Chapter 248 The Thunder were forced to become the hot spot (10,000-word chapter)

Before the start of each season, the NBA league will release a corresponding referee manual. Every change in the rules will cause some changes in the style of play that season.

Last season, the league implemented zero tolerance. Complaining to the referee will directly lead to players being punished. However, in the new season, the rules have not changed much. The scale of whistleblowing for each game is mostly decided by the referee that night.

Take control.

It's just that in the opening game like the Christmas Day game, LeBron James turned around again at the end of the second quarter, went inside and caused a foul when he stood at the free throw line.

Coach Brooks couldn't stand it anymore and immediately complained to the referee:

"When he was releasing the ball, it was obviously a walking violation. When he turned around while walking, there were also signs of walking. This has happened three times. I suggest you watch the video replay during halftime!"

At this time, LeBron James was taking free throws. The referee may have felt wronged and did not let Coach Brooks take a T. Instead, he simply explained:

"Many times players move too fast, and some footwork movements do lead to missed calls, but in order to maintain the enjoyment of the game, this is reasonable!"

"."

When Coach Brooks, who was standing on the sidelines, heard this, he could only shake his head helplessly, then immediately turned to the bench and spread his hands covertly towards the coaching staff.

As LeBron James made two free throws, the Heat once again narrowed the point difference to 6 points. The Thunder's last attack was launched with 10 seconds left. Durant hit angrily, and then the two sides ended.

The first half of the game.

At 61:67, the Thunder entered the second half with a 6-point lead.

During the halftime break, Steve Kerr was the first to express emotion in the TNT commentary box:

"In the first half of the game, both sides were completely focused on offense. Both sides seized every transition opportunity. But I have to say that after the Thunder's running-in last season, their offense has indeed become more and more efficient."

"The Heat still need to continue to strengthen their lineup. They need a big man who can protect the basket."

"Chris Bosh is more suitable to play the 4th position. At the same time, the outside shooters should continue to be supplemented. Wade and James need to have enough offensive space when they are on the court."

Reggie Miller is still not very optimistic about the Heat's lineup. If he wants to unleash the abilities of James and Wade, the current group of shooters alone is not enough.

Commentator Kevin Harlan looked at the technical statistics in his hand and briefly reviewed the scoring of the players on both sides:

"The Thunder trio still performed steadily. Kayce scored 20 points, Durant scored 14 points, Westbrook also scored 10 points, and Ibaka also scored 8 points. Everyone on the bench also had good performances.

performance."

"For the Heat, James scored a team-high 16 points at halftime, and Wade also scored 14 points. Bosh's performance was a bit sluggish, and he only scored 4 points at halftime. Fortunately, the role players grasped the offensive end.

Live opportunity.”

"61 points at halftime shows that there is no problem with the Heat's offense. What do you think the Heat should do in the second half?"

Reggie Miller smiled and shook his head, then gave his own opinion:

"It's still the old method, increase confrontation, reduce the number of rounds, and at the same time look forward to hitting more three-pointers from the outside. Of course, the Big Three can also hit the ball inside. James got 6 free throws in the half, which is very important to the Heat.

Said it was a good sign."

Steve Kerr is also not optimistic about the Heat, and once again bluntly pointed out the Heat's defensive problems:

"It is difficult for the Heat to improve their offensive efficiency. They need to put in a lot of energy on the defensive end. Most of Kayce's points in the first half were concentrated at the basket, which shows that Wade's defense did not achieve the expected results at all.

"

"Of course, Coach Spoelstra can adjust the lineup and bring in Sean Battier. Maybe there will be good gains on both ends of the offense and defense. However, the training camp has only started for half a month, and Battier may still need to continue to adjust with the team.

.”

During the halftime break, not only were the three people in the TNT commentary box discussing the game, but the sports media at the scene also started tweeting. If the Heat's Big Three lose again, they will definitely be greeted with overwhelming ridicule after the game.

.

In this case, after the start of the second half, LeBron James took the lead to step forward to save his horse. Due to the fierce suddenness in the first half, Durant's defense contracted even more.

The first offense in the third quarter of the game, first passed the ball continuously outside the three-point line, pulling the defense. Then LeBron James, who received the ball on the right wing, used Bosh's screen to take a big step with the ball in his right hand, inside the three-point line.

A long two-point jump shot.

"Whoa!" The two-point ball was hit steadily.

In the Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Oklahoma City fans present began to boo James wildly. No one wanted to see the chosen one with excellent outside touch.

Li Ze was also a little surprised by James's performance, but while he was serving, he raised his eyebrows at Durant and reminded him in a low voice:

"Continue to stick to the previous defensive strategy."

"I bet you $500 that he won't be this accurate forever!"

After Li Ze sent out the baseline ball, Durant also took the opportunity to whisper something. The trio passed the half court leisurely, and the two big men were already standing at the left and right elbows.

Turtle quickly gave the ball to Ibaka at the left elbow, then ran without the ball, cut inside and moved towards the left corner. Li Ze on the left wing caught the ball immediately.

Dribbling to the top of the arc and giving the ball to Perkins at the right elbow again, Durant again received the ball outside the three-point line, used the screen, and moved the ball toward the top of the arc with his left hand.

The Thunder trio began to circle the two big men and pass the ball continuously from outside the three-point line. After a circle, when Li Ze and Turtle completed a hand-to-hand pass again, Wade

The pursuit and defense were half a beat too late.

This caused Li Ze, who was holding the ball with his left hand, to suddenly cut in from the left wing outside the three-point line. Seeing Wade being crushed by Li Ze again and breaking into the blocking position, Joel Anthony immediately retracted his defense.

Observing that the Heat seemed to want to come to the line to complete the double-team, Li Ze, who was traveling, suddenly stopped with his left hand and pulled the ball backward slightly, forcing Wade to change his defensive focus. Then he lowered his body center of gravity and suddenly accelerated.

Stop and start suddenly, use your body to block the position, lean on Wade, rush forward in two steps, lay up in one step, and succeed with a high rebound!

Joel Anthony stood awkwardly in the paint area. He was slightly stunned by Li Ze's left hand fake just now. He was unable to resolutely retreat to the basket, and in the end he could only watch Li Ze lay up.

"Shet!"

Hearing the huge cheers erupting in the arena, Wade slammed the ball in his hand to the floor.

He has discovered that whenever faced with his defense, Li Ze finds an opportunity, blocks his position, and goes straight to the basket. His physical disadvantage makes it difficult for Wade to defend effectively.

Joel Anthony silently sent the baseline ball. The boss broke the defense a little, but his defense did his best.

Coach Spoelstra on the sidelines has been loudly reminding his players to stay focused. During the midfield, he specifically emphasized the need to retreat in time to help defend when Li Ze's breakthrough occurred. As a result, problems occurred in the first round.

The Heat's offense was also conducted quickly on the line. Facing Durant's shrinking defense, LeBron James once again made a decisive jump shot and hit a long two-pointer.

After scoring the goal, James patted his chest expressionlessly and then retreated quickly. Durant didn't care. After the finals showdown, he was very confident in LeBron James' shooting and firmly believed that the opponent would hit the iron sooner or later.

Many Oklahoma City fans at the scene quietly exclaimed. Such a shot was completely beyond their expectations. At this time, Steve Kerr also began to praise James' performance:

"It seems that James must have put in a lot of effort this offseason. If he maintains such a shooting feel, I believe that few players in the league can restrain him."

In the next few rounds, the Heat seemed to become a jump shooting team, and Wade also responded from the mid-range. By the time halfway through the third quarter, the Oklahoma City fans at the scene had completely relaxed, and the point difference was not even close.

Be shrunk!

The Thunder once again used their strong ability to respond to the ball to contain the Heat's offense. You score and I score.

The game entered an official timeout. Everyone in the Thunder team walked to the bench with relaxed expressions, while the Heat players were a little numb. With such an efficient offense, the point difference was still 6 points. The two sides played 16:16 in the first half of the third quarter.

.

"Defense, guys! We must use strong defense to contain the opponent's offense and not give them a chance to easily break through!"

Coach Spoelstra was reluctant to name Wade, but in the first half of the third quarter, Wade was crushed to the basket and scored 3 goals by Li Ze using the same offensive method. This was unacceptable to him.

of.

After serving thick chicken soup, the Heat regained their vitality again and at the same time increased their defensive rotation speed.

After Li Ze broke through to the right block, the top turned around and crushed the basket. Bosh retreated early and, under interference, finally allowed Li Ze's two-point shot to hit.

The ball bounced out of the frame. Perkins under the basket first flicked the ball with his finger, and then Ibaka behind him blocked Joel Anthony. He rushed for the ball twice in a row and successfully grabbed the offensive rebound. The Thunder team again

Get 24 seconds of attack time.

Losing a backcourt rebound made LeBron James very upset, and he quickly shouted to his teammates to quickly defend.

"Mario! Come forward!"

James had just reminded Chalmers to guard the turtle who was receiving the ball, but the ball came to Durant's hands in an instant. The latter caught the ball on the right wing outside the three-point line, released the ball with his right hand, and directly accelerated the breakthrough.

During the march, Durant suddenly dribbled the ball behind his back with his right hand, then immediately joined the ball, rushed up in three strides, faced James' block, and shot with his left hand.

"Bang!" The ball hit the basket again.

Since the Thunder's second offense happened very quickly, when Durant broke through, Li Ze had just left the paint area and saw that he was hitting the ball against James's throw and rushed to the basket again.

Bosh just wanted to collect the backcourt rebound, but was hit by a strong force from behind. He lost his center of gravity again. Li Ze, who was jumping high, grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand and slammed the ball directly into the basket!

"Boom!" Successfully dunked under the basket!

"Oh!"

Li Ze, who succeeded in dunking, screamed strangely at the camera under the basket after landing. Everyone in the Thunder team stepped forward to celebrate and shouted together.

Bosh was pulled up by Joel Anthony when he was on the street. He was about to ask loudly who was not blocked, but suddenly he thought that Wade was playing against Li Ze. He immediately held back the words on his lips and could only secretly sigh.

Stifling.

In the second half of the third quarter, the Thunder began to frantically rush for offensive rebounds. During the finals, everyone had already realized that the Heat's inside line was a paper tiger.

The pressure on backcourt rebounds has increased tremendously, making it difficult for the Heat to switch attacks as quickly as they did in the first half. Under high confrontation, the shooting percentage will naturally drop.

But Ibaka, who is in his contract year, is really powerful. Sometimes one person can mess up the Heat's inside line and block shots on the defensive end.
To be continued...