Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 234 "The Last Journey"

"In the fourth quarter, Westbrook led the team to play a 9:4. I seem to be able to understand Coach Li's strategy in this game."

In the commentary seat of the Penguin NBA live broadcast room, it seemed that there was a sudden cross talk, and there were people who praised: "Hey, what's the matter?"

"That is to say, I let you play team basketball for a season, but you all like to play alone in your bones, so I will give you a chance to play singles in this game. But Li Sheng is not afraid of their singles in this game. Firstly, they are in good condition."

"What about the two?"

"The second is the Spurs. The opponent is not in good shape. Another thing is that the opponent has always consumed more than them. After all, after the previous rounds, they have played one or two more games than them. Then they may have age, injuries and other issues.

"Plus it is now generally accepted that players are not as famous as you, their personal strength is not as good, and the overall situation is not as good now, so what else is there to compare with? Home field advantage does not seem to be very strong today..."

"Hey, there's nothing like that."

"Yeah, so they are falling behind more and more now-come on, see Popovich is about to call a timeout again, how to arrange it?"

At this time, the Spurs called a timeout. Popovich picked up the tactical board, but subconsciously looked at Li Sheng, wondering if he was sighing softly, "Young people are terrible."

In fact, in the early part of the season, before Westbrook came back, the Thunder had a winning streak. At that time, he had a feeling that the Thunder would be the biggest opponent of the Spurs this season.

The outside world will argue from the schedule and other aspects that this winning streak seems to have no gold content, but in fact, since then, the Thunder's style of play has already begun to show signs.

The Spurs and Thunder also played four games in the regular season, but to be honest, although the Spurs were not full in three games, the Thunder started to practice tactics in the last two games.

At that time, Popovich felt that the Thunder seemed to be playing a more "advanced" basketball than them.

This advanced level does not mean that they are more advanced in terms of concepts or tactics, but that they have really reached another level and possessed another level of strength.

At that time, the most greedy thing in his heart was undoubtedly the four rookies cultivated by the Thunder this season.

Although Dewey and Ibaka are powerful, Popovich and the Spurs are also familiar with them, and if they are only playing singles, they are really not very afraid.

But after joining those four rookies, the Thunder can have more changes, and the biggest change is their defense. Originally, their fifth position should be a weakness, but Gobert's rapid growth has already sublimated the defense and even the offense inside.

Not to mention the wings, Antetokounmpo and Robertson have allowed the Thunder's forward defensive resources to advance to the league's first gear. This can also help Durant save energy at the strategic level, while effectively avoiding
Later, Durant, who played against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in 16, was somewhat affected by physical strength and injuries, and he had to work hard on the defensive end, so he played 30 of 10 in three games. The hip-pull performance finally ruined the 3:1 lead and was overturned.

In fact, there are traces to follow in the round of the playoffs in 22 when the Celtics were swept away.

Because physical strength is naturally at a disadvantage, it is impossible to reasonably allocate the offensive and defensive ends, so it is not effective on the defensive end, and the offensive end is gradually lost.

But if you put him in a suitable team and let him concentrate on scoring, then he can exert a lot of energy. In short, he can cover the bottom line but the lower limit is not high, but if the platform is good enough, his upper limit is very high.

In this regard, Westbrook is actually the same, but his impact is better when he is with a substitute lineup like the current one. To put it bluntly, he plays a big core around him alone.

This style of play is not good for the main lineup with better offense and defense in the playoffs, but against the opponent's substitute lineup, it can really be regarded as abuse.

Especially today, Westbrook feels good, or he didn't pull his hips in this round of the series, at least he played his own role and fulfilled Li Sheng's requirements for him.

The Spurs originally wanted to win in the fourth quarter, but Westbrook came up to lead the team alone and was not weak. The Spurs failed to hold the situation, but gradually opened up the score.

When 4 minutes and 32 seconds passed in the fourth quarter, Popovich had to call a timeout, ready to put all the main players back, and let them make a final fight.

At this time, the Thunder still lead by 16 points. In the last 7 and a half minutes of the game, the Spurs also know that there is little hope, but it is impossible to just admit defeat, so they still have to play hard.

"In the last seven minutes or so, the two teams have already replaced all the main players. Oh, the Thunder also replaced Westbrook to rest first, but the lineup they put up is not bad..."

Now that Gobert has completely replaced Perkins, Ennis and Robertson have one offense and one defense, especially their size advantage, so that they will not have obvious disadvantages after facing the pick-and-roll on the defensive end. They can also help Durant wipe his ass a little bit.

As for Ibaka at the fourth position, Gobert is still young and inexperienced. The Thunder's defensive system is still built around Ibaka, and he will frantically mop up and assist in the defense.

The game continued, and Duncan hit a signature 45-degree hit when he came up. Ibaka caught the ball after the pick-and-roll and returned the shot.

Leonard caught the ball and shot a three-pointer after a high pick-and-roll. The shot was very resolute, and he finally got it.

Looking back, the Thunder missed the offense, the Spurs protected the rebound, and Ginobili caught the ball and faced Robertson with a European layup.

Today Ginobili also continued the efficiency of the previous two games, and because Popovich's grandmother controlled his playing time, he is still within the validity period of "20 minutes of Jordan".

On the Thunder's side, Durant once again singled out Green and failed to score, but this time Gobert pointed the ball out, and Ennis hit a three-pointer from the outside, with a 14-point difference.

Duncan helped Green cover the ball and hit a three-pointer directly. The Spurs approached the score to 11 points.

However, the Thunder stabilized the rhythm this time. Robertson and Durant made a pick-and-roll on the right flank. Durant faced Parker and hit a long two-point jumper with a sudden stop, without giving the opponent a chance to help defend.

The Spurs' offensive efficiency during this period seemed a bit unbelievable, and this was somewhat due to the fact that the Thunder's physical strength and defensive attention also declined to varying degrees in the final quarter.

After all, defense is always the passive side compared to offense, and one inattentiveness may give the opponent a chance.

The Spurs' tactical running, screens and passing were still restricted by the Thunder before, but with the decline in the quality of the Thunder's defense, relying on their seasoned experience, they can naturally work again.

GDP has played together for more than ten years, Leonard and Green have also passed the test of the finals, and their current ability and temperament are at their current peak.

As long as they don't abandon or give up, there is always hope.

It's a pity that they are facing the Thunder.

"Ennis scored another three-pointer. There are less than 2 minutes left in the game, and the score is still at 14 points. There is not much time left for the Spurs, and their hopes are getting slimmer."

"Hey - Ginobili made a pass error this time! Antetokounmpo went on a fast break and scored two more points. This mistake may be fatal..."

When the camera captured Ginobili's remorseful expression, as well as the helplessness on the faces of Duncan and others, it seemed that their spirit was slowly passing away with the game until everything finally ended.

(End of this chapter)