super heavy artillery

Chapter 431
In the first game of the first round of the playoffs, the Thunder easily defeated the Timberwolves who came from afar. 109:101, judging from the score, they didn't win much.But in the last quarter of the game, Donovan didn't let his main players play for too long.After all, in the second half of the third quarter, the all-out Thunder generals directly shattered the Timberwolves' hope of winning.

The Thunder, who won the first battle, are naturally quite happy.Victory is something to behold at any time, let alone in the playoffs.

In the postgame press conference, Donovan did not praise his players.In his eyes, the Thunder's victory over the Timberwolves is a matter of course.But in the first half of the third quarter, they almost capsized.This made him feel a little inappropriate.But he didn't blame these players either. After all, it was a victory, and he still saw everyone's efforts.

Westbrook is not so humble!
"We did what we were supposed to do! The Timberwolves were strong, but we were better. We were aggressive throughout the game. Especially on the defensive end, we put a lot of pressure on the other side. They showed up A lot of mistakes gave us chances to fight back. The important thing is that we took those chances and converted them into points."

When he was asked again about his goals for this year, Westbrook was also very straightforward: "The championship has always been what we pursue. Whether it was before or now, this has not changed at all. We have missed it. But now, it's time!"

In contrast, An Luo and Paul George are much more humble.They all summed up the game and praised the Timberwolves players.Especially An Luo, who was boasting about Butler defending him.

Unlike the cheerful atmosphere on the Thunder's side, the Timberwolves' side was a bit depressed.Facing the verbal confrontation of reporters, Thibodeau handled it with ease.But Butler and Towns can't do that.The former has a look of displeasure. He has tried his best in this game.Under Robertson's strict defense, Butler still scored 21 points, and under his defense, An Luo's shooting percentage also dropped a bit.Especially for three-pointers, the shooting percentage dropped from more than 45% in the regular season to a minimum of 36%.If it weren't for the limitation of the bracelet, it might be lower.But he is just a relatively strong star, not a superstar yet.In front of these three wolf-like tigers like Lei Ting, he could only bow down.Of course, more importantly, apart from Towns, the other Timberwolves players gave him too little help.Especially Wiggins, he played a total of 9 minutes in this game, but only surrendered 4 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists, and there were 10 turnovers.This is not all due to the defense of Paul George and the Thunder, Wiggins' desire to attack is not strong.In the whole game, he only took [-] shots!Lower than Gibson!

Unlike Butler, Towns is more cramped.After all, this is the first time he has entered the playoffs. Although he performed well, as the core of the Timberwolves, his performance is not particularly qualified.

"We didn't play very well! We made a lot of mistakes and gave the opponent a lot of easy chances to score. But we only lost 8 points in the end. Next game, we will play better! Next game, we have to stay focused. Control your mistakes, seize opportunities, and play your own rhythm. The Thunder are not invincible."

There is no basis for saying this.However, the attitude that should be expressed is still expressed.

Two days later, the two sides met again at the Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game [-] of the series.

Whether it is the Thunder or the Timberwolves, they have continued their lineup from the previous game.As the winner of the Thunder, there is nothing to say.But the Timberwolves still believe that Wiggins surprised everyone.After all, in the last game, Elbelica, who came off the bench, played very well.It can be seen that Thibodeau still believes in Wiggins.

It is a pity that in this game, Wiggins still continued the downturn of the previous game.Not only was he in a downturn, but the entire starting lineup of the Timberwolves was in a downturn.Of course, this is not Wiggins' fault, but the finger is pointed at him.

In fact, the Timberwolves had the upper hand in the first quarter of this game.

As soon as the game started, An Luo got a shot at the top of the arc.Naturally, he grasped it, but this ball was hit with iron.In the next 3 minutes, he didn't take another shot, and the Thunder didn't score a goal.The Timberwolves took advantage of this opportunity and played a 7:0 spurt.The Thunder's poor touch continued into the second quarter, but their defense was still there.Relying on the defensive system built by Robertson, Paul George and An Luo, the Timberwolves missed the opportunity to open the score.

However, under such circumstances, the Timberwolves still led the Thunder by 24 points at 18:6 at the end of the first quarter.Belica, who played well in the last game, came off the bench for 5 minutes and made consecutive shots from outside the three-point line, scoring 8 points alone.

In the second half of the second quarter, the situation changed dramatically.

After resting for nearly 10 minutes, An Luo returned to the field and became the arrow figure who defeated the Timberwolves.After he came on the court, he made the first three-pointer of the game at the top of the arc.

The ball was actually neglected by Butler.He defended An Luo very well in the first quarter.In the 7 minutes that An Luo played, Butler only let him make a mid-range shot.But then he found his way back on offense.Catching Downs' screen, Butler seized the opportunity, rushed directly to the basket, and made a backhand with a pull bar.But this goal became the Timberwolves' second goal in the remaining 6 minutes of the second quarter.

An Luo then received the ball at the top of the arc. This time Butler posted it, but Adams then also posted it.An Luo took advantage of the latter's cover, took a step forward to the right, and jumped up to hit the shot.An Luo's performance had just begun, and then he made two consecutive three-pointers from beyond the three-point line.And under the leadership of An Luo, the cavalry company commander Brewer also attacked from outside the three-point line.Coupled with Westbrook's sudden shot, the Thunder scored 6 three-pointers in the second half of the second quarter, hitting a wave of 19:4 attacks, overtaking the score in one fell swoop, and achieved a double-digit score. leading.

In fact, Thibodeau called a timeout after An Luo made his third three-pointer.But that didn't help the Timberwolves to stabilize the situation. A three-point rain of thunder made the Timberwolves feel cold.

(End of this chapter)