Basketball: The Chosen Victim

Chapter 292 Don’t panic, Wu Di will take action!

It was shown off at the beginning, but the Cleveland fans were not panic at all, because Wu Di would take action!
Feeling the expectant gazes of the fans in the audience, Wu Di quickly judged the situation on the court while taking his position.

One leaf knows the autumn, one round knows the ball.

On the Cavaliers side, the players' competitive status is not bad, and the changes mainly appear on the Thunder!
The Thunder players were obviously much more decisive in this game than in the previous game, and there were also adjustments to the lineup. Bearded Harden replaced the previous Swiss Army Knife Sefolosha as the starter, and the opening scene was a decisive battle!
After Wu Di asked for the ball from the wing, he rushed to Harden's right side. However, as soon as he was half way up, Westbrook double-teamed him!

There was a macho man in front of him and a cute man behind him. Wu Di made a dexterous crotch carry and carried the basketball through the gap between the two young men in an instant!
Ibaka came over seamlessly, and Wu Di raised the ball and made a passing motion, but it was a fake pass!
Ibaka's center of gravity was deceived into flying away, but his hand completed the interference at the last moment——

呲!
Everyone rushing to grab the rebound froze at the same time, and the audience let out a series of lamentations. The basketball was unexpectedly stuck on the player's neck!
beep!
The whistle sounded and the referee regarded it as a dead ball and awarded it to the Thunder!
During the offensive and defensive transition, Westbrook quickly rushed to the frontcourt with the ball, but one second before he was about to take action, he rarely threw the ball to Harden!

Harden caught the ball and shot. Butler, who was about to rush for the rebound, turned back to block the shot, but he was already a step too slow!
Swish!
The basketball goes through the net!

7-0!

"YES!"

Thunder head coach Brooks waved his fist to the sky with joy!

"Coach, should we call a timeout?"

On the other side, Cavaliers assistant coach Zante asked anxiously about Scott.

The Thunder's three young men took turns to score, and the rhythm of this wave was too weird. The Cavaliers should pause and slow down, and at the same time interrupt the opponent's rhythm!
"NO, hold on!"

Scott crossed his hands in front of his chest and replied. As a main player in the three-time NBA championship dynasty, and a coach who has been competing for the championship as a head coach for the fourth time, he feels very bad at the moment!
The Cavaliers encountered the final wall!

Just like the rookie wall, the closer a team is to a championship that has never won a championship, the easier it is for it to encounter this invisible obstacle.

It's not that he's in bad shape, it's that he feels extremely bad and doesn't make progress in any way!
The feel is very unreliable and difficult to adjust, but it is very easy to damage.

Scott also wanted to call a timeout, but he knew better that if he didn't hold back and called a timeout now, not only would it not solve the Cavaliers' hand problem, but it might further affect their confidence, thus exacerbating their cold hand!

On the court, Wu Di calmly called for a high-post cover tactic, which served as a fulcrum to attract double-teams and then passed it to Irving!

Irving missed a layup, but fortunately Jordan was aggressive in grabbing the rebound and got the rebound before Perkins. However, when he jumped up again to complete the tip-in, the referee's whistle sounded!

The goal was invalid, the referee called an offensive foul on Jordan!
When Jordan made a tip-in, Perkins rushed over. Jordan's raised arm was not caught, and his elbow hit Perkins directly in the face.

It sounded like an elbow strike, but because the two sides were in the reasonable collision zone, and before Perkins pounced, Jordan had already raised his arm, and the entire physical contact was more like Perkins' initiative!
Therefore, this ball was quite criticized. Not to mention Jordan, even Perkins himself was a little surprised!
But the referee blew it, still at such a sensitive moment...

"Black whistle!"

This obviously biased penalty instantly caused protests from the audience.

But the protest was ineffective, and the referee still awarded the ball to the Thunder!
"Scott is confused!"

In the TNT live broadcast room, Barkley commented angrily:
"It's time to call a timeout! This is the finals. If we don't interrupt the Thunder's rhythm, will there be a chance later?"

However, O'Neill said in a strange way:
"Do you know how to play in the finals? Are you just giving random instructions here?"

Kenny Smith immediately made a follow-up shot:

"Tch, he only knows how to lose!"

In the past, when it came to the finals, Barkley was only ridiculed, but since he won the rings from O'Neal and Kenny Smith, the two of them rarely encountered this bad luck. But today, after finally seeing the Cavaliers' defeat, the two of them... Barkley sprayed again!
Barkley's face turned dark immediately:
"Damn it, you two lost money. I did lose at that time, but who of you has beaten Jordan?"

When Barkley brought up Jordan, the king of topics, there was naturally a quarrel!
On the court, Wu Di saw that he couldn't attack for a long time, so he called for defense and then took the lead to strengthen Durant.

Durant swung left and right with the ball, but was tightly entangled by Wu Di!

Seeing that he couldn't get rid of it, Durant didn't pass the ball. He immediately got angry and rushed to the high elbow area to force a drift jump shot!

Bang!
The basketball hit the frame and Wu Di grabbed the rebound!
Durant wanted to fight back, but the referee's whistle sounded again. This time it was the Cavaliers who called a timeout.

Scott couldn't help but call a timeout. The theory was a theory, and he couldn't bear it anymore!

However, although he could no longer bear it and sent someone to call a timeout, when the players gathered around, he still pretended to be calm and drank chicken soup:

"It's not a big problem. Those few goals just now were just their luck! Our style of play suppressed them, and this is the Cavaliers' devilish home court. They have no hope of winning at all. We just have to follow our own pace..."

"Wu Di's command on the court just now was very timely. First, look for the feeling on defense. On offense, just play boldly. The feel is a conserved thing and will definitely come back..."

"You have to have confidence. No matter how fast they start, can they be as fast as the Heat? But we were all there in the Heat series..."

The Cavaliers were drinking chicken soup, and the Thunder were not left behind either. Brooks gestured plausibly:

"Everyone played very well! Opened 7-0! Let Cleveland see what the true strength of our Oklahoma City Thunder is!"

"We are good at fighting against headwinds. A big score of 2-0 is nothing. We were also 2-0 at the beginning of the Western Conference Finals. Didn't we win four games in a row and send the Spurs to go fishing?"

"After the timeout, we will continue to defend according to the original strategy. Remember, focus on double-teaming Wu Di! Now I have the advantage, let them rush!"

Back on the court, the Cavaliers had a bad start and couldn't attack for a long time. The Cleveland fans at the scene anxiously cheered.

Love served the ball from the sideline and Wu Di came to the top of the arc to catch the ball. However, he was not in a hurry to break through. Instead, he called Jordan to come up and play the pick-and-roll.

This goal must be scored!
Jordan immediately moved down after the pick-and-roll. Wu Di hung the ball and flicked his arm to pass the ball to the thug. Perkins immediately chased him, and even Harden, who was in a better position, subconsciously shifted his center of gravity. , but immediately turned back!

The basketball was not passed out and was still held by Wu Di's big hands!

However, just this deflection of the center of gravity gave Wu Di the opportunity to finish with a jump shot!

Wu Di jumped into the air decisively. Even though it was in his weak long two-point area, his elbow still outlined a perfect 45-degree angle, and then his wrist glided lightly!

This fake handoff is simple and efficient, and if he fails to make a shot, Jordan can also rush for the rebound when he passes down.

But this time his touch seems to have improved!

Bang bang~swish!
The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and popped out, but the spinning force caused it to hit the backboard and bounce into the net!
7-2!

Quicken Loans Arena burst into cheers instantly!
The Cavaliers finally hit the basket!

The faces of the Thunder players were not very good. The Cavaliers' counterattack came faster than they expected!
Westbrook quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and before Irving could stand still, he lowered his head and charged forward again!
Irving couldn't defend well enough and had to be left behind. Jordan came to defend, but Westbrook didn't avoid it at all. Instead, he flew towards him faster and harder!

Bang!
Brutal dunk score!
9-2!

The progress suddenly accelerated. In the next round, Irving broke into the penalty area to attract a double team and passed to Love. Love passed to Wu Di. After Wu Di slipped from the baseline, he suddenly stopped and turned around, picked up the basketball and dunked!
Durant and Ibaka were both pushed far away, but they rushed over to block the shot regardless of their idol burden!
But it was a step too late. Wu Di dunked the basketball into the basket directly through Durant and Ibaka!
Dunk the two people's response ball!

9-4!

The atmosphere at Quicken Loans Arena was instantly ignited!

The only response to violent aesthetics is violent aesthetics!
The two sides reached a stalemate in the next two rounds, beating each other hard, but the Thunder adjusted faster with the first-mover advantage!Westbrook made a sudden change of direction at the three-point line on the wing, then swung his arm and rushed into the penalty area for another dunk!

Scott's eyelids twitched. Westbrook was criticized by public opinion in the first two games. Even Magic publicly blamed him for the Thunder's loss, but this game was like a response!
Although Westbrook's performance in the previous two games did stretch his crotch, Magic specifically brought Westbrook out to complain. It is difficult to say that the friendship with Scott was not taken into consideration.

After all, as long as one can understand the team's tactical strategy, they will understand that the Cavaliers' tactical strategy is aimed at Westbrook.

Let Westbrook take the lead, let Westbrook continue to play in isolation, and let the rest of the Thunder team put pressure on Westbrook to form a negative cycle...

This strategy is designed based on the lineups of both sides. The Cavaliers do not have players who are particularly suitable for defending Westbrook. Irving and Thomas are far inferior to Westbrook. If Beverley is allowed to play defense, the Cavaliers' rhythm will be slowed down.

Let Wu Di defend, Durant will explode, let Butler defend, Harden will explode again...

Therefore, we can only let Westbrook's emotions get the best of him and let him defend himself. At most, he can arrange some supplementary defense strategies at the end.

But any strategy has limitations. If Westbrook's cancer suddenly turns into a fairy grass, no matter how hard he fights, this strategy will no longer be effective.

This is the current situation and it is difficult for them to fight!

The two sides were at a stalemate, and the Cavaliers gradually regained their touch, but the Thunder relied on Westbrook's various unsolvable plays to maintain the lead.

By the end of the first quarter, the score between the two sides reached 31-25, with the Cavaliers trailing by 6 points.

However, to make matters worse, in order to prevent Westbrook from running out of energy early, Brooks began to adjust the ball and arranged for Harden to start organizing:
"James, in the second quarter, you will organize our offense. If we don't find a particularly good opportunity, we will hand it over to Russell and KD. You and Harden will switch defenses and let Harden concentrate on organizing..."

This will invisibly increase the psychological burden on the Cavaliers and prolong Westbrook's deterrent effect.

But of course the Cavaliers will not sit still and Scott is also adjusting his lineup and strategy:
"Parker will replace Irving later, Butler will switch to guard Westbrook, Parker will guard Harden, and Wu Di will organize the offense..."

The 2-minute break passed quickly, and players from both sides returned to the court again. Irving came off the court, and the Cavaliers' offensive pressure fell entirely on Wu Di.

Wu Di reached the top of the arc with the ball, and Durant put on a defensive posture with a cold look.

In the first game, he fell at a disadvantage in the contest between the two. In the second game, his state sank a bit, but it also made him consume less. Coupled with the sense of oppression brought by the life-and-death battle, Durant's efficiency in the first quarter Quite high.

And now that Westbrook is in good condition, he can confidently and boldly provide Wu Di with defensive strength.

Wu Di was not as aggressive as before in this game. Except for dunking Durant and Ibaka at the same time at the beginning of the game, there were relatively few hard solutions.

Mainly because he saw Westbrook's state and had a hunch that he would have to take care of the three important tasks of the Cavaliers' organization, attack and defense, so he was a little tired of his physical strength.

This round was the same. He once again called Love's pick-and-roll and then took the opportunity to rush to the right. After attracting Durant and Ibaka to double-team at the same time, he immediately flicked his arm and passed the ball to Love who was retreating.

Love takes a three-pointer!

Bang!
The shot was very decisive, but the basketball hit the frame!

Love frowned fiercely. He had already shot 4 three-pointers in this game, but only scored 1...

Perkins grabbed the rebound and passed it to Westbrook. Westbrook wanted to rush, but Butler gritted his teeth and struggled to get up!

Butler's actual height is 2 meters, 01 centimeters taller than Westbrook, but at least 10 centimeters of it is his neck. His effective height, that is, the gap between his shoulder height and Westbrook is within 5 centimeters.

In addition, the wingspan of both of them is 2 meters, and the weight is not much different, so there is basically no mismatch between the two. Westbrook does not have the advantage of playing small, and his control of movement is not outstanding. For a while, he was still in the backcourt. If it’s really difficult, rush forward.

There was no counterattack fast break, so Westbrook had to slow down and pass the ball to Harden.

Harden is a rhythm organization player, but unlike Thomas, Harden's rhythm talent is to play down.

He was seen dribbling the ball from his hips leisurely, while the messenger shuffled his feet across the floor.

This move looks like a pure cheap move, but behind it is the skill of digging steps. In order to prevent his mentality from being affected, Parker only focused on his luck control.

So, when Harden drastically changed the ball from his right hand to his left hand, Parker was immediately deceived and shifted his center of gravity to the left, but Harden's right foot dug directly under his hip due to the drag step!
Don't underestimate this unusually obscene-looking posture. This posture allows Harden to change direction to the right to a greater extent and open up more space to the right!

So in the next second, Parker's center of gravity was not far off, but Harden had already thrown him away and went straight into the penalty area!

Parker turned around in embarrassment and chased after him. Love, who was stationed at the bottom of the basket, waved his hands and rushed to cover!

But Harden jumped up and pushed the ball out as soon as he started swinging his arms!
Love turned around quickly, but it was too late. Ibaka caught the ball in the air and dunked!

33-25!

"He is very good at disguising. Pay more attention to the micro-movements of his knees later. His steps and handwork can deceive people, but his knees must be straightened in advance no matter what he does, so it is impossible to disguise..."

When serving, Wu Di saw Parker's frown and pointed out.

"...That's it! I understand, boss!"

After all, Parker is a defensive warrior who has been playing for most of his life. Wu Di's advice went straight to the core of Harden's style of play, which made Parker, who was reviewing the round in his mind, suddenly enlightened!

But some people were happy and some were annoyed. Seeing that Harden was seen through so easily, Durant, who was next to Wu Di, immediately turned into a hermaphrodite and screamed:

"Hey! You are about to retire, and you are yelling at me all day long. Are you really ashamed?"

Parker only replied to him with a Chinese word that is very popular in the United States recently:
"Silly*!"

Durant's face darkened instantly, and his cheeks were about to explode!

In his opinion, a blue-collar player like Parker who is about to retire is more than one level behind him, but he dares to directly scold him like this!

It's all Wu Di's fault!
If it weren't for Wu Di, would these elderly Cavaliers players who were abandoned by James have a chance to stand on the highest stage of the finals?

Thinking of this, Durant's knees slightly bent, his arms spread out and he pounced forward, directly pressing down on Wu Di who was receiving the ball in the backcourt!
The scene instantly burst into exclamations. How much does Durant hate Wu Di? He actually used a full-court press against Wu Di in the backcourt at the beginning of the second quarter, which consumes a lot of physical energy!

Wu Di didn't expect this guy to be so stupid. If he hadn't used his quick eyesight and quick hands to turn and block Durant's ball-stealer, he would have capsized in the ditch and been cut off!

But since Durant has taken such a risk, Wu Di is also happy to do something fancy. While turning his head to look for opportunities, he seems to be dribbling the ball with his right hand behind his back. The luck has passed!
Durant was blocked by Wu Di and had no idea what was going on. He just tried his best to resist Wu Di and start a physical confrontation. But when Wu Di suddenly turned around, his mind shut down instantly!
"Where's the ball?!"

Durant's mind went crazy for a moment, and he didn't even know where the ball had gone. How could he and Wu Di fight against the air?
But Wu Di took advantage of his daze and rushed behind him to catch the ball and rush towards the frontcourt!

"Damn it, I was tricked!"

Durant woke up as if from a dream, but it was too late. The scene instantly burst into unprecedented laughter!
Wu Di rushed straight to the frontcourt. The Cavaliers were currently five on four. Westbrook put down Butler to defend, but was left behind by Wu Di with a silky turn!

Ibaka made another step, but it was already a step too late. Wu Di pulled the lever and scored with an elegant layup!

33-27!

Quicken Loans Arena was instantly flooded with cheers. Although the Cavaliers were still lagging behind, it was not a big problem. Wu Di would take action!
(End of this chapter)