As the saying goes, without comparison there is no harm, and from the start of the ga, the pressure the Thunders applied to the Grizzlies seed markedly lower than not only the Lakers but even the Mavericks.
"They eliminated the Clippers with a 4-1 series, and then they defeated the Spurs," said Kenny Smith, one of The Big Three. Although he wasn’t as capable as Barkley and O’Neal, he made up for it with his versatility.
"That guy who can only dunk? Plus the Spurs who I used to play against during my ti with the Lakers?" O’Neal chid in.
Even though his words were asking for a beating, compared to the opponents the Grizzlies had faced in the previous two rounds, the Thunders’ journey to the Western Conference Finals had indeed been much too easy.
After the tiout, Durant continued to receive the ball in the low post.
He turned to face Hansen and, after triple threat moves, went for a pull-up jumper.
The choice of shot was much better than before. Instead of struggling to drive in and get trapped, why not just pull up for a jump shot on the spot?
After all, when it ca to talent, Hansen was no match for Durant.
Hansen failed to steal the ball and jumped in an attempt to disrupt the shot.
But for that kind of shot, once Durant had pulled up, it all depended on Durant’s shooting touch.
"Clang!"
And Durant’s shot also ended in a miss.
He had been without the ball for too long.
Little Gasol grabbed another rebound; tonight, he was on pace for 20 rebounds!
However, Brooks must have emphasized transition defense because the Thunders didn’t let the Grizzlies break out into a fast attack this ti.
After reaching the frontcourt, Conley and Little Gasol played pick-and-roll again, as Conley drove high and attempted to pass the ball to Guy in the corner, but Ibaka’s long arms tipped the ball, which was then snatched by Seferosa.
The Thunders executed their first defensive counterattack of the evening, a two-on-one fast break in the frontcourt. Durant received the pass from Seferosa and leaped high to score over Hansen’s defense.
After the basket, an exuberant Durant swung his fists.
It was his first score of the night, but more importantly, those were points scored right over Hansen’s head!
Conley signaled to Hansen that it was his fault.
Hansen nodded in acknowledgnt that it was okay, and when he turned back, he realized that his defender had changed to Durant.
Durant clapped his hands, excitedly shouting "Co on!" at him.
That last basket truly had energized him.
Hansen couldn’t hold back.
When playing against the Lakers, he had to think about how to wear down Kobe in the first three quarters, but when facing the Thunders, he needed just one sentence for Durant, and anything more would be superfluous.
In fact, the Thunders’ reliance on Durant could be said to be even greater than the Lakers’ reliance on Kobe.
Hansen’s continuous crossovers and a Buddha’s blessing made Durant jump.
Durant’s defense now had a McGrady-like taste.
After Hansen penetrated and t Ibaka’s help defense, his no-look pass found Little Gasol at the free-throw line, who hit the open mid-range shot.
10-7, the Grizzlies continued to lead.
Barkley and O’Neal’s predictions, although certainly added for the show’s effect, were clear: beating this Grizzlies team using iso plays was not just unlikely; it was impossible.
Brooks, finally realizing this, signaled a substitution when the ball was dead, and Harden replaced Westbrook on the court.
With Harden organizing the offense, Durant got free off an Ibaka screen to receive the ball, then hit a jump shot over Little Gasol’s help defense.
Although Durant had enhanced his on-ball offense this season, these catch-and-shoot no-ball tactics were his bread and butter, almost impossible to defend.
It was also evident that compared to Westbrook, Harden was the one who could help Durant maintain a stable output in set plays.
Brooks’ substitution was quite spot-on because without the opportunity for counterattacks, Westbrook’s presence on the court wasn’t very effective.
Little Gasol facilitated from the high post, assisting on Guy’s backdoor cut for a layup.
12-9, the Grizzlies still maintained their lead.
The Thunders continued the set plays in the frontcourt. This ti, taking advantage of Durant drawing the defense, Harden suddenly accelerated towards the basket. He perford a European Step past Randolph, scored with a layup, and even drew a foul from Little Gasol’s attempt to block.
Harden’s performance was crucial for the Thunders’ victory over the Spurs, to the extent that without his contributions, it wouldn’t be an overstatent to say that the Grizzlies could have faced the Spurs instead.
Harden completed the three-point play with Durant standing on one side of the free-throw line, speaking out to Hansen across the way, "Is that all you guys have got? Or do you only rely on your teammates?"
Durant, a daily social dia browser, found the Kobe fans’ rhetoric natural.
"I’m very disappointed. Your words just now have lowered your standing in my eyes," Hansen responded, catching Durant off guard.
"I thought you were way better than those Kobe fans," Hansen’s second sentence gave Durant the feeling of being watched.
Durant was unaware that, despite having 58 fake accounts and earning a considerable amount of dislike on social dia, Hansen still only considered himself the secondary goat of social dia.
After all, Durant’s spirit of battling the keyboard deep into the night was sothing he greatly admired.
Harden’s additional free throw hit its mark, tying the score at 12-12.
The arena once again erupted with shouts from the Oklahoma City fans.
Hansen started to handle the ball.
Little Gasol set up a high screen, and Hansen, after a size mismatch against Ibaka, made a wide crossover and went past him.
Ibaka’s defensive strength was in his help-side shot-blocking; his one-on-one defensive ability wasn’t actually that strong.
Then, before Perkins could turn around, Hansen pulled up for a jumper, which he nailed with ease.
Although he hadn’t shot much since the ga started, his shooting touch wasn’t bad tonight.
The Grizzlies once again took the lead.
Moreover, Durant’s trash talk prompted the Grizzlies to step up their defensive intensity.
Conley went all out to stop Harden’s drive while Hansen stuck close to Durant, limiting his ability to receive the ball.
Harden managed to pass the ball to Seferosa, but Guy soared back on defense with a disturbance, causing Seferosa’s three-point attempt to drift away from the basket.
Little Gasol continued to collect rebounds and, once in the frontcourt, Hansen held onto the ball.
It was the sa pick-and-roll play, and this ti Seferosa navigated it beautifully; "the Swiss Army Knife," who not only achieved a career-high three-point shooting percentage this season, but also made the All-Defensive Second Team.
Yet Hansen accelerated early and drove inside; despite Seferosa’s speedy reaction, he was still too late.
Seeing this, Durant ca over to help defend.
Hansen acted as if he was going to clash with Durant and, as they got close, raised his hand and made a no-look pass to the corner. Guy caught the ball and the three-pointer was swift and deadly.
The gap quickly grew to 5 points.
Seeing the tide turning, Durant imdiately ran to the top of the key to get the ball.
Hansen was right on him with a one-on-one defense.
Durant opted for a quick stop and jump shot going left.
Hansen’s concentration on defense was high, so Durant didn’t manage to shake him off completely.
And as Durant took the shot, Little Gasol also rushed out to help defend; Durant’s attempt, under double-team pressure, did not go in.
This ti, Randolph secured the rebound.
Pushing forward to the frontcourt, Hansen and Randolph set up a pick-and-roll.
Only this ti, Hansen didn’t drive inside but moved out instead.
Randolph used his size advantage to screen Seferosa effectively, and Perkins obviously couldn’t co out in ti.
Hansen had a brief open shot, which he certainly didn’t miss.
Swish!
Hansen’s three-pointer from downtown was precise.
20-12.
In just a few possessions, the Grizzlies had stretched the lead to 8 points!
Compared to the other Grizzlies’ team-oriented play, Hansen’s ball-handling team play was the Grizzlies’ strongest form.
Brooks could only call another tiout.
The cara panned to Durant, who looked up at the scoreboard with a sowhat dazed expression.
At this mont, he had a "what the hell just happened" feeling.
"KD said we don’t know how strong the Thunders are this season, but what I want to say is, he doesn’t understand how strong the Grizzlies are this season!" Barkley comnted from the broadcaster’s booth.
Durant truly didn’t grasp the current strength of the Grizzlies, or rather, his impression of them was still based on last season’s playoffs, with the addition of Guy at most.
But starting from the regular season when Randolph got injured, the Grizzlies’ evolution began.
Randolph’s injury was like a whale falling, which allowed the core strength of the Grizzlies to improve in various ways.
Even after Randolph returned, even if he wasn’t at his peak, the Grizzlies had already beco one of the best-performing teams in the league.
From the self-confidence built in the first round of the playoffs against the Mavericks, to the adversity-forged ttle against the Lakers, the Grizzlies at this mont were confident and composed, a completely different team from the one that had relied on sheer courage to rush forward in the previous season.
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