As the Jazz eliminates the Nuggets with a 4:1 score next, this means that the Jazz will meet the Thunder in the Western Conference semi-finals.

It can be said that this series has already attracted the appetite of fans before it started, because both teams have a very eye-catching lineup this season.

Especially in the regular season, the Thunder, who played the first record in the league, four of them were selected as the All-Star this year.

Even though Hamilton replaced Roy's quota, he was able to be selected by the league, which can still prove Hamilton's personal strength.

In addition, although the Jazz are not the teams with the highest demand for winning the championship this year, as a veteran team in the league, no team dared to underestimate this Jazz before this lineup really disintegrates.

After all, whether it is Deron Williams or Boozer, the pick-and-roll tactics played by these two men under the training of head coach Sloan have caused headaches for many people.

Even the shadows of Stockton and Carl Malone were seen in them.

…………

May 4.

The first game of the Thunder and Jazz Western Conference semi-finals will be held at the Ford Center Arena.

The Thunder's home court was not only full in this game, but even looking around, there were many away fans from Salt Lake City, and the atmosphere on the whole scene was even more lively.

Before the game started, Yang Fan first had a conversation with Jazz coach Sloan on the sidelines, and then started a counseling for Durant and others.

After all, as one of the oldest coaches in the league, Sloan's life can be said to have run through the entire pick-and-roll tactics.

I have to say that Sloan does have many places where other coaches should learn, even if he never led this Jazz to the championship trophy.

"Everyone is cheering up. Guys, we are the first in the league this season. Even if the opponent is a veteran team in the league, in our eyes, they are just defeated players."

"Remember, our goal this season is the championship, so as long as we play the offensive level we deserve on the court, even the Jazz will have no choice but to do anything to us."

"Kevin, you can use more pick-and-roll when facing Andre, and don't be afraid of his defense, because you are the strongest offensive player in the league."

After cheering for the players, Yang Fan found Durant alone to help him relieve his psychological pressure before the game.

Since the Jazz are the same tall and long arms in the small forward position, Durant's offensive efficiency is obviously greatly limited when fighting with him.

After all, Kirilenko's height and wingspan are very similar to Durant. Both of them are tall players with excellent movement speed, so Durant does not have many advantages on the court.

This was discovered in the regular season matches between the Thunder and the Jazz.

However, in Yang Fan's opinion, although Kirirenko can bring some trouble to Durant, it is undoubtedly a bit of a dream to completely lock Durant's attack.

In one, most of the Thunder's offenses on the court are through unball pick-and-rolls and screens to find opportunities, so Durant's biggest problem is his mentality.

"Huh, don't worry, coach, no matter who stands in front of me, I will definitely beat him up with my own hands, because I must help the team win the championship trophy."

After the game began, the Jazz still continued his traditional style of play, that is, Deron Williams and Boozer played pick-and-roll, mainly through these two points to create scoring opportunities.

As for shooting guard Matthews and center Oku, they fell outside the three-point line, waiting to catch the ball and make a three-pointer shot.

Kirilenko is responsible for the empty cut, after all, his shooting is very poor.

It is worth mentioning that under the Jazz's tactical system, Jazz's center Oku will be pulled outside the three-point line.

Although he didn't always float outside the three-point line and shot, he would still stand on the perimeter tactical in most cases.

Therefore, in this game, Yang Fan did not place O'Neal in the starting lineup, but instead used Ibaka, who also had the shooting ability and moved faster, in the starting center position.

Yang Fan can be said to be very helpless about this adjustment, because when facing a center like O'Curr who can pull to the outside of the three-point line to shoot, O'Neal's presence will definitely become very bad.

The most important thing is that Oku is not the kind of offensive center who only makes three-point shots. On the contrary, his ability on the defensive end is also excellent.

Especially his defensive ability at low posts can allow him to face traditional centers without any pressure.

Simply put, Oku is a bit like Gasol, who has a deviant ability to support. He can not only pull to the outside line for shooting, but also complete defense at a low post.

This kind of player is completely troublesome when paired with Deron Williams and Boozer's pick-and-roll tactics.

Throughout the first half, the Jazz kept suppressing the Thunder in the score.

There is no way, the Jazz have excellent defensive abilities and are ranked seventh in the league among the 30 teams in the league.

But at the same time, his offensive ability is also very good.

So when the Thunder's offensive end was not opened in this game, the Thunder had been lagging behind at home and was unable to overtake the score for a long time.

Faced with this situation, Yang Fan has made adjustments on the court many times, but Jerry Sloan is obviously prepared. While increasing the playing time of the main players, Millsap became a surprise on the bench.

Finally, after the game ended, the Jazz, who played away, defeated the Thunder in an upset victory and won the series first with a slight advantage of six points.

Although Durant's performance was not very bad throughout the game, under the focus of Kirilenko's attention, Durant scored 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists with only 41% shooting percentage.

In addition, O'Neal only made an appearance in this game for 14 minutes, because when O'Courtes, Deron and Boozer were present at the same time, Yang Fan did not dare to put O'Neal on the court at all.

Unless the Thunder defends the joint defense on the court, for a team like the Jazz, where big centers can pull from the outside to shoot three-pointers, defending the joint defense is undoubtedly a very risky way.

If it were O'Neal, the "big shark" at its peak, then Yang Fan would be willing to try it out.

It’s just a pity that O’Neal is no longer at the peak. Even if he plays O’Cu one-on-one at a low position, he cannot guarantee his offensive efficiency.

So Yang Fan could only use the inside combination of Ibaka and Jamison to use the Jazz to use the Jazz.

However, when the team failed to play an advantage on the offensive end, the Thunder eventually lost the game at home and was defeated by the Jazz to tie the score of the series to 1:0.

………

"We didn't play well enough in this game. We failed to catch those shots that should have hit on the offensive end. I don't think this has anything to do with the Jazz's pressure."

"Even though the Jazz are a very good team, we are not the same."

"If you lose, you lose. The team will not make any excuses, but I believe we will be able to adjust our state next and will not give the Jazz any chance."

At the post-match press conference, facing the questions from many reporters, Yang Fan was not too discouraged, but simply mentioned the team's offensive status.

It also said that the team will definitely defeat the Jazz in the next step and will no longer give the Jazz any chance to turn the tables.

Although many reporters only used Yang Fan's answer as an inspiration, for Thunder fans, they firmly believed that the team would definitely counterattack in the future.

At least from the face of head coach Yang Fan, people did not see any frustration or helplessness. Instead, they saw the calmness and confidence after losing the game.
Chapter completed!