The game between the new generation of forces in the NBA playoffs in 2023-24 season is quite interesting. Young players such as Halliburton and Edwards have made great contributions to the game, adding much to the game. The ownership of the championship is still unclear.
As a defending champion, the Denver Nuggets, who "swept the Lakers by gentlemen" in the first round, were in a dilemma in the second round. At the beginning of the series, they lost two home courts in a row. It is expected that Jokic can lead the team to a comeback. The confrontation between the Knicks and the Pacers is also very bright. The two teams with different styles played in all directions, Celtic, who locked the first place in the league six games in advance of the regular season, showed different competitive performance from previous seasons, and had a lot of ways to win.
Thunder, which has ranked first in the western region after 11 years, has brought many surprises to the fans.
This team is the only one in the league due to the suffocating defense in the playoffs
In the playoffs, Oklahoma City finished sweeping the pelican in the first round and advanced to the second round. In the duel with the Lone Ranger, who is home to Doncic and Owen, Oklahoma City won 22 points and won five consecutive games in the playoffs. The momentum is strong. Only the Timberwolves can match Oklahoma City's record in the same period, while Oklahoma City still has more advantages over the Timberwolves.
In the first five games of the playoffs, Oklahoma City has limited its opponents' scores to 95 points or less. They are the only team in the league that can achieve this in the same period. They can be said to have played suffocating defense. Even if we look at the past eight playoffs, there is only one team that can perform like Oklahoma City, that is, the Spurs in 2016, They also limit their opponents to 95 points or less in the first five games of the playoffs.
The "youth storm" in Oklahoma City is taking shape, and the 1 for 7 transaction is the key
According to the data released by the NBA broadcaster during the G1 series between Thunder and Lone Ranger, Thunder in 2023-24 is the youngest team to win more than 55 regular games, the youngest team to become the No. 1 seed in the division, and the youngest team to win the series and finish sweeping in the series. All kinds of signs indicate that the "youth storm" in Russia It is taking shape, and their one for seven transaction is the key.
In 2019, Thunder selected the previous season into the double team. Paul George, who ranked third in the MVP final voting list, was sent to the Clippers, and reached a 7-for-1 deal with the Clippers, winning Alexander, Gallinari and five first round signings.
Five years later, Alexander became an MVP player under the careful cultivation of Thunder. In the regular season of 2023-24, Alexander could get 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 53.5%. He became the third person in NBA history, along with Jordan and Curry. Alexander's rapid growth can be said to give Thunder better support in the direction of team building.
In addition, the right to select potential starlet Jay Williams also came from the deal with Clippers in 2019. After two seasons of experience, Jay Williams has become the most reliable ball handler and one of the outside defenders of Thunder, and he is often able to stand up at the critical moment.
The average score in the fourth quarter of the 2023-24 regular season reached 6.8 points, which was also higher than Durant's 6.7 points. As for the 56.6% shooting percentage, Jay Williams ranked fourth among the players who played more than 40 times in the fourth quarter of this season. Only Brother Alphabet, Jokic and Xi were ahead of him.
Today's Thunder has built a quite competitive team around Alexander. A group of talented young players, including Jay Williams, has given Alexander a great help. Thunder is setting off a "youth storm". Many outside voices have commented that the 1-7 trade between Thunder and the Clippers in 2019 won Alexander, which means Thunder has made a lot of money.
"Youth Army" Sword Finger Champion
The average age of Thunder under Alexander's leadership is only 25 years old, and they are truly the "youth army". They are the second youngest team in the league this season. Many players in the team have a lot of potential to be developed. Homgren, Carson Wallace have only played in the NBA for a year, and Jay Williams and Jidi are just "sophomores".
When most of the players in the lineup are young players, they also showed excellent execution, which is inseparable from the guidance of the best coach DeGenerter this season. DeGenerter has formed a good relationship with the players, trusted each other, and adhered to the coaching concept of "making the team unpredictable", In this way, Thunder can win by surprise in the game and let the players play their strengths as much as possible.
The game content of Thunder showed that many powerful teams would even envy the advantage that a large number of players can hold the ball and attack, which is a trait that few teams in the league can possess.
Thunder is not only Alexander, Jay Williams, Homgren and Jidi can control the ball, but also Jay Williams, Isaiah Joe and others can send a "deadly" pass at a certain moment of the game to help the team win the game, and these young people are willing to share the ball. The average 24 assists in the playoffs can rank fifth in the league, The average fast break score is 16 points, which leads the league. They can play a lot of multi-point games, making it difficult for opponents to deal with.
Thunder has a full set of talents, and has an excellent and disciplined team under the guidance of the best coach Dagnot. In addition, don't forget that they have more than ten first round signings in the next seven years. The management of Thunder has huge room for operability. Under the operation of the hot eyed Presti, Thunder may continue to strengthen to a stronger state.
As early as 12 years ago, Thunder had young talents such as Durant, Weishao and Harden. They defeated the then famous teams, such as the Lone Ranger, the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, and stepped onto the stage of the finals. Twelve years later, Thunder with a new look was accumulating energy to launch an impact on the championship.
As for the future of Thunder, the well-known basketball commentator Perkins said frankly that he believed that Thunder would win the championship within three years. What do you think about this?
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