Coach, I don't want to retire yet

Chapter 564 Curry’s despair, basketball’s victory!
In Game 7 between the Warriors and the Thunder, who between Curry and Durant can find himself again, get out of trouble, and usher in a new life?
Before the game started, Seth Curry still had some expectations, but when the game started, Seth Curry was completely desperate.

"Coach, I shouldn't have those unrealistic expectations."

"The Warriors' support for Steph is completely different than the Thunder's support for Durant."

Seth Curry was talking to himself.

Du Kang remained silent.

In the past two games, Durant took more than 60 shots and missed 40 of them, playing the worst playoff performance of his career.

In the past two games, Curry also played the two worst games in his career playoffs, but in these two games, Curry only took 25 shots in total and missed 15 of them.

So, although he was also suffering, all Durant received was criticism, such as being too arrogant and dragging down his teammates. Even the Thunder's head coach Donovan was dissatisfied with Durant's performance in the two games.

Curry, on the other hand, received mostly praise, praise from expert reporters, praise from coaches, and praise from teammates.

It seems that although both are facing difficulties, Curry's situation is much better than Durant's.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

Durant is still holding on and has not given up struggling, but Curry, in fact, has already given up struggling.

Yes, Curry is too self-restrained. For his teammates, for his coach, and for the team's victory, he is too self-restrained. In the past two games, except for Al-Farouq Aminu passing the ball to him, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson rarely passed the ball to Curry.

Even the Warriors coach Kerr, when Curry was messed with by Westbrook, did not try to help Curry get rid of Westbrook, but told Curry not to return to his own half to defend. Since the Thunder used the tactic of forcing Curry when attacking, then just force Curry. Westbrook and Curry both stayed in the backcourt. Westbrook did not participate in the offense, and Curry did not participate in the defense. The Thunder had four players attacking and the Warriors had four players defending.

The Warriors are better off without Curry, a defensive loophole, in positional battles.

This feeling, this suggestion, was extremely damaging to Curry. At the beginning, Curry was still trying to get rid of Westbrook and return to his own half of the court to defend. Although Curry's defense was indeed very poor, his defensive attitude was always very positive.

However, after feeling the hint that his teammates didn't need him, Curry became desperate and depressed.

Faced with Westbrook's tactics of forcing Curry, Curry gave up struggling.

Can Curry be blamed for this?

We can’t blame Curry entirely, especially since there is no harm without comparison.

If you were Curry, you would watch Westbrook, Carter, Ibaka and others crazy about supporting Durant, and then think about being abandoned by your coach and teammates.

How would you feel?
Yes, coach, teammates have their reasons, and sacrifices for victory are necessary.

But don’t the Thunder players need to win?

For the Warriors, winning is more important than Curry!

And in the Thunder, Durant is more important than victory!

In the past two games, Durant was not good at all and he was also the player with the most shots for the Thunder.

In the past two games, Klay Thompson's shots were all aimed at Curry.

In fact, it is much easier for the Warriors to help Curry than for the Thunder to help Durant.

If Curry is a loophole on the defensive end, it would be fine to let him and Westbrook not participate in defense in the frontcourt.

But what about on offense?
In fact, Draymond Green only needs to block Curry a little bit in the center circle, and Curry can shoot the logo after receiving the ball.

Curry has that ability.

As long as Kerr and the Warriors players are willing to support Curry, Curry will have the opportunity to show his abilities.

Durant does not have such ability. It is much more difficult for him to get rid of the forward-pressing tactics than Curry.

However, the Thunder players, Adams, Ibaka, Westbrook, Carter, and even Anthony, all gave up their own offense to help Durant get rid of the forward-pressing tactics, leaving the opportunity for Durant to punish the Warriors.

Westbrook, Carter, Anthony, Ibaka, Adams, these Thunder players, don't want to attack 4 on 4, no one can be missing, they just want Durant to take the lead.

Westbrook leads the way in doing so on the court.

Against Donovan's tactical arrangements, he brought all the Thunder players to support Durant.

And what about the Warriors?
When attacking, after Curry is entangled by Westbrook, Klay will not wait for Curry, he will shoot as soon as he can attack.

It's not even an opportunity. Klay won't wait for Curry for a strong shot. Klay was superb in G6. But, similarly, Klay had too many strong shots in this game, but most of them went in. What if he didn't?
If he didn't score, it would be just like the first quarter of Game 6. Klay made 10 of 3 shots in the quarter, taking almost half of the Warriors' shots. The Warriors almost lost after the first quarter.

In fact, if Klay could be calmer, he could pass the ball to the key player. If he didn't want to help Curry who was forced by Westbrook, he could just pass the ball one more time and pass it back to Yi Jianlian, who made 2 of 2 in the first quarter, or even to Draymond Green, who also made 2 of 2.

It feels like after Curry was forced by Westbrook, Klay and Draymond were eager to grab the second position instead of helping Curry.

Well, Cole seems to be supporting this behavior as well.

The audience can see this style of painting clearly.

Not to mention Curry, the person involved.

After Durant was defeated by the forward-forcing tactic, Donovan also wanted to make Westbrook the team leader.

The head coach's choice is actually understandable.

Many times, this is the truth, but the difference in perception sometimes cannot be explained by reason.

Westbrook is much more brotherly than Draymond and Klay.

The players' behavior on the court can actually be seen.

However, at this moment, except Seth Curry and Du Kang, no one actually paid attention to Curry's mood.

That can’t be said. Mrs. Ku, who is at the scene, is wiping away tears.

However, when the scene of Mrs. Ku wiping her tears appeared, she received not sympathy but more ridicule.

Because, after the first quarter, the Warriors led the Thunder by 29 points at home, 12 to 17.

In order to support Durant's offense, the Thunder almost completely disrupted their own offensive rhythm. In the first quarter alone, the Thunder had three 3-second moments.

The Thunder, which completely lost its offensive rhythm, successfully forced Durant to take 5 shots in this quarter, making 5 of 2, 2 of 0 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 6 points, the most for the Thunder, which was also half of the Thunder's total score.

Judging from the data, only Durant played normally for the Thunder. Westbrook made 7 of 1, Carter made 4 of 1, Anthony made 2 of 1, and Ibaka made 4 of 1, and they all seemed to be undercover.

In fact, most of the shots by Westbrook, Carter, Anthony and Ibaka were aimed at creating opportunities for Durant and pushing the time to the last throw.

Normally, when the Thunder have no chance, they will pass the buck to Durant and let him take the blame and shoot.

But this time, Westbrook, Carter, Anthony and Ibaka, all the Thunder players, are carrying the burden for Durant.

"KD, you used to carry the burden for us, now it's our turn to carry the burden for you!"

Give Durant a chance!
Keep the pot to yourself!

The performance of Westbrook, Ibaka, Carter and others in the first quarter shocked Anthony beyond compare.

The choices made by Thunder players such as Westbrook, Ibaka and Carter in the first quarter moved Curry and made him envious to the point of wanting to cry.

But, to the Warriors fans at the scene, this was so ridiculous.

To support Durant, you have finished the first quarter and are 17 points behind!
"Hahahaha, Kevin Durant is crying! Kevin Durant was beaten by the great Golden State Warriors and is crying!!!"

The Warriors fans at the scene were mocking Durant and the choices made by Westbrook and other Thunder players.

Look at us?

In the first quarter of this game, Curry made 0 shots!

This is why the Warriors can lead by 17 points!

"Coach, actually when Stephen joined the Warriors, the Warriors fans didn't think much of him."

"In fact, Stephen has never been fully recognized by Warriors fans, coaches or even teammates." "Except for Yi, no one believes in Stephen. Draymond and Klay have never thought that Stephen should be the second in command of the team, the future boss. They have never regarded Stephen as their leader."

"So, at this moment, when Stephen is useless, their choice is not surprising, except that..."

Seth Curry didn't continue his speech.

What follows is too cruel.

“It’s just that I expect a miracle, but in fact…except you, no one can bring miracles to players like us.”

"In the NBA, players like me, Stephen, and Nash, who look weak, will never be recognized by others no matter how great their achievements are. Because of our thinness, they always think we are so weak and that success is all luck. Now, when they see Stephen in trouble, they won't help him and may even laugh at him in their hearts. Man, look, am I right? Stephen Curry is just a piece of trash who relies on luck. He doesn't play the kind of basketball that can win a championship. Now, we can finally find a chance to abandon him."

There were already tears in Seth Curry's eyes at this time.

Because he felt the same way.

He also encountered such disdain after losing to Kyrie Irving in the playoffs.

"Prejudice is a huge mountain. Even though Steve Nash has been so successful, with 2 MVPs and 1 FMVP, and even though the coach has asked him to prove his defense, but..."

"But there are still people who say that Nash is too lucky and was born in the right era. If he was born a few years later and encountered the forward-pushing tactics, Nash would have been eliminated in less than three years in the NBA."

"Coach, are players like us becoming less and less suitable for playing basketball in the future? Can players like us still have basketball dreams in the future?"

Once the magical Monty's forward-forcing tactics came out, coupled with the NBA's updated version to encourage defense, players who are relatively thin and have relatively poor confrontation skills, such as Nash, Curry and Seth Curry, were greatly weakened.

In other words, Kyrie Irving is too lazy to push forward, otherwise Seth Curry would be in an even worse situation.

The Thunder players are willing to devote all their strength to support Durant and save Durant. This must be out of great love, and they also believe that Durant can definitely get over it. Why do they believe that Durant can get over it?
Because Durant's talent is obvious to the naked eye!

And what about Curry?

Why did the Warriors fans, coaches, and players give up on Curry so easily?

Because, in their hearts, they are sure that Curry will not be able to get out of Westbrook's pressure, no matter how much help he gets. He is doomed. Curry's physical talent is doomed. His future in the NBA will become increasingly difficult, his future is bleak, and there is no hope. Why waste his emotions?
Du Kang doesn't believe that Klay and Draymond are so selfish and have no feelings for Curry. But, at this moment, if it were you, would you work hard for a goal that is doomed to have no hope, or even sacrifice yourself?
Westbrook is willing to save Durant without reservation because he still believes that Durant can become the best player in the NBA as long as he adapts to this style of play.

The Warriors, from fans, players, coaches, and even Curry himself, do not believe that they can stand up in the future, let alone become the best player.

The amazing Monty came up with this forward-pushing tactic, which really changed basketball...

So much so that even he didn't know how to answer the question raised by Seth Curry for a moment.

In the future, will there still be a breeding ground for elf-like players like Nash, Seth Curry and Curry in the NBA?

Encouraging absolute offense is a step backward for basketball.

So does encouraging this kind of absolute confrontation necessarily mean progress for basketball?

No one knows what will happen in the future.

But this season, Curry will definitely have a very difficult time.

The game continued. In the second quarter, Durant rested on the sidelines, while Westbrook, Adams, Ibaka, Anthony and Carter all stayed on the court.

The pit dug in the first section was too big.

Now they need to fill the hole with all their strength.

The Thunder did have a huge advantage in the interior, but in this quarter, Klay Thompson's three-pointer exploded again.

The Thunder made 6 of 4 three-pointers in a single quarter and scored 12 points in a single quarter. In the end, after working hard for the entire quarter, they could only recover 26 points with 23 to 3.

Perhaps, the only good news is that Durant got a lot of rest time in this quarter. Durant only played the last 2 minutes of this quarter, made 2 of 1 shots, and scored 2 points.

At the end of the first half, the Thunder were still trailing by 38 points at 52 to 14.

The huge gap is like a natural chasm
By the way, in this quarter, Curry still didn’t take a shot and didn’t score, as if he was completely forgotten.

Halftime was over and the Thunder were still 14 points behind, but they were still helping Durant.

Throughout the third quarter, the Thunder team was creating opportunities for Durant.

In this quarter, Durant made 3 of 3 shots and 1 of 1 three-pointers. He made all the good opportunities and scored 7 points!
Compared with Durant's super high efficiency, Westbrook made 6 of 2, Ibaka made 5 of 2, Adams made 6 of 2, Carter made 5 of 1, and Anthony made 3 of 0. Their shooting percentages are really miserable.

But the Thunder team was very happy.

Because they can see that Durant is getting closer and closer to getting back on his feet!

The sensitive Durant wiped away tears again when he left the court despite the smiles on his teammates.

In this quarter, the Thunder scored 24 to 19 and recovered 5 points.

Klay, who was a three-point god in the second quarter, made 5 of 0 shots in this quarter and did not score a single point. It was thanks to Al-Farouq Aminu who scored 14 points in the interior in a single quarter, otherwise the Warriors' rhythm would have collapsed in the third quarter.

The Thunder have beaten Love and Curry to a pulp. The Warriors, who had an invincible offense in the regular season, now rely on Al-Farouq Aminu's one-on-ones, Klay's superb play, and Iguodala and Draymond's on-time and off-time shooting.

The Warriors' offense is actually very difficult now.

In such a difficult situation, no one still thought of helping Curry.

In fact, it's too late to help Curry now.

Because after three quarters, he didn't shoot a single ball.

His role on the court is just to keep Westbrook in the other half, allowing the Warriors to play 4 on 4, the Warriors' offense can be a little easier, and the defense can be a little more relaxed.

Curry is now a consumable material for the Warriors' offense and defense.

Curry himself accepted this role. He didn't cry or make a fuss, didn't fight or compete, and didn't even shed tears.

If Durant wiped away tears during every intermission, and couldn't help crying every time he sat on the sidelines and watched his teammates desperately chasing points, then Curry, every time he returned to the sidelines, the first thing he did was cover his head with a white towel. No one knew what he was thinking, and he looked like a walking corpse.

But at this moment, no one cares what Curry thinks.

Because the Warriors seem to be in danger.

Because after the third quarter, the score was 62 to 71, the difference between the two sides had reached 9 points, and there was still one quarter left.

Can the Warriors, who have no inside advantage and no offensive advantage, maintain this 9-point lead?

What made Warriors fans even more desperate was that as soon as the Thunder came on the court, Westbrook assisted Durant to hit a 2-point mid-range shot.

Ibaka, Adams, Westbrook and Anthony, the four of them almost took turns to protect Durant from the backcourt to the frontcourt, allowing Durant to escape the defense of Iguodala and Green.

"Kevin Durant finally learned how to really push someone, the kind of push that doesn't get called for an offensive foul!!!"

After bypassing Iguodala and Draymond Green's Durant, it was difficult for any defender in front of him to defend him.

This is called sweetness after bitterness. The key is whether you can get through this bitterness.

"Coach, the Thunder are going to win!"

Seth Curry originally supported the Warriors, but at this moment, as long as you love basketball, you will definitely not support the Warriors. If the Thunder can win this game, it will be a victory for basketball!
So passionate!
This kind of breaking through shackles and moving forward centimeter by centimeter with everyone having the same goal is so exciting!
Especially when Durant stared at Al-Farouq Aminu's assist defense and received the pass from Westbrook and hit a fade away shot, Westbrook's wild and roaring celebration and the scene of Durant crying and hugging Westbrook shocked the whole world.

Compared to the Warriors who wanted to scrape for a victory after the first quarter, the Thunder are what basketball needs!

Durant!
Durant!
Still Durant!!!
The Thunder have broken free from the shackles!
The Warriors can no longer hold on!

With 3 seconds left in the game, Durant broke through the shackles and faced Kevin Love's help defense outside the 45-degree three-point line on the left. He pulled up and made the three-pointer that broke through the shackles and killed the game. Then the light turned red and the game was over!
91 is better than 88!

Lore!

"Durant made the buzzer beater and the Thunder advanced to the seventh round!!!"

“This is a victory for basketball!!!”

(End of this chapter)