The battle between the Thunder and the Clippers must be Mars hitting the earth.
Last season's semifinal showdown still left fans unsatisfied.
Both teams are full of talent and have good-looking playing styles. They are fast-rising and popular teams in the league.
The Thunder, playing away from home, are determined to win this revenge game.
Experts, commentators, and fans all want to use this game to see who will be the future king of the two most talented teams in the West.
In the starting lineup, the Thunder's main backcourt Sefolosha was absent due to injury, so Eric Gordon started in Sefolosha's place.
This makes the Thunder's starting lineup more offensive, but Gordon, who is used to playing as a substitute, may not adapt.
Moreover, the Thunder's bench strength has been weakened as a result.
The Clippers are still all healthy tonight, because sufficient rotation has kept everyone in good health.
The starting lineup is still Randolph, Gasol, Ricky Davis, Harden and Curry.
Of course, the Clippers have just experienced a plateau battle, and there are still doubts about the status of the entire team.
Did the players get a good rest? Did Curry go home and sleep? Where is Harden?
Did Randolph go to a bar? Is Ricky Davis adjusting at home? Did Gasol go to his brother's house to eat, drink and have fun...
Only the players themselves know these, so sometimes there may be reasons behind a player's abnormal performance on the field.
The good news is that since Min Congda's "Team Degeneration Plan" failed, this guy no longer has the heart to lead everyone on adventures.
The current atmosphere within the Clippers can be said to be clean and upright, with the only exception being Harden. This kid's state has been up and down recently, which is obviously abnormal.
Jump ball, Gasol and Ibaka stood in the center circle.
Ibaka's amazing jumping ability took the lead in getting the ball, and the Thunder launched its first attack.
The game officially begins.
At the beginning of the experimental offensive round between the two sides, Westbrook chose to pass the ball to Ibaka after the pick-and-roll.
Ibaka received the ball in the corner, and the Clippers used one-on-one close defense to cut off the Thunder's passing line.
This is a relatively conservative and effective defensive strategy at the beginning. It is a panacea.
After Ibaka received the ball, he turned left and looked right. There was no good passing opportunity, so he simply shot from mid-range and fell back!
This shot was a bit unexpected by Randolph, and Ibaka's mid-range shooting touch was unexpectedly good.
The ball went hollow into the net and scored the first point of the game!
Even though Ibaka is a bouncing hunk and has the nickname of 28 calories, he is extremely talented.
But he has a pretty good mid-to-long-range shot and can provide the team with stable scoring in regular time.
This is also the reason why Ibaka can partner with Perkins and serve as a stable starting power forward.
If this guy is also a bad offensive guy and has no shooting range at all, then the Thunder's starting inside attack power will be too lacking.
Compared with the Clippers' relatively conservative and moderate one-on-one defense, the Thunder's defense at the beginning seemed more targeted-double-teaming.
The double-teaming of Curry and Harden began at the beginning.
The Thunder's three outside players, Durant, Gordon, and Westbrook, are all players with strong athletic ability and excellent physical fitness.
Paired with Ibaka, a power forward with super mobility and jumping ability, he can carry out a lot of pressure and double-team defense on the opponent's perimeter.
As for the inside line, it is left to Perkins to handle it alone.
Therefore, the Thunder's defense is sometimes squeezed out of shape.
But the Thunder can rely on the players' strong athletic ability to quickly rotate and make up defense.
Don't look at the Thunder's outstanding talent, with super attackers like Kevin Durant and Westbrook.
In fact, they are a defensive team, just like the 76ers led by Allen Iverson.
They can suppress their opponents' scoring average to 95 points per game, while averaging 103 points per game themselves.
The Clippers scored 105 points per game, while their opponents scored 99 points.
The Thunder also have the highest blocks per game average in the league.
Their players are very capable of covering up defense and blocking shots.
This puts a lot of offensive pressure on the Clippers from the outside.
After being double-teamed, Curry decisively passed the ball to Gasol.
Gasol came out of his pocket to catch the ball at a 45-degree angle to Ricky Davis.
Davis chose to try a three-point shot, but the ball missed.
Then on the offensive end, the Thunder were still a little sluggish.
Durant passed the ball after a pick-and-roll. Westbrook failed to break through, so he picked-and-rolled and passed again.
Perkins and Ibaka kept picking and rolling, pick and roll, and pick and roll in the high post.
Finally seizing an opportunity, Durant lobbed a pass to Ibaka, who was cutting inside.
Gasol's defense missed the ball, and Ibaka dunked with both hands after receiving the ball!
The Thunder scored consecutively at the beginning, and their condition is obviously better than the Clippers.
Back-to-back games still have an impact on the Clippers players, who feel a little unfocused on the court.
But soon, the Clippers also scored the first point after the start.
Gasol held the ball in the high post to provide support and passed it to Curry. Curry then lobbed the ball to Randolph who cut from the baseline.
Randolph immediately turned around after receiving the ball and released a hook shot with his left hand. The ball bounced twice on the basket and fell into the net.
The ball went in. This is Steve Kerr's passing system. The players played very smart.
Neither Curry nor Harden started with a strong attack, and they themselves knew that it would be too aggressive to start consecutive games.
Usually, the Clippers start from the outside first, and then warm up the three-point shooting.
But you can't fight like this when facing the thunder, it will kill someone, you must be steady and take your time.
Both sides started the game relatively tepidly, and Durant on the Thunder side didn't seem to want to do it on his own so early.
Instead, he chooses to provide more assists to his teammates, allowing them to open up first, and then he can work hard to close the game later.
This can be regarded as the usual game rhythm of superstar players.
Use passing and defensive attraction to create opportunities for teammates.
When the energy comes to a head, take action to kill the game.
Yes, that's what Durant thinks.
The through ball just passed to Ibaka, although it was slow and not very beautiful, the assist was successful!
Again, this time switching to the right side, pick-and-roll, Ibaka cuts outside, and Durant once again jumps up and passes the ball!
As a result, the ball was intercepted by Ricky Davis!
You pass the ball too slowly. Do you think you will be asked to pass the ball like this all the time?
Ricky Davis dribbled the ball across half court, but he didn't go up by himself. He circled around and came out to Curry who was following.
Curry caught the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side and shot a three-pointer directly!
The ball flew straight to the basket and hit accurately!
Staples Center erupted in its first cheer of the night.
Curry's three-pointer was like a resounding arrow, indicating that the brief trial between the two sides was over.
A high-intensity showdown is coming soon.
Some people died, but not completely...
