NBA: I am a master dealer

As soon as the game ended, the Lakers players hugged each other and started cheering, jumping and dancing with excitement.

Even head coach Mike Brown got in on the action.

There is a reason why they are so excited.

Along the way this season, the Lakers have encountered many ups and downs and experienced all kinds of hardships.

Since Xue Liancheng was injured at the start of the season, the Lakers have gradually declined, and at one point they fell to the third-to-last position.

This is truly stunning!
You know, before the start of the game, the Lakers were considered the favorites to win the championship and one of the strongest teams to snipe the Warriors.

result.

Without Xue Liancheng, they actually ranked third from the bottom in the Western Conference, which was truly shocking and jaw-dropping to everyone who saw and heard about it.

At this time, George became the target of public criticism.

Being questioned, criticized and abused in various ways.

And head coach Walton, who had strongly supported George and praised George's ability to lead the team, became George's target of attack.

The Lakers' internal strife is on the verge of breaking out.

finally.

The head coach was ultimately no match for the top star, and Walton was fired.

The situation has not completely improved after the Lakers experienced the coaching change.

It wasn't until Xue Liancheng returned that the Lakers finally saw hope.

Their verbal battle with the Clippers began.

The Lakers at that stage were still a mess and they were still far from the playoffs. Many people predicted that even if Xue Liancheng returned, it would not change the fact that the Lakers would not make the playoffs.

However, Xue Liancheng made a bold statement that he would strive to be in the top four in the Western Conference.

For a while, even Xue Liancheng became a laughing stock among the public.

Everyone thinks that Xue Liancheng is talking nonsense. He can't even guarantee a place in the playoffs, yet he still dreams of making it to the upper half. What's the difference between this and dreaming?
Moreover, considering the Lakers' situation at the time and their high winning rate, what Xue Liancheng said was really groundless. Their chances of making it to the top four were as slim as a small boat in the ocean.

This is exactly why the Clippers players are angry. This is purely an insult!

Because at that time, the Clippers happened to be ranked fourth.

The final result is that the Lakers really turned their fate around, winning wave after wave of games, allowing them to have the same record as the Jazz, and only ranked fifth because of the difference in wins and losses.

Many people would say that Xue Liancheng did not fulfill his promise. Old Rivers is such a rogue that he insisted on this point and refused to admit that he lost the bet.

Of course, I don't want to leave Los Angeles.

But in fact, there are still many people willing to acknowledge Xue Liancheng's achievements.

From third from the bottom to fifth in the Western Conference, or tied for fourth, this is already an incredible miracle.

They really did what they said and made a real impact on the upper half. Although they failed to make it because of the win-loss difference, they are indeed on par with the Jazz.

This achievement would be considered explosive in any season in history.

Because according to the normal winning rate calculation, the Lakers' entry into the playoffs is considered a success, and grabbing the seventh place is already quite remarkable.

And if you can make it to sixth place, it will definitely be a legend.

But they beat the Clippers and rushed to fifth place. This achievement of leading the entire team to change its fate is definitely great.

This is the Lakers' regular season situation. It can be said to be full of ups and downs, like a roller coaster, it can be said to be very exciting.

In the playoffs, they also experienced a journey of heaven and hell.

In the first round against the Jazz, there were not many surprises and they passed easily.

In the second round, they faced the historical-level Galaxy Battleship Universe Warriors, and an accident occurred at the beginning of the first game.

Feng Lai swung his fist and hit Green, who was chasing the egg, and both sides ended up suffering losses.

But the follow-up was obviously in favor of the Lakers. Taking advantage of the collapse of the Warriors' tactical system, the Lakers successfully won G1 at the Warriors' home court. Then, with the help of George's outbreak in G3 and G4, they successfully changed the score to 3:1.

But there is very bad news here. George was tripped by Pachulia in G4 and was out for the season.

This is a fatal blow to the Lakers.

The Lakers were able to win G3, and George's performance definitely accounted for a large part of the credit.

The reason why the Lakers won Game 4 was also because of the preparations made by George in the first half, which gave the Lakers a certain lead.

So George's injury is really like a bolt from the blue, which can knock people unconscious all of a sudden.

Even though the Lakers had a 3:1 lead, not many people were optimistic that the Lakers could advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The facts turned out to be just as everyone predicted. The Warriors reacted and began to attack more fiercely. With the return of Green, their tactical chain was completed.

The Lakers lacked George as a distraction, so Xue Liancheng had to fight alone.

As one side gained strength while the other lost, there was a serious imbalance in the combat effectiveness of both sides. They lost two games in a row and were directly forced into a seventh game by the Warriors.

At this moment.

Those who previously thought that the Lakers had a chance disappeared, and no one thought that the Lakers had a chance of advancing anymore.

Because this is the Warriors' home court, the complete Warriors team has caught up from 1:3 to 3:3, so whether in terms of morale or time and place, the Lakers are at an absolute disadvantage.

No one thought the Lakers could win a seventh game anymore.

At this time, Xue Liancheng transformed into a god and came down to earth to guide the Warriors, scoring a super triple-double of 69+14+11.

With 69 points, he successfully surpassed Jordan and became the record for the highest score in a single game in the playoffs. Xue Liancheng overturned this Warriors team by himself.

This battle was so magnificent that it shocked the world and made the gods and ghosts weep.

They also successfully advanced to the Western Conference Finals thanks to Xue Liancheng's outstanding performance.

Coming to the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers were even less favored by the public.

Without George, the Lakers are like missing a leg. It is difficult for them to walk. How can they compete with the powerful Spurs?

Amidst a chorus of pessimistic voices, the Lakers indeed fell behind 0:2. After losing two games in a row, they had to change their tactics, using Xue Liancheng and Randle's pick-and-roll as the node, while the others spread out to expand space, and successfully pulled one back in G3.

But the Lakers lost again in G4.

There is an obvious gap in strength between the two sides, and the Lakers' prospects of advancing are already quite slim.

Fortunately, Vonleh returned, and the attacking momentum of the two beasts finally helped them win another game at the Spurs' home court.

Coming to Game 6, Lakers fans were originally full of expectations, but they ended up trailing by 38 points at halftime at 61:23.

It was a catastrophic decisive battle.

Everyone thought the Lakers were finished again.

At this time, Xue Liancheng took off his battle suit again, revealing his god label, and once again performed the scene of a god descending to earth.

In the desperate moment when the Lakers were trailing by 17 points with 6 seconds left, he made three three-pointers, scored 10 points in a row, and hit a buzzer-beater, successfully rescuing the Lakers from the hands of death.

Everyone found it incredible.

This is how they advanced to the next round in a decisive seventh game.

The road to promotion was so bumpy. How could the Lakers not be excited when their promotion was confirmed?

This is the finals stage!

Among them, except Xue Liancheng and Feng Lai who were champion members, the others had never even gotten close to the finals stage.

A well-known first-class player like Joe Johnson has never made it to the finals. Now it seems that he is going to realize his dream of winning the championship?

It felt like I was about to take off.

Not to mention others, Randle, Clarkson, and Zubac are all rookies, and this season is their first playoff trip.

Although James Johnson, Marvin Williams, Glenn Robinson and others are veterans, they have not achieved any great success and have never even made it to the finals!

And now, under the leadership of Xue Liancheng, they broke through the siege as they wished and entered the arena for the highest trophy. At this moment, they were undoubtedly extremely excited.

Mike Brown is no exception.

He did lead the Cavaliers to the finals in 07, but was swept 4-0 by the experienced Spurs.

This is not an honorable thing to do.

In the following three years from 08 to 10, the Cavaliers were unable to return to the finals, causing him to lose his job.

He then failed again as coach of the Lakers, which made him drift away from the position of head coach.

And now, with a change of coach in the middle of the season, they have overcome all obstacles as they wished, first defeating the Warriors and then the Spurs, and successfully advancing to the finals by stepping on two strong Western Conference teams.

Just getting to this point can be considered a huge success for them this season.

You know, this is the finals stage without George! Mike Brown can be said to have done it very thoroughly.

And if he can win the championship, his title of championship coach will be enough for him to survive in this league.

He also couldn't suppress his inner excitement.

Only Xue Liancheng, who had completed his mission, relaxed and did not react much.

Being hugged by his teammates, he just raised his arms symbolically.

Because he was really tired.

In this game, he played the entire game and truly became the iron man pioneer of the new era.

Throughout the entire series, the total rest time he had was probably less than ten minutes.

That's right!

In the seven games of the series, his total rest time may be less than ten minutes. He can be said to be a warrior with unlimited fighting spirit.

It is precisely because of his strong desire to win and survive that the Lakers have reached the heights they are today.

In this game, he once again scored a triple-double of 39 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, showing the style of a top superstar.

of course.

Maybe for Xue Liancheng, such data has become commonplace, but for any superstar, such performance can be said to be carrying the team forward by one person.

The others also performed well.

兰德尔18分10篮板，冯莱15分8篮板，克拉克森18分，詹姆斯-约翰逊也有10分。

He didn’t play much time off the bench and only contributed 10+ points.

In this game, Xue Liancheng's teammates gave him enough help, which allowed them to suppress the Spurs all the way.

Even when the Spurs tried to counterattack at the last moment, they were directly defeated by Xue Liancheng's series of attacks.

Because the Lakers were leading all the way, Xue Liancheng was able to retain his three 100% hit skills, which came in handy at the critical moment.

So just as the outside world predicted, if your team does not have a big advantage at the beginning of the fourth quarter, then you need to pay attention at this time and start the game as soon as possible. This is the key to winning and the most effective way to win.

Like in this game, the Spurs were suppressed all the way and failed to close the score in the fourth quarter. If you want to turn the tables, it will be harder than climbing to the sky.

Facts have proved this.

This is the deterrent power brought by Xue Liancheng's long-term performance. It can kill people and also destroy their hearts.

After the excitement of the Lakers players subsided a little, the Spurs players began to come forward to hug and greet them.

Xue Liancheng was still very polite. After hugging everyone together, he would say a few words of encouragement.

When it was Leonard's turn, Xue Liancheng said solemnly: "Your defense is really great. You are the best defensive player I have ever met. Your performance left a deep impression on me."

Leonard shook his head with a bitter look on his face: "Xue, just as you said, you are the best offensive player I have ever met, no doubt about it. Your passing and shooting killed us."

Xue Liancheng: "Don't be discouraged, you still have an extremely bright future."

Leonard: "Thank you for your encouragement, see you next season."

After greeting Leonard, it was Aldridge's turn.

Aldridge's performance in this series was only average, but he is still the Spurs' second offensive strength.

Originally I was aiming for the championship.

result.

It has been two years since he joined the Spurs, but he has not achieved any results. He had the best hope of winning the championship this season, but was sniped by Xue Liancheng, who led the team alone. The most important thing is that he was abandoned in the final quarter of the seventh game.

This is quite frustrating.

So when Xue Liancheng hugged Aldridge, he comforted him: "LaMarcus, you are really amazing. Your mid-range and turnaround jump shots made us desperate. Really, you are one of the best big men I have ever met."

When Aldridge heard this, his expression finally improved: "Xue, I'm sorry to disappoint you. We couldn't stop you."

Xue Liancheng: "You know what? No one can stop me."

Aldridge: "Okay! I look forward to you winning the championship trophy, don't let me down."

Xue Liancheng: "I promise I won't."

After greeting other Spurs players in succession, it was finally Popovich's turn.

As soon as the old man saw Xue Liancheng, he shook his head repeatedly: "Xue, you are really shocking."

Xue Liancheng smiled and said, "My performance was okay, wasn't it?"

Popovich: "A historic performance, that's my evaluation. You defeated us by yourself, you are really too strong. I have a feeling that the future belongs to you."

As soon as these words came out.

The smile on Xue Liancheng's face almost froze, he thought of the famous words Duncan said to James.

Why do Popovich's words sound a bit familiar?
But he quickly calmed down and generously admitted: "I am willing to accept the challenge, but in the next ten years, I think I should have a say."

Popovich: "You are too modest. Without a super team, no one can stop you."

Xue Liancheng raised his eyelids: "Uh! You want to form a super team?"

Popovich: "I think that's the only way to stop you."

Xue Liancheng smiled again: "I am willing to accept the challenge."

Popovich: "But the Knicks are not easy to deal with. This is the first challenge you need to face."

Xue Liancheng smiled even more happily: "I will bring the championship trophy to Los Angeles."

The answer was very confident and powerful.

Popovich: "Come on, I look forward to your next performance."

After the formal greetings.

Reporters began to come on stage for interviews.

Reporter: "Xue, congratulations on leading the team to the finals. I think you must be very excited now. I don't want to ask these routine questions. Now I want to ask something special. Do you know your average data in this round of the series?"

Xue Liancheng shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I have always been focused on winning the game. I don't care about the data."

Reporter: "Let me tell you the answer. In the seven games of the Western Conference Finals, you averaged 41.5 points, 13.1 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game. It was an extremely explosive existence. Your dominance was undoubtedly revealed. It was comparable to the last round of the series with the Warriors. So the question is, do you know what the difference is between your performance in the two rounds of the series?"

Xue Liancheng: "I can't really say. I've been playing at this pace and I don't feel any difference."

Reporter: "From the data, you passed the ball more in the series against the Warriors, and your desire to attack was not so strong. In the series against the Spurs, your offensive firepower began to be released, but the efficiency declined."

Xue Liancheng almost rolled his eyes: "..."

Is not this nonsensical?

In the series against the Warriors, he had George by his side. He had a big explosion in the last game, scoring 69 points, which brought the score up.

And in the series against the Spurs, he really fought alone.

Except for the overall explosion in the final game, his teammates didn't give him much help in other games.

Therefore, he can only increase the number of shots and use his offensive firepower to attract more defense. In this case, his efficiency is bound to decline, and the number of assists will also be less.

That's the difference.

of course.

The difference was created by the environment of the stadium, not that he deliberately attacked more and passed the ball less.

Reporter: "Then let's talk about the finals. Your opponent will be the Knicks, who you led to defend the title last season. What do you think about this?"

Xue Liancheng: "They have a very good lineup of players and a very good tactical system. They will be a strong opponent."

The reporter got straight to the point: "So, are you confident you can beat them?"

Xue Liancheng answered just as straightforwardly: "This is beyond doubt."

The reporter was a little surprised: "You mean, you have absolute confidence in winning the O'Brien Cup for the third time?"

Xue Liancheng nodded solemnly again: "Yes!"

Reporter: "What is the source of your confidence?"

Xue Liancheng: "I am strong enough and I know them well enough. This is where my confidence comes from."

What are James' tactical characteristics? After playing for three years, he has already figured it out.

He is well aware of the Knicks' shortcomings.

(End of this chapter)