Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

Time soon came to April 5th, with less than two weeks left before the end of the regular season. The Pacers' coaching team regarded today's game as the final game of the season. The next six games will be

Rest the main players separately so that they can face the playoffs in better condition.

The reason why we chose today's game is because their opponent in this game is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Last season's runner-up was worthy of the Pacers' all-out efforts, but subsequent opponents were not nearly as valuable.

"Listen, let's go all out in this game. I want to see how big the gap is between us and the top teams!"

Vogel said to the crowd before the game.

The current Thunder are one game behind the Spurs and ranked second in the Western Conference. However, relying on the unstoppable offense of Westbrook and Durant, fans are more optimistic about the Thunder reaching the Finals again, which is very likely to be the same as the previous one.

This season's finals opponent, the Heat, will meet again in the finals in another year.

The Pacers and Knicks are currently ranked third and second in the Eastern Conference. The Heat are more than 10 games ahead of them and have already locked in the first place in the Eastern Conference. The main players are taking breaks one after another.

In terms of rankings, both teams are among the top three in each half of the region, so their strength should not be far apart.

"Of course, this is not the finals, so there is no need to work too hard. Our primary goal is to enter the playoffs smoothly. I don't want anyone to get injured!"

Vogel’s words set the tone for today’s game:

Test your own strength and the gold content of your opponent, but don’t take it too seriously. It doesn’t matter if you lose the game.

The first three quarters will be the stage for the Pacers to go all out. As for the fourth quarter, it depends on the performance of the first three quarters:

If the gap is not big, you can still give it a try; if the gap is too big, forget it.

"I've long wanted to compete with Durant!"

George has returned and meets every opponent with a perfect spirit.

Now Durant, after Kobe Bryant's Lakers lost their dominance due to injuries, has firmly occupied the position of the second player in the league behind James.

After the baptism of the finals, Durant even increased the proportion of offense with the ball, gradually transforming from an unsolvable weapon to a court commander.

[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]

Hill next to him was not as optimistic as George. The match against the Thunder was their last matchup this season since they faced off against their opponents in early December last year.

This also means that Hill has to face the opponent he doesn't want to face at all-Russell Westbrook.

In the last matchup, Westbrook's speed had already impressed Hill deeply. His unreasonable breakthrough completely destroyed Hill's proud defense.

"I hate this kind of defender who relies on his speed to bully others!"

Hill muttered.

As a more traditional combo guard, he would rather be blown away by Paul Deron and others with their extraordinary skills, and even be booed by his own fans, than helplessly watch his opponent's breakthrough back, feeling helpless.

"It doesn't matter, we have insiders to help you defend!"

Vogel didn't know that Hibbert was secretly annoyed because he heard that he was just a functional player. Instead, he added a pinch of salt to Hibbert and said,

"Roy's recent defensive skills are really good and worthy of trust."

"Of course."

Hibbert first accepted all the praises given to the head coach, and then said in his heart:

My offensive level is also very strong, I will show it to you today!

West chewed his teeth and had the same frustration as Hill.

If Hill is troubled by Westbrook's breakthrough, then West is troubled by Ibaka's defense.

There are only the last six or seven games left in the regular season, and the data kings according to the data have basically been announced. Ibaka has almost locked up the block king this season by averaging 3 blocks per game.

His defensive efficiency is also at the forefront of the league, only behind West's former teammate Tyson Chandler, and it is a certainty that he will be selected for the defensive first team.

Facing such a tough guy, West can't afford not to worry.

"I can't tell, I need to add more post-up attacks."

West decided to give up all the bells and whistles and mainly use the most practical offensive method that will not be affected by the opponent-post attack.

It's just that the reality will not change according to the Pacers' thoughts. In the first half, they were able to compete with the Thunder. After the third quarter, they were only 5 points behind their opponents. Just when the Pacers wanted to win,

In the fourth quarter, when I was competing with my opponent, the situation suddenly changed.

Kevin Durant, who had scored 19 points in the first three quarters, suddenly broke out, scoring 15 points on 6 of 8 shots in a single quarter, completely destroying the Pacers' front line, oh no, it was everyone in the Pacers.

The Pacers contributed to an epic performance, scoring only 8 points in a single quarter and being taken away by their opponents.

"97-75."

When the referee's final whistle sounded, the home Pacers fans looked at the 22-point deficit in disbelief, and the audience was silent.

What made the fans even more heartbroken was that Qi Tian stumbled off the court after falling to the ground during a breakthrough in the fourth quarter.

After the game, official news from the Pacers came:

Qi Tian suffered a torn cruciate ligament and was ruled out for the season.

After losing Granger and Qi Tian one after another, although the Pacers defeated the Hawks and Knicks in the playoffs and reached the Eastern Conference finals, they still lost to the Heat in the tiebreaker and were unfortunately eliminated.

Just when George thought they would make a comeback, the contract extension negotiation between the team and Qi Tian collapsed. After renewing West's contract for 24 million in 2 years, George could only watch Qi Tian turn around and sign a contract with the Pistons. Naturally

It won't be the tens of millions contract that Qitian wants, but a pitiful 10 million for two years, which is barely a middle-class contract.

The day the news came out, George rushed into the president's office and had a big fight with Bird. In the end, Bird used the excuse of wanting to keep Granger.

It's just that Granger couldn't stay. His condition declined significantly and he was sent to the 76ers by Bird. George was heartbroken.

Although the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals again, they still lost to the same opponent, the Heat.

In the summer of 2014, George, who was training with the national team, broke his leg because of a defense.

Worried that he would be traded like Qi Tian and Granger, George applied for a trade and left the Pacers after returning from injury and making sure that his abilities had not declined significantly.

Fans have long forgotten that the Pacers in previous years had a big brother-like leader, Granger, and an Asian young man, Qi Tian. There was a lot of discussion about George's departure from the team, and some even speculated that he and Hibbert were playing poker to argue about who would go first.

When they left, there was a conflict, which led to George's departure.

That young Asian man, after struggling for several years after recovering from injury, still faded out of the league. The few news that he had was that he finally bought a piece of land with a long history, became a farmer, and had a beautiful girl.

Wife and two children.

Youth may not always be perfect.

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