Vol 3 Chapter 468: Key steal

In the second half of the fourth quarter, the game entered the most intense confrontation. At this time, the defense of both sides finally came in handy. All kinds of double-teaming and changing defenses have caused more and more collisions in the game. The atmosphere of the game also began to become increasingly anxious.
After the last quarter started, the main players on both sides happened to rest for only two minutes. No matter which team, which head coach, will rely more on the core players in the team, especially those stars, basically will increase a lot of playing time.
Take Anluo, he averaged about 30 minutes a game in the regular season, but by the playoffs, this number was close to 40. Although he has increased his playing time by a third, Anluo's average per game has not increased by a bit, but has decreased a bit. Of course, this is normal. This is one of the differences between the playoffs and the regular season.
When Westbrook, Anlow, and Harden all went into battle, the atmosphere in the Chesapeake Energy Arena suddenly became tense. The Thunder's defense line was pushed directly to the three-point line, Adams guarded the basket, and Grant was near the free throw line. His position was very critical, both inside and out. Not as good as Robertson, but not bad under the entire defensive system of the Thunder.
Chris Paul holds the ball from outside the three-point line and hits it. When other players are not in a good position, he is responsible for tearing the Thunder's defense line and creating some opportunities. After the pick-and-roll, the small fight is Paul's good game, but Adams did not completely change the defense, his footsteps and speed can not keep up with the opponent, only to delay Paul's breakthrough speed. Westbrook went around directly, his speed is not slow! Always stuck in the opponent's position near the basket. After a round with the ball, Paul walked out again. Westbrook naturally followed closely behind. But at this time, Chris Paul suddenly killed a carbine, turned around to a position close to the bottom line, and pulled it up to make a fallback jumper.
The whole process was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, Paul completed this attack. But what is worthy of affirmation is that Harden and Gordon, who have been floating beyond the three-point line throughout the offensive link, did not get the slightest chance. Anluo and Paul George seemed to be touching them personally, defending very closely. More importantly, even though the Thunder lacked Robertson, their unlimited defenses can still function normally. This is the most important part of the Thunder's defensive system, as well as a barrier for them to face teams with star guards and star strikers. In any case, there is always a good defensive player putting pressure on the opposing player with the ball.
Switching to the Thunder offense, they also encountered a stronger defense. Despite the fact that the Rockets' lineup is short, their defense is not weak. Westbrook is facing Harden, and speaking of these two guys, there are some similarities. In college, both started as defense. After entering the league, due to various reasons, they have become players who are unwilling to participate in defense. But in the last two seasons, especially after they both won the regular season MVP, they have re-engaged on the defensive end, and they have done very well.
Of course, D'Antoni still faces Anlo, who is the most outstanding perimeter defensive player, Chris Paul. He would like to see Westbrook score. In his basketball philosophy, three-pointers are the most efficient offensive method. Westbrook's three-pointer is not stable, and his shooting percentage in this game is very poor. His defensive strategy is to let Westbrook take a three-pointer.
Compared to Westbrook's "relaxed" side, Anlow and Paul George are uncomfortable. Especially An Luo, he has to face Chris Paul. Among the opponents Anlo has encountered in his career in the past few years, Chris Paul's defense is the most uncomfortable for him.
First of all, Chris Paul is very strong. The powerful lower body strength allows Paul to have enough resistance to be squeezed away easily. Therefore, he is not afraid of confrontation, and even likes to use physical confrontation to disrupt the opponent's attacking rhythm. Whether it is possession or shooting, as long as the rhythm is interrupted, it is difficult to cause damage.
Another very famous feature of Chris Paul's defense is his small moves. This is the thing that disgusts An Luo the most. In defense, Chris Paul always touches his thighs, waist and eyes. When the referee is not paying attention, he pushes, shoves, pulls, and pestles with his arms, whatever makes people uncomfortable. From time to time, there is another disgusting rubbish, which really makes An Luo a very headache.
Therefore, An Luo is in the Rockets game, try not to attack with the ball. Always running on the court and shooting the ball, not giving Paul a chance to disgust himself.
This time, Westbrook also went to fight on his own. He didn't choose to shoot from the outside, even if there was a big gap through Adams's screen, he still jumped to the free throw line and ended the attack with his zombie jumper. After losing a few consecutive shots, Westbrook became less confident in his own three-pointers.
The two sides have been entangled until the last moment.
When there were 25 seconds left in the game, the two sides tied again with 100:100. Harden's retreat three-pointer wasted the opportunity to take the lead. After Adams grabbed a key rebound, the Thunder temporarily seized the initiative on the court.
"Don't worry! Control the rhythm and hit the basket..."
Donovan loudly reminded Westbrook who was holding the ball from the sidelines. He has exhausted all the timeouts and can only remind him like this. There were too many twists and turns in the last few minutes. The Rockets repeatedly emphasized the lead and were tied by the Thunder. Now they have the opportunity to determine the lead.
Westbrook took the ball across the center line and he controlled the time. In this case, it is the most ideal result to score the ball with the last bit of time.
With 8 seconds left, Westbrook moved. He didn't do much of those fancy moves, and rushed into the free throw line with Adams's screen. However, Tucker's defense made him lose the opportunity to score. The situation was wrong, Westbrook immediately passed the ball. By this time, Gordon, who came out to grab the show in the first half, stood up again. He anticipated the passing direction of Westbrook in advance, and directly dropped Paul George to the direction where the basketball flew.
This was a surprising scene, Westbrook passed the ball directly to Gordon.
In that moment, no one reacted. Only Chris Paul on the side reminded D'Antoni to call for a timeout and jumped on the spot in a hurry.