Basketball's most talented forward is on the left

A game in which the entire process of the game cannot be seen from the result. Although the Knicks won by 14 points, after the game, the entire Knicks team expressed respect for their opponents.

D'Antoni: "Yes, they were infinitely close to victory. In the third quarter, I thought we would be tied or even overtaken. If it hadn't been for Zuo Li's three-pointer, maybe the game would have had a different outcome. The Celtics are worthy of being

Strong teams in the league, they are really difficult to deal with.”

Curry: "God, my whole body hurts right now. It was a tough game. I'm glad we won. To be honest, we were really beaten in the third quarter. Thanks to Zuo Li, you know,

He is our anchor."

Battier: "Paul is a difficult guy. I've always known this, so I follow him all the time on the court. I try to cause him enough trouble. I try my best to defend and interfere.

, but...obviously, I was blown away."

Zuo Li: "Winning involves luck. I think I will give them the greatest respect. This is a real football game."

…

In addition to the entire Knicks team, the media also affirmed the Celtics' perseverance.

Even A. Smith, a die-hard Knicks fan, admitted: "If it had been two years ago, maybe the result of the game would have been completely different."

Yes, although the Celtics lost, they obviously won people's recognition with their indomitable performance.

Pierce stood out for 47 minutes and made 11 of 20 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, and 5 of 8 free throws. Except for the drop in free throw shooting due to too intense confrontation, the overall shooting rate set a new high in the playoffs.

His scoring of 32 points per game was second only to Zuo Li, setting a personal high in the playoffs in the past three seasons.

Garnett played 44 minutes, and although he only had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, he supported the Celtics' entire interior defense when O'Neal and O'Neal Jr. had limited playing time, and Jeff Green couldn't stand up.

, various large-scale sweep-style assisting and supplementary defenses have given many people the illusion that the Wolf King has returned to its peak.

It's just a pity that the Wolf King didn't want to play in the last few minutes, but his knees no longer allowed him to play. Otherwise, like Pierce, he would have played almost the full 48 minutes.

The last member of the Big Three, Ray Allen, also tried his best. He scored 6 three-pointers, 22 points and 5 assists. His running distance was the highest in the game, making people forget that he is already 37 years old.

As for Rondo, he contributed a near-triple-double of 10 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, and his full-court coverage of Curry showed his strength in the best defensive lineup.

Overall, the Celtics really tried their best.

But the Celtics would rather not try their best, because such a performance but still unable to win is the most disappointing.

But unlike the previous two despairs, this time they really had a chance to win.

Pierce: "If I had a time machine, I would try my best to stop Zuo Li."

Garnett: "Maybe I should have fouled. I thought he wouldn't take the shot in that position."

Jeff Green: "It's all my fault we lost, luck was not on our side."

…

It is not difficult to see from the Celtics' interviews that they are still worried about Zuo Li's super long three-pointer in the third quarter.

However, judging from the overall performance, Zuo Li is worthy of being the regular season MVP. He played 41 minutes and made 16 goals in 22 shots. He made 2 of 2 three-pointers and 6 of 8 free throws. He scored 40 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists.

5 blocks, 2 steals, only 1 turnover, and 2 fouls.

Not just the three-pointer, the Celtics were completely suppressed by Zuoli throughout the game.

Of course, the other Knicks players performed mediocrely. If the three-pointer doesn't go in, maybe the Celtics do have a chance, but it's just a chance, because apart from the brave left winger, physical fitness is the Celtics' biggest problem.

Even without Zuo Li's three-pointer, based on the Celtics' shooting percentage in the last few minutes, the Knicks would have won the final victory.

After this game, 99% of people believed that the Celtics would be swept by the Knicks, and the remaining 1% should be die-hard Celtics fans.

But even the Celtics themselves understand that their journey this season ends now.

On May 8, in the fifth game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Zuo Li led his teammates to give the Green Army veterans a pleasant surprise.

There is no more passionate pursuit of points in the last game, no passionate rivalry between the stars, because after the last game, the last drop of oil in the fuel tank of the Green Army veterans has dried up.

Iron blood cannot last forever, and chicken soup cannot always work. Although before the game, the Celtics veterans said they would keep their "lives" on the court, the reality is so cruel. The Knicks did not give any help from the beginning.

Celtic any chance.

In the first quarter of the game, when Zuo Li succeeded in consecutive singles against Jeff Green, when Zuo Li grabbed offensive rebounds over Garnett's head several times, when Zuo Li blocked Pierce with four blocks in a single quarter, Rondo's breakthrough...

…

In the second quarter of the game, when the Knicks launched a wave of three-pointers from the outside...

In the third quarter of the game, when Garnett fouled out six times and Ray Allen missed three shots...

As a result, the Knicks led by 34 points in three quarters and entered garbage time early in the final quarter.

Watching the Knicks celebrate their victory on the bench in advance, I wonder if the Celtics veterans next door have the feeling of dreaming back to the past.

Once upon a time, they were omnipotent in the league and created their own legend.

However, the end of an era must be replaced by a new era.

80 to 120, the Knicks defeated the Celtics by 40 points in the away game. The total score of the series was 4 to 0. They completed the sweep of two consecutive series and took the lead in advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals!

There, they will wait for the winner of the Heat and Bulls to challenge.

After the game, the Celtics players and the Knicks players hugged each other. At this time, there was no more confrontation, no more trash talk, and some were just blessings.

From two consecutive seasons of fierce battles to Game 7 and today's sweep, one era is coming to an end and another is beginning.

Zuo Li and O'Neill hugged each other.

This series is another masterpiece of Zuo Li's career. Zuo Li, who scored 38 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 blocks, is undoubtedly the biggest contributor to this series.

O'Neal, on the other hand, averaged only 10 minutes per game, the lowest in the playoffs of his career, and averaged 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, which was also the lowest in his career.

I have to admit that O'Neal is no longer the great playoff shark he once was.

And this hug is like a legacy. Zuo Li has bypassed Howard and other centers and took over the torch representing the new era super center from O'Neal.

"Congratulations, kid, it's an incredible showdown, keep going." O'Neal was full of emotion. From Zuo Li, he saw his former self.

No, maybe Zuo Li did better. After all, when he was as old as Zuo Li, he was still being educated by Olajuwon.

"Enjoy the vacation, O'Fatty, maybe we can train together during the offseason." Zuo Li patted O'Neal on the shoulder. Zuo Li, who was familiar with history, knew that this might be the last season of O'Neal's career.