Bishop of the Devil

The situation in the east is a bit staggering.

The 76ers, Celtics and Bulls all completed the sweep and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

On May 5, 2001, the Western Conference semifinals finally began.

In the end, the Kings were superior and defeated the Utah Jazz, a veteran team in the Western Conference, in the first round of the playoffs and successfully advanced to the second round of the playoffs!

However, their next opponent is the Portland Trail Blazers, the king's team. If they want to continue to advance, there is basically no possibility.

Under Adelman's leadership, this Kings team has truly undergone a transformation.

In the entire NBA, in terms of technical and tactical abilities, Adelman and Popovich are both people that Richard respects very much.

In terms of starlight, the Kings are dimmer than other teams.

The biggest star on their team is just Chris Webber.

But in addition to Webber, their team also has powerful players such as Peja, Bai Qiao, Divac, Turkoglu, Bobby Jackson...

With such a lineup, it is no wonder that they can break into the top half of the Western Conference and eliminate the Jazz, the veteran team in the Western Conference.

…

"Old man, congratulations. After joining the Kings for one season, you actually created such a terrifying lineup!" Richard smiled and chatted with Adelman before the game.

Adelman smiled bitterly, horror? Richard, are you embarrassed to say that other teams' lineups are terrible...

Three kings are not as scary as one pioneer!

You must know that the biggest player in the Kings is only Webber. Webber seems to be nothing in the Trail Blazers.

Ou is the true second center in the league, and Ben is also one of the top three power forwards in the league. Except for Duncan, there is really no other power forward who is qualified to stabilize Ben.

Nowitzki is now the league's top firepower output point...

Ginobili and Baron Davis in the backcourt are now qualified to be among the top ten point guards in the league.

There are not many high-quality point guards in this league right now...

Even Lao Na is actually quite inconspicuous now. In terms of statistics, he is not as good as Ginobili and Baron Davis.

In terms of performance, it is even more incomparable...

"Lee, please don't say such things. In terms of the terrifying lineup, our Kings can't compare to your Blazers..." Adelman said with a wry smile.

"By the way, I heard that you are planning to go to the East after this season?"

Richard was startled. This news spread so fast? Even Adelman knew it.

Richard must not make this news public right now. If someone knows about it, it might make his players think something.

Wait until after you win the championship to make the news public. That will be the best time to make the news public.

But since Adelman knew it, Richard didn't hide it either.

"That's right, old man, we may have fewer opportunities to meet in the future..."

Upon hearing this, Adelman was speechless and seemed to want to meet you.

I will lose as soon as I meet you. Only a devil would like to meet you, Richard, every day.

…

"Then I wish you can rise again in the Eastern Conference. I believe that with your ability, you may be able to lead the team back to the Finals in the first season!" Adelman said with a smile.

Richard smiled wryly and waved his hands. What Adelman said was completely impossible.

He joined a weak team, and Richard even had the urge to mess up when the time came...

It happened that the 01-02 season was bad, and then I got the lottery pick. I used the lucky dice when drawing the lot, and got the No. 1 pick to select Yao Ming...

And even if it doesn't go badly, in Richard's next choice, even if there are stars in the team, it is estimated that Richard will sell them in exchange for better chips.

In this way, let alone the finals, it would be good to enter the playoffs.

…

"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle to start the game.

Although the Kings are good, the players in every position are weaker than the Trail Blazers, or even more than that.

In this case, Richard didn't care much about the situation on the field.

The king cannot stir up any trouble...

In this game, Richard's inside combination was Ou and Nowitzki, and Nowitzki still played as a space power forward.

Mainly the Kings' inside line, which is not particularly strong, only has one Chris Webber.

Xiao Ao can greet him by himself, why not let Ben take a good rest...

After beating the Kings, whether it's against the Spurs or the Lakers, Big Ben will have to spend a lot of effort!

Now let Ben have a good rest and try to be in better condition to face the Spurs or Lakers inside.

…

Although the Blazers did not let Big Ben play, the Blazers still firmly have the advantage on the court.

For tonight's game, Richard's starting lineup is O'Brien, Driver, Artest, Reed and Baron Davis.

O'Brien has no disadvantage at all against Webber, and even because of his strong defense, he can effectively restrict Webber.

As for the driver, the current offensive level is quite unsolvable.

Artest, on the other hand, specializes in guarding Peja, the main outside output point of the Kings.

Baron Davis faced off against Bai Qiao, that was really a crushing advantage...

It is not easy to deal with a flashy player like Bai Qiao and a bearded man with a heavy sword and no edge.

Bearded himself is a player with top steals ability, and has won the honor of steal king twice in his career.

Coupled with the fact that Bai Qiao likes to be flashy, Big Beard got quite a lot of steals during the game.

The strength of these two teams is obviously not of the same level.

If this situation continues, the king will inevitably be swept away.

But in the third quarter of the game, something unexpected happened to the Trail Blazers, which shocked the fans at the scene and broke out in cold sweat!

When Xiao Ou was competing with Webber for a rebound under the basket, he landed on Webber's foot and directly injured his ankle!

He fell to the ground in pain, clutching his ankle, his forehead covered with cold sweat!

It looks like the injury is serious!

If the ankle is injured, there is a high possibility that it will be a serious injury, and it may even be a serious injury that affects your career.

The entire Rose Garden Arena gasped. What they were most worried about happened!

Fans know very well that even the experts have said that the only one who can defeat this Trail Blazers team is themselves!

The meaning is obvious, unless there is a problem with the Trail Blazers themselves, then other teams are obviously not the opponents of this Trail Blazers.

The Blazers' health has always been pretty good.

At least in the five years Richard has been coaching the Trail Blazers, there have been few major injuries to Trail Blazers players.

Now that Xiao Aowei has reached his ankle, everyone can't help but worry.

How is Xiao Ao's situation? Will it affect the next Western Conference Finals games?

…

The King level is not a problem for the Trail Blazers. Even if O'Neill can't play, the Trail Blazers still have a big budget and killing the King is not a problem.

But what about waiting until the Western Conference Finals? !

Whether the opponent is the Spurs or the Lakers, can a big player handle it? !

It's obviously difficult to cope with it. Can the Blazers still defend their title?

In the Rose Garden Arena, everyone held their breath and prayed for Xiao Ou in their hearts...

They hope that Xiao O's ankle is fine, it's just a minor injury, and he can fully recover after taking a few games to rest!

In that case, when the Western Conference Finals come, O'Brien will be another hero, guarding the Blazers' penalty area with Ben.

…

Richard on the sidelines frowned.

He didn't expect that Xiao Ao would be injured at such a critical moment. The Western Conference Finals were about to happen, so Xiao Ao was injured at the wrong time.

But he didn't worry too much...

The main reason is that Xiao Ao still has an intermediate injury scroll on hand, which can completely restore Xiao Ao to his original state!

But this scroll is very precious. If it is used like this, it will be terrible if Xiao Ao suffers from injuries again in the future...

According to Richard's idea, this injury scroll is prepared for Xiao Ao's future.

Even if Xiao Ao is no longer playing under Richard's hand, Richard can still use this scroll for Xiao Ao...

This can extend Xiao Ao's career life!

And there is a chance that Xiao Ao’s old illness will be cleared up!

But the current injury has completely disrupted Richard's plan...

If Xiao Ao is seriously injured, then this scroll must be used as soon as possible!

Otherwise, Richard really has no confidence that he can pass the Western Conference Finals...

To be precise, I don't have the confidence to easily pass the Western Conference Finals.

Even if he can get through the Lakers or Spurs, Richard feels that the problem cannot be solved in six games.

Even a tiebreaker is not impossible.

Once there is a tiebreaker, the suspense will be great. If the opponents break out collectively, the Blazers will be quite passive.

Therefore, once O'Brien's injury affects the start of the Western Conference Finals, Richard will definitely use his exclusive injury scroll without hesitation!

…

"I hope the injury is not serious and does not affect the Western Conference Finals!" Richard prayed in his heart.

…

Paul Allen, sitting next to the Trail Blazers bench, was dumbfounded.

He had really hoped that the core players of the Trail Blazers would suffer some minor injuries, preferably the kind that would happen just before the Western Conference Finals and prevent him from playing in the Western Conference Finals...

It would be best if Ben or O'Neal suffer minor injuries. In this case, the Blazers may really be killed by the Lakers!

In this way, the dynasty will be gone...

But Richard can stay...

Paul Allen feels that it is more cost-effective to keep Richard.

Now that Xiao Ao was suddenly injured, and he was injured just as he expected, Paul Allen was not only not uncomfortable, but also a little happy.

Of course, the premise for his joy is that Xiao Ao's injury is not serious...

If O'Brien is unable to participate in the Western Conference Finals, and the Lakers perform well to kill the Trail Blazers, then Richard will have to stay with the Trail Blazers for at least three more years!

If Richard can build a dynasty in three years, it will definitely be a blessing for Paul Allen.

In this way, the Trail Blazers, including the championship from ancient times, have six championship trophies, directly tying the Bulls.

Tied with the Bulls for the third most league championships!

What an honor!

And if Richard cannot build a dynasty in the next three years, then if he keeps his promise, he will have to stay with the Trail Blazers...

Even if he can only win one championship in three years on average, Richard is so young and has no problem staying in the coaching position for thirty or forty years. He can definitely bring more than ten championships to the Blazers!

It's so delicious...

…

However, Paul Allen also felt that his thoughts were a bit too evil.

To actually hope for one's own players to get injured, even if it's just a minor injury, that's really evil...

…

The Blazers' medical team was already on the scene, and along with the Blazers' substitute players, they helped Xiao Ou back to the locker room to check the injury.

Richard replaced Kirilenko on the field.

"AK, play hard. In this series, I will use you as the core inside player!"

"You don't need to do much, just guard Chris Webber..."

Richard patted Kirilenko on the shoulder and said.

At the moment, Richard is still not ready to go to a big university...

Because there is absolutely no need!

Even without the Auburn combination, the Blazers' strength is not comparable to that of the Kings.

Now replacing Kirilenko, although it will make it easier for Weber to score, the Kings' outside lineup is still suppressed by the Trail Blazers.

If this fails to win the king, then Richard might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.

…

"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle to end the game.

The Trail Blazers won at home with an 11-point margin, making Adelman sigh.

In tonight's game, the Trail Blazers did not use Ben, the highest-paid player, and Ou, the highest-paid player, only played half the game.

Under such circumstances, their Kings were still beaten by the Trail Blazers by a double-digit point difference.

It’s really disappointing...

Adelman sighed. The Trail Blazers' lineup was terrifying and made the old coach despair.

There is really no solution, and Adelman doesn't know how to kill this Blazers lineup with no solution.

In tonight's game, the best player is undoubtedly the Trail Blazers' No. 1 Baron Davis.

Facing Bai Qiao, Big Beard had a terrifying advantage.

In this game, he scored 31 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists and 7 steals. He almost completely destroyed the Kings backcourt by himself!

If it weren't for the fact that he didn't get many rebounds, the Beard would have posted a near-quadruple-double tonight.

With data like this, it's no wonder Adelman is desperate...

Facing the No. 1 position like Bai Qiao, Big Beard is almost invincible.

On the offensive end, there was no way for Bai Qiao to do anything about the tank-like crushing of Big Beard.

The strong stealing ability on the defensive end completely restrained Bai Qiao...

Nowitzki stably contributed 27 points tonight, including 4 of 8 three-pointers and a 50% three-point shooting rate.

He has become the top anti-aircraft gunner in the league.

The only player who can rival Nowitzki is probably the current Philadelphia 76ers' big man.

However, Dazhi has actually been slowly overtaken by Nowitzki...

Maybe next season, Nowitzki will become the strongest anti-aircraft shooter in the league!

…

Although Artest's statistics are inconspicuous, his role on the defensive end is completely immeasurable. He is completely an outside version of the big brother.

Under his defense, the Kings' anti-aircraft shooter Peja had a miserable shooting percentage tonight. He only scored 17 points in 19 shots.

As for Reid, in fact, he is a strong offensive and defensive player, but he has a good professional attitude and is very dedicated on the defensive end.

Even if he is not in the Trail Blazers and joins the Bucks according to his normal trajectory, his defensive enthusiasm is actually quite high.

Tonight, he also scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, which is quite remarkable.

For a rookie who was not drafted high to produce such data in the Western Conference semifinals in his rookie season, who could ask for more.

Even Trail Blazers fans who are accustomed to big scenes are quite satisfied with Reid's performance at this moment.

…

Kirilenko played 26 minutes tonight, with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. His performance was also remarkable.

Not particularly outstanding, but he excels in all-around, and his defensive performance is also quite good.

…

All in all, even if the Trail Blazers do not have the two highest-paid players in the team, Ben and Ou, their strength cannot be underestimated.

At least there is no big problem in killing a team like the Kings.

…

Just after the game ended, Richard led the players back to the locker room to see how the injury was.

If it is just a week of training, it is not a big problem and will not affect the start of the Western Conference Finals.

…

"How's the situation?" Richard asked worriedly.

"The injury is not too serious, but I have to rest for at least a month!" the team doctor said with a wry smile.

A month's injury is indeed not too serious...

But considering the timing of the injury, it was a bit serious.

A month later, the finals are almost over, and it will be meaningless for Xiao Ou to come back by then.

Richard nodded bitterly. It seemed that this intermediate injury scroll was no longer needed.

"You all go out, Jermaine and I will chat alone for a while." Richard waved his hand to let everyone go out first.

After everyone left, Xiao Ao's eyes were red. He felt that he was so sorry for Richard and the Blazers!

A drop in the chain at such a critical moment is likely to ruin the Blazers' dynasty chance!

If the Trail Blazers cannot defend their title this season, O'Brien will never forgive himself in his life, and this may become a permanent scar in his heart.

"I'm sorry, coach..."

"How about I appear in the Western Conference Finals? I think I should still be able to play some role on the court!" Xiao Ou said firmly to Richard.

Although the ankle injury is equivalent to missing a leg, Xiao Ao feels that even if he is limping on the court, he can still play some role in the interior.

"Jermaine, there's nothing I'm sorry about!"

"Besides, your injury is not as serious as the team doctor said. Believe me, you will fully recover tomorrow!"

Richard patted Xiao Ao on the shoulder and said with a smile.

When contacting Xiao Ao, Xiao Ao's exclusive injury scroll was directly used on Xiao Ao...

Although it is quite a pity to use this injury scroll now.

But there is no other way. Xiao Ao must not be absent. He is one of the two main gates of the Trail Blazers!

The injury scroll takes effect within twenty-four hours, so Xiao Ao hasn't felt any changes in his body yet, and the pain in his ankle is still lingering.

"Well, coach, I believe you!"

Xiao Ao nodded. In fact, he had suffered an injury before, but it was cured by Richard with a primary injury scroll...

Now Richard said that Xiao Ao will make a complete recovery tomorrow. Although it sounds incredible, Xiao Ao still believes Richard.

"Well, I will definitely recover, but don't make this news public, not even the team doctor!"

"Let's leave a little surprise for our opponents in the Western Conference Finals..."

"As for the king, even if you and Ben don't play, they can't beat us, so don't worry!"

Richard said to Xiao Ao with a relaxed smile.

Xiao Ou was stunned. Is this a way to cheat the Lakers or Spurs?

Think about it, if you don't appear in the Western Conference semifinals, and then the injury news is concealed, then the Lakers or Spurs will probably be happy!

Especially the Lakers, they probably have to celebrate with a firecracker...

Without O'Brien in the Trail Blazers, can just one big player be able to guard against the Sharks? ! Definitely not!

Rules have been introduced to restrict shark cutting, and the Trail Blazers are missing a small O'sman.

The Lakers' chances of advancing are simply too great...

Once they advance to the finals, the championship will be in the Lakers' bag!

One can imagine how excited the Lakers will be when they know the news...

…

But when O'Brien appears on time in the Western Conference Finals, I'm afraid they will be poured cold water on them.

What if you promised to be injured and unable to play for a month? !

You pioneers, you bunch of devils, can you even do this kind of thing? !

Thinking of this, Xiao Ao felt inexplicably excited...