Vol 3 Chapter 507: The contest between FMVP

This season may be another critical turning point in the history of the entire league.
The end of an era is often the beginning of the next brilliant years. When James, who has ruled the East for nearly ten years, left the East, the strong Eastern teams that have been suppressed by him for many years have emerged. And in the second half of the regular season, they have completed reinforcements through trades, and the soldiers pointed directly to the Eastern Conference champion that James has occupied for many years.
The competition for the championship has always been fierce. But any team that has a chance will fight for that trophy. In particular, the two teams that passed all the way to the finals were even more competitive. After all, who wants to fall to the last step? Therefore, there is rarely a one-sided situation in the finals.
But the first finals between the Thunder and the Raptors were disappointing. Except for the third quarter, both sides felt a bit of a finals, and the other three quarters were very boring. It's okay if the defense of both sides is particularly tough, but whether it is the Thunder or the Raptors, the defense in this game is not good. Poor playing is purely in bad condition. Especially in the first half of the final quarter, the Raptors had almost no resistance. Originally, their hope of victory was not small, but they were suddenly cut off, as if they were beaten up. When he woke up, he was already unable to recover.
"The worst finals! No experience."
"The sudden power failure of the Raptors made this game lose its color!"
"Leonard can't be a leader yet!"
"Lori is still the same Lori."
...
The development of the Internet allows all fans in the world to participate in discussions on various topics. After the first game between the Thunder and the Raptors, the controversy about this game heated up in an instant.
The Raptors and Leonard were under tremendous pressure. On the whole, the Raptors' first time in the Finals with such a performance is not particularly unacceptable. But Leonard's performance really disappointed everyone. In 41 minutes, he made 5 of 16 shots, including 1 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 22 points with 11 free throws. Poor hit rate, worse performance at critical moments. In that wave of rhythm, Leonard, as the core of the team, did not stand up and make due contributions. And in the final counterattack, Siakam and Gasol performed more like team leaders than Leonard.
As a player who has won the FMVP, the finals are where Leonard can play the most value. The reason why the Raptors used DeRozan to exchange for Leonard, even if they only have the right to use it for one year, is the most important reason is their performance in the playoffs and their experience in the finals. It now appears that the performance of the playoffs is acceptable, but Leonard's performance in the finals has not yet met the expectations of the Raptors fans.
In this alliance, results are always the most important. No matter how good a player is in the entire process before the results come out, if the final performance is too bad, his evaluation will not be improved much. Just like Antetokounmpo, the regular season played a historical level of performance, leading the Bucks to advance to the playoffs with a record in the East. Antetokounmpo has always been the most powerful contender for the regular season MVP and can be said to be the strongest player during the regular season this season. But as soon as the playoffs, especially after the Eastern Conference Finals, people's evaluation of him dropped several levels.
Leonard is the one who won the FMVP after all. In the second game two days later, he adjusted his state and performed his due performance on both offense and defense.
In this game, the Raptors continued the tactics of the previous game. Focus on defense, limit the Thunder's offense from outside, and let players such as Westbrook and Paul George rush to the basket to end the offense. Both Gasol and Ibaka are top defenders in the penalty area. Coupled with Leonard and Danny Green who can support them at any time, the Raptors' defense caused great trouble for the Thunder.
Of course, Leonard's role on the defensive end is more reflected in the restrictions on Paul George. In fact, he did very well in the last game. In this regard, there is no major change. As for the offensive end, Leonard's biggest difference is that his feel has recovered.
The Thunder at home, carrying the momentum of the previous game, launched the strongest offense in the first quarter. The leader is still Westbrook. His sharp breakthrough can easily tear open the Raptors defense to score.
The highlights of the entire first quarter were focused on the two finals MVPs Westbrook and Leonard. Of course, other players are not completely silent, but in comparison, they seem very ordinary.
The first direct conversation between the two took place with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com Paul George made a screen for Westbrook at the right three-point line. His pick-and-roll quality was very high, and Lorica was directly outside the three-point line. Leonard changed defense at the first time. He did not stick it up. He was just stuck in the route that Westbrook broke through. He arched his waist, his long arms shrouded Westbrook, and the small steps under his feet kept moving. . Leonard's goal is obvious, that is, not to let sudden changes.
Westbrook understands it himself, but he is not afraid of the opponent's defense. He half-turned, the left half of his body pressed towards Leonard, violently pushed the opponent away, and rushed towards the basket. Westbrook's speed is so fast that Leonard can only follow him closely. At this time, if Gasol advances to help defend, Westbrook will have to pass the ball, but Adams stuck him firmly behind him. Without the threat from inside, Westbrook directly chose to layup.
Leonard took off with Westbrook almost at the same time. He stretched out his right hand and patted the basketball in Westbrook. Westbrook is naturally aware of the opponent's ability. He went down with his right hand, easily dodged Leonard's block, and then pulled the ball into the basket with a drawbar.
Looking back, Leonard was close to the free throw line in the left elbow area, turned around and swayed Paul George a half, and pulled up to make a mid-range hit.
This kind of confrontation was performed very frequently in the first quarter. Westbrook and Leonard, the two FMVP players, stood up from the beginning. They used their best methods to create kills when other players could not provide a stable scoring. As the leading star, the duel between them was very exciting.