I’m Really Playing Basketball

BJ time, May 19, 2012, on this day in China, the Chinese audience watching the sports news on the TV showed solemn and uncomfortable expressions on their faces.

At this time, the female anchor on the TV was broadcasting the G4 game report of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Bobcats and the Cavaliers with the same heavy heart.

"At 8:00 a.m. on May 19th, BJ time, the NBA playoff Eastern Conference semifinals match between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued in Cleveland. Before the game, the Bobcats were trailing 1:2. Cavaliers, this game is going to be a game where the Bobcats need a turnaround win.

However, after the game started, under the ubiquitous and tenacious defense of the Cavaliers, the Bobcats, who were completely at a disadvantage inside, soon fell behind due to their sluggish offensive state. They only scored 12 points in the first quarter. After one quarter of the game, they were already 12 points behind the Cavaliers.

In the second quarter, Chen Xiao scored 20 points on 8 of 11 shots in a single quarter, once chasing the score to only four points, but soon, Greg Oden's two consecutive offensive rebounds assisted Mike Conley and Matthew Si hit a three-pointer to open the score again. In the end, the Cavaliers, playing at home, entered the second half with a huge 11-point advantage.

In the first half of the game, the Bobcats once again lost ground in the paint, causing Rose and Jimmy Butler to help defend Oden in the paint too much and were troubled by fouls. The two only scored 4 points and 2 points in the first half. The top scorer was Chen Xiao, who scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

Because Rose was in deep foul crisis in the first half, Chen Xiao took on almost all of the team's organizational and scoring tasks in the first half.

In the third quarter of the game, Chen Xiao continued to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the team's pursuit of points. He made 7 of 10 in a single quarter, 3 of 3 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws. Under the strict defense of the Cavaliers, he once again scored 23 points and 6 points in a single quarter. With 3 rebounds and 3 assists, under Chen Xiao's strength, the Bobcats once chased the score to only 6 points in the third quarter. However, the Cavaliers relied on their huge inside advantage to always control the game. With the help of James and Oden in a single quarter With each outstanding performance of 10 points, the Bobcats and Cavaliers tied 33 to 30 in a single quarter. The Cavaliers entered the fourth quarter with an 8-point advantage.

In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats chose to rest Chen Xiao, who had played for 36 consecutive minutes. However, the Cavaliers, who rotated six players in this game, played all the main players. During the rotation time, the score was widened again. Although Chen Xiao went all out to attack at the last moment, Unexpectedly, the score difference between the two sides was too big, and his own touch also declined. Although he made 4 of 13 in a single quarter, 6 of 8 free throws, and scored another 14 points in a single quarter, he scored a super triple-double of 63 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in the game, but the ball Unfortunately, the team lost another game 92-103.

In the end, the Cavaliers led 3-1 at their home court and won the promotion point, while Chen Xiao and the Bobcats were forced into a desperate situation.

"

Watching the female anchor of CCTV reporting this news on TV, to be honest, the Chinese viewers in front of the TV are really miserable.

This game can be said to be a microcosm of the past three games in this series.

Facing the Cavaliers' initial eight-man rotation, then seven-man rotation, and then six-man rotation in this game, the Cavaliers continued to increase the intensity of their game, while the Bobcats players lost control inside. The fouls were uncontrollable, the rebounds were uncontrollable, and the court completely lost momentum.

In this case, the burden of the game almost completely fell on Chen Xiao's shoulders.

In this game, Jordan gave Chen Xiao a five-minute rest in the fourth quarter.

Otherwise, Chen Xiao will play 48 minutes in three consecutive games.

And this game can be said to be the ultimate performance of Chen Xiao carrying the team on his shoulders.

But there was nothing I could do, I simply couldn't handle it. Let's just talk about this game. In the five minutes after Chen Xiao left the field in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats only scored 4 points under the defense of the all-main Cavaliers.

In the next seven minutes, of the 15 points the Bobcats scored, 14 were scored by Chen Xiao.

In this game, the Cavaliers' six-man rotation, all five starters played more than 45 minutes, and James and Conley, Danny Green, all played 48 minutes.

This style of play does great damage to the Bobcats' defense.

In addition, Rose was in deep foul crisis in this game.

In the end, Chen Xiao scored another 60+ triple-double, and the team actually lost by 11 points, the largest loss in the series.

You know, the last time Chen Xiao had a 60+ triple-double in the finals, he defeated the magical Mavericks by himself.

As long as Chen Xiao plays such a magical game, even that magical Maverick can defeat him.

But now facing the Cavaliers, even if Chen Xiao performed such a miraculous performance, he still couldn't win. This really hurt the Chinese audience.

"Perhaps this knight is the strongest opponent Chen Xiao has encountered in the past three years!"

From the Bobcats' win a week ago on May 13th, BJ time, to now on May 19th, they have lost three games in a row and are facing the imminent elimination.

Now, the Chinese audience, which has always been confident in Chen Xiao, finally realizes how powerful the Cavaliers are now.

Now, Chinese audiences and Chinese fans finally know that the Bobcats are not the only team in the NBA this season.

At the very least, the Cavaliers are indeed a stronger team than last season.

And it’s very, very much stronger.

In this series, the inside combination of Oden and James can be said to have shattered the mentality of the Chinese audience.

The omnipotence of these two people in the paint is simply terrifying.

This can actually be seen from Chen Xiao's average of 15 rebounds per game in this series. The Bobcats have to rely on Chen Xiao to protect rebounds.

You know, Cousins ​​​​and West are actually good rebounders.

However, the Cavaliers are really good at stealing.

Oden pinned Cousins ​​tightly under the basket. James also had a huge advantage in the confrontation with West. More importantly, Danny Green and Matthews were also very good at grabbing.

Of course, the most critical players for the Cavaliers are James and Oden.

Chen Xiao fought so hard in this game and still lost. The main reason is that Oden and James always stepped forward after Chen Xiao went crazy, either grabbing offensive rebounds for their teammates, or scoring by themselves.

When your team has Oden and James, two insiders who can control everything, as teammates, your offensive confidence will be much greater.

And if your inside can't control the basket and rebounds, your shooting pressure will also increase.

And this is one of the Bobcats' biggest difficulties in this series.

In short, after the Cavaliers led the Bobcats 3-1, even the fans here in China, Chen Xiao's home base, felt collapsed.

This is not to mention the audience here in the United States.

After the Bobcats lost the G4 away game, ESPN immediately gave the Cavaliers' probability of advancing to the next round. According to ESPN's Basketball Strength Index, the Cavaliers had a 79% probability of advancing to the next round.

The probability is higher than the Bucks on the other side who are also leading 3-1.

After all, although the Bucks lead 3-1, judging from the content of the game, the Bucks' advantage is not that big.

Although after Bosh left, the Bucks have been somewhat restrained by the Heat. The Bucks also eliminated the Heat last season, but to be honest, the Heat are still quite strong, so they did not lose more than 5 games in every game in the series. point.

Therefore, the Bucks' promotion probability is only 65%, and the Heat do not look as desperate as the Bobcats.

Of course, no matter what, the Bobcats and Heat, two teams that have dominated the NBA in the past few years, have collective problems in this season's playoffs, and both teams seem to be out.

Therefore, after the game between the Bobcats and the Cavaliers, many online media in the United States reported: "The old era is coming to an end, and a new era is coming!"

I have to say that as far as the current situation is concerned, this is really the case.

The Cavaliers led by James and Oden.

The Bucks led by Durant and Curry Allen.

These two teams are among the youngest of these NBA superteams and also have one of the healthiest salary caps.

Next season, the Heat, Bobcats, Lakers, and Timberwolves will all face the crisis of dismantling their teams.

These two teams can continue to maintain their very competitive lineups.

If the Heat and Bobcats lose the series this season, do you believe the Bobcats and Heat can make a comeback next season?

This is almost impossible.

Therefore, even if Chen Xiao may still be the number one player in the NBA and the strongest player in the NBA in the next three years, he and his Bobcats will definitely be getting further and further away from the NBA championship.

The same principle applies to the Heat.

The Heat are not weak. They have advantages against the Bobcats and Cavaliers. However, there is a team called the Bucks in the East that can restrain them.

As long as they can't beat the Bucks, they can't reach the finals again.

This situation is very similar to that of Chen Xiao and the Bobcats. Chen Xiao and the Bobcats were also strong, but they just couldn't get past the Heat and couldn't win the championship.

All I can say is that it really happened now and then.

In short, in China, everyone is very unhappy because both Chen Xiao and Yao Ming have encountered huge crises. However, although everyone is very sad, they still need to support Chen Xiao and Yao Ming.

But here in the United States, American audiences are not supporting Chen Xiao and Yao Ming.

Most people are watching the excitement and the excitement of the end of the era.

After all, from 2003 to 2011, eight of the nine NBA championships belonged to Chen Xiao and Yao Ming Wade.

To say that three people dominated an era in the NBA is really no problem at all.

Just like the Magic Birds and Celtics era, it lasted longer than the Jordan era. After all, Joe retired for two years.

Regarding the end of such a giant era, it is absolutely untrue to say that most of the people who eat melons are sad, rather than happy to watch the excitement.

Of course, most of this must be due to the excitement of watching Chen Xiao. After all, Chen Xiao has won five championships and is the well-deserved number one in this era.

Moreover, many people are laughing at Chen Xiao. After all, Chen Xiao has always been aloof in the United States. Even if he is not aloof, when you encounter difficulties, there will be a lot of people who will make things worse.

What's more, you are still so aloof.

Therefore, O'Neal, who had stabbed Mr. Pi in the back before, saw Chen Xiao falling behind 1-3, and finally couldn't help but jump out and tear off the label of 'Friend of Chen Xiao' on himself.

Then he shouted to all the viewers in front of the TV: "I said, whether it is Kobe or Chen Xiao, without me, they will never win the dynasty or even the championship!

Of course I don't deny that Chen's first three championships were indeed great, but man, the era of those three championships is completely different from the era in which the NBA is now. In 2016, Chen's three championships would never have appeared.

Now, you see, with me, he can win two championships in a row, but without me, he can't make it to the Eastern Conference Finals now. "

Having said this, this damn fat man is quite proud.

This is true and I am not afraid of being slapped in the face at all.

Of course, with the Bobcats' current situation, it's hard not to let people say this, because O'Neal is indeed not afraid of being slapped in the face.

Given the strength of the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers' huge inside advantage, and the huge 3-1 advantage, it would be impossible for the Bobcats to overturn.

And the current Bobcat has probably collapsed, right?

Indeed, in everyone's eyes, the Bobcats, who had lost three games in a row, were in ruins.

After all, even if the Heat are also 1-3, they have only lost two games in a row, which is slightly better than the Bobcats.

But, in fact, did the Bobcats really collapse?

Of course it didn't collapse.

To be honest, the Bobcats and Cavaliers lost three consecutive games. Except for the tragic loss in G4, the other two games were still full of anxiety.

Otherwise, the Cavaliers would not risk using a six-man rotation in G4.

It is precisely because a seven-man rotation cannot guarantee that the Bobcats can be defeated.

And in these three games, the Bobcats did not show all their backup skills.

At the very least, even if it was G4, in a game that needed victory, Chen Xiao had already fought hard and once again scored a 60+ triple-double in the playoffs. However, Jordan's rotation time in the fourth quarter let Chen Xiao rest.

It can be seen from this move that Jordan does not feel that if he loses this game, the series will be over.

As a head coach, Jordan's other abilities are average, but his psychological strength, calmness and calmness in desperate situations are absolutely unmatched.

In fact, this is indeed the case. In G5, when the game returned to his home court, Jordan made adjustments to the Bobcats' starting lineup. At such a moment, it takes a lot of courage to make adjustments to the lineup.

Roy Hibbert, Lopez, Chen Xiao, Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose.

The Bobcats' two starting big men have all been replaced.

Roy Hibbert, 2.18 meters, 122 kilograms.

Brook Lopez, 2.13 meters, 125 kilograms.

These two insiders can be said to be extremely capable of protecting the frame, and they can be regarded as double centers.

Jordan's adjustments have indeed brought about some changes in this crucial G5 game.

In this game, the Bobcats' inside line was finally no longer a place for the Cavaliers to have fun.

Of course, with the current morale of the Cavaliers, even if the Bobcats' inside line has become an iron wall, Oden and James are still worthy.

After all, he has been defeated by Chen Xiao in the playoffs for so many years, and now, he is about to defeat Chen Xiao.

The excitement of Oden and James can be imagined.

And the two of them are in good shape now.

In this game, Oden faced the Bobcats' double center and worked crazy inside. He made 11 of 24 in the game and scored 30 points. However, Oden only had 13 rebounds in this game, especially in the frontcourt. Backboards, just 2.

As for James, he was 12-for-30 in this game. He scored 40 points and provided 7 assists in the game. However, like Oden, he had very few rebounds in this game, only 8, and the same number of offensive rebounds. There are only 2.

Losing control of the rebounds, coupled with the decline in offensive efficiency at the basket, the offense was slowly pushed to the outside.

This has reduced the Cavaliers' offensive and defensive control. When you fail to make a shot, the opponent can grab rebounds, and your control will decrease. This is why the person who controls the rebounds can control the game.

When everyone is in a positional battle and the situation is evenly matched, the Bobcats' singles ability and the thickness of the Bobcats' lineup are huge advantages.

110 to 101!

Returning to G5 at home, the Bobcats won the game.

G6, coming to Cleveland again, the Cleveland Cavaliers still failed to take advantage of the inside, and their offensive touch from the outside was still bad.

Especially James, who played the entire game, made 11 of 32 shots. Although he scored 33 points, he only made 1 of 9 three-pointers.

As for the Bobcats, in this game, after stabilizing the inside line, whether it was Chen Xiao's singles, Rose's singles, or Roy's singles, they were stronger than the Cavaliers in terms of stability.

With the same intensity and the same super position battle, the Cavaliers really can't beat the Bobcats.

Also behind 1 to 3.

After six games, the Heat were eliminated by the Bucks 2-4.

The Bobcats, after losing three games in a row, actually won two games in a row, chasing the final score to 3-3!

Falling behind 1 to 3, they were eventually caught up to 3 to 3, and the game entered a tiebreaker that no one knew how to play.

Just like the Bobcats trailing 1 to 3, the world was dumbfounded.

"The end of an era?"

"As long as Chen is on the court, his era will not end."

Jordan said with a smile at the 3-3 post-game press conference, and the world was once again dumbfounded.