Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 225 Temporarily Leading
"Coach Li Sheng seems very dissatisfied with the referee's penalty. This is the Thunder's fourth consecutive foul in the past few minutes..."

It is not easy for the commentator to say what the league has started to manipulate the game, but the meaning is that individuals can hear it.

It's really hard to say that the judgment was wrong, because the referee's scale is the key in the game, and it is rare to make a judgment completely in accordance with the rules.

The other is the double standard for the two teams, like the same action, it’s fine on the Spurs’ side, but it’s a foul on the Thunder’s side.

Li Sheng was not surprised by this at all. After all, he had encountered this situation before when he was playing against the Mavericks and the Blazers.

The Spurs played against the Clippers before, and they also suffered from this kind of loss. The meaning of the president is obvious, "You all play a few more games for me and earn more money for a few more games."

According to the rules, part of the home court fee will be handed over to the league, so there is a benefit in it.

But many teams prefer to advance early, because there are many nights and dreams, injuries and accidents are unknown.

The league manipulates referees and referees affect the game. This is something that has always existed and is well known. The question is to what extent.

Li Sheng knew it well and wanted to communicate with the referees, and he also wanted to get information from them and test how far they would go.

If it's just because they don't want the Thunder to sweep and qualify, it's actually the best thing to do in the fourth game.

Of course, if the third game is successful in this way, the fourth game may not do anything, and then returning to the home court just happens to be able to advance directly.

But I'm afraid they don't just want this. After all, there are so many tie-breaks in the first round, and the heat of the division finals is so high, how can they let it go.

The Spurs played against the Grizzlies and the Mavericks were both tie-breakers. Apart from the fact that the rhythm of the two teams can match, Li Sheng believes that the main factor is the influence of the referee.

Of course, the Spurs may not have been in their best form at that time, or they may have been simply restrained by style, otherwise it would not be so easy to reach the tiebreaker when there is a big gap in strength.

Just like the Thunder beat the Mavericks and Trail Blazers, the league only succeeded in one or two games.

But the Spurs are obviously not comparable to the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers. This season, it is obvious that the top two teams in the West are not at the same level as other teams. After all, one wins 70+ games and the other wins 60+ games.

However, the Spurs retained a lot in the regular season. If they played at full strength, their record might have to be improved by four or five games.

After all, players are human beings, not machines. Human beings will have emotions, and on the field, whether they are leading in a single game and being overtaken, or leading in a series and being caught up, it will put pressure on them.

Under heavy pressure, especially young players are more likely to cause deformation of technical movements. The Warriors' comeback in the 16 Finals is the best example. Even if the impact of injuries is not counted, if the same group of people let them play with experience five years later, the result may be different.

"Li, it seems that the president doesn't want us to go so smoothly. He wants to create some troubles for us..."

Gentry, as an experienced coach, naturally can't fail to see this. His mentality is very stable, and he thinks it's okay to play a game or two.

However, Li Sheng still hopes that this game can be won first, not deliberately against the league, but he knows that a 2:0 and 3:1 lead is not safe. In an era where three-pointers are becoming more and more important, it is too easy to chase points. In the future, even a 20-point lead in the first three quarters is not stable.

You are cooperating with the alliance now, but the alliance may not take care of you when something goes wrong, they only recognize interests.

After all, as long as the Thunder's performance is good for the league, they won't say anything in the end.

No matter how you look at it, the Thunder's current commercial value and influence are higher than those of the Spurs. Li Sheng also has reason to believe that this game is the same as the one with the Mavericks. As long as they can persist until the end, the referees will naturally give up.

Of course, he also needs to express his attitude again.

Coincidentally, two of the three referees today happened to be the referees of the game against the Mavericks, so Li Sheng didn't act again, but only approached them a few times, emphatically expressing his dissatisfaction, which seemed to have aroused their PTSD.

For these referees, they are just doing a job, and the league is not demanding death—after all, unless the two sides fake the match, anything can happen on the court, and it is impossible to demand death, so no one will do it.

After being frightened by Li Sheng for a while, they really restrained themselves a little.

But it will be Popovich's turn to "perform" over there. This old man is very scheming, and now at home, he is at ease in putting pressure on the referee. The home game should have some benefits.

When it's not about you, you demand fair punishment. When you're in a disadvantaged situation, it's fair to judge and punish yourself.

Li Sheng watched coldly for a while, and didn't say anything more, after all, he would do the same at home.

In the next few rounds, the referee did not rashly exert any influence, but the Thunder still seemed to be disturbed, and even hit the iron a few times, but fortunately, the Spurs' offensive efficiency also dropped.

"The offensive efficiency of both sides is not high during this period. The Thunder still maintain the lead, but the lead is not large, and they may be overtaken at any time."

"After a good rest, the Spurs are indeed not in the same state as the previous two games. The performance in the third quarter is the best illustration of the situation. Although they don't feel very good, they also defended against the Thunder's attack. Now it depends on who can break the deadlock first."

The first to open up the situation is naturally the Thunder side. The star will not be inaccurate all the time, and it is very likely that he will suddenly regain his status at a certain point.

Just like Durant broke through with the ball at this time, Green was blocked by Ibaka's screen, Duncan was too forward and was directly passed by Durant, Leonard hurried over to help defend, Durant did not pass to Antetokounmpo in the bottom corner, but forced himself to cause Leonard's foul.

The referees don't want to be too obvious. Some obvious fouls should still be given. Besides, they just want to add a little suspense to the game, and they don't really want to black the Thunder.

Durant made two free throws at the free throw line, and the score came to 72:75. The visiting team still leads by 3 points for the time being.

Parker advanced with the ball, and Robertson led the defense. Parker used the cover to sway his body, brought it to the top of the arc, and handed it to Leonard who circled around.

Leonard faced Durant, held high and beat Splitter up as a cover. Durant was blocked, and Antetokounmpo switched defenses in time. Leonard faced Antetokounmpo, who had long arms and legs and was no slower than him, but did not find a good chance. In the end, he gave it to Green on the flank.

Green passed back to Parker, Parker hung to Duncan, Duncan turned around facing Ibaka and scored with a hook.

Looking back, Durant played singles with the ball in the elbow area. After attracting the defense, Ibaka missed a three-pointer. However, the Thunder retreated quickly and the Spurs did not find a good opportunity.

The Thunder went on a fast break with three players, three-on-two in the frontcourt, and finally ended with Westbrook catching the ball.

In this way, they played several more rounds one after another, and the two sides scored alternately until the end of the third quarter.

Although there were some twists and turns in the middle, after the end of the third quarter, the Thunder still maintained their weak lead, which is naturally more beneficial to them.

(End of this chapter)