From sparring to superstar

Chapter 342

On April 4, with Li Ao's 10 points in a single game, the Clippers defeated the Rockets 52-92 at home, once again taking the lead over the Pistons and becoming the third team to win 79 games this season.

The top five members of the Pistons were furious when they saw the news.

But they lost to the Clippers in a head-to-head match, and the 78th game was one day later than the Clippers. They could only watch the Clippers win 60 games first.

Not to be outdone, the Pistons' top five rebounded.

We have to continue to strive for the best record we can get.

Their goal is not just to win 60 games, they want to reach the final stage.

In their view, the Clippers are still the most promising team in the West to break through.

If they were beaten twice by the Clippers, then only with a better record can they have the home court advantage.

The Clippers lack stability this season. They dare to win against the Lakers, but they can also lose against the Suns. They still have a chance.

No, on the 12th, when they met the Jazz, who had little hope of playing in the playoffs, the Clippers began to try new tactics. They fell behind by 14 points in three quarters and failed to catch up in the final quarter. When the Clippers were chasing points most fiercely, Bibby continued Two mid-range hits killed the Clippers' hopes of a comeback.

97 to 92, the Jazz handed the Clippers their 19th defeat.

Compared with the Pistons who regard the Clippers as their last imaginary enemy and watch every game, the Clippers are currently not thinking about things related to the Eastern Conference teams. When the hope of 65 wins is lost, the Clippers are all The players no longer care so much about the final record, it’s 60 wins anyway.

The Spurs have lost 23 games and have secured their home court advantage in the second round. They cannot catch up with the Lakers or Pacers.

Except for the Spurs and Timberwolves games, the other three wins and losses are of less significance than seizing the last minute to try more tactics.

On the 15th, after two days of preparation, the Clippers faced the Spurs challenge at home.

阿里纳斯今晚打得比上一场好，23投8中，命中率34.8%……3次三分出手全铁，加上5中4的罚球，拿到20分5助攻。

If Arenas had performed like this last time, the Spurs would have won, but this time Ginobili failed to break out, scoring only 9 points and 3 assists on 8-of-4 shooting.

Kwame Brown scored 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Parker, who came off the bench, scored 11 points and 4 assists. The two played well, but the opponent was even stronger!

李敖21投10中，其中三分球2中1，加上7中5的罚球，拿到26分3板3助攻2抢断3盖帽。

基德14分9板8助攻1抢断，小奥尼尔12分7板、马特-哈普林10分3板、奥多姆12分6板3助攻……

88 to 79, the Clippers defeated the Spurs and improved their record to 61 wins and 19 losses.

With a 2-2 tie with the Spurs, the Clippers' record against the semi-finals of the Central Division is finally positive.

The Spurs, Mavericks, and Grizzlies were all 2 wins and 2 losses, and the Timberwolves were 2 wins and 1 loss.

On the 17th, the Clippers faced the SuperSonics at home and easily won 96-75.

The Clippers played all the games in the division and played against 6 teams in the same division with a brutal performance of 21 wins and 3 losses.

Except for the Lakers, who have defeated the Clippers twice, of the other five teams, only the Suns have defeated the Clippers once.

After playing the Sonics, the Clippers got another two days of rest. Their schedule in preparation for the playoffs is the envy of even their next-door neighbors.

On April 4, the Clippers faced the challenge of the Timberwolves at home.

Among the semifinals of the Central Division, the Timberwolves are the easiest for the Clippers to play.

Except for Garnett's brutal performance of 34+19+5 in the first match and leading the team to an upset win, the Timberwolves didn't have much power to fight back in the next two games.

Compared with the Spurs, Mavericks, and Grizzlies, the Timberwolves' lineup is too deformed.

A top-five league leader, a top-notch pitcher, and then only a group of backup-level players.

In addition to Garnett and Szczerbiak, the other three starters for the Timberwolves are Troy Hudson, Trenton Hassell, and Earvin Johnson. These three players would be replaced by any playoff-level team. Team, they can only play as substitutes.

Garnett was stunned to lead such a team to a record of 51 wins and 30 losses.

Garnett, who is about to turn 28, has the best performance of his career this season with 24.4 points, 14.1 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 blocks. Judging from his personal performance, he is fully worthy of the $2800 million he received this season, the third-highest salary in history. salary, but it is not suitable to have such a salary in this year.

There are no madmen and aliens that other teams don't want in bargain deals. With such a salary, Garnett deserves such a group of teammates.

After the game started at 8 o'clock in the evening, Garnett played very hard. He wanted to win 52 games, and also wanted to keep up with the other three strong teams in the Central Division and tie the Clippers in the regular season.

The Grizzlies lost to the Mavericks in the final game, and their record was fixed at 51 wins and 31 losses. However, the Grizzlies' record against the Timberwolves was 3 wins and 1 loss. The Timberwolves can only avoid the first round if their record is better than the Grizzlies. Drive the Clippers.

今晚加内特打了46分钟，表现如赛季前期和快船队交手那场一样残暴，26投13中，外加12中9的罚球，狂轰35分15板7助攻3抢断2盖帽，率队狂轰101分！
Facing the Clippers, which averaged the lowest points per game in the league, Garnett's performance could not be better.

但是……基德单场三分球5中3，拿到15分12板11助攻2抢断，率领快船队狂轰115分！
李敖打了31分钟，21投13中，没有三分出手，加上7中6的罚球，拿到32分3板4助攻2抢断1盖帽。

小奥尼尔15分7板、杰拉德-华莱士12分3板1助攻、埃迪-豪斯10分2助攻、奥多姆12分4板5助攻……

The Clippers didn't give Garnett any chance. Garnett fought until the last minute, but the point difference failed to narrow to less than 1 points.

115 to 101, the Clippers easily defeated the Timberwolves and ended the regular season with a record of 63 wins and 19 losses!
...

The regular season came to an end. The Lakers ended the regular season with 8 consecutive victories, winning 66 and losing 16, but still failed to surpass the Pacers.

The Pacers won the 67-15 regular season championship with the best record in team history of 03 wins and 04 losses.

东部季后赛排名：步行者队67胜15负第一、魔术队54胜28负第二、活塞队64胜18负第三也是联盟第三、猛龙队49胜33负第四、尼克斯队48胜34负第五、奇才队47胜35负第六、热火队44胜38负第七、雄鹿队42胜40负第八。

As the top spot in the division, the Magic automatically occupies second place. The Pistons and Pacers are in the same division and can only finish third.

西部季后赛排名：湖人队66胜16负第一、马刺队54胜28负第二、快船队63胜19负第三、小牛队53胜29负第四、灰熊队51胜31负第五、森林狼队51胜31负第六、爵士队41胜41负第七、掘金队39胜43负第八。

The Clippers' situation is similar to that of the Pistons. They are not first in the Pacific Division, but can only be third at best.

The Spurs fell just short of retaining the top spot in the division. They only had 18 wins and 9 losses in 9 games at the end of the season, and the Mavericks only just missed completing their counterattack.

When they encountered strong opponents at the end of the regular season, the Spurs' lack of experience was fully exposed.

The team with the highest score in the regular season this season is the Mavericks, averaging 105.5 points per game. They are the only team in the league to average more than 105 points per game.

There are only two teams averaging over 102.1 points per game this season. The other is the Lakers, averaging [-] points per game.

The Lakers averaged 102.1 points per game and conceded 91.8 points per game. The Lakers' points loss this season is actually not low. There are as many as 10 teams averaging less than 90 points per game this season, but their net rating ranks third in the league. One, is the only team with a winning margin of more than 10 points.

Although the Pacers have a better record, their average margin of victory is only 7.1 points per game.

The team with the lowest score is the Clippers!

The Clippers only lost 83.9 points per game, beating the Pistons, who averaged 84.1 points per game, and the Pacers, who averaged 84.3 points per game, ranking lowest in the points loss list.

快船队场均91.9分、场均失分83.9分；活塞队场均90.1分、场均失分84.1分；步行者队场均91.4分、场均失分84.3分，三大铁血战队的得失分数据看着就让人直呼卧槽。

The Spurs also lost very few points, but they were just not as good as Triple-A. They only lost 85.6 points per game.

It can also be seen from the data that the Spurs are not as good as those three teams, averaging 89.3 points per game and losing 85.6 points per game. Although they concede more points than those three teams, they also score lower.

There is a reason why the Spurs not only failed to reach 60 wins in the final sprint, but also failed to win 55 games.

The data list is also fixed.

本赛季拿到10次40+、4次50+、1次60+的李敖，出战82场，拿到2772分，刷新了自1987-1988赛季过后的单赛季总得分最高记录！
纵观整个现代篮球时代，只有87-88赛季乔丹的2870分、86-87赛季乔丹的3042分比李敖更高。

场均33.8分5.1板5.9助攻2.9抢断2.3盖帽，李敖生涯首获得分王！同时连续两个赛季防守数据2+2！

In the rebounding list, Garnett averaged 14.1 rebounds per game, beating Duncan who averaged 13.9 rebounds per game and Ben Wallace who averaged 13.6 rebounds per game, and won the rebounding title for the first time in his career.

In the assists list, Nash, who played 76 games, averaged 8.5 assists per game, beating Marbury who averaged 8.4 assists per game and Andre Miller who averaged 8.2 assists per game. He won the assists title for the first time in his career.

The top names in the three major statistics in a single season are all "rookies", which is still rare in NBA history.

The data for the scoring and rebounding leaders are pretty normal, with the assists leader averaging 8.5 assists per game. The last time there was a lower assist leader was before the merger of the NBA and the ABA. In the 75-76 season, Slick Watts averaged 8.1 assists per game. He averaged [-] assists and won the assist title.

But Nash's assists king is very valuable.

In this season of the heyday of iron-blooded basketball, the Mavericks are another singles team. Nash can win the assists title in a singles team in this season when the number of assists has plummeted. His organizational offensive talent has been fully demonstrated.

The steal leader, Li Ao averaged 2.9 steals per game and won the steal leader for two consecutive years, 2 ahead of No. 0.4 Baron Davis.

Camby leads the way in blocks, averaging 3.6 blocks per game.

In addition to the data of the top stars, the performance of this year's rookies has also attracted much attention.

安东尼是本赛季唯一一个全勤的新秀，82场比赛场均拿到21.5分6.5板2.8助攻1.2抢断0.5盖帽，得分排在第一。

詹姆斯成为了继大O、乔丹、李敖之后的第4位场均20+5+5新秀，场均拿到20.9分5.5板5.9助攻1.6抢断0.7盖帽，不过他也是四人中唯一一个没有打进季后赛的。

Wade, Hinrich, and Ford all averaged 6.8 assists per game, tied for first place on the rookie list.

韦德场均15.4分5.2板6.8助攻、辛里奇场均12分3.4板6.8助攻、福特场均8.2分3.2板6.8助攻。

米利西奇出战80场场均9.1分4.8板1.1助攻1.2盖帽的表现、波什场均13.8分7.4板1.2助攻1.2盖帽的表现也都还不错。

The top seven picks of the 03 generation all performed well in their rookie season. Such performance has not happened for several seasons.

The last time was the 96 class of rookies. Seven of the top eight picks scored in double figures in their rookie seasons. The most dazzling was the 8 class, when all the top 7 picks scored in double figures in their rookie seasons.

The NBA has gradually transitioned to the era of drafting talent, and it is actually possible to perform as well as players who were drafted in college 10 years ago. This rookie class is indeed full of talent.

……

After two days of preparation, on April 4, the first game day of the playoffs arrived.

In the morning, the NBA officially announced the Best Manager Award for the 03-04 season. Jerry West of the Grizzlies won the Best Manager Award for the second time in his career. His opponents were Joe Dumars of the Pistons and Wally Walker of the Clippers, Larry Bird of the Pacers.

Missing out on Spider-Man left an indelible stain on Jerry West's general manager career, but he still proved how good he was when he arrived with his new team.

After the Timberwolves lost in the final game of the regular season, they did not leave Los Angeles and prepared for the playoffs on the spot, eating ingredients prepared by the Clippers and using the training ground rented by the Clippers.

This made Ballmer a little angry. Who said wealthy bosses don't care about money?He felt bad for spending money to rent a training ground for his opponents to use.

He approached Liam Pitt, the person in charge of the Great Western Forum Arena, and made preliminary discussions to purchase 1.5% of the shares of the Great Western Forum Arena for US$55 million, and then lease the Great Western Forum Arena to the Fast The Los Angeles Sports Investment Group, which owns the team, is used by the Clippers.

Refuse to let the Kanter family earn his training ground rental fees.

Although it is only preliminary discussions, Ballmer is already looking for designers and construction companies to renovate the Great Western Forum.

Liam got some of the money, but because the renovation design was completely in line with Ballmer's preferences, Liam only contributed a small change.

According to the income distribution originally negotiated with Liam, Li Ao made tens of millions of dollars in net profit this time, and he still had to get the income share from subsequent operations. Although the proportion became lower, the money he could get was actually It will be more than in the past two years.

Ballmer, who was originally wealthy, wanted to purchase the Great Western Forum for $3.5 million, but Liam refused. Although most of the shares were sold during the sale, the actual operating rights were still in Liam's hands. inside.

Because as long as the Clippers don't move away after moving to the Great Western Forum, the arena will continue to make money. The commercial potential of the home court of a top team from the four major leagues is quite high.

Just the commission from ticket sales is a huge amount of income.

According to the plan, the Clippers can move into the new arena as early as the second quarter of 04.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the Clippers will start their first-round showdown with the Timberwolves at home.

Throughout the game, Garnett was incompetently roaring and cursing his teammates.

他24投11中，加上9中7的罚球，拿到29分11板3助攻3抢断2盖帽，森林狼队全队只拿到74分。

快船队方面，基德9投4中，其中三分球4中2，拿到10分9板8助攻1抢断；

李敖18投9中，其中三分球5中2，加上2中2的罚球，拿到22分6板6助攻4抢断1盖帽；

小奥尼尔16分6板3盖帽、奥多姆15分5板3助攻、杰拉德-华莱士10分5板1助攻……

The Clippers defeated the Timberwolves 98-74, leading 1-0!

Among the semi-finals of the Central Division, the Timberwolves had the easiest advantage when the Clippers met in the regular season.

25号，快船队87比70击败森林狼队；28号，快船队来到客场以95比83击败森林狼队；30号，快船队在客场再度获胜，比分90比66。

李敖场均23.5分4.5板5助攻3.25抢断2.5盖帽；基德场均15分10.25板8助攻1.75抢断；

O'Neal Jr. averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2 blocks per game...

The Clippers easily swept the Timberwolves 4-0 to advance to the second round!
加内特场均27分15.5板3.5助攻2.25抢断2.5盖帽，场均23投11.75中，命中率高达51%，但一场胜利都没拿下。

Apart from him, Szczerbiak, the second-highest scorer on the Timberwolves, only averaged 12.5 points per game and was prevented by Li Ao from shooting 36.7%.

Facing the Clippers' 8-9 rotation of iron-blooded defense, in the playoffs, the Timberwolves only averaged 4 points in 73.25 games.

This scoring average has set a new low since 32 years!
The last time a team averaged lower points per game in a single series dates back to the 1971-1972 Western Conference Finals. The Bucks faced the Lakers and averaged only 6 points per game in 71 games, including one game. Only 55 points were scored. In that series, the Bucks shot 34.6%, but the Lakers only shot 38%.

The average per game is 92.5 to 73.25. This score can be said to be extremely low to watch.

Stern watched the first live broadcast between the Clippers and Timberwolves and felt bad. He seemed to have made a mistake in his judgment.

By the end of the entire series, everyone else was numb...

And it wasn't just the Clippers. On May 5, the Knicks lost to the Raptors in the tiebreaker, ending the first round.

In this first round, among the 16 participating teams, not even one team averaged over [-] points per game!
The team with the highest scoring average per game is the Mavericks, which defeated the Grizzlies 4-2 to advance to the second round, averaging 99.5 points per game.

The Grizzlies averaged 94.3 points per game, and this series is already the best scoring series.

The Lakers played the Nuggets. The Lakers averaged 90 points per game and the Nuggets averaged 84.4 points per game, with a big score of 4-1.

The Spurs played the Jazz. The Spurs averaged 87.5 points per game and the Jazz averaged 84.7 points per game, with a big score of 4 to 2.

The Raptors played the Knicks. The Raptors averaged 83.6 points per game and the Knicks averaged 80 points per game, with a big score of 4 to 3.

The Pacers played the Bucks. The Pacers averaged 90.5 points per game and the Bucks averaged 84.5 points per game, with a big score of 4-0.

The Magic played the Heat. The Magic averaged 94.2 points per game and the Heat averaged 88.6 points per game, with a big score of 4-1.

The Pistons played the Wizards. The Pistons averaged 85.2 points per game and the Wizards averaged 79 points per game, with a big score of 4-1.

Not to mention the teams that average more than 90 points per game, there are only a handful of teams that even break 95 points!The only team with more than [-] points is the Mavericks!
The Clippers relied on defense to win two consecutive championships, and every team rushed to follow suit. In the regular season, the scores of each team were barely acceptable. In the playoffs, the Iron-blooded Wave reached the peak in NBA history!

In the first round this time, except for a few teams such as the Lakers, Clippers, Magic, and Mavericks, the live game ratings were pretty good, but the ratings for the other series were simply disappointing!

Stern was extremely regretful, but he immediately made up his mind - to kill him!
Spider-Man must be killed!
Spider-Man is undoubtedly the one who benefits the most from this style of play. With three strong defensive teammates in Kidd, Gerald Wallace, and O'Neal Jr., the Clippers' offense in the regular season was messy and they all won 63 games. It would be impossible to change it to previous years.

Stern doesn't resist Spider-Man's dominance for a decade like Jordan did. It just so happens that now is a critical stage of development of the flower grower market.

But dominating in this way... Let’s not talk about whether such an ugly playoffs can attract the love of sports fans, the own market will not be preserved!

...

During the first round, major individual awards were announced one after another.

Spurs head coach Popovich won the best coach, defeating Larry Brown, Carlisle, and Jackson.

James accounted for 47% of the total points, beating Anthony, who accounted for 40% of the total points, and won the Rookie of the Year.

James received 115 of the 80 first-place votes, more than twice that of Anthony, who had the remaining votes, making countless fans call it ridiculous.

Randolph received 115 of 113 first-place votes and was elected the Most Improved Player Award.

From averaging 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season to averaging 20.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season, there is no doubt about this award.

Of the other two votes, one went to Boozer of the Cavaliers. His averages of 10 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season soared to 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds, but they are still much worse than Randolph.

The other vote...was cast by an ESPN reporter for Li Ao.

When the award was announced, Li Ao, who received 1 vote, generated more buzz than Randolph's award.

最佳第六人，场均12.6分2.1板4.4助攻1.2抢断的托尼-帕克，击败了场均10.6分6.2板3.8助攻的奥多姆、场均8.5分3.8板1.3助攻1.3抢断的巴蒂尔、场均12.5分8.4板的马龙……拿下最佳第六人奖。

The competition for votes for this award was fierce. Parker only received 23.6% of the total points, 2 percentage points higher than No. 1.5 Odom.

This award allows people to see the gap between Malone and Jordan.

On May 5th, the NBA announced the MVP and DPOY.

场均33.8分5.1板5.9助攻2.9抢断2.3盖帽的李敖，力压场均24+14+6+1+2的加内特、场均24+13+3+0.7+3的邓肯、场均25+11+3+0.6+2的奥尼尔，完成连庄MVP成就。

The best defensive player has become an internal competition within the Pistons.

场均17.3分5.6板3.3助攻2.4抢断0.9盖帽的阿泰斯特，力压场均8+13+1+1+3的本-华莱士，年仅24岁的他生涯首获最佳防守球员奖。

MVP and DPOY were ranked third in the Eastern and Western Conferences, so they were discussed together.

It's no surprise that the two won the award. Li Ao has 63 wins and the scoring title, and his streak is normal. Artest's defensive performance this season is also extremely exaggerated.

What fans are discussing is if these two teams reach the finals, to what extent can their defense be improved?
Some fans retorted - there is no need to go to the finals. If the Pistons defeat the Magic and reach the Eastern Conference Finals, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pistons and the Pacers will be eye-catching enough.

Another fan retorted - there is no need to think that far. The two-game series in the second round of the Eastern Conference, with the Pacers playing the Raptors and the Pistons playing the Magic, is enough for people to feel in advance...

...

On May 5th, the first game day of the second round between the Clippers and the Spurs arrived.

The Spurs have advanced to the second round on the 5th, and after a few days, the Clippers have made sufficient preparations for the game.

At noon, the Clippers officially announced that Li Ao had completed a contract extension with the Clippers, with a starting salary of US$1233 million, 3+1, and a player option for the final year, totaling US$5800 million.

This is the highest starting salary you can get as a rookie based on this season's salary cap.

A few days ago, when the MVP was just announced, Ballmer asked Li Ao for dinner and asked about the contract extension.

Li Ao originally planned to wait for the new season's salary cap to be announced before renewing, but before the first round was over, Forbes Sports predicted that this year's playoff revenue will decline and the new season's salary cap will shrink. It may not be much, but it may be somewhat Lower the point.

That means that if the contract is renewed in the offseason, the salary may be reduced.

So he replied, "Renew the contract for three years."

Ballmer did not ask why it was a short-term contract. He directly asked the secretary on the side to contact Wally Walker to draft a contract extension. Yesterday, Schwartz came to Los Angeles to help Li Ao complete the contract extension.

Before the Clippers warm-up training began in the afternoon, a locker room interview was opened.

The media seems to be more interested in Li Ao's contract extension than in the second round of the series.

Li Ao was asked why the contract was suddenly renewed at this time without renewing the contract in advance.

Li Ao answered honestly: "I saw in the news that the income in the first round dropped, and maybe the entire playoff income will drop. I guess the salary you can get in the offseason is not as high as it is now."

When asked why he renewed his 3+1 contract instead of taking a 5-6 year contract like other stars at the end of their rookie contracts, Li Ao still answered honestly:
"I plan to jump out of the contract after the third year. Then I can sign a contract with a starting salary of 3% of the salary cap at the designated veteran maximum salary."

As soon as these words came out, Li Ao was criticized by many experts, saying that he only wanted money, which would affect the renewal options of other talented new stars at the end of their rookie contracts.

Then the experts were sprayed, or the fans of each team and star were sprayed - you don't go to work for money?Then donate your salary to me.

However, some experts said that Li Ao's actions will not have a great impact. Except for a very small number of players who are extremely confident in themselves, most players will still choose to have as long a contract as they can.

As a professional player, there are too many uncertainties, such as Little Flying Squirrel. Who would have thought that he would collapse before he was 30 years old?

For example, Grant Hill, if he finished the first 6 years of his contract and thought of only signing for 1 year when renewing the contract, and wanted a higher salary after collecting the 7 years of bird rights, then after he was reimbursed for the 00-01 season, he would definitely get Less than the maximum salary.

Li Ao doesn't care about such controversies. It's just a matter of fact. He gets scolded every time he gets scolded. Who can say it right? Part of the salary given by the team is for him to be scolded.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the Clippers and Spurs took the lead in the second round showdown.

After the game started, the two teams did not defend as hard as the media predicted.

Both teams tried to catch each other off guard, starting from the offensive end... and they hit it right!

Gentry and Popovich empathized at this moment - the other person, like me, studied under Larry Brown, but admired Nelson.

首节快船队28比26领先马刺队两分，第二节马刺队26比24追回分差，两队以52比52打平结束上半场。

In the third quarter, Ginobili scored 7 points and 2 assists in a single quarter, leading the Spurs to a score of 26-23!
Li Ao knew that Ginobili's evil sword could be unsheathed at any time. He reminded Gentry that the Clippers coaching staff was also on guard against Ginobili.

But Ginobili can be discussed together with the top group of forwards and swingmen because you know that he may go crazy at any time, but you just can't stop him!
Poor physical strength, poor mid-range shooting, easy to short-circuit on the defensive end... Ginobili has many obvious flaws.

But his sudden three-pointers and ghostly breakthrough steps are hard to guard against!

After three quarters, the Spurs led the Clippers by 88 points, 85-3!
At the end of the quarter, Li Ao came up to steal Parker, who came on the bench, and advanced the counterattack to pass the ball to Kidd. Kidd caught the ball and hit a three-pointer to tie the score!
接下来的10分钟，两队打出了23比23的比分，打到10分17秒的时候，两队战至101平。

At the critical moment, Ginobili misfired, Arenas was locked up by Kidd... Li Ao turned around and scored two goals in a row in the last minute or so!
23投11中，其中三分球6中2，外加5中4的罚球，李敖拿到28分6板5助攻4抢断2盖帽；

基德22分8板8助攻1抢断1盖帽、小奥尼尔15分7板3盖帽、奥多姆16分6板5助攻……

105 to 101, the Clippers defeated the Spurs and defended their first home court, with a big score of 1-0!

吉诺比利20分、特科格鲁14分4板5助攻、夸梅-布朗9分13板、帕克16分2助攻，阿里纳斯虽铁，但16投6中的他也拿到了17分6助攻。

To organize the offense, the Spurs have Turkoglu and the Clippers have Kidd.

In terms of scoring, Li Ao of the Clippers is the strongest, and the Spurs have a good lineup.

In terms of matchups, the two teams can also match up. For example, Kwame Brown and O'Neal are two talented high school students. One is better at low-post single defense and rebounding, and the other is better at protecting the frame and scoring.

The Spurs performed well in regular time, but they couldn't beat Kidd and Li Ao in both offense and defense at critical moments.

After the first game, Popovich didn't think about how to adjust on the offensive end.

He tried. In the past few days of preparation, he had incorporated everything he could use on the offensive end into the tactics for the first game, but he just couldn't beat Kidd and Li Ao.

They might be able to do more, but he doesn't have the ability to think of better scenarios.

If that's the case, then that's the only way to go...

On May 5, the Clippers ushered in the second game of the series against the Spurs at Staples Center.

G1 between the Clippers and Spurs went beyond people's expectations. The two teams played not only was not ugly, but it was quite exciting!
You have to attack with offense, you have to defend with defense, and there are star showdowns at critical moments.

Originally, fans had focused their attention on the Lakers and Mavericks in the second round of the Western Conference. The showdown between the top two scoring teams in the league should be interesting, right?
As a result, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks by 83 points 79-3 in the first game...

The Clippers and Spurs both scored over [-] points!

As a result, the ratings for tonight's game between the Clippers and Spurs soared!
Then the fans felt that they had been cheated!
The two teams didn't even make a transition and went straight to defense.

At this stage, Popovich can only defend. The Clippers anticipated his response and just defended.

Only 6 players from the Spurs scored tonight, which was very concentrated.

内斯特洛维奇9分、帕克9分3助攻、夸梅-布朗12分11板、特科格鲁15分6板3助攻、吉诺比利16分、阿里纳斯20分2助攻，他们6人拿到81分，马刺队全队81分……

李敖25投10中，其中三分球5中1，加上7中5的罚球，拿到26分6板3助攻4抢断1盖帽；小奥尼尔17分19板1助攻5盖帽；基德8分9板7助攻1盖帽……快船队以88比81击败马刺队，大比分2比0领先！

The game is not unattractive to watch. Fans who like it like it very much, especially those who have watched the game for a long time and have a deep understanding of defense and tactics. They praised Popovich and Gentry's defensive accomplishments repeatedly.

But most of these people are fans of both teams.

Most of the passers-by probably just came to the playoffs to join in the fun and watch the game.

This kind of game of forging iron and grabbing boards is really difficult for fans who have not watched football for a long time to appreciate it.

Of course, there are also people who watch a lot of football and rely heavily on defense, and their heads explode.

Stern is going crazy, these two teams are playing tricks on him!

He has always been very restrained in cutting down on defense. He played very well in the late 90s, but he did not rush to cut down on defense until O'Neal's bug appeared. He saw that O'Neal could single-handedly beat the opponent while standing under the basket. Only when his shooting percentage at the basket was limited to less than 5% did he make up his mind to cut down on defense.

There is no restraint now!
The Clippers, Pacers, and Pistons are already eye-catching enough. If the signings in the offseason go well, the Magic will also become this type of team. The Spurs also have such signs, and the Knicks Team, Heat...

He must do something!

(End of this chapter)