Unexpectedly lost by 2 points, lost by 1 point! The strongest team in the NBA defense, the championship is not very suspense

Editor|Old Kankanqiu

NBA Finals are still in progress, and many teams out of the game have begun to plan for the offseason reinforcement. It can be expected that this summer, the free market will be very lively. The Bucks' Antetokounmpo, the Suns' Durant, and several major championship puzzles (Holly, White, etc.) have been reported, waiting for the free market door to open, and all teams will rob them wildly by then. However, many people can't understand the situation in the league this year. Although many teams have strong strength and have achieved impressive results in the regular season, they have been out of the game one after another in the playoffs and missed the championship?

The four most typical teams, the Lakers, who were third in the West, were unexpectedly sent out 4-1 by the Timberwolves in the first round, which was shocking. The Lakers were completely different in the regular season; the Rockets, who were second in the West, were also surprised by the elderly Warriors in the tiebreak battle. In addition to lack of experience, shooting was their biggest shortcoming; the Cavaliers, who were first in the East, were accidentally eliminated 4-1 by the Pacers in the second round, and Garland once again proved that he was useless and could not fight a tough battle; the Celtics, who were second in the East, also lost Jingzhou 2-4 to the Knicks, and the main player Tatum also suffered a rupture in the Achilles tendon, and the championship giants disintegrated directly. It can be said that they lost their wife and soldiers, and they lost a lot of money.

Of course, there are also teams that are surprising in the playoffs. For example, the Pacers have contributed the ultimate reversal drama in four consecutive rounds of the series, becoming the first team in the NBA history to achieve this is indeed impressive, and what they rely on is the ultimate offensive rhythm (offensive efficiency is 117.7, ranking second in the league), which is amazing. However, the NBA's long history has proved that offense may play wonderfully, but defense is the guarantee of winning the championship. Data shows that the top three teams with the top three defensive efficiency in each season have a probability of winning the championship as high as 67%. Judging from these games in the finals, the situation between the Thunder and the Pacers has already shown a one-sided situation.

The first game between G1, although the Thunder lost 1 point, it did not shake the core logic of its defensive system. In the whole game, the Thunder made 24 mistakes in the Pacers, setting a single-game record for the playoffs, which is enough to show that the entire team continued to release terrifying pressure under the Thunder's defensive system. The outer wall, composed of Alexander, Dort and Caruso, can transform defense into a three-dimensional and flowing offensive weapon through infinite defense swaps, precise prediction of the passing route, and lightning-like rotation speed. Those who have watched the game know what kind of smooth counterattack and fast attack the Pacers played before the finals, but when they faced the Thunder, this counterattack fast attack disappeared, and the frequent mistakes and steals made them not like Pacers basketball.

data shows that so far in the playoffs, the Thunder's defensive efficiency has been 104.7, ranking first in the league, especially in positional defense, with only 88 points lost in a hundred rounds, and the rate of reduction in the reserve requirement ratio at the basket is also ranked first in the league. The average of 17 steals per game and the league's first retreat efficiency directly blocked the opponent's fast break and counterattack three-pointer, and the fast break and counterattack three-pointer are the lifeblood of the Pacers. In addition, the Thunder have never suffered a series of losses this season. They directly defeated their opponents by 16 points in the second game of the finals, drawing the big score to 1-1.

In fact, the Thunder also encountered the current embarrassment when they played against the Nuggets in the second round of the Western Conference. In the first game, he almost defeated the Nuggets. As a result, he made fatal mistakes in the last few minutes, Gordon made a counterattack of three points and was defeated by 2 points. Perhaps this is the price of young and inexperienced. Following closely behind, G2 defeated his opponent by 43 points in one game, which is simply too similar to the current trend of the finals.

Unexpectedly lost by 2 points, lost by 1 point, the strongest team in the NBA defense, the championship is not very suspense! Obviously, judging from the current situation of the two teams in the finals, the Pacers were almost beaten to no aggression by the Thunder. Alexander has averaged 32 points per game in the playoffs. Although the Pacers can contribute 35 points per game on the bench, the Thunder's substitute offense and defense are more balanced, which can effectively limit the performance of McConnell and others. What is even more worrying is that after the post-match press conference, Pacers core Halliburton limped and suspected of having a leg injury, which had a great impact.

When the strongest spear in the alliance meets the strongest shield, the ending is already destined. The Thunder's defensive system has been tempered by the Western Conference Series. The only variable in the finals now is whether it can continue the hot three-pointer feel, and whether Halliburton can break through the Thunder's double-team cage and continue to activate the team's offense. At present, this is obviously very difficult.

"Offset wins the box office, and defense can win the championship." As NBA legend Bill Russell said, although the offense looks good, defense is the foundation. It may be really only a matter of time before the Thunder wins the championship.