Vol 3 Chapter 338: Historical position

When the final whistle sounded, An Luo was very excited to hug Westbrook and others. Although everyone thought that the Cavaliers' real strength was not enough to compete with them before the game, the process of the game was still a bit worrying. In particular, the combat effectiveness that James showed was too strong. Although they have been mentally prepared enough, they are still a little surprised.
James played 45 minutes in this game. This stat is the highest in the game, 5 minutes more than Paul George on the Thunder side. In these 45 minutes, he made 19 of 32 shots and scored 52 points with close to 60% of his field goals! Of course, 11 of 12 free throws also accounted for a good part. Apart from James, none of the Cavaliers scored more than 20. Love, the second highest, only scored 18 points! These two are already the Cavaliers' double-digit scoring players.
Under such performance, no one discusses James' status in this league. If it arrives, this is not the data he has drawn out randomly like the regular season. This is the finals! And it was done under Paul George's close defense.
Although the Cavaliers lost the game, James still became the most dazzling presence in the game. Even Thunder, as the victor, had no choice but to bow to the opponent's super-burst. And James himself, because of this, set a lot of records.
This is the 8th time he has scored at least 40 points in a single game in this year's playoffs. Tie with Jerry West in the 1963-65 season. Since Jerry West, for more than 50 years, only James has done such a thing. Superstars such as Jordan and Kobe failed to do it. In addition, this is the 109th time in James' career playoffs that he scored at least 30 points in a single game. He tied with Michael Jordan and became the player who scored 30+ games in the playoffs in history. It was only a matter of time before this record was broken by him. In the finals, James scored 30+ 18 times before. After this game, he raised this number to 19 times. However, I want to break the 23 times of Michael Jordan in front of him and 24 times of Jerry West. However, if James wants to break this data, this season is likely to be impossible.
In fact, since this season, people have held positive opinions on James' historical status. After all, he is a 33-year-old veteran. After playing full 82 regular season games, one person carried the team to the finals. It is impossible for anyone to do it. At least among other players in active service, there is no such person.
After this game, another person's historical status was affirmed. This person is Westbrook.
In this game, Westbrook played 39 minutes, made 7 of 14 shots, and scored 21 points with free throws. Of course, scoring is not his important contribution. In addition to scoring, Westbrook also contributed 9 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. In the end, it was a bit regrettable to fail to score a triple-double. But his contribution in the game is the best in the entire Thunder team. It is better than Anlow who scored 28 points, Paul George who scored 25 points, Adams who grabbed 14 rebounds, and Robertson who steals 5 times.
As the assist leader for two consecutive seasons, Westbrook has always been a player in the league in the passing field. However, in the previous season, people have never regarded him as an excellent organizer and leader. Many of his choices and decisions in the game are quite criticized by everyone. Especially in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Westbrook's performance was not bad, but it became the one that people sprayed the most. It was even regarded as the culprit for Durant's departure from Oakland. The phrase "Only Westbrook can guard Durant" became the most popular phrase in the entire NBA circle.
In these two seasons, Westbrook has been proving himself. Last season, although he achieved the season's triple-doubles and won the regular season MVP, he did not go too far in the playoffs. Of course, the Thunder's strength was really worse last season, and people's views on Westbrook have changed a lot. This season, after reaching the finals, Westbrook was completely recognized by everyone.
In this season, Westbrook's change is indeed very big. In fact, he was trying to make some changes last season. But it's not as obvious as it is now.
On the offensive end, he reduced his shots, gave full play to his organizational skills, and smoothed the team's offense. UU reading www.uukanshu.com last season, the reason why the Thunder did not sink because of Durant's departure, Anlo's stable scoring was a key factor. And Anlo's score is largely based on the help of Westbrook. At that time, his ability to hold the ball and attack has not reached the current level.
On the defensive end, he started to do the dirty work. In the past, people could always see him rushing to the basket when he was marking his opponent in the elbow zone. As a result, the opponent has a vacancy. And now, the Thunder have enough people to be responsible for scoring. Therefore, his energy is put on defense. Westbrook is a player who started his career as a defensive player, and he can do these things with ease. The 2.1 steals per game this season can be seen. It is worth mentioning that the Thunder this season ranked first in steals per game among all teams in the league. Players who average more than 2 steals per game, they have 4! Roberson 2.2, Paul George 2.5, Anlow 2.1! The defense of the Thunder is evident from this.
Now, the Thunder has taken the lead in the finals. If you maintain this momentum and play the entire finals, Westbrook will win the first championship of his career, and it is very likely to win the FMVP together. Coupled with his historical record of averaging a triple-double for two consecutive seasons, Westbrook's historical status will be greatly improved. At least when facing Durant, he wouldn't appear to be short. Moreover, Westbrook will become the envy of others in the future for many times. This includes many superstars who have now retired! Like Stockton and Nash, they are all No. 1 positions in history. They have won many personal honors, but the championship will always be a pity for them.