socalfunplaces Chapter 693 The first round of the playoffs is over! The Eastern Conference is full of revenge battl
Chapter 693 The first round of the playoffs is over! The Eastern Conference is full of revenge battl
In the fifth game of the series, Lin Tian continued to watch the game from the stands.
This is also the first time in his career that he has missed consecutive playoff games due to injury.
He had been suspended from competition before for fighting.
At this point, various media outlets naturally realized what was happening.
They began to review Lin Tian's career!
Then, to everyone's surprise, Lin Tian had almost never suffered any serious injuries in the first 11 years of his professional career!
Aside from those obvious rest days or tactical absences, his only injury was after he broke Chamberlain's record with the Pacers, scoring 50+ points in a row!
That time, he also chose to call a truce after going to extremes of madness.
When the media and fans combined these two injuries, they immediately found common ground between them.
Even if Lin Tian is exceptionally talented and has amazing stamina, he can achieve things that no current star player would even dare to dream of, breaking countless records.
But he was still a human being after all!
When he pushes himself to the limit and overexerts himself, he is very likely to suffer injuries as a result!
Last time, Lin Tian pulled through perfectly, but what about this time? Can he do it again?
Now that he's almost 34, can he make a full comeback this time?
This time, Lin Tian's fans and various media outlets finally raised a crucial question: Will the injury that caused Lin Tian to miss two consecutive playoff games become a turning point in his career?
Will his 40 points per game average this season be his last burst of brilliance, the pinnacle of his career? And after reaching that pinnacle, will he plummet like a cliff?
While fans and media continued to speculate and release all sorts of pessimistic arguments, the reaction from Las Vegas was the fastest!
They quickly changed the odds for the Knicks to win the championship!
He went from being the top favorite to win the championship in the odds to fifth!
Ranked after the Celtics, Suns, Lakers, and Spurs!
They are no longer considered promising!
Even if they continued to play perfectly in Game 5 of the series, even if Stoudemire and Anthony once again demonstrated their superb talent and exquisite skills, and once again defeated the Bulls by 19 points in Lin Tian's absence.
Even though Ward put up impressive numbers of 12 points and 13 assists that night, successfully filling the void left by Lin Tian's absence.
But people still don't have a higher opinion of them.
Ultimately, they only beat a Bulls team with a regular season record of just over 50%!
Even without Lin Tian, you deserve to beat the Bulls!
After all, even without Lin Tian, the Knicks could still overwhelm the Bulls in terms of total salary, roster strength, team experience, ability, number of star players, and head coach level.
Winning against them easily is just a passing grade!
The reason why the score cannot be too high is because this question is simple, and the full score is only so much!
But next, they will face a relatively difficult test!
Their second-round opponent is much stronger than the Bulls!
……
This time, the Knicks are not the first team to advance to the second round!
Besides them, there was another team in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences that swept their opponents!
First up is the Celtics! As the league's best team, having achieved a top-three regular season record in franchise history, they are currently experiencing their best and most successful period in the last 20 years.
The twin towers combination of Duncan and Dwight Howard was almost the best frontcourt duo in the league, while the trio of Parker, Ginobili, and Josh Howard on the perimeter were also excellent stars with both strength and popularity.
When they faced the Hawks in the first round, a team that had surged ahead in the second half of last season and was led by the duo of forwards and guards Joe Jensen and Brandon Roy, they gave this young team no chance!
Howard and Duncan dominated the paint, with Howard's all-out defense almost completely shutting down Jameson, making it 4-0!
The Celtics gave the Hawks no chance to mount a comeback or create any suspense. All four games were decided by more than 10 points, and they easily swept through to advance!
Their opponent in the second round will be the winner between the Cavaliers and the Wizards, two teams whose core players are offensive backcourt players.
The two teams were originally considered to be evenly matched, and many people hoped that they could put on a spectacular showdown between star players and an offensive battle!
The outcome of this series was indeed as exciting as the fans had predicted!
But the course of the series was something no one could have predicted!
When the series began, the Cavaliers were still plagued by injuries that had plagued them since the latter part of the regular season.
Hughes was confirmed to be out for the season back in April, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who gives the Cavaliers a height advantage, is also out due to injury.
As for Wade, having just recovered from injury, he is clearly not in his best condition.
He only delivered his best performance in the first game between the two sides, scoring 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, and successfully led his team to defend their home court!
But then his foot injury worsened!
He missed games two through four of the series.
Without Wade, Hughes, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas for three consecutive games, it would be a miracle if the Cavaliers could withstand the Wizards' firepower!
1: 3!
After four games, the Wizards are just one step away from advancing!
And it was at this moment that Cleveland's hero, Dwyane Wade, stepped up once again!
He's back!
Furthermore, in his first game back, he scored a whopping 48 points, leading his team to successfully defend their home court once again and keep the suspense of the series alive!
In the sixth game, the Wizards changed their tactics, with Butler taking the lead in defense, while Stevenson and Arenas provided support from the sidelines, ready to double-team at any time.
Under such almost frantic double-teaming and targeting, Wade played terribly that night, making only 5 of 22 shots and scoring 17 points from free throws!
Despite his poor shooting percentage and 5 turnovers, he still managed to dish out 12 assists!
Thanks to Wade's ball movement and passing, the rest of the Cavaliers finally stepped up, with the entire team performing exceptionally well and hitting several crucial open shots! They really helped Wade out, and the Cavaliers pulled one back from the brink of defeat, successfully forcing a Game 7!
In the final Game 7, both sides had reached a point where they had nothing left to hold back and no need to hold back anymore!
In this game, the Cavaliers' Zydrunas Ilgauskas successfully returned to the court, helping the Cavaliers once again gain a decisive advantage in the paint.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas did not disappoint Cleveland in this game, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, making him the team's second-leading scorer!
Meanwhile, Jamison, the opposing team's key inside player, had a poor performance and was completely contained by Gooden. He only made 4 of 16 shots and scored 12 points!
Fortunately, Butler stepped up at this moment, scoring a series-high 29 points with his inside drives and outside shots, which helped to bolster the team's offense!
而奇才队发挥最好的人显然还是阿里纳斯，这家伙全场比赛拿下39分9篮板7助攻的准三双数据，并且还在比赛的最后7秒帮助球队领先2分，并且获得了 2次罚球的机会！
If the Wizards make those two free throws, they will basically secure the victory and advance!
But for some inexplicable reason, Wade, who had a terrible night with only 19 points on 7-of-22 shooting, walked up to Arenas at this moment and whispered something in his ear. Then Arenas, who has a free throw percentage of over 80% this season, missed both free throws!
They gave the Cavaliers a chance to kill the game!
The Cavaliers also called a timeout after securing the rebound.
After the timeout, Wade received the ball at the top of the arc and then suddenly accelerated, intending to use his signature drive to kill the game!
The Wizards were clearly prepared, and everyone quickly collapsed to block Wade's path. At that moment, Wade did not hesitate and threw the ball to the baseline.
Standing there is Daniel Gibson, the Cavaliers' best point guard tonight, who went 6-for-8 from the field, 4-for-4 from three-point range, and incredibly drew 15 free throw attempts, making 12 of them, scoring a career-high 28 points!
Gibbonsson was overlooked once again at this moment!
He caught the ball and immediately took a shot!
The three-pointer soared through the air and then swished precisely into the basket!
Goal! Lights on!
The Cavaliers won the game with a last-second shot!
They pulled off an incredible comeback from a 1-3 deficit!
They seized the opportunity Arenas gave them, and successfully stabilized the situation and won the game despite Wade's poor performance!
After the game, Wade and Gibson excitedly hugged each other, and the two were talking excitedly.
In contrast to the Cavaliers' wild celebration of advancing to the second round, the Wizards were filled with immense pain and silence.
They just squandered their best chance, falling once again in the first round of the playoffs.
No one knows what Wade said when Arenas was shooting free throws. Both parties have remained silent on the matter, and this scene is destined to become a famous moment in NBA playoff history! It will inevitably be mentioned again and again in the future.
After a thrilling Game 7 and a dramatic 1-3 comeback, the Cavaliers will face this year's regular season champions, the Celtics, in the second round of the playoffs!
This game will inevitably become a head-to-head matchup between Wade and the Celtics' starting five!
Everyone is really looking forward to this series!
Can Wade, who dismantled the Wizards, break down the Celtics' defensive wall? After locking down Jason and Roy, can the Celtics shut down Wade as well?
Can Gibson, the little guy who made his name after hitting the Game 7 finale, continue his magic?
All these questions will be answered in this series!
As for the last matchup in the East, the Nets, who surged ahead of the Cavaliers to climb to third place in the latter part of the season, will face the Heat, who are sixth this year!
Compared to the other team, the Nets' roster is clearly more reasonable and complete. They have Yao Ming in the paint, giving them an absolute advantage, and on the perimeter, they have Vince Carter, a star player in his prime who combines popularity, skill, and experience!
With the addition of Prince and Bibby, two easily overlooked but formidable players, the Nets are definitely stronger than their apparent record suggests!
As for the Heat, despite relying on Odom and Hinrich, they still lack absolute talent and ceiling. Building a team around these two, their ceiling is at best the second round!
If they can achieve a good record in the regular season, they will likely be able to advance to the second round against their opponents in the upper and lower halves of the bracket.
Unfortunately, they were not consistent enough in the regular season, and the players were not strong enough, so they could only enter the playoffs in sixth place.
When they faced the Nets, the difference in strength between the two sides became even more obvious!
The Nets won their first two games easily at home, and then, after losing their third game, they managed to win their fourth game on the road!
3: 1!
With this near-perfect score, the Nets returned to New Jersey and successfully defended their home court, defeating the Heat, whose rebuilding efforts had stalled in recent years. They also successfully advanced to the second round once again!
The fact that the Nets were able to reach the second round in the first year after trading Kidd proves that their summer decision was the right one!
Trading Kidd not only saved a lot of money, but the team's playoff performance also improved. No matter where the Nets end up this year, they have already succeeded!
Or rather, they've already succeeded by getting this far! But that's where they've ended!
Because their next opponent is the Knicks.
Of course, there are still many interesting aspects to this round of competition.
First up is the Chinese derby between Lin Tian and Yao Ming.
This is certainly not the first time Yao Ming and Lin Tian have met in the playoffs!
Lin Tian and Yao Ming had previously met twice in the Eastern Conference Finals.
At that time, Lin Tian was still with the Pacers, while the Nets' leader was Kidd.
Both Eastern Conference Finals clashes ended in crushing defeats for the Nets.
Facing Lin Tian, the senior player on the national team, Yao Ming has never won even a single series against him!
This time, Lin Tian has changed teams, and the Nets' tactics have also changed. Can Yao Ming defeat Lin Tian and his team?
As for another highlight, it's definitely the New York derby!
Even though it's New York and its suburbs, a derby is still a derby!
This series is sure to attract a lot of fans! And a significant number of fans are really looking forward to it!
Yes, mainly Knicks fans, because for them, the number of games played in this series means the number of home games they get to watch!
If they play all 7 games, that means 7 home games!
This kind of joy is something that no other team can even dream of, except for the Los Angeles Lakers!
In addition, there's also the reunion of Lin Tian with three former Pacers players: Carter and Harrington!
In addition, the Nets' other two starters, Bibby, was defeated by Lin Tian in the Finals while playing for the Kings, and Prince was defeated by Lin Tian in the Finals while playing for the Lakers.
Lin Tian defeated all of the Nets' most important players in the playoffs.
This is definitely the Avengers!
Of course, the Nets aren't the only team seeking revenge.
The other matchup in the East is also a revenge battle.
The first series Wade won in his career was a stunning upset victory against the Celtics!
Duncan and Howard were both witnesses to that painful defeat!
This time, can the even stronger and fiercer Celtics avenge Wade and the Cavaliers and get revenge for themselves?
Can Wade completely shake off the shadow of injury, unleash his dominance in the second round, and lead his team to continue creating miracles?
These two revenge matches in the East are incredibly exciting, leaving many eager to watch.
Compared to the East, the showdown in the West is obviously more exciting and thrilling!
In the Western Conference, the Suns, who were first in the standings, easily swept the Grizzlies, who had just achieved their best record in franchise history, out of the playoffs! Their powerful mobility, terrifying offensive capabilities, and all-around play were simply unstoppable by the Grizzlies led by Gasol and Miller.
4: 0!
The Suns swept their opponents to advance to the second round!
This group is also the only one among the four groups in the Western Conference that did not produce any suspense in the first round of matches!
The second-ranked Spurs in the West are facing off against the seventh-ranked Clippers!
The Spurs, needless to say, with O'Neal and James, are one of the hottest teams in the West, and their strength should not be underestimated!
Meanwhile, the Clippers, despite the departure of veteran Sam Cassell, successfully acquired Baron Davis, who was in his prime. They then formed a twin-tower frontcourt with Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, while the forward and guard positions featured a combination of muscular players like Corey Maggette and Mobley.
The offensive prowess of these five players should not be underestimated, and the team's tactics are quite diverse and varied!
They can play positional warfare around their twin towers and run the game under Davis's leadership!
They can post up, drive to the basket, shoot on pick-and-rolls, and have Maggette, a top-tier flopping king.
This team's defense is indeed average, but their firepower may even be comparable to the Spurs!
When the two teams started playing, everyone realized that they had underestimated the Clippers, a team completely overshadowed by the Lakers.
Brand is terrifyingly strong!
He used his feel, skill, and one-on-one ability to completely turn Bosh into a toy!
Throughout the series, Brand put up a terrifying stat line of at least 30 points and 12 rebounds in every game, and maintained a field goal percentage of over 50% in every game!
While Brand can completely dominate Bosh, Maggette, the team's small forward, is also completely outmatched by James, with almost no chance to fight back!
In this series, James' performance was no worse than Brand's, and perhaps even better! His average of 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists per game makes him arguably the second most versatile player in the league today!
Second only to the madman Lin Tian!
After the two team leaders dominated their respective opponents, the outcome of the game naturally depended on the two "second-in-commands".
O'Neal and Davis, two guys who play completely different positions, became the key to victory in this series!
For the Spurs, whether O'Neal is 35 or 45, Kaman definitely can't stop him! And Brand is known for only attacking and not defending, so even if O'Neal is not in good physical condition, he still averaged 18 points and 9 rebounds in the limited time he played.
Considering his current form and status on the team, this statistic is actually quite good!
Meanwhile, Davis, facing off against his draft classmate Francis, who cleverly outmaneuvered him, also delivered a dominant performance!
After all, Davis is in his prime, while Francis has long suffered from injuries and personality issues that have caused his performance, statistics, and team status to decline significantly. At least in head-to-head matchups, his presence is far less noticeable than Davis'.
Davis also successfully put up 18 points and 9 assists in this series.
Cleverly, this was a trade with O'Neal! (End of Chapter)