NBA: I just want to play soy sauce, you let me win the championship

Chapter 322

The Lakers and Mavericks didn't keep the Kings waiting either.

In Game [-], although the Mavericks continued to beat the Sharks, their own shooting percentage dropped and they were easily crushed by the Lakers at home.

In Game [-], the Mavericks, who returned to Dallas, suffered retaliation from the league.

Although it is the home court of the Mavericks, it seems that it is the Lakers who get the home whistle.

This is retaliation for the Mavericks' disobedience to the "suggestions" and forced use of the shark-cutting tactic!

Of course, after the turmoil at the Kings' home court last year, the league sent more "experienced" referees to make the entire penalty look more "reasonable"!
It's not difficult.

The Mavericks failed to create a miracle and were defeated again by the Lakers at home.

The two opponents in the Western Conference Finals have been determined and are still the same as last year, the Kings and Lakers.

The Kings introduced Cato and Jim Jackson. At the same time, young players have made a lot of progress, especially Lu Yuanzhi, who has changed from an outside firepower last year to a more flexible and versatile attacker.

The Lakers have been greatly strengthened, adding Billups at the point guard position and second-year rookie Shane Battier at the small forward position.

Billups' position with the Lakers is different from the Pistons we are familiar with. He has not received a big heart evaluation, but his stable three-pointers and above-level organizational skills have allowed him to secure his position as the starting point guard.

After all, the Lakers' system does not require complex organization. It is enough to score and play, and then be able to pass the ball to O'Neal.

Battier's rise to the top was beyond most people's expectations.

Before the start of the season, the Lakers' starting small forward was still Fox. After all, he has been using it for so many years, so it's easy!
And Battier is used more to strengthen the bench and reserve talents for the future.

But what I didn't expect was that Battier quickly became familiar with the triangle offensive tactics and integrated into the team system. At the same time, he showed extremely high defensive wisdom and provided excellent outside defense capabilities that Fox did not have.

More importantly, Battier's three-pointers are much more accurate than Fox's!

For a team like the Lakers, no amount of outside space is too much!

So soon, Battier pushed Fox to the bench.

The two teams met again in the Western Conference finals, which also attracted the attention of the national media.

All sports media attach great importance to the strong dialogue between these two teams. Many media have even shouted that this year's Western Conference championship is more valuable than the championship!
In New York, NBA headquarters, Stern convened a meeting with all league executives.

"There is no need for me to stress the importance of this Western Conference Finals!"

"You haven't forgotten how much negative impact the crisis last year had on the alliance!"

“So, tell me what you think of this series!”

Stern changed his good-natured image in public and revealed the theme of the meeting with a ferocious expression.

Other executives did not dare to neglect and expressed their opinions cautiously.

"In view of the poor performance of the referee last year, we will send more experienced referees this year to ensure that the penalties are fair and equitable and restore our credibility among the public."

The first executive to speak knew the art of speaking very well and spoke very tactfully.

The second executive who spoke was a bit more blunt.

"Based on the odds provided by the betting sites, they favor the Lakers."

"This is a reliable prediction, but the strength of the Kings cannot be underestimated. After all, they are the defending champions."

"So, my suggestion is also, don't be biased when it comes to penalties, just let them fight!"

Although the words are different, the meaning is the same. If it interferes too much in the game between the two teams, it will be criticized according to the usual playoff standards!
"I suggest watching a few games first, and then making appropriate adjustments based on the performance of both parties!" "Our bottom line is 6 games, and it is best to play 7 games!"

There is also a veteran executive who proposed the concept of "patch", and there must be no sweep or gentleman sweep.

Just play 6 games!
Soon, the standards for penalties imposed by the Kings and Lakers were determined.

The Alliance will not intervene unless a sweep is imminent.

The long-awaited fair competition is about to take place.

The media also made predictions one after another. Among them, the programs hosted by TNT Barkley and Smith analyzed the prospects of the two sides.

"Of course I am optimistic about the Kings!" Barkley did not hesitate. "Max this year is more mature and more three-dimensional than last year. Neither Kobe nor Sean can limit his performance!"

"Anyone who watched the Kings-Spurs series came to the same conclusion as I did."

"Defensive expert Bruce Bowen has nothing to do with Max. Who on the Lakers can limit Max's performance."

As the league's No. [-] land player, Barkley made his identity clear as soon as he came up.

"Charles, I admit that Max has made great progress this year, and this will be a key point in this year's game, different from last year."

"But you also have to see the reinforcements in the Lakers' lineup."

"Especially in the point guard position, Chauncey Billups has a huge size advantage!"

"I would like to remind you that last year, Mike Bibby was not very effective when guarding a strong point guard like Jason Kidd. In fact, he struggled very much."

"And Chauncey is stronger than Jason!"

"We will never forget that Mike Bibby played a crucial role in the last few games when the Kings were able to defeat the Lakers last year."

"Can he continue his magic this year? Or will he be completely suppressed by a strong opponent like he was on the stage of last year's finals?"

"That's going to be the second key point in the game."

"The Lakers' performance from beyond the arc this year's playoffs has been refreshing."

"With the help of O'Neal, the Lakers led by Battier, Billups and Horry shot 36.2% from the three-point line, a full 30.2 percentage points higher than last year's 6%!"

"If the Lakers' outside shooters can maintain this good form, they will not only be able to score more points on the outside, but also create better opportunities for O'Neal inside!"

"This is the third key point of the game."

Smith summarized three key points to watch before the game, one in favor of the Kings and the other two in favor of the Lakers.

Similar discussions have occurred in other basketball programs.

No one noticed at all that the new "Golden Rooster Independent" shooting technique appeared in Game [-] between the Kings and Spurs.

Therefore, when the Lakers stood at Arco Arena and prepared to start the first game of the Western Conference Finals, they did not do targeted defensive training at all.

And Stojakovic and Turkoglu, who received brand-new shooting bags from Lu Yuanzhi's personal trainer, have long been gearing up and preparing to give the Lakers a showdown!

　Before 12 o'clock?

　　Is this considered as fulfilling the promise of "today"?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)