Chapter 703 Xiaoshuai Returns

Kobe's decision came somewhat unexpectedly, and fans and the media were worried that he was just saying angry words because of the team's poor situation.

But then, Kobe confirmed on social media that he would retire after the season.

"My ankle has never been in the best shape and it's telling me it's time. I've talked to Kupchak and Jim Buss that I will retire this season. This will be Kobe's last season in the NBA. .”

When this news came out, it aroused heated discussion among fans.

Kobe represents the youth of many people. No matter how many people criticized him in the past, when he is about to retire, the feeling of youthful curtain call is still embarrassing.

Tang Tian wasn't too surprised when he saw the news.

Historically, Kobe also retired this season. Although his intervention prevented Kobe from suffering devastating injuries, it seemed that Kobe was tired.

The Lakers have no chance to increase their strength this season, or even in the next few seasons, while other teams in the Western Conference are getting stronger and stronger.

Peter Pan has his own dignity, and he doesn't want to run away with him at the end of his career.

And he is really not short of money now. Like Jordan, he can still get so much money even if he retires.

He needs to spend time with his family like he said he would.

Tang Tian did not persuade Kobe to continue playing. Kobe's situation was completely different from Duncan's.

He sent a message to Kobe, asking Kobe to enjoy his final season.

He had another chance to watch Kobe Bryant's retirement tour.

After beating the Lakers, the Pelicans rushed to Utah without stopping to face the Jazz.

Speaking of which, the Jazz have now completed their rebuild.

The core lineup of Hayward + Favors + Gobert, plus role players such as Hood, Burks, Burke, and Ingles.

This lineup is not bad on paper, and their head coach Snyder is also a capable coach.

But this is in the Western Conference. This season, nine strong teams are competing for 8 spots. Their chances of breaking through are very small.

However, their strength is indeed not bad. This game is also the first time the Pelicans have played into the fourth quarter since the game started.

At the critical moment, Tang Tian and Davis dominated the game.

Davis has excelled in low post offense after practicing hard all summer, and Tang Tian's triple threat has just begun to show its talents.

The two played a great game in the fourth quarter and directly used their personal strength to win the game.

In the end, Tang Tian and Davis scored 50+ points together, helping the Pelicans win the game 96-85.

After winning this game, they extended their winning streak to 5 games.

After a 5-0 start, they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.5 points per game and conceded an average of 82.5 points per game. These statistics are quite outstanding.

Although the record is somewhat similar to last year, anyone who has watched the Pelicans' games knows that this team is much stronger than last season.

Of course, whether you are strong or not can only be demonstrated by fighting a tough battle.

Among the Pelicans' five-game winning streak opponents, the strongest is the Hawks.

But the Eagles' record so far this season is only 2 wins and 3 losses, completely losing the momentum of last season.

In other words, although they started with five consecutive wins and played many crushing games, these were not enough to prove the strength of the Pelicans.

They need a strong enemy.

And now a powerful enemy is coming.

The next game for the Pelicans is an away game against the Thunder.

The Thunder were forced to send away Reggie Jackson last season, and their bench strength declined significantly, which ultimately caused them to miss the playoffs.

But this summer they signed Dion Waiters, and with the addition of Kanter, who was traded from the Jazz last season, the strength of the bench is back.

Of course, the most important thing is that Durant is back from injury!

His return is equivalent to adding a top-five star in the league to the Thunder, which is more useful than any reinforcement.

And this is indeed the case. The Thunder have a record of 4 wins and 0 losses in four games so far this season.

With one game less than the Pelicans, they also won their first four consecutive victories.

Durant's return has turned the Thunder into the first team in the Western Conference.

The match between the Pelicans and the Thunder is definitely a strong showdown.

Although they haven't played against Tang Tian for nearly a year, the feud between Tang Tian and Durant has not diminished.

Like the original Yao Sha duel, the Tang Du duel is now also a topic that fans talk about.

Moreover, the first match between the two sides this year was more interesting than in previous years. You must know that Durant took a whole season off last season.

He is a sensitive person to begin with. He has been holding it in for a whole season without getting sick, and the resentment in his heart must be stronger than ever before.

Especially now that the Pelicans look as championship-worthy as ESPN.

The Pelicans want to win to prove that they are really capable, and the Thunder must be determined to win with Durant. This game is comparable to Mars hitting the Earth.

On the match day, both sides arranged closed training sessions.

"Kevin, we're going to win."

During training, Westbrook saw Durant's serious expression and wanted to use comforting words to make him relax.

Durant nodded, but the serious expression on his face remained unchanged.

The Thunder, like the Pelicans, both have undefeated records since the start of the game, but their attention in the eyes of fans and media is far less than that of teams such as the Warriors, Pelicans, and Cavaliers.

This scene is abnormal, he is Kevin Durant!

After the training, the players all returned to the locker room one after another, ready to take a shower and then go back to rest.

But at this moment, Durant rarely called everyone together before the Thunder players took a shower.

“Tonight’s game, just like when I came back from injury, was our game to get back on stage and give us our fifth win of the season!”

Durant is not a sociable superstar, but he is surrounded by Westbrook, and this chicken soup is also true.

Westbrook was the first to respond, and his teammates responded one after another.

Durant was a little excited when he saw the reaction of his players, and he raised his head and roared excitedly.

Seeing his reaction, Westbrook smiled.

In the original group of teammates, the fourth player was replaced by Ibaka from Green. Harden's departure made the fourth player become the third player. Other role players also changed one after another.

But as long as he and Durant are there, the Thunder will still be the same team they were when they first arrived in Oklahoma, and they will definitely win the championship in this city.

"Remember what I said, defense, do a good job in defensive details. The Thunder are not a team with too many tactical systems. This is a point we can take advantage of, and defense is our best weapon."

On another court, Stevens continued to emphasize the importance of defense as he did in previous games.

His purpose is very clear, which is to implant the concept of defense into every player's mind and label this team as iron-blooded.

Thanks to Woofer and 2020 for the reward.