From sparring to superstar

Chapter 323 Chapter 321. The Decisive Battle in Angel City Part [-]

At 7:40 pm, at Staples Center, the Timberwolves and Clippers entered the stadium one after another.

The fans had no time to distract themselves from booing the visiting Timberwolves. They had already started chanting "Spider-Man" before the entrance ceremony began.

The fans didn't stop shouting until Li Ao took over the MVP trophy from Jordan and the pre-game award ceremony was over.

At 21 years and 9 months old, Spider-Man, the youngest MVP in history, received the MVP trophy from the basketball god who had won five MVPs. It became an unforgettable classic image for this generation of Clippers fans.

The torch of inheritance, at this moment, is truly passed from the hands of the God of Basketball to Spider-Man!

Fans were very emotional. When Ballmer personally announced Jordan's joining, many Clippers fans were not happy to see it.

They are afraid that Spider-Man's growth will be hindered by Jordan, and they are also afraid that Spider-Man will be robbed of attention.

But it turned out that they were overly concerned. In the first year after joining, Jordan took on the role of a "living target" very well. Spider-Man took the opportunity to fully develop his off-ball offensive capabilities and high post.

Jordan also greatly enhanced his offensive ability, helping the Clippers win the championship and helping Spider-Man become a member of the '20-year-old FMVP Club'.

Jordan came off the bench this season, making the Clippers the strongest team in the league in the third quarter. Several young players, including Spider-Man, had more room to grow in the first half...contributing to the youngest MVP in history. Birth!

On the Timberwolves bench, Garnett's face was filled with envy and jealousy.

Give him a Jordan or O'Neal, and he doesn't need Bibby or Odom. He is confident that he can play better than Li Ao.

But in the past five years, their most successful signing has been Joe Smith...

Thinking of this, Garnett wanted to cry.

The atmosphere of tonight's game is particularly noisy, but the happiness belongs to others...

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the first game of the series between the Clippers and Timberwolves began.

Garnett wants to continue to defeat his opponents as he did in the first round.

他打得还真不错！首节单节6投4中，加上2中1的罚球，拿到9分3板2助攻1盖帽。

But the Timberwolves only scored 23 points as a team...

刚拿到MVP的李敖首节7投4中，其中三分球2中1，加上3中3的罚球，单节拿到12分1板1助攻2抢断，率队以29比23领先森林狼队6分！
第二节比分27比24、第三节比分29比22……三节打完，快船队以85比69领先森林狼队16分！
尽管末节加内特单节5分3板3助攻，率队打出了29比22的比分，依旧无力回天。

李敖28投15中，其中三分球4中2，加上11中9的罚球，拿到41分8板3助攻4抢断1盖帽，MVP之夜，他拿到了生涯第3次季后赛单场40+！

小奥尼尔22分10板2助攻2盖帽、毕比12分3板4助攻、奥多姆10分8板4助攻、乔丹11分2助攻……

面对快船队五大球星狂暴的表现，加内特20投11中，高效砍下25分14板8助攻2抢断2盖帽，也难以匹敌。

107 to 98, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves, with a big score of 1 to 0!

After the final whistle sounded, Garnett, who played 46 minutes, doubted his life.

He felt powerless to fight back in this match!
In the final quarter, he led the team to narrow the 7-point gap, but that was because the opponent did not send Bibby, Jordan, and O'Neal in the final quarter. Li Ao and Odom were playing with their substitute teammates on the court.

The narrowed 7-point difference, apart from making the final score look better, did not play any role in reversing the situation.

“Aren’t we the team that has beaten the Clippers the most times this season?”

Garnett looked at the score and muttered this sentence repeatedly. The strong confidence he had gained from defeating the Kings 4-1 in the first round was shattered...

Before the game between the Clippers and Timberwolves started, many media promoted the Timberwolves' ability to defeat the defending champion. The reason is that the Timberwolves defeated the Clippers twice in the regular season.

But in this game, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves with overwhelming force and did not give their opponents any chance.

Hubie Brown, who was specially invited by Time Warner Cable Sports to commentate on the playoffs, commented: "The biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs is actually not the confrontation, but the clear need to play at least 4 games with the opponent and do more. With sufficient preparation, the gap in strength will become more obvious.

The Timberwolves were able to defeat the Clippers in January. At that time, the Clippers had won 1 consecutive games. The period of explosive state had just ended, and the Timberwolves seized the opportunity. When the two teams met again a few days later, the Clippers did They were fully prepared and defended the Timberwolves to only 20 points. The last time the two teams met, the Clippers did not do a good job in defense during the most tiring stage of five consecutive away games.

Now that the Clippers have advanced to the second round earlier, they have home court advantage and more preparation time. The Timberwolves can defeat the Kings. This is indeed a great thing, but it will also make the Clippers more vigilant..."

...

The Clippers and Timberwolves kicked off the second round.

The Magic faced off against the Raptors again, meeting in the playoffs for three consecutive years after the cousins ​​broke up, and the topic was aroused.

The Nets and the 76ers met, and the most versatile and strongest shield in the backcourt clashed with the strongest spear in the backcourt.

The Lakers and Jazz meet again in the playoffs after 4 years. Can the two evil teams continue to defeat the OK combination, or will the OK combination bully both teams and become ineffective?
The next three series were more popular than the Clippers and Timberwolves. The main reason was that the Timberwolves' performance in the second round was far below people's expectations.

On May 5, the Clippers will face the Timberwolves in the second game of the series at home.

Li Ao, who scored 1 points in G41, was targeted by Garnett.

When Garnett is focusing on a player to help defend, let alone Li Ao, even the top Djoko has to deal with it.

李敖全场16投仅5中，命中率惨淡，但他还拿到了6板10助攻，外加2抢断3盖帽！

Targeted by Garnett, Li Ao consciously expanded outwards. O'Neal became more popular tonight, making 19 of 12 shots, plus 11 of 7 free throws, scoring 31 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks!

加上替补上场的乔丹拿到17分3板2助攻，快船队3人得分上双，以94比79大胜森林狼队，大比分2比0！

加内特今晚13投6中，加上6中6的罚球，拿到18分10板4助攻2抢断2盖帽，除了把李敖得分限制住了，其他基本白给。

The Wolf Kings shined to the extreme in the first round, but in the second round, they were knocked back to their original form, returning to the appearance of the past 6 playoff trips.

After the first two games, the two teams got two days of rest.

On May 5, Li Ao came to Minneapolis with the team and watched the NBA draft lottery at 10 p.m.

The Cavaliers got the No. [-] pick just as he remembered.

The second pick... was still picked by the Pistons!
The live broadcast cut to the logo man covering his face.

This scene was full of joy, and Li Ao guessed that the man with the logo was thinking: Since he already got the second pick, why not get the top pick?Playing with me!

The Pistons are second in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the league. They are not eligible for the lottery. Their draft pick is the 25th pick in the first round.

This pick was acquired by the Pistons from the Grizzlies in exchange for Thorpe in 97. The pick was highly protected, and the protection gradually decreased. In 00, there was still lottery protection, and last year there were still top 5 picks. Protection, but only the No. [-] pick is left this year.

What a coincidence, I just picked the highest pick besides the protection pick.

The Nuggets general manager happily accepted the No. [-] pick.

Anthony, Bosh, Hinrich, Ford, Kaman... these college geniuses, talented high school students such as James, Pietrus, Outlaw, Perkins... international talents such as Milicic and Diaw... have participated. If you choose, the first three picks in this draft can select a future superstar with your eyes closed.

The following rankings are based on record.

The Heat picked 4th, the Bucks picked 5th, and the Bulls picked 6th... This is the first time the Bulls have broken out of the top five picks since Jordan retired.

老鹰队第7顺位、勇士队第8顺位、火箭队第9顺位、凯尔特人队第10顺位、超音速队第11顺位、尼克斯队第12顺位、拥有马刺队首轮签的灰熊队第13顺位。

Seeing that the Grizzlies got the 13th pick and also marked the unprotected pick... Li Ao finally understood why the Spurs, who could still add a little more talent, didn't mess up this year. The pick was given away in the summer of 00. , showing off is to help others.

On the Grizzlies side, the logo man changed to a capable coach this year. He stopped playing badly and achieved the best record in team history. He just didn't want to take advantage of the Pistons.This draw is more interesting than any draw Li Ao has ever seen...

After a night's rest, on May 5, the NBA announced the final grand prize of this regular season - the best lineup.

All-Rookie Team:

First team: Butler, Gooden, Yao Ming, Stoudemire, Nene.

Second team: Wagner, Ginobili, Kirisek, Brehmer, Boozer.

There is only one outside player on the rookie team, and half of the 10 players on the All-Rookie Team are inside players. The last time this happened was in the 95 class, when 10 of the 6 players on the All-Rookie Team were inside players.

Best team:
One team: Kidd, Li Ao, Kobe, Duncan, O'Neal.

Second team: Iverson, Carter, Nowitzki, Garnett, Ben Wallace.

Third team: Nash, McGrady, Mashburn, Webber, Jermaine O'Neal.

Best Defensive Team:
One team: Kidd, Li Ao, Kobe, Duncan, O'Neal.

Second team: Eric Snow, Doug Christie, Bowen, Garnett, Ben Wallace.

Diligent shark doubles for a while!
O'Neal's defensive focus this season is unprecedented in his career. He never worked so hard when he was a lean shark. With the severely degraded Samakie Walker and Horry, rookies Mark Madsen and Med. With Videnko and other inside teammates, O'Neal's rim protection performance still ranks second in the league, second only to Duncan!
Four people including Kidd, Li Ao, Kobe and Duncan were selected for the double team. This was predicted by the media before the start of the season.

But O'Neal was selected for the first defense. The media and fans never thought about it before the start of the season.

A scene that may never be repeated appeared - five double teams in a single season!
This never-before-seen scene sparked heated discussions among fans.

ESPN evaluation - This is the most dominant five-man group in the league.

Kidd - Absolutely powerful team leader ability.

Li Ao-probably the best offensive and defensive link-up ever.

Kobe Bryant - the strongest perimeter player.

Duncan - an absolutely stable super center.

O'Neal - the pinnacle representative of personal ability in basketball.

It has to be ESPN, which not only pushed a hot topic to a climax, but also broke out 5 hot and controversial topics.

In the evening, the Clippers came to Target Center to play against the Timberwolves.

回到主场的加内特重新振作起来，打满全场的他虽然只有21投9中的投篮表现，加上6中4的罚球才拿到22分，但还有18板7助攻1抢断2盖帽。

Troy Hudson scored a game-high 28 points with the help of Garnett.

At the same time, Garnett also limited Li Ao to only 20 of 7 shots and only scored 21 points.

But Li Ao also defended Szczerbiak and only scored 16 points on 6 of 15 shots.

除了李敖的21分，快船队还有小奥尼尔的22分、毕比的10分6助攻、乔丹的15分、大Q的16分、奥多姆的9分10板7助攻……

102 to 97, the Clippers crushed the Timberwolves' fighting spirit to counterattack, leading 3-0!

After a day of rest, on May 5th, the Clippers and Timberwolves started Game 13 of the series at the Target Center.

Garnett still has his hard points.

He will never give up on the game!
He played 42 minutes tonight, threw more than 30 times, made 31 of 14 shots, and 7 of 5 free throws. He scored 33 points and 12 rebounds, but only had two assists and was very weak defensively.

He has no choice but to play like this. He has fighting spirit, he never gives up, he is arrogant and self-respecting... His teammates' mentality completely collapsed after falling behind 0-3.

小奥尼尔31分8板2助攻2盖帽、李敖14投7中加上4中2的罚球拿到16分7板5助攻2抢断2盖帽、乔丹24分3板2助攻、毕比12分5助攻、奥多姆10分12板8助攻……

101-83, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves again, sweeping 4-0 to advance to the Western Conference Finals!

...

The Clippers went straight to the Western Conference Finals with 8 wins and 0 losses, and the fans were unfazed. After the G1 match between the Clippers and the Timberwolves, the media's tone changed - the Timberwolves could win one game at most, and there was a high probability of being defeated. Sweep.

This is also true. Except for the possibility of an upset in G3, the Timberwolves were beaten in the other three games.

The topic of the Clippers' sweep to advance was not as popular as the topic of the five double-teams the day before yesterday.

Li Ao now, Pippen and Garnett during the Bulls era, who has the better ability to connect the team?
Who among O'Neal, Jordan, Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the pinnacle of personal ability?

Who among Kobe Bryant, Iverson and Carter is the strongest perimeter player in the league today?
There is no controversy about Kidd's leadership ability and Duncan's stability... The topic of whether Duncan is a center is still quite controversial. Anyway, Magic fans firmly do not recognize Duncan as a center. They say Clifford Robinson is the center. .

Li Ao returned to Los Angeles with the team at noon on the 14th, and went to Memorial Stadium for extra practice in the afternoon. The series between the neighbors and the Jazz started late, and the first two games were tied 1-1. It took such a long time , he needs to practice more quickly.

Seeing his disciple's enthusiasm for training, Gentry complained to Wally Walker: "I think we need a Pat Riley to organize a devil's training camp and just give it to Leo alone."

Wally Walker said to Mark Hunter, the head of the training staff on the side: "Mark, ask the team doctor to pay more attention to Leo's physical condition."

Hunter smiled and said: "Don't worry, Wally, Leo is a natural athlete. He was born to eat this bowl of food. Almost all his physical health indicators are the best in our team. Even Gerrard Not as good as him."

Wally Walker responded: "Even so, we have to be careful. The floor must be wiped clean at all times, and the balls on the ground must be emptied in time... I don't know which one will come first, accident or tomorrow. When Leo finishes training, you can let the engineering department check it." Training equipment, you can’t take things by chance, you have to eliminate some dangers.”

Hunter shrugged at Gentry who was watching the show, agreed, and ran to work.

The general manager was nagging a little, but he was right. This is what they should do well.

While Li Ao was undergoing intensive training, the other three series were still in full swing.

On May 5, there will be a series in the Eastern Conference to decide the winner.

第一场比分82比74、第二场比分95比86、第三场比分85比97、第4场比赛100比84、第5场比赛比分93比92……5月15号晚上，麦迪接卡塞尔传球压哨三分命中，绝杀表哥，魔术队4比1击败猛龙队晋级东决。

Li Ao also watches the live broadcast of the game after training. He is very interested in the other three groups playing in the second round.

猛龙队这5场比赛的得分，除了爆发赢球的G3、挣扎搏命的G5，其他3场得分都低于90分。

As expected of the Magic, a super team with no losing streak in the regular season.

On May 5th, the third team to advance to the conference finals was announced.

Iverson's personal performance in the second round was still fierce, averaging 6 points, 28.5 assists and 9 steals in 2.5 games.

But Kidd is stronger!
场均16.8分9.5板8.3助攻1.8抢断，以43.5%的三分命中率场均投进2.6个三分，基德率领篮网队以4比2击败76人队，与魔术队会师东决！
In this round, Kidd's dominance seems to be much lower than in the first round, but Li Ao feels that Kidd has done an excellent job.

Kidd is not good at guarding Iverson's type of defender personally. The Nets' team defense is very strong, but they have a limit when it comes to guarding a single player. Combined with Iverson's scoring ability and playing style characteristics, The Nets' defensive limits have obviously been exceeded.

But Kidd still controlled the situation and used his team strength to grind the 76ers to death.

On May 5, the Lakers defeated the Jazz 21-88 in an away game.

从0比1，到1比1，到1比2……到4比2！

The Lakers won 3 games in a row and took 6 games to reverse and end their losing streak against the Jazz in the playoffs!He took revenge for being beaten for two consecutive years in 97 and 98, and joined the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals!
(End of this chapter)