Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

In the Black March of the NBA, there will always be several wealthy teams that experience a sharp decline in their records, but the Utah Jazz is a surprise. It is not like they have been maintaining the sixth position in the Western Conference in the middle of this season, but they have risen to the third place in one fell swoop. four.

After playing the Spurs in the middle to late March, the Jazz played 6 more games until the end of March, with a total of 72 games, entering the last month of the regular season with a record of 46 wins and 26 losses, and in this final journey... …The teams really tried their best.

Regardless of the East and West, the strong teams strive to reach the top. After all, the playoff schedule is arranged from the beginning to the end. The first team will play the eighth team, the second team will play the seventh team, and so on... The record represents the strength. The higher the ranking, the higher the opponent in the first round. Relatively weaker.

As for the Black Eight Miracle? As of now, it has never happened in NBA history that the eighth team beat the first team, all of which were first-rounders.

Unlike the wealthy and powerful teams striving to reach the top, the weak teams in the East and West are happily swimming in the stinking ditch. They have no hope of the playoffs, and are there any hope of being at the bottom of the league?

It is indeed difficult to be ranked first in the Eastern and Western Conferences, but if you want to occupy the bottom position in the record rankings and get the lottery pick in this year's draft, then it is still possible, right?

It's not that the weak team deliberately messed up. After half the regular season, you can basically see how much water there is. But seeing that there is no hope for the playoffs, I would really feel sorry for myself if I don't get some benefits.

So in April, the final month of the regular season, the whole league blossomed.

Strong teams fight strong teams and fight fiercely, just to improve their rankings in the final stage.

The weak team beats the weak team, and the performance is very fierce. After all, such things as bad performances cannot be brought to the table. No team will admit it publicly, so this is a competition of acting skills. It is natural for you to lose by changing your tricks. It should be said that at the press conference after the game, he had to act very regretful, control his emotions to the extreme, and show his unwillingness to lose and his anger on his face.

As for a strong team playing against a weak team, that is basically done at will, because the victory, defeat, and results have already been written according to the script, so there is no reason for the strong team to lose...

…

Because this season's regular season is coming to an end, the schedule is complete, and the playoffs are set for April 29, and the Jazz still have the last 10 games before then.

In early April, in the first game against the Houston Rockets, Li Shengli and Olajuwon met again. However, in this game, the Rockets, who were ranked at the top of the Western Conference, went all out. The Jazz fell behind by 10 points and lost the game. Even with the inside combination of Li Shengli and Malone, It also failed to reverse the decline.

After beating the Rockets, the Jazz next faced off against the Nuggets, Warriors, and Kings, winning all three games.

The Nuggets are wandering wildly on the edge of the Western Conference playoffs, because there are not many games left. If they want to hit the playoffs, every game is a bloody battle, and against the Jazz, they showed 12 points of energy. .

It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets' All-Star center Mutombo blocked 12 shots in a single game against the Los Angeles Clippers. However...in the game against the Jazz, against Li Shengli, he blocked 12 shots. There was nothing to do. Even though all the Nuggets performed stably, they were still 3 points behind and lost to the Jazz.

That leaves the Warriors.

The ranking was not as good as the Nuggets for the time being. After halftime, the point difference was too big, so we simply stopped playing. Jerry Sloan also started training intensively. After halftime... the substitutes took turns coming on to find their touch.

Then there is the king.

As the bottom of the Western Conference, they didn't even have the intention to resist. They were just playing blindly. The atmosphere of the game was quite relaxed. The Jazz wanted to win, and the Kings wanted to lose. The two sides hit it off immediately, and the Jazz added +1 to the Kings' defeat.

…

Among the remaining games, there is another away game against the Magic, and O'Neal and Lee Shengli. This is the first time the two have met since the last All-Star Game.

Different from the Jazz, the Eastern Magic and Western Nuggets are in a similar situation. They are currently lingering outside the playoffs, trying to get further playoff tickets, taking a step back and going home to watch TV, so this game is also a fierce fight.

O'Neal's current averages are 23.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 1.9 assists per game. For a rookie, this is simply incredible.

However, what is equally incredible is Li Shengli.

After joining the Jazz, his averages per game reached 20.3 points, 15.6 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, and 2.4 assists. In addition to scoring data, he surpassed O'Neal in all aspects.

There is no way to score.

The Li-Ma combination with Malone is indeed strong inside, but the problem of who takes the action cannot be avoided. Fortunately, the two of them have never worried about this. Adhering to the principle of whoever has the opportunity to fight, they repeatedly blasted the opponent's inside, and Correspondingly... Malone's scoring and rebounding data dropped a lot.

But everything must be looked at in two, there are gains and losses, advantages and disadvantages.

As the current top power forward, Malone's personal strength is obvious to all, and he is very happy to sacrifice some data. After all... his desire for the championship is stronger than anyone else, and Li Shengli's ability has been recognized by all Jazz members. Recognition is worth his sacrifice.

…

When the Jazz play the Magic, there is suspense about the outcome, but it's definitely not big.

Not surprisingly, the Jazz had a 23-point advantage in the first half, and the Magic...except for O'Neal who could play, the other positions were not enough, so the Jazz, who were basically guaranteed to win, left the second half to Li Shengli and O'Neal. The two performed, facing each other under the basket and fighting each other wildly.

So the entire third quarter was completely defeated.

It's not that the two teams failed, but the matchup between the two people failed, turning the game into a bullfight, comparing all the statistics, for a whole quarter... Li Shengli blocked O'Neal's 6 blocks, and O'Neal also returned 5.

What is the concept of 11 caps in a section?

Generally speaking, the number of blocks after four quarters of a game may not be as high as this, and the two of them accounted for most of their respective teams' shots, almost making the game red-eyed.

It's time to play and make trouble, don't make fun of Li Shengli.

The Jazz have already secured the victory, and it would not be good to continue playing like this. After all, they still have to prepare for the playoffs. No one wants to get injured on the eve of the playoffs, so before the third quarter is over, Jerry Si Long replaced Li Shengli.

What?

Leaving now?

Because Li Shengli blocked him by one more person, O'Neal jumped up angrily and yelled...Li Shengli, don't run. He almost pulled Li Shengli to prevent him from leaving. The players on both sides were sweating. If they didn't know that the two had a good relationship, they would have thought they were going to fight. Woolen cloth.

Li Shengli was also angry and had a headache.

run?

Run away!

Whoever wants to run away, but the coach won’t let him play, what can I do?

…

In the end, Mike Brown replaced Lee Shengli and O'Neal, who was furious, vented all his anger on Mike Brown and chased Mike Brown.

None of my business?

Why are you chasing me?

He came on the court during garbage time and was chased by a rookie. His face was completely ruined. As a second-rate center, Mike Brown knew his status, but he still felt bitter because he was beaten to pieces by O'Neal. Fortunately, in the second There was not much time left in the third quarter. The Magic gave up resistance and replaced O'Neal, and Mike Brown was saved.

In the fourth quarter, it was time for training again. The Jazz's substitute lineup was in poor condition and failed to maintain the point difference. However, they still won the Magic with an 8-point lead.

…

After the game, Li Shengli and O'Neal got together again, and Crotty followed step by step, like a bodyguard.

"Shaq, how do you feel about eating my hat?" Li Shengli smiled happily.

"Shit, you're talking like you bastard didn't get caught by me. If you hadn't run away, I would have blown your head off!" O'Neal's anger was still there, "We'll see, I'll definitely knock you over next time we meet!"

"No shit next time, the next time we meet will be next season. We have to play... let's play in the playoffs. How about meeting in the finals?"

Meeting in the finals?

This is so funny!

The Magic are currently in doubt about getting a ticket for the Eastern Conference playoffs, but the Jazz are different. This season, the Jazz have begun to overtake them in a corner. They are definitely the hottest team in the Western Conference, and the Magic want to compete with the Jazz in the NBA Finals. Meeting in the finals sounds like nonsense.

"Get out, get out, don't let me see you again in Orlando!"

O'Neal walked away with a cold face. At the current level of the Magic, the chance of reaching the finals is basically zero. But there is no hope this season, which does not mean there will be no hope in the future... This year's draft may be an opportunity, as long as he is equipped with the equipment. With a few younger players who can play, or a few capable partners through trade, he is confident that the playoffs will be absolutely fine.

A little brother who can fight?

Come and get a younger brother who can fight!

O'Neal really couldn't wait. After all, Li Shengli had already driven to the Western Conference playoffs, and he himself was still worried about tickets for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

However, the Magic are currently in an embarrassing situation. If they fail to make the playoffs and end up ninth in the Eastern Conference, then there will be basically no good prospects in this year's draft. After all... with the embarrassing position of ninth in the Eastern Conference, I think The probability of getting a top-three draft pick is too small.