The Clippers' starting lineup is the same as the previous round, Curry, Balang, Ricky and the duo.
The Thunder's starting lineup is equally stable, with Perkins, Ibaka, Durant, Westbrook and Sefolosha.
Looking at the matchup alone, the Clippers' inside line has an advantage, but the advantage is not obvious.
The inside combination of Perkins + Ibaka is fierce in defense and is very likely to offset the power of the duo.
In the backcourt, the combination of Curry + Baron Davis has greater offensive power.
Westbrook + Sefolosha, on the other hand, have both offense and defense, and are more balanced.
In the key third position, the Thunder undoubtedly have an absolute advantage.
Kevin Durant enters his fourth year in the league and has grown into a top scorer.
Durant averaged 30 points per game last season. The last player like him to average 30 points per game in his third year was Michael Jordan (Jordan averaged 37 points per game in his third year.)
Durant's scoring average has declined this season, not because his ability has been reduced, but because he has taken fewer shots and allocated more ball rights to Westbrook.
Durant versus Ricky Davis, not to mention crushing him, definitely has a great advantage.
On the bench, Harden and Gordon, who swapped teams, are currently on equal footing.
Harden plays more imaginatively, has strong organizational and support abilities, and is very strong in key balls.
However, his defense is average, his experience on the court is slightly lacking, and he is sometimes confused.
Gordon plays tough, is good at offense and defense, has microwave attributes, and is extremely powerful.
But his ability to organize offense is average, and he needs to partner with Westbrook or Eric Maynor to support the backcourt offense.
He alone cannot lead a second team.
After a comparison, it can be seen that the two teams are evenly matched.
The two sides will never be able to easily decide the winner like in the first round.
Min Congda continued to sit behind the team's bench, watching the game with his arms folded.
Putting aside the emotional stance and considering the performance in the regular season, in Min Congda's eyes, the Thunder are stronger than the Clippers.
Mainly in two aspects. The first is of course the strong point of Kevin Durant.
When you have a super scorer like Durant on your team who plays indiscriminately in isolation, that in itself is a huge advantage.
Especially in the playoffs, why did the Spurs lose so cleanly to the Clippers in the first round.
You tried your best every game, but in the end you couldn't beat him?
Duncan, as the team's former superstar, averaged 12 points per game in the first round.
As long as he can ignore tactics in the low post and average 20 points per game, the Spurs will never lose so cleanly.
Duncan is in a period of decline, while Durant is on the rise. He has not yet reached his peak, but he is already one of the most terrifying scorers in the league.
Secondly, the second aspect is that the Thunder's overall lineup is younger, with excellent athletic ability, height and long arms.
The Thunder's selection in recent years has paid special attention to players' physical hardware conditions.
Height, wingspan, lateral movement, these basic qualities must be strong.
During the regular season, the Thunder's steal ability was among the best in the league, and they were one of the teams with the strongest steal ability.
His shot-blocking ability ranks second in the league, and the player's blocking and interception abilities are quite outstanding.
"Our Clippers now focus on passing and cutting. The most important thing about passing and cutting is to create space, but the Thunder's long arms and long legs are best at controlling space and cutting space. It's all young people versus young people. How many Currys are there? This guy can't do what he did to the Spurs again, just casually throwing three-pointers and scoring."
Min Congda gave his conclusion, which was quite accurate.
In the first round against the Spurs, in many cases the Spurs defenders were not really out of position.
However, the Spurs' No. 3 Jefferson is average in defense, short and old in the backcourt, and old and slow in the paint.
The Clippers can always move the ball and take shots one step ahead of their opponents, spinning the Spurs around.
The Thunder are different. They are as young as the Clippers, fast and brave, and have endless energy on both offense and defense.
Min Congda's understanding of the situation between the two parties is correct.
From the first quarter of the game, the Thunder controlled the rhythm of the game.
Durant hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to start the series.
The Clippers have been unable to enter the state on the offensive end.
Curry, as the barometer of the team's outside offense, failed to hit his first two three-point attempts.
The Thunder did not let Westbrook face Curry, but used Sefolosha, who is tall and long-armed, to interfere with Curry's shots.
Sefolosha is the Thunder's defensive specialist on the perimeter, and it is much more difficult to beat him on the outside than Parker.
When the outside line cannot be opened, the Clippers naturally seek to open up the situation from the inside.
Zach Randolph did have a stable performance, using his flexible feet and strong body to attack Ibaka in the low post.
Against Duncan and McDyess, Randolph was the young and strong one, relying on his body to show off his power at the basket.
The roles against Ibaka are reversed. Ibaka is younger and stronger, and his muscles are as perfect as sculptures.
And he also has amazing jumping, and is extremely capable of protecting the basket and blocking shots.
Baron Davis, who frequently scored inside in the first round, hit the basket twice in the first quarter.
In the first quarter, the Clippers mainly relied on Randolph's offense in the low post to maintain points.
The Thunder frequently counterattacked when their defense was successful.
Westbrook's ability to push back is truly thunderous.
The Clippers' ability to defend fast breaks is inherently poor.
Once Westbrook starts speeding up, no one can intercept him.
The Thunder were halfway through the first quarter and led the Clippers by 9 points, 19:10.
Dunleavy had to call a timeout to adjust the team's offense and defense.
"Hey, these brats, are you done with it after sweeping the Spurs 4:0? Are you proud? Are you underestimating the enemy?"
"It doesn't matter. After this round, I need to take a complete rest. I can also take a good rest."
In fact, the Clippers players did not underestimate the enemy, but it was true that they had a big break.
Sometimes resting for too long is not a good thing for players to stay in shape.
Especially for a three-point shooter like Curry, the feeling of shooting in training and shooting in games is very different.
Moreover, the Thunder and Spurs seem to be from the same school, but their playing styles are very different.
In the last round, the Clippers were a young team that ran fast and jumped high.
Running against the Spurs, dragging Duncan and Parker with injured legs, and Ginobili with an injured arm was exhausted.
Now that the two levels are reversed and they encounter the Thunder, which is faster and can jump higher, the feeling and rhythm of the game are completely different.
Dunleavy asked the players to adjust immediately and find their own game rhythm.
It's easier said than done. The Clippers trailed the Thunder by 21:33 in the first quarter, trailing by 12 points.
After that, the Clippers began the difficult road of digging and filling holes.
This kind of game is the most difficult to play, it tests the players' ability to withstand pressure, and it is also very tiring to play.
Because of lagging behind, Dunleavy did not dare to boldly let go of the rotation and ruthlessly drafted the main force, leading to a vicious cycle.
The half-time point difference widened to 15 points, and the team caught up to about 8 points in the third quarter.
As a result, in the fourth quarter, there was another 11:3 offensive shock wave, allowing the Clippers to return to the pre-liberation overnight.
In the end, the rested Clippers were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder by 14 points, 96:110, on the road.
The Thunder successfully won their first victory in the semifinals, leading 1:0.
Min Congda also successfully regained a victory! Finally got the first loss in the playoffs!
(End of chapter)
