Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 226 Foul Crisis
But there are also downsides, that is, such a small point difference is best for the referee to make a fuss about.

They only need one or two free throws in a short period of time to directly change the outcome of the game, unless the Thunder take a big lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, or the Spurs' offense in the fourth quarter pulls their hips and cannot be saved.

The occurrence of both of these is the safest, but also the lowest probability.

It just so happened that today was the Spurs home court and the referee had a clear bias, which made Li Shengxin faintly uneasy.

In fact, apart from the competition itself, what Li Sheng was more worried about was whether any accidents would happen during the competition, such as criminal actions such as black elbows and black feet.

It’s okay if it’s just one game, but this is a series. After this loss, the Spurs are 0:3 behind, and the pressure is too great, so taking the lead to the fourth quarter, the Spurs are either anxious to make a comeback and make mistakes in the rush, or their mentality collapses. Not only will they not play well, they may even turn from playing to playing.

Ginobili had slapped Westbrook before, and Li Sheng didn't dare to think about what he would do in this situation.

So in the fourth quarter, when Ginobili and Green were both on the court, Li Sheng paid special attention to their defensive movements. These two are most likely to do something.

The Thunder's field lineup is still led by Durant, and the other positions are Reggie, Sefolosha, Collison and Gobert.

After entering the playoffs, Perkins played less and less because of his age and state, and Lamb because of his defense.

As for Fisher, who didn't play much in the regular season, he was allowed to try in the previous two rounds, but if he was playing against the Spurs, Li Sheng still shortened the rotation, mainly Dewey, Ibaka's "Big Three", four rookies, Perkins, and Reggie. Fisher, Thabeet, and Alton have not played yet.

Fortunately, the Thunder are basically young and strong guys. Even though Durant has always had physical problems, except for the first game of trying to win, Li Sheng paid attention to arranging his playing time afterwards.

Just like now, it is also because he didn't play much in the third quarter, so he continued to lead the team in the fourth quarter. If the situation is more anxious, he may play the full game directly. Even so, the total playing time is only 38 minutes, so there should be no problem.

The most important thing is actually not the playing time, but the arrangement Li Sheng made for him, which is more similar to his later role in the Warriors.

Although he is dissatisfied with his "play" in the Warriors, it is not so much that he is dissatisfied with the possession of the ball, it is better to say that his scenery is covered by another person, and his status is not as good.

But he doesn't have these troubles in the Thunder, and no one can challenge his status now, especially after he won the MVP and led the team to tie the best record in history.

At the same time, it also gave him a lot of self-confidence. The spirit of the stars sometimes affects their performance, as if in the future after Durant returned from a serious injury, he was almost a god in the playoffs in the season.

Now Durant is in a state of full self-confidence, and at the same time he wants to prove himself even more, so naturally he dares to fight and can fight more.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he first succeeded in a misplaced single, then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored and caused a foul. After that, he hit a goal from outside the three-point line and scored 8 points in a row.

But the Thunder did not widen the point difference. Instead, they were overtaken by the Spurs later, because the referee stood up again at this time.

"Another foul, this time Durant reached out while defending Manu Ginobili!"

Even so, the commentator also felt very helpless. After all, if he had to say it, it seemed a bit reluctant to call a foul.

And this is not the first controversy, there was one before, and then Durant was called for another foul, which was also his fifth foul on the field. Li Sheng had to take him off the court to rest, but at the same time he directly began to greet the referee.

The referee endured it, but still didn't hold back and gave him a "T".

"Oh F**K, this foul is a bit unreasonable. I think the referee may have some mission today."

Naturally, the local commentator in Oklahoma City would not hide anything for face, and directly pointed out that this was a black call.

At the same time, many fans criticized the comments on the forum.

Of course, the Spurs fans seem very "wronged". This is what the league and the referees want to do. What does it have to do with our Spurs? Why are you scolding us?
Of course I have to scold, Thunder fans need a place to vent, while other fans are completely watching the mentality of having fun.

There are also some fans who have another idea, such as fans of the Heat and James. In their opinion, the Pacers are not opponents, but no matter which of the two western teams wins, they feel that they will be a big threat to the team.

Some fans have such a strong sense of substitution, making the team look like theirs, but without these people, there will be a lot less excitement and fun.

"Li, calm down, you can't be sent off!"

On the sidelines of the arena, seeing that Li Sheng still wanted to argue with the referee, Gentry and Udoka hurried up to hold him back.

Although for them, if the head coach is absent, it is also an opportunity for them, but this opportunity also depends on the situation. At this time, Li Sheng will stay in the end and finish the game well first.

Li Sheng sat back on his seat again, he was somewhat acting just now, and also somewhat real.

Being in this league, he should have known what this place is, and he should have known the virtues of these referees and high-level league leaders.

Even Bennett, the owner of the Thunder before, hinted that he should let him go a little bit, and wanted to sell tickets at home.

Although the team has no contract troubles for the time being, the players are basically in the contract period, and people like Perkins and Fisher will definitely not renew their contracts, but who would refuse to make more money?
The boss does not buy the team for charity or to bring happiness to the fans. He makes money by investing. If he wins the championship but cannot make money, he may rather not win the championship.

Of course, when you suffer a loss, you still have the right to express your dissatisfaction, and Li Sheng is not a real saint.

Seeing that the Spurs had gained a 4-point lead and became more stable than before, Popovich also began to deploy troops to stabilize the victory. Li Sheng thought about it and changed the lineup.

At this time, the field became a lineup of Westbrook, Sefolosha, Ennis, Ibaka and Gobert. The three forwards and guards can be used as shooters to open up space.

Antetokounmpo was not the only one who gained muscle in the first step in his rookie season. Gobert was also working hard to build muscle for the inside line to enhance his confrontation and adapt to NBA hand-to-hand combat.

In fact, Robertson and Ennis also increased their muscles to varying degrees, both to strengthen their confrontational capabilities.

And Gobert himself has a big frame, which is easy to hang on, and he doesn't have to worry about shooting, so his muscle gain effect is actually better than that of Antetokounmpo.

There is no need to become a meat shield like Perkins, as long as it can block people, after all, besides skills, body is the most important thing in cover.

(End of this chapter)