If I were Yi Di in the NBA

Chapter 294 Challenge Me

At the beginning of the second half, the Grizzlies were still as aggressive as they were in the first half.

They took the initiative to fight physically, and there was a fierceness in each player's eyes.

They give the feeling that each session is a taste of the last few minutes.

The playoffs were intense, but the Grizzlies gritted their teeth and raised the intensity of the game to a more intense level.

In fact, the offensive efficiency of both sides has declined.

Not long after the start of the third quarter, Yi Jian already had six caps.

Gasol's defense on the Grizzlies' side is also very good, but the statistics are still not as good as Yi Jian's.

Yi Jian's mobility and explosive power were clearly far stronger than the opponent's.

Randolph's shooting percentage began to decline from the second quarter, and his consumption is undoubtedly great.

However, it is not easy for the Thunder to overtake the score.

Randolph can indeed withstand Yi Jian inside. Although Yi Jian has been scoring, it is difficult to kill the Grizzlies all at once.

The Grizzlies' help defense and defensive rotation were really fast, which also affected Yi Jian's offense.

"The transformation of the Grizzlies is really a bit miraculous." Yi Jian sighed.

If you haven't experienced the Grizzlies' defense before, everyone may not care how good the Grizzlies' defense is now, after all, they have a bunch of good defensive players.

But the Grizzlies played offense before, and there is still some incoordination ahead of this season.

Unexpectedly, they have been improving on the defensive end, and they have played very well in the playoffs.

It's not without weaknesses. They don't feel like the Grizzlies of the future who can only grind on defense.

Now the Grizzlies are younger, and it doesn't matter if the pace is faster.

So, in fact, the Thunder still have a chance to do something.

It's just that the role players did not adapt to the Grizzlies this time, and their performance was not so good.

In fact, Yi Jian still has the ability to exert more force.

It's just that it is not necessary to achieve this level in the first battle.

It can still be considered at the end of the quarter, but it is still a bit early.

Yi Jian also needs to prepare to prevent injuries or defensive problems.

After a few minutes passed, Thunder still showed its strength.

The main one was Yi Jian. When he pulled out once, the Grizzlies' defense slowed down a bit, and Yi Jian hit a three-pointer.

Then he passed Durant in seconds, Durant made a successful foul outside the three-point line, and the Thunder caught up with the score.

Until this time, coach Brooks who was standing on the sidelines was relieved.

A little bit ahead, it seemed that Yi Jian couldn't recover the score even if he went crazy. The Grizzlies were really tough.

It's just that it was too early for Coach Brooks to relax, and the Thunder had problems again during the rotation.

The Thunder really had a problem with their substitute players, and the defense was still good. Both Ibaka and Jordan blocked shots, but they just couldn't score.

The outside line is too strong, but the Grizzlies have improved slightly.

Their veteran Shane Battier seized several opportunities and performed on both offense and defense.

As a role player, Battier is really good.

3D with a good mentality is easy to use. His current ability may not be as good as some young people in the Thunder, but he is really good in terms of stability and grasping opportunities.

This dude plays with his head and is the right puzzle piece for a player.

If it weren't for the Thunder taking the route of cultivating young people, they would be able to win over this kind of veteran.

Now, unless it is a veteran with relatively strong combat effectiveness, the Thunder is more willing to give opportunities to young people.

Young people are cheap and energetic, and now the Thunder's management has tasted the benefits.

During the rotation period, the Thunder fell behind again.

So after playing in the final quarter, Yi Jian started the scoring mode again.

He didn't have a deep impression of the Grizzlies before and didn't think they would be a threat.

But the situation is different when the opponent reaches the Western Conference Finals. He doesn't want to lose the first game like the Lakers, and then become more and more passive in the end.

The point is that this is not the last series. If the entanglement is too long and consumes too much, the finals may really go wrong.

The Heat's Big Three are still relatively strong.

Therefore, Yi Jian didn't want him to be overloaded by the crisis in the future.

Put in more effort now and win the game, and it will be much easier to play later in the series.

"Defend me well, don't let people look down upon you!" Yi Jian demanded loudly.

For the Grizzlies, the interior defense problem is really well controlled.

After Randolph was beaten twice by Yi Jian in the second quarter, he became more cautious in the second half.

The Grizzlies fought aggressively and definitely fouled again, but most of the fouls were recorded on the flanks who assisted in the defense.

The two insiders are responsible for carrying people, and there are not many extra actions.

They push the Thunder players out, and then the wing help defense comes to cut the ball or whatever.

Even if he didn't succeed, he would hit Yi Jian and the others a few times to interrupt their hand feeling.

The confrontation in the playoffs is often not so friendly and clean.

Many experienced veteran players understand that if they don't make a move, they will make a ruthless move to make the foul worthwhile.

So in this round of competition, Yi Jian will have more inside activities, and various minor injuries will definitely be unavoidable.

It's that difficult to fight inside.

Looking at it this way, defending Nowitzki must consume less.

Yi Jian's strength was both offensive and defensive, and the black and white bears also felt tremendous pressure.

Randolph's efficiency also declined further, and he really felt tired.

Yi Jian scored twice, helping the Thunder narrow the gap.

But when the Thunder is about to overtake, there will always be some problems.

The Grizzlies are really working hard at this time, and they don't completely rely on the black and white bears.

Their luck is not bad, someone always stands up at critical moments.

Conley's performance in the final quarter was also very stable.

Conley didn't score much and he didn't shoot very well.

However, when the team is in trouble inside, he can really score.

Lowry also gritted his teeth. He didn't have a chance in the Grizzlies, and he was squeezed out by Conley and others.

His original competition was actually the loser.

So he may still be a little concerned, the game was affected a little bit, and he didn't play well enough.

This kind of influence can actually be reversed. When Lowry plays well in the regular season, people like Conley and Mayo will also be affected.

It's just that the Grizzlies performed well this time, and Lowry was somewhat anxious.

"It's okay, I trust you."

At this time, the support Yi Jian can give is encouragement.

He must believe in the teammates he chooses.

Of course, even if there is a problem with his teammates, he will use his outstanding performance on both offense and defense to help him get over it.

The boss of the team must have this ability.

"You can't give them a single three-pointer, it's very simple."

The Grizzlies are not good at three-pointers, and Yi Jian's request is not difficult for the rest of the Thunder to do so.

Other aspects are naturally left to him.

Yi Jian only made two fouls this time, and at the last moment he was able to fully fire on the defensive end.

Grizzlies, come challenge him.

Yi Jian will show his opponents how different he is from the All-Stars of those previous teams.

The strongest insider in the league is not just bragging.

(End of this chapter)