Entering the February schedule, the Thunder have a devilish schedule in the first week.
They will soon encounter the Mavericks, Grizzlies and Spurs in the Southwest Division, as well as the Trail Blazers in the Northwest Division. Although the four teams have various problems, they are still very difficult to deal with.
February 1, American Airlines Center.
The Thunder went on the road to challenge the Mavericks.
During the warm-up, Su Bei chatted with Nowitzki for a few cents, and also said hello to Yi Jianlian.
After all, Nowitzki is old, so it makes sense to sign Yi Jianlian, who has the salary base template of Nowitzki.
When the game started, the Thunder pressed the Mavericks to play, and the rhythm was firmly controlled by the Thunder.
"Billups is finally getting some fresh air.
Kidd was absent due to injury and faced Rodrigue Beaubois, who returned, and completely dominated his opponent.
The Mavericks' only chance to win is gone. They can't control the rhythm of the game. With the physical talent of the Thunder team, what can they do to defeat it..."
Not worth it!
The Thunder easily defeated the Mavericks with a score of 105-89 and a 16-point advantage, extending their winning streak to 14 games.
14 games are here, is 15 games still far away?
Sure enough, it's not far away, February 3rd, Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Return home to face the challenge from the Grizzlies.
I originally thought this would be an easy battle.
After all, the Grizzlies' offensive killer Zach Randolph is injured. The Grizzlies, which mainly plays the Black and White Bears, only have Gasol left. How can they keep up with the Thunder offensively?
However, when the game started, the Grizzlies taught the young Thunder a lesson. They suppressed the Thunder for the first three quarters with their constant rush to the basket, their all-powerful offense, and their excellent defense.
It's a pity that Durant and Su Bei both broke out offensively in the fourth quarter.
Durant Terry made 5 of 7 shots from outside, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. As if death was coming, he scored 16 points and 4 rebounds in a single quarter, shattering the Grizzlies' defense. .
Su Bei also performed very well. He made 4 of 5 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, and scored 10 points and 1 rebound in a single quarter. He and Durant formed an invincible double-gun, which completely destroyed the Grizzlies.
“The Grizzlies resisted the Thunder’s impact for three whole quarters, but in the end they couldn’t withstand it.
In the first three quarters, the physical energy was consumed so much that not even a drop was left. In the fourth quarter, when it came to real action, the Grizzlies couldn't even lift the gun..."
108 to 99, the Thunder achieved a polar reversal with a score of 35 to 17 in the fourth quarter and achieved 15 consecutive victories.
Durant made 14 of 24 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, and 7 of 8 free throws. He scored 36 points and 10 rebounds, despite being a scoring leader.
Westbrook made 6 of 18 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 8 of 9 free throws. He scored 21 points and 7 assists. The statistics are pretty good, and the efficiency is incredible.
Fortunately, Su Bei withstood it, making 8 of 13 shots, 6 of 9 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He efficiently scored 24 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds, filling the hole dug by the Turtles.
The Grizzlies had five players score in double figures, but the highest was Gasol's 24 points and 8 rebounds.
Without a superstar like Durant to hold the line, it would be difficult to withstand the Thunder's offensive explosion, and the loss was not unfair.
Being invincible is really lonely!
The Thunder, which continues to rank first in the league, has not faced many challenges.
However, February 4th is another damn schedule, back-to-back away games against the Spurs.
The Grizzlies didn't finish teaching the Thunder, but it was the Spurs who taught the Thunder how to behave.
When Ginobili did not return, the Spurs made a decisive change and put rookie Kawhi Leonard into the starting lineup to face Durant.
Sure enough, Bo Povich's move caught the Thunder off guard.
Really hard.
Is it hard there?
Leonard's defense is tough.
That long wingspan and excellent defensive sense are always in front of Durant, making Durant uncomfortable.
Although Durant relied on his good form from the previous game and frequently showed off his excellent shooting in the first two quarters in front of Leonard.
However, in the second half, after adapting to Durant's depth, Durant, who was not in shooting condition, was immediately guarded by Leonard.
At this time, Durant, who has no post-up ability, faces a real challenge.
As a shooting scorer who attacks the basket, Durant is definitely at the league's ceiling.
But in this defense, there are still years of conscience, and you can engage in physical confrontation, and you will not blow body whistles at every turn. The hands of the defensive players are not blocked, and there is no background to defend with your hands behind your back, and you can only fight and retreat. Down……
Not attacking from behind is the original sin!
Durant faced the basket and held the ball, and Leonard went to death. Durant didn't have a good jump shot opportunity and could only break through with the ball.
"Duncan was already waiting. He came over to help defend. Durant came in and was immediately beaten..."
He had no touch from the outside, and was blocked by Duncan's powerful defense. Durant's scoring ability was completely stripped away.
He had no choice but to shoot against the hands that were always in front of him. The basket didn't tolerate him, so Durant could only make a lonely shot.
Bang-dang——!
…
Bang-dang——!
…
Durant's offense was finally caught up by Leonard's defense, protected by Duncan's interior escort.
Durant's offense is nothing.
5 of 8 in the first quarter, 3 of 4 in the second quarter, 1 of 6 in the third quarter, and only 0 of 1 in the fourth quarter...
Durant's offense was frozen, and Westbrook's offense was not considered alive by the Spurs at all.
Su Bei failed to stand up and solve all the problems. Jefferson's defense was also difficult to mess with. He almost gave up the offense and blocked Su Bei's offense defensively.
The tactics of exchange are very fun!
The Thunder's perimeter offense is useless.
Then, inside attack?
Nothing happened anymore. Duncan defended Yin Baka and Perkins to 4 of 9 and 0 of 2, plus poor free throws, only 2 of 7. The Thunder's main inside player only scored 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Duncan made 5 of 16 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. He didn't score much. He only scored 13 points and 15 rebounds. On the backboard, he was completely overwhelmed.
"The Thunder's offense was faced with a tit-for-tat defense from the Spurs, and its efficiency plummeted.
This Spurs team, which shows a little bit of talent, can use solid defense to defeat the Thunder's talent and complete the defense without any force..."
And this is just defense.
Offensively, without Ginobili's brilliance, the Spurs focus on Parker.
Breakthrough layup, small throw shot.
Breaking through the emergency stop, he made a pull-up jump shot.
Duncan used pick-and-roll screens, misplaced calls on Yin Baka or Perkins, or made layups, or shot...
If you want a team, the Spurs can play a team game. If you want a superstar battle, the Spurs can also play the superstar card.
Defensively, Duncan and Leonard have become the two most beautiful players.
Offensively, Parker can become the most beautiful kid. He made 16 of 29 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and 10 of 12 free throws. He scored 42 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. He played like a superstar and defeated the Thunder. The team's defense kept the victory in St. Anthony's.
The score is 107 to 96!
The Spurs dominated the Thunder throughout the game and led the game.
No one can underestimate this Spurs team, which is known for its stability. Even in the first meeting this season, the Thunder overwhelmed the Spurs with a flow of talent.
However, after a month of adjustments, the new Spurs immediately used flip-flops to teach the Thunder how to behave.
Leonard's face was paralyzed, like a robot, but he showed great talent tonight and didn't look like a rookie at all.
The defensive potential is too strong, and he is indeed the successor that the Spurs are looking for. The players selected with a lot of money are genuine talents.
In addition to defensively, in the second half, Leonard froze the scoring leader Durant, and Leonard also showed great talent offensively.
He made 5 of 7 shots, 3 of 3 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 15 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds, giving him superstar-like results.
Su Bei was defended by Jefferson and made 5 of 10 shots, 3 of 8 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He scored 17 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds. His performance was quite acceptable.
But he couldn't stand it. Durant made 9 of 19 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws. He only scored 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
】
Just looking at the statistics, it's not bad, but in the first half, Durant made 8 of 12 shots and 1 of 2 free throws, already scoring 17 points. When the game was decided in the second half, Durant only scored 5 points.
When his shooting touch is gone, he still looks like a scoring champion, but nothing else.
The Thunder's 15-game winning streak was also ended at the hands of the Spurs.
Fortunately, after losing this game, the Thunder only lost three games, which had no impact on the top spot.
The upcoming schedule is relatively easy for the Thunder.
The question is that the Thunder are too strong.
The Trail Blazers returned to the ordinary, without the dark horse appearance of winning streak in the new season, and were easily dealt with by the Thunder.
The remaining Kings will face the Jazz, Warriors, Rockets, Nuggets, Hornets, 76ers, Celtics twice...
No one can fight.
The Thunder crushed them all the way and ended the February schedule with a 13-game winning streak, just like the January schedule.
32 wins and 3 losses!
The Thunder continue their unstoppable winning pattern and sit atop the table.
The Heat are also very impressive, with a record of 28 wins and 6 losses, ranking second in the league.
The Bulls led by Rose only ranked third in the league with a record of 29 wins and 9 losses.
Durant continues to lead the regular season MVP list, and James continues to show his status as the second man in the league.
…
