The Way of the Center

"In this way, the Thunder team has won the match point! My God, after experiencing a big defeat in the last game, the Thunder team actually defeated the Lakers at the Staples! The playoffs are really a stage for people to become famous. In the regular At the stage of the game, at most, everyone thought that the Thunder was a team with unlimited potential, but in the Western Conference semifinals, they pushed the defending champion into a desperate situation! I believe that I am not the only one, and everyone’s perception of the Thunder is also affected. Refresh it completely!" Although Yu Jia is a fan of Anjie and the Thunder, he also talked a lot about the Thunder after one season. Pen | Fun | Court www. biquige. It can be said that he is one of the few people who know the Thunder best. But even so, Yu Jia was frightened by the Thunder's performance. How big is the upper limit of this team? You must know that the backbone of the Thunder team is just a group of rookies!

"If, I mean, if, the next game is at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, if the Thunder really eliminate the Lakers, it will definitely be a game that will shock the entire basketball world. The Lakers are the first step in recent years. Step up from the reconstruction, but if the Thunder win, then their reconstruction can be described as one step to the sky! In the three-year draft, they harvested Durant, Westbrook, Morris and Ibaka. With one trade, they ushered in An Jie. I don’t know how Presti did it, but none of the players he picked disappointed.” Zhang Weiping couldn’t help but praise the speed of the Thunder’s revival. It really matches the opposite side very well.

If you want a team to rise quickly, it is usually done through big deals. The Celtics and Lakers in recent years are typical examples of such a rise.

However, this is really the first time Zhang Weiping has seen a team like the Thunder that has rapidly risen through the draft. Although Anjie was traded by them, the swap between Jeff Green and Anjie was not considered a big deal at all at the time. This guy, Presti, has created such a terrifying team without saying a word!

When the Celtics Big Three were formed, people said that the league structure would be changed. When Gasol joined the Lakers, it was also a sensation. But when An Jie joined the Thunder, besides the Chinese domestic media, how many people cared? However, under such a low-key attitude, the Thunder are now on the stage of the Western Conference semifinals and have just won the match point!

As soon as the game was over, Presti's phone rang suddenly. Countless managers are looking for deals, each trying to keep the lads Presti has picked for themselves. But before there was a very tempting bargaining chip, Presti answered "impossible" to the managers of other teams.

What is a very tempting bargaining chip? At the very least, you have to exchange your star players, so that Presti will be moved! However, almost no team can accept such a bargaining chip. Even if there is, they will not exchange it for the immature third player.

Even the strong Kobe has a feeling of fear from his heart. Now he and the Lakers have been pushed to the edge of a cliff, as long as the Thunder get another chance, he and the Lakers will fall into the abyss. You can't lose, and if you lose again, there will be no chance to make up for it!

The fans at the Staples Center held their heads one by one,

I can't believe what just happened right under my nose. Kobe scored a game-high 36 points in this campaign, and his shooting percentage reached a not-so-bad 46%. If Van Gundy hadn't changed his defensive strategy against Kobe in the fourth quarter, Kobe's shooting percentage might have been even higher.

However, under such circumstances, the Lakers still lost to the Thunder! In the Western Conference semifinals last season, the Rockets and Yao Ming suppressed the Lakers in this way, but from the beginning to the end, it was the Lakers who dominated the game.

This year, the Thunder beat the Lakers to the ground again and again. Even today when Kobe is in good shape, the Thunder has always occupied the leading position.

Both the Rockets and the Thunder also have a super center from China, but Durant, Westbrook and Morris are roles that the Rockets did not have last season.

It is precisely because of this difference that it will make the Lakers' trip to the Western Conference semifinals more difficult.

Had it not been for Yao Ming's injury midway through last season, it would be hard to say whether the Rockets or the Lakers would make it to the Western Conference finals. The Lakers' journey to the playoffs has not been smooth sailing, but after winning the championship, everyone has forgotten their hardships.

So even if the Thunder did eliminate the Lakers, it wouldn't be a surprise. Because last year Yao Ming and his Rockets almost did this! Why is it impossible for the Thunder with a stronger lineup this season?

"Today's Thunder scored very evenly. Durant had 25 points, Ann had 22 points, and Westbrook had 18 points. Although the scores of these three are far from Kobe's, when they add up, the effect can be It’s different.” After the game, T.NT’s program will still continue. It is very necessary to make an analysis and summary for the game.

"Both teams are excellent, and whoever becomes the winner deserves his name. But from the bottom of my heart, I still hope that the team that advances is the Los Angeles Lakers." Kenny Smith boldly expressed his point of view.

"Oh? Why?" Reggie Miller couldn't see that Kenny Smith had any problems with the Thunder, nor could he see any relationship between him and the Lakers.

"It's just that I don't want a young team to achieve too much prematurely. I have always believed that Jiang is still old. Newcomers still need to spend more time honing. If the Thunder break through the difficulties prematurely, It’s not necessarily a good thing for San Shao’s career. A career that has experienced tempering and a career that has not experienced tempering must be completely different.”

"Come on Kenny, you're just jealous that this group of lads has the potential to win many more championships than you. How can a group of rookies get the highest honor? This is what every veteran player thinks. But this is the NBA. , It’s based on strength, not qualifications.” Charles Barkley couldn’t help but refute Kenny Smith, which had become his occupational disease.

"Whatever you want to say about Charles, this series won't end so easily. Thunder and Lakers fans have been blindly optimistic. In the first game, the Thunder beat the Lakers, and the Oklahoma fans were as happy as the three. It’s the same as being promoted. A few days ago, the Lakers ravaged the Chesapeake Energy Arena with a big score, and the Lakers fans were as happy as if Kobe had already defended the championship. In heaven, and down again. Although it seems that the Thunder team has great hope of winning the series, but summing up the previous experience, I still want to say that this series is not easy from beginning to end. The Thunder team wants to end the game , it's not that easy." Although Kenny Smith was somewhat biased, what he said was not unreasonable.

The more this kind of time, the more we cannot be blindly optimistic. There are too many moments of ups and downs in this series. Even if the Thunder win the match point, they still cannot relax at all.

Although the Thunder won the ball, the players felt very heavy. They managed to win a fight, but a few days later, they had to face the exact same opponent again. No, do it again.

Their joy of victory is no longer as good as before. Victory in one game only means that the next hellish game is coming.

"What time should we fly tomorrow, boss?" An Jie leaned tiredly in front of the cabinet and asked Van Gundy listlessly.

"Tomorrow at noon, hold on for a while guys, we have already got the match point, and the series is almost over." Van Gundy is not ignorant of what the players are thinking, the playoffs are not only about a team's technical and tactical cultivation The tempering of the team is also the tempering of a team's psychological will. This is why so few young teams make it to the playoffs.

This group of guys have just stepped into the professional basketball circle, and they haven't figured out the regular season yet, so they have to fight five or six games or more with the best teams in the league. It's torture for anyone. Only traditional giants like the Lakers and Celtics will get used to this kind of thing.

Van Gundy can only try to let the players rest more and let them relax. For the sake of the game, you must not give up on your own initiative!

"It's better to have March Madness, one game will determine the outcome, and it will not be muddled." Morris also complained about the league's 7-game 4-win format. Indeed, it is a good thing for fans to have more games, but for players, such a long competition arrangement is simply torture.

Van Gundy began to worry, this group of guys won the game, but listless. They still want to win, but they don't seem to have the strength to maintain enthusiasm.

The shortcomings of the young team seem to be exposed at this moment.

It's really exhausting enough for the series to hit this point. Neither side has a clear advantage, but both have the hope of victory. The first time the Thunder played in the playoffs, they encountered the most difficult situation to play. But the Lakers have experienced it countless times. For them, this is the norm in the playoffs. In this regard, the Lakers' willpower is significantly stronger.

In the home locker room at Staples Center, you couldn't see the frustration on the faces of the players. With two more games to go, it's not the end of the world for the Thunder to get match point. All of them looked resolute, just waiting for the next game to win back. Only after experiencing the feeling of being a champion can I know how fascinating it feels.

On one side, there is a young man who is distressed about the arrival of the next game. On one side is the champion who is looking forward to the next game. In the best-of-seven playoffs, a temporary lead is indeed not an advantage.

Kenny Smith is right, the result of this series has not been so easy. The huge psychological changes that have taken place between the two teams have subtly affected the final outcome.