Chapter 1558: All-Out War, Thunder Wants to Counterattack
Durant is naturally very eager to prove himself in the first playoffs he leads. However, even he knows that compared with the powerful Lakers, the immature Thunder have little chance of winning. Even if he is unwilling to give in, This is also an irreversible fact.
"Unless a miracle happens." This is the evaluation of most media on the series between the Lakers and Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
Some media even called this series the least suspenseful series of the season in advance.
"If you really like basketball, then I recommend the Mavericks to play the Spurs, or the Nuggets to play the Jazz. Otherwise, the Suns and Trail Blazers are fine. The Heat in the Eastern Conference playing the Celtics should also be exciting. As for the Lakers and Thunder "The first playoff meeting between Durant and Ji Feng, the two outstanding players in 2007, is certainly a big attraction, but I really can't think of a place where the Thunder can unseat the Lakers," Barkley said. .
This undoubtedly angered Thunder fans. Forget about other things, they are still a team with 50 wins. Even if they can't win this series with the Lakers, they are not worse than those rookies in the Eastern Conference!
However, even the most die-hard Thunder fans remained calm. They only emphasized that the Thunder will definitely play their own style and will not let the Lakers pass easily. As for winning, they did not mention a word.
On the other hand, Thunder coach Brooks seemed full of confidence. He showed his ambitions to the media after the No. 17 team arrived in Los Angeles.
"Victory! There is no reason for us not to work hard to win. If we win at Staples, we will have a chance to complete the black eight. This sounds incredible, but this is our goal. We are very young and very motivated. This is our advantage!”
In the team's first training session, Brooks did not miss the opportunity to pour chicken soup. He gave an impassioned speech to 13 players: "Guys, this is the first time we have made it to the playoffs. You are This is my first time, because we are all young, and youth is our greatest asset. We have to rush forward and defeat the old guys on the opposite side. Think about it, if we do it, we will go down in history forever. Don’t you want to overturn a 70-win team?”
"Think! FUCK! Fuck you!" As soon as Brooks finished speaking, Westbrook, an emotional young man, immediately began to respond. He clenched his fists and roared so hard that Durant couldn't help but look at his back. The turtle shell representing the ninja…
However, these words are indeed effective. After all, the Thunder have the youngest average age of all 16 playoff teams. Young people are the easiest to be motivated. Brooks' words directly doubled their morale.
The game that night once again gave the Thunder generals a shot in the arm!
On April 18, the NBA playoffs started in full swing, with eight teams from the East and West taking the lead in competing against each other.
The first is the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers and Bulls kicked off this season's playoffs in Cleveland. The strength gap in this game is huge. After all, the Cavaliers have 61 wins and the Bulls only have 42 wins. The gap of nearly 20 games means there is almost no possibility of a comeback. .
This is also true. Although Rose played 47 minutes in this game and scored 28 points on 13 of 28 shots, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, apart from him, no one else in the Bulls could stand out on the offensive end. Noah and Gibson only Several digits were scored, and even Luol Deng, the previous second scoring point, only scored 12 points.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers blossomed more. Although James performed mediocrely and only scored 24 points on 9 of 19 shots, the Cavaliers blossomed more. Mo Mo scored 19 points, O'Neal 15 points and Jamison 14 points.
96-85, the Cavaliers scored first.
At the same time, the Celtics also defeated the visiting Heat at North Shore Garden at home, and the winning method was exactly the same as the Cavaliers. Wade, who scored the highest score in the game with 24 points, was hard to beat with four hands. Five players from the Celtics scored in double figures. Helped the team get its first victory 85-76.
The two defensive battles in the Eastern Conference made many fans drowsy, but soon the passionate attack in the Western Conference refreshed the fans!
The Mavericks and Spurs met again in the first round of the playoffs after last season. Last season, the Mavericks completed the Black Six, but this season the positions of both sides are exactly opposite to last season, which makes people have to lament the magic of fate.
In this period, the Spurs, who advocate defense, unexpectedly had a fierce battle with the Mavericks. In the first quarter, Duncan and Dirk scored soaringly. Both of them used their best scoring method, high-ball. The board and golden rooster independently made the fans excited.
The two sides also fought until the second half of the fourth quarter. At this time, the Mavericks had a key player. Kidd hit two three-pointers at the critical moment, allowing the Mavericks to finally defeat the Spurs 100-94 and get off to a good start.
At this point in the game, the top three teams have all won. In the last game, the Suns, who had an excellent record before, faced the Trail Blazers, who were short of major generals.
"This may be a game day without an upset." ESPN commentary said before the game started.
The Suns are still one of the most powerful teams in the league with Nash as the leader, Stoudemire as the sharp knife, and supplemented by a number of strong players, while the Trail Blazers are a team without Oden, without Roy, and have lost four strong players. .
However, people were shocked after the game started. The Trail Blazers actually suppressed the Suns in Phoenix!
100-105, the Trail Blazers suffered a big upset in the away game!
The firepower of Nash and Stoudemire is still fierce, but the Blazers' young people are really too exaggerated. AD scored 12 points against Biao Stoudemire in the first quarter and 24 points in the game. Substitute Batum not only gave the veteran In addition to two blocks, Nash also finished the game with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals.
The most aggressive one was Andre Miller, who made 10 of 17 shots in the game and scored a game-high 30 points in the paint. His big ass made Lopez at a loss what to do. The Suns were defeated by such a Trail Blazer!
This moment ignited the enthusiasm of Trail Blazers fans. Without Oden and Roy, the two main players of the Trail Blazers are still so strong. Many people have to lament the strong bench strength of this Blazers.
At the same time, the Rose Youth Festival also made many young fans extremely excited.
The Thunder are even more excited. As the only team in the league that can compete with the Trail Blazers, there is nothing more exciting for them than the Trail Blazers defeating the second-place Suns in the Western Conference.
"Brothers, our fans are watching us, making history, today!"
"The greatest time in our lives is now!"
"If we beat the Lakers on the opposite side, we will be remembered in history!"
"Come on, brothers!"
On the 19th, Staples, Durant gave such a speech in the player tunnel for the first time in a long time, and the Thunder also entered the court with confidence!