One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two. It’s Finally My Turn to Explode!
A few days of hard training were not in vain!
Sun Ce had long expected that with Andre Robertson, a tough defender, and Durant, a tall striker with excellent defensive skills, it would be difficult for him to use conventional means to open up the situation on the outside.
And rushing in...why did the Trail Blazers lose in the end? I can’t break in! And why were the Trail Blazers able to force the Thunder into a tiebreaker, or did the Thunder rely on Dewey's key ball + overtime to win the thrilling victory? It relies on Lillard's strong shooting and his super threat to drive the whole team.
Sun Ce has been practicing top arc and shooting from the right side of the three-second zone in the past few days, and these are not regular shots, most of them are shot directly after the pick-and-roll!
If Durant goes directly to the line, Sun Ce will rush to the right side of the three-second zone and make a strong shot. If the opponent does not have unlimited flanking, but switches defenses, and the switch is from the outside, then Sun Ce will directly shoot!
And if you can't get close to Andre Robertson or be covered by Durant, you have to be quick! Sun Ce has been practicing this these days.
Since the three-point foundation is there, and Sun Ce’s forced shot is also a common offensive method, the additional training in the past few days has been quite effective, and luckily, Sun Ce knew that he felt good tonight when he took the shot!
Sun Ce made the shot, and the players on the Thunder team suddenly felt like they were going to go wild?
Although they were prepared for Sun Ce to explode at any time, the Thunder players still felt their hearts trembling when they saw Sun Ce scoring a three-pointer just at the beginning of the game.
However, they had already expected this situation. If Sun Ce went on a rampage in the playoffs, it would be impossible for this guy to shake Boss Qiao's position. It is said that after the end of the season, a group of outsiders on the Hornets team were suddenly called back by Boss Qiao to join the team. The training time happened to be the second day after Sun Ce completed the consecutive MVP+DPOY.
Seeing Sun Ce on the opposite side showing no expression at all as he scored a beautiful goal, he just high-fived Klay Thompson and then retreated. The Thunder players calmed down. They personally encountered Sun Ce's outburst in the playoffs. Not the first time.
Westbrook was very calm at this time. The greater the pressure, the calmer he became. After receiving the serve and advancing to the frontcourt, he continued to break through, but this time the Grizzlies defense obviously changed, and Sun Ce shrank faster! He returned directly to the basket!
Westbrook also reacted quickly and passed the ball to the right sideline. Durant received the ball before being chased by Paul George after being switched.
After receiving the ball, Durant was immediately close to him. He wanted to pass it back to Westbrook to reorganize the offense, but saw that Sun Ce had already switched to Westbrook. Is it a singles or a pass? Durant chose the latter and passed to Andre Robertson who ran to the free throw line.
Andre Robertson's shooting is average for this position.
He knew that he was lagging behind the three-point line and only had a chance to cut into the basket when Sun Ce blocked the mid-range in advance. However, Sun Ce directly collected the basket and Andre Robertson decisively chose to come to the free throw line.
After receiving a pass from Durant, Andre Robertson took a mid-range shot...
"哐..."
Gobert blocked Adams, Sun Ce received the defensive rebound and counterattacked!
The speed was instantly increased to the extreme without any acceleration process. When Sun Ce rushed out, Adams couldn't even reach out in time!
However, Andre Robertson, who was shooting, Westbrook, who was switched by Sun Ce, and Durant, who was passing the ball, all rushed back immediately, especially the two at the back. They didn't trust Andre Robertson at all and just gave it a try. When they retreated to the three-point line and saw that Sun Ce had crushed Andre Robertson and rushed through the midline, they were all glad that they had chosen to retreat immediately.
But at this time, the two saw Klay Thompson following up from the left, and they also saw Sun Ce grabbing the ball two meters in front of the top arc. The two immediately rushed towards Klay Thompson...
"?"
Durant and Westbrook looked at each other, as if to say: Why are you here too?
Young Master Dewey had such a tacit understanding. At the same time, he turned to look at Sun Ce who was catching the ball. Sun Ce grabbed the ball and took a step forward to outside the top arc. He followed up and shot a three-pointer... and hit it again!
6 to 2! Sun Ce started a wave of 6-2 by himself!
Andre Robertson, who was following Sun Ce, was helpless. His thin body could not stop Sun Ce at all. He had a chance to chase the shot from behind, but it would take one of Westbrook or Durant to delay Sun Ce. With his speed, or posing a threat to Sun Ce, the former Dewey can do it, but the latter one needs Durant.
But the key is that neither defensive opportunity appeared. Westbrook and Durant simultaneously discovered Klay Thompson who was following up. They also understood that Sun Ce’s idea was to use threats, but they both felt that they had to block Klay-Thompson. Thompson, of course, this idea is correct, because Sun Ce's ability to switch between passing and independent offense is getting better and better, and he is very close to what Stockton calls "casual".
However, both of them thought that the other would stay, because they were both rushing back at that time, and there was no such thing as who had a better chance, so...
A small mistake gave Sun Ce an excellent opportunity to make a pull-up jump shot.
And these two three-pointers ignited the morale of the Grizzlies!
What has been their biggest reliance?
It’s Sun Ce!
Unless the Grizzlies are far behind their opponents, such as when Sun Ce was still improving in the first two years of his career, they met the Suns, who almost defeated the defending champion Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and the Mavericks, who were at their peak. For example, after two consecutive championships, the Grizzlies, whose strength declined due to talent loss and injuries, met the strongest Spurs in Duncan's third peak period.
At other times, as long as the Grizzlies are close to their opponents, even if they are theoretically weaker, they have never lost.
And this is all thanks to Sun Ce!
Listening to the explosive cheers of the fans at the scene, not only the morale of the Grizzlies was greatly boosted, but the Thunder felt their hearts tremble twice just as the game started!
Why does Curry have the nickname of Curry? Because his three-point shooting is too terrible, averaging 5.3 three-pointers per game, and many times it seems that Sun Ce can shoot it easily, just like cutting melons and vegetables.
This will make the opponent unconsciously compare their own scores. Why is it so difficult to score?
The first to bear the brunt, of course, was Andre Robertson, who had just missed a wide-open mid-range shot.
After Westbrook advanced to the frontcourt, he found that he was not easy to play. If Morrow was on the court, he would have nothing to worry about, but Morrow was not there, and the opponent was unreasonably shrinking, so he had no chance to play.
However, Westbrook did not force it. The huge pressure made his mind extremely clear. It was right to give the ball to Durant at this time!
Durant came to the high position on the left side of the free throw line and leaned against Paul George to ask for the ball.
After receiving the ball, he turned around and took a step back. Durant did not care whether Paul George was shaken off. Before Sun Ce could defend, he shot a fadeaway mid-range shot from the free throw line... hit!
This position is Durant's domain!
Durant has reached his peak, and his overall mid-range shot is S+ level, but if each position is separated like Sun Ce, Durant's mid-range shot at this position is already off the charts! Of course, opponents will also attach great importance to his shooting at this position. If you study it, you will know that he is the most accurate here, so he doesn't have many opportunities to shoot at this position.
But as long as Durant has enough physical strength and successfully shoots at this position, he can basically make two out of three shots.
Just like peak Kobe, Michael Jordan of the year, and Nowitzki in the 2011 playoffs, it doesn't matter if there is a double team, as long as he is given the opportunity to shoot, there will be no chance for the defender.
Seeing Durant's mid-range shot, Sun Ce was jealous! He also has an area that is almost explosive, but there may be a big difference between almost explosive and explosive, because the SS level range is too wide. Peak Kobe is SS level, peak Jordan is also SS level, SS level is just a general term for S+ level and above, and as long as you reach SS level, you must be much stronger than S+ level.
In general analysis, Sun Ce thinks that the difference between him and Durant's mid-range shot is that as long as Durant thinks it is an opportunity, it is an opportunity, while he, Sun, sometimes thinks that it is an opportunity but it is actually a gamble.
But now the feeling is good, why not take a gamble?
Sun Ce's excitement was evident on his face, and everyone could see it. The Grizzlies' players' confidence rose again, while the Thunder felt a headache.
Curry and Durant are among the unbeatable players in the league today. Curry's three-pointer, Durant's mid-range shot... There is a saying that describes these two points of theirs very well - scoring is like a joke.
Curry's three-pointer, which he can shoot in almost every game, and Durant's mid-range shot when he is in good physical condition, score a goal like a joke.
This is the most demoralizing point for the opponent, but it has no effect when facing Sun Ce!
After Sun Ce arrived at the frontcourt, he received a pass from Paul George and continued to play pick-and-roll with Klay Thompson!
This time, Sun Ce broke through directly to the right side of the three-second zone after the pick-and-roll. Sure enough, Durant chose to go around the top line. As long as Sun Ce chose to shoot a three-pointer, it was basically equivalent to looking for a cap. At this time, Klay Thompson quickly pulled away from the 45-degree three-point line on the left after the pick-and-roll.
Durant didn't dare to double-team Sun Ce in this situation. The double-team gap between him and Andre Robertson was too big. Sun Ce could easily pass the ball to Klay Thompson. They couldn't cut off the route between Sun Ce and Klay Thompson.
Sun Ce rushed to the right side of the free throw line and suddenly dribbled behind his back... He couldn't get rid of Andre Robertson. This guy is very good at single defense, and the best thing is to keep a close eye on him.
However, Sun Ce didn't want to get rid of the opponent, but to create enough space for jumping by dribbling behind his back. Sun Ce grabbed the ball at a position close to 30 degrees, and successfully jumped before Adams and Andre Robertson's double-team was in place, and shot a close-range mid-range shot...
Got it again!
Three goals in a row!
This touch... The Thunder players felt that they were too unlucky!
As for Sun Ce, he also felt that he was too lucky. The touch tonight was so good! He finally felt the feeling of those players whose scoring ability was actually average but suddenly exploded and scored the highest score in their careers one night!
After scoring, Sun Ce blew a whistle and retreated... When he was about to run out of the three-point line, he heard the referee's whistle. Sun Ce knew that the opponent called a timeout, so he stopped and turned around and said, "It's not enough, you guys try harder, make me more excited..."
It was crazy to the extreme! But even the Thunder players, who were opponents, thought it was too normal.
When the Thunder players, who were originally confident, met Sun Ce, they unconsciously put themselves in the position of "challenger". Although they did not have that concept, the core of their thinking had already regarded Sun Ce as a "superior".
However, Durant and Westbrook were not ordinary people. The two teams' initial trial was over, and they had to get serious next.
Although Thunder coach Billy Donovan was not very good and was criticized, he still had the most basic ability.
Sun Ce could not be given a chance to gain momentum.
Also, Andre Robertson was dragging his feet... If they were playing against ordinary opponents, they could try to make up for Andre Robertson's drag with the abilities of Durant and Westbrook.
But the opponent was the Grizzlies, and Billy Donovan, the head coach, was under great pressure. The pressure was so great that he actually got his head around it and replaced Andre Robertson in advance with Anthony Morrow to make up for the shortcomings on the offensive end.
As for the overall defense that has dropped from the top to between the top and first-class, Billy Donovan thinks it is not important. Is the top defense just now effective for Sun Ce?
...
After the timeout, Sun Ce looked at the opponent's rotation and strengthened the offense... The opponent's head coach responded better than he thought. Even the timeout was a little unexpected for Sun Ce. The opponent decisively gave up the strongest defensive point on the outside and strengthened the offense. It was really well done.
However, the Grizzlies' head coach's reaction in the rotation was also very good!
So good that Sun Ce saw the astonishment in the opponent's eyes when he came on the court...
The combination of Sun Ce, Carter, Klay Thompson, JaMychal Green, and Yi Jianlian came on the court!
If it weren't for the fact that Nance Jr. might not be able to be used in the playoffs and was not included in the activation list, Sun Ce estimated that his own Huo Tu would not even retain a little bit of forward defense.
When Yi Jianlian, who was wearing a pigtail, came on the court, the BGM exclusive to him sounded at the scene, and the fans at the scene were even more excited!
What does it mean for Yi Jianlian to play center?
Run and gun!
In the first game of the second round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies directly started the run-and-gun tactics after only a few rounds!
Not to mention the Thunder and the fans on the scene, even the Grizzlies players on the court were surprised - their own Hollins was too bold! He predicted that the opponent would actively weaken his defense and strengthen his offense, and he immediately sent out a run-and-gun lineup!
However, Coach Hollins' choice was undoubtedly correct. After the timeout, although the Thunder scored 10 points with 4 of 6 shots, the offensive efficiency suddenly increased.
However, the Grizzlies made 6 of 7 shots in 7 rounds! Including a dunk by Sun Ce's steal and counterattack!
The Grizzlies played a good team offense with the threat of Sun Ce at the beginning, but the key was Sun Ce's choice. Sun Ce did not focus on passing the ball at this time as the Thunder imagined, but chose to focus on scoring!
The Thunder players are not stupid. Not only are they not stupid, but everyone has a high basketball IQ. They can actually keep up with the speed. Only Adams is slower than Yi Jianlian, and other positions can keep up with the pace.
Although the Grizzlies' rotation was unexpected, they also thought of a strategy to deal with the Grizzlies' running and gunning, which was to cut off Sun Ce's passes, block shooters and cut in.
But Sun Ce predicted the Thunder's prediction, and mainly scored by himself. He had 3 assists, but 3 goals were scored by himself. After Klay Thompson scored a three-pointer, Sun fell into a positional battle and made a three-pointer. In a counterattack, he made a fake pass and a pull-up jump shot 2+1, and a steal and counterattack dunk.
Sun Ce scored 8 points alone, plus a three-pointer from Klay Thompson, an alley-oop from Yi Jianlian, and a long two-pointer from Carter on the three-point line, and played a wave of 15 to 10!
23 to 14, the Grizzlies scored 23 points in less than half a quarter, and the Thunder called a timeout again!
"How can they be so strong? It shouldn't be! Can't the Spurs play on par with the Warriors? How can there be such a big gap between us and the Grizzlies?"
Durant was a little confused when he returned to the bench...
If Sun Ce knew what Durant was thinking, he would definitely say - your guess is correct.
How to deal with Sun Ce who scored 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 assists in half a quarter?
The mentality of the Thunder players is going to explode!
In fact, if someone else faced the Thunder's opening explosion, even if that person was Curry, James, or Griffin, the Thunder players would not feel anything, because they have Westbrook and Durant.
But Sun Ce is different!
Those people have never had Sun Ce's dominance in the playoffs. This is the first contender in history who has won the championship three times in the past four years and won the MVP five times in six seasons!
What made the Thunder players at a loss was not Sun Ce's performance during this period, but Sun Ce's performance in the playoffs in the past four years. Even when he was eliminated in the second round of the 13-14 season, Sun Ce had killed the Warriors who had risen at the time in the first round without any advantage.
Sun Ce's explosive start brought the Grizzlies the biggest advantage, not the 9-point lead, but the shaking of the opponent's confidence. From the beginning, he dominated the opponent with overwhelming power, making the opponent confused.
In general, the Thunder had too little preparation time. They had little preparation time and could only focus on their good performance in the first round and prepare from a tactical perspective based on their understanding of the Grizzlies.
Relying on Sun Ce's performance at the start, the Grizzlies took the initiative in all aspects, from scoring, to morale, to the situation...!
What is the record advantage and home advantage?
These are the things that Sun Ce has used to maximize the role of these advantages!
After the timeout, the Thunder's response strategy was not as good as the first timeout, or even worse than not calling a timeout.
The change in the Thunder's play after the first timeout can be said to be quite effective and well played, but Coach Hollins's prediction was excellent, and Sun Ce's judgment on passing and scoring independently was very good, and Sun Ce's accurate shooting, the Thunder was only able to be pulled 5 points behind with 4 of 6 shots.
But this time the Thunder's arrangement after the timeout was equivalent to groping in the dark, there was no strategic change, and there was no clear routine for tactical changes. The key point was that the Thunder players had been scoring goals and did not feel that they were at a disadvantage. On the contrary, because of the continuous scoring, they gradually offset the morale pressure of the Grizzlies. But after calling a timeout and noticing the big change in the score, Durant was the first to collapse...
Then, the other members of the Thunder also began to collapse, and then only the arrogant Westbrook was left to support.
The Thunder coach started to make mistakes after a high-level operation, but the Thunder players did not start to mess up at the beginning, but tried to make changes according to the situation on the court.
But the Grizzlies had the best time and the best enemy. Sun Ce made adjustments according to the opponent's defensive changes. He didn't care about the fact that he had already scored 16 points in a single quarter. He gave up scoring in the second half of the first quarter and "only" scored 19 points in the first quarter, missing a 20+ in a single quarter in the playoffs that can be discussed for a long time.
But Sun Ce had a total of 7 assists in this quarter!
19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in a single quarter... If it were an ordinary point guard, this would be equivalent to the data of a game.
In fact, 19 points in a single quarter or 7 assists in a single quarter are not so terrible. What is terrible is that Sun Ce got both!
With Sun Ce's performance of 19 points and 7 assists in a single quarter, the Grizzlies led the Thunder by 15 points in the first quarter, 41 to 26!
In the second quarter, it was Westbrook who was alone with the ball on the Thunder side...
Sun Ce's explosion was fierce and sudden, and the key was that the Thunder coach Billy Donovan himself destroyed the morale that he had finally built up through offense. After the start of the second quarter, the Thunder was defeated...
At the end of the third quarter, Sun Ce's data increased to 41 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, and he clocked out after three quarters!
After the first three quarters, the Grizzlies were already leading by 33 points. In the last quarter, the Thunder narrowed the gap to within 30 points. In the fourth quarter, Westbrook and Durant, who were still on the court showing their unwillingness and powerlessness, occasionally looked at the Grizzlies bench and saw Sun Ce and Aldridge laughing and bragging...
Westbrook was extremely angry about such a scene.
Durant, on the other hand, was extremely envious...
Durant also wanted to be like Aldridge, with such a strong teammate, and after making his own contribution, he could chat and laugh with the team's strongest player on the sidelines...
At this time, Durant thought of Harden. As a direct competitor, Durant believed that Harden's importance to the Warriors was no less than Curry!
After narrowing the score difference to within 30 points, Durant completely gave up on this game.
In fact, when Durant fell behind by 21 points at the beginning of the second half, he had no intention of fighting...
Although Westbrook scored 44 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, the highest score of the game, the number of assists was pitiful. He scored 44 points and shot 39 times, and only 17 of 39 shots!
But Durant had no intention of fighting in the second half. Ibaka, Dion Waiters, Morrow, Adams and others were functional players and could not stand up to turn the situation around at this moment when a superstar was needed.
In the end, the Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 133-105 and easily won the first game of the series!