Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 184 Regular Season Honors Announced!Adu's death is coming!Advance to the Western Conference Finals!
The Sonics easily swept the Rockets 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

Lu Yong arranged for "Dog Lord" Beverly to start for four consecutive games, entangled with the Rockets' No. [-] scorer Brooks, which greatly limited his offensive efficiency.

When the Rockets had only Kevin Martin playing normally, the offensive firepower of the two teams was not at the same level at all, and the first round of the series was swept unsurprisingly.

The Sonics' offensive end was dominated by Noah's support in the middle, coupled with Durant's unsolvable singles, the least game they won was the Rockets' 12 points.

Dragic and Gasol Jr. on the bench can also organize the team's offense very well. Both lineups have the upper hand against the Sonics, sweeping the Rockets effortlessly.

In the other rounds of the series, the Spurs played 4-2.

In the absence of the main point guard Tony Parker, the second-ranked Mavericks in the West were eliminated.

Popovich defeated Rick Carlisle by relying on tough defense and team offense. The Mavericks main forward Caron Butler's injury is just a microcosm. The real reason for the loss is that the inside configuration is too poor. Can live with Duncan, and he easily blows up the inside line.

The Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets 4-1. "Little Melon" Anthony obviously started to pull his hips into the playoffs. Nash led the team to a big victory and fell to the first round of the playoffs again.

The game between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers also had no suspense, easily sweeping 4-0, and the second round will compete with the fourth-ranked Suns in the West.

On May 5, the Sonics ushered in a challenge from the remnant Spurs at home.

Both teams have lost a general in this year's playoffs, and a large number of passing and cutting cooperation have the same purpose, and they all create offensive opportunities by moving the ball.

The only difference is that Durant's individual singles are more threatening than the old Duncan. When the two sides fell into a positional battle, the Sonics' offensive firepower was obviously stronger, and they took the initiative in the semifinals.

The old Duncan played against Boozer was not easy. His athletic ability was not as good as before. Although Boozer was not good at defense, it was no problem to push Duncan out of the penalty area with strength.

Tony Parker's injury caused the Spurs' breakthrough level in the backcourt to drop sharply. It is difficult for Ginobili alone to play an advantage. After all, "Mad Dog" Beverly is not a vegetarian. The defender is very good.

The Spurs can often play wonderful teamwork by relying on tactical execution and sharing the ball, but they are severely deflated in the face of the Sonics with a more enchanting pass and cut system, and lost the first game of the semifinals.

In the end, the Sonics defeated the Spurs 104 to 91 to get a good start to the series.

杜兰特一对一单打理查德-杰弗森实力占优，出战35分钟，砍下26分5篮板5助攻1抢断，命中率超过了50%。

Power forward Boozer also played very well. He scored 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block against Duncan. He was the hero for the Sonics to win the game.

On the bench, the most eye-catching player was Gary Neal, who made 7 of 5 three-pointers and scored 17 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal. He turned into a surprise player tonight.

On the Spurs side, the veteran star Duncan made 15 of 7 shots and 6 of 5 free throws. He scored 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.

"Demon Sword" Ginobili still plays the role of the sixth man more, played 33 minutes, scored 12 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, and also had a game-high 6 turnovers, which was very good under the personal interference of Beverly adapt.

Richard Jefferson, who just joined the Spurs in the summer, became an undercover agent. He only made 13 of 3 shots, 4 of 0 from beyond the three-point line, and only scored 6 points and 3 rebounds. Compared with last year, his competitive state has declined seriously.

In the second game, Durant was targeted by the Spurs, but with Chase Budinger's outburst, the Sonics still defeated the Spurs 98 to 92, rewriting the total score of the series to 2 to 0.

巴丁格16投10中，三分球5中2，罚球4中4，得到26分5篮板3助攻1抢断，打出了今年季后赛的最佳一战。

The second best performance was Gasol Jr. on the bench. He scored 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.

The Spurs' backup center Antonio McDyess is 36 years old, and his 100-kilogram weight is a serious disadvantage against Gasol Jr., and it is a little difficult to defend against shots or backs, and he is not far from retirement.

In the third game, the Spurs returned to the home court and started a Jedi counterattack.

Under the leadership of "X Factor" George Hill, they always played against the Sonics. At the end of the three quarters, the Spurs led by 7 points.

In the final quarter, Boozer stepped on DeJuan Blair's foot while fighting for a rebound and accidentally sprained his ankle.

Although Boozer staged the return of the king in the last 3 minutes of the game, the Supersonic fans in front of the TV still found that he did not dare to exert force on his ankle when he retreated, and his state was obviously affected.

With Duncan scoring consecutive mid-range shots in the last 2 minutes, the Spurs at home maintained their advantage until the end, winning 102 to 97, and the total score was rewritten to 2 to 1.

After the game, the Sonics medical team conducted an X-ray examination of Boozer's ankle, and the results were negative and there was no serious problem.

However, the severe pain and swelling still affected Boozer's performance, and he is expected to be absent for at least one to two weeks.

Lu Yong felt a headache when he heard the news. There are so many supersonic players who can be injured, including Durant.Only the troubles caused by Boozer's injury cannot be solved by the Sonics. The Supersonics' power forward position is already weak. Once Boozer is injured, there is no one on the bench who can replace him.

Not only the Sonics were unlucky in the playoffs, the Celtics in the East also had star injuries. Ray Allen collided with Cavaliers player Mo Williams when he swooped in for a steal, fractured his left little finger, and left the game midway through Game 3.

Fortunately, Ray Allen's fractured little finger is not serious. For NBA stars, this is commonplace, and he can return after a rest at most.

The Lakers backup guard Barbosa was also injured. He was knocked to the ground by "Little Shark" Bynum during an alley-oop dunk, dislocated his right shoulder and was reimbursed for the season ahead of schedule.

Without the sixth man, the Suns' offensive firepower has dropped sharply, which means that they will definitely be out in the semifinals.

The last thing the league president David Stern wants to see is that players get injured in the playoffs, which means that the game is less enjoyable to watch and is very unfriendly to the ratings.

It's a pity that injuries are not something the league can control, and the players can only blame bad luck.

The next day, the winners of the NBA regular season awards were announced one after another.

The king's rookie Tyreke Evans won the best rookie. Even though Budinger received a high number of votes, he was still not ready in front of Evans, who averaged 20+5+5 per game. in second place.

The selection of the best rookie is mainly based on personal data. The team record can only be used as a bonus item when the data is similar, and it cannot play a leading role.Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Budinger contributed more in his rookie season. He can help the team win and is walking on a bright road with a bright future.

On the other hand, although Evans' personal data exploded, the Kings only ranked second to last in the West, and the gold content was not high.

It's a pity that the selection of the best rookie is so fucked. The reason for not considering the record factor is that almost all the high-ranked rookies are selected by the big teams. If they really have strict record requirements like the regular season MVP, those who are won The low-ranking rookies selected by the team have a greater advantage, and it is difficult to find a balance no matter how they are adjusted.

Fortunately, Budinger himself doesn't care. He is very satisfied with his performance in his rookie season. Being able to play with the team in the playoffs is already a big step ahead of Evans.

The Supersonics of the All-Rookie Team occupy three places, and Beverly and Matthews are also selected one after another. "Martial Saint" Jackson's injury gave the two of them more opportunities to perform, and they were much more prosperous than Lu Yong's previous life.

Among them, Beverly has served as the team's starting point guard since the start of the playoffs. His tenacious defensive style is deeply loved by Seattle fans and is the biggest surprise for the Sonics in the summer.

The players selected for the best rookie team are: Jennings, Curry, Evans, Budinger, Tai Gibson.

Best Rookie Second Team: Beverly, Harden, Matthews, DeJuan Blair, Jerebko.

The best sixth man was won by the Eagles player Jamal Crawford, averaging 18 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game, which is a dimensionality reduction blow.After all, he played as the starting guard for the New York Knicks for five years and scored 52 points in a single game. Now he is playing the role of the sixth man like a fish in water, officially opening his "gram 6" era.

There is no suspense about the best defensive player. "Warcraft" Howard was elected for two consecutive years, averaging 18.3 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.8 blocks per game. His defensive dominance is very strong.

The best coach was won by Lakers coach Phil Jackson. He led the team to the league's first record this year. Although the main reason is the joining of Pau Gasol and Artest, he also got a little bit of light .

Lakers star Kobe Bryant won the regular season MVP, the team record and personal data are very good, Adu suffered the loss of the team's record decline, missed the reelection.

进步最快球员奖被火箭的布鲁克斯得到，从场均11.2分2篮板3助攻提升到场均19.6分2.6篮板5.3助攻。

There is no dispute that "Little Black Bean" won this award, especially when his real height may be less than 1 meters. It can also be called inspirational.

The best defensive team, the five players selected for the first team are: Rondo, Kobe, Gerald - Wallace, Noah and "Warcraft" Howard.

Defensive second team: Wade, James, Josh - Smith, Duncan and Gasol Jr.

It is not good news for the SuperSonics that Gasol Jr. was selected to the best defensive team, because his contract expires this summer, and his value will definitely skyrocket if he is selected to the second defensive team.

It is impossible for the Sonics to provide Gasol with a maximum salary under the premise of having Noah. It is extremely difficult to open a big contract to keep people.

In terms of the best team, the five players selected for the first team are: Nash, Kobe, Durant, James, Howard.

Second Team: Deron Williams, Wade, Anthony, Nowitzki, Pau Gasol.

Three teams: Roy, Joe Johnson, Pierce, Duncan, Stoudemire.

Noah and Boozer are not competitive because they missed a lot of games in the regular season. Even if they compete with Duncan and Stoudemire in the third team, they have no advantage. Therefore, only Adu was selected for the Supersonics this year, and they are the last in Seattle. responsible for the facade.

After the announcement of the regular season awards, Lu Yong began to discuss with his assistants how to play the next game and who should be the starter to replace Boozer.

Veteran Juwan Howard has a precise mid-range shot and has a lot of experience in the playoffs. He can perfectly replace Boozer's role, but if he is really asked to match Duncan, he will probably be beaten in the end.

Batum has good offensive ability and passing awareness, but his physique is too thin. He can barely play the fourth position against ordinary power forwards, but he is not suitable for Duncan.

After thinking about it, the best candidate for the fourth position is PJ Tucker. He is a little short in height, but he is extremely strong. It is not a disadvantage to defend against old Duncan alone, and the chance of being blown up one-on-one is not high.

In the fourth game, Lu Yong arranged for PJ-Tucker to start.

One-on-one defense outside the three-second zone, once Duncan hit the basket, Noah immediately stepped forward to flank.

The two teams took the lead alternately in the first three quarters and played very stalemate. It was not until Durant made a 3+1 jumper against Jefferson in the final attack that the Sonics entered the final quarter with a 4-point lead.

This time Durant felt hot. In the absence of two generals, he took the initiative to carry the banner of offense. He scored 29 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in three quarters, showing his star quality.

Durant's talent is suppressed against the Spurs striker. There is no solution for one-on-one dry pull jumpers, and he can only rely on flanking to limit.

Without Boozer, the Sonics' offensive firepower has indeed declined, but with Durant's superb performance, 98 to 91, the Sonics won the game away, leading by a big score of 3 to 1.

Gasol Jr. came off the bench and played well. In the second half of the final quarter, he even came on the field at the same time as Noah at the fourth position. Even if he played against Duncan, he did not suffer.

In the fifth game, the Spurs had a last stand. Ginobili made 16 of 10 shots, 4 of 2 three-pointers and 6 of 6 free throws. He scored a game-high 28 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Duncan also played very steadily, scoring 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. He didn't score many points, but he never softened at critical moments.

Spurs substitute "Red Mamba" Matt Bonner also scored 15 points and scored 5 three-pointers.

With a sharp team offense, the Spurs won G5 without any risk, rewriting the total score to 2-3.

Losing at home is a depressing thing, but Lu Yong has no time to be sentimental now. He and his assistant team watched the game video of G5 overnight, looking for the Spurs' flaws.

The two losses in the series were due to the explosion of the Spurs' role players. A large number of conduction balls can always find good shots. This is the lack of the Sonics' defensive end.

After repeatedly observing the video of the two games, Lu Yong decided to guard against the Spurs' role players in Game 6 and let Duncan play singles.

This decision was very bold, but the effect was surprisingly good after the game started, obviously stifling the performance of George Hill, Matt Bonner and Richard Jefferson.

Duncan is no longer young, and his offensive dominance is not as good as before. Even if he scored 30 points in a game, it is difficult to win without the cooperation of his teammates.

When other teams challenged the Spurs, they would find ways to limit Duncan's scoring, but Lu Yong did the opposite this time, letting Duncan play singles, guarding against role players, and trusting his own judgment.

Facts have proved that Lu Yong's defensive tactics were successful. Although Duncan scored 23 points and 9 rebounds in the first three quarters, the Spurs' role players generally did not score high, and the point difference was always behind.

In the final quarter, the Spurs launched a counterattack under the leadership of Ginobili, but with Durant scoring 3 points in the last 8 minutes, death came, the point difference widened to 12 points, and the game lost suspense.

In the end, 109 to 97, the Sonics eliminated the Spurs 4 to 2 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

(End of this chapter)