Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 203 The end of the season
In fact, this season, Meeks has got a lot of opportunities in the Lakers team that lacks major generals. Currently, he can average 30 points in 15 minutes per game with good efficiency. His outbreak is not completely unpredictable.

And the most threatening point in the Lakers lineup is Dajia. He is the axis of the team's offense, but after controlling Meeks, Dajia is not someone who can use scoring to determine the outcome of the game. He is a gold medal support, but he cannot drive other teammates.

Even if the Lakers scored in double figures with seven players, there was nothing that could threaten the Thunder. Meeks, who performed well in the first half, also misfired in the second half, scoring 7 points only by free throws.

In the end, the Thunder won by 112 points at 97:15. In the fourth quarter, the third team played a bit erratically and gave a lot of opportunities, but the lead was too large to turn over.

Both Dewey and Ibaka scored 20+, Durant got a triple-double, Antetokounmpo's data is even better, 9+9+9, his performance is also a point that makes the Lakers uncomfortable.

After the three-pointers and shooting gradually stabilized, Antetokounmpo can play a role through personal offense, and once the opponent needs to focus on him, he can create better opportunities for his teammates.

Especially when there is another ball-holding point, whether it is Gobert, Durant, Westbrook or Ennis, the Thunder's offensive advantage is better brought into play.

They have changed too much, and no matter how the opponent defends, there will be loopholes.

After more than half a season of running-in, Westbrook is gradually getting involved, and the current strength of the Thunder is not the same as it was at the beginning of the season.

If it weren't for the fact that the opponents often exploded for various reasons, they would actually be able to play more easily.

Of course, this is also due to Li Sheng's approaching the playoffs to test the lineup, adjust the rotation, and reduce the playing time of the main players.

After that, the Thunder defeated the Houston team. Texas Xiaoqiang couldn't break through the Thunder this season. This has something to do with Howard being restricted every time.

Harden and Howard's running-in is not yet at its best, and at the same time, the Thunder's constant harassment from the flanks, low-post defense and assist defense make Warcraft very uncomfortable every time.

After a bad season for the Lakers, although Howard has recovered and is not troubled by injuries, he is no longer the number one center who dominated the basket.

And Houston's wing defense is also very problematic. They can't prevent Durant and Antetokounmpo, and even Ennis can take it hard a few times.

Although Parsons has improved significantly this season, there is only one Parsons in Houston, not to mention that he is not very mobile, and his defensive awareness needs to be improved, and he is still biased towards the offensive side.

Durant scored 40+ again, Ibaka scored 16 rebounds, which was considered a breakthrough in Warcraft, and Westbrook also scored 27 points and 7 assists.

One day later, they faced the Lakers at home, and this time the Thunder won more easily. Dewey doubled 30+ again, Ibaka 15+15, and the whole team broke out. The Thunder won 135:87 by 48 points!
Two days later, the Thunder lost to the visiting Mavericks with less than 90 points. Durant and Westbrook were absent this time.

However, the core of the team rests, and this loss is acceptable.

And anyone with a discerning eye can see that Li Sheng's recent rotation is a bit messy, obviously trying more new things.

At the same time, the playing time of rookies such as Gobert, Antetokounmpo, Robertson and Ennis has increased significantly, which is also a signal for training.

Because the record has stabilized, they don't need to be busy thinking about entering the playoffs or home court advantage. They just need to dig themselves and improve their strength.

Antetokounmpo is also on the rookie list now, and McAway can no longer compare with him. The team status may be higher than the latter, but the data, season highlights, and performance in the game, McAway is not an opponent at all, and he is a bit low.

On the contrary, Antetokounmpo is getting better and better. In these few games, he has steadily scored 10+ points, 6+ rebounds and 5+ assists.

It is that Gobert is now more hopeful than McAway. Although he only scored 8.7 points, he averaged 6.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. As a center, he did what he could do in limited playing time.

Moreover, his current playing time is still increasing steadily. Li Sheng is already considering whether to let Perkins rest more in the future, or he will occupy more than ten to twenty minutes per game without making much contribution.

Afterwards, the Thunder lost a few more games, and there were also some more thrilling games. For example, against the Raptors on March 3, the opponent was in good condition, with four players at 21+. The Thunder won the game by one point with Durant's 20+, especially the last steal and dunk.

This time Durant made 12 of 7 three-pointers, and his teammates are in a relatively average state, which can be regarded as another solo CARRY.

In the game against the Mavericks on March 3, Nowitzki scored 25 points and 32 rebounds. The Mavericks' rebounds in turn blew up the Thunder. In order to compete for the last ticket to the playoffs, the whole team went crazy. In the end, they gnawed down the tough bone of the Thunder and became the only team that defeated the Thunder twice in the regular season.

Of course, the Thunder still has some reservations. With Ibaka and Gobert resting, Durant scored 42 points and Westbrook scored 20 points, but Reggie and Lamb were crazy. Antetokounmpo scored 11 points with free throws, but lost to a better-performing opponent.

There is no way, they are competing for playoff tickets, Li Sheng doesn't think there is any need to fight with them at this time, he might as well play according to the plan, if they can't beat it, that's it.

On April 4th, Texas Xiaoqiang relied on Harden's 4-point quasi-triple-double. Finally, he was not swept by the Thunder in the regular season. The Thunder narrowly lost by 39 points.

During Durant's break, Westbrook and Antetokounmpo crazily attacked the opponent's inside line. It happened that Antetokounmpo was in good condition today, and Li Sheng also intended to give him a chance to get the first 30+ in his career. Unfortunately, the mileage was sad.

However, this game will definitely increase the possibility of him being the best rookie, especially near the end of the season, the impression points of the judges are very important.

In the penultimate game of the regular season against the Pacers, the Thunder also lost. Durant scored 38 points, but the opponents overall performed better.

This also brought their losing games to 10 times. Although they have never lost in a row, they are destined to be unable to surpass the Bulls' winning record.

But with the last two games left in the regular season, the Thunder still have a chance to tie this record.

At this time, the Thunder team may have lost a lot recently, but it seemed a lot calmer, and there was a feeling that winning or losing was meaningless.

This kind of mentality is not bad, at least it will not collapse because of the gap between the result and reality.

The penultimate game was against the Pelicans at the end of the Western Conference. By this time, Li Sheng would naturally not have a rest. In fact, he did not have a rest in the first two games.

However, they thought there would be no turmoil in the game, but they almost made a big news.

The Pelicans overtook the score in the middle of the fourth quarter. Tyreke Evans performed well in this game. The best rookie in the 09 class was a supernova who averaged 20 points per game in his debut season.

But he is still capable, and he can occasionally explode. For example, he scored 41 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in this game, although he only made 7 of 1 three-pointers.

However, the Thunder obviously already had the temperament of a strong man, and they did not rush when they were behind. The main reason was that Li Sheng sat on the sidelines and could stabilize the morale of the army at any time.

At the critical moment, Antetokounmpo broke through with the ball and caused Ajinsa's foul, and beat the center forward. After the lack of a height and fulcrum on the field, the Pelicans suddenly seemed unable to play.

再加上雷霆这边威少和字母哥又开启了双线并进的狂暴模式，字母哥临近赛季末表现越发出色，末节连拿6分，全场11投7中拿到21分8篮板3助攻。

Ibaka scored 15+15 again. This season, he is actually the second player on the team and Durant's biggest helper.

Especially as the core of the interior defense, his assistance and supplementary defense are indispensable for the Thunder, and it is also the biggest help for Gobert, Antetokounmpo and Robertson to successfully pass the rookie experience accumulation time.

Now the Thunder's defensive rotation system has gradually matured, especially the ability to sweep the flanks, allowing them to easily defend from the inside to the outside, which is a fatal blow to teams that like to score suddenly.

(End of this chapter)