Durant tried his best, but the Thunder still couldn't beat the Clippers at home.
The Thunder, which trailed by 8 points at the end of three quarters, launched a desperate counterattack in the fourth quarter.
They once narrowed the point difference to only 3 points.
But at the critical moment, the Clippers players' hands were too hard.
Randolph once again showed his true qualities as a hero, hitting consecutive low-post attacks.
The Clippers' lineup is not incapable of playing traditional positional offense.
On the contrary, if Randolph is used as the low pivot and plays inside-out, the critical moment will be very scary.
It's just that from the perspective of the entire game, playing this way is too slow and inefficient, because Randolph is not O'Neal, and he can stably score 20 points in one game.
Therefore, Steve Kerr kept Randolph's strength at the critical moment, when the two sides were engaged in a tug-of-war.
In this case, it is really important to have a stable scoring point in the low post.
In addition to Randolph, Gasol can also attack in the low post.
The two became the key players in the fourth quarter, scoring 8 consecutive points to help the Clippers re-establish their advantage.
The Thunder made two mistakes at the last critical moment. Westbrook hit a breakthrough ball on his knee and went out of bounds, and Durant was intercepted by Curry after being double-teamed.
After successfully stealing the ball, Curry calmly dribbled to the frontcourt. The Clippers, who had been playing fast for the whole game, slowed down to stall for time, allowing Randolph to beat Perkins in the low post.
Perkins returned to the court to defend Randolph alone at this time. The problem is that Perkins sat on the bench for most of the night, and he was completely out of shape.
When the critical moment comes, let him play, and there is no sense of defense. Randolph will take advantage of him.
This time Randolph turned his back, Sigma turned to face the basket, then directly pulled up and made a jump shot!
Randolph and Gasol scored 10 points in a row, and the Thunder had to call a timeout and make a last ditch effort.
Durant came back and used a three-pointer to push his score to 45 points, setting his single-game scoring record in the playoffs.
But the Thunder still lost to the Clippers at home 105:110, a gap of 5 points, falling behind by a big score of 0:3!
This was a result that no one expected. The Clippers actually led the Thunder 3:0.
Last season, the two teams also played seven games in the Western Conference semifinals, and they were evenly matched in strength.
This season, the Thunder can no longer beat them, and they are about to be shaved off.
When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, Durant stood in the middle of the court with his hands on his hips for a while, and then left the court with his head hanging down.
He didn't even hug Curry, Harden and others. He was so disappointed inside.
He went all out in this game, scoring 45 points, and he tried his best to score from the first quarter.
Tonight, his shooting percentage was as high as 48%. With this number of shots, this amount, and his scoring efficiency, he was already very good.
Westbrook also scored 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Gordon scored 15 points, both performing well.
40 points may be more common in the regular season, but it is really not easy to score 40 points in the playoffs.
A player with a strong scoring ability like Kobe has only 40 points in a single game 13 times in all these years of playoff play.
Durant's performance would definitely win in an era of 80 or 90 points.
Facing the Clippers, 40 points were useless, but they only accounted for more than 30% of the score.
For the Clippers, Curry had a stable 22 points, Harden had 21 points, Randolph had 18 points, Gasol had 17 points, and others like George, Leonard, Dragic, Jeremy Lin, and Milicic all scored. He can make good contributions on the offensive end no matter how much he scores.
The rest of the Thunder can do too little on offense and struggle on the defensive end. The Clippers' starting and bench strength is indeed strong.
Each lineup has its own style of play on the court, and the substitute players are also very effective.
The system is complete, the division of labor is clear, the morale is strong, and the willpower is very tenacious.
It can be said that Tyronn Lue's multi-lineup training strategy in the regular season this season is definitely effective.
The 12-man roster, with various combinations, can all play their own style and have their own tactical focus.
Anyone who is proficient in basketball games can feel the huge potential displayed by this Clippers.
This kind of potential is not the kind of "the future is yours" that is taken for granted. When a few young potential players perform well, I feel that they will definitely grow up and become champions in the future.
Being a champion is not that easy.
The Clippers' potential is a holistic potential, a strategic and tactical thinking potential.
Even if you are not so proficient in basketball games, you can still feel how powerful and unique this Clippers is just by watching the lively fans.
They are different from those strong teams in the past. They like to shoot three-pointers, like to pass and cut, like to play fast, like to grab points, like to rotate on a large scale, and like to use quick counterattacks to punish their opponents.
In the past, these were all labeled as "strong regular season teams" in people's minds. Being able to reach the Western Conference Finals like the Suns was the limit.
It's only the semifinals now, but the Clippers are already vaguely looking to win the championship.
In comparison, the Los Angeles Lakers, who had huge expectations at the beginning of the season, did not have such smooth sailing.
After a 1:1 tie at home, the Lakers went to Memphis to face the Grizzlies. As a result, they were attacked by the Grizzlies in Game 3 in Memphis.
The Grizzlies used a meat grinder-level defense to win the third game with a 2-point advantage at 83:81!
Leading the Lakers with a big score of 2:1.
Compared with the game between the Clippers and the Thunder, the series between the Grizzlies and the Lakers seems much retro.
Slow tempo, fighting inside, fighting for singles ability, the offense of both sides is relatively fragmented.
At critical moments, Kobe's finishing ability has declined slightly compared to his peak.
The mid-range jump shot that could tie the score at the last moment failed, causing the Lakers to lose the game.
Bryant made 12 of 33 shots and scored 28 points inefficiently, unable to prevent the team from losing on the road.
As a traditional point guard, Chris Paul's smooth sense of controlling the overall situation and organizing the offense in the regular season was successfully chopped up by the Grizzlies.
The score of 81 points is low enough. At the critical moment, the two sides compete for key goals, luck, whistles, and morale in the home and away games.
If Kobe was three years younger, there is a high probability that he would be able to close the game with his sword at the last moment, successfully win the game and take the series lead.
However, the growth of age and the decline of ability at critical moments caused the Lakers to lose this game and fall into crisis.
On the other side in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, like the Lakers, unexpectedly fell into a tough battle.
Compared with the Cavaliers, whose original lineup had been upgraded last season, they faced the Celtics, who were further aging, and defeated the Celtics in the first game.
As a result, the entire team's offense failed in the second game, and the Celtics defended them to only 76 points, setting a record for the lowest score in the playoffs this season.
The third game came to Boston, and the two sides fought into overtime. Pierce once again faced off with James and hit a three-pointer at the critical moment to help the Celtics win the third game!
The two favorites to win the championship are both facing the adversity of falling behind 1:2. For the Cavaliers, the Celtics are still a very difficult opponent.
Compared with last season, the Celtics' lineup has not improved significantly, and the Big Three are all one year older.
In the early part of the regular season, the Celtics' record was not good and they had to make adjustments.
After repeated debugging, Rivers finally accepted the new suggestions and no longer designed tactical strategies according to the old ideas.
Kevin Garnett was moved to the center position, the team was more free and open on the offensive end, and Rondo played a more important role.
Ray Allen and Pierce are still in excellent form, especially Ray Allen. His three-point shooting percentage this season has reached a career high, and his average number of shots per game has also reached a new high in the past three years.
With more three-pointers, wider offensive space, and more pass-and-cut coordination, the Celtics are also on a new path, seeking innovation and change.
This change has proven to be equally effective in the playoffs, unlike in the past where everyone was keen to defend and suppress the rhythm as soon as the playoffs arrived.
The Cavaliers and Lakers must respond.
Another matchup in the Eastern Conference, Heat vs. Bulls.
Riley, the old fox, continues to take advantage of the bull.
Derrick Rose was injured in the first round and missed the first two games of the second round.
Without Rose, the Bulls were unable to resist the Heat, and both home games fell.
Rose came back in Game 3 to steal a victory in Miami.
But the Heat obviously know how to beat the Bulls. The backcourt composed of Wade + Chalmers, as well as Odom at the third position, will set up obstacles one after another for Rose.
In short, the drama in the Eastern Conference is almost the same as last year. It depends on whether the opponents who will eventually reach the Eastern Conference Finals will change.
For the Clippers, after taking a 3-0 lead, they can really start thinking about their opponents in the next round.
Min Congda was smoking a cigarette and watching TV in the hotel. He was very proud and thought to himself: "I am really a basketball genius. As long as I make some plans, my opponent will be easily eliminated! Oh, what a pity. I am so I have all my talents and knowledge, but I can’t put them to use. This bullshit system insists on giving me some kind of bankruptcy mission. If it gives me some kind of championship mission, I wouldn’t have completed it long ago!”
Min Congda felt that his talent was underappreciated. After all, his basketball talent was indeed very high, as high as three or four stories high.
The series can disintegrate opponents from a strategic and psychological level, and the series, which was originally thought to be a fierce confrontation like Mars hitting the earth, lost its suspense in three games.
Of course, Min Congda's arrangement naturally took the greatest credit and played a key role, but what Min Congda didn't know was that the alliance was also behind it.
After the game, some people in the Thunder complained that the Thunder did not take care of the home whistle at all in this game.
The Clippers made slightly more free throws than the Thunder. Durant and Westbrook did not receive any care from the referees.
Although fair and just penalties are a matter of course, as a rule, the home team will indeed receive some care.
And in order to sell more tickets in the series, games like the third game usually allow the home team to get back in the game.
As a result, the Thunder lost the third game, completely ruining the hope of winning the series and leaving no suspense in the semifinals.
In theory, the league generally won't do this, but this time Silva really wants to support the Clippers.
After the Sterling incident, there was some rift between Min Chongda and Adam Silva.
Silva is obsessed with finding a new owner for the Clippers and letting Min Congda be a minority shareholder.
As a result, Xie Li suddenly fell out, the two divorced, and the court changed the verdict, and the matter ended up being settled.
Silva also wondered whether Min Congda was causing trouble and causing the Clippers' plan to change owners to fail.
But firstly, there is no evidence, and secondly, Min Congda was smeared by NBA-Batman in this matter.
After much deliberation, Silva concluded that someone who had a grudge against Min Congda was the one who sabotaged the plan.
Thinking of this, Silva still felt a little sorry for Min Congda. This matter was dirty and he would no longer be the boss.
But in the playoffs, there must be praise. Between Durant and Thunder, Silva of course chose Curry Harden-Clippers, who has more potential.
Although Durant looks like a superstar, he is ugly after all, and the Thunder is a small city. How can it be compared with the Clippers?
In a big city like Los Angeles, the Lakers vs. Clippers battle for supremacy is the most exciting showdown. Silva wants to create a legend of his own.
In a show like the NBA, only powerful legends can attract the most fans.
Senior fans may like to watch the heroes competing for supremacy, while ordinary fans or newcomers to basketball will only want to watch the strongest.
When the NBA first entered China, live broadcasts began in the 1990s, which coincided with the heyday of Michael Jordan.
Most of China's new fans support Jordan, and Jazz's Malone and Stockton have become the villains.
Just like new readers, they all like to read King's Way. The protagonist grows up to be invincible in the world, and they all admire it when their tiger body is shaken.
Jordan's experience, which is more legendary than the protagonist's, has played a huge role in expanding the NBA's fan base.
After that, OK won three consecutive championships and beat the Kings in 2002. The league helped to some extent, and the Lakers dynasty also attracted a large number of fans.
Now the rise of the Clippers has given Silva an opportunity to create a new legend, and he certainly hopes to seize it.
After both sides rested for a day, Game 4 continued in Oklahoma City. The Thunder could almost be said to be fighting for honor. There was no suspense in the series.
In this game, the entire Thunder team worked hard, and the Clippers also wanted to go to Los Angeles to end the series and sell a lot of tickets.
In the end, the Thunder finally won a victory at home, 110:101.
Durant scored 33 points in this game, surpassing 30 points in four consecutive games.
His scoring ability is evident, but the Thunder failed to really find a way to deal with the Clippers.
Two days later, in Game 5, back in Los Angeles, the Clippers gave the Thunder no more hope.
The Clippers' substitutes exploded in this game. Dragic and Jeremy Lin led the bench to set off an offensive frenzy.
The Clippers led the Thunder by 18 points at halftime and ended the game 120:104. They easily defeated the Thunder with a 16-point advantage and entered the Western Conference Finals!
The big score of 4:1 was a result that many people did not expect. It was very easy.
Firstly, the Clippers are really strong, and secondly, in terms of tactics and lineup, the Clippers really restrain the Thunder.
Gram's to death.
The Clippers can finally wait for the start of the Western Conference Finals in Los Angeles.
The opponent will be between the Lakers and Grizzlies.
In mid-to-late May, there is another big thing for those teams that have not entered the playoffs.
That is the 2012 draft lottery, which will be held in New York.
This lottery ceremony seems to have nothing to do with the Clippers. The Clippers have already reached the Western Conference Finals.
But in fact, the Hornets' first-round draft pick is in the hands of the Clippers.
And it’s the first round without protection!
With the Hornets' performance, the Clippers will definitely get a top-four pick in the 2012 draft.
Therefore, this draft lottery will have a decisive impact on the Clippers' future destiny.
Min Congda didn't care much about this because he had decided to leave the draft and other related matters to Olshey and others.
He was so unlucky that he no longer wanted to worry about it, so he might as well go fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
(End of chapter)
