Chapter 731 [Western Conference Finals Vs. Thunder, No Weaknesses in Defense]

The Western Conference finals between the Thunder and the Clippers attracted far more attention than the Eastern Conference finals. It was determined by their style of play. Both sides had young stars in charge, with many breakthroughs and alley-oop dunks.

Experts predict the outcome and are generally optimistic that the Clippers will win, and 80% of those who voted online were optimistic that the Clippers will advance.

First of all, Thunder coach Scott Brooks is a "Jerry-type" coach. So far, the "Jerry-type" coaches have never won against Jerry in the playoffs. Secondly, the Thunder players lack experience in the playoffs. After all, they are relatively young. Their performance mainly depends on the personal abilities of the stars, and the rotation lineup is poorly integrated.

Yang Rui was interviewed before the game and felt very relaxed. "The Clippers will definitely enter the finals and win the championship because we are the best team."

The reporter asked: "What do you think is the Clippers' advantage?"

"The offense and defense are balanced, the inside and outside are well coordinated, the players are more experienced, and I am here." Yang Rui is very confident.

Durant is currently a little green in terms of ball handling, organization, defense, confrontation, etc. Although he is already a superstar, his flaws are equally obvious; Westbrook has always been a double-edged sword, with unstable lethality unless he can balance it. There is a balance between the individual and the team, otherwise you can only perform to attract fans but not win the game.

The current Harden is even weaker. He has no ball rights at all. He averaged 31.4 minutes per game in the regular season, took only 10.1 shots, and scored 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1 steal. Too few shots was the reason why he lost to Curry in the Best Sixth Man selection. Who would have thought that he would be one of the MVP candidates in the future?

Everyone in the Thunder was very low-key in interviews. Even the third youngster was a little unsure when facing the Clippers. He only said that he would try his best.

On May 27, the first battle between the two sides started at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

There was a small tidbit at the beginning. Jack Nicholson, the actor known as the "Lakers mascot", also came to watch the Clippers game. The cameraman gave him a lot of close-ups.

As Nicholson goes to the Clippers to watch games more often, many people feel that Los Angeles has completely changed hands. It is not known whether Nicholson will continue to buy the two Lakers seats next season.

It was broadcast live on many radio stations around the world. Before the game, the commentator analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides' lineups and believed that the outside line was evenly matched, with both star guards and super sixth men. Durant had an advantage at the small forward position, but the Clippers had an obvious advantage inside.

After the warm-up, the players came out.

Clippers starting lineup: Paul, Korver, Gay, Battier, Griffin.

Thunder starting lineup: Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins.

CCTV5's Zhang Liji said: "Yang Rui changed the formation at the beginning, did not let Chandler play, and played small ball tactics. This is Chi Keke's contempt for the Thunder's inside offense."

Yu Jia smiled and said: "Perkins is a blue-collar center. Ibaka's offense mainly relies on mid-range shots, mostly catch-and-shoot jumpers, and his efficiency in the low post is not high. Yang Rui's arrangement is very targeted, and the small ball tactics are to defend against the second team. With less possession of the ball to break through, Battier and Gay can defend the perimeter better than Chandler."

Brooks took a deep breath on the sidelines. Before the game started, the pre-game plan was broken. He arranged a pick-and-roll, hoping that Westbrook would be misplaced and the big man would come out. Now that the Clippers don't have a big man, they will definitely be able to keep up.

Entering the playoffs, the Clippers' two rookies have reduced their playing time. As the game becomes more and more critical, players' psychology can easily affect their performance. People who play in the playoffs for the first time are prone to making mistakes. Battier is foolproof when he plays. He has a big heart and always knows what he should do.

Perkins won the jump ball and the game was on.

Westbrook dribbles the ball in the middle and plays a pick-and-roll with Perkins, and the other three people open up. The Clippers are defending in a 122 zone, with Paul alone outside, and the other four people can shrink at any time to block the penalty area.

The Thunder rely on star players to play in isolation, and generally use 122 positioning in offense, while the 122 zone defense is just perfect for the opponent's double attack. As long as Wei Shao and Durant get to the basket from the middle, they will be double-teamed.

In addition, the 122 zone defense is a deformation of the 32 zone defense, which puts a certain amount of pressure on the outside.

The obstruction of singles on the wing is especially obvious. As long as the Thunder players are trapped in singles, they cannot score too many points.

The Lakers' defense wasn't bad in the last round, and the Thunder didn't score many points. It was only the Lakers' offense that was worse and they lost.

Westbrook chose to break through from the left, Battier switched defenses in time, and Paul caught up from behind to form a double-team.

Ibaka cut to the low post to attract Griffin's defense. Westbrook transferred the ball to Sefolosha on the right in a wide range. In the first round, an opportunity appeared in the bottom corner.

After seeing Wei Shao play the ball, Battier turned to the right to interfere with Sefolosha.

He was too far away and it was impossible to catch up, but this was not an excellent scoring opportunity. Sefolosha took aim and shot. The ball bounced out of the frame, and Griffin got stuck and won the backcourt. rebound.

The Thunder players did not grab offensive rebounds, quickly returned to defense, and the zone defense was in place.

The Thunder rely on a balance of offense and defense to win, using the stars' personal abilities to solve problems while ensuring defensive strength. Brooks' coaching level is not as bad as many people think, and he has no tactics... He reuses Perkins and Sefolosha who have poor offense because he is unwilling to give up defense for offense.

Two more offensive players in the starting lineup are also a waste because they won't be able to fully perform unless Durant and Westbrook are willing to share the ball.

The Thunder's two super scorers can coexist because of Brooks' formation, with three blue-collar workers partnering with them. However, in this case, the score will generally not be high.

When the Clippers attack, Paul dribbles to the frontcourt and plays a pick-and-roll with Griffin, and the Thunder also defends in a zone. These are all things Brooks and Yang Rui studied when they cooperated.

Because of this, Brooks knows very well how difficult the Clippers' lineup is to defend. The strength of the Lakers during their three consecutive championships lies in the evacuation ability of Yao Ming, Rasheed Wallace, and Odom. When Kobe Bryant plays in singles, his opponents simply can't. No way to double team.

Now on the Clippers are Battier and Gay. Their three-point ability and mobility are better than Rasheed, and they suffer a bit when defending the inside.

Paul went to the right, and Ibaka changed his defense. He can interfere with shooting and prevent breakthroughs. He has a good sense of position and is worthy of being a defensive player.

Paul did not attack hard and passed the ball to Gay in the corner. Battier attracted Durant's defense at 70 degrees on the right side. There was an immediate mismatch on the court, and Gay faced Perkins.

Perkins jumped out to interfere with the shot. Gay feinted, moved laterally, passed Perkins in one step, took one step inside the three-point line, made a 45-degree emergency stop jumper, and hit the ball off the board. 2 to 0.

In one round, Brooks secretly complained that something was not going well. Perkins might have problems defending near the penalty area. Yang Rui would definitely try his best to create opportunities for Guy to face off against him.

The Thunder attacked, Westbrook dribbled to the frontcourt, and then played a pick-and-roll, attracting Battier to change defense and then distributed the ball to Ibaka on the right side at a 70-degree angle.

Ibaka feinted with the ball in front of the frame, stepped forward and broke through the baseline. He took a step and was followed by Griffin. He protected the basketball with his back, unable to squeeze Griffin, and passed the ball out to the outside. Du Lant was entangled by Guy and couldn't turn around, and then passed Wei Shao.

Griffin had no problem defending today. Against King Cousins, Warriors Brook Lopez, Randolph, Spurs Duncan and others, Griffin suffered a lot on the defensive end. He was afraid of those who could attack in the low post. He needs some excellent footwork. If he relies on him to turn around and shoot or hook, he won't be able to block shots because his arms are too short.

However, Griffin is better than Perkins in preventing players from breaking through the frame. He is more agile, can move laterally and sprint faster, interferes with outside shots, has a height advantage, and it doesn't matter if his arms are shorter.

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