411 Su Hao comes on to save the game!
411 Su Hao comes on to save the game!
They managed to keep their key players from getting any rest and playing matches continuously.
Durant, Westbrook, and others on the court were all panting heavily after their offensive plays.
It was obvious that they were already physically exhausted.
However, Harden, who also played a significant amount of time, appeared much more relaxed because he was always shooting from the outside.
The situation for the Clippers is also very unfavorable.
Players like Curry and Gordon also played for almost three quarters of the game.
Their physical strength was also greatly depleted, even though the Thunder's perimeter shooting was already quite strong.
Faced with their strong counterattack, Curry and his teammates realized how tough it was to play without Su Hao.
The Clippers players on the court were filled with longing and yearning for Su Hao.
They desperately wanted Su Hao to be on the field, because only when he was there could they feel most relaxed and at ease.
Recalling the halftime break, they repeatedly expressed their hope that Su Hao could get enough rest.
But deep down, they actually hoped to widen the score gap further by relying on their own strength, even without Su Hao.
However, things didn't go as planned. The score not only failed to widen, but the opponent gradually caught up, even giving them a chance to turn the tide. Just after Durant hit a crucial three-pointer, the Clippers' head coach finally couldn't sit still and hurriedly called a timeout.
"Mike Dunleavy finally couldn't stand it anymore, could he? Is he really going to bring Su Hao on?" Barkley joked with a smile. "I think it's very likely. If Su Hao isn't brought on soon, the score will probably be tied very quickly!" Miller exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, the audience began to stir, chanting Su Hao's name.
Coach Dunleavy glanced at Su Hao on the bench and thought: Maybe it's time to let him play.
So he made his decision and shouted to Su Hao, "Get ready to go on stage, Su Hao!"
Su Hao stood up, took off the training clothes he was wearing over his jersey, and prepared to go on the court.
"Curry, Gordon, David Lee, the three of you don't need to play. You all look exhausted. Let Su Hao lead a few substitutes to play against them! I believe Su Hao can lead them to an easy victory!" Mike Dunleavy said with a relaxed smile.
Head coach Mike Dunleavy is well aware of Su Hao's abilities and believes that Su Hao can turn the tide single-handedly.
Even if they sent his grandmother to play on Su Hao's team, they would still be able to win the game smoothly.
As the head coach, I don't need any tactics at all. Just sending Su Hao onto the field is more effective than any tactic.
Because tactics can change depending on the situation on the field, but Su Hao will not change his playing style just because of changes in the players on the field.
The Thunder knew that the Clippers called the timeout to bring Su Hao into the game.
They have no way out now.
The score has gone from trailing by dozens of points to now trailing by only five points.
They were unwilling to give up the game just like that. Even though they knew Su Hao was going to play, they still wanted to try their best to turn the game around.
"Have you two rested yet? If you feel you need a rest, I'll have other teammates replace you!" Coach Brooks said to Westbrook and Durant.
The two exchanged a glance, and Westbrook looked up and said, "I'm not tired, I can keep playing!"
Durant nodded in agreement. Even though he was really tired, he still wanted to put up a fight against the Clippers, who had finally caught up.
"Let's turn this game around together!" Brooks shouted to the players.
"Win the game!"
The Thunder players shouted in unison.
They seemed quite satisfied with their performance in this quarter and believed they had the ability to win the game.
The timeout ends and the game continues.
Su Hao entered the game with Paul George and a group of substitute players.
When the Clippers actually sent Su Hao, the Thunder players couldn't help but feel a little worried.
However, after seeing that Su Hao was only playing alongside some substitute players, they felt they could use that to score.
At the start of the game, after receiving the inbound pass from his teammate, Paul George immediately drove the ball into the paint and passed it to Su Hao.
At this moment, Su Hao is still facing Perkins under the basket.
Perkins had a relatively easy time on defense during the third quarter.
When Su Hao came on the court, if you had to pick who was the most upset on the Thunder, it would undoubtedly be center Kendrick Perkins.
Seeing Su Hao charging towards him, Perkins quickly went to meet him to defend, but the result was quite unexpected.
With a simple shoulder bump, Su Hao sent Perkins flying out of bounds.
Then, Su Hao leaped high and easily dunked the ball into the basket.
This scene drove the audience wild, with cheers erupting one after another.
Commentator Yang Yi said with a smile, "Perkins really can't stop Su Hao. It looks like this game is going to be a foregone conclusion again!"
Coach Zhang chimed in, "Actually, this game wasn't very suspenseful. It was only because the Clippers kept Su Hao on the bench that the game became somewhat unpredictable. But with his return to the court, all the suspense disappeared."
It sounds like Coach Zhang highly regards Su Hao's abilities.
Another commentator, Su Qun, said, "Su Hao is clearly more aggressive after the rest, and Perkins probably doesn't dare to defend him anymore. Judging from the current roster, the Thunder might as well send two or three players to double-team Su Hao!"
When Su Hao came on with the substitutes, the obvious tactic was that Su Hao would basically have possession of the ball.
With Su Hao positioned under the basket, he could practically move through Perkins' defense as if it were empty.
The Thunder's only chance to stop the Clippers' offensive surge is to cut off the connection between Su Hao and his teammates.
Right after Durant missed a three-pointer, Su Hao grabbed the rebound.
As expected, the Thunder adopted a strategy of double-teaming from the frontcourt.
Perkins and Ibaka flanked Su Hao from both sides.
When they got to the basket, they had to defend him from both the front and the back to prevent him from receiving the ball.
To prevent Su Hao from easily receiving passes from his teammates, they even left one of the Clippers' perimeter players unattended.
Even so, the Clippers players still wanted to drive the ball into the paint and get Su Hao to handle it.
Su Hao pointed to the sky above the basket and then to his teammate who had the ball on the perimeter.
His teammates immediately understood his intention.
He decisively threw the ball into the air above the backboard.
Su Hao, Ibaka, and Perkins jumped almost simultaneously under the basket.
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