Years later, Barkley’s assessment of Durant was as follows: "If a game was only 40 minutes long, Durant would be as strong as Jordan. If a game was only 36 minutes, Durant would be the greatest of all time."
But if you made Durant play 40 minutes in every game, you’d see him gradually fade away in each one.
In the third quarter, Durant didn’t disappear but was still ’gradually’ slowing down. In the first half, Durant took 3-4 shots in each quarter, mostly succeeding on three attempts, making two baskets, and drawing a foul on one. He finished the half with an astonishing 8 out of 12 shots made, including 1 out of 2 threes, plus 7 of 8 free throws, scoring 25 points—a stable and precise performance. In the first half of the third quarter, he still took three shots, but only made one, and he didn’t earn any fouls.
Durant scored only two points in the first half of the quarter, but his presence and passing were still threatening, contributing two assists. Together with Harden’s pick-and-roll and Ibaka’s offensive rebounds, the Thunder Team and the Lakers kept trading blows, each scoring 14 points, and the Thunder maintained a five-point lead.
During the official timeout, the Lakers adjusted their defense, subbing out Metta World Peace, who was exhausted after covering Durant for two and a half quarters, with Earl Clark playing the small forward, and the other four positions filled by Blake, Zhang Yang, Jordan Hill, and Gasol.
After the timeout, it was the Lakers’ offensive turn.
Blake brought the ball past half court and passed to Zhang Yang, who dribbled low, waiting for his teammates to get into position.
Bickerstaff’s in-game adjustments were always surprising. Nash, clearly a more accurate three-point shooter than Blake, with a better ability to space the floor, would be heavily utilized by Mike Brown and D’Antoni for his organizing skills.
Not Bickerstaff. Space the floor? Why waste Nash’s time on such trivial things? Organize the offense? Isn’t Gasol suitable for that? Go for isolation plays during rotation! Score on one-on-ones!
Like the previous game, Zhang Yang also played non-stop for two and a half quarters tonight, but he was in much better shape. At the end of the first quarter, midway through the second, and at the beginning of the third, Nash played 15 minutes, scoring 10 points with 3 assists! Bickerstaff put Nash in precisely when Fisher was on the court or when Ibaka was out.
And funnily enough, this was Nash’s best performance since joining the Lakers, with a straightforward and simple task—something he was comfortable with.
Once Blake reached the left corner, Earl Clark moved to the left mid-range, and Gasol to the right baseline, Zhang Yang started to drive!
Gasol moved up from the right baseline along the long two-point line, with Ibaka following him, ready to shrink back and block Zhang Yang. Sefolosha was also ready to switch and stay close to Gasol to prevent him from shooting a long two...
Zhang Yang stopped just inside the three-point line, stepped back, gathered the ball, and launched a three!
This time it wasn’t a step-back mid-range shot that Sefolosha would be prepared for, it was the kind of step-back shot Harden and Felton used!
Sefolosha was caught off guard with no time to interfere, and Zhang Yang’s three-pointer hit its mark!
to 84, the gap closed to two points!
On the Thunder’s offensive possession, Durant intended to slow down, but seeing that the gap was only two points, he continued with isolation plays.
Earl Clark, who was desperate guarding Durant, figured he had no choice but to fight... Huh? Why was Durant’s foot speed not as quick? He kept up! A burst of excitement surged through him as he stuck close to Durant.
Clark, compared to a well-rested Durant, was indeed a bit slower. However, compared to Durant alone, his athletic ability was outstanding for his height, especially since he had played positions 1 through 5 in college, with Lamar Odom as his draft template.
Durant was unable to shake off the defense and had to attempt a fadeaway jumper... and it went in!
The height of the shot and its reliability was simply unbelievable.
On the Lakers’ offensive, Zhang Yang continued to drive, stopping quickly after one step, performing a behind-the-back dribble to his left, and pulling up for a shot. Sefolosha, thrown off, lunged out past the three-point line!
Zhang Yang burst down the middle straight toward the hoop! That move caught Sefolosha by surprise, and even Ibaka didn’t manage to cover in time!
Perkins watched Zhang Yang storm in and decided not to block, as it was highly likely that attempting to do so would turn a potential two points into three.
Zhang Yang leaped up high, switching to a left-handed dunk to score two points!
to 86, the Lakers kept nipping at the heels of the score!
The Thunder’s turn to attack came, with Harden continuing to hand the ball over to Durant. One bad play could potentially allow the opponent to catch up, so they were looking for stability.
Durant, receiving the ball, seemed pleased: "Look, turtle, you should really learn from Second Ha. In these tense moments, he always trusts me, the big brother. And you? You turtle always want to do it yourself, always overlooking me! Do you even know who’s in charge?"
After dribbling for a while, when he stepped back hoping to take the shot, Durant couldn’t find the strength!
Seeing the energetic Earl Clark closing in, facing the risk of getting blocked, Durant hesitated and his jump barely elevated him a dozen centimeters before he rushed to pass the ball... and turned it over!
In his first five years, Durant averaged fewer assists than turnovers per game, averaging 3.2 turnovers over five seasons, with a third of these coming during the latter half of games when Durant was too tired to execute a last-minute pass.
Suddenly, Durant passed to Harden who wasn’t expecting it at all. Zhang Yang anticipated Durant’s passing motion, stepped around to Harden’s side, slapped the ball down, secured possession, and started the counterattack!
Having learned to guard like the Son of the Wind, Harden knew Zhang San was adept at protecting the ball and immediately dashed back after the steal.
Harden, who had always played under Brooks, had a great defensive instinct.