If you fall in the second round of the playoffs again, the Thunder may make the final choice!

Can the Thunder survive the second round of the playoffs this time? Faced with the Nuggets' pressing step by step, there was an indescribable depression in the Oklahoma City Arena in 2024. Nuggets coach Malone's joke that "Russia City fans are used to this kind of plot" was as heartbreaking as a knife, which directly ignited the anger of Thunder fans. You taste it, you taste it carefully, how harsh this is! I was wondering, can the young people like Thunder withstand this psychological warfare? I think they have the potential to turn the tables, and I worry that history will repeat itself again, after all, the shadow of the past is too heavy. After the game, outside of Ball Arena in Denver, Thunder fans' disappointment could simply overflow the screen. Some people burned T-shirts with "68 Wins" printed on them, and some people pulled off the celebration banner outside the arena. The scene looked so sad. On June 12, 2023, the Nuggets defeated the Heat 94-89 here and won the first championship in team history. Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, with a huge dominance. Now, Ma Long used his champion confidence to "mock" Thunder, and his psychological pressure was directly overwhelmed. Not to mention the heavy energy in the Thunder locker room. Alexander lowered his head and shined his shoes alone, his teammates barely spoke, and the air was almost frozen. I have to say that this atmosphere is so heartbreaking. Thunder must adjust quickly, otherwise it will really collapse.

Speaking of history, the scars of thunder are not a matter of one or two days. In the summer of 2016, Presti decided to trade Ibaka in Oklahoma City in exchange for Oladipo and Sabonis, and wanted to rebuild around Westbrook. What was the result? Westbrook left in 2019, and Durant went to the Warriors as early as 2016, and the reconstruction effect was poor. Not to mention the incident in 2012, in order to save 6 million, Harden was let go, which indirectly made the Warriors dynasty. Now Presti's office still has three jerseys from Durant, Westbrook and Harden. I guess he will sigh every day when he looks at it. I personally think that the lessons of history are here. If the Thunder makes another mistake this time, they will be scolded by fans. On the

, the current situation of the Thunder is not much better. In the second round of the 2024 playoffs against the Nuggets, Alexander was frustrated at a critical moment. He made two free throws in the last 15 seconds of the third overtime game, and made 1 of 8 shots in the fourth quarter. He lost no results in overtime, and the shooting percentage at the top of the arc was only a pitiful 31.7%. This is a very different game than the regular season MVP performance - averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, leading the team to 68 wins, and it is incredible.

Denver's final whistle sounded, and he walked towards the player's passage. The word "2" on his jersey was soaked in sweat, which looked like a symbol of "the second round of curse". On the bench, Homegren shook his head, Jaylen Williams hijacked his towel, and I could feel the disappointment through the screen. To put it bluntly, Alexander's performance makes people love and hate. I think he needs more team support, but it's too heartbreaking to lose the key ball. The atmosphere in the locker room was full of gunpowder. When the game was paused, the camera caught Homgren complaining about tactics with the assistant coach. Alexander sat alone in the corner. Before the fifth game, he started arguing with the shooting coach. The assistant coach had to mediate. The fan forum has been in full swing. Someone took out screenshots of Jaylen's tweet that liked "Alexander too much ball rights" in December last year, and various puzzle plots are flying all over the sky. There have been no stops in trading rumors. For example, Dezhangtai Murray, who exchanged Alexander for the Hawks, added three first-round picks, and 67% of netizens on Reddit support this plan. There are also anonymous Eastern teams collecting Alexander's interpersonal relationship information, which has caused panic. Jaylen Williams was also stunned by the Pistons' 5-year offer of 190 million yuan. Although it was 70 million less than the 5-year 260 million yuan his team asked for, it was a core position. I said it straightforwardly, if this kind of crack is not repaired, the thunder will fall apart sooner or later, but what to do is really a big problem.

Speaking of the future, Thunder's hope is still with Homegren and Jaylen Williams. Homegren was selected as the second place at the Barclays Center in New York on June 23, 2022. He was 2.13 meters tall and 2.29 meters in wingspan. He averaged 14.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in college, and was yelled as the "next Durant". But in the playoffs, he was not in a good fight and was beaten by Jokic. The potential for injury was also criticized by Eastern Conference executives for "the maximum salary is like buying lottery tickets."

Recently, rumors about his brother paying attention to San Antonio real estate agency have spread. Popovich also went to watch the G League Ignite game, and he felt that there was something wrong with it no matter how he thought about it. Jaylen Williams averaged 23.4 points per game in the playoffs. On March 1, 2023, he scored 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals against the Lakers in Oklahoma City, and finally won by three-pointers 123 to 117. He is definitely a big heart. But he suddenly canceled his business activity and the agent said it was "family affairs". Who would believe it? I personally am optimistic about these two young men, but if Thunder can't keep anyone, it will be "a waste of money."

Salary pressure has pushed Thunder into a corner. Alexander will trigger a super maximum salary in 2025. Homgren's rookie contract expires, Jaylen's team will offer 260 million yuan in five years, and Presty is overwhelmed. Salary expert Bobby Max settled the score on the show, Alexander's maximum salary was 370 million yuan, and ESPN famous singer Smith directly started to argue: "Then Durant has to get 500 million!" This sounds exaggerated, but the Thunder's 12 future first-round picks are in hand. It's hard to say whether it's rebuilding or continuing. I heard that Presty made a decision to toss his coin late at night, and the two words "reconstruction" and "continuation" on the notebook were zipped around, and even the cleaners saw it. I have to complain, anyone will have to go crazy with this pressure, but if Thunder makes another mistake, it will be "cold".

Fans outside the arena hung up the banner of "Believe in the Process", Alexander silently cleared the closet, and Harden, who was far away in New York, turned the Thunder Period ring in his hand. Thunder's official account changed the cover photo from a photo of the Big Three to a close-up of the dunk. Westbrook's 2016 words on the radio are still echoing: "Loyalty requires miracles. "What do you think of this scene?