With Lu Yao's three-pointer, the final result was finalized. At this moment, there were only 8 seconds left in the first quarter, and there was not much time left for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks also understood that there was not much time, so they quickly began to position themselves and prepare for the last attack in the first quarter.
As the referee's whistle sounded, Rondo served from the baseline and threw it toward the frontcourt with all his might, just as he was about to deliver it to Nowitzki.
Nowitzki jumped up to catch the ball, turned around and wanted to make a jump shot, but the moment he took the shot, there was someone who had predicted everything in advance.
That person is Lu Yao.
Lu Yao was the first to notice the Mavericks' intentions, and came to Nowitzki's side first. When Nowitzki received the ball, he rushed forward to block the shot.
With the blessing of an iron-clad talent, Lu Yao's chances of successfully blocking shots were greatly improved. His hand directly pressed on the ball that Nowitzki had just shot, and he violently slapped him from the air to the ground.
The ball made a crisp sound on the ground, and then Westbrook, who had quick eyes and quick hands, immediately stepped forward and took the ball into his arms, quietly waiting for the time on the clock to pass.
As the referee's whistle sounded, the first quarter of the game officially ended. Westbrook put down the ball in his hand and came to Lu Yao. The two looked at each other and then stretched out their hands towards each other, hitting a loud shot in the air. High five.
The score in the first quarter was officially fixed at 31:25. Lu Yao and Westbrook successfully prevented the Mavericks from tying the score.
The originally noisy American Airlines Center now became quieter. Many spectators couldn't help but gasped and looked at Lu Yao below.
Monster, simply a monster. Nowitzki's shots are already very fast, just to prevent his opponent from reacting and avoid being directly blocked.
But what about Lu Yao? Lu Yao predicted Nowitzki's prediction and blocked his shot before him.
There is no doubt that Lu Yao's performance in the first quarter was superb. He directly transformed into an away muffler, making the originally noisy American Airlines Center silent.
But there was no trace of happiness on Lu Yao's expression, because he knew that the final outcome of the game had not yet been decided, so he was not ready to just sit back and wait for death.
In the first quarter, he scored 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Such statistics are just routine for Lu Yao.
Soon, the second quarter of the game began.
The Thunder won a jump ball in the first quarter. According to the rules, the ball should be handed over to the Mavericks at the beginning of the second quarter.
This means that the Mavericks have the initiative in the second quarter and can do more. Only by preventing the Mavericks' offense in this round can the Thunder have a chance to continue to expand the score.
What's more, this goal must be defended. Once the Mavericks narrow the point difference to less than five points again, the score on the court will once again become anxious, and the Thunder will not be able to resolve the game more quickly.
Nowitzki served from the baseline and handed the ball to Rondo to organize. After receiving the ball, Rondo moved forward steadily according to the tactics while observing the trends on the court in order to make the next choice at any time.
At this moment, Tyson Chandler slipped out from the baseline and, using the cover of his teammates, was cutting inside.
Upon seeing this, Rondo sent the ball to Tyson Chandler's hands without hesitation, without any hesitation, playing with confidence.
After Tyson Chandler saw the ball, he saw that there was only one Adams inside. He was about to go directly to Adams for a layup. Did he ever think that Lu Yao and Ibaka on the flanks immediately came over and blocked him like a gate? Chandler.
Chandler's offense was destroyed and he was forced to pull out of the paint. Ibaka and Adams continued to stay in the paint, while Chandler left it to Lu Yao to solve the problem.
Chandler kept trying to break through, but Lu Yao's defense was too strong. No matter what methods Chandler tried, he could not break through Lu Yao's defense.
Helpless, Chandler could only pass the ball to Rondo, and Rondo passed the ball to Nowitzki. After going round and round, it still took an experienced driver to solve it all.
But Nowitzki had already been targeted by Robertson and Westbrook. After receiving the ball, his position became extremely uncomfortable and he was completely unable to release the ball. At this moment, with only 3 seconds left in the attack time, Nowitzki could only forcefully turn over and shoot a jumper. Take action.
Nowitzki is getting old after all, and his forced turn-over jump shot no longer has a high shooting percentage, and the ball unfortunately hits the basket in the end.
Ibaka, who had already taken a good position, grabbed the rebound and passed the ball back to Wei Shai. Wei Shao continued to advance towards the backcourt with the ball, and the Thunder launched a new round of ferocious offense.
Before the Mavericks could react, the Thunder had already taken advantage of the victory. Westbrook passed the ball to Robertson who had already rushed to the basket. After receiving the ball, Robertson took advantage of the situation and scored!
33:25, with Robertson's blue pick, the Thunder widened the point difference to 8 points!
But this is just an appetizer for the Thunder. The next game is when the Thunder will really eat the Mavericks alive.
In the second quarter, the entire Thunder team was in full swing. Perhaps West's injury gave everyone strength. The Thunder kept firing from the outside, with consecutive three-pointers that almost penetrated the Mavericks' basket.
In the paint, Lu Yao withstood the pressure of Chandler and Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks. He was able to do anything in the paint. He even contributed to a scene where he dunked Chandler under the basket and was booked. Ranked among the top ten goals of the day.
The Thunder's ferocious offensive directly stopped the Mavericks. The defensive and offensive ends were paralyzed at the same time. Rondo was restricted by Westbrook and could not do more. He could only count on his teammates to step up.
But Nowitzki cannot stand up all the time when he is restricted due to his increasing age.
The rest of the Mavericks seemed to have been blinded by the Thunder and had no ability to fight back. Even the most basic offense would make repeated mistakes.
One can imagine how badly the Mavericks were beaten in the second quarter of this game.
The Thunder blasted 11:0 twice. From 11 minutes and 32 seconds to 4 minutes and 11 seconds of the second quarter, the Mavericks team only scored 2 points in total. These two miserable points undoubtedly nailed the Mavericks. On the pillar of shame this season.
At this moment, the Thunder is already leading by 28 points, and only the last two points are needed to achieve a 30-point lead.
Westbrook dribbled the ball past half-court and threw the ball directly to Lu Yao just after half-court. The obvious intention was to let Lu Yao complete the last ball.
Lu Yao took a deep breath, and then started a breakthrough with his feet. He passed the defending Nowitzki in one step and rushed towards the basket.
When Chandler saw Lu Yao at the bottom of the basket, he seemed to have lost his mind and just stood there blankly.
Lu Yao jumped up high, held the ball high above his head, and then slammed it into the basket!
Lu Yao used a violent dunk to widen the point difference to 30 points!
