1589. Splash VS Dewey

Although it went in, Ibaka's supplementary defense this time was so beautiful!

Originally, because of Klay Thompson and Yi Jianlian's off-the-ball pick-and-roll coordination and Adams' shrinkage, Ibaka emptied the Grizzlies' worst three-pointer Richard Jefferson to make up for Klay Thompson. Voted.

As a result, when Richard Jefferson ran back, Ibaka still seized the opportunity to take it back and successfully made up the cap.

Sun Ce felt it in the previous two matches. Although Ibaka's block count has declined this season, his athletic ability, defensive awareness, defensive execution... etc. seem to have reached a peak, that is, he has reached the peak of his defensive strength. Feel!

It can be seen from the defensive efficiency and the efficiency of limiting opponents' scoring per 100 rounds that Ibaka's data in these aspects this season are comparable to Duncan, Noah, and Chandler.

After grabbing the offensive rebound and scoring with a running hook, Sun Ce quickly retreated back.

The Thunder have less fast breaks. From a tactical point of view, they are a very, very traditional team. Unless it is absolutely necessary, there is always a big center on the court.

The last time I played against each other, I didn't feel much. That time, the Grizzlies were in great shape. This time, I played against the Thunder. I saw Durant, who is the top scorer, and Ibaka, one of the best defensive players in the league. , Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double per game, led the team to overwhelm, and Sun Ce seemed to feel the scene described in a poem-black clouds overwhelm the city!

Westbrook's sharp breakthrough, coupled with Durant's super strength to have a shooting opportunity without too many running positions, Westbrook made a sudden point when he came up, and Durant stepped on the baseline to get the ball. Before Paul George followed up to interfere with the shot, Durant had already lifted the ball up!

With the ball lifted by Durant, the defender can only expect Durant to miss the shot.

However, Durant, who had made enough preparations and was just at the beginning of the game, made a steady two-pointer!

When Durant made the shot, he knew he would score. He didn't just rely on his physical condition to make a misplacement. He analyzed the overall position of the audience, judged the movement of the ball, created the space for passing and receiving the ball, and grasped the timing. All top notch.

Sure enough, as Durant expected, Sun Ce, who returned to the basket, immediately picked up the ball and exited the baseline and sent it to Paul George. The Grizzlies started a fast break!

Positional warfare The current Paul George can't deal with a defensive player of his level like Sefolosha, so he just doesn't fall into positional warfare and attack. Although the Thunder retreated quickly, Durant shot Adams It was judged that there was no offensive rebound and he retreated directly, but the Grizzlies still had the advantage of the transition - misplaced!

After serving the ball, Sun Ce went straight to the opposite side from the middle.

Adams came up to block Sun Ce during his retreat, but Sun Ce turned around without the ball and dodged. Paul George rushed to the left middle distance and was blocked by Westbrook. He immediately passed to Sun Ce who entered the three-point line from the top arc. Sun Ce went straight basket!

Ibaka went to block Yi Jianlian. Durant came back and Adams, who was chasing behind Sun Ce, flanked Sun Ce. Sun Ce split the ball. In the left corner, Klay Thompson caught the ball and made a three-pointer...Missed, Adams Blocking the rushing Richard Jefferson, Durant grabs the defensive rebound before Sun Ce, who wants to rush.

Although Klay Thompson didn't score this goal, the Grizzlies' ability to grasp the transition between offense and defense is very good. They created a good opportunity by using quick multiplayer quick play.

The first shot of the trial shot was missed, but the opportunity was played, and Klay Thompson shot decisively.

When it came time for the Thunder to attack, Sun Ce could tell from the first ball what the Dewey duo wanted to do. In the last round of offense, Westbrook had a chance to pass to Sefrosa, but he didn't pass!

Sun Ce estimated that it might have something to do with the decline of Severosa's three-pointers. In the 11-12 season, Sefolosha's three-point shooting rate reached 44%, and it was 42% last season, but this season plummeted to Thirty-two percent... This decline may also be related to the Thunder's outside players who have been required to make decisive shots when they receive the ball for a long time this season. Players may not be sure when receiving the ball, even if it is open, because Sometimes it is not in the area of ​​​​good at all.

But Sun Ce thinks this is not the main reason. The main reason is that the Dewey duo really want to compete with his Sun for the scoring champion and the triple-double champion!

Regarding the ranking of triple-doubles, Westbrook currently has two triple-doubles less than Sun Ce, and he cannot overtake in a game.

But Durant has overtaken the scoring list, and the two want to hold on!

Sure enough, this time Sun Ce found that Westbrook still wanted to pass to Durant, Ibaka was running aggressively, and Adams was also looking for opportunities to cut into the basket, but Durant was too aggressive!

Generally speaking, after Durant makes a goal, he will use his threat to contain him to maximize the effect of his scoring. Durant actually spends a lot of time on the offensive end taking a walk and resting, waiting to catch the pot.

But today was too active. After Sun Ce shrunk to the inside, when Westbrook was stopped by Yi Jianlian and Klay Thompson who defended alone, Sun Ce did not switch to Adams as he did in the previous round, and did not let Adams go forward. Catch the ball, but rush directly in the direction Durant is moving!

Sure enough, Durant, who was jogging but actively looking for a position, immediately speeded up when Yi Jianlian went to pinch Westbrook, and took a big stride to the left of the free throw line!

Paul George worked very hard, but Durant's big stride was too powerful, and Durant's explosion accelerated with sufficient physical strength. Paul George, who was already in the passive chasing stage, failed to catch up!

Got the chance to catch the ball and created a chance for Adams to grab the rebound. Durant received the ball from Westbrook, turned around and made a jump shot... Durant jumped up and found that someone had already rushed towards him !

Unprepared, Durant, who temporarily increased the distance from the free throw line, missed a jumper!

The ball was actually going in a very positive direction, but Durant temporarily leaned back subconsciously to increase his shooting strength. He didn't grasp it well. He hit the inside of the basket and bounced out to the outside. Adams was in an excellent offensive rebound. He couldn't get the ball so fast even if he rushed to grab the position. Sun Ce landed before Durant, turned around and stuck Durant, and grabbed the defensive rebound!

Seeing that Sun Ce was about to turn around and start a fast break, Durant hugged Sun Ce directly when Sun Ce hit the ball, a tactical foul!

This foul awareness is very good. Although Durant has no chance of entering the best defensive team, his defense is not bad. Among the players with A-level defensive evaluation, he is considered the best group.

Sun Ce's defensive choice this time was indeed beyond the expectations of Dewey's second young master.

Since the Grizzlies don't have a tower to protect the frame, it is difficult for Klay Thompson to defend against Westbrook. They expect Sun Ce's defensive attention to naturally focus more on contraction.

And Durant's ability to fire in all directions, as long as he has enough physical strength, unless he has the excellent ability to prevent pre-shooting movements like Tony Allen, there is almost no way to limit Durant's physical strength.

And now, the scariest thing about the Thunder is not that Durant can shoot accurately, but that Durant can complete the offense with minimal consumption!

Westbrook has the strength to win the assists title, and also has the strength to compete for the scoring title. Although he does not have the strength to win the two awards together, he can compete for the two awards alone.

Westbrook's improvement can completely take care of all offensive things except shooting. Durant can catch and shoot, and he doesn't have to help connect offenses like before when Westbrook was not so strong, which led to playing out of the league. Highest turnover.

Durant has the ability to organize offense with the ball, and he has developed it in the seventh year of his career. However, this is not what he is good at. There is no doubt that he is good at shooting.

As for Westbrook, his strengths are that he has sufficient physical strength, is also "happy to pass the ball", and has stable ball control. He really has the top breakthrough scoring ability in the league to help him attract flanking attacks...

So they decided at the beginning, Westbrook suddenly stared at passing the ball to Durant until Durant got tired of shooting and rested, allowing Durant to score more.

But I didn't expect Sun Ce to be so keen, and he judged it after only one round!

After the foul, Durant quickly retreated back, and the Thunder settled down on the defensive position.

The Grizzlies continued to attack. After Paul George advanced to the frontcourt, he continued to find Sun Ce who was leaning against Durant in the low post. He deliberately chose to turn right, did not cut in, but took advantage of Durant's half-step back and directly got up to hook...hit!

Two hooks, 2 of 2 shots and 4 points!

Watching Sun Ce run back and high-five Paul George, Westbrook looked into Durant's eyes after receiving the ball from Durant, Durant shook his head, and Westbrook immediately understood.

On the other hand, after Sun Ce retreated back, his brain quickly thought about what the opponent would do next. When Westbrook continued to attack Klay Thompson, Sun Ce still chose to defend Durant.

However, Westbrook and Durant directly interrupted their careful thinking. Westbrook passed the left baseline, and Adams who cut in received the ball and hit the basket!

Paul George shrank very quickly this time, chasing behind Adams, but Adams is really good in physical fitness. A big man, he can actually turn around and change hands in the air, avoiding Paul George's left hand chasing the cap and putting the ball into the basket basket!

There is no doubt about Sun Ce’s defense ability, but tonight why is Klay Thompson defending Westbrook and Paul George defending against Durant without the ball, instead of Klay Thompson who is better at defending off the ball against Durant ? It is because Paul George is also stronger in assisting defense than single defense...Of course, the gap between the two is not that big, but the assist defense is slightly stronger than single defense, and Paul George's overall defense is at the level of first defense , Klay Thompson is better at defending against a player with strong straight-line acceleration ability like Westbrook.

In the defense just now, Sun Ce and Paul George have almost achieved the ultimate. If another physical quality is used to flow inside, Paul George is really likely to interfere with him or even complete the chasing cap.

Players from both teams are making adjustments and want to grasp those details.

Although the current record of the Thunder is only 30 wins and 23 losses and ranks eighth in the West, but this is from 14 wins and 15 losses all the way to 30 wins and 23 losses. That is to say, after Durant's comeback, the Thunder's record is 16 wins and 8 losses.

In terms of strength, with Durant's Thunder team, they are still the favorites for the championship, and the strength of the Grizzlies is not far behind.

Therefore, the details are particularly important. It is very likely that the final result of the game will be the seeds planted in the previous details.

Durant and Westbrook, this pair may eventually fall apart, but it may indeed be the most suitable duo. It made Sun Ce feel the strength of a duo that could match a 73-win team 3-1 in time and space. The defensive efficiency of Ibaka next to the duo has been forced to come back due to a serious injury, and the defensive end has dropped sharply!

Now Ibaka's defense has entered its peak period. Although the offensive end was not seriously injured, he was forced to become an offensive power forward due to the collapse of the defense and developed a three-pointer with a shooting percentage of nearly 40%. It has been developed. Who was the first in field goal percentage last season?

Not Kobe, Nowitzki, and Durant, but Ibaka, who averaged 2.1 mid-range or long-range mid-range shots per game with a 54% shooting rate! Even close range shots, Ibaka has a 49% hit rate, of course, basically only catch and shoot.

But the containment power of the catch and shoot allows the Thunder to play Westbrook, Durant, and Adams very well. Even if Severosa is ignored by Sun Ce on the offensive end, he is also ignored by the other four of the Thunder. , The Thunder's 3-on-4 offense is still playing very well!

On the offensive end of the Grizzlies, once they fell into a positional battle and did not make a mistake, the first shot was really not good. Ibaka defended so well!

Just like when the Grizzlies were blocked by Ibaka on the first attack at the beginning, Ibaka's active and powerful supplementary defense gave the Grizzlies a powerful sniper attack at close range and under the basket!

However, Yi Jianlian and Richard Jefferson opened up a wide space. Sun Ce played half a quarter and got 3 offensive rebounds! Once Richard Jefferson was blocked at the start, once Yi Jianlian missed a two-pointer, and once Paul George missed a three-pointer, all of which Sun Ce converted into points.

And Sun Ce can have such a chance to rush, and Klay Thompson made the next two three-pointers after he missed the first three-pointer!

Klay Thompson was blocked for a three-pointer, and Sun Ce was also blocked for a three-pointer. Sun Ce took the initiative to drop low to attract Ibaka or Adams to supplement the defense, and then split the ball.

When Yi Jianlian and Richard Jefferson rushed, although Adams or Ibaka could have one card and two, Durant really couldn't hold the defensive rebound every time Sun Ce rushed.

Even if Sun Ce has no teammates, he still has the ability to average 10+ rebounds per game!

In the first half of the first quarter, the Grizzlies and the Thunder scored 18 to 19. After Durant cut and picked the ball to raise his personal score to 6 points to help the Thunder overtake again, the Grizzlies called a timeout.

18 points, Klay Thompson 6 points, Sun Ce scored 6 points in the second attack, scored 2 points in the singles, caught the ball and missed the shot but caused Adams to shoot and made two free throws. The Splash Brothers scored 18 points Of the 16 points in the game, only Yi Jianlian scored two points with a baseline jumper.

This score is too concentrated, Sun Ce played too hard at the beginning, personally scored 10 points, Coach Hollins thought it was not very good... He is not worried about Sun Ce, this guy has scored 70+ twice, 6 points 48 What is it to get 10 points in seconds.

Mainly other people, because the opponent's offense is too good, they seized the defect of their weak inside defense, kept using Westbrook and Adams to hit the basket, and Ibaka and Durant's extremely accurate mid-range shots , The Grizzlies really failed to defend 5 defenses and 4 defenses. The weakness of Richard Jefferson and Yi Jianlian on the defensive end was infinitely magnified by Westbrook and Adams, who are strong offensively at the basket...so the whole team is very defensive. Fighting may also affect the feeling of shooting.

Fortunately, Sun Ce was really fierce tonight, scoring 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a little over half a quarter, biting the score to death.

Sun Ce is definitely going to fight tonight. Judging from the situation, Coach Hollins thinks that it is possible for Sun Ce to play the entire game tonight, but it is not easy for the Grizzlies to keep the score tight, and nothing can go wrong!

First replace Paul George to rest, and coach Hollins sent Beverly as a point to advance. As the saying goes, those who can do more work, and now, coach Hollins is going to let Sun Ce control the overall offense.

Klay Thompson and Sun Ce continued to play, and Prince and Larry Sanders were replaced on the inside.

...

Westbrook looked at Sun Ce, with 7 rebounds in the half quarter... envious! Played for almost 7 minutes, got 5 points and 3 assists, but only 1 rebound!

The Grizzlies played 11 offensive rounds in 6 minutes and 48 seconds. In each round, the first shot was scored. In fact, there were only 4 goals, but Sun Ce snatched three of the remaining 7 rebounds and scored 2. So, in order to defend the rebound, Durant didn't dare to let it go, he snatched two, Ibaka defended one, and Westbrook only had one rebound...

The Thunder replaced Westbrook, Andre - Robertson, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins lineup.

Unlike the Grizzlies' multi-player rotation, the Thunder's head coach Scott Brooks used the three players to death in important games.

In the Thunder, Durant hasn't averaged less than 38 minutes per game in any season since the second grade, and he didn't actually have the physical strength to play for that long.

But now Westbrook, who has the current style of play, has solved this problem miraculously.

The official timeout came back, and the Grizzlies served from the center line.

Sun Ce sent the ball to Beverly, instead of going to the low post, he came to the top arc to receive the ball back from Beverly, and started playing singles!

The current lineup of our own team has the advantages-the space is open; the disadvantage-it is purely relying on the Splash Brothers, without tactical cooperation.

And if the Splash Brothers wanted to open it, naturally his grandson had to open it alone first!