From South China Tiger to NBA King

When the Thunder attacked, Westbrook advanced crazily and quickly with the ball, and Caruso moved crazily to keep up with his speed.

Facing Caruso, Westbrook actually took the initiative to confront him and did not lose at all.

You must know that Westbrook is a point guard, and Caruso has the size to defend most small forwards in the league. He did not take advantage against Westbrook.

However, Caruso has a characteristic, that is, he is very tenacious. In training, he often defends Jianghu and cannot defend him most of the time, but he never shows frustration or dissatisfaction.

He was knocked away by Westbrook with his shoulder. Although his chest was very painful, he still pressed forward again.

Master Wei is a player with a lot of character. When he saw Caruso coming up again, he would not choose to pass the ball, but chose to face Caruso's defense.

He broke through with the ball, first made a fake move to the left, and then quickly broke through to the right. Caruso left him a step away to shoot, but Master West refused to shoot, insisting on getting hit. Russo pulled up and shot.

Caruso was knocked unable to jump, and Westbrook scored a mid-range zombie pull-up jumper.

Celtics 6-8 Thunder.

Caruso rubbed his chest, and then looked at Westbrook with incredible eyes. What was incredible to him was that Westbrook's power made him feel no worse than Leonard, and he was even higher than Leonard. The speed and bounce are incredible.

Fortunately, Master Wei is not that tall and his shooting is not very good. If he were taller and his shooting was better, it would be terrible.

The Celtics offense also solves problems by giving the ball to the stars.

Jiang Hu took the ball at 70 degrees on the right side and broke through to the middle to attract a double team and pass the ball to Horford.

Horford made a mid-range shot. His last shot alerted Adams. Adams pounced. Horford immediately changed the shot to a pass and passed the ball to Gasol. Gasol was misplaced to face the man who retreated to the basket. Master Wei jumped off one foot and scored a dunk.

Celtics 8-8 Thunder.

As long as the Thunder arranges Grant to cooperate with George to double-team Jianghu, as long as Adams defends the basket in the penalty area, there will be an opening.

Defending Jianghu is a matter of choosing one of two bottles of poison, or you let Jianghu one-on-one. He has proven that when he has good touch, he can score 82 points by himself, averaging 37 points per game.

But double-teaming doesn't seem to be a good choice, because in addition to 37 points, this guy is also the best passer in the league, averaging 13 assists per game, which is more convincing than anything else.

Zhang Weiping said with a smile: "It seems that there is no need to worry about the Celtics' offense. When Jianghu lures Grant away, Adams will have to face the plan of defending Horford and Gasol by himself. Both of them are good at guarding Horford and Gasol." He has good ball-playing ability and can easily score the ball.”

Yu Jia nodded and said: "The pressure is on the Thunder's side. There is no doubt that their overall strength is definitely not as good as the Celtics."

The Thunder attack, with George holding the ball and playing pick-and-rolls on the outside. George failed to break through with the ball this time and was blocked by Caruso.

Caruso directly let Westbrook go in this round and ran over to flank George.

The reason why he dared to make such a bold decision is because Stevens is very aware of George's weaknesses. He has average ball-holding ability and is afraid of double-teaming, but he often likes to play with the ball by himself.

Caruso and Leonard are two big locks who attack together. This was originally a treatment for Durant, but now that he has not met Durant, he can only let George enjoy it on his behalf.

George had a million things to say, what was the difference between the two of them defending themselves together and her mother blocking the road and robbing her.

Sure enough, George spun around, turned left and then turned, and finally Leonard took it out while dribbling with his back.

He wanted to pass the ball, but it was difficult for him to even pick it up and he could only be robbed.

After Leonard grabbed the ball, he immediately passed it to Caruso to start a fast break. Caruso advanced to the frontcourt and did not pass to Jianghu, but passed to Leonard who was closer to him. Leonard faced Ferguson who was returning to defense and made a pull-up three-pointer.

This opportunity is great. Although George's height and wingspan are not much different from Leonard's, his eyes are looking around, seeming to observe the position of the world.

Obviously, in Thunder coach Donovan's arrangement, fast break defense is the most important.

But unfortunately, Leonard's ball bounced out of the frame. Jianghu immediately rushed over and accurately judged and grabbed the offensive rebound.

After getting the ball, he immediately jumped up, defeated Ferguson at close range and threw the ball into the basket with one hand.

Celtics 10-8 Thunder.

Ferguson, who is 198cm tall, weighs only 88kg. He is too thin. Although his jumping ability is outstanding, his strength is not good. He is not good at rebounding.

Yu Jia sighed: "Jiang Hu jumped so high. When he was grabbing a rebound, he just bounced his head and it was flat."

Zhang Weiping said: "Although Leonard did not make a shot, his choice was very reasonable. There is nothing wrong with his three-point shooting rate. His idea of ​​quickly completing an attack while Adams was unable to defend was also correct."

The Thunder attacked, and Westbrook took the ball to the front three-point line. This time Caruso directly let him go for two steps.

Westbrook's three-point shooting percentage this season is really impressive. He averaged only 5.6 hits in 1.6 shots per game and only shot 29% from the field. Opening up his outside three-pointers has become a regular tactic for many teams against the Thunder.

However, Westbrook was very calm today and knew that he must not not attack, but make a decisive breakthrough.

The Thunder's Westbrook has yet to hit the timer once per game.

Breaking through to the mid-range position, Caruso was well prepared, stood firm, and immediately forced Westbrook to stop. Westbrook had no choice but to pass the ball to Adams, who was closest to him.

Adams wanted to make a one-handed floater, but Gasol slapped his hand directly and sent him to the free throw line.

Adams walked to the free throw line cautiously, looking very unsure of himself.

Zhang Weiping laughed and said: "Adams's free throws are so weird. His posture looks pretty standard, but his shooting percentage is even better than O'Neal's!!"

Yu Jia said: "The Celtics' defensive strategy is very successful. They let Westbrook shoot from the outside, double-team George when George holds the ball, and send Adams a free throw as long as Adams commits a foul. If he fails to make a shot, the Thunder will waste a shot." When attacking opportunities, the rhythm is messed up."

Adams made one of two free throws, Celtics 10-9 Thunder.

The Celtics attacked, Gasol dealt the card at the top of the arc, and Jianghu started running without the ball again.

Jiang Hu really likes Gasol now. Since his arrival, Jiang Hu has one more choice when facing double teams. In the past, he could only pass the ball to Leonard and let Leonard fight.

Now he can let Gasol hold the ball and run the ball himself. Gasol has good passing ability and can pass it to him accurately almost every time.

This time he first ran to the right corner to catch the ball, and immediately changed direction to the left without making a fake move. Horford came up and played another pick-and-roll with him.

This move is very powerful and tests the opponent's inside defense capabilities. If the big man doesn't switch defense in time, there will be gaps.

Jianghu got rid of Paul George and made a sudden stop jumper inside the 45-degree three-point line. The ball went hollow into the net.

Celtics 12-9 Thunder.

When the Thunder is attacking, Westbrook doesn't care about anything with the ball, he just rushes in.

It has to be said that most Thunder games are quite lively, and there is a reason why Westbrook has so many fans.

Most fans like to watch sharp breakthroughs and elegant jump shots. The world admires West's ability to rush forward passionately no matter when and where.

This time Westbrook passed Caruso and attracted the help of Gasol and Leonard, and passed the ball to George in the middle. George made an open mid-range shot and the ball missed the basket.

Caruso made a mistake when he took the rebound and passed it to Jianghu. He didn't pay attention to the opponent's position when passing the ball, and was blocked by Ferguson in the passing route and successfully intercepted it.

The fast break failed and it was too late to brake suddenly and chase Ferguson again. Ferguson passed to George, and George took a step outside the right three-point line and hit a three-pointer.

Celtics 12 to 12 Thunder.

After shooting the three-pointer, George patted his chest heavily, seemingly declaring his determination and telling the Celtics that winning was not that easy.

But the Celtics' overall strength was ultimately superior, and they stopped the Thunder 7 minutes after the game started.

In order to defend Jianghu, the Thunder's wing players chose to double-team, and Jianghu quickly assisted Leonard to hit a three-pointer.

He also made continuous pick-and-roll mismatch breakthroughs, causing Adams to commit two fouls and make four free throws.

Adams' importance in the Thunder has been on the rise since Durant left the Thunder, and as Donovan has been coaching with the Thunder longer and longer, he has begun to understand his players better and better.

It was under his coaching that Adams became the defensive core of the Thunder.

He is the defensive foundation of the Thunder. There is a qualitative difference in defense between the Thunder with him and without him.

Coach Donovan reluctantly replaced Adams and replaced him with Nerlens Noel.

Noel is an inside player with a height of 213cm and a weight of 107kg. He was the No. 2013 pick of the 76ers in 6. He also mainly plays center.

In 2013, Noel was the favorite for the No. pick.

In his freshman season, Nerlens Noel averaged 31.9 minutes per game, scoring 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.4 blocks and 2.1 assists. Among them, he ranked first in the nation in blocks per game and led the SEC in rebounds per game. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year were selected to the 2013 SEC All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive Team, as well as the SEC All-Rookie Team. He was also selected to the All-American Freshman Team by the Basketball Writers Association of America and Sporting News.

Became the player after Anthony Davis to have at least 50 steals and 50 blocks in a single season in the history of the University of Kentucky (106 blocks and 50 steals).

At that time, Noel had almost locked up the No. 2013 pick in 2013, but something happened on February 2, 12, that changed his fate.

In the game against the University of Florida, Noel tore the meniscus in his left knee and was ended for the season. In March Madness, when Noel was supposed to lead Kentucky to a killing spree, he had to undergo knee surgery.

Even with such injuries, Noel was still selected sixth overall, which is a testament to his talent.

But in the final analysis, his injuries still reduced his physical fitness a lot.

On the defensive end, Noel is also good at defending the penalty area with his height and wingspan. He does not move fast enough to prevent pick-and-rolls, and his awareness is not good enough.

It's easy to pass him due to mismatch, and if he attracts double-teams, he passes the ball to Horford.

The Thunder's offense is not bad. Caruso's defensive effect against Westbrook is not bad, but it is impossible to defend every round. Although Westbrook's personal offense is not smooth, he can still send a lot of passes.

The Celtics led the Thunder 35-27 in the first quarter.

江湖7投5中，三分球1中0，罚球6中6，砍下16分5篮板5助攻。

Paul George is the Thunder's best performer. He is easily double-teamed when holding the ball. He simply doesn't hold the ball at all. He runs wildly and catches and shoots neatly. He made 10 of 5 shots and 3 of 2 free throws. 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block.

The Celtics quickly gained the upper hand in the second quarter.

Stevens used a new rotation, letting Horford and Leonard, who took a break in the first quarter, lead the bench together. The other three were SGA, Danny Green, and Jaylen Brown.

SGA can play pick-and-roll breakthroughs with teammates, Leonard can hold the ball in isolation, and others can catch and shoot.

This lineup is definitely the strongest in the league in the last quarter. All five players can shoot, maximizing the space. The only shortcoming is that the interior defense is a bit poor.

In the second quarter, the Thunder was led by "Little Black" Dennis Schroeder alone. Although SGA still needs to be polished on the offensive end, his defense is quite tough, he is thin but fast, and he likes to go around screens and get out of the way. The defensive method of chasing behind made Schroeder very uncomfortable.

Schroeder doesn't use Trae Young's offensive method of sudden stops to create rear-end collisions. He is always worried about the block coming from behind, so he can't help but speed up his shots.

Adams came back in this quarter and failed to change the situation. He grabbed a few offensive rebounds, but often before they were passed out, the Celtics players still fouled him and sent him free throws.

It made Adams think that he had turned black and was regarded as O'Neal by this group of people.

The Celtics led 70 to 52 at halftime. Jianghu was very relaxed and played well. He even kissed the frightened children in the second row when the ball went out of bounds, causing the cameraman to take a crazy close-up.

The second half started quickly.

Seeing the score getting bigger and bigger, Westbrook became more and more impatient and began to frequently take long-range shots of his own, most of which ended up being a blackout.

Coach Donovan has a headache, not only because of Westbrook's wild shots, but also because he always makes some simple mistakes. He likes to stare at the ball, always tries to gamble for steals, and wants to get rebounds for fast breaks. It's crazy to miss people.

The effect of the Thunder's double-teaming is not good, and Leonard can still get easy opportunities to catch the ball and shoot.

Jianghu scored two more three-pointers in this quarter. Leonard, Horford, and Gasol also scored three-pointers, and even Caruso also made a three-pointer.

At the end of the three quarters, the Celtics led 101 to 79.

It was a perfect score, and the Thunder looked like they had a chance to come back, and the Celtics' stars would keep playing.

Zhang Weiping commented: "The Celtics tried their best to defend Westbrook. The Celtics defended Westbrook and let him shoot. The two were MVPs in the past two seasons, but it seems that Jianghu is a level better." .”

Yu Jia laughed and said: "Paul George did his best on the defensive end, but defending is something that every team cannot do well. There is nothing surprising about it."

There was no success in this game, and Ferguson was almost locked up on the defensive end, allowing him to shoot 8 of 1 from the field.

Leonard also guarded against George without saving any face, which caused George to make a total of 6 mistakes.

Not long after the last quarter, Adams committed five fouls and went off the court. Noel's frame protection was unable to guard against the Celtics' forward group. Jianghu and Leonard had not yet exerted their strength. Jaylen Brown personally fired a shot. The wave went 8-0, directly extending the score to 35 points.

Stevens saw that the victory was determined and took the lead in replacing all the main players. The Thunder played for another minute and missed two open three-pointers in a row, making a comeback hopeless. Then the main force was replaced.

维斯布鲁克又打了两铁，命中率28投10中，17罚14中，得到34分12篮板10助攻。

He sent out 10 assists, had a triple-double, and made 6 turnovers. Two of the most critical mistakes occurred in the third quarter, when George and Ferguson each hit 2 three-pointers, and the Thunder played a game. A 12-2 spurt brought the score to 10 points.

Then Westbrook made a mistake and stepped on the baseline when he broke through. A pass hit Adams in the head. Then the Celtics hit two chasing three-pointers in a row to stabilize the point difference. In the end, the Thunder again No chance either.

Jiang Hu celebrated by high-fiving his teammates on the sidelines and then sat down as a spectator.

Zhang Weiping said: "Westbrook was recognized as having the strongest statistics before the emergence of Jianghu. Now Jianghu's statistics are even stronger than him. Although he does not average a triple-double per game, his average of 36+7+13 per game is definitely better than the average triple-double per game." Shocking.”

Yu Jia nodded and said: "The main difference between Westbrook and Jiang Hu is shooting. Both of them are at the top of the league in terms of breakthrough ability. Jiang Hu is at least three levels ahead in shooting."

Zhang Weiping said with a smile: "Now many teams have formed a tacit understanding to defend Westbrook, which is to let him shoot outside. If you have the guts, you can use your 29% shooting three-pointer to kill me. I will accept the shot to kill me." ”

Yu Jia laughed and said: "If other teams defend Jianghu like Westbrook, I estimate that today's game will be another 70-point or more performance."

Zhang Weiping said in surprise: "Only 70? 90 is possible!!"

江湖本场比赛出场35分钟，17投12中，三分球6中5，罚球10中10，得到39分5篮板10助攻1抢断。

When he got this kind of data, everyone felt it was normal. This was the normal strength of Jianghu. There was nothing to be surprised about. (End of chapter)