noffsinger 416. Ibaka, who committed 6 fouls and graduated!
416. Ibaka, who committed 6 fouls and graduated!
Even though Perkins defended Su Hao so poorly in this game, head coach Brooks still didn't dare to easily substitute him off the court.
Even though Perkins did a terrible job defending Su Hao in this game, Brooks, as the team's head coach, still didn't dare to easily substitute him.
Despite his poor defense under the basket in this game, the Thunder's backup centers might not have been as good as him.
It's important to understand that defending against Su Hao is inherently an extremely difficult task.
Moreover, he already has five fouls, so he's even less likely to take a shot easily.
This rendered the Thunder's paint defense virtually ineffective, rendering it practically nonexistent.
If their outside shooting percentage cannot be guaranteed, then the outcome of this game will likely be decided very soon.
After scoring, Su Hao gave Perkins a contemptuous smile.
This infuriated Perkins, who growled in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Su Hao.
I thought to myself, even if they think I'm honest and easy to bully, they can't just look at me like that!
In the next possession, the Thunder inbounded the ball. Westbrook dribbled the ball up the court quickly, while the other players moved into position rapidly.
Perkins positioned himself under the basket, ready to receive a pass from Westbrook.
Westbrook drove to the basket, drew a double team, and then passed the ball to Perkins.
After receiving the ball, Perkins jumped without hesitation, wanting to dunk over Su Hao.
However, Su Hao was prepared.
He leaped high, stretched out his arms, and delivered a solid block to Perkins, then took the ball.
Su Hao launched a counterattack, rushing towards the opponent's basket like a whirlwind.
The Thunder players rushed back to defend, but they were clearly no match for Su Hao's speed.
Su Hao easily completed a one-handed dunk with no one guarding him, shocking the entire audience.
The score gap widened further, severely impacting the Thunder's morale.
"The Thunder are really finished. Perkins even dared to challenge Su Hao. Why didn't he have this kind of courage before? How come he suddenly woke up at the end of the game?" Barkley said in surprise.
"He's probably trying to put up a last-ditch effort. His defense against Su Hao last round really displeased Coach Brooks! If he doesn't put on a good show, he'll definitely have a tough time going back!" Miller laughed.
"Yeah, you're right. The defensive pressure he put on Su Hao throughout the game was practically nonexistent. How can you win a game with a player like that?" Barkley continued.
Indeed, as they said, the defensive pressure Perkins put on Su Hao was practically nonexistent.
The score that Durant fought so hard to close is now showing signs of widening again.
There are two minutes left in the game.
Thunder's offensive possession.
Westbrook dribbles the ball and orchestrates the offense, quickly breaking through the defense and drawing double teams from the opposing team.
He then passed the ball to Harden, who was open.
After receiving the ball, Harden jumped and shot without hesitation. The basketball drew an arc in the air and went straight into the basket.
The Thunder's bench erupted in cheers; Harden's three-pointer reignited their confidence in winning.
But with little time left in the game, they need to stop the Clippers from scoring on defense if they want to turn the game around!
David Lee quickly served the ball, which came into Curry's hands.
Westbrook closely followed Curry, trying to steal the ball from his hands.
After several attempts, Curry almost succeeded, but in the end he managed to shake off the defender and pass the ball to David Lee in the right corner.
The pass was originally intended for Su Hao under the basket, but Westbrook's tight defense on Su Hao prevented Curry from finding a suitable passing angle.
In the end, Curry had no choice but to pass the ball to David Lee.
After receiving the ball, David Lee faced tight defense from Durant.
With little time remaining in the match, both sides have entered a state of desperate struggle.
Durant kept a close eye on the ball in David Lee's hands, not giving him any easy passing opportunities.
Everyone knew that in the final moments of the game, the ball would often end up in Su Hao's hands.
Because Su Hao rarely misses shots under the basket, and his free throw percentage is the highest on the team.
For a center, maintaining a free throw percentage of over 90% is simply terrifying.
At this moment, David Lee did not panic. He pretended to shoot, which prompted Durant to jump and block the shot.
Just as Durant jumped, David Lee quickly passed the ball from under him, and the ball flew like a cannonball towards Su Hao under the basket.
Su Hao understood immediately, and after receiving the ball, he jumped up, ready to deliver the fatal blow.
However, Ibaka had anticipated this move and swiftly lunged at Su Hao from the side, attempting to stop the attack.
But Su Hao, with his excellent physical qualities and skills, adjusted his posture in mid-air, avoided Ibaka's block, and slammed the ball into the basket.
As the basketball went into the net, the referee's whistle blew.
The referee indicated that Ibaka had committed a pushing foul.
Ibaka looked at the referee with a blank expression, not understanding why he was called for a foul.
He was already hesitant to step forward to help defend, but now he is very confused and dissatisfied with the call.
Just now, the head coach on the sideline called out to him, asking him to participate in the defense, and he ultimately chose to follow the coach's instructions.
However, this defensive foul resulted in his ejection from the game, graduating with six fouls.
Ibaka was filled with resentment and grievance. He wanted to argue with the referee, but when he looked up and saw the video replay on the big screen, he realized that he had indeed pushed someone, so he silently lowered his head.
Although he was still unconvinced, he knew that arguing further would only bring him more trouble.
Left with no other choice, he could only turn around and head towards the locker room.
With only one minute remaining in the game, the Thunder were under immense pressure.
It would be an almost impossible task to reverse the score and win in such a short period of time.
Unless a miracle occurs, like McGrady's legendary "McGrady Moment," they will be unable to defeat their opponents.
However, the probability of such a miracle occurring is extremely small, because not everyone possesses such great strength and ability to accomplish this feat.
The Thunder players gathered around their coach, their faces serious and solemn.
The coach gently patted Durant on the shoulder, then turned to the rest of the team and said, "We've already lost this game. The only option now is to give up and accept defeat."
Upon hearing this, Durant, Harden, and their teammates all lowered their heads, their eyes revealing a strong sense of unwillingness and disappointment.