The Basketball Court Swordsman

"The ultimate confrontation between Antetokounmpo and James, the battle for the league's strongest forward!"

"If Chris Paul can maintain his state in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Irving will have unprecedented trouble."

"Coach Henson will change? Can Siakam be reused? Everything will be announced tonight!"

In the NBA Divisional Finals, the game has been played so far, only the 4 strongest teams are still competing for the championship. The NBA playoffs also officially ushered in the climax.

The situation in the east and west is exactly the same as people imagine. On the western side, the Golden State Warriors eventually encountered the old Spurs, while on the eastern side, the Pacers and James are completely dominated.

Tonight, the first game of the Eastern Conference finals will take the lead in the Bankers Life Arena. So early in the morning, news with shocking headlines appeared on Henson’s mobile phone.

Looking at the reports on the phone, Henson felt a little boring. These reporters seem to always write these things.

Chris Paul, Antetokounmpo, Siakam, Oladipo... these people were all spoken in turn by the media. But few people find that there are few discussions about Paul George.

Seeing this situation, Henson let out a sigh of relief. It is a good thing that George is ignored. Otherwise, how can George create surprises for everyone in the game tonight?

Paul George got up early this morning. In order to ensure that he can be full of energy all day, he even went outside for a lap to warm up in advance.

Today is the beginning of the Eastern Conference Finals and the day Paul George is looking forward to. George has always been very concerned about the Eastern Conference Finals and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because he has not forgotten how he fought against the Cavaliers led by James in the past two years.

In the two years that Henson was absent, to say which player in the Pacers had the most profound experience of these two losses, it was undoubtedly Paul George.

Because Paul was injured two years ago, Antetokounmpo has not yet fully grown up. Against this background, it is Paul George alone carrying the team against James. Only George can understand the various bitterness and bitterness facing James in the playoffs.

Especially last season, George felt a lot about his loss in the playoffs.

g1, the Pacers lost by 1 point, g2 lost 6 points, g3 lost 5 points, g4 lost 4 points... I'm afraid this is Paul George's weakest round of the series! The gap between each game is not big, but it is indeed a real loss. This sense of despair once made George very disappointed.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, Paul George averaged 35.9 minutes per game, 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. His performance is not bad, but in the face of the Big Three knights, it is hard to escape the fate of being eliminated.

It is precisely because of being eliminated by the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals for two consecutive years, George has always been ranked outside the ranks of "the most powerful star".

His statistics are not bad, and he led the team to a record of 68 wins. But on the MVP rankings, George is not visible. The Eastern Conference Finals is approaching. People are discussing players such as Paul and Antetokounmpo, but few people are willing to talk about Paul George.

However, this humble All-Star starting this year will no longer be unknown. Henson has already given the power to kill the Cavaliers in his hands.

Antetokounmpo is the face of the future of the league, and Chris Paul is the steady metronome of the Pacers. But don’t forget, Indianapolis has only one top card-Paul George!

Before the series began, Henson had studied the Cavaliers. The biggest weakness of the Cavaliers is their defense. As the defending champion, the Cavaliers' defense should not be ranked in the bottom ten in the league. But the fact is that there is really no one in the Cavaliers who can make a difference on the defensive end.

Especially on the back line, the Cavaliers' defense is even more vulnerable.

"Nerve Knife" J.R. Smith has always been a scoring player. If you let him defensively, it would be better to kill him.

Limited by physical fitness and lateral speed, Korver suffers a lot from one-on-one defense. His defense is not a bottomless hole, but it is not much better.

Once Deron Williams was definitely one of the best defensive point guards in the league, but now, you can't expect Deron to play the Jazz's performance.

As for Iman Shumpert, his defense is very good. But Shumpert is still far from the top outside gates.

So yesterday, Henson has established a strategy with Paul George at the core of the offense. He gave George unlimited firing power, hoping that George would use his scoring ability to defeat the Cavaliers' guard line.

Once Tyronn Lue wants to double-team or use James to defend George, then Henson will be happier! Because of this, George was not the only one who was liberated.

When preparing for running tactics this morning, Henson discovered that George had a very strong offensive desire. He is a scorer, but he has never been granted unlimited fire rights.

So today, Henson let the world see what kind of player Paul George is.

After the noon break, three hours before the start of the game, Henson led the players to prepare before the game.

As soon as Henson walked into the locker room, he smelled a strong coffee scent. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that George had brought a coffee machine to the locker room, and he was making coffee.

"What? Didn't sleep well at noon?" Henson looked at George's coffee machine and asked curiously.

"Well, I can't sleep well. Some...some are too excited." George nodded slightly.

"It's just an Eastern Conference Finals, there is no need to be so nervous. I know you played very awkwardly the first two years. But believe me, it's all over."

"Boss, if I don't perform well..."

"Shhh." Before George finished speaking, Henson put his right index finger on his lips and motioned for him to be quiet.

"Don't mention the game, I still remember a word you said to me before. Although many years have passed, I still remember it. Do you know what it is?"

"Um..." George scratched his head embarrassedly. "What's the matter?"

"You said, I am a legendary coach, and you are a legendary player under the legendary coach. I left without saying goodbye two years ago and failed to complete this goal with you. But now, I am back and you are still there. So, let's Keep moving towards this goal. What do you think?"

George did not finish, but smiled and nodded. Tonight, he will not allow himself to play abnormally!

Today, the Banker’s Life Arena is extremely lively. LeBron James came back here again, feeling very embarrassed.

In the past two years, he has achieved great victories in the Bankers Life Arena. He also thought that his career will always get rid of the shadow of the Pacers.

Who knows, a few days after winning the championship, the man announced that he was back. And this season, Bankers Life Arena has become James' least favorite place.

As soon as James entered the field, he felt the enthusiasm of the Indianapolis fans. There may not be a star in the league who can get so many boos here.

George who was warming up heard the commotion and couldn't help turning his head to look at it. The 23rd came again. The man who defeated himself for two consecutive years stepped onto his land again.

This time, there is no reason for him to continue to be arrogant!

"LeBron James, he is the key to victory for the Cavaliers! I believe that LeBron in the playoffs will teach Antetokounmpo and Paul George a good lesson." The game hasn't started yet, but The commentators on the commentary stage are already working.

Today, it was Jeff Van Gundy and Reggie Miller who explained the game. Van Gundy is a very neutral commentator, and he praised James without actually demeaning the Pacers.

"Although I don't want to admit it, in the past two years, George was really embarrassed by LeBron's suppression. But this year, if Antetokounmpo and George join forces, I think they still have a chance to limit LeBron." It was Miller who never thought that George could resist James' impact alone.

The warm-up is over and the players walk off the court. George kept frowning, and Henson saw the great desire to win in his eyes.

"We have done everything we should say, practice, and prepare. Don’t need me to remind you, you all know what this game is about. This is the conference finals, guys. We’re going to go beyond this level. Grabbing the O'Brien Cup! So, play up the spirit. Let the banker live in the arena and become the burial place of the Cavaliers!"

"Roar!" The players roared, ready to play. But it was discovered that Henson suddenly grabbed George and said a word in his ear before letting go.

George stepped into the court and closed his eyes. No one knows what Henson said to George just now, but at this time George's mind is full of echoes of that sentence.

"Go on, Indianapolis legend."