The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 512 Thunder has no way out

On the first day of the playoffs, the No. [-] Raptors in the Eastern Conference defeated the Wizards.

In fact, the Wizards have a lot of opportunities in this game. The Raptors are not used to playing well, and the Wizards suppressed the opponent. Unfortunately, their substitutes are not as good as the opponent.

The Raptors' ability to win the Eastern Conference this season lies in their overall improvement.

As for the Wizards, players other than the two guns did not show their strength. The lineups of the two teams are similar, but their tactical performances are completely opposite.

In fact, the gap between No. [-] and No. [-] in the East is not that big. Due to Wall's injury this season, the Wizards' record has been affected to a certain extent.

Speaking of Hei Ba, Lei Ting also shouted similar slogans.

Although the gap between them and the Spurs is definitely larger than this group of matchups in the East, in the eyes of fans, everyone is the Big Three, which seems to be about the same.

However, the strength gap between the third 76ers in the Eastern Conference and the sixth Heat in the Eastern Conference is larger than expected.

The Heat's offensive power is too poor, and in small ball tactics, Whiteside has become soy sauce again, but with a small lineup, their defense is a big trouble.

On the 76ers side, Embiid has comprehensive skills inside, and it doesn't matter whether it is a big ball or a small ball. He can also help defend inside. Their inside advantage is not a little big.

To be honest, coach Spoelstra may have been a little angry when the Heat chose to play small ball with the 76ers.

He is indeed better at arranging small ball tactics, but if Whiteside is a good defense point, they can be said to have voluntarily given up part of their strength.

Entering the rhythm of the 76ers and wanting to win this talented team, the Heat thought badly, and the big defeat is not too surprising.

What makes the Heat desperate is that Embiid has not played in this game. The 76ers' playoff recruits are not timid, and the argument of using experience to win is quickly overwhelmed by facts.

When Wade was interviewed by reporters during the season, his tone was slowly and helplessly.

As for the use of Whiteside, the Heat's interpretation is like the attitude of the Eagles to Howard last year.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is not just a matter of not adapting to tactics.

There are many reasons to believe that there must be some conflicts between the players and the team.

At this time, Zhang Xiaotian would like to thank the Spurs for their atmosphere. Although everyone is not like friends, Popovich's majesty will not let the team expose the bad side too much.

Moreover, the Spurs' tactics are tactics, and personal conflicts are personal conflicts. With the support of Zhang Xiaotian, the most popular player now, small private problems will not be brought to the court.

The Spurs are a bit uncomfortable, at most it is about the issue of contract extension, which is something to be discussed after the playoffs, and it will not have any impact on the current team's combat effectiveness.

On April 4, the first game of the Spurs playoffs officially started.

The lineups of both sides are one big and four small, and each position is positive.

Zhang Xiaotian, Leonard and Aldridge will definitely play more at three points. On the first position, Evans and Murray will take turns against Westbrook, and Danny Green and Ginobili will share the second position, but Sometimes Zhang Xiaotian will also appear on the back line.

Adding Dedmond and Gerald Green is the main rotation of the Spurs.

Parker, McGee, Forbes and Kyle Anderson won't have much time.

Both sides were more cautious in the opening game, and the offense and defense were quite satisfactory.

Now the Spurs will not go big at the beginning of the game unless the tactics require it, mainly to cooperate with Zhang Xiaotian's strategy in the final quarter, and will not adopt extreme tactics in the first three quarters.

Relatively speaking, the Thunder directly entered the star rhythm, and each round was basically a trio of Westbrook, Paul George and Anthony.

This can be regarded as a rhythm familiar to the Thunder. Generally, in the second half, Anthony will reduce his shots and become a pair of Westbrook and Paul George.

When Adams is going to play well, the Thunder will be more comfortable, just like the Spurs Aldridge, but Aldridge is at a higher level, threatening inside singles, and the Spurs are more comfortable.

To be honest, the Thunder did a good job of defending at the beginning, especially against Aldridge.

That's what Adams does, and his defense makes Aldridge a little uncomfortable.

During the rotation period, the Spurs performed slightly better, which is a good momentum.

In terms of personnel rotation, the Thunder let the main players play more time, and there is really nothing special among their substitute players.

They fight until the last game of the regular season, and they have to fight again in the first game of the playoffs, which will definitely have some impact.

This is the advantage of the regular season rankings. If the Thunder have a good regular season record and have home court advantage, they can start the playoffs more leisurely and don't need to show their cards so quickly.

After two quarters, the Thunder led by 3 points, and their fans also looked forward to it.

Hei Ba, that's something that makes people excited just thinking about it.

During the intermission, the old man pointed out some shortcomings in the first half, but the tactics will not change.

The Thunder's style of play is particularly obvious, and there were no accidents in this game. The Spurs' arrangement is already very reasonable.

Letting the opponent take the lead in the first half was made by the opponent.

The Spurs' main rotation players rested for a few days. After getting used to the rhythm in the first half, they will really play hard in the second half.

Their goal is very clear, just defeat the opponent and win the game calmly.

Protect the players' bodies, and their competitive status will gradually improve through the game.

"We can win. If we work harder in the second half, it doesn't matter if we rank first. The playoffs are for the team that wins the game to go on. We are no worse than any team."

In the Thunder's locker room, Westbrook, who scored the highest score in the first half, encouraged his teammates loudly.

The Thunder relied on hard work to get a place in the playoffs. It is too late to talk about tactics now. Only by continuing to fight can there be a glimmer of hope to move forward.

In the third quarter, the Spurs increased their defensive strength, blocked the three-point line, and at the same time strengthened their defense.

Aldridge's ability to assist in defense is at a normal level, but in the Spurs, Zhang Xiaotian, Leonard and Danny Green all have the ability to assist in defense. Among the substitutes, Dedmon, McGee, and even Kyle Anderson can also provide help, so Their defensive strength can be improved if they are improved, but the players on the field consume a little more.

There are not many solutions for the Thunder to improve their defensive strength. Many times they need Paul George to go to the outside to use his height to pull up, or Westbrook to force a breakthrough, so the efficiency of this game is only average.

The Spurs took advantage of this opportunity to turn the two sides from being evenly matched to having an advantage.

Because of their shooting ability under high-intensity defense, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard are indeed higher than the Thunder's Big Three.

Zhang Xiaotian's mid-range field goal percentage is over 50% per game, and Leonard's is also close to 50%. James and Durant can be compared with them in the league, but unfortunately they are not on the same team.

(End of this chapter)