The TRAGIC DOWNFALL Of The Thunder "BIG 3"... скачать в хорошем качестве

The TRAGIC DOWNFALL Of The Thunder "BIG 3"...

Have you ever seen a worse BIG 3 statline than this? And the fact that it came in an elimination game against the lower seeded Jazz, led by a rookie Donovan Mitchell, sealed the faith of Russ, PG and Melo in an instant. This is the short and sad story of the Big 3 that never was. In 2018, following an MVP season by Westbrook, Sam Presti pulled a couple of blockbuster deals to bring in Paul George from the Pacers and Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks, to form a scary big 3 along with The Brodie. And the expectations around the league skyrocketed. PG was in his prime, just turning 27 at the time, coming out of 2 consecutive All-star seasons, but also - 2 playoff trips that were cut short in the 1st round. And Melo was a certified bucket-getter, but hadn’t even sniffed the playoffs for 4 grueling years with the Knicks. So, coming to OKC for a chance to actually compete was a no-brainer for him. But their season didn’t start anywhere near the way they planned. After 20 games, the Thunder found themselves in an 8-12 hole, facing a ton of adversity along the way. At first, everyone agreed that time is the manner, and that they will eventually pick up the slack and feel for each other out there on the court. So, around Christmas they managed to get back to 0.500%, but questions about whether Melo should start from the bench first appeared. And although they connected on multiple 6 game winning streaks to get to the number 4 spot before the playoffs, uncertainty still loomed over their heads. However, they quickly silenced the doubters by winning game 1 against the Jazz with the big 3 going off for 80 points. But all of that would come down crushing on their heads in game 2. Going into the 4th quarter with a 5 point lead, the Thunder let Donovan Mitchell go off for 13 points in the final 12 minutes, while Russ, PG and Melo combined for only 2 points on 0 for 14 from the field. It was painful to watch for OKC fans. The Jazz stole one on the road, and proceeded to win both games at home to take a commanding 3-1 lead against all odds and expectations. Utah’s suffocating defense kept the trio of superstars to 36% shooting in games 2, 3 and 4. The Jazz had the number 1 defense during the season, led by Rudy Gobert who won his first DPOY award. And if you’re OKC, you can’t hope to win a basketball game with that kind of efficiency from your main scoring options. Feeling totally helpless out on the court, Russ, PG and company let their emotions overtake them. They turned game 4 into a shouting match, with tons of chippiness, pushing and shoving every 5 minutes. It was ugly to watch. The Thunder were seconds away from a disaster. Especially after falling in a 15 point hole in game 5 in front of their own fans. I guess they had to be pressed with their backs against the wall in order to showcase their true power. Westbrook and George responded furiously in the 3 quarter, outscoring the Jazz 32 to 22 all by themselves. Russ was like a bullet train, exploding for 33 of his 45 points in the 2nd half. And PG followed him with 34 respectively. They won game 5, but had to go to Utah for game 6 where the crowd was electric right from the start. Regardless, OKC was on a mission, and they jumped to a 20 to 11 lead early in the game. To make matters even worse for the Jazz, Ricky Rubio fell down with a hamstring injury and did not return for the game. But, the others stepped up, and in a very low scoring game, it was all tied at halftime, when this happened. This fan seemingly pissed off Russ, so he came out scorching hot in the 3rd quarter. The Brodie took matters into his own hands and with 20 points in the period, kept the Thunder afloat all by himself. But, luckily for Jazz fans, their promising rookie was even hotter. Look at Spida Mitchell dismantling the OK3 at 21 years of age. He answered every punch by Westbrook and with 22 of his 38 points gave Utah an 8 point lead heading into the final period. The MVP was doing everything for his team, but his co-captains were nowhere to be found. Watch PG on this possession, he can’t even catch the pass from Russ, as the ball slips out of his hands, giving the Jazz an easy deuce in transition. 23 year old Jerami Grant played much better than George and Melo in the 4th, providing some much needed help off the bench. Westbrook played his heart out and tried everything in his power to get Oklahoma back into this game. And he did, by scoring his 46th point of the night to close the gap to just 1 in the clutch. But, Derrick Favors stayed ice cool on the elbow and drained the shot to get Utah back up by 3 with time winding down. This leads us to one of the most chaotic endings in recent memory, and not in a good way. What’s going on!?? The Thunder missed 3 shots but caught 3 offensive boards as well, securing multiple chances to tie the game. Can they finally get one to drop!??