I’m Really Playing Basketball

Tianwangshan was played in all four conference semifinals, which is the first time in the history of the NBA playoffs.

It can be seen how intense the NBA championship situation is this year, and it can also be seen how close the teams in the four groups of matchups are.

This is cruel as never before.

On May 16, 2006, the Tianwangshan game between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Toronto Raptors began. Every home and away court rotation was a huge challenge for the Charlotte Bobcats, who had a bunch of rookie players.

The Bobcats and Raptors had just played G4 two games ago, and now they are about to switch arenas to Toronto. This puts a lot of pressure on the Bobcats.

Of course, although this kind of pressure is great, it is not as fatal as imagined.

If the players themselves are not in good condition, such a schedule will only amplify that not very good condition.

If the players are in good condition, there won't be any problems.

When it comes to game status, the Raptors are definitely in better shape than the Bobcats. This team has been playing in the playoffs this month and has never had a break.

Likewise, the Raptors have the worst physical strength.

Although the Bobcats players are not as hot as the Raptors players, their physical strength is definitely an advantage.

When the playoffs reach the current level, it is not yet clear whether state is more important or physical strength is more important.

Just look at the G5 of the Bobcats and Raptors.

In the first quarter of the game, the away Bobcats, led by five starting players including Chen Xiao, Randolph, Granger, Barnes and Paul, defeated the Raptors 32-26 in a single quarter. He grabbed 16 rebounds at one time, 9 more than the Raptors.

It can be said that in the first quarter, the performance of Chen Xiao and the Bobcat starters was to maximize their physical advantages.

But in the second quarter, when the Bobcats' starting players began to rotate, in just four minutes, even though the Bobcats' rotating players had a physical advantage, the clanging sound of iron almost caused the Bobcats to collapse.

Even if Chen Xiao and his veteran starters returned to the court to defend the situation, the Raptors, who were in better shape, retaliated 32 to 26 in the second quarter.

In the first half of G5, the Bobcats and the Raptors tied 58-58. Although it was a tie, it seemed that the two teams were still very anxious.

However, there are some points in the game between the two teams in the first half that still need attention.

That is, the better condition of the Raptors' starting players can no longer suppress the physical strength of the Bobcats' starters. In the duel between the two teams' starters, their physical strength has slowly begun to surpass their condition.

Two teams that can't defend anyone, in the starting lineup, the Bobcats began to slowly gain the upper hand.

As for the substitute rotation, if the Bobcats' young players are not in good condition, the better state of the Raptors can still suppress the Bobcats' rotation players.

Therefore, in this G5, Bobcats head coach Jordan can clearly feel that the watershed of this series has arrived, the turning point of this series has arrived.

Therefore, even if the Bobcats have been chasing points in this game, Jordan is not very worried on the sidelines.

"The Raptors are basically sticking with their will now, especially Nash!"

When a person or a team is persevering with will, the person and the team are on the verge of collapse at any time.

When this person or this team will collapse, it depends on the will of this person and this player.

From Jordan's point of view, he doesn't think Nash is such a willful and brave person.

After all, although Nash has rectified his name now, to be honest, he is still at the bottom of the chain of contempt.

After Nash's two MVPs in history, many people thought he was soft because of his skin color and body shape.

Not to mention now.

Therefore, during the halftime break, Jordan, whose technical and tactical abilities were not very good, but who played psychological warfare and had a good sense of the game, expressed his confidence to Chen Xiao and the Bobcats players.

"Boys, I have seen the dawn of victory in this game!"

"In the second half of the game, the Raptors will collapse and this series will be over!"

Jordan said it very confidently, and the Bobcats players were very excited after hearing it.

Chen Xiao is actually very excited. This series with the Raptors does seem to have turned a corner.

Nash and the Raptors really seemed like they couldn't hold on.

But is this really the case?

Is it possible that Jordan underestimated his opponent?

Are we taking things for granted?

Facts have proved that Chen Xiao's sense of smell is also quite accurate.

After all, Chen Xiao himself is of yellow race and does not have deep-rooted discrimination against white people in the NBA.

Jordan's sense of smell cannot be said to be worse than that of Chen Xiao, but his preconceived contempt for white players caused him to misjudge.

Uncle Joe has always looked down on shooters and white players. When he was a player, he often made trouble for pure shooters and white players.

And Nash is simply a person who has been despised by Uncle Joe. Both shooters and white people are alive.

Therefore, when the second half began, the Raptors not only held on, but also held on to the end and defeated the Bobcats 120-108 at home. Jordan on the sidelines was stunned with his mouth wide open.

Nash, who he thought was going to collapse in the second half at halftime, made 6 of 7 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 2 of 3 free throws in the second half. He scored 15 points and 6 assists extremely efficiently in the half.

Nash even led the Raptors to score more points in the second half than in the first half.

Compared with the Raptors, the Bobcats, who thought about the problem simply, were obviously a little under-prepared in the second half. Unexpectedly, the Raptors could actually be stronger than the first half.

There is a statistic in the second half that can very well reflect the state of the two teams. In the second half, the Bobcats grabbed 14 rebounds, while the Raptors grabbed 18.

This is incredible.

This is not to say that Chen Xiao and Randolph's inside advantage has become smaller.

It's because the Raptors players were even more united in the second half.

The Raptors players also know that their current physical strength is a problem. If they lose this game, everything will be over. Only if they win this game will they have a chance.

On the one hand is over-optimism with poor judgment.

On one side is a dilapidated cauldron as if facing an abyss.

In the end, the Raptors won the first battle at Tianwangshan.

At the end of the game, Nash's whole body was soaked and his long hair was like soaked wicker. It not only moved Chen Xiao, but also moved Jordan on the sidelines.

So much so that when he returned to the locker room after the game, Jordan was silent for a while and then sighed: "I underestimated Nash. He has a great soul inside his thin body."

In this game, he made 11 of 16 three-pointers, 4 of 5 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws. He scored 29 points and 11 assists. Under his organization, all seven Raptors players who played in this game scored in double figures.

Yes, the Raptors rotated seven players in this game.

The more physically exhausted the Raptors are, the more they need the status and strength of their players, and the more they have to reduce the number of rotations, which in turn will aggravate physical exhaustion.

I have to say that the Raptors are now running out of gas.

But no matter what, the 7-man rotation Raptors still fought hard to win a game, maintaining the team's hope of advancement.

A 3-2 lead will hopefully quench thirst. As long as they know that victory is ahead, the Raptors players may be able to continue to fight.

Although the Bobcats lost this important Tianwangshan game, Jordan once again reiterated his opinion to the Bobcats players after taking the responsibility on himself, that is, the Raptors are indeed not good.

In the next game, the Bobcats need to completely defeat the Raptors!

After the battle between the Bobcats and the Raptors, and the battle between the Suns and the Lakers, the Suns successfully defended their home court and defeated the Lakers 114-97.

The Lakers lost miserably in this game. The main reason was that Kobe, as the main attacker, obviously had a good touch in this game, but he only took 17 shots and scored 29 points on 10 of 17 shots.

Why is this happening?

Because since the start of this series, O'Neal has been conducting psychological warfare against Kobe.

When it comes to being teammates with Kobe, everyone can only watch him shoot. He has no passing button. His passing button is always hidden by him. He can't pass. He only has eyes for himself and no teammates. , he is very selfish.

"Kobe's isolation is hurting the team. The Lakers have been hurt by Kobe since I left."

Good guy, I have to say that the person who understands science is still O'Neal.

After O'Neal's "singles hurt the team theory" came out, Kobe really carried a lot of psychological baggage. I took more shots and had more singles, and the team lost. It was confirmed that my singles hurt the team, so I took the shots. If there are too many singles, even if the team wins, O'Neal's remarks also have the effect of sowing discord. Are the Lakers players really willing to watch Kobe's crazy singles without seeing themselves?

It has to be said that the psychological warfare that O'Neal conducted in this series really tortured the boss, not only in offense, but also in passing.

Boss Ke was in so much pain, and Phil was in the same pain.

Damn it, his triangle offense is a singles tactic, okay!

Shaq's opening of his mouth destroyed half of his tactical system.

In fact, historically, Kobe Bryant's playoffs this season were also bruised and bruised by the 'singles injury theory', but it was not caused by O'Neal. Historically, it was caused by the media.

The next day, May 17, in another two games in Tianwangshan, the Spurs defeated the Mavericks 98-97 at home. What was very interesting about this game was that in the last 2 minutes, neither team scored a point.

The defensive intensity in this game was terrifying.

In the end, the Spurs, who had two superstars, defeated the Mavericks, who had only one superstar.

Nowitzki scored 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting in this game.

Arenas made 11 of 24 shots and scored 27 points.

Luo Ge scored 38 points on 13 of 20 free throws and 12 of 15 free throws.

Luo Ge didn't shoot a single three-pointer in this game, all were mid-range and low-post singles.

In this game, Luo Ge used the stuck version of Jordan to the fullest on the offensive end, almost beating the Mavericks' defense line such as Devin Harris, Stackhouse, and Terry to death.

Except for these three, no one else scored 20 points in this game.

In today's other Tianwangshan battle between the Magic and the Heat, the Heat defeated the Magic 92-88 at home.

The biggest news from this game wasn't that the Heat won.

The biggest news in this game is that the Magic's leading outside player Tracy McGrady once again strained his hamstring without confrontation, completely bidding farewell to this season.

In the last seven games against the Nets, McGrady averaged more than 46 minutes per game, fighting hand-to-hand with the Nets' five forwards in each game.

At that time, many professionals were worried that McGrady fought too hard in the game with the Nets. If he still played fiercely with the Heat, he might be at risk of injury.

Unexpectedly, his words came true, and McGrady was really hurt.

In fact, this is not a prophetic prediction, but McGrady is not as tough as Chen Xiao and James.

Even Chen Xiao, after playing six games with the Bucks and the Raptors, Jordan didn't dare let Chen Xiao play for so long in each game.

Although Chen Xiao himself said there was no problem, Jordan, as a player, knew all too well the dangers of such high-intensity games for so long.

Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst!

It can only be said that McGrady really worked hard for the Magic.

He even confessed to himself in the end.

After Tracy McGrady was injured, the 50-50 balance between the Heat and Magic seemed to be tilting toward the Heat.

Well, it seems so for the time being, because the Magic still have Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Turkoglu, Pachulia, Gooden, Horry, Nelson and many other good players.

They still have the strength to defeat the Heat.

On May 18, 2006, the Bobcats returned home to face the Raptors, who had already secured match point.

After losing the Tianwangshan battle, the Bobcats, who were no longer eager for success, steadily defeated the Raptors 120-104 at home.

In the first half of this game, the Raptors actually led by three points, 63 to 60.

But in the second half, the Raptors' offense collapsed.

The Raptors scored 41 points in the entire second half, and Nash, the Raptors' boss, also played 3 of 9 in the second half, which was a very inefficient game for him.

In this game, Chen Xiao made 14 of 21 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 35 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 5 blocks.

Compared with the last Tianwangshan game, Chen Xiao performed better. In the last Tianwangshan game, Chen Xiao made 10 of 23, 5 of 13 three-pointers, and 12 of 17 free throws. In the game, he had 37 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks. Statistics It's very good, but it's not efficient. The main reason is that if his teammates can't make a shot, the Suns will be able to double attack him more crazily and completely.

In this G6, his teammates opened up, and Chen Xiao was able to play more calmly.

After defeating the Raptors at home and pushing this series into a tiebreaker, the entire division semifinal series was left with the Raptors and Bobcats.

In the other three games, the Suns have defeated the Lakers led by Kobe Bryant, who was a little dizzy due to O'Neal's psychological warfare in this series, 4-2. This time, O'Neal still won the psychological warfare showdown between O'Neal and Kobe.

Why does O'Neal win every psychological warfare matchup at OK?

The fundamental reason is that O'Neal has a more successful career, and Kobe has not completely proven himself.

So every time he meets O'Neal, Mr. Ke is a little unexplainably concerned.

On the other side, the Spurs did not let the Mavericks struggle to succeed. They defeated the Mavericks 91-86 in G6. The driver also worked hard in this game. He not only scored 30 points in the game, but also grabbed 21 rebounds.

However, in this game, the Spurs made 8 of 20 shots from Ron Howard and 4 from 16 shots from Arenas. Scola stepped up as a surprise player.

In this game, Scola was extremely efficient and scored 30 points on 10 of 13 shots.

Scola relied on his own efforts to make this series end in G6.

In G6 between the Heat and the Magic, the Magic relied on an overtime to defeat the Magic 120-112.

In this game, Wade scored 36 points, Yao Ming scored 28 points, and Chris Bosh was directly beaten by Duncan.

Bosh's defeat in last season's playoffs was the key to the Magic's eventual reversal of the Heat.

In this game, Duncan made 12 of 24 shots and 17 of 23 free throws. He scored 41 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. He was even more popular than last season.

McGrady's injury once again forced him to go all out.

But unfortunately, the Magic's small forward this season is no longer Odom. This season, the Magic's small forward is Antoine Walker. This guy is not at all restrained or timid around Yao Ming and Wade. , can really throw!

When Bosh was beaten, Antoine Walker stepped up and became the Heat's most important third scoring point. He made 9 of 20 in the game and 3 of 7 three-pointers, scoring a vital goal. 22 points.

You know, not only did Duncan score 41 points in this game, but Ginobili and Parker also scored 23 and 24 points respectively. The GDP combination that shined in the 2005 Finals scored 88 points in this game.

If Antoine Walker had not stepped forward in time, the Heat would have been in trouble in this game. If the game really entered the tiebreaker and Bosh's mentality was shattered by Duncan, in the seventh game... I am afraid that the Heat would have to... Danger.

Fortunately, this season, the Heat exchanged Odom for Walker and White Chocolate. Although White Chocolate does not have that great effect, Walker does have a great effect. It does not matter if the efficiency is low, as long as he can score.

Yao Ming and Wade are already efficient enough.

Can pull Walker's inefficiency.

The results of all three of the four groups in the conference semifinals have been announced.

On the night the Heat reached the Eastern Conference Finals, Wade and Yao Ming called Chen Xiao.

"Xiao Chen, we are already here!"

"Wait a minute, we'll be there soon."

After Chen Xiao hung up the phone with a smile, she was also a little excited.

After so many years, I can finally meet Dayao Xiaotai in the playoffs!

On May 22, 2006, four days after the two teams played G6, the Bobcats and Raptors played G7 smoothly.

After four days of rest, the Raptors' physical strength has obviously recovered.

Therefore, the two teams played very fiercely in this game.

All the way from regular time to overtime, and it was double overtime.

In the end, the Bobcats defeated the Raptors 128-125 with Chen Xiao's three-pointer in the second overtime.

After seeing Chen Xiao tearing open his jersey and running wildly across the court after the game-winner on TV, Wade and Yao Ming in front of the TV were equally excited and even wanted to cry.

"Chen never breaks an appointment!"

"And we finally kept our appointment this year!"