Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

The 2011 Pacers entered the playoffs with eighth place in the Eastern Conference, but were sent away 4-1 by the Bulls in the first round;

In 2012, the Pacers entered the playoffs with the third place in the Eastern Conference. They played 6 games with the Heat in the second round, but lost to their opponents and were unfortunately eliminated.

The Pacers' total salary ranks 24th in the league. There are only two players on the team with an annual salary of more than 10 million. They reached the conference semifinals with the seventh-lowest salary. This result is enough for Bird to be awarded the NBA General Manager of the Year.

Manager, becoming the first person to win the Most Valuable Player, Best Coach and Best General Manager awards.

When the whistle signaled the end of the game, the home Pacers fans applauded the players who had worked hard throughout the game and shouted in unison:

"Thank you, Walker!"

Granger and others were very moved, but they had lost after all, so they only waved to the fans around them from the bench, and then walked into the locker room lonely.

They originally thought that after the playoffs were over, they could spend a peaceful holiday that allowed them to fully relax, but general manager Bird's words in an interview once again cast a shadow on the Pacers' prospects.

"I can't believe my team played so weak. So weak! Weak!"

The data also proves Bird's point.

In the Pacers' 11 playoff games, they averaged 33.7 of 79.5 shots per game, 5.7 of 17.9 three-pointers, and scored 90.9 points;

But their opponents averaged 33.3 of 77.5 shots per game, 6.2 of 19.4 three-pointers per game, and averaged 89.5 points per game.

As a defensive team, the score is almost the same, the three-point shooting percentage is almost the same as the opponent, and the field goal percentage is even lower than the opponent. This is obviously unacceptable to the Pacers.

Not to mention that in the six games against the Heat, the overall shots dropped sharply, the number of three-pointers shot increased, and the shooting percentage dropped further.

This shows that under the Heat's defense, the breakthroughs that the Pacers rely on for survival cannot work. They even lose the courage to attack the inside and can only score from the outside.

Everyone is dissatisfied. When the team is still competing for a playoff spot and fighting for the extra playoff income of at least 4 games, reaching the second round is an unexpected surprise;

But when the team really reaches the second round, how to go further becomes something they need to consider.

In Bird's mind, Granger is obviously unable to lead the team further, so will Granger still appear in the lineup next season?

To the fans' surprise, after Bird was interviewed and said something that seemed to be directed at Granger, there was no major news about the team until the end of the summer.

Bird's words were just like what Barkley said, and they were forgotten as soon as they were said.

So, after the Heat tied two games in a row, defeated the Celtics in a tiebreaker, and easily defeated the Thunder 4-1 in the finals, and James won the first championship of his career and the first FMVP trophy, Pacers fans couldn't be more comfortable.

few.

After all, they lost to the champions.

Moreover, losing one game more than the Western Conference champion Thunder also gave them some consolation.

Bird is certainly not a person who only talks but does not do anything. The reason why the Pacers did not make a big deal is simple:

The Magic did not give Bird a chance to discuss the matter in depth, even if Bird vaguely proposed using Granger as a bargaining chip. They did not want to give Howard to a direct competitor in the East.

Therefore, in the summer of 2012, the Lakers became the biggest winner in the free market. After retaining the framework of the main players such as Kobe, Artest and Gasol, they used Bynum as the main body to acquire from a four-party deal.

With the acquisition of Howard, plus Nash, whom they acquired in a sign-and-trade from the Suns, the Lakers have formed a lineup that on paper is the best in the league.

After thinking about it, Bird chose to keep the current lineup. He first matched the maximum salary offer provided by the Trail Blazers to Hibbert and completed Hibbert's contract extension with more than 58 million in four years;

George Hill, who was born in Indiana and played college there, reached a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Pacers;

The Pacers also signed Augustin, a young man who previously played for the Bobcats, as a supplement.

Yes, Collison and Dengta Jones were sent away in a package, and center Mahinmi was acquired from the Mavericks in a trade to strengthen the center position.

The new NBA champion Heat are not idle either. They used a basic salary to sign Ray Allen, who has completely given up on the Celtics, and their strength has reached a higher level.

Ray Allen leaving the Celtics is almost inevitable.

In 2007, the Celtics almost dismantled the entire team. They acquired Garnett from the Timberwolves in a seven-for-one trade, and acquired Ray Allen from the SuperSonics in a three-for-one trade. Together with Pierce, who stayed behind, they formed the Big Three in their twilight years.

The very suitable lineup allowed the Celtics to successfully win the championship in the first year of forming the Big Three and become the top team in the Eastern Conference in the next few years.

In the summer of 2010, Pierce reached a four-year, $61 million contract extension with the team, and Ray Allen also renewed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Celtics after his annual salary of $18 million expired.

In the summer of 2012, the Celtics offered Garnett a three-year, $36 million contract, but rejected Ray Allen's request for a three-year, $27 million contract and only offered a $27 million contract.

12 million per year, a contract with an annual salary of 6 million, and Terry was also signed as a guarantee during negotiations.

The ball rights were reduced, the tactical status was reduced, and Ray Allen endured it;

There was a conflict with Rondo, the team coach and teammates all sided with Rondo, and Ray Allen tolerated it;

Arranged to be the substitute for sophomore Bradley, Ray Allen endured it;

He was about to play but was notified that he had been traded, and then said that the transaction was not completed. He hoped that he would clear up the past, and Ray Allen also tolerated it;

But when negotiating the signing, not only did you show no respect, but you also signed a shooting guard?

Ray Allen, whose salary was reduced from 18 million to 10 million, finally broke out. He did not intend to reduce his salary to 6 million, and instead signed a two-year contract with the Heat for 6.3 million.

Just because Heat president Riley assured him that the Heat would never trade him, there would be no trade rumors, and they would ensure that Ray Allen would be on the court in the fourth quarter.

You are 37 years old, why can’t you live a happy life?

There are still strong players emerging in the East. After the Nets renewed the contracts of Deron, Gerald Wallace, Humphries and Lopez, they also acquired Joe Johnson from the Hawks in a trade to strengthen the missing shooting guard.

The lineup is very strong.

The Western Conference champion Thunder made a choice between Harden and Ibaka. After renewing Ibaka, they completed a deal with the Rockets and received Kevin Martin as a supplement.

He is also a shooting guard, averaging around 17 points per game. Martin should be able to supplement Harden...