Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 341 Even Better

In the second quarter, the Timberwolves' strategy was relatively successful. Westbrook felt very average and couldn't hit a three-pointer at all.

However, they didn't find a chance to extend their lead either, as Durant made two pull-ups from beyond the three-point line.

This is the difference in the grades of the twin stars. Durant is too strong in scoring.

Moreover, he is tall and has long arms and good physical coordination. It is really difficult to restrict Durant.

So the Timberwolves now just want to make it difficult for Durant to score, to guide Westbrook, who has a low success rate, to attack, and to lock down the Thunder's role players.

These points are completely done well, and there is no guarantee that the Thunder will be defeated 100%, but the Timberwolves' winning rate will increase a lot.

Under the Timberwolves' defensive strategy, Westbrook, who took the most shots in the first half, was not the player with the highest score of the two teams.

The highest scorer was Curry, and the Thunder also found that even if they locked other players, it would not be worthwhile for Curry to attack them completely, not to mention that they could not completely lock other Timberwolves players.

"It is still necessary to limit Curry and let DeRozan hold the ball to attack. Our inside defense will be better." During the intermission, the Thunder coaching staff was also discussing.

In fact, the Timberwolves have some defensive conditions and the Thunder almost have them. DeRozan's offense is not as stable as Curry. It is better to let players other than Curry focus on the offense.

In the first half, the Timberwolves took a slight lead, and the two teams can be said to be evenly matched.

It's just that the Timberwolves played obviously more teamwork, and all players participated in the offense.

Zhang Sixin thinks that the Timberwolves can push the Thunder again defensively and make them play more extreme, so that they can improve their defensive level against the Shuangjun in the last few minutes, which will definitely be miraculously effective.

They often use this trick against the Lakers, and now it is only slightly improved, so it can be said that they are familiar with it.

But in the second half, the Timberwolves let Westbrook's main attack did not work.

During the intermission, Westbrook adjusted and could hit a three-pointer.

There is no way, All-Star players can sometimes do it.

Westbrook is still relatively strong in this regard, and Parker has not had this momentum after being played by the Timberwolves for several years.

But Westbrook's momentum can sometimes be a double-edged sword. He is the strongest player on the team. There is no problem. There is also Durant. He is too confident and sometimes conflicts, just like when Kobe and O'Neal are together.

When the game encountered difficulties, the Timberwolves players did not panic at all, and the defense was still very stable.

The defending champion and the first record in the league gave them enough confidence.

Just when the Timberwolves stabilized, the opportunity came.

Nothing else, but Durant fouled a bit too much.

The Timberwolves have strengthened the breakthrough to a certain extent, and originally wanted to solve the opponent's inside line.

Unexpectedly, the opponent failed to handle the inside line and injured Durant first.

With Durant up, the Timberwolves don't need to pinch any players, and the defensive pressure is much less.

Harden still couldn't find the feeling when he came up, and the Thunder's momentum on the offensive end stopped all of a sudden.

In fact, it is not to blame for the Thunder's misjudgment. Harden really feels unstable.

Of course, it should be the possession of the ball that caused this, and Harden is also a player with the possession of the ball.

In fact, in a big market, it is okay to send Harden away in exchange for a player who is more suitable for the double and junior players, but it is not easy for a small market to get a player with All-Star potential.

After the Thunder realized that their offensive power had weakened, they waited and watched for a few minutes before replacing Perkins.

They overtook the Timberwolves before, but after Durant went down, the Timberwolves caught up. The Thunder worried that they would not be able to withstand it if this continued.

Perkins' defense is very good, but facing the Timberwolves' insiders, they can't help on the offensive end at all. They can only choose to change.

However, after Perkins went down, the Timberwolves showed their strength inside, and both Love and Milicic could play inside. The Thunder were in a dilemma.

So, at the beginning of the last quarter, they replaced Durant.

After Durant played, the Thunder's offense improved a lot.

Whether Durant is attacking himself or creating opportunities for his teammates, he must be stronger.

Creating opportunities for teammates is not just assists, but more importantly, attracting defensive attention.

Durant stands on the court, doing nothing is the object of the defense's focus. Westbrook really can't do this. Westbrook needs to rely on breakthroughs to create opportunities.

So the Timberwolves chose to attack. When Durant was strictly guarded, Harden didn't seize the opportunity. Thunder coach Brooks was also very depressed.

There was no choice but to let Westbrook play early. Westbrook only rested for 3 minutes in the second half. Durant rested for a few more minutes because of foul problems.

Although not yet at the level of the playoffs, the Thunder also wanted to win the game, so they came up with the decisive lineup early.

They ended up playing one big and four small, and chose Perkins on the inside.

Although Ibaka is very strong in defense and has sent 5 big caps in front, but Ibaka can't withstand the Timberwolves' inside line, so he can only use a meat shield.

At the last moment, the Thunder still hope that the offensive end can be stronger.

They have defensive players, but the defensive system is really not as good as the Timberwolves.

After Westbrook played, the Thunder's offense finally got back to normal.

The ability of the All-Star players can still be seen to be obviously different.

But the Timberwolves are playing on the Thunder's weak link, and they will use it to make a fuss if they lack an insider.

In fact, Durant has no problem playing four heights, but Love is too strong, and Durant consumes a lot on the defensive end.

If Perkins goes to help defend, Love will pass the ball backhand.

The outside line of the Timberwolves is still very threatening.

This time the Thunder learned the lesson from last time and put an extra three-point defense from the outside, but they found that it is still difficult to completely limit the Timberwolves' three-pointers.

Especially Curry, shooting is really unreasonable.

If you don't directly match up, many players feel that Curry can be restricted. After all, Curry is not Kobe's difficult score, he just finds the gap to shoot.

But in fact, the defense only knows that Curry may be more difficult to limit than those backcourts with explosive physical fitness.

The spirit cannot be relaxed for a moment, which is very tortured for defensive players.

It will be even more difficult if the opposing player still plays the leading role on the offensive end.

Therefore, when they played against the Timberwolves, the Thunder, which defended well, didn't feel so good.

They are both offensive and defensive teams, which may be the reason why the Timberwolves are better. How the Thunder adjusts makes people feel a bit worse.

Halfway through the final quarter, DeRozan succeeded in singles, and the Timberwolves once again stabilized their lead.

(End of this chapter)