Discussing the resumption|Away to the Mavericks again, the stinginess of the Thunder management once again made itself suffer

Qing Yang said

2024-05-12 16:02Posted in Anhui Sports Creators

The NBA team's championship window is very short, and it is not a sure that the above conditions are met by a mature and top leadership core, a solid team rotation, and a smart and reliable coach.

Sometimes the sudden appearance of a Big Mac opponent can make all your efforts go to waste.

The best example is the second phase of LeBron's return to the Cavaliers in 14 years, I thought that he was at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period, and was assisted by Love and Irving, but suddenly there was a BUG-level opponent like "73 wins Warriors + Durant", and only won one championship in four years, which is a big regret in his career.

To win the championship is to "have this life and no next life", don't think that we still have a future, because you don't know what the future will be like.

However, Thunder general manager Prestige never understood this truth.

It's been almost twenty years at the helm of the Thunder, and he's already screwed up once. In the three years of 07-09, he selected three MVP-level players from Deweyha, as well as Jeff Green, Ibaka and other powerful factions, which rose rapidly in the west at that time.

Returning to the playoffs in 2010, No. 1 in the West in 2011, and the Finals in 2012, no one would question their future at the time, and winning the championship seemed like a matter of time.

But in the 2012 offseason, Harden, who had just won the league's best sixth man and was the Thunder's most secure ball-handler at the time, faced a contract extension.

Harden wanted 62 million in 4 years, and the Thunder only wanted 54 million, but in the end they couldn't negotiate, so they had to send him to the Rockets.

So three less became two less.

The rest of the story is clear to us.

Harden has made his mark in Houston, and although he doesn't have a championship, he has no shortage of fame, money, and respect.

Although Dewey was violent, he never made it to the finals. When the Warriors rose to prominence in the West, they were even more hopeless, and even ended up letting Durant run home.

If Plesty had known about a series of events in the future, would he still have a problem with Harden?

However, there is no regret pill in the world.

But he was born with the Spurs and was really strong enough, sending away the last young Westbrook in 2019 and completing the rebuild in just four years.

Alexander has reached the level of competing MVP, and he has talented teenagers like Jalen Williams and Holmgren by his side, equally young and excellent puzzle pieces like Dort and Josh Giddey, and the most draft picks in the league (13 first-round + 19 second-rounders)

They are 57-25 in the regular season this season and 3-1 against the defending champion Nuggets.

Even if this is their first playoff appearance in four years, they should fight for a championship.

And their lineup itself has its own flaws.

Holmgren, who is only 2.16 meters in the team, is a big man, or a "hemp pole" weighing only 90kg, and the tallest is Alexander (1.98 meters), and the next Jaylen (1.96 meters) and Dort (1.93 meters) are all short and stout "jar players".

They have been waiting for 2.03m Josh Giddey to grow, but this year's performance in the playoffs can be described as indescribable.

The Thunder's lack of benches on the interior and the need for height and hardness on the front line are open secrets known throughout the league.

It is also the fundamental reason why they can both 3-1 Nuggets and 1-3 Lakers.

Therefore, as soon as the trade market opened this season, the Thunder has been in the spotlight as the potential largest buyer, not to mention that Siakam and Anunoby of the Raptors were waiting to be sold at that time.

Everyone knows that the Thunder may win in the Western Conference after completing the upgrade this year, and they also know that they have eye-popping draft chips in their hands, and even have "garbage expiration contracts" like Bertans to support space.

Everything is ready, and only Prestie owes an order.

The result?

Thunder fans have been looking forward to it for months, with Anunoby going to New York and Siakam going to the Pacers, and the two teams are now facing off in the semifinals.

And the Thunder only picked and searched for Hayward, who was destroyed by injuries on the trade deadline, and at most only had three peak successes left.

Now that they're playing the Mavericks, it's interesting to see the introduction of two mid-season reinforcements, P.J. Washington and Gafford with the help of the Thunder.

(1) At the time, Washington and Hayward were both Hornets, but the Thunder gave up the younger and more capable former, and preferred the latter, which looked like strength on paper. In the end, let the Lone Ranger send Gwyn to take advantage of the void.

After the transaction

In the regular season, Washington played 28 of 29 games for the Mavericks, scoring 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game, and is now a regular workhorse.

Hayward played in 3 of 26 games for the Thunder, scoring 5.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes each.

High and low standing court.

Of course, this is not the most sassy, and what is even more outrageous is Gafford .

The Lone Ranger was able to get him, thanks to the help of the Thunder.

At that time, they wanted to get the starting center from the Wizards, but the Mavericks were already shy in their pockets and couldn't afford a weighty price tag, so they pulled the Thunder into a three-way trade.

The Mavericks used their 2028 first-round pick to get the 2024 first-round pick from the Thunder, and packed Holmes to the Wizards to get the current starting center, and rookie Lively to protect the Eastern European combination with left and right.

Considering that the future strength of the two teams is about the same, this swap is better than nothing, and the Thunder is equivalent to giving themselves a first-round pick for nothing, helping the Mavericks complete the reinforcement.

Now, Gafford and Lively are crushing Holmgren's scalp.

Speaking of today's game, it was a typical playoff battle in the middle of the game.

Doncic and Alexander, the cores of both sides, have faced more targeted defense, and a lot of packs and tough confrontations have made their performances less impressive than in the regular season.

Doncic had 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals on 17 shooting, and Alexander had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists on 23 shooting.

But the Mavericks still have Irving's 22 points and 7 assists, while the Thunder's No. 2 and No. 3 Jalen and Holmgren combined for 29 points.

But it was P.J. Washington who decided the outcome of the game, and today he shot 11-of-23 and 5-of-12 from three-point range, and although he was not as efficient as the last game, he once again contributed 27 points and 6 rebounds. Plus Lively's 12 points and Gafford with 8 points and 5 boards.

Once again, the Mavericks suppressed the Thunder on rebounding (48-41) and inside scoring (52-38).

In the playoffs, the advantage of size and confrontation is often the last straw that crushes the losing side.

If the Thunder are really eliminated by the Mavericks this year, it is because they brought it on themselves, and the power that the opponent is killing them now is precisely what they have lost due to stinginess.

If the Thunder still don't win the championship in the end, they deserve it. Because their management is too obsessed with the gradual process and lacks the courage to fight to the death.

It wouldn't even be surprising if Alexander ended up leaving the Thunder as well. He is not a man chosen by the Thunder and born and raised. He doesn't have any burden to pursue success worthy of his own strength.

Compared with the Warriors, Clippers, and Suns, who gambled on the future, spent a lot of money, and exploded in salaries and taxes, the Thunder is an extreme example in another direction.

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