacking with the ball in the first quarter because he encountered too many double-teams on the defensive end, but the score on the big screen showed that it was not an ideal choice to double-team Ruan Erniu. .

At 25:38, the Clippers led by 13 points in a single quarter.

Chaoting Channel 5 also broadcast live the game of the day. In the studio, Yu Jia and Zhang Lili also discussed Kraft Ruan's performance for a period of time after joining the Clippers.

"Er Niu is really good, because he always knows when and who should hand the ball to. It is true that the Clippers have Paul, but in positional warfare, Er Niu's organizational skills are also very important.

The Thunder rely entirely on the personal ability of the third young man to play, but Harden's performance today is a bit abnormal. Zhang Lili said with gestures.

Yu Jia also sighed: "Before the start of the season, many fans were worried about whether Erniu could return to the top. After all, his injury is quite fatal for a basketball player. We know that many players are injured because of the meniscus. Injury, and had to end his career early, such as the Blazers' Brandon Roy."

Zhang Lili smiled and said: "So Erniu's physical fitness is really good. Many people say that his physical talent is the pinnacle of the yellow race. I agree with this view."

Taking advantage of the last moment of intermission, Yu Jia chatted: "Many fans know that Ruan Erniu has actually been engaged in gymnastics for many years before playing basketball. Director Zhang, do you think this has a positive impact on his basketball training?" no help?"

Zhang Lili said: "There should be no necessary connection. The most important reason is that Erniu has a good foundation. However, years of professional training will definitely be helpful for his will and quality."

The second quarter started soon. For the Thunder, Dewey's second youngster continued their singles in turn to help the team score.

However, the Clippers played more reasonably. During the rotation time, Chauncey Billups took over the pick-up group as the organizer on the field. He scored 9 points and 3 assists in the second quarter to help the Clippers The team further expanded its lead.

After Ruan Erniu returned to the field, he started his brutal killing.

Bulls taught Ibaka to be a man in one quarter. He made 5 of 5 shots in a single quarter, including 2 of 2 three-pointers. Board, all-around data of 12 assists.

At 21:33, the Clippers once again took a double-digit lead in a single quarter.

At the end of halftime, 46:71, it was clearly a battle for the top spot in the Western Region, but when it came to the field, it completely showed a one-sided situation.

Ruan Erniu scored 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in the halftime quasi-triple-double data, and made 7 of 7 shots in the halftime, an astonishing [-]% shooting rate.

Durant scored 20 points in the half, Westbrook scored 17 points in the half, but the Thunder were not happy at all. No matter how gorgeous their data is, it is difficult to conceal the fact that the team is behind by a large score.

(End of this chapter)