Reborn NBA's Strongest Talent

Chapter 52 52. Super performance and data decline

On December 12, the Thunder welcomed the Atlanta Hawks at home.

Dennis Schroder and Paul Millsap want to take away a win, the West is competitive, and a record of 13 wins and 14 losses does not allow the team to enter the playoffs.

The Thunder sit at home and don't want to lose this victory. If they don't rebuild the team, they will fight to enter the playoffs.

With the prestige of a Double Twenty, Westbrook took the lead in launching an impact.

After another two days of rest, Westbrook's ankle injury is obviously much better.

The rushing Westbrook was almost unstoppable. How could Schroeder's thin body be Westbrook's opponent, and the Eagles' defense was rushed to pieces.

Westbrook first scored the first point of the game with a signature pull-up zombie jumper.

The Eagles were not to be outdone, Schroeder was young and energetic, and also had a fast breakthrough speed, and immediately responded with a throw.

Oladipo and Adams also helped the team score points.

At this time Millsap stood up, at his peak, he continued to attack inside.

Relying on strong mid-range shots and rich defensive experience, Millsap easily suppressed Sabonis, and even hit consecutive 3-pointers.

Westbrook scored again to stop the team's bleeding, but the Eagles forced Millsap to beat the Thunder's inside line and fell behind temporarily.

Schroeder also succeeded in consecutive assists at this time, and the Eagles' morale was high, and they turned their backs.

Thunder replaced Richard, trying to tie the score.

However, Richard encountered a defensive shooting guard - Sabo Sefolosha.

The peak of Sefolosha's career was also in the Thunder. He was the best defensive second team in the 09 season. He reached the finals with the team in 12. He made a very high contribution to the team.

Today Thunderbolt's production locks up Thunderbolt's upstart.

Once again, Richard felt Hayward's defensive pressure. As a 3D player, Sefolosha didn't take possession of the ball at all, and he didn't need to deliberately attack. He put all his strength on defense. Richard was a little out of breath facing such a defense.

Being too tight, Richard couldn't give full play to his shooting advantages, and he couldn't get around Sefolosha's long arms even if he retreated. He could only rely on making fouls to win free throws.

Faced with this scene, Westbrook took up the banner of offense and abused the opposing Schroder all over the place.

At the end of the first quarter, Westbrook has scored 10 points, and Richard only scored 3 points on 0 of 2 shots.

The Thunder trailed by 24 points at 28:4.

In the second quarter, Tim Hardaway Jr. also continued to stalk Richard, but due to his lack of height, Richard still got some offensive opportunities, and forcibly pulling him out was also effective.

But in this quarter, Schroeder seized the time when Westbrook was not on the court, shot wildly, felt hot, shot and passed, and scored and assists were all in the bag.

By the time Westbrook returned to the court, the Hawks had already led by 10 points.

Westbrook is a god, and he is omnipotent, and he evened the point difference in less than 8 minutes.

Scored 18 points in a single quarter.

Richard scored 3 points on 2 of 4 shots.

In the second half, the Thunder took the lead, allowing the center to get the ball and the inside to dominate.

At the power forward position, Millsap couldn't suppress him, but he seized the opponent's slow movement speed and poor defensive ability, and made continuous assaults at the center position, scoring a lot of points.

However, Millsap felt hot in this game, and he also had mid-range shots, and he could also hit three-pointers, forcing Donovan to resort to the twin towers tactic.

Adams and Kanter came on at the same time, which could barely limit Millsap, but gave Schroeder a chance to break through.

Millsap pulled the inside players out to the perimeter, so he couldn't return to the penalty area to make up defenses. Schroeder seized the opportunity of Westbrook's offense and defense, which caused excessive physical exertion, and once again scored consecutive breakthroughs.

At this time, for the Thunder, apart from Kanter who can rely on his inside skills to score slightly, Oladipo suddenly misfired again.

The scoring pressure was all on Westbrook.

Donovan had to replace Richard again.

Hope to break Sefolosha's defense and help the team catch up with the score.

It's not that Richard didn't work hard, and he tried hard to prove himself, but it's a pity that he didn't make any shots, and he almost missed a few times in breakthroughs.After the defensive level came up, Richard's ability seemed a bit insufficient.

On the contrary, because no one was defending, Robertson made an uncharacteristically three-pointer, leaving the team with hope of a comeback.

After three quarters, Westbrook had already scored 40 points, and Richard only scored 10 points on 2 of 6 shots. He failed in the third quarter.

The Thunder fell behind by 4 points again.

"Li Cha, you have to respond! You've been defended for nothing this game!" Westbrook usually doesn't grab the coach's words, but the situation shown in this game made him anxious.

Li Chade also had a lot of energy in his heart. Facing an opponent who was like brown sugar, Li Chade always felt that his strength was like a mud cow. When he was looking for a confrontation, the opponent hid and hid. When he wanted to shoot, the opponent was very sticky.

This is also because his offensive skills are not good enough.

But getting back on the field is a must.

In the fourth quarter, the decisive victory, the Thunder also strengthened their defense. At the same time, Westbrook led the team to chase points continuously, and Richard finally made a three-pointer.

But the Eagles also played extremely resilient, relying on the offensive performance of Schroeder and Millsap, and the aggressiveness of the defensive end, to cling to the score and not be overtaken.

After Richard made a three-pointer, he didn't make another shot.

Some players with strong defense pursue the ultimate defense and have no interest in offense. There have been many examples in history.

The method and means for these players to motivate themselves is to rely on successful defense. Once he defends successfully, his morale will increase, his defense will be more focused, and his defensive strength will also increase accordingly.

Richard also made a foul in the first quarter, but he couldn't even make a foul in the third quarter, because Sefolosha lost his confidence.

Only when the opponent has no chance to defend and the concentration gradually decreases, will there be loopholes in the defense.

So Richard will transfer the ball immediately, especially when he hits an open three-pointer to make the opponent ignite.

The object of defense has no offense and naturally does not participate in the defense. The offensive ability is weak and seldom participates in the offense. Sefolosha is running back and forth on the court, and it is easy to lose concentration and fall into a state of confusion.

Although Richard didn't participate in the attack, he won't greatly reduce his concentration with the "Strong Will" medal. Richard is looking for an opportunity.

This opportunity will come at any time as Sefolosha's mind wanders.

Seizing the opportunity, Richard cuts past Sefolosha, followed by Westbrook's pass.

Richard caught the ball, blocked Sefolosha with his back, and then accelerated into the penalty area, taking advantage of the slow movement of the opponent's inside line to dunk.

Finally, he let out a bad breath from his chest.

It's just that a tighter defense followed.

Although Westbrook, who lost the support of his players, was lonely and heroic enough, he still failed to save the game.

Westbrook, who scored 48 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, is not insignificant, but the Thunder also lost to the Hawks by 2 points.

Schroeder and Millsap each scored 30+ inside and outside.

Two fists are no match for four hands.

Richard scored 12 points on 4 of 11 shots. His efficiency was not high, and he almost broke the scoring.

There must be a way to solve this problem.

After the game, Richard did not stay for additional training, but took the initiative to find Donovan.

"Coach, I would like to ask for your help." Richard cut straight to the point. Many things often become very simple when they are spoken out, and problems arise only when they are held back.

"Is it lack of finishing ability? You are only a rookie, playing in the first year. It is already very good to have such a performance." Donovan was busy in his hands, and he didn't even look up at Richard when he spoke.

"Coach, maybe I'm a rookie to you, and to everyone, but who says a rookie can't perform well?"

"There are many people who are at their peak when they debut, and there are also many people who can become famous in the first year. I want to have that kind of strength. I want to be a sharp knife for the team, able to overcome difficulties, instead of just playing with the wind."

"I have also tried hard to train myself, but the effect is very little, so I want to ask for your help."

Richard's words from the heart made Donovan look sideways.

Richard is a very talented rookie. Although his physical condition is not the top in the league, his strength has improved rapidly. This is what makes Donovan happy.

But the team fell apart this year, the starting substitutes were all changed, and Donovan didn't have so much time and energy to focus on a rookie.

Just like Sabonis, he is also a talented player, but so far he can only adapt himself to the starting position and improve himself.

Similarly, Sabonis was suppressed helplessly when he encountered a strong fourth position, and his playing time would drop to 15 minutes or even lower. He was not the same as Richard. He hadn't experienced high scoring yet. He had played 28 games this season and averaged no more than 5 points per game.

As a member of last season's Western Conference Finals this season, at least he must ensure that he enters the playoffs before he can give fans an explanation, and he will not be looked down upon by players who betrayed the team.This is what the boss asked Donovan.

So Donovan must use simple and effective tactics, force Westbrook to increase his usage rate, and let him kill the enemy alone, because only in this way can he guarantee victory... [-]% of the victory is guaranteed.

If the players are trained slowly, Donovan can't guarantee that the team can win the playoff tickets. The competition in the West is fierce. It is hopeless that the winning rate does not exceed 5%, and 5% is often ranked 9th or 10th.

But for the sake of the team's future, training rookies is also inevitable, and it is impossible to go further without good role players.

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(End of this chapter)