Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 228 Veterans Don't Die
"The game coming to both sides may be the last offense and defense. Let's see how the Spurs will deal with this offense."

"Neither side called a timeout. It seems that the coaches of both sides believed in the ability of their players. Parker moved!"

"Leonard received a pass from a high pick-and-roll, but Antetokounmpo is very smart. After a delay, he immediately switched defenses with Robertson. Neither Parker nor Leonard has absolute confidence outside the three-point line, so the probability of them shooting this ball is not high."

"Yes, this is the defender's absolute confidence in his own defensive judgment at critical moments. If he rushes forward, he may give him a chance."

If it weren't for the commentary, many fans might not be able to see these offensive and defensive games.

Especially the changes in defense, for many fans, it is a blur. After all, even if they play normally, it is difficult to have such a deep awareness. Usually, fouls and mistakes are not rigorous on the field, let alone the handling of such details.

The game time is running out, Parker has been pressing on the top of the arc for more than ten seconds, and the remaining time is enough for an attack, but the Thunder has also started to move.

Leonard caught Ginobili who came out to catch the ball, and he immediately ran down the line. Duncan wanted to cover him, but Ibaka and Antetokounmpo surrounded Leonard in advance, preventing him from receiving the ball.

The ball was passed to Duncan, Ibaka also quickly stepped forward to interfere, Antetokounmpo closely followed Leonard, and the rest of the players were not big enough to make a good cover. Duncan saw no chance and was ready to shoot.

At this time, Westbrook next to him suddenly let go of Parker and came forward to attack him from behind and shoot the ball he lifted up. Parker was not as big as him. Duncan had been observing other places just now and was unprepared, so he succeeded in sneak attacking him.

"Westbrook suddenly stepped forward and cut Duncan's ball-a fatal mistake! This time Green came up to foul, and Westbrook will go to the free throw line again."

"It depends on how these two free throws are. If both free throws are made, the Spurs still have a chance to tie or even kill in the last 7 seconds, but if they fail to make free throws..."

Westbrook's face is also a little dignified. His free throws have never been very stable, just like shooting, which is an outlier among guards.

At his peak, he was able to hit 85%, but this season it was only 77.6%. Since the playoffs, because he didn't take many shots, it was above 80%, but at the critical moment, he obviously didn't have confidence in his free throws.

The teammates came up and clapped his hands with him, which can be regarded as encouragement to him.

Then the referee signaled that Westbrook received the ball, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, directly ignoring the Spurs fans who were holding various signs and yelling, gestures and even grimaces trying to interfere with him.

"The first penalty is here! It seems that Westbrook is a little nervous, too, at this critical moment, every point is very important. Let's look at the second penalty—"

"Two free throws were made, and Westbrook withstood the pressure at the critical moment. We saw a relieved smile on his face, and his teammates also came forward to give him high fives."

"I think it's not easy. Last season, Westbrook fell in the first round of the playoffs. The hard work of the team and himself for a season was all in vain. At the beginning of this season, he was also plagued by injuries and public opinion, and in the regular season. We can clearly see Li Sheng's arrangements for him and his own efforts for transformation.

"Who would have thought that he would make a comeback after one season, lead the team to the Western Conference finals, and score a quasi-triple-double of 30+ in this kind of match point game, which can be regarded as an answer to all kinds of doubts from the outside world. This season, he will stand on the real pinnacle with his teammates!"

After Westbrook made two free throws, the Thunder regained a two-point lead. Popovich immediately used the last timeout.

And there has to be a trade-off, depending on whether they want to kill or tie.

Of course the safest thing to do is to shoot a three-pointer, but there are too many uncertainties in the three-pointer, and the Thunder must strictly guard against the outside line, and they can put the inside line appropriately. After all, if there is a choice, they would definitely prefer the Spurs to only score two points, so that they can still have a physical advantage after entering overtime.

During the timeout, Li Sheng also made a rearrangement, that is, to make sudden shots. It will take time for the opponent to break through, and Gobert is brought up inside. Although he still lacks experience, his defense in the three-second zone is beyond Ibaka and the others.

This can minimize the probability of the opponent's success. Of course, the magic ball is always indispensable in this kind of game, and the Spurs are not without the ability to shoot lore shots. Not to mention GDP, Green and Leonard are also possible.

In the end, Popovich still chose to believe in his own judgment. At this critical moment, Dior was put on the court, and it was Ginobili who served from the sidelines.

The ball was sent out and almost timed out. The Thunder's strict defense put the Spurs under a lot of pressure, and they almost ran to the backcourt to catch the ball. After Parker came out to catch the ball, Duncan immediately came up to him for a pick-and-roll, and Leonard actually followed behind. This is a double pick-and-roll.

At the moment of disassembly, Duncan gave Leonard a screen, and Parker immediately passed to Leonard who was running down. After receiving the ball, Leonard took off and hit a basket with his left hand, which tied the score again, leaving only 0.7 seconds for the Thunder.

Li Sheng couldn't help but glanced at Popovich. This old man was very bad. He almost thought that the opponent replaced Dior with the intention of shooting a three-pointer. He didn't expect that he just opened up space on the side to scare people, and then the basket was empty.

Of course, the players on the court actually judged the ball, but the conscious and physical reactions were not at the same time. It was too late for Ibaka to make up the defense, and he was afraid of losing a foul, so he almost watched the opponent take off in the end.

"Scored! The Spurs still chose to tie the score at the last moment, get the easier two points, and enter overtime."

This choice does not matter right or wrong, it depends on the result of overtime.

Of course, before that, the regular time game is not over yet.

With an attack time of 0.7 seconds, of course Li Sheng also wants to try again.

After all, people can kill in 0.4 seconds, although the controversy is not small, but in the case of 0.7 seconds, the only way that can be thought of is the alley-oop, and this has high requirements for those who serve and receive the ball.

Li Sheng also used up his last timeout, gathered the players together, drew lines on the tactical board and followed their orders.

"...Don't be under pressure, we have a retreat, but I also hope that you will treat this time as a lore, because the future things are unpredictable, and the only thing we can grasp is now..."

Of course Li Sheng was not threatening them, but telling the truth.

Although their physical strength and state may be more beneficial if they drag into overtime, it is uncertain whether the opponent will suddenly explode.

All the generals naturally nodded yes, and for this reason, their faith in Li Sheng has reached a new level.

Especially for those players who have not yet experienced the Western Conference Finals, every step forward, the excitement in their hearts will increase.

Of course, this excitement will only turn into the motivation for them to move on, because their goal was determined from the moment Li Sheng became the head coach of the Thunder, and there is only one and no other possibility.

"Okay, let's get back to the game..."

"For the last 0.7 seconds, let's see how Li Sheng will arrange it-Will Westbrook serve and directly catch it? Oops! It's a pity..."

"It's really a pity. This tactic has already come out. The Spurs should have guessed that they will play this way, but they don't know from which direction, because it is too confusing. Watching the replay, there was also a chance on the outside. It's a pity that Durant used a little bit of strength on this ball..."

Maybe it was because of nervousness, or maybe it was because of excitement, or maybe it was just that he didn't calculate it well and control the strength. After all, there was too little time. In order to avoid being judged to be overtime, Durant almost tapped it with his fingertips. As a result, the ball got stuck on the neck of the basket and stayed again.

Of course, there is still a little bit of luck, because it was almost possible to roll in.

The ball also shocked the fans at the scene, especially those fans in the front row who couldn't see clearly from other angles at the first time. At that time, they thought the ball had fallen into the basket.

So you can clearly hear the sound of exhalation from the audience, it's because they suddenly relaxed.

However, the game is not over yet, and it is time to enter overtime, and overtime may be the real test for the Spurs, and it will also verify whether Popovich's previous choice was right or wrong-although there is no need to talk about the result, but the outcome of competitive sports is unavoidable.

There was still a 130-second rest period before the overtime game. Naturally, the two sides did not return to the locker room, but directly stayed on the bench to rest. Li Sheng did not choose to make any changes at this time, whether it was tactics or personnel adjustments.

At this point, we must still trust the players who have already been tested in a game. It is up to them to delay until now. Naturally, it is up to them to decide whether to win or lose.

Of course, Li Sheng is also prepared, and will adjust at any time later depending on the situation.

He has accumulated enough tactics and adjustment strategies throughout the season, some of which were even verified in pre-match simulations, and he is not afraid to use them at critical moments. Of course, whether it can be effective is another matter. After all, it is the players who implement them, and they themselves are unstable X factors.

"Overtime has begun! The lineups on both sides have not changed, and several veterans on the Spurs side are also fighting, especially the old Duncan. I don't know if I can hold on to my physical strength. Then the jump ball, the Thunder got the first wave of offensive opportunities, and Westbrook advanced with the ball..."

After Westbrook came to the top of the arc, he immediately handed it over to Durant who came to catch the ball, and then went straight down the line. Ibaka made a screen for him, but Durant ran to the bottom corner without passing it.

Antetokounmpo made an off-ball screen for Robertson on the flank, and then received a pass from Durant at the moment of the downswing and immediately passed it to Robertson. Duncan came to help defend.

The angle is not very good, Ibaka catches the ball and adjusts it, but Duncan immediately turns around, but he has already shot a jumper.

Although he fought hard inside for a long time, Ibaka still maintained his physical strength at this time. Today he shared time with Gobert and Antetokounmpo. The three of them basically played for about 30 minutes, so they were still in good shape at this time.

Looking back, the Spurs also relied on Ginobili to change hands and scored a layup. Then the two sides each hit an iron, and the Thunder attacked again.

This time Westbrook made a pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo at the top of the arc. After passing back to Antetokounmpo, he immediately went around Ibaka's screen and received a pass from Antetokounmpo at the bottom corner of the weak side.

Got it!

Westbrook clenched his fists and beat his chest heavily, his expression was very insolent. His three-pointers today are unbelievably accurate. So far, he has taken four shots from the bottom corners on both sides, and one shot from the top of the arc. He made four out of five three-pointers. He really had a big meal, which also made him very confident.

Sometimes self-confidence may also add a little BUFF to the hit. The more you shoot, the more accurate you may be. Of course, it must be under the condition of physical strength and so on.

But Westbrook naturally has no physical concerns, he can still run around the court very fast now.

The Spurs were finally affected by their physical strength. Duncan couldn't catch the ball firmly and was cut off by Ibaka. Antetokounmpo immediately came over to grab the ball, but this time he missed the opportunity of a fast break and had to settle down.

Then the same trick was repeated. This time it was the Eagles attacking. After Westbrook handed over the ball, he immediately slid down. After catching the ball at the basket, he not only scored but also caused a foul against Green who was rushing over.

The Spurs finally got a 17-foot open shot from Leonard, and this time he didn't miss it to help the team catch up with two points.

Looking back, the Thunder's offense was blocked the next time, but the Spurs' fast break made a mistake because of their eagerness for success, and gave up the ball they had finally won for nothing.

At this time, no matter the fans, coaches or players themselves became anxious, the Thunder seemed to relax more and more.

Everyone pulled Durant to one-on-one, and the Spurs didn't dare to double-team easily. As a result, he hit the ball against Green and opened the score to 5 points.

At this time, there was less than 1 minute left in overtime, and it was difficult for the Spurs to catch up to the five points. Even the referees could see that they restored the "fairness" they should have during overtime, and began to completely leave it to the players to solve the problem themselves.

But the current state of the Spurs' players is obviously not comparable to that of the Thunder. Duncan feels very difficult every time he runs, and Parker and Ginobili's faces are also a little ugly, not just because they are behind.

Green's face was serious, so Leonard couldn't tell what he was thinking at all, and he was even more paralyzed than Duncan.

"By this time, the Spurs feel that they can't move at all. Duncan is still working hard, but he can't handle Ibaka..."

Although Duncan scored the ball, he seemed trembling, and his pace was much slower when he returned to defense.

"The consumption is too much. For players of this age, the peak period has passed. Now Duncan is running on the court with perseverance. Veterans don't die, they just fade away slowly. This is the spirit of competitive sports, and it deserves respect from all of us."

Respect can be given, but victory or defeat still has to be taken away.

The Spurs were still four points behind in the last half minute, and it was the Thunder's chance to attack. They had no choice but to foul.

Although Antetokounmpo made two free throws and one free throw, the situation is over for them at this time.

In the end, it was not able to change its fate against the sky. The desperate demon knife failed to shine at home today due to the dust. Durant just stood there to waste time after holding the ball for halftime, and the Spurs did not make unnecessary struggles.

At the end of the game, the Thunder defeated the Spurs by 5 points, won the first away game in the Western Conference Finals, and also changed the series score to 3:0.

It is only one step away from reaching the finals!
(End of this chapter)