Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

"Huh~~~"

Qi Tian let out a long breath and reluctantly accepted the bitter consequences of defeat.

He turned to look at George and saw strong unwillingness in his eyes. He believed that George could see the same thing in his own eyes.

Granger's departure and the gap in strength, these objective conditions were not compensated by the fighting spirit of George and other Pacers players. Qi Tian was replaced, although offensively he and George scored 8 points and 7 points respectively in the fourth quarter.

, but Wade scored 10 points in the last quarter, the Heat team blossomed, and the Pacers still lost.

"Next time... we will definitely be able to come back!"

George comforted his teammates, stood up, shook hands with his opponents one by one, and left through the tunnel.

In the sixth game, the Pacers returned home and had to give it a try.

In the second round of the Eastern Conference, the top-ranked Celtics and Heat both won the battle at Tianwangshan, and are already one step away from meeting in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Thunder and Spurs in the Western Conference had plenty of rest time, but they also trained in advance in order to prepare for the Western Conference Finals.

"James, what time did you go out last night?"

Westbrook turned his head and saw Harden, who was still yawning. He stopped shooting training and asked.

Hearing the question, Harden yawned again, and Serge Ibaka next to him said:

"Hey, what time can we wait? We can stay up all night. When James first came here, I could smell the perfume on his body from a long distance away."

Seeing them chatting, Durant walked over and picked up the basketball and said:

"You still have to be careful not to affect the game."

"When you are a rookie, you must seize every opportunity to perform, so as not to have no chance in the future."

"Don't worry, ha."

Harden blinked, quickly came out of his sleepy state, and said,

"I am an indestructible person even if a thousand cups are not poured out!"

NBA players are very energetic and stay up all night, so it is difficult to affect them for too long.

"Hey, tell me, who can beat the Eastern Conference this year, will it be the Heat or the Celtics?"

Since he had just played the second round, today's training was not very strict. Westbrook shot the basketball casually and asked.

"clang!"

Ibaka jumped up and picked off the rebound, which made Westbrook smile. Ibaka turned around and hit the basketball with a throw, saying:

"The Celtics' three giants are as good as ever, but the Heat's three are at their peak. I feel like the Heat still have a slight chance of winning."

"Really?"

Durant also threw the basketball in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

He smiled proudly and said:

"It's better to be the Heat. I've long wanted to try their level!"

"Heat, Miami, LIV..."

Harden's slightly squinted eyes widened, and then closed again due to the strong light.

"Miami is indeed good, but they are very strong. It will probably have to be a tiebreaker in the finals."

This way he can go to Miami nightclubs at least four times.

"Tie-break? We will deal with them in six games at most!"

When Westbrook heard the sound of his own strike, he was so angry that he rushed directly to the basket, grabbed the offensive rebound in front of Ibaka, and then directly made a violent dunk.

"Boom!"

The basketball hit the rim hard and then fell down.

"Okay, training is over."

Head coach Brooks quickly ended today's relaxed training, glanced at Harden intentionally or unintentionally, and then said to everyone,

"In a few days we will face our opponents in the Western Conference Finals. I don't think I need to tell you that everyone knows how difficult the Spurs are, right?"

He looked at the inside combination of Ibaka and Perkins and said:

"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we must strengthen the defensive training inside, focusing on defending pick-and-rolls and passing inside. Serge and Kendrick, you are the defensive pillars of the Western Conference finals team."

"On offense, leave it to Kevin and Russell, oh, and James. The offense off the bench depends on you."

Brooks quickly ended his speech and asked them to go back and rest early.

"OK!"

Harden was like an author at night, his eyes immediately shone with light. He looked at his teammates and said:

"Then what, I'll go back and catch up on some sleep, um, catch up on my sleep."

Seeing him trotting away, Westbrook couldn't help but shook his head.

It was only 5 p.m., and Harden had indeed gone back to catch up on his sleep. It was just that, at 9 p.m. at the latest, he would be somewhere he was bound to appear.

But so what, this is James' private life and he can't say anything.

"Hmm? Is there a fashion show today?"

He also had his own hobbies, confirmed them, and immediately drove to his destination.

Team members left one by one, and the Chesapeake Energy Arena immediately became deserted.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Only the sound of a basketball falling to the floor and bouncing up sounded from time to time, indicating that another gym rat was practicing extra time.

The Pacers who came to the edge of the cliff did not continue to go down. Vogel soon learned the answer to the question that had troubled him for more than 20 minutes - Granger's injury was not serious and he could play in the sixth game.

"His will is very strong, so I agree with him playing. However, it is best not to let him play too much time like he did in the previous games."

The team doctor used relatively obscure words to remind head coach Vogel,

"If Granger still plays more than 30 minutes, it is very likely that the injury will be aggravated to the point where surgery is required. At that time, it is likely that Granger will be sidelined for several months to half a year. This is what no one wants to see."

"Even if he plays a few more games, even if he only runs on the court, it may aggravate his ankle injury."

Vogel nodded, understanding what he meant.

In the crucial sixth game, Granger's playing time must be controlled. Even if the Pacers counterattack two games in a row and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, they must be prepared for Granger not to play.

"Someone else has to step up."

Vogel turned around and said to the coaching team.

Brian Shaw and other assistant coaches' hearts sank, knowing that Granger would not fulfill their expectations in the game as usual, and they soon felt embarrassed.

For some people, you can only appreciate their effect when they never appear again.

That's the thinking of the Pacers coaching staff.

"Let Paul take on Danny's role, move him from the bench to a guard, and take George's position. This is the best solution we can think of at the moment."

Brian Shaw hesitated for a moment and continued,

"I propose that Dengta Jones start."

As an assistant coach who specializes in training rookies, Xiao didn't recommend Qi Tian?

Danbok glanced at his new colleague in surprise.

Jim Bohn understood what Brian Shaw meant.

Yes, Paul George's technical characteristics are highly similar to Granger's, and he can indeed partially assume Granger's role when he is away.

But the gap between Qi Tian and George is huge. One focuses on offense and the other focuses on defense.

After adapting to George's defense, replacing Qi Tian, ​​who focuses more on offense than defense, will inevitably lead to loopholes in the defense, as was the case in the fourth quarter of the game that just ended.

That's why Brian Shaw chose to nominate veteran Deng Tai Jones.