Chapter 848: Chapter 278: He Is the Chosen One, and the Only One
As it turned out, facing the New York Knicks, they actually needed to rely on catch and shoot to solve problems at times...
Barkley suddenly reacted at this moment: "Isn’t there a possibility that Su Wan is not only the best perimeter scorer in the NBA but also the best perimeter defender right now?"
Shaquille O’Neal said: "Charles is right!"
Kenny Smith instinctively wanted to refute, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn’t find any perimeter player stronger than Su Wan in either offense or defense!
Su Wan, terrifying indeed!
It makes one involuntarily take a cold breath.
"Bang!"
Kevin Durant forced a catch facing Su Wan.
He knew he should use his static talent to deal with Su Wan; it’s his strength.
But...
Wanting to use it is one thing.
Kevin Durant really...
Can’t use it!
Su Wan took full advantage of his lack of core strength, continuously creating confrontations.
Kevin Durant had to prepare in advance if he wanted to shake him off.
But after preparing in advance to break free, he couldn’t ensure continuous action... During this period, Su Wan could smoothly fill his front, continuing close defense.
In fifteen seconds, Kevin Durant finally found a relatively open shot opportunity, and the moment the ball bounced off the rim, Kevin Durant’s expression was as ugly as it could get.
He knew this game was over...
Everyone was aware of one thing:
When the team’s core has such thoughts, it means they have surrendered!
Sure enough, in the remaining time, the Thunder Team nearly had no way to fight back, and the point difference further widened.
By the end of the game, the New York Knicks had a 20-point victory over the Thunder Team, winning the first game of the Finals.
As the buzzer sounded, Su Wan, who was already off the court, stood up from the bench.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
New Yorkers were thrilled.
And their excitement was not only because the team won tonight but also about the process, the score.
They believed that the letter "N" was already engraved on this season’s Championship Trophy.
When Su Wan left the court, he went out of his way to greet Scarlett.
Scarlett was not reserved at all; after a high five, she took the initiative to hug Su Wan, and whispered in his ear:
"Using me, happy?"
Su Wan was not guilty at all.
In his eyes, he and Scarlett were mutually using each other.
Scarlett also proved her charm in this public opinion.
In the way American women like the most.
However, he replied with a sentence: "Not bad!"
Once again, they were being publicly affectionate in front of Kevin Durant.
But this time, Kevin Durant’s heart was completely unruffled.
Or rather...
The blow he suffered tonight left his heart as calm as a dead sea.
Kevin Durant didn’t think he could win tonight for sure.
The opponent was Su Wan, who had reached the Finals six times and never lost.
Even though the Thunder Team, in many media and his own mind, had the possibility of defeating the New York Knicks. But he never thought he could win the first game of the Finals for sure.
According to Kevin Durant’s script, the first game of the Finals was a test game.
Through this game, they would find the weaknesses of the New York Knicks, and then, in subsequent Finals games, take down New York.
So, he was prepared to lose.
But the way he lost was very different from what he imagined...
His most confident scoring methods, from his own ball handling in isolation to catch-and-shoot without the ball, were limited by Su Wan and the New York Knicks, and this was the most devastating aspect for him.
Scoring was his most confident weapon.
And when he couldn’t score...
Kevin Durant really didn’t know what other ways he could help the team.
To the extent that, at that moment, he forgot about Scarlett’s "bathwater."
This is Kevin Durant, an easily injured yet incredibly pure man!
The next morning, this game also sparked heated discussions on the internet.
The Thunder Team being trounced by 20 points was one reason for it.
But more surprising to the outside world was Kevin Durant’s performance in this game.
It’s not only Barkley who feels that in this year’s public opinion, Su Wan and Kevin Durant’s momentum was somewhat like that of Drexler and Michael Jordan back in the day.
Many media people had the same feeling.
Therefore, they also looked forward to what kind of sparks Kevin Durant and Su Wan’s clash could produce.
Their journey was the same as Kevin Durant’s last night.
They thought the Thunder Team might lose, but they really didn’t expect this game where Kevin Durant, as one of the only two men to win "Scoring King" in the last four years, was limited on offense.
And not only was he limited with the ball, but even without the ball he was restricted too.
By the end of the game, Kevin Durant’s stats were:
out of 26 shots, 3 out of 6 three-pointers, 5 out of 7 free throws, totaling 28 points. A 42% field goal percentage looked decent, but if you took out his 13 points in the second quarter, that really would be...
Unbearable to watch!
In stark contrast were Su Wan’s stats:
out of 27 shots, 4 out of 7 three-pointers, 6 out of 6 free throws, totaling 40 points.
A field goal percentage of 55.5%, a three-point percentage of 57%, and 100% free throws!