pinnacle swinger

Chapter 296 Thrilling First Victory
The Thunder led at halftime, with only a slight advantage of 2 points.

If you only watch half of the game, it seems that the Thunder without Harden will not be weakened too much. At least in a duel with the 76ers, they can still not fall behind.

This made many Oklahoma media reporters immediately think about the next article to be written. Harden's departure made the Thunder more like a group?The Thunder will give up the cancer, will they win the championship in the new season?

The opening game has always been a game that attracts more attention. After experiencing a turbulent summer of trading market volatility, fans especially want to see the changes and progress of each team in the new season.For example, the Philadelphia 76ers, who have introduced many veterans, can no longer be regarded as a youth army. Their lineup depth is obviously stronger. At critical moments, Collins can play more and more cards.

And the Thunder, which lost a big general, can be on par with the 76ers, which is both surprising and natural.

After all, the head of the Thunder, Westbrook and Durant, heard that they also experienced training camps and personal training in the summer. The two of them are the whole of the Thunder. The stronger the two are, the stronger the Thunder will be. The better, the better the Thunder as a whole.

In the second half, the two sides returned to the court to continue the game.

Durant has indeed improved a lot. His ball-handling ability seems to have improved after a summer of training, which directly improves his offensive ability with the ball.

Tang Wenlong had a hard time defending. Several shots failed to completely lock Durant, allowing Durant to get space to shoot and then hit the shot.

At the end of the three quarters, the Thunder 79 led the 77ers by 76 points over 2.

At this time, Durant scored 24 points and Tang Wenlong scored 19 points and 7 rebounds. Both of them couldn't defend each other, as if they were playing match-fixing.

In the critical fourth quarter, the Thunder’s substitute representatives took the lead to stand up. The newly recruited quasi-All-Star player Kevin Martin completed his individual offenses in a row. Not only did he hit a mid-range jumper, but he also hit a three-pointer from the corner with an inside support ball. This time, he scored five points in a row, forcing Collins to call a timeout to contain him.

"My!" Ray Allen raised his hand to indicate that the responsibility for these two waves of defense rested with him.

"Rotate the defense quickly and trust your teammates." Collins said to Ray Allen and Butler, and the defensive cooperation between the two was very problematic.

Both of them nodded solemnly.

Back from the timeout, Butler made an air cut and received a pass from Ray Allen. He took a step on the line of the penalty area and flew for a dunk. The veteran insider of the Thunder, Collison, had no time to defend and watched Butler complete the dunk.

"Jimmy has superstar quality." Tang Wenlong on the bench turned his head and said to Iguodala.

Iguodala agreed with Tang Wenlong, and then said half-sarcastically: "Then I may have to give way to him in a few years. His growth rate is amazing."

"Hahaha!" Tang Wenlong laughed dryly, scolding himself for which pot he didn't open and which pot he lifted.

But he is definitely wrong on this point. Iguodala is a true team-oriented player. He doesn't care about statistics, playing time, or team status. What he really cares about is whether he can win the game. Even if he is a substitute, he is willing. When he was in college, his teacher once described him like this.

Five minutes later, Tang Wenlong took the lead to replace him, and Butler took a rest. At this time, there were still 5 minutes and 7 seconds left in the game.

And taking advantage of this dead ball, the Thunder also took the opportunity to replace Durant. At this time, the Thunder had returned to the starting five. The 76ers' Lowry and Iguodala hadn't played yet. Let Tang Wenlong try with two veterans to see if there is a tacit chemical reaction.

Needless to say, the basketball IQ of the veterans, although the 76ers may not remember many fixed tactical routines, but only relying on their consistent basketball experience, they will appear in the right place on the court. Immediately withdrew from the bottom corner to ambush, and Billups was ready to respond at 45 degrees.

Tang Wenlong's heels were slightly off the ground, and the forefoot of his right foot stepped on the ground to exert force. After shaking the ball with both hands, he immediately began to break through to the right, which was simple and violent.

Durant couldn't keep up. He was half a body behind in the first step, and was directly stuck behind in the second step, losing his position all at once.

"Replenish!" Durant yelled, and the Thunder immediately retracted their defense. The first one who came to help defend was Ibaka, Durant's first paparazzi. A large space.Tang Wenlong flicked the ball with a hook, and distributed the ball to Billups who moved to the high position without looking at anyone.

Billups kept the ball in his hands, and a through ball was passed to David West who was open at the basket.

West got up to put the basket, and Ibaka was a little slower when he made up the defense again. His big hand swiped over West's head, but he didn't touch anything.

The Thunder attacked, Westbrook forced Billups, made a sudden stop near the free throw line and missed a jumper.

The rebound was grabbed by Tang Wenlong again. This is his eighth rebound in this game. His rebounding ability seems to have improved a lot after a playoff game. , he is obviously faster than Durant. It seems that he picked up a defensive rebound, but it actually tested his abilities in many aspects.

After another two rounds, the Thunder directly hit Ray Allen when they were attacking and was called an offensive foul.

"Ginger is still old and hot!" Tang Wenlong pulled Ray Allen up from the ground with a smile. The old Youtiao's anticipation of defense was so coquettish that he fell to the ground and slid as soon as he was hit by a locomotive. The collision was so miserable that the referee subconsciously blew the whistle.

"Small means, small means." Ray Allen is not proud of this. Many players in the league will use this trick, and this style has intensified in recent years.

After entering the dead ball timeout, Collins replaced Lowry and Iguodala.

Durant hit a three-pointer when he came back from a timeout. The Thunder led the 100ers by 95 points 76 to 5, and took the lead in entering the triple-digit stage.

At this time, Tang Wenlong was not to be outdone, and he shot with a single block from the outside, and also hit a 3-pointer to return the favor.

At this stage, the 76ers team also began to be nervous and struggling. After all, this is an important opening game, and a good start is a good thing for the entire season.What's more, the championship ring was just awarded today. It is impossible to lose to the finals opponent who swept last season, right?

The scores of the two teams rose alternately. At the last 2 minutes and 18 seconds, Tang Wenlong hit a layup to tie the score at 108.

At the critical moment, it was Durant who stood up. After covering the running position, he received a pass from Westbrook at a high position. He made a sideways move and directly pulled up a jumper. Tang Wenlong covered his entire face, but the basketball fell into the basket after hitting the backboard. basket, the Thunder led by 2 points at the critical moment.

The game was tense and suffocating. The 76ers gave it to Tang Wenlong, and Tang Wenlong double-teamed it to Lowry to break through.

Lowry's throw at a critical moment!
Missed, but the rebound was knocked out of the baseline by the Thunder.

In the last 41.9 seconds, Tang Wenlong's step-back jumper hit the most critical jumper in the game, and the two sides tied at 100.

The Thunder paused, and Coach Brooks arranged for Durant to execute the key ball, choosing a quick attack within 10 seconds.

Because the Thunder wanted to make up the time for the final attack, the idea was right, but the development trajectory of basketball has changed. When Durant was attacking with the ball, he dribbled the ball on his instep and directly bounced to Iguodah pull hands.

This was a fatal mistake. Tang Wenlong immediately turned around and rushed forward. At this time, the Thunder had no time to retreat. After receiving a long pass from Iguodala alone, he chose a step inside the free throw line in front of Westbrook. Taking off and dunking quickly with both hands, Westbrook couldn't block him at all.

With 30 seconds left in the time, it left the 76ers with the last chance to attack.

In this wave of offense, the Thunder failed to make a shot. Durant was firmly blocked by Tang Wenlong and Iguodala.

Sure enough, Westbrook's layup was interfered with, and the rebound was missed by Marc Gasol.

At this time, the Thunder immediately fouled, and Gasol went to the free throw line and made two free throws. The 76ers led by 104 points 100 to 4, with more than ten seconds left in the game.

Durant missed a three-point jumper, and Tang Wenlong grabbed the rebound again, sending him to the free throw line.

Tang Wenlong made two free throws, 106 to 100, and the Thunder completely lost the chance of a comeback.

最终，76人主场107比100战胜了雷霆，唐文龙全场比赛砍下29分9个篮板和8次助攻的准三双数据。

(End of this chapter)