Basketball: starting from the nerve knife

Chapter 281: The East Duel Begins

On May 16, the two sets of the Western Conference semifinals also had their final results.

The Grizzlies and Thunder met for the third time in the playoffs.

The final result is still that the Thunder team has the last laugh.

Mike Conley averaged 22.3 points, 7.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game in this series, including assists and points that were all the highest by the Grizzlies, but the big score was the Thunder’s 4-1 laugh.

Others don’t say, after Iguodala left, the Grizzlies’ flank could not limit Kevin Durant at all.

After all, Kevin Durant is not like some scorers, can only break through, his outside pulling is the deadliest weapon, and the general small forward blocking in front of him is like a misplacement.

And if it is the number four, it will not be able to keep up with his speed.

Of course, the key is that he doesn’t break through, and the Grizzlies’ crowded interior space simply can’t play his role.

This Kevin Durant is truly the owner of the Grizzlies.

Mike Conley met him the same way LeBron James met Lee Wan.

Maybe it’s a little less sad, LeBron James is 0-24 against Lee Wan, and Mike Conley, although he loses every year, is good and can resist that one or two times a year.

Mike Conley’s performance in this series is not low.

His confrontation with Westbrook in this series has made many fans reacquaint themselves with the Memphis Grizzlies’ absolute outside line.

Sitting on the bus back after the game, looking back at the Thunder’s arena, Conley’s eyes were full of frustration and unwillingness. But considering that before he was eliminated, Greg Auden had already been eliminated, and he was suddenly not so unhappy.

Yes, the results of another set of showdowns for the Western Conference semifinals are out, with the Spurs knocking out the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1.

This result is not too surprising, the Trail Blazers themselves also entered the semifinals because of internal problems with the Clippers, with their strength, it should have been a round of the Western Conference playoffs, and now this result is already very satisfactory.

So Greg Auden is not upset.

More importantly, when the general manager of the Blazers talked to him about the contract extension after the game,—— he signed a 4-plus-1 contract with the Blazers, and he had the right to jump out of the contract for the fifth year, which means that after the new season next year, he can return to his free body and be a full free agent. As far as the current talent status of the No. 5 position is concerned, the Blazers really hold him in the palm of their hands for fear of falling, holding it in their mouths for fear of melting, and renewing his contract in advance should be given this respect. And the general manager of the Trail Blazers did not just talk to him about the contract extension, but then the cause of this matter, giving him a thorough understanding:

This summer, we will chase Li Wan with all our might, at all costs!

Hearing this, Auden didn’t care about the gains and losses of this season, as long as his good brother came to the Blazers, the two brothers teamed up to introduce the league… Who else can stop them?

At that time, he promised the general manager: As long as Li Wan comes, then I will definitely renew the contract with the team!

As soon as he heard this, the general manager of the Blazers was stunned, he thought for a long time, and suddenly reacted, listening to this stubble, Li Wan does not come, you don’t plan to renew the contract with the Blazers, right?

Muggles!

He suddenly felt that signing Li Wan was no longer a matter of whether the Blazers could go further, but…

The question of whether you can keep the current inheritance!

It’s stressful!

The Western Conference Finals showdown was decided, and the Spurs and Thunder met on the stage of the Western Conference Finals for the third year in a row…

On the Eastern side, another group of semifinals Bulls vs. Raptors also had a final result.

In six games, the Chicago Bulls eliminated the young Raptors 4-2 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals, joining the New York Knicks.

This is the second time since the ’09 Eastern Conference Finals that Derek Ross and Li Wan have met in the playoffs, and it is also the stage for the Eastern Conference Finals.

That year, Derek Rose was just 20 and was in his first year in the league, but he equaled Li Wan’s 36-point scoring record in the first game of the playoffs, and single-handedly led the team to the final Eastern Conference Finals, known as “another Li Wan”.

At that time, the media was also hyping up this matter.

The 2011 two-man competition for the regular season MVP can be seen as the peak of the two-man showdown, and this regular season MVP grab ended with Li Wan’s victory.

Since then, Li Wan has been driving all the way and becoming the first person in the alliance, officially recognized as the “10s Alliance GOAT”.

Although Derek Ross has also become a supergiant and has dominated the league’s best team for many years, LeBron James switched to a team this season before letting Derek Ross fall to the second team…

But compared with Li Wan, it can indeed be described as a world of difference.

Because the Heat, who have never been able to get past Derrick Rose, have not won a single game so far when they faced Li Wan in the playoffs.

Time has passed, and when he meets Li Wan on the stage of the Eastern Conference finals again, Derek Ross bluntly said: “I’ve been looking forward to this happening again. ”

Also looking forward to it is Joaquin Noa.

Although he no longer thinks that Li Wan is just a lucky “thief”, like most players in the league, he is also eager to defeat Li Wan: “If you can be the one who makes Li Wan’s ‘last dance’ not perfect, it will feel great!” ”

In addition, this round of the series has another focus of attention:

This is Jimmy Butler’s first career playoff meeting with Lee Wan.

As a newcomer favored by Li Wan, Butler has been active in the media’s attention since last year. He averaged 14.4 points, 5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season, a number that can reach the level of a team’s main force in the league.

But the attention he received was definitely not something that ordinary main players could enjoy, and the greater exposure made this guy a star.

And these were all brought to him by Li Wan.

Therefore, in the face of Li Wan, Jimmy Butler’s mentality at this moment is like a student who is about to enter the examination room, and Li Wan is his examiner, and he is also nervous about what kind of data he can hand over.

As another player that Li Wan is also optimistic about, Stephen Curry has delivered a satisfactory answer this season.

He doesn’t want to lose to Stephen Curry.

Although he is certainly not up to the level of Stephen Curry now, at the very least, his speed of improvement cannot be lost to Curry.

The Bulls side is full of positivity.

The New York Knicks are also fierce, waiting for the Eastern Conference Finals to begin.

However, before the Eastern Conference Finals began, the Western Conference Finals started first.

Meeting on the stage of the Western Conference Finals for three consecutive years has made the Thunder and Spurs a little more of an old rival.

Before the game, the major media predicted the East and West Finals according to the convention, and unlike the Eastern Conference Finals media supporting the New York Knicks, the media supporting the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals was not much different from the media supporting the Thunder.

Both sides have the possibility of winning.

Needless to say, the Spurs naturally win in the whole, this year they can be said to have reached the extreme of “team basketball” at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, Popovich showed his rich experience, put everyone in the most suitable position for them, let them “make the most of their talents”;

Needless to say, the Thunder team is strong in individuals.

Kevin Durant, in particular, is one of the league’s best scorers.

Tonight, he will also pick up his first regular-season MVP of his career at home.

The Oklahoma media reported on this incident, and the scene basically reached the level of “white cloud”, which called a “gong and drum, firecrackers sounded”, and the “village chief” blocked Kevin Durant’s door and shouted: “Let your Duran run away, and the village toilet is out of paper again!” ”

No wonder, this is the first time in the Thunder’s short history that a player has won a regular-season MVP. – No matter which Oklahoman is, he has fantasized about this scene.

In fact, Kevin Durant won the regular season MVP much faster than they thought.

In the summer of 09, when this thin, tall, temperamental “package foreman” came to the small city of Oklahoma with the team, no one expected that he would actually become one of the cards of the league.

Get the “Regular Season MVP”, which symbolizes personal supreme honor!

“MVP！ ”

“MVP！ ”

“MVP！ ”

The Chesapeake Energy Arena that night was also full of shouts, and Kevin Durant held the “regular season MVP” trophy high above his head and enjoyed the roar.

This isn’t the first time he’s heard “MVP” on his home turf.

But compared to the past, this time is obviously more deserved!

I, Kevin Durant, will be the 32nd regular-season MVP in NBA history!

And this…

Just the beginning!

Popovich looked at the spirited Kevin Durant and turned his head to the Spurs generals:

Take Izate!

League, you don’t need to have such a temperamental MVP!

The Spurs are also rubbing their hands, wanting to give Kevin Durant and the Thunder home fans a little unpleasant tonight, which is their favorite thing to do with the “old guns”!

But as a result…

They are clearly underestimating Kevin Durant, who has a “regular-season MVP” buff bonus.

“Death is coming”, and where can it be so easily stopped.

It was two consecutive three-pointers that went straight to Leonard on the flank.

He also turned his head to glance at Popovich on the sidelines, so defensive?

“Stick it, stick it! ”

Popovich kept urging, but tonight’s Kevin Durant was indeed “killing” enough, seeing Leonard entangled, a “double change dribbling”, and then floating with a mid-range jump shot.

8 points in a row!

Popovich immediately called a pause, and Leonard’s “paralyzed” face also appeared speechless.

This kind of ball can be scored, and this game also plays a hammer!

Li Wan was also watching this game, and when he saw Kevin Durant drifting and completing the goal, he also shook his head slightly, “Attack on Kevin Durant” is really fierce. Especially this feeling… Could it be that ordinary keyboard typing can cultivate feeling?

Otherwise, he really can’t imagine why Kevin Durant’s height can have such a perverted feeling!

Of course, if you think about it, the strange thing about Kevin Durant, where is this!

Meso coordination, meso flexibility, especially meso-temperament, it is really difficult for ordinary people to have!

Coming back from a timeout, Kevin Durant’s form was really hot tonight, and even if Popovich made adjustments, he couldn’t limit his scoring, and by the end of the first quarter, he had reached 13 points.

In the end, this night when Kevin Durant won the first regular season MVP of his career, he also recorded 41 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists with a regular season MVP level performance, helping the team win the first win of the Western Conference Finals!

Big score 1-0!

With a beep that symbolized the end of the game, Kevin Durant, who played well, clenched his fists and looked at his regular season MVP trophy on the bench with a look of interest.

This night, his performance, and the final result, are undoubtedly complete.

But this is just the beginning!

Every night that follows, he has to play such a performance, play the dominance of the game that the “regular season MVP” should have, and then step by step, step by step, squeeze out Li Wan’s current “first man in the league” position and become the new face of this league!

“07 Double Heroes”?

Hum!

There can only be one “hero” in ’07, and that’s me Kevin Durant!

His energetic look made headlines in the media the next day.

Don’t ask why everyone uses this photo as a headline, ask is that Kevin Durant’s temperament is vividly displayed in this photo.

And from the public opinion wind of the media on the second day, it can also be seen that after the first game of the series, the media and experts who support the Thunder have obviously increased. Even “passers-by fans” will sweat for the Spurs after reading these reports!

This is the pressure from outside during the East-West finals.

Therefore, the number of games is limited, and every day there is such a game, and all the reports of the league will go to this game, and the losing side will suffer doubts from all directions.

This is actually the same for the New York Knicks.

Don’t look at the current group of media supporting the New York Knicks, but if you lose the first game of the series, the wind will definitely change by 180 degrees.

Finally, on the evening of May 18, the long-awaited Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls officially began.

Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, is as full as ever.

No, it should be said, even more full!

Because with the arrival of the Eastern Conference Finals, Li Wan wore the New York Knicks jersey to play in the number of games, there are still two rounds of the series, if these two rounds of the series, the New York Knicks are according to the speed of the first two rounds to solve the opponent, then Li Wan New York Knicks’ home court, there are only 4 games left.

“Can you not go, Li Wan! ”

“Stay, Li Wan, we’ll let Dolan sell the team!” ”

“Li Wan, you will always be the legend of this city, no one can replace Ling! ”

……

It is also for this reason that tonight’s scene is more crowded, and the sideline seats have temporarily increased a lot, and the local tycoons who have spent a lot of money seem to be sitting in crowded carriages at this moment, next to people.

There were also a lot of reluctant slogans on the scene…

“This is Li Wan’s influence! ”

Barkley looked at the slogans everywhere in the audience and sighed, growing so big, it was the first time he had seen such affectionate New York fans.

The camera followed his exclamation, swept over the sidelines one by one, and at this time, a familiar figure came into view:

Domineering looks, “Iron Man”-like figure, and that precarious hairline…

“LeBron James! ”

He actually came to the Eastern Conference Finals?

This is……

What does it mean to be swollen?

Barkley and Kenny Smith looked at each other.

No wonder they were so surprised.

LeBron James expires his contract this summer and will become a full free agent. According to the news just revealed by the Chicago media, LeBron James and Pat Riley have met in the past two days, but there has been no substantial progress in the renewal of the contract.

Appeared at Madison Square at this time…

Do you say Barkley and Kenny Smith have some ideas?

Don’t forget that the two guys who have been watching the game in the past two years, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, both chose to join the New York Knicks in the summer.

Now LeBron James he’s here too…

This is in…

Send a signal of goodwill to Li Wan?

No, no, the idea is too “bold” and he should just come to watch the game.

Also a little surprised were Lee Wan and Chris Bosh.

Li Wan thought about it and reacted, this should be the task of LeBron’s agent team.

“Decision One” is stupid, but it can be seen from the LeBron James agent team, they like to create public opinion, and then use public opinion to raise LeBron James’s influence on the league.

At the same time, he is good at charity gimmicks.

For example, after “Decision One” caused anger, LeBron’s team immediately announced that all proceeds from this live broadcast would be used for charity, wanting to save the wind commentary.

Simply put, it is the team that stirs up the heat.

At present, after spending four years of failure in the Heat, LeBron James’ influence has declined a lot, at least for now, everyone is paying attention to Li Wan’s “last dance” in New York, and when the playoffs are over, everyone is most concerned about “where is Li Wan going”, only when Li Wan’s next home has results, it will be their turn to be these second-order “supergiants”.

This is naturally unbearable for the LeBron James team.

Therefore, LeBron James came to the scene to watch the game, which can actually be expected.

Because in this way, there will definitely be all kinds of news the next day speculating whether LeBron James will trade with Li Wan in the summer, and his topic will be full at once.

And the impact that such a degree of conversation can have is enough to cover up the embarrassment that he is not currently the league’s top star.

So although I was surprised, it was only for a moment, and then I went back into training.

Chris Bosh has more ideas.

LeBron James came to watch the game, for him, shopping with girls and current boyfriends met ex-boyfriends is actually similar, seeing LeBron’s first glance, three questions popped up in his mind:

What is he here for?

He greeted me, should I respond to him?

I responded to him, will Li Wan be angry?

“Dude, come on! ”

While he was still thinking about it, LeBron James had already stood up and shouted at Chris Bosh with a look of enthusiasm.

Chris Bosh reluctantly squeezed a smile out of his face in response.

There are more thoughts in my mind.

He would love to say to LeBron James:

I’m having a good time now, don’t call me again!

LeBron James didn’t notice his forced smile, and he quickly looked at Li Wan, but unfortunately Li Wan had already walked past him. He couldn’t catch up. A little annoyed pursed his mouth, the agent team gave him the task of letting him intersect with Li Wan, so that there was room for the outside world to imagine, but he was not in a hurry and sat down again.

The competition then officially began.

Li Wan came on the field amid the cheers of the audience, looking at Li Wan with a calm expression on the big screen, LeBron James couldn’t help but feel a burst of envy.

And it’s not just him…

Everyone in the entire alliance will probably envy Li Wan’s current influence in the alliance!

However, it is indeed difficult to reach his step, the 08 Olympic final shootout, with Orlando to win the “first championship” in team history, with the Knicks to win the “three consecutive championships”…

Nothing can be done easily.

But Li Wan actually did all three things!

If only I could do these three things…

LeBron James had a fire inside.

Really, it’s cool to think about!

It’s a pity…

He wasn’t the one who did it!

The live big screen gave the starting lineup on both sides at this time:

“New York Knicks: No. 1 Beverley, No. 2 Danny Green, No. 3 Lee Wan, No. 4 Chris Bosh, No. 5 Tyson Chandler;

Bulls: No. 1 Derek Ross, No. 2 Jimmy Butler, No. 3 Ruhl Deng, No. 4 Carlos Boozer, No. 5 Joaquin Noa; ”

Then the referee blew a whistle.

The Eastern Conference finals officially begin.

The first goal came up to the New York Knicks.

Lee Wan took the ball to the front, and the person who came up was Jimmy Butler.

When the two sides started the game just now, Li Wan also noticed Butler’s expression flickering, and now he had become a scrappy “bulldog”. However, from his “small broken steps” that are more “broken” than usual, it can be seen that his mood is not calm at the moment.

Li Wan dragged to the right, and Butler followed suit, blocking Li Wan’s face.

A drastic change of direction, Li Wan attempted to break through from the left.

But Butler actually steadied his center of gravity and kept up with Li Wan, and this time he turned around sharply.

That’s Jimmy Butler’s defensive style.

Although he is also the “non-famous” “Tyrannosaurus Rex” of the league, he is 2.03 meters tall, but only has an arm span of 2.02 meters. However, his footsteps are flexible, and his traverse steps are particularly large, and he can easily keep up with the opponent’s changing direction.

However, Li Wan’s change of direction was just a trial, and while he followed, it immediately made another large change of direction, this time larger than the first time, Jimmy Butler judged that it was no problem, but before he stopped it, Li Wan had already completed the breakthrough.

Jimmy Butler’s physical talent is really not good, at most it is average.

You can imagine how much sweat he usually sheds.

But……

The crushing of talent, sometimes, is so helpless.

However, although the breakthrough was completed, Butler did not give up and continued to pursue, showing his stalkered side. Li Wan waited for him to get closer, and after sensing his overly obvious attempt to find a confrontation, he immediately jumped up and shot the shot.

“Toot! ”

The referee’s whistle sounded first.

Jimmy Butler, who rushed too hard, committed a foul.

“Ugh! ”

As the whistle sounded, the ball also fell steadily into the basket.

Li Wan hit from a distance!

2 plus 1 chance…

Huge cheers immediately rang out at the scene.

Barkley said: “In fact, many people have not noticed that Li Wan’s shooting in confrontation has become more and more stable this season… I just looked at the data, and Li Wan’s proportion of mid-range shots in confrontations has increased significantly this season! ”

Kenny Smith nodded and followed: “Yes, according to the Knicks’ team trainer, Li Wan’s strength has improved again in the summer, coupled with his own excellent static conditions, so that his shots under strong confrontation are becoming more and more stable!” ”

Other words:

More and more “old scoundrels”!

Jimmy Butler raised his hand with some chagrin and watched Li Wan calmly walk up to the free throw line.

“Ugh! ”

Hit steadily.

The New York Knicks started 3-0.

The ball was exchanged and it was the Bulls’ turn to attack.

Derek Ross took the ball to the front, making Beverley just Jimmy Butler.

The “mad dog” felt the speed of a handful of wind.

He felt Derek Ross walk up to him, suddenly change direction, and…

People are gone!

He kept up closely, but as soon as he took a step sideways, he hit a “human wall”.

After 5 years of partnering, the cooperation between Joaquin Noah and Derek Rose no longer needs any signaling, basically with a single move of Derek Ross, Joaquin Noah can know whether he should go up or not.

Rose completely got rid of Beverley and went inside the three-point line, and Tyson Chandler, who came up to the defense, almost sat on the ground.

Watch the latter pull the bar for a layup and finish scoring.

“Windy City Rose”, which did not suffer from injury problems, does seem to be very bright.

2-3！

The Bulls still use Jimmy Butler to defend Li Wan, but from the intentional proximity of Ruhl Deng, it can be seen that they are ready for the backhand, and as long as Li Wan breaks through, he will be forced into the “pocket” by the shrinking Bulls defensive lineup.

Jimmy obviously also knows what kind of help his teammates will give him, and when defending this time, he is not afraid that Li Wan will erase him one step at a time and fight fiercely.

Just came up by Li Wan made a “2 plus 1”, now his score in Li Wanna is afraid that he will deduct twenty or thirty points at once, and if he does not perform, he will fail.

He must get back on the field as soon as possible so that Li Wan can see his growth.

Li Wan arced the ball and held his back against the restless Jimmy Butler behind him, and this action made Butler, who had short hands, lose his temper.

Looking at this face that resembles Michael Jordan, the helplessness flashed through, and Li Wan felt inexplicably refreshed in his heart:

This can also be regarded as abusing the “basketball god”, right?

No wonder those LSPs like to find learning materials for AI for star faces…

Dare to feel pleasure here!

Chris Bosh came around from the flank and received the ball to face Boozer.

“Anti-Bone Boy” is a typical player who relies on technical precocity to make up for his lack of physical talent, his basic skills are very solid, he can open the bow left and right to complete the finish, but the protective frame and defensive ability are average, and his height, speed, and arm span are limited in front of the big position. For this reason, Boozer fell to the second round of the 2002 draft as a regular at the NCAA championship level, waiting until the 34th pick to be selected by the Cavaliers.

Facing Chris Bosh, who has the speed of movement at the level of a small forward, he moves sideways slowly, just like Dayao’s reaction speed when facing his breakthrough.

Single-handedly hit the basket, facing Noah’s defense, Chris Bosh failed to make a layup, but Tyson Chandler next to him rushed over, took the board and dunked, and easily completed the “second attack”.

5-2！

Ross worked directly with Boozer this time.

After attracting Bosh’s defense, a straight ball was ready to be given to Boozer, who had successfully fastened down, but his intention was recognized by Li Wan, who was caught by Li Wanyi who was stuck behind Boozel, and the New York Knicks quickly counterattacked.

Derek Ross had the fastest retreat, followed by Englishman Ruhr Deng, who felt that he might want 1 to 2, and leaned towards the top of the arc when he was about to get down.

While forcing the Bulls’ formation to shrink toward the center, he crossed his hands, pushed the ball, and Chris Bosh, who completed penetration from the touchline, took the ball with a two-handed dunk.

Then he punched his chest hard.

Tonight’s first “Dragon King’s roar” made the audience boil.

7-2！

Thibodeau was already thinking of shouting a timeout towards the New York Knicks, who had twice played a fast offensive wave, but fortunately Ruel Deng stood up at this time, and a three-pointer on the flank brought the score closer to 5-7!

The New York Knicks also tried to return a three-pointer, giving Danny Green a chance, but unfortunately missed. Luckily, Tyson Chandler grabbed the rebound.

D’Antoni thought about it and got Ray Allen ready to play.

Li Wan found that the Bulls’ defense was still arranging a “pocket formation” for him, and did not hesitate to continue to give the ball to Chris Bosh, who was around the wing.

Bosh also felt that he could force a breakthrough through Boozer with speed, so when holding the ball, he deliberately pulled it to the outside. Seeing this, Boozer almost scolded directly with his dirty words.

Can you look a little bit like a number four?

He didn’t dare to make up for it, Chris Bosh dribbled to adjust the rhythm, raised his hand and shot, and the three-point shot fell into the net.

10-5！

“nice！ ”

This ball looked at Li Wan and shouted.

How can such a second-in-command not love?

LeBron James in the sideline audience was stunned, is this Chris the one who plays?

Is he so bad?

You know, when Chris Bosh was still on the Heat, he once thought that this guy could only go and close the door.

Why is this kind of three-point shot against the defender, he also comes with open hands?

Chris Bosh is completely out of shape.

Boozer’s defense became more and more uncomfortable, and Bosh’s moves in the next period of time were actually very simple, as simple as two moves: if he made up, the man would immediately break through with the ball and pass him with speed; If you don’t make up for it, then this man will jump directly to three points.

After dribbling to adjust the rhythm, Chris Bosh’s three-point shooting ability is simply …

By the end of the first quarter, Chris Bosh had hit 2 shots.

Seriously, Boozer would like to say to the manager “I can’t prevent it, let’s do it for someone else”, but he is neither 38 years old, nor does he have an adaptive groin injury and an adaptive ankle sprain, nor does he have that kind of team status, if he said this directly, he would definitely be labeled as “attitude problem” by Thibodeau.

(End of chapter)

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