The Godfather of Basketball

After the two games, the Thunder let the outside world see a completely different team, and after the two games, they also passed the most difficult part.

Harden has been back to Oklahoma City for two days, and today he got permission from the team doctor, and he will be able to play in the next game.

Durant and Diaw also came back with Harden. The two were suspended for two games because of the fight. Now that the two games have passed, they have finally lifted the ban.

It didn't feel like when the whole team was in order, but after the 9-man Thunder, now 3 players are coming back at once, and the lineup has become abundant in an instant.

The Thunder's next game is an away game against the Knicks, but that's two days away.

During the two days of rest, Tang Tian carried out daily training as usual. Unlike in the past, he paid extra attention to Harden.

In the previous life, Harden experienced several stages of changes from poor defense to extremely poor defense, and then to the MVP who defended hard. elbow.

However, after these two days of training, Tang Tian found that Harden's defense hadn't changed much from before.

This discovery made him a little surprised, but of course he was also a little happy.

After all, if it really turned into eyesight, he still has to think about how to solve this problem. If it is gone now, it is definitely great news.

But training is training after all, whether there is really such a hidden danger or not, we still have to wait until we actually go on the field to know.

The two-day offseason is over, and the Thunder are on a plane to New York.

This is not the first time Tang Tian has come to New York's Madison Garden Square. He led his team to sweep the Knicks here in the playoffs last year, but it is the first time he led the Thunder to visit this basketball holy place.

The Knicks introduced Billups this season, just like when they were in the Nuggets, Anthony was activated again. They not only maintained the defensive strength of last season, but also opened up their offense, becoming a veritable strong team in the East.

They currently rank third in the East and are also one of the strong contenders for the championship.

The Thunder had previously won the Grizzlies and the Nets in a row without the fourth player, but the current state and strength of the Knicks are obviously stronger than those two teams. With only the return of the second player, This match will only be more difficult than the previous two.

New York's ball market is now extremely hot because of the home team's record.

When Tang Tian led his team into this familiar arena, he was suddenly a little moved when he heard the cheers in his ears.

After all, New York and Los Angeles are the top two metropolises in the United States. Having such a team is really lying down and collecting money.

The Knicks and Lakers are probably hard to buy, but the Nets and Clippers next door are really not impossible.

These thoughts flashed by, and amid the cheers of the fans, the DJ on the scene had already begun to introduce the starting lineups of both sides.

For the Knicks, the team's starting five are Felton, Billups, Shumpert, Anthony and Chandler.

After the introduction of Billups this season, the team played a lineup of one big and four small. After Anthony gained weight and played power forward, he played the best performance since joining the Knicks.

For the Thunder, Harden had just returned from injury. Tang Tian did not place him in the starting lineup. The starting five were Kidd, Sefoloza, Durant, Tucker and Brown.

Anthony is very flexible at the power forward position. It is basically difficult for big players to keep up with him. Going to Tucker is the only option.

"Remember to help defend at any time." Before going on the court, Tang Tian pulled Durant and urged.

Durant nodded, indicating that he understood.

After playing, he took a deep breath, and then patted himself on the chest.

This basketball holy land has an unparalleled attraction for stars, and he is the same. He naturally hopes to play well in the first game back from suspension.

The game started quickly, and Chandler gave the Knicks the chance to take the lead.

Billups took the ball to the frontcourt, signaled to open up the space, gave the ball to Anthony on the right wing, and then went around the basket to take away Kidd who was defending him.

This is the change that Billups brought to this team, the scheduling on the court and the creation of a sense of space.

With his back against Tucker, Anthony turned around and hit the board laterally.

After gaining weight, his speed and strength have reached a perfect combination. Tucker withstood but was too pressed to jump up, watching Anthony send the ball into the basket.

In the Thunder's offense, Durant used Brown and Tucker's continuous pick-and-roll to come out and receive a pass from Kidd.

"boom!"

Maybe it's because he hasn't played for a long time. His first shot was not bad, but the result ended in a strike.

Chandler blocked Brown for a defensive rebound.

Billups advanced to the frontcourt and gave the ball to Anthony inside.

Anthony attacked Tucker face-to-face this time, and made a "washing machine roundabout" shot towards the free throw line.

"boom!"

The ball was missed, but Anthony reacted quickly, accelerated after landing, and pressed Tucker to fill the ball into the basket.

Fans in Madison Square Garden immediately cheered.

Tang Tian also stretched out his hand to touch his face at this time.

Tucker used to be good against Randolph or Joe Johnson before, but he still suffered a lot when he met the peak Anthony.

The Thunder attacked the frontcourt. Durant caught the ball and shook Shumpert to break through to the basket for a layup. After being interfered by Chandler, the shot still missed.

In the first game of his comeback, his touch was not online.

Durant couldn't open it, and the Thunder played very passively on the court. On the other hand, on the Knicks' side, Anthony was unstoppable at the basket.

In good condition, he was also willing to pass the ball. Durant double-teamed twice. He once distributed to Shumpert and once to Billups. Both of them made three-pointers.

With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the score was 26 to 12, and the Knicks hung up the Thunder.

"The Thunder team finally couldn't hold back their breath." The home commentator said with a smile.

In the first two games, the 9-man Thunder won the Grizzlies and Nets in the first half of the playoffs, and the media directly blew them up.

So much so that before the game, the Thunder, which welcomed the return of the second youngster, was predicted by various media to easily beat the Knicks, but it turned out that the media will be severely slapped in the face by them this time.

At this point in the game, the two sides began to replace the substitutes one after another.

For the Knicks, Woodson left the brave Anthony on the field. In other positions, Kenyon Martin, Novak, JR Smith, and Prigioni were replaced one after another.

For the Thunder, Tang Tian also replaced Durant, who was not feeling well. Tucker was left in the starting lineup, and Livingston, Harden, Middleton and Diaw were replaced one after another.

After replacing the substitute, Tang Tian also stood up from the bench to the sidelines.

This period is the advantage period of the Thunder team. Whether they can win the game or not depends entirely on this period.

Especially Harden.