Basketball K God

Chapter 358 Grizzlies VS Thunder
After the Grizzlies Black Eight, the news spread across the United States in an instant.Xie Kai received many congratulatory calls, including his good friend Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook first congratulated Xie Kai, and then proposed the agreement between the two to meet in the semifinals.

"I won't let the water go, and I won't show mercy!" Westbrook said solemnly.

"Let the horse come here, if you let the water go, I'm afraid I will be scruples and I won't be able to use my full strength!" Xie Kai joked.

"Okay, see you on the field then!"

"See you on the field!"

There was no tie-break in the first round of the Western Conference, and neither was there in the Eastern Conference. The first round of the playoffs this season was played relatively calmly, so the Grizzlies' black eight is so special.

The matchup in the west is very interesting. Two teams with rich experience and veterans are in one group, and the other group is two youth teams facing each other.Therefore, it is bound to be the veteran team VS youth team in the Western Conference finals.

Before the game started, the preview came out first.Lakers VS Mavericks, the expert group is naturally optimistic about the Lakers.Even if they are not the biggest favorites to win the championship, in the West, they are still the most likely to break through.Regardless of the regular season record or paper strength, the Mavericks are hard to match.

The Thunder VS Grizzlies in the other group is not like the first round, where everyone is optimistic about the Spurs.You must know that the Spurs are No. [-] in the Western Conference during the regular season. They have rich experience and GDP.The Grizzlies are a group of "first-time playoffs", and it is understandable to be looked down upon.But this time is different. Through the performance in the first round, the Grizzlies did not lose to the Thunder at all.

The Thunder are indeed the first to complete the rebuilding among the league's youth teams, and they are also the most talented overall among these teams. However, their first-round opponent, the Nuggets, is a team that lacks Anthony and does not have top-level combat effectiveness.In the playoffs, it is indeed a fight for superstars. Gallinari and others are very good puzzles, but it is difficult to complete a comeback when the opponent's talent surpasses his own.

Therefore, from the perspective of opponents, the Thunder's final score of 4:1 is not necessarily more convincing than the Grizzlies' 4:2. This is why the semifinals have not yet started. There is no one-sided reason for forecasting trends.

The Grizzlies VS Thunder series will take place on May 5 at the Ford Center, home of the Thunder.From the end of the G2 series between the Grizzlies and the Spurs, to the semifinal G6 with the Thunder, in fact, it was full of games, and there were only two days of rest and preparation time.

Since the Thunder ended the series first, they had more time to rest and prepare, which is an advantage for them.

Both teams are actively preparing for the semi-finals, and neither side wants to lose to the other.You must know that as long as you beat the opponent, you can advance to the Western Conference Finals. For young teams, this is an attractive prospect.

NBA media reporters, experts, and celebrities have all begun to "point out the country" for the upcoming Eastern and Western semifinals, and make what they think is the result of the game.

TNT commentator Charles Barkley, who had been looking down on Xie Kai and his Grizzlies before, was not idle. When he was doing a show with "Glider" Drexler, he said that the Grizzlies were As luck would have it, the Spurs have had too many injuries.Also, he believes that Kane Xie will be subdued by the Thunder's three juniors in the semifinals, and the Lakers and Thunder will advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Xie Kai said when accepting the reporter’s remarks about Barkley belittling them: “I won’t comment on what he said about me, he can say whatever he likes, it’s none of my business. I only play my game, As for the outcome, that is my own business!"

Regarding this round of the series between the Grizzlies and the Thunder, the attention is no less than that of the Lakers and Mavericks.These two teams are one of the most popular teams in the league. Although the strength is not the top, the topicality and popularity of the players are not bad at all.Needless to say, the Thunder team, the combination of the three young men, together with Ibaka and other strong players, has talents visible to the naked eye; the Grizzlies have the league's top inside combination - the black and white bears, and the outside line has all-star guard Xie Open, coupled with Conley, Tony Allen and other strength puzzles, the strength should not be underestimated.They completed the black eight in the first round, which brought their popularity and attention to a higher level.

The Thunder sent away Jeff Green, one of the original "Three Young Men of the Thunder" on the trade deadline, and got the meat shield center Kentrick Perkins of the Celtics.The reason why they spent a lot of money to get Perkins is that Jeff Green's potential has not been realized as an immediate combat power. With the rise of Ibaka, they have better substitutes; The team's interior is indeed weak, especially on the defensive end. Facing those playoff teams in the West, they are at a disadvantage in this position.

After the transaction was completed, the Thunder's lineup structure was very clear: the starters Westbrook and Durant were responsible for digesting the ball and the main offense, while Perkins, Ibaka and Sefolosha were responsible for defense, and the offensive end was mainly for finishing ; In the second team, Harden controls the ball and sorts out the offense.

Because the Thunder have a better record in the regular season, they will have home court advantage in this round of the series.

For this round of the series, whether it is outside predictions or betting odds, the Thunder are still more favored.

The reason is also very simple, because their talents are better!
Judging from the matches between the two teams in the regular season this season, there are wins and losses for each other, and it is impossible to see who has an overwhelming advantage.Of course, judging from the situation of the NBA playoffs, the regular season record can only be used as a reference, and it does not have much practical significance.Even if one of the two teams sweeps the other in the regular season, it doesn't predict the trend of the playoffs.

The lineups of the two teams have also changed from that time. The Grizzlies made no big moves before the trade deadline, but their starting small forward Rudy Gay was reimbursed for the season; the Thunder made a big deal and sent away the starter. The inside combination of Kostic and Jeff Green got Perkins.

Therefore, the regular season records of the two teams cannot be used as a reference for predicting this round of the series.

The Grizzlies flew to Oklahoma City for their series against the Thunder.

Oklahoma City, the capital and largest city of Oklahoma, is located in the southeastern United States. On the morning of September 2008, 9, as the former Oklahoma Sonics held a press conference, they announced their new team name, the Thunder.At this point, the city also has an NBA team of its own.

Oklahoma City is not a big city in the United States, but the Thunder are hot in the league.The Western Conference semifinals are about to start, and the city is bustling. Many citizens are paying attention to this round of the series.

(End of this chapter)