basketball player

Chapter 356 Chapter 354: Sunshine Under the Horizon
4:30 a.m., Indianapolis, Indiana.

Players of the Oklahoma City Thunder arrive in Indianapolis.As soon as they got off the plane, they saw an advertisement for the Pacers at the airport. On the billboard were all members of the Pacers, and Henson Joe sat in the middle as usual.

And at the bottom of the billboard, there is a line of short but clear kid.

"Where 72 happens."

72 wins, among the many incredible records in the NBA, the Bulls' 72-win record has always been considered the least likely to be broken.

Think about it, losing only ten games in a season may really only be possible for a player like Michael Jordan.But no one thought that 18 years later, another Eastern Conference team would begin to approach this record.

What made Westbrook even more unexpected was that he and his team, under the publicity and hype of the outside world, instantly became the so-called "the only hope of the entire league."

"Damn back-to-back, I hate back-to-back!" Just as Westbrook was staring at the Pacers poster in a daze, his good brother Kevin Durant came up from behind, yawning.

"I hate it too, and it's a back-to-back game across the East and West!" Westbrook echoed and shook his head, and followed the team towards the airport exit.

Now, it's 4:30 a.m., the Thunder players have just arrived, and the Indianapolis sky is still dark.And just six and a half hours ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder had just ended their game with the San Antonio Spurs at home.

The Spurs VS Thunder, as a direct dialogue between the top two in the West, the Thunder, who are eager to rush to the top of the West, are naturally not to be outdone.Coupled with the fact that Scott Brooks is the main maniac, the Thunder players will naturally not be too relaxed.

Especially Durant. In the game against the Spurs, Durant played a full 45 minutes, and his physical fitness was almost exhausted.However, he had no time to rest at all, so he boarded the plane with the team, experienced a long flight of more than four hours, and landed here at 4:30 in the morning.

So now, Durant is yawning.Counting last night's game until now, he hasn't had a good rest.And in just a few hours, he has to be back on the practice field for today's game against the Pacers.
Indiana Pacers, for Durant and Westbrooker, this is an opponent that makes them heartbroken.In the summer of last season, when they were so close to the championship, they hadn't forgotten who blocked their dreams and their dreams of winning the championship.And now, the game between the Pacers and the Thunder has been given a whole new meaning.

The only hope of the entire league!
If there are two teams in the league that don't want to see the Pacers achieve 72 wins, it must be the Thunder and the Heat!
The Miami Heat have been quite legendary this season. Since the Pacers' 25-game winning streak, the Heat immediately returned a wave of 27 consecutive victories!The Pacers' league's second-longest winning streak lasted only one month before it was ruthlessly broken by the Heat.If the Pacers cannot win 72 wins, there is no doubt that the biggest winner of the regular season this season will be the Heat themselves.But if the Heat won 72 wins, Miami's 27-game winning streak will be overshadowed.

As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, this is better understood.Since last season's finals, the Thunder has been eager to regain a chance to compete for the championship.Although the outcome of today's game will not play any decisive role in the final ownership of the championship.But there's no doubt that the Thunder are desperate to stop their old foe from achieving greatness.As long as they can stop the Pacers today, they will lose 9 games in early April.Then their probability of winning 72 will be greatly reduced!In addition, they can prove themselves again, thus avoiding the tragedy of being double-killed by the Pacers this season.

It's a pity that the Miami Heat will no longer meet the Pacers during the regular season this season, and they have no chance to stop the Pacers with their own hands.But the Thunder are different, although they are very tired, although they are still hanging on the street at 4:30 in the morning, although they just finished a tough game against the Spurs yesterday.

But these will not be their hindrance.If they can use their own power to destroy the Pacers' great possibility, there is no doubt that they will be very happy!

Just like last season, the Pacers also personally prevented them from achieving greatness!
"It's dawn." Sitting on the team bus, Durant turned his head and looked out the window.Below the horizon, the scorching sun is slowly rising.

"Yeah, it's almost dawn. When the sun sets again, it's time for us to go to the Pacers to settle accounts." Westbrook closed his eyes, he needed a good rest.

"Come on, buddy."

"come on."

The fists of the Thunder Twins lightly touched each other.

※※※

"72 wins! Audience friends, this incredible miracle has reached the most critical turning point!"

7:30 p.m., Indianapolis, Bankers Life Arena.Only 15 hours had passed since the Oklahoma City Thunder touched down in the city.At this time, T.NT's well-known sideline reporter "Man in Color" Sager was standing in front of the camera wearing an orange suit. He was holding a copy of "Sports Illustrated" magazine published in 1995. The cover of this magazine was the Chicago Bulls who had just achieved 72 wins!
"From 1995 to 2013, we have experienced countless players coming and going, and witnessed the birth of more than a dozen championships. But there has never been any team that can break or equal the Bulls' record of 72 wins in a single season. But today, I said that this incredible miracle has reached the most critical turning point. If the Oklahoma City Thunder can't beat the defending champion Pacers away, judging from the schedule after this, no one will be able to stand up and stop the Pacers!"

The game has not yet started, and the players have even just warmed up on the court, and Sager has already mobilized the atmosphere of the game on the court.

Yes, Sager used the word "block."After all, except for the local Indianapolis fans in the entire league, most fans don't want to see the enemy in their eyes achieve great achievements.This is true even for the Chicago Bulls back then.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the stands.You don't need to look to know that it must be a player from the visiting team.

"It's really early for the Oklahoma City Thunder to warm up. 24 hours ago, they were still fighting fiercely at the Chesapeake Energy Arena." On the commentary stand, Kenny Smith couldn't help being surprised to see the Thunder team coming out early.

"Although the game against the Spurs was only finished 24 hours ago, the Thunder boys must still be excited. First of all, if they win this game, the Thunder will overtake the Spurs and become the No. 72 player in the Western Conference. Secondly, if the Thunder can win this game, the Pacers' chances of winning [-] will be much smaller. So, no matter how tired they are, Kenny, the Thunder will definitely show all their abilities today." Charles Barkley licked his lips with a smirk on his face.He can't wait, he wants to see this peerless battle start earlier.

"Sometimes, excitement can't make up for the lack of physical strength. The Thunder just flew from the west coast to the east coast, and the Pacers rested for four full days after defeating the Clippers! And, if Coach Henson didn't continue to fool people, then today the Pacers will play with a neat lineup! Let me say that the Thunder have no advantage at all." Kenny Smith spread his hands. This game is really too difficult for the Thunder.

"That's right, the Thunder were almost cornered. But that's why they played more bloodthirsty and more violently! The length of the rest time can indeed affect the outcome, but it can't play a decisive role. Even Coach Henson once said this sentence: If rest can determine the outcome, I would have invited Larry Bird back to play. Because he has rested for decades."

Barkley is right. It is precisely because the Thunder are cornered that they may burst out with greater strength.And this is what Henson is worried about.So today, he didn't tell his players "that group of guys are exhausted".Telling the players this will not do anything, it will only make them underestimate the enemy.

When Sager was interviewed before the game, Henson was also uncharacteristically.He highly praised the Thunder, thinking that they are superior in strength and amazing will, and they are a well-deserved strong team in the Western Conference, and paid tribute to them.

These words of his undoubtedly surprised Sage, who was used to hearing Henson's talk about running trains.

Was Henson Joe kidnapped by aliens last night?Why did you suddenly change sex?

Henson certainly wasn't abducted by aliens, and in fact he could come up with some hilariously humorous answers right away if he wanted to.But Henson doesn't want his players to feel that he is relaxed. In today's game, facing such a big advantage, what he needs to do is to make the players tense up and seize the advantage instead of relaxing their vigilance.

Killed by the Thunder in back-to-back games across the east and west, Henson couldn't afford to lose this man!
"No one should relax their vigilance, and don't listen to the nonsense of the media! If the Oklahoma City Thunder will be knocked down by a mere back-to-back schedule, then they will not be able to become the second place in the Western Conference! Give me your best and treat this game as the finals!"

Before the start of the game, Henson also deliberately delivered a short speech in front of the players.As the referee urged, frowning players from both sides stepped onto the court.Although the game has not yet officially started, the eyes of both sides seem to have sparked!

The atmosphere on the scene was brought up by the fans, and all Pacers fans were cheering loudly.Before the game started, they had already made the Thunder players fully feel what an "away game" is.

Henson stood on the sidelines with arms crossed from the very beginning of the game, very satisfied with the home atmosphere.He is very grateful to God for giving him such a group of loyal fans. These cheers are like a pair of powerful hands, supporting his back and allowing him to stand straight in front of all opponents.

Here comes, the key battle related to the 72-win legend, the most important game in Henson's plan, is finally here!

The plan is only one last step away, and he will not allow the Oklahoma City Thunder to become a stumbling block for the Pacers to create greatness.

If it is a stumbling block, kick it away!

"Beep!" The referee whistled and threw the basketball into the air.

The Great War has begun.

(End of this chapter)