This striker is not serious

The venue for the Big12 Conference finals was the Lloyd Noble Center, home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

This arena can accommodate up to 18,000 people watching games at the same time, which is second to none among NCAA arenas.

Thinking back to Griffin igniting fans' emotions with dunks in this arena, it is not difficult to understand why he is so popular in Oklahoma.

Wait, Griffin hasn't entered the NCAA yet!

The two protagonists in this arena now are the University of Texas and the University of Kansas!

The two teams are old enemies, and coupled with the regular season grudges this season, they have become rivals.

The big12 finals, coupled with a wave of media hype before the game, also attracted a considerable amount of attention in the NCAA Division I league.

Speaking from statistics, the attention it has attracted is at the same level as the Big Ten Conference, where Ohio State University is located, and the Southeastern Conference, where the University of Florida is located.

Before the game started, fans from both teams began to enter the stadium one after another. They all wore uniform T-shirts prepared by the team in advance.

One part is blue and the other part is orange. It looks a bit like the scene of two armies fighting together on an ancient battlefield.

This game was also broadcast live across the United States. Before the game started, ESPN reporters interviewed fans of both teams outside the arena.

"The Jayhawk will win!"

"The Longhorns are invincible!"

…

It is inevitable to shout slogans during interviews.

We have reached the finals, and we are in front of national television. If we don't seize the opportunity to shout slogans, we will miss it.

But off the camera, you can find that the emotions of the fans of the two teams are still different.

The fans at the University of Kansas are obviously louder.

The fans at the University of Texas were a little worried.

This emotional difference is obviously related to Brendan Rush's comeback.

The University of Texas won last time, but the win was very thrilling.

Or you can also understand that the two teams are now at two ends of a balanced scale.

But now, Kansas suddenly adds a huge weight who averaged 14 points per game last season and shot 47.2% from three-point range, and the balance will naturally tilt.

And not only is Rush excellent offensively, his defense is also top-notch in the NCAA.

Kansas played Kansas State in its last game, and Rush proved again that he was not affected by the injury.

During the warm-up before the game, ESPN reporters also entered the venue for interviews.

Durant refused to be interviewed by reporters on a daily basis, but Rush was interviewed by Kansas City.

"Would you guard Kevin Durant?"

The question the reporter asked was obviously the question that the outside world was most concerned about.

The last time Kansas lost, it was Lin Ying's tip-in, but the bigger problem was that they couldn't restrain Durant.

So when Rush, a strong defensive player, returns, whether he will guard Durant and whether he can guard Durant becomes a very critical question.

"Durant is one of the strongest scoring players in the NCAA. Defending him will be a very difficult task, but I believe we can do it."

Rush's character is still very humble, a bit like someone from a famous school.

"I mean are you going to defend yourself?"

However, the reporter seemed not satisfied with his answer and asked again.

"Yes I will."

Rush finally gave an affirmative answer.

This answer finally satisfied the reporter, and the fans' emotions were also lifted.

There is a duel between the sharpest sword in the NCAA and the strongest shield. It is very exciting to see whether the sword will break or the shield will penetrate!

Just after the interview ended, the live camera was shown to the sidelines.

Durant, who refused to be interviewed by reporters, and Lin Ying, were smiling and saying hello to the audience.

In this crucial battle, Durant's mother Wanda also came to support her son.

It was this shot that made some media reporters fall into deep thought.

Is this the person they labeled "apathetic"?

Or is Durant simply indifferent to the media?

There was no time for them to think too much, because the opening ceremony was immediately following.

The starting lineups of both teams are also coming out one after another.

The University of Texas still has its regular starting five, but the University of Kansas has made changes to its lineup.

Chalmers, Rush, Arthur, Wright, Cowan.

They removed veteran point guard Russell Robinson and replaced him with freshman forward Darrell Arthur!

The purpose of this adjustment is obviously to have only one purpose: to let Arthur guard Durant!

This was quickly confirmed after the game started.

Compared to Wright, Arthur has worse personal abilities but is more mobile and can better follow Durant without the ball;

Compared with Rush, Arthur, who is 2.06 meters tall, is more suitable to play against Durant in terms of height, and he also has a weird wingspan.

The ESPN reporter finally acted like an honest man and was tricked by Rush before the game.

Facts have also proved that Kansas' lineup adjustment is in place, and Arthur has indeed played a considerable role in restricting Durant.

Moreover, Rush's presence on both ends of the offense and defense is very strong, which makes the University of Texas defense obviously care about one thing and not the other.

You must know that Chalmers and Wright are great offensive threats, and it is already difficult for the University of Texas to defend them.

Now that there is an additional three-pointer with a shooting rate of close to 50% from outside, it is really difficult to defend against.

Of course, the defensive problem can be made up for by enthusiasm.

But the defensive improvements Rush brought to Kansas were truly disastrous for Texas.

Arthur defended alone and Rush assisted in defense. The defensive combination of these two greatly restricted Durant's performance.

Moreover, Rush returns to defense very quickly, and his long arms cut the ball quickly and accurately.

When he and Chalmers fought at the top of the arc, the players facing him felt like they were facing two sharp knives, and one accidental move could end their lives.

At the end of the first quarter, the University of Kansas led the University of Texas by 13 points, 41-28.

Durant only scored 8 points on 3 of 11 shots in the first half.

After Rush returned, Kansas played the same kind of pressure as the University of Florida.

But this is actually normal. After all, this Kansas team was the 2008 NCAA championship team in history!

2008, that is next year!!

And if you really want to get down to the details, this Kansas team has one more Julian Wright!

During the halftime break, Barnes gave some "sweet-mouthed" encouragement to the players.

When the second quarter came back, the University of Texas launched a counterattack climax at the beginning.

Durant shot more decisively, and Arthur obviously couldn't keep up with his offensive rhythm.

Lin Ying also made a three-pointer from the outside to support Durant.

The University of Texas worked hard to close the point difference to 5 points, forcing Self to call a timeout.

After returning from the timeout, Self adjusted the lineup and replaced Arthur with Robinson.

Robinson began to obviously control the rhythm after coming on the court.

As a junior player, although Robinson is less talented than the rest of the team.

But he is rich in experience and has good mental quality at critical moments.

And compared with Randy Williams from the University of Texas, his personal ability is also much stronger.

Especially this year, his mid-range shooting feels very good, and both shooting percentages are NCAA career highs.

When the University of Texas takes care of Kansas' three strong points on the field, the shots he gets will be very good.

The result was that he made a three-pointer from the outside and assisted Rush for a three-pointer. Kansas quickly regained control of the situation.

Although Lin Ying and Durant made consecutive three-pointers from the outside to keep hope alive, the University of Texas ultimately lost to the University of Kansas 75-81.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Kansas fans rushed onto the court like crazy to celebrate.

This is the second consecutive year they have won the Big12 League championship!

And they can also feel that they already have championship looks after Rush returns.

They will definitely win the championship this year!

Some are happy and some are sad.

While the University of Kansas was celebrating, it was a completely different scene on the University of Texas side.

The University of Texas fans at the scene could not hide the disappointment on their faces.

Although they did realize before the game that it would be difficult to defeat this complete Kansas team, they have already reached the finals. If you don't want the home team to win, it's impossible.

Reality is something everyone can see, but not everyone can accept it.

Compared to the fans, the ones who were even more depressed at this time were the University of Texas players.

After successfully revenge in the regular season, they thought they had the ability to defeat Kansas.

But the facts seemed to tell them that what they defeated was just a remnant of Kansas.

A mood of depression, even frustration, spreads on the University of Texas bench.

Durant and Lin Ying also lowered their heads.

If it's because they themselves didn't perform well, or because Kansas played beyond their standards, then they will definitely lose unconvinced.

At this moment, their faces will definitely have the word unwillingness written all over them, and they are even thinking about how to train after the game.

But when you lose a game based on pure strength gap, you will feel more helpless and frustrated than unwilling.

Barnes noticed the state of his players and knew what he should do at this time.

He walked to the middle of the team members and gathered them together.

"Children, it's a pity that we failed to win the championship this year, but we still have a long way to go. Nothing can make you lower your heads and raise your heads!"

Although the celebrations of Kansas fans not far away were loud, Barnes' words were as clear and resonant as before.

“Keep working hard as always and become better and stronger in the following games. This is the direction we strive for.

We must unite as one, play for each other, and fight side by side like a family!"

Barnes said, extending his hand to the players.

From his words and his eyes, you can feel something called perseverance.

That's not just chicken soup, it's an inspiration that touches the soul.

The fighting spirit of the University of Texas players was reawakened.

Durant started, and everyone else put their hands on the back of Barnes's hand one after another.

"Longhorn!"

Together they chanted the University of Texas slogan.

By this time, the celebration on the Kansas side was almost complete.

"One last thing."

Barnes continued to speak to his team members.

"Now go and congratulate our opponents as champions, go up to them, shake their hands one by one, and thank each one of them.

They won honorably, I know it hurts, but they won honorably.

Give them praise, then leave the field, go back to the locker room, go back to the hotel, get some sleep, and continue fighting tomorrow."

When Barnes said this, the emotions of the team members had almost calmed down.

At his signal, the players sitting on the bench stood up one after another.

But Durant still sat there frustrated.

Barnes still couldn't help it at this time:

"Kids, you did a great job this season, really great, it's my problem, I didn't do a good enough job."

When he said this, his eyes were a little red.

Although this game does not necessarily mean the end of the season, losing to the same opponent for two consecutive seasons should be the one that feels most uncomfortable for him as the head coach.

Lin Ying looked at his head coach blankly at this time.

He discovered that the person he had in mind as being stern, stubborn, and irritable, and who was called "Angry Rick" by his teammates, was actually a very good coach.

He finally pulled Durant up and followed the players to complete the final handshake ceremony.

Although it was frustrating to lose as Barnes said, they still expressed their congratulations to the Kansas players as Barnes said.

This attitude has also earned them the rewards they deserve.

"You are much better than last year."

"Kevin, you don't know how much effort we put in to prevent you."

"Lin, would you like to consider transferring to Kansas? We can win the championship."

…

The Kansas players responded after hearing the congratulations from the Texas players.

Lin Ying didn't expect what was said on the other side.

But it was at this moment that he realized that what Barnes said to them was not only to encourage morale, but also to teach them how to face failure correctly.

The road to basketball is long, and as long as you keep moving forward, failure is inevitable.

If you cannot accept failure calmly, or even become depressed and depressed because of failure, or even doubt and lose yourself, how can you talk about starting over from the beginning?

Think about a great player like the "God of Basketball" Jordan, who suffered repeated defeats against the Pistons in the early stages of his career.

If he had not learned to face failure, he would have been destroyed before Phil Jackson came.

After completing the handshake ceremony, most of the University of Texas players returned to the locker room as requested by Barnes.

But Lin Ying and Durant stayed.

Durant came down because Wanda came down at this time, while Lin Ying simply wanted to accompany Durant.

He understood what Barnes was trying to do, but Durant still looked frustrated.

After all, Durant's goal was so lofty, but now he fell here, and fell at the feet of Kansas once again.

But it turns out that Durant's success is really closely related to Wanda.

Because after saying a few words and realizing that Durant wasn't listening at all, Wanda directly... slapped Durant twice!

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Symmetrical to the left and right, Lin Ying was stunned on the spot.

My head is buzzing.