Basketball: Starting from the Rodman template

Chapter 205

After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, all members of the Heat had a realization:
This is going to be a tough battle!

Whether the Pacers or the Pistons enter the Eastern Conference Finals, both teams must be tough.

Needless to say, the Pistons have experienced the baptism of the finals, and their opponent is still the super team of the Los Angeles Lakers with "f4".Winning such a finals boosted their self-confidence to the highest level.

Pacers…

There is also a reason to win!
Even for Reggie Miller, they have only one goal this season, and that is to hit the championship!
They are really promising this year, because the addition of Stephen Jackson has really strengthened the wings of this team.Artest also completed his transformation this season, from a top blue-collar player to a superstar player with both offense and defense.

This season he ranked 10th on the regular season MVP list.

Facts have also proved that they do have the ability to compete for the championship. With a big score of 2-3, they managed to pull back two games in a row and win at the Pistons' home court.

When Woody saw the Pacers leading by more than 1 points in less than 10 minute, he was fully aware that if he wanted to advance to the finals, he would have to bleed!

But who would have thought!

In less than a minute, the situation suddenly changed. After a big melee, the Pistons lost the game, but the Pacers were also dragged into the water. Several main players were suspended for multiple games, and even the punishments continued. Come next season.

Everyone knew that David Stern would be very angry, but he really didn't expect it to be so harsh.

But that's normal, after all, Artest is hitting the audience!
If this is not dealt with seriously, it can easily lead to future troubles.

The price of doing this is that the Pacers, who have made a difficult comeback and may even have completed their transformation, will face the "powerful Heat" who have swept two consecutive rounds with a semi-disabled lineup.

The New York Times called this the "easiest Eastern Conference Finals."

"Bleachers" also believes that this will be the least suspenseful matchup.

Miami media believes:
The Heat's fortune may have finally arrived!
They also encountered similar things back then:

In the 1998 playoffs, the Knicks and the Heat met. At that time, the two teams that had been feuding for a long time clashed during the game.During the game, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning fought, and the two staged a live boxing ring match.That's how the "world-famous painting" was born: Van Gundy ran into the court to start a fight. In order to protect his players, in desperation, he hugged Mourning's thigh and was dragged several meters away on the floor by the powerful Mourning. .

This result led to the fifth life-or-death battle. Heat core Mourning was suspended for his irrational fight in the fourth game. The situation instantly turned to the Knicks. They took the advantage in the first half, 47-31 at halftime. 16 led the Heat by [-] points, and the Heat's home game was completely silent.

In the end, they defeated the Heat 98-81. Alan Houston scored 30 points and penetrated the Heat defense. Starks scored 22 points. Veteran Oakley scored 18 points and 13 rebounds. Charlie Ward sent 14 assists. The Knicks were all on board. "Black Six" advanced.

Of course, this is interpretation of this matter from Miami's perspective.

The four-round series between the Knicks and the Heat was completely "dog eat dog", and no one was a good person.

But the American media always likes to talk about things that go back to the source.

In any case, right in front of the Heat, there is almost a "big pie" falling from the sky.

They thought about it countless times, but never thought that they would encounter the remnant Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

ESPN's focus is on Shaquille O'Neal: "Please note, this man has only played 8 playoff games so far!"

This means that his physical energy is extremely abundant.

If he only plays 4 games in the Eastern Conference finals before entering the finals, it's hard to imagine the power he can unleash next.

After all, in this kind of favorable playoff schedule, it is impossible to exhaust Shaquille O'Neal in just 7 games.

Even though he is already 33 and almost 34 years old!
And no one is worried that such a favorable schedule will affect Shaquille O'Neal's condition.

His style of play destined him to be invincible if he had physical strength!

The two seats in the Eastern Conference finals have been finalized.

In order for the two teams to reach the finals not to lose too much time, the league deliberately arranged a few more days of rest for the Pacers.

This arrangement should have been a "timely rain" like a long drought, allowing the Pacers to adjust their status well.But because Artest and Stephen Jackson are confirmed to miss the entire series, and Reggie Miller and Tinsley will also miss the first game of the series, Pacers fans are not very happy, but are full of joy. Pessimism, and more hatred for Detroit.

In their view, this was the Pacers' most promising year, but now it has been ruined by the Pistons!

What do you owe me here, what do you want to repay me with?
There are two semifinals in the Western Conference, one is the Spurs playing the SuperSonics, and the other is the Mavericks playing the Suns.

Before the start of this season, the "Yao-Mai" combination that had high hopes from the media finally fell in the first round.

However, there is a very controversial point in this game:
In order for the Mavericks to better win the game, Cuban made videos of all Dayao's controversial pick-and-rolls and sent them to the league.

Although it would be outrageous to write to the league immediately if he averaged 0.2 fewer free throws per game, it is indeed not a glorious thing.And if you really want to say it, Yao Ming was born in the wrong era. If n years later, these moves will be 100% no problem. In fact, it is not a big problem now.

It's just that after Cuban sent the tape, the referees paid too much attention to Yao Ming's movements when calling penalties.

Although this cannot be the main reason for the Rockets' loss, it can be considered one of the reasons.

Houston now has a score to settle with the Mavericks.

After eliminating the Rockets, the Mavericks faced the Suns.

Cuban has yet to forgive Steve Nash. This series was a lively one, with the Mavericks even stealing a victory in the second game at the Suns' home court.

Of course, they were also a 58-win team, and the gap between them and the Suns was not big.

The Sonics were pulled out for criticism again. This team really had an advantage in the schedule, but now it has also suffered a severe beating from the Spurs.

After coming to Dallas, the Suns quickly came back and took a 2-1 lead. The Mavericks struggled to hold on to their second home game and tied the game at 2-2.

The "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" followed, and the game went to the last moment. The Suns won the "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" 114 to 108, with a score difference of 6 points.

At this time, another round of the series took a turn. The Sonics, who had lost the first two games by more than ten points, returned to their home court and narrowly won the first game back at home with a 92-91 victory. Contest.

Then it was as if Ren and Du's two veins were opened. Not only did they limit the Spurs' single-game scoring to 89 points, they also scored a high score of 101 points. They chased two games in a row. With high morale, they set off for San Antonio. At this critical moment, the long-haired Argentinian broke out and scored 39 points in a single game. Coupled with the always stable Tim Duncan scoring 20 plus 14, they easily won the "Tianwang Mountain". war".

At this time, the Sonics still have some confidence, because they have not lost at home in this series.

And the SuperSonics found a way to target Ginobili. Ginobili, who broke out in the last game, only scored 14 points until the last half minute of this game.When the time came to the last 14 seconds, Horry's foul gave the Sonics a chance to take the lead, but in the end they only made 1 of two free throws and the two teams tied the score.

However, there are only the last 14 seconds left at this time. As long as this attack is defended, there will be a chance for overtime. If they win, then the SuperSonics, which was just rebuilt last year, may win the semifinals this year. Played to the "tiebreak" with the Spurs.

They proved that they did not get to this position by relying on the convenience of schedule and rules.

They are powerful!
Unfortunately, the Spurs' offense and the cooperation of Ginobili and Tim Duncan helped them successfully score in the last 0.01 seconds.

"Stone Buddha" used his signature basket to score, helping the Spurs lead 98-96, leaving only 0.01 seconds for the Sonics.

The shot goes to Ginobili.

His personal offensive status in this game was very sluggish, but he still found Tim Duncan at the critical moment.

There is no need to say more about Duncan, because he and Popovich are Popovich.

If this is to be refuted, it can only be said that Tim Duncan's greatness has been covered up too much.

With a two-point advantage, the Spurs won g6, eliminated the SuperSonics 4-2, and entered the Western Conference Finals.

Game [-] between these two teams was exciting.

Game [-] between the Mavericks and the Suns was equally exciting.

It can be seen from the data that Steve Nash rarely scored a high score of 39 points in this game. He did not delay at all in assists and scored 12. In addition, the Suns also had a player who scored more than 30 points. : "Hacker" Marion.

Although the Mavericks did not have two 30-plus players, Jason Terry also broke out in this game. He scored 36 points. In addition to him, the Mavericks also had Nowitzki with 28 points and Nowitzki with 21 points. Josh Howard.

They didn't have two 30-point players, but they had three players who scored more than 3 points.

From the scores of the main players on both sides, we can see how ferocious the offense of the two teams in this game was.

It can be said that both sides have the same ideas, both wanting to use offense to defeat their opponents.

Until the last minute of the fourth quarter, with Steve Nash's three-pointer, the Suns took the lead by 1 point. Then Jim Jackson's foul allowed Nowitzki to complete 1 free throws, and the score was once again ahead. .

Afterwards, the Suns were forced to resort to foul tactics, and Steve Nash's three-pointer helped the team enter overtime.

It can be seen from the data that Nash, who is good at passing, actually dominated the three-pointer at the last moment.

He has always been an underrated scorer.

His contribution didn't stop there. At the last moment of overtime, he grabbed a defensive rebound and forced Finley to foul him. He made two free throws to help the team seal the victory.

In the end, 130 to 126, with a 4-point advantage, the Suns won.

The Mavericks ruined their qualification to enter the Western Conference Finals because they didn't want to sign players with the maximum salary last season.

Steve Nash's smile has become a nightmare for Dallas people.

The roster for the Western Conference Finals is released:
Suns vs Spurs.

This result is quite normal, and it happens to be the top two teams in the Western Conference regular season.

Before these two teams play, the Eastern Conference Finals begin early.

The first game was played at Miami's home court, and the Pacers showed determination from the moment they entered the arena.

The person they came here seemed to be Kasha.

I came back for those who cannot come back.

It is said that "a sad soldier will win". With this idea, combat effectiveness can be improved, but the problem is that the current strength gap between the two sides is too big.

Three minutes into the game, there was no suspense in this game.

Because the score is 12-0!

The Pacers, without their main force, had a difficult time even scoring a point against the Heat.

Rick Carlisle had to call a timeout, and you could see the helplessness on his face.

It is true that the head coach is quite helpless in this situation. He really wants to do something, but there is nothing he can do. Not only him, but also the famous coaches in the NBA are unable to have an impact in this situation.

If you're smarter, you might just vote for it.

After half-time of this game, the Heat already led by 30 points. Stan Van Gundy did not wait for the opponent to replace the main player, so he replaced the main player himself.

I’m really embarrassed to win anymore.

Moreover, the Pacers can't change the formation, so their substitute players are now used as the main force!

Just like that, 118 to 78, the Heat won the first game by 40 points.

This is still the result of being merciful and getting a substitute rotation early.

But the fans at the scene were so enthusiastic that the Heat players who came on the bench got more and more excited and led by 10 points.

Woody only played a total of 20 minutes and scored 15 points and 8 rebounds. He did not get a "double-double" for the first time in the playoffs this season.

"I'm sorry that this happened to the Pacers, but we have to win the game. There is no way around it. We have only one goal, which is the championship. This will not change!"

A reporter asked him to evaluate Ben Wallace: "Do you think this ruined Artest and the Pacers?"

Woody said: "On the court, everyone is fighting on their own. Whatever happens, it is all for winning, at least in my opinion. The referee's whistle is used to control the emotions of both parties to a certain extent. It's easy for situations like this to get out of hand when some calls that are supposed to happen don't happen. Because when a player finds out there's no cost to him doing it, he's going to continue to do it, there's no doubt about it..."

(End of this chapter)