Standing pretty old

Chapter 819 Winning the Best of the Month Again

The reason why the Thunder fell behind by a big score at halftime is that apart from the starters Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, there is no third offensive point to stand up.

Harden made 3 of 0 shots in the half and only scored 1 point with free throws.

Ibaka was defended by Er Niu and took four shots in the half, only hitting one goal.

Perkins simply declined to the point where he couldn't even catch the ball. As long as Jordan pushed him out of the paint, the fierce-looking Perkins immediately became a harmless guy.His 1-for-0 performance in the half was completely different from his highlight period in Lukay.

It's true that the Thunder's second youngster has dominated the ball, but it's true that no one in OKC can stand up to share the scoring pressure.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks should take some responsibility, even if Sefolosha is injured, he can put Daquan Cook in the starting position and let Harden stay in the more familiar sixth man position superior.

When Durant and Westbrook basically ran out of shooting rights, it is difficult for Harden to expect Harden to perform well at the same time.

Ruan Erniu also said in an interview at midfield: "This is not the true level of the Thunder. They only rely on Kevin and Russell to play, but this is really good news for us."

In the Thunder's locker room, Du, Wei, and Ha Sanshao gathered together silently. They all wanted to make a difference in the new season. In the coming January, they did indeed maintain their top spot in the Western Conference for more than half a month. I didn't expect to encounter a strong sniper from the Clippers at the end of the month.

The most important thing is that judging from the halftime performance, the two teams don't seem to be on the same level at all.

"Don't be discouraged, our lineup is not neat, the more difficult it is, the more we must calm down. Don't be intimidated by the opponent, as long as we don't give up every round, we will find a chance to reverse..."

Brooks' chicken soup is still quite useful for the Thunder's young people. Compared with those complicated tactics, not giving up at the spiritual level may be more practical for the Thunder that is 25 points behind.

Chicken soup is not the patent of Brooks alone. For the Clippers, CP3, under the instigation of Kraft Nguyen, is also pouring chicken soup on Kawhi: "Forget the first half, and continue to give Kevin Durant the second half. Make trouble, he was the leading scorer last season, there's no shame in not being able to guard him, Kawhi, you can do better!"

The young man with facial paralysis didn't react too much on the surface. In fact, he was not satisfied with his performance in the first half. It is true that the team led by a big score, but he was beaten by KD, which is also a reality that has to be admitted.

Ruan Erniu, who finished setting up the defensive strategy for the second half in front of the tactical board, said to Kawhi: "Don't worry too much, Paul also failed to defend Westbrook in the first half, believe in the process, and continue to put pressure on Durant. As far as the team is concerned, it is the biggest contribution.”

"Do you have to get me involved?" Paul replied.

"That's right, I did a lot of small tricks, but Westbrook passed me cleanly. Cannon, passing you is like crossing the road at four o'clock in the morning." Ruan Erniu continued to attack.

Paul rolled his eyes directly, not wanting to talk nonsense with this bastard.

If an opportunity is found, CP3 will definitely fight back.

Between stars, there is actually a need for this kind of mutual confrontation. A good man will never want to win the championship. For the strong, moderate verbal stimulation can inspire fighting spirit.

The second half of the game started quickly, and the girl-picking combination made a classic pick-and-roll combination. Ruan Erniu hit high mid-range shots from 16-18 feet in a row, further expanding the score.

Durant continued his singles performance, making difficult shots against Leonard's defense many times, and once again chased the score back.

After Du Shao's round, Westbrook's round, Westbrook's round, Du Shao's round, Deng Shao said that he couldn't live this day, and the lights were about to turn on in less than 24 seconds, and the ball couldn't reach him.

The best backer tonight has been born, and that is James Harden.

Harden still made 3 of 0 shots in the third quarter, and his playing was extremely twisted. Steck Brooks used three quarters to prove one thing, don't put the Thunder's three young players on the court at the same time.

At 24:30, the Clippers played quite efficiently as a whole. At the end of the third quarter, the score of the two sides came to 70:101. The final game has not yet started, and the 31-point difference has completely declared that the game has entered garbage time.

Scott Brooks directly hid Westbrook and Du Shao in the final quarter. At least judging from the lineup, the Thunder has given up tonight's game. The only main force they left on the court is James Harden.

According to the usual practice, Tom Thibodeau also immediately replaced the main players such as Ruan Erniu and Paul.

On the offensive end of the Thunder, Harden came to the No. [-] position to take charge of the main control. He dribbled the ball continuously + feinted. After passing Billups, he attracted the help defense of Yi Jianlian and Randy Foye, and then Throw the ball into the hands of Dae Quinn Cook.

"Swipe!" Cook raised his knife and started hitting the first three-pointer in the final quarter.

On the offensive end of the Clippers, Allen missed a high mid-range shot, and Cole Aldridge scored a backcourt rebound and passed it to Harden.

Harden took the ball across the half court unhurriedly, assaulted the basket on the move, looked slow, but the European step was unpredictable, Evans blocked the foul, and Harden scored 2+1.

"brush!"

With an additional free throw, the Thunder chased for six points in a row after the start.

Chauncey Billups then hit a mid-range shot.

On the offensive end of the Thunder, Harden hit the ball again, and then threw the ball to Dai Quinn Cook again. Cook made another three-pointer from outside the three-point line.

The Thunder recovered 7 points.

Billups passed the ball to Foye, Foye was intercepted by Reggie Jackson, and Jackson made a one-stop layup.

The Thunder recovered 9 points.

Billups passed the ball to Shane Battier, and Battier made a long shot from the wing and bounced out of the frame.

Reggie Evans scored a backcourt rebound, Evans made a strong move from the basket, and Cole Aldridge fouled directly and sent the rebounding idiot to the free throw line.

"Bang!", "Bang!"

Two free throws hit the iron, and the ball went to the Thunder again.

Harden held the ball in the half court, observed the situation, and sent the ball to Cook on the wing again.

Dai Quinn Cook took the ball and made another three-pointer against Randy Foye's defense.

"brush!"

Hit again.

The Thunder recovered 12 points.

Tom Thibodeau couldn't sit still, and he immediately requested a timeout. Even though the Clippers still had a huge lead of 19 points, the Thunder's chasing momentum was too fast.

It never occurred to him that after the Thunder hid almost all the main players, they became more reasonable.

Scott Brooks also suppressed his disbelief and arranged tactics for the players on the field.

To be honest, he himself didn't expect the Thunder to stop the home team in this game.

Thibodeau is still unwilling to send Er Niu and Paul back to the field, because this means that the Clippers can't suppress the Thunder's counterattack against the substitute.

Jordan and Kawhi were sent back to the court.

Steve Kerr smiled and said to Erniu on the sidelines: "The Thunder's lineup is pretty thick, and Brooks is an idiot."

Ruan Erniu asked back: "What would you do if you were Brooks?"

Kerr said: "Let Harden be the first position from the beginning, let Daquan Cook be the starter, let Westbrook be the sixth man, Harden's ability to read the game is absolutely underestimated, he is the Thunder. The most suitable player in the first position."

Er Niu nodded, but turned his head sideways and said, "It's a pity that you don't count because you are not their head coach."

The Thunder's pace of chasing points did not stop. Even though Jordan and Kawhi returned to the court, Harden still made a strong step-back three-pointer against Billups.

The Thunder recovered 15 points.

Then Kawhi missed a wide open shot, and Harden sent the ball to Cook again. Cook, who suddenly broke out in the final quarter, did not end his performance. The fourth three-pointer.

OKC's X-factor came late, but better than never.

The Thunder recovered 18 points.

Thibodeau off the court asked for a timeout again, and the Clippers were stopped again.

With the Thunder's current momentum, the remaining 13 points are really not safe at all.

Needless to say, Er Niu and Paul both returned to the field at the same time. If even the 31-point lead can be regained, it would be a tragedy.

Fortunately, the Clippers quickly calmed down the scene after returning to the court.

As soon as Paul came on the court, he used the cover of Er Niu to get to the basket, completed a difficult throw, and successfully stopped the bleeding for the Clippers.

Then Er Niu completely took over the game. He first successfully played Cole Aldridge and Nazr Mohamed in low post singles, and continuously used his speed to cut to the basket and attack the basket to score points.

Then the Bulls turned on the support mode again, attracting double-teams in the low position many times, and distributing the ball to the outside.

The Clippers with the BUFF also became more accurate on the perimeter. Battier and Kawhi hit three-pointers one after another. Jordan even made a magical hit near the free throw line at the end of 24 seconds. hook.

The Clippers pulled the score back to more than 25 points in one wave. The Thunder's momentum was gone, and the game finally came to an end without any surprise.

After all, OKC dug too much in the first three quarters. Even if the Thunder's substitutes broke out collectively in the final quarter, it would be difficult to recover the huge disadvantage they left before.

Ruan Erniu, who scored 46 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists, found his good friend Russell Westbrook after the game.

"I'm sorry, I'm still the winner!" Er Niu spread his hands deliberately.

Westbrook punched Erniu on the chest, then gave the Tianchao people a hug and said: "The season is still very long, wait, you won't be the winner every time."

At the press conference after the game, Scott Brooks praised the tenacious spirit of the substitute players and said that the team's lineup is missing. When Sefolosha returns to the team, they are the complete Thunder team.

However, Tom Thibodeau, who attended the press conference later, didn't think so. Thibodeau said in a very positive tone: "Our strength is superior to that of our opponents. This is the fact. What I am not satisfied with is the final game. The laxness of the players is a problem, but the gap between the two teams is clear at a glance."

Thibodeau is just an assistant coach of the Clippers in the final analysis, but Ruan Erniu, the head coach of the Clippers, did not express his opinion.

Under the media's questioning, the Chinese still said truthfully: "We are likely to meet the Thunder in the playoffs, but to be honest, I think that after we meet the Thunder, the possibility of defeating them is greater because we play more. As a whole, they can only rely on the individual ability of the stars."

Westbrook later retorted on Twitter: "I don't think so. The Clippers are also relying on star power. Kraft alone accounts for nearly one-third of the Clippers' total points. Is this true? Isn't it relying on the ability of the stars? @CR88 (Two Niu Twitter account)"

Kraft * Nguyen replied: "What about the assists? The Thunder only average 18.5 assists per game, but we have about 28. @russwest44 (Wei Shao Twitter account)"

Westbrook then retorted: "You are avoiding my question."

Er Niu played the hand emoji and ended the topic: "I'm just highlighting the key points!"

Well, UCLA alumni's daily rivalry aside, as the Clippers defeated the Thunder in the final game at the end of January, they also won the first place in the Western Conference with a record of 1 wins and 16 losses.

Due to the excessive confusion of the schedule, the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the current No. 18 record in the league belongs to the Chicago Bulls, who have a record of 5 wins and [-] losses.

In other words, they played 5 more games than the Clippers at the same time.

The lockout has had a huge impact on the league, and the star's injury problems have gradually emerged. It is considered lucky for Paul to return to the court after being injured for 10 days.

The Bulls' head star Derrick Rose is suffering from a serious knee injury, and it is unknown when he will be able to return to the court.

The second youngest MVP in the league has brought great prestige to Rose. His explosive style of play has also attracted the attention of countless fans. As one of the Adidas twin stars, Rose is also a star with great commercial appeal. The only problem is that he is impatient.

Since all the games in January were over, the league immediately announced the best players of the month in the East and West the next day.

In the East, LeBron James of the Heat led the team to a record of 11 wins and 5 losses, ranking second in the East. His data averaged 28.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

In the West, Ruan Erniu of the Clippers led the team to a record of 16 wins and 2 losses, ranking first in the West. His averages per game reached a terrifying 38.6 points, 18.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.

It is rare for the Celestials to reach 20+ monthly rebounds in their careers. That is because Jordan has grabbed too many backcourt rebounds. Space for scoring ability.

Of course, the Celestial is still the best in the rebounding list. As long as the Celestial remains healthy, others can only compete for the No.2 qualification in this statistic. He has been a unique existence since he entered the league.

Various media have already put the title of scoring champion in the 11-12 season on Er Niu's head in advance. Indeed, no one can do better than Kraft Nguyen. The shooting percentage is close to 70%, and the three-point shooting rate is more than 45%. The efficiency of Kraft Nguyen is unbelievable.

The Celestials have subverted most people's common sense time and time again. The only thing most fans can confirm is that he is still on his way to the top, but no one can guess how high his peak will reach.

(End of this chapter)