super heavy artillery

Chapter 418
"Ann, you have to be ready to play 40 minutes a game! This year is our best chance!"

On the way back to the locker room, Westbrook suddenly said this to An Luo.An Luo was taken aback!But then he was able to understand what Westbrook meant.Paul George's contract expired this season, and it is still unknown whether he can stay in the Thunder next season.In this regard, neither Westbrook nor the Thunder's uniforms are sure.After all, Los Angeles is definitely a better fit for Paul George than Oklahoma.

Once Paul George leaves the Thunder, it will be very difficult for them to find another All-Star third position.After all, the NBA is so big, and there are only a few players at this level.So Westbrook cherishes the current Thunder very much.He hopes to realize his dream this season, and he has made great efforts for it.Whether it's playing as hard as he can every night, or the many things he sacrificed for it.

But the Thunder is a small team after all, and Oklahoma is also a small place.It turns out that there are not many players here, and their lineup is actually not particularly perfect.But Westbrook himself understands that Presti has tried his best.After the big moves this season, they have been tinkering with each other to improve the team's competitiveness as much as possible.However, the issue of the Thunder's bench lineup has not been well resolved.

Therefore, the main players will definitely play more time in the playoffs.

"I'm fine, Russell!"

Patting his chest, An Luo nodded to Westbrook.As long as he doesn't get entangled in the defensive end from the beginning to the end, there is no problem even if he plays the whole game.

In the third quarter, Westbrook began to rush.He must take advantage of the opponent's defensive focus outside the three-point line to score as much as possible, and at the same time use this to force the Rockets to withdraw the defense inward, creating opportunities for An Luo and Paul George on the outside.

This style of play is actually familiar to everyone.D'Antoni is no stranger!The Thunder's offensive structure has always been that Westbrook shoots suddenly, An Luo shoots outside, and Paul George takes care of both.The three support each other and use their technical characteristics to create opportunities for each other.Many times, everyone sees that Westbrook is very aggressive, but after the game is over, he doesn't take many shots and scores.It is because in most cases, Westbrook just participates in the offensive process, not to end it.Once the opponent's defensive player was taken away by him, he immediately passed the ball to An Luo or Paul George who had a better chance.If you leave him alone, Westbrook's scoring ability at the basket is quite powerful!In this case, there is no proper way to deal with it.

But D'Antoni has dealt with this conundrum in a very extreme way.He pushed the boat along and let Westbrook score directly.And only defend him within the free throw line, let Westbrook shoot three-pointers.The Rockets' defense focused on Paul George and An Luo.

Under this defensive strategy, Westbrook's scoring continued to rise.But the Thunder is constantly being opened up by the opponent.In this case, Westbrook has nothing to do.After all, I have the best chance, so I can't force An Luo and Paul George to fight!
By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder had fallen behind by as many as 16 points!It's like boiling a frog in warm water.The Rockets didn't hit that kind of very strong attack wave, they just pulled away slowly by one point and two points.However, this process lasted for a whole quarter of the game.

"Paul, Ann, I need you to step up and score. Russell can't beat a team by himself. I'll let Steven and Andre cover you. I want to see you play outside. , can echo with Steven and Russell. Steven, you remember..."

Donovan still let An Luo and others rest for 3 minutes in the third quarter.Don't underestimate these 3 minutes, for the current situation of the Thunder, it is already quite rare.The old guy on the opposite side was much more ruthless.Their main players played more time than the Thunder!And over and over again, only those few players have been playing on the court.

In the last quarter, the Thunder launched a very fierce counterattack.An Luo put his focus on the offensive end. He kept catching the screens of his teammates, shuttled among the other nine players on the field, and looked for a space where he could make a shot.

Paul George also changed his position.He took two steps in from the three-point line and switched to traditional basketball mode.After catching the ball, he hit the basket in a precise manner.Fortunately, Ariza's defensive skills are still there, and Paul George has not taken too much advantage of him.

But Paul George's change forced the Rockets to also shrink their defense inward.This retreat is exactly what An Luo wanted.He was finally able to catch the ball on the three-pointer, and he was finally able to shoot.

Facing Harden, An Luo shook his shoulders, and his fortune broke through to the left.But when the opponent made a move in response, An Luo slammed his left hand and pulled the ball from behind to the right.With one movement, he instantly distanced himself from Harden.Afterwards, An Luo immediately pulled up and threw the ball.

Harden didn't rush over rashly.He is a master at drawing fouls and naturally knows when to pay attention to his actions.Just like this ball, his movement has been half a beat slow, and if he pounces on it again, he will easily be whistled by the referee.So, fortunately, Harden didn't jump up.

"Shh!"

The ball went in!An Luo's three-pointer finally scored!In fact, he didn't make a few three-pointers in total today.But when you don't come, you don't have a chance for a quarter. This time, it's one after another.Looking back, Harden wanted to return one, but it ended in a strike.Westbrook grabbed the rebound and then directly assisted An Luo who had retreated past the center line.The latter quickly approached the three-point line, and opened his hand to hit another three-pointer.

But the Thunder failed to take advantage of An Luo's offensive to turn the game around.At the critical moment, James Harden became the blocker.He first hit a three-pointer with a large step back, and then broke through the middle to the basket twice to score.What's more deadly is that he also destroyed a quick counterattack by Westbrook.

In the end, the Thunder lost to the Rockets 109:113 regrettably.James Harden finally beat Westbrook and his Thunder head-on.After the game, players from both sides hugged and saluted each other.Harden and Westbrook exchanged pleasantries in the center circle for a while.It could be seen that he was very happy.

(End of this chapter)