Reborn NBA's Strongest Talent

Chapter 305.

On January 1, the two teams ranked seventh and eighth in the Western Conference met.

The difference between the records of the two teams is only 0.5 wins, and the outcome will directly affect the ranking.

There is also a game for the host and the guest, and less than half of the schedule, they will start to face the point where they will decide the outcome and life or death.

What's the matter that the names and rankings of the two sides in the duel can't match at all?

The Thunder ranked seventh in the West.

The Spurs rank eighth in the West.

It is understandable that the Thunder struggled in the rankings due to two core injuries, and it was only after a recent wave of winning streaks that the rankings gradually improved.

Spurs?

After Duncan, who never missed the playoffs, retired, the Spurs fell to the edge of the playoffs for two consecutive years.

Last season, due to Leonard's injury, they only played a dozen games throughout the season. The team barely reached the top eight with the support of a bunch of veterans and Aldridge, continuing Popovich's miracle of leading the Spurs to the playoffs for 20 consecutive years.

But this season, Leonard traded away in exchange for DeRozan, who is also an All-Star, and Aldridge, the Spurs led by two All-Star players are still struggling.

I don't know if it's DeRozan's inability to adapt to the Spurs' system or the reason for the team's aging.

Another event that fans are concerned about this season is whether the Spurs can continue their record of entering the playoffs.

When two teams on the cusp meet, of course the attention of the fans is indispensable, but the focus is a bit strange.

The game on the 12th will be held at the Spurs' home court, and the Thunder will return to the Thunder's home court on the 14th.

The game mode in which the two teams meet consecutively feels a bit similar to the playoffs. The two teams can make targeted adjustments based on the situation they encountered in the previous game and seize the opponent's weaknesses to deploy tactics.

It must be taken seriously.

The Thunder and the Lone Ranger had such a match before, because Doncic was targeted by Li Cha for two consecutive games and there was no time to adjust, the Lone Ranger lost two consecutive games.

The same is true for the game against the Spurs now. Popovich is a coach who has turned decay into magic. What will happen?
Only after the game will you know.

The Spurs' system is to collect the abilities of superstars, hide them in the team, form a solid team, and use the strength of the team to attack opponents. Only at the final critical moment, do they use the abilities of the stars to complete the end, but they are all under the condition of completing the tactics, rather than letting anyone do it alone.

It is obvious that DeRozan does not adapt to such a system. Although the average assists per game this season has reached a career high, his scoring has dropped significantly.

Originally, he didn't have particularly strong leadership skills, but after being honed by the Spurs system, DeRozan seemed to be weakened even more.

If he carries responsibility on his shoulders, it can also stimulate DeRozan to work hard and play some balls beyond the norm. However, in the Spurs system, the team's victory or defeat depends more on the execution of tactics. As long as you complete your own part, there is no pressure.

For a player with a strong desire to win, such a system can smooth out the edges and corners, make him more mature, and get more support.

But for a player with a softer personality, such a system will make him more hidden in the crowd and become mediocre.

DeRozan was traded by the Raptors. At the beginning, he was full of anger and played a few good games with the Spurs. He averaged about 26 points per game, which was a rhythm that made the Raptors regret it.

But when the anger gradually vented, DeRozan's scoring became lower and lower. In less than 40 games, DeRozan's scoring average has dropped to about 22 points per game.

And when the team needs DeRozan to step up and finish, DeRozan can't complete the lore.

In this match, DeRozan was severely suppressed by Li Cha.

When DeRozan can't break through, he will pass the ball away without hesitation, and will not try to confront Li Cha head-on.

Perhaps the responsibility for this behavior can be attributed to the reasons of the system, which is taught by the coach.

But how can a player who is completely bloodless lead the players?

DeRozan, who is regarded as the core, has played like this, and the performance of other players can be imagined.

The Thunder led the way, and even though the Spurs' defense was very solid, they still maintained an 8-point difference.

Seeing that the Thunder were about to win the game without any suspense, Popovich made a move.

A timeout at the end of the third quarter, the Spurs players were motivated, and when they returned to the court, Aldridge became very aggressive.

The Spurs' tactics also began to revolve around Aldridge.

Although he is not young, Aldridge's physical fitness is not very strong, but Aldridge, who has been in the ranks of the All-Stars, has become more and more solid in his basic skills after coming to the Spurs.

I have learned a lot from Duncan in the past few years.

Basket footsteps, mid-range shots, and even fadeaways.

At the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, Aldridge led the team to play a wave of 14:6, successfully smoothing the point difference.

And it's still scoring.

Now, the Thunder started to worry. The long lead made the Thunder's tactics very simple, while the Spurs' sudden increase in defense made the Thunder feel at a loss.

Efficiency drops, and only Li Cha can score breakthroughs in singles, but this will lead to a drop in the efficiency of other players.

The Thunder, which entered a vicious cycle, was beaten by the Spurs 6:2 again, from leading to lagging behind.

Seeing that the game was coming to an end, Li Cha's singles entered the extreme state. Except for the server, only the rebounder had the chance to touch the basketball.

Li Cha had the ball in his hands completely.

Although DeRozan didn't score many points, he still worked hard in defense. He tried his best to defend Li Cha, which also caused Li Cha a lot of trouble.

But the team's victory is Li Cha's goal, which motivates Li Cha to attack the Spurs' defensive system again and again.

Li Cha's attack also paid off.

Relying on his own strength, Li Cha brought the score to a tie again.

Looking at Popovich's eyes, how much I long for my team to have a player who can overcome difficulties like this.

In the past, GDP had such an ability, which also allowed the Spurs to win 20 championships in 5 years. Later, they also had a Leonard. Originally, they could rely on Leonard to continue to maintain their glory.

Now DeRozan is not very reliable. If Aldridge is 5 years younger and still has hope, Popovich can only shake his head and sigh.

Even the best tactics have to be executed.

The scores of the two teams became very anxious, and the point difference did not exceed 3 points, until finally it was tied at 123:123 and entered overtime.

In overtime, Aldridge continued to output violently, hitting the inside of the Thunder helplessly. Neither Adams, Allen, nor Grant could stop Aldridge from scoring.

The Thunder could only continue to hand over the task of scoring to Li Cha.

In the 5 minutes of overtime, Li Cha scored 8 points and 1 assist, and all 10 points of the team were related to Li Cha.

Aldridge also scored 6 points, plus DeRozan and Murray scored 2 points each.

The two teams entered overtime again.

Playing overtime is already very tiring, and now it's the second overtime!

The veteran's physical strength is not enough, but he is still gritting his teeth and persisting. The rhythm of the game has not only not slowed down, but has been improved.

I don’t have the physical strength to do too many moves. Finishing the shot as soon as possible to end the offensive round and leaving the physical strength for the defensive round is another way of thinking about the game.

The previous touch is maintained until the second overtime, and the score can still be guaranteed.

Li Cha also started to get tired. Since he seriously trained his physical fitness, it had been a long time since he exhausted his physical energy.

In the fourth quarter, the first overtime, Li Cha has been attacking with the ball for almost 20 minutes. This is already a high consumption in the regular time, and now it is still in the overtime after the regular time consumption. Li Cha's eyes are already a little blurred.

Wiping his eyes with his arm, he wiped away the non-existent sweat, but his eyes were still blurred, and Li Cha continued to sprint and break through.

DeRozan's defense, Li Cha's continuous changes of direction and unlucky turns, managed to dodge. When did Aldridge rush in front of him, shouldn't he also have no energy?
And Aldridge's slow foot speed, how could it be possible to keep up with him.

Li Cha continued to try to bypass Aldridge by relying on his footsteps under the basket, but with little success.

DeRozan also rushed over again, there was no time.

Once again pretending to change direction, Li Cha took the ball and shot a fadeaway, a crucial shot that determined the direction of the game.

But, how could Aldridge almost cover himself, it is impossible for his back to be so short!

"Dang!" While Li Cha was still thinking wildly, the basketball had already hit the rim and failed to score. Gasol grabbed the rebound and the game was over.

144:146, after two overtimes, the Thunder finally lost the game by two points.

Aldridge scored 48 points, 19 rebounds and 8 assists.

李茶34投22中拿到54分10篮板6助攻的大号两双，但还是没能带领球队赢得胜利。

"It was a great game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said in an interview after the game.

He wasn't just praising veteran Aldridge's outburst and celebrating the team's win.

On the 14th, the Spurs came to Oklahoma to start the second game with the Thunder.

At 106:112, the Thunder returned the record with a clean victory.

It is impossible for Aldridge to burst out in such a short period of time, and his age and physical strength do not allow it.

After Li Cha had a full rest, he was still able to continue his performance, especially in front of the home fans.

He scored 23 points, 14 rebounds and 36 assists on 4 of 5 shots. Li Cha's teammates trained hard for a day after the loss in the last game, recovered their form, and were able to score points for the team.

DeRozan still did not make due contributions to the team, with 17 points in the last game and 20 points in this game.

With one win and one loss, the difference between the Thunder and the Spurs has not changed, nor has the ranking changed.

The Thunder are still seventh and the Spurs are eighth.

(End of this chapter)