vncnus Chapter 553: The West Side is a battle for revenge, while the East Side is shrouded in utter pessimi
Chapter 553: The West Side is a battle for revenge, while the East Side is shrouded in utter pessimi
The Knicks-Celtics series was the last to finish because of its start time.
But actually, their group wasn't the only one that went to a tiebreaker.
Lakers vs. Timberwolves!
These two teams, who fought tooth and nail in last year's Western Conference Finals, are in no less of a bloodbath this year, having gone through more than 100 overtimes. However, their performance this year is just as impressive.
If last year they almost beat each other's brains out, this year they've practically hammered each other's testicles out.
前六场比赛，双方还是干成了3：3，两边是你一场我一场互不相让，从1：0到1：1，从1：2到2：2，最后一路干到抢七大战。
In these six matches, the four star players from both sides fully demonstrated their expected level of performance.
For the Timberwolves: Garnett averaged 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists; Iverson averaged 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists; Szczerbiak also contributed 17 points per game; and as for the aging veteran Cassell, although his performance has declined significantly, he still managed 13 points and 6 assists.
湖人队那边，常规赛装死的奥尼尔再次化身不可阻挡的巨无霸，场均34分15篮板3盖帽，科比则有场均30分5篮板6助攻的输出。
In addition, Kirilenko and Prince, two defensive stalwarts on the front line, are also able to deliver impressive results on both offense and defense.
With the first six matches being neck and neck, the seventh match between the two sides became a true life-or-death showdown!
In this seventh game, both teams opted to strengthen their defense and slow down the pace. Neither team scored more than 20 points in any of the four quarters!
18:19
17:19
19:15
At the end of the first three quarters, the two teams had a very low score of 54-53.
Needless to say, this match naturally turned into a battle of missed shots and defensive plays!
This extremely low scoring and efficiency remained unchanged in the fourth quarter. The scores of both teams increased slowly, and the players on both sides were exhausted early on, getting caught up in endless physical battles, bloody fights, and positional warfare.
With one minute remaining, the score was only 70-71.
The Lakers, playing at home, currently hold a one-point advantage.
At this point in the game, both teams' key players had been playing for extremely long periods with almost no rest, so they were naturally exhausted.
A single sentence from the on-site commentator can explain the current situation.
"In the past minute and 59 seconds, neither side has scored a single point! They're both so exhausted they can barely lift their legs, so what follows is a battle of wills. Whoever has the stronger willpower, whoever can summon even the slightest potential from this desperate situation, will win!"
Yes, it's a battle of wills!
The Lakers' offense was in motion. The ball was being passed around several times and was about to reach Kirilenko's hands, but before he could even touch it, Iverson had already started his run!
His gambling-style defense was disliked by every coach he had ever coached, and every coach who coached him hoped that he would give up this gambling-style stealing.
If you succeed with this kind of shot, you're a hero, and you can show off with a 1-on-0 dunk in the frontcourt. But if you fail, your teammates will have to defend 4 against 5, the team's defensive system will collapse, and the opponent will likely score the basket.
This is definitely not a 50:50 option. Even with Iverson's reaction speed and ability, he often failed to steal the ball, leaving huge open spaces.
Therefore, no coach likes their players to make risky tackles.
The returns are minimal, and the risks are too high.
But this time, he succeeded!
Iverson intercepted the ball Kobe had passed to Kirilenko, then dribbled at breakneck speed and charged toward the Lakers' basket.
If this shot goes in, the Timberwolves will take the lead!
But just when the entire Staples Center was so scared that they held their breath and dared not breathe loudly, Kobe appeared!
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound rang out as Kobe slapped the basketball that Iverson had just shot onto the backboard.
He achieved redemption!
He sprinted half the court, caught up with Iverson, and delivered a thunderous block!
After making the block, Kobe didn't hesitate at all. He grabbed the basketball and rushed towards the frontcourt.
He then faced off against Szczerbiak outside the three-point line.
He slowed down the pace, waved for everyone to spread out, dodged Iverson's sneak attack from behind, and continued moving towards his favorite right 45-degree angle.
Dribble, check your watch, and suddenly shoot!
With only 25 seconds left in the game and 8 seconds remaining on the shot clock, Kobe suddenly pulled up and launched a three-pointer over Szczerbiak.
After a long yet brief silence...
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Kobe hit a three-pointer!
"roar!"
"Kobe! Kobe!"
"FUXX!"
"He did it! Kobe did it!"
The entire Staples Center went wild in an instant!
70: 74!
There were only 22 seconds left in the game.
Kobe's shot almost sealed the victory for the Lakers!
Just as everyone was celebrating wildly, Kobe was clapping his hands frantically to draw his teammates' attention, while shouting, "Defense! Defense!"
The Timberwolves haven't given up yet!
In the blink of an eye, O'Neal blocked the baseline, spreading his arms to frantically interfere with Garnett's serve. Kirilenko and Prince each found their matchup and defended them tightly, preventing them from receiving the ball.
Fisher, on the other hand, risked his still-youthful life to keep Cassel occupied.
Kobe personally guarded Iverson, and from the moment Iverson received the ball, he began a full-court press defense against him.
The two most outstanding stars of the 96 draft class constantly entangled and tore each other apart, fighting their way to the frontcourt. Then, Iverson used all his strength, with Garnett's screen, to finally shake off Kobe. He didn't have time to think; he only knew that there were only 13 seconds left in the game.
He could only pull it up and throw it away.
But a dark shadow, many times larger than Kobe, flew right in front of him.
"Snapped!"
After another crisp sound, the basketball carrying the hopes of the entire Minnesota was slapped back into the Timberwolves' half by O'Neal. The tall and long-armed Kirilenko sprinted at high speed, grabbed the basketball, and then quickly drove to the basket and slammed it in again!
70: 76!
After the Lakers added two more points, the suspense in this game was completely over.
The outcome is decided!
After a heartbreaking Game 7 loss last year, the Lakers finally got their revenge this year!
They didn't fall to the same team two years in a row; they avenged their loss to the Timberwolves and advanced to the conference finals!
This time, they're facing the Phoenix Suns, who, like them, successfully avenged their earlier loss in the semifinals!
However, unlike the Lakers, the Lakers are seeking revenge for their team's elimination last year.
Only Nash successfully avenged the Suns' defeat.
Nash got his revenge on the team for letting him go last year and refusing to offer him a contract extension!
Regardless of the reason, last summer, the Mavericks rejected Nash's request to stay with the team, rejected his offer to take a pay cut and shorten his tenure, and resolutely rejected Nash's desire for the team, watching him leave for Phoenix.
A year later, Nash became the "Son of the Wind," the MVP, and the number one star of the league's top team!
In this series, Nash humiliated the Mavericks, beating up his former teammates, and after the team advanced, he refused Mark Cuban's request for a hug, ignoring him and turning away with a flourish.
Behind him was a completely stunned Cuban, the boos and insults from the American Airlines Arena, and his friend Nowitzki biting his lip, sighing helplessly and regretfully.
这轮系列赛一共打了六场，纳什3场比赛轰下40+，其中包括一场45分15助攻的大号两双！他整轮系列赛场均36分12次助攻，3项命中率达到了夸张的55%，45%和98%！
The performance of the almost 200 Club has thoroughly embarrassed Cuban.
The Mavericks brought in Jason Terry to replace Nash, and his performance in this series wasn't too bad. His average of 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists is commensurate with his status and ability, as well as his salary.
But the problem is, no matter how you look at it, replacing Nash with him is just too stupid!
Nash's performance in this series was even more insane and extreme than the series Lin Tian knew. After all, according to Lin Tian's memory, Nash's average stats in this series this year should have been 'only' 30+12.
It's unclear whether it's because his best partner, Stoudemire, wasn't there, or because Lin Tian pioneered the offensive point guard role too early, but Nash's stats in this series were even more incredible.
However, that was obviously not something Lin Tian needed to worry about, because the Suns still had to face off against the Lakers in another intense battle!
As for the final matchup in the East, it is the round with the least suspense among the four semifinal groups.
In the other three playoff series, two went to a Game 7, and the Suns and Mavericks were tied 2-2 after the first four games, with the outcome decided by the narrowest margin.
But as for the Pistons' game against the Nets in this series...
The Nets have been completely torn apart!
In the first three games, the Pistons beat the Nets 3-0. In those three games, not only did Kidd perform poorly with a field goal percentage of less than 33%, but even Carter, the team's leading scorer, was targeted by Artest and Hamilton, averaging only 17 points per game with a field goal percentage of less than 40%.
As for the two big men in the paint, they can indeed compete with the two Wallaces using their height and all-around skills, at least in terms of statistics and performance.
The problem is that with Kidd and Carter completely contained, Yao Ming and Gasol were clearly unable to carry the team and were unable to prevent the team from suffering a three-game losing streak in the series.
Although the Nets managed a hard-fought victory in the fourth game thanks to Yao Ming's 20+20 and Pau Gasol's 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, all they could do was avoid a sweep.
The rest, they really can't come.
In Game 5 of the series, Kidd had an epic shooting spree, and Carter was completely shut down. Brown changed his strategy and started double-teaming Yao Ming, limiting Yao to only 17 points and 10 rebounds that night. As for Gasol, who was selectively left out, although he scored 27 points, it was not enough to make a difference.
The Nets suffered another clean road loss, 4-1, and were swept out of the playoffs!
Throughout the playoffs, the difference in ability between the two teams may not be obvious. The Nets' four stars are not weaker than the Pistons' starting five, at least on paper.
Even if we only consider something as intangible as 'star power,' the Nets have an absolute advantage!
However, once the match actually started, the differences between the two sides in terms of toughness, resilience, defensive capabilities, and system building became apparent.
They're not even in the same league!
This Pistons team represents the pinnacle of grassroots teams!
None of them are top-tier stars, none of them are the primary core players that other teams would develop and utilize, and none of them have the popularity to be selected as an All-Star starter.
To put it more bluntly, none of the Detroit Fab Five—namely, Billups, Hamilton, Artest, Rasheed, and Ben Wallace—were top-20 players in the league.
But their advantage lies in the fact that although these five players are not in the top 20 of the league, they are all players at the level of around 25-35 in the league.
Balance, the ultimate balance!
This Pistons team is somewhat like the Trail Blazers team of the early 21st century; they are equally talented and full of potential, but they don't have any particularly outstanding talents or superstars.
However, compared to the Trail Blazers, who possessed both incredibly strong teamwork and incredibly selfish traits, this Pistons team was more united and more balanced!
Everyone here gets along well; they're a real gang of scoundrels. Everyone on the team is a brother, even Artest, who only joined the team for half a season. He quickly became one of the rest of the team and became the final piece of the Bad Boys 2.0 puzzle.
Artest brings more than just his Defensive Player of the Year level defense to this team; he also brings unpredictability.
While the original Pistons had a defense strong enough to suffocate all other teams, they lacked variety, especially on offense, which was somewhat one-dimensional.
But now with Artest, even though his offense is unreliable and he's detached from the system, it's enough! For the Pistons, that's enough!
This is much better than adding a star player but affecting the team's overall chemistry!
This team is definitely stronger than the 04 Pistons, and just as united.
Old Nelson looked at the Pistons' introduction and felt a headache coming on.
Although this Pistons team didn't have top-tier stars like Duncan or Pierce, they really gave Don Nelson a headache.
Old Nelson had a way of dealing with the Celtics; they had weaknesses.
But this Pistons team really doesn't have any weaknesses!
In other words, given the current abilities and level of the Knicks players, the Pistons have no weaknesses.
Don Nelson could even foresee the situation in this series: everyone kept missing shots, dragging the team down, unable to keep up with the pace and physicality, and could only watch as Lin Tian single-handedly carried the team on offense, while the rest could only watch helplessly.
After all, neither Anthony, who found his rhythm in the last two games of the previous round, nor Stoudemire, who redeemed himself at the last moment, are fundamentally suited to the high-intensity, high-confrontation playoffs. They can't even match the intensity of the Celtics, let alone keep up with the Pistons, who are more physical, dirtier, and more aggressive than the Celtics.
If the Pistons were a pack of hyenas who rose from the ashes, grew up eating corpses, and would stop at nothing to survive and be incredibly mad.
So the Knicks team now is like Lin Tian, the lion king, leading a group of newly born lion cubs who haven't even learned to hunt on their own.
Given time, Don Nelson was confident he could use this group to defeat the Pistons.
But in this series, Don Nelson is worried that Lin Tian will be unable to carry the team alone and will eventually be torn apart.
After racking his brains but failing to come up with a solution, old Nelson stood up, walked out of his room, and knocked on Lin Tian's door.
"Want to go out for drinks?" Lin Tian opened the door and saw old Nelson. Surprisingly, he wasn't surprised at all and said with a smile, "I can't sleep either. You must know where to find fun in Detroit, Tang! You're an old 'hippie'."
"Of course! Let me tell you, Lin, even a dilapidated place like Detroit, full of steel, has its own unique charm! You know Ford's headquarters is in Dearborn, just west of Detroit."
"Right at the back entrance of Ford's headquarters, there's an elevator that goes straight to the 27th floor, there... no, that's not what I came to talk about today!"
Don Nelson waved his hand, stopping his introduction, and got back to the main topic: "Shall we talk about... this series?"
"You think we can't win?" Lin Tian said as he led Old Nelson to his room, revealing the purpose of Old Nelson's appearance.
"What do you think?" Old Nelson asked in return.
"Difficult! Extremely difficult." Lin Tian didn't hide anything, lying directly on his bed and saying, "Judging from all aspects, the Pistons, in terms of roster and playing style, are the team that best counters us!"
"We have an 80% chance of winning against the Suns, and I'm over 60% confident against the Lakers, but against the Pistons..." Lin Tian said, shrugging his shoulders. "It'll be tough."
Old Nelson could only sigh and say, "Their physicality is stronger and more ruthless than the Celtics'. Their sloppiness is practically bordering on flagrant fouls. They may not have the absolute strength of Pierce and Duncan, but they are more balanced. They have no weaknesses!"
"For us, having no weaknesses is obviously more fatal."
"What can we do? We'll just have to play and see what happens." Lin Tian suddenly sat up and said, "You're not planning to spread this pessimistic mood throughout the whole team and let everyone know, are you?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot like Rivers?" Old Nelson cursed, then stood up and said, "I'm going to get a drink."
"I'm not going to Dearborn, I'm going to the bar downstairs! Don't you dare look at me like that, you bastard!"
"Oh, then I won't go." Lin Tian lay back down on his bed, looking bored. "I'm going to sleep." (End of Chapter)