"Zhao Chen is on the bench. Is he injured? But the news from the front does not indicate that Zhao Chen is injured." Yu Jiadao.
Except for Zhao Chen himself, fans and commentators were still very surprised that Zhao Chen was playing as a substitute.
"Probably not. It's most likely a tactical arrangement." Zhang Weiping said.
When the camera's close-up shot showed Zhao Chen, Zhao Chen looked calm.
On the field, the game officially started.
Marc Gasol helped the Grizzlies get the first offense.
Conley moved forward with the ball.
Conley is 185cm tall and weighs 84kg. He averaged 17 points and 6 assists per game this season.
Conley's offensive power is not as good as Westbrook's, but he also has his own characteristics. Conley is a true point guard with clear organization and excellent shooting.
Under normal circumstances, he usually gives priority to passing the ball, but when he needs to score, he never disappoints his teammates.
This is also the reason why Conley was able to get the maximum salary in his previous life.
Balanced offense and defense, steady play, these are his characteristics.
Conley passed the ball and knocked it down a few times.
Tony Allen and Courtney Lee caught the ball and ran in circles.
The offensive capabilities of the Grizzlies' players determine that they must fight a positional battle with the Thunder.
Neither Tony Allen nor Lee have strong offensive abilities, and neither found a chance under the defense of Sefolosha and Durant.
Conley launched his own offense, and Conley asked for Randolph's pick-and-roll.
Randolph's pick-and-roll was very solid, Conley took advantage of the right side to complete the breakthrough, and Conley got in.
Durant on the other side came to help defend, and Conley took the ball and leaned toward Durant for a layup.
Durant didn't stop the car!
"boom!"
Durant knocked down Conley directly.
"Beep!"
The referee raised his fist, blew his whistle, and held out two fingers.
Conley's smart play poured cold water on Durant.
Because he wanted to win so much, Durant's defensive aggressiveness was too obvious.
The cheers of fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena also died down.
Conley stood on the free throw line and made two free throws!
2 to 0
The Grizzlies players did not celebrate too much, but immediately devoted themselves to defense.
For them, offense is just embellishment, and defense is their instinct.
Zhao Chen has been observing the Grizzlies' tactical arrangements off the court.
From this round and the impression from previous regular season matches, Zhao Chen could tell.
The Grizzlies' tactics are very holistic, and their style of play is not flashy. They are basic tactics such as pick-and-roll, screen, roll, pass, corner, etc. They rely heavily on two big men, which also leads to their offense being basically It is mainly about positional attack.
Conley was able to successfully break through just now, largely because Ibaka and Westbrook both focused on Randolph at the same time.
Conley used Randolph's deterrence on the offensive end to form a surprise attack. Then Conley made a keen judgment that Durant's defense was too fast, and directly caused a foul on Durant.
The Grizzlies emphasize experience and teamwork, while the Thunder emphasize talent and strong individuals. These are two completely different styles.
This is also the reason why most players from both teams dislike each other.
Thunder offense.
Westbrook protected the ball with his back and pushed it to the frontcourt before giving it to Durant who was asking for the ball at a 45-degree position.
The Thunder's transition lies in the moment they steal the ball, or grab a long rebound, or when the opponent's defense is careless and out of position. At other times, they are not too fast.
Durant holds the ball, and all Thunder members stand apart to watch the show.
Durant made two consecutive drastic changes of direction and passed Tony Allen on the outside. He rushed to the free throw line to face Gasol's help and stopped the jumper!
"Uh-huh!"
Accurate hit from mid-range at the free throw line!
Zhao Chen also applauded Durant's goal off the court.
The only big man who can dazzle Tony Allen with such a change of direction is Durant.
Durant can easily dodge and then throw such a mid-range shot against Gasol's interference.
Most fans think this is just a simple-looking move, but Zhao Chen knows that it is all talent.
Not all superstars or All-Stars can play the same way as Durant.
Durant's offensive incomprehensibility often comes from his height. He combines his height with dribbling and touch. These abilities are combined together, resulting in a very domineering personal offense.
2 to 2
Oklahoma City fans cheered and took their seats.
You have teamwork, we have superstar singles!
....
....
Both sides showed their respective characteristics after the start of the game.
Both teams are not very fast and focus on positional offense.
The Grizzlies were either running pick-and-rolls between Conley and Randolph, or Randolph was sitting in the low post.
If Randolph is flanked in the low post, he will pass to Lee or Tony Allen who is cutting inside, and of course sometimes he will pass to Mike Conley.
The Thunder's overall defense was not well arranged, and people were often missed. The Grizzlies' offense frequently succeeded.
Of course, this is typical for the Thunder, either Durant or Westbrook.
Westbrook's breakthrough is like a sharp knife. Conley's defense is very good, but many times he is still passed by Westbrook in one step. Westbrook does not hesitate when facing the two big men Gasol and Randolph. Hard talk.
The effect of such a confrontation is also obvious, Westbrook is full of lethality.
Then Durant on the Thunder side occasionally fired shots from the outside, and the Grizzlies' defense was also very difficult.
The scores between the two teams were constantly in a stalemate.
The turning point came at 6 minutes and 38 seconds. Durant was forced to leave the game because he received his second foul because he failed to hit Cherandorf's ball.
Brooks immediately replaced Zhao Chen.
After Zhao Chen came on the stage, he was directly flanked by Tony Allen and Conley, and the main point of attack was still on Westbrook's side.
It can be seen that the Grizzlies would rather let Westbrook open than Zhao Chen.
Westbrook wanted to pass the ball to Zhao Chen, but he could never find a chance. Instead, he hesitated between attacking himself and passing the ball to Zhao Chen.
This hesitation was fatal. Westbrook was not so powerful when he broke into the paint. He encountered big blocks from Gasol and Randolph one after another.
On the offensive end, Randolph played a role in beating Ibaka.
After being in the league for 5 seasons, Ibaka is still like a rookie, being thrown around by Randolph who is very good at attacking in the low post!
The Thunder was extremely uncomfortable.
When the game came to 3 minutes and 21 seconds, Brooks called to stop the game.
At this time the score reached 23 to 14, the Thunder were 9 points behind at home, and their offense had stalled for 5 rounds.
"Russell, come down, Zhao, hold the ball." Brooks immediately made tactical adjustments.
It's too difficult to get chances without the ball in the playoffs against the Grizzlies' defensive intensity.
The Grizzlies were determined not to let Zhao Chen shoot an open three-pointer. With the two of them taking care of him, it would be useless no matter how good Zhao Chen's running skills were.
The difference between Zhao Chen's treatment and Thompson's in the Warriors is that the Thunder don't have as many screens and off-ball tactics to create space for Zhao Chen.
"OK!" Zhao Chen nodded.
Zhao Chen holding the ball is Brooks' adjustment.
Zhao Chen had too few opportunities in these few minutes on the court. This is not the normal rhythm of the Thunder.
Time has come for the second unit.
The Grizzlies took Gasol off and replaced him with Ed Davis, entering the rotation stage.
Ed Davis is 2.06 meters tall. He is a standard insider with excellent mobility. He has outstanding explosive power at the basket, excellent rebounding ability on both offense and defense, and is good at blocking shots, but his shooting range is limited and his ball control ability is poor.
The Grizzlies brought him up to defend and replace Gasol in a short period of time.
Zhao Chen returned to the court, took a deep breath and patted his chest!
Next, it's his time.
