start with scouting

Chapter 135 The road is a long way to go

At [-]:[-] p.m., Su Yang was interviewed by reporters before the match.

Talking about the previous topic of "Westbrook's triple-double is more representative than LeBron", Su Yang said: "I insist on that view, and I will insist on it for a long time. It is much more difficult for a point guard to rebound than a small forward..."

The reporter then mentioned Jason Kidd, who is also famous for his triple-double, and asked about the difference between Kidd and Westbrook.

Su Yang replied: "Russell's scoring ability is much better than JD, and of course it is more representative."

The interview was shortly followed by a briefing, and the fans thought that Su Yang had a brain problem, and they would always brag that Wei Shao was better than anyone else.

There are also fans who think that Su Yang is encouraging Westbrook to improve, but the stimulation is a little fierce, and he may encounter side effects.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the game officially started.

The Cavaliers won the jump ball, and the first offense was handed over to O'Neal in the low post, but it was a pity that the layup missed.

Su Yang didn't specifically deploy defenses against O'Neal, he only asked Chandler to go around more, and at the same time gave a certain double-team threat. The main reason is that O'Neal is too old, his athletic ability has declined precipitously, and his signature turning over is already quite laborious.

The Cavaliers management exchanged Ben for O'Neal, thinking it would give LeBron another helper, but they still didn't understand that what LeBron needs more is space, and Ben's emphasis on defense is useless, and O'Neal's low-efficiency scoring is useless.

However, O'Neal's average of 17.8 points per game in the Suns last season is indeed a bit bluffing, but the Cavaliers' management has not figured it out. Part of that 17.8 points is Nash's sharp assists. If it is replaced with other configurations, the efficiency will naturally drop.

A few minutes into the game, O'Neal received two fouls, and Mike Brown replaced him early.

Subsequently, the Cavaliers' real starting center Varejao appeared on the stage, and the team's offense suddenly became smooth.

With several assists from LeBron, JJ Hickson dunks, the Cavaliers tied the score, and the game became a little anxious.

Su Yang slightly adjusted the offensive focus, and the Thunder began to execute tactics around Durant, with the purpose of maintaining scoring while consuming LeBron's physical strength. However, the Cavaliers arranged for JJ Hickson to defend Durant, which seemed to be intentional for LeBron to maintain physical strength.

Su Yang was not surprised by which arrangement he faced.

Because the Cavaliers need LeBron to take on the heavy responsibility of offensive organization, they often only wait until the critical moment before arranging LeBron to mark the opponent's arrow players.

But without LeBron's defense, Durant easily made 6 of 4 shots and caused 5 fouls, scoring 13 points in a single quarter.

It's a pity that Mo and Anthony Parker each hit a three-pointer at the end of the quarter, causing the Thunder to only 29 to 27 in the first quarter.

The two teams entered the stage of the bench match. On the Thunder’s side, Harden’s firepower is not bad, but the Cavaliers’ firepower is not weak. Xiao Mo leads the team to grab speed, adopt a blood-changing style of play, press wildly without fear of fouls, and forcibly handicap points. Only expanded by two points.

The main players of the two teams then appeared on the field. The Thunder's side was fully blooming, while the Cavaliers' side, LeBron's full-scale attack.

Seeing LeBron's frequent singles, Su Yang realized that the Cavaliers' desire to win is far greater than in the past. It may be because they were reversed by the Thunder with 34 points last season, or it may be that the record in the new season is biased and they need to beat the Thunder. strong team.

After halftime, the Thunder led 54 to 49.

Back in the locker room, Su Yang told the players to prepare for a tough battle, especially for LeBron's defense.

Because LeBron has scored 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the entire first half, and only made 1 turnover. It is entirely because of the key battles after the season.

The Thunder generals returned to the court with a slightly skeptical attitude, and found that LeBron was still the main attacker after the Cavaliers.

O'Neal played a few minutes symbolically, and after showing enough status as a starter, he replaced Varejao again.

With O'Neal off the court, the Cavaliers simultaneously strengthened their defense, switching every screen, not procrastinating at all, not afraid of fouls, and actively seeking physical confrontation. Mike Brown also put pressure on the referee on the sidelines, and the team's arrogance was high.

With 6 minutes and 27 seconds left in the third quarter of the game, the Cavaliers tied the score tenaciously by relying on 8 fouls.

A few Thunder players were a little frightened, but Westbrook went forward indomitably, but there were a little too many strikes.

Su Yang weighed again and again, asked for a timeout to make arrangements, encouraged Durant to stand up and confront LeBron, did not adjust the tactics around Durant, reduced the proportion of off-the-ball, and let Durant take more directly in the low area. ball.

After the timeout ended, the Thunder executed Su Yang's arrangement around Durant and successfully played the Cavaliers [-]-[-].

The fans cheered one after another, but Su Yang was not very optimistic, because Durant's goals relied more on his physical fitness, wantonly taking advantage of his height and wingspan, and most of them were face-up shots. very small.

But that situation couldn't be adjusted for the time being, Su Yang could only let it go, and after the third quarter, the Thunder fell behind 76 to 78.

LeBron scored another 15 points in a single quarter, and his personal data has accumulated to 38 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.

Throughout the third quarter, LeBron didn't grab a single rebound, and has been focusing on assisting defense and switching defenses, which is quite terrifying.

Su Yang found that Durant and the others were even more frightened. It was obviously difficult to adapt to this kind of playoff-intensity confrontation.

After thinking about it again and again, Su Yang turned into a master of chicken soup, and while encouraging the whole team to "really fight to the end", he adjusted his offensive strategy. After entering the main competition stage in the fourth quarter, he directly dispatched five small lineups to curb the Cavaliers' unlimited defense changes.

Adjusted like that, the offensive effect is very good.

The Cavaliers' defense is still an old problem. The team defense is good and double-teaming is good. The effect of single defense is mediocre, but it is better than the season.

After a few rounds, the Cavaliers' Varejao became useless on the defensive end. Mike Brown also made adjustments, boldly replacing Varejao and Mo, and replacing them with Jamario Moon and West. Crazy start to bombardment.

The Cavaliers couldn't guard the Thunder, and the Thunder couldn't guard the Cavaliers either. The two teams came and went, and they played until the last 2 minutes in a blink of an eye.

After returning from a short timeout, LeBron took the initiative to lead the defense against Durant, chasing and running all over the court, forcing Durant to go to the bottom line in various ways.

Durant's offense with the ball is temporarily limited to breaking through the front frame, and his back-up skills are average, and he encounters great restrictions on walking the bottom line.

With Durant hitting the iron in consecutive rounds, the Thunder was left behind by 4 points and did not catch up until the end of the game.

Just like that, the Thunder lost to the Cavaliers 101 to 104, ending their seven-game winning streak.

Throughout the game, the Cavaliers fouled 28 times, and even LeBron rarely committed 4 fouls.

The toughness shown by the Cavaliers made it difficult for the Thunder to adapt, so that Su Yang tried his best to adjust and lost.

Back in the locker room after the game, Su Yang did not save face for the players. He bluntly said that the team played a bit softly. At the same time, he also said that he was not prepared enough. He did not consider LeBron's continuous singles for three consecutive quarters and did not adequately arrange defense.

But losing is not terrible, just come back next time, and only when you realize your own shortcomings can you have room for improvement.

After the game, many fans mocked Su Yang for not angering LeBron, causing LeBron to start the strongest combat mode.

Some fans also said that the Thunder's group of young people are soft guys, and they will be caught blind when they encounter strong confrontation in the playoffs.

There are also fans who think that the Thunder should send Jeff Green away because of its embarrassing positioning and not being proficient in everything.

That night, the whole team flew to the Denver Plateau overnight to challenge the Nuggets back-to-back, who were suffering two consecutive losses.

The Nuggets used the same method as the Cavaliers against the Thunder. Even the lazy Anthony defended very diligently. The Thunder fought fiercely for three and a half quarters, and at the last minute they were exhausted and continued to fight. They lost 99 to 102, their first losing streak in the season.

After the game, Su Yang didn't talk about the game. After all, fighting back to back is indeed a big disadvantage.

After a day off, the Thunder played against the Mavericks at home, losing 96 to 100 and suffering a three-game losing streak.

The main reason for the loss was that Durant played poorly. He only made 18 of 4 shots and failed to draw too many fouls. Drive Marion.

Westbrook also played relatively poorly. He made 19 of 6 shots and had 4 fouls. The reason was that Kidd defended very hard. Westbrook is confused.

In the locker room after the game, the generals of the Thunder were in a slump, but Su Yang smiled and said: "Don't be depressed! We can have this kind of treatment, which shows that our strength has threatened other teams. Our shortcomings have been magnified, but our goal of improvement is more clear.

Kevin, you need to hone your ball-handling skills more skillfully. You should notice that tonight’s cover-and-run tactics, against top defenders, it’s hard to get easy shots. Wait until the playoffs, you need more singles.

Russell, you have to understand the game better, like Kidd, pass the ball and you can involve the defense...

In short, there are 82 games to be played in the season, and three consecutive losses is nothing. Our goal is the championship, and there is still a long way to go.”

While speaking, Su Yang arranged the training points for the players one by one, preparing for the next round of challenges.

(End of this chapter)