After returning from the second quarter, the two sides replaced the substitute lineup to compete.

If the Cavaliers can still compete with the Thunder in the battle of the starting lineup, then the Cavaliers are at a disadvantage without any suspense in the rotation lineup.

This season, the Cavaliers' rotation lineup is actually not too bad. The team has Gibson, West, "Moon" Moon, Lyon Powell and Valaijo.

The paper strength of this lineup actually seems to be very competitive, but the key is that the data these people can contribute this season is very inconsistent with their personal fame.

Among them, Moon's average data this season has dropped to 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds.

As for the former Celtics' champion, the wild beast, the wild beast, Powell, his condition has declined severely after a torn Achilles tendon. By this season, he can only contribute a pitiful 4 points, 3 rebounds and 0 assists in 11 consecutive games.

On the other hand, even if Yang Fan gets all five main lineups off the court, Danny Green and Beverly are transferred to the Development League.

But at this time the Thunder still has:

Westbrook, Hamilton, Jeff Green, Ibaka and Ben Wallace.

As for Ben Wallace's presence, it is to protect the penalty area to the greatest extent. After all, Ibaka's strength on the defensive end is to assist in defense.

If you talk about single defense, then Collison and Wallace are the best players in the Thunder.

So in the second quarter of the two sides, the Cavaliers could be said to be at a disadvantage without any suspense.

In the second quarter, the Cavaliers were always suppressed by the Thunder, and the score difference on the field was also wider and wider.

Seeing this situation, Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was obviously a little anxious off the court, so when James only had to rest for more than three minutes after leaving the court, Mike Brown had to get James on the court in advance.

After all, this season's Cavaliers are the team in the league that relies most on the leading stars, and James' average playing time is also as high as 41.3 minutes.

It can be said that when LeBron James came off the court, the Cavaliers seemed to have become a team, and the offensive firepower of the entire team completely changed from top to bottom in the league.

In Yang Fan's personal opinion, it will be difficult for teams like the Cavaliers to compete for the championship trophy in the true sense.

Because the Cavaliers' style of playing is too monotonous, even the second leader, Mo Williams' personal ability is also good. He was selected as the Eastern Conference All-Star last year.

But overall, the Cavaliers' playing style is very easy to be targeted and studied. At least in Yang Fan's current view, the threat of this Cavaliers may not be as strong as that of the Mavericks in the West.

As Yang Fan and Mike Brown adjusted the lineup on the court one after another, the Thunder who played away from home was already:

61:48

Leading the Cavaliers by 13 points, ending the first half of the game between the two sides.

After returning from the second half, even though Mike Brown adjusted his playing style on the field many times, the Thunder still firmly took the lead on the field.

No matter how Mike Brown adjusts off the court, the Thunder has only one defensive policy on the court, that is, to firmly pinch LeBron and James' point.

After all, Yang Fan knew very well that the soul of this Cavaliers team was LeBron James, who could limit James' personal performance.

Push him out of his offensive comfort zone, then this cavalier can basically be said to be vulnerable.

Even if it is difficult to limit James' offensive efficiency.

But what Yang Fan needs to do is to cut off the connection between James and his teammates, thereby limiting his breakthrough and allowing him to shoot.

This defensive method is often used by Eastern teams who play the Bucks in the playoffs in later generations, and fans also call this method "fishing law enforcement."

So that's why this Cavaliers and the Bucks of the later generations were obviously very powerful in the regular season, but they just couldn't touch the NBA championship.

As the Cavaliers struggled in the second half, the Thunder played steadily and did not make any big mistakes in the entire second half.

When the Thunder pulled the score on the field bigger and bigger, Yang Fan gradually brought the main lineup off the field and pushed the game step by step to the training stage.

Finally, after the game ended, the Thunder, who played away, was slightly relaxed with excellent offensive firepower and perfect personal defense against LeBron James:

124:107

The Cavaliers, the number one in the Eastern Conference, scored 17 points, and after winning the team into their first victory in December, it also improved its record to 16 wins and 3 losses.

After the game, Mike Brown shook hands with Yang Fan on the sidelines. During the handshake, Mike Brown looked helpless and depressed.

Because last season, the Cavaliers did not take the Thunder seriously. To be precise, the Thunder had simply disappeared from the Knights' eyes.

As a result, at the beginning of the new season, the strength of the Thunder was beyond everyone's expectations. Mike Brown, the best coach last year and LeBron James, the regular season MVP, were suppressed in this game.

I have to say that this taste is very uncomfortable.

What's more, the Thunder and the Cavaliers temporarily ranked first in the east and west respectively. As a result, during the fight between this game, the Cavaliers had no power to fight back. This really made Mike Brown feel ashamed.

In the whole game, the Thunder were able to defeat the Cavaliers, except for Yang Fan's very targeted defense against LeBron James.

It also has an inseparable relationship with the Thunder's excellent offensive firepower.

Since Mike Brown spent most of this game to defend a 2-1-2 joint defense, the Thunder got more opportunities to play on the outside of this game.

Among them, Stephen Curry, who has been starting the league this season, has performed well.

In the whole game, Curry played for a total of 29 minutes, making 10 of 16 shots on the offensive end, including 7 of 11 from outside the three-point line and 3 of 3 free throws, effectively contributing 30 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.

30 points in a single game set a career high for Stephen Curry. As for 7 three-pointers in a single game, it also set a new career milestone for Curry.

In addition to Stephen Curry, Westbrook, who came on the bench, performed well in this game.

Facing the old, weak, sick and disabled on the Cavaliers bench, Westbrook's outstanding personal explosiveness helps him to be at ease on the field.

In the whole game, Westbrook, who came on the bench, made a total of 26 minutes. He made 8 of 13 shots on the offensive end, including 0 of 2 from outside the three-point line and 4 of 6 free throws, contributing 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a very comprehensive manner.

Although Westbrook has always played as a substitute this season, Westbrook is the absolute starting point for holding the ball on the bench.

Because neither Hamilton nor Jeff Green, these two are excellent ball-holding players.

So on the bench, Westbrook can be said to have a more significant tactical position.

In addition, head coach Yang Fan has intentionally or unintentionally changed Westbrook's development direction in the past two seasons, turning him from a reckless man who blindly beats and turns into a comprehensive point guard who rarely shoots in a wave.

It can be said that compared to the prodigal play styles of various emergency stop jump shots with the ball, this way of using pick-and-roll to find opportunities in defensive counterattacks and positional battles is the way Westbrook is best at.

In addition, since Durant took on the heavy responsibility of defending James in this game, his performance on the offensive end was relatively dull.

Facing LeBron James' personal defense, Xiaosi Du made 7 of 14 shots in the whole game, including 2 of 6 from outside the three-point line and 2 of 2 free throws. He contributed 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in a normal manner.

Although this data is not bad, it is obviously a bit low-key if compared with Durant's average level this season.

As the team defeated the Cavaliers in the first game in December, this undoubtedly added a lot of confidence to the Thunder.

No matter what, the Thunder currently leads the league with a record of 16 wins and 3 losses, and temporarily ranks first in the league.

And this honor and record are undoubtedly the best stimulant for young players.

In addition, Yang Fan has been promoting the idea of ​​winning the championship to the players this season, which has gathered momentum for the team.

So so far, there is only one goal in the eyes of the Thunder, that is, "lead the Mavericks across the Lakers and step on the Cavaliers to break through the world."

Horizontal draft: "Step on the championship"!!
Chapter completed!