NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Chapter 536: The second round matchup is confirmed! Another legend leaves the court!
阿里纳斯场均18.5分4.5助攻，命中率34%，3分命中率29%，另外场均还有5.5个失误。

拉里·休斯场均16分3.5助攻，命中率36%，3分命中率22%，另外场均还有4.5个失误。

When the team's leading and running back players can perform at this level of offensive ability, there is basically no need to guess the outcome of this series.

The Wizards lost by an average of 20.5 points in four games, including three games in which they lost by more than 3 points.

After a series of games in which they were almost abused, most of the players seemed a little dazed, with their eyes wide open.

too difficult!
This series is too difficult for them!

What's more difficult is that this year is Hughes' contract year. In the regular season, he averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Not only is he one of only seven players in the league with 7+20+5, he also ranks second in the league's steals list, second only to Lin Tian's 5 steals!

According to previous speculations in the interview, Hughes has a great chance of being selected into the annual best defensive team with his outstanding performance this year, and with this achievement, he can get a five-year contract worth 5-6000 million!

But after this round of series, his true colors were revealed and his contract will definitely shrink. How much will it shrink?
Anyway, Hughes no longer has the final say now, it all depends on whether there is any big shot willing to donate generously.

Who made him play so badly in this series?

Generally speaking, the most exciting match in the first round is the battle between the fourth and fifth places, because the rankings of these two teams are closest, and theoretically the difference in strength is very small, so the match is likely to be the most tense and exciting.

But in the final analysis, the Nets are fourth because they can't beat the three teams ahead of them, and the 76ers are fifth because the teams behind them are worse than them.

The gap between the two teams is much larger than their actual rankings. After all, during the regular season, the two teams had a difference of 8 games in wins!
In some years when the competition is extremely fierce, the difference in wins between first and eighth may be less than 8 games!

After the series started, this point of view was proved to be correct. The Nets did not disappoint their supporters, nor did they lose their dignity in the upper half of the Eastern Conference.

In 4 games, they easily swept the 76ers, who had traded Iverson and were slowly rebuilding, but were pushed to this position passively because the teams behind them were too weak.

The Nets will face the new overlord of the Eastern Conference in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Detroit Pistons, which have been ranked first in the Eastern Conference for two consecutive years!

Finally, the Celtics, who first selected Howard with the second pick this year and then successfully acquired Duncan in the free market, were originally the winners of this offseason after the Knicks. This year, they also relied on their twin towers combination to create a lineup that prioritizes defense, concedes very few points, has a super slow pace, and focuses on positional warfare.

The only pity is that no matter how the team persuaded, Auerbach refused to serve as the head coach himself, which made the ceiling of this team slightly lower.

But Auerbach did an equally good job in management.

Under his leadership, the team became a top team again in just one year!

In the first round of the playoffs against the Bulls, although the Bulls had Ben Gordon, the most powerful scorer among this year's rookies, as well as players such as Luol Deng and Eddy Curry who were gradually finding their form.

But the young Bulls really found it difficult to break through the defense of the experienced Celtics. No matter how the Bulls rushed left and right, they were no match for the Celtics.

After the team lost the first three games of the series completely and put up no resistance at all, in the fourth game of the series, the team's star player Ben Gordon finally broke out.

In this game, he took 11 three-pointers and made 3 of them. In addition, he attacked the basket many times and got a total of 6 free throws, making 17 of them.

Gordon made 20 of 11 shots that night and scored a career-high 42 points!
Facing the crazy Gordon, the Celtics still played quite easily, and their response was no different from usual.

Duncan scored his signature stats of 22 points and 11 rebounds, Pierce had 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, plus rookie Howard had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Celtics had three musketeers showing their strength at the same time and were always able to control the situation of the game.

They maintained their lead in the score, and no matter how hard Gordon bombarded the ball, the Celtics used the simplest and most basic method to put the ball into the basket time and time again.

Pierce's ugly shoulder-shaking mid-range shot, Duncan's boring basic skills display, Howard was full of passion, but his passion failed to bring much change in the team's temperament.

In essence, this team is quite dull and uninteresting. It plays the most utilitarian and efficient basketball, but it is difficult to bring any joy and passion to the passing fans.

Although both of them are defensive teams, they are even more boring than the Pistons.

After all, the Pistons just played slowly, but the passion of the team members was quite sufficient. Even the passion of Ben Wallace, Rasheed and Artest was enough to almost overflow.

The opponent of this team, which is generally recognized as the most boring team in the league, in the second round is the team that is generally recognized as the most passionate, entertaining and offensively crazy team in the league.

New York Knicks!
This matchup is the most anticipated and talked-about one among all four matches in the second round of the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The four first-round matchups in the West are more suspenseful than those in the East, and the strength of the eight teams there is relatively more balanced.

The first is the game between the Phoenix Suns, first in the Western Conference, and the Utah Jazz, eighth in the Western Conference. The Jazz once reached the Western Conference Finals after acquiring O'Neal Jr. in the previous two years, but in recent years, with the retirement and departure of the team's veterans, especially Malone, the team's strength has declined significantly.

Although the team got Boozer for nothing this summer, they could only barely make the playoffs thanks to the performance of the two inside players. As for when the team will be able to compete for the championship again and reproduce the glory of the Utah duo in the past, no one really knows.

Facing the powerful Suns, the Jazz only managed to win one game at home in the third game relying on their advantage and toughness in the interior. In the remaining four games, they were all defeated by the Suns' crazy offense without exception.

4: 1!

The Jazz were swept out by the Suns with a shred of dignity.

The second-placed Lakers in the Western Conference faced off against the Spurs, who were led by young forces James and Bosh, and the backbone of the team McGrady.

This matchup was favored by many people before it started. The Spurs experienced a losing streak in the middle of the season due to the addition of McGrady, which was also the reason why they eventually ranked only seventh in the Western Conference.

But everyone believes that this team's true level is definitely among the top four in the Western Conference.

It is precisely because of this that many people believe that the combination of James and McGrady will definitely bring huge trouble to the Lakers, and this matchup will most likely go to the sixth or even seventh game.

The Lakers finally got the second place after a battle with the Timberwolves for the second place that lasted almost the entire season, and many people jokingly called it the "worst second place in history."

And after the series started, this title seemed to be confirmed!
In the first game of the series, James attacked the inside line frantically, and Fisher, who was on the opposite side, was running away in panic, unable to give any effective response. This guy was no match for the young James who played the No. 1 position in every aspect.

James played almost perfectly in his first playoff game of his career. He scored 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and the entire Lakers' defense was in tatters.

While James was beating Fisher, Kobe was involved in a fight with McGrady. The two of them were almost trading blows tonight, with the fight going back and forth.

Logically speaking, the Lakers still have O'Neal. Even if their other points are not very advantageous, as long as O'Neal is there, they will not be too passive.

But for some reason the referee was out of his mind tonight. He called for two fouls on O'Neal within four minutes of the start of the game, and then called for a third foul in the middle of the second quarter.

Throughout the game, O'Neal's playing time was cut into pieces due to penalties. He only played for 21 minutes, got only 15 points and 7 rebounds, and then left the game with 6 fouls.

In addition, Bosh of the Spurs was in great form tonight, making 3 of 5 shots from beyond the 3-point line and almost making mid-range shots as soon as he raised his hand. This evening he also scored a nice 21 points and 10 rebounds in his first playoff game!
With all three of the Spurs' core players performing well, the Spurs successfully pulled off an upset on the road and won the first game of the series, not only gaining the home-court advantage but also proving that everyone's opinion of them was correct.

"We are at the top four level in the West. If Tracy had come earlier, I think we could even compete for first place in the West!" After the game, James, who was full of pride, was a little bit arrogant. He made a bold statement in the post-match press conference: "We are not defeating the strong with the weak, nor are we defeating the strong with the weak."

"This series is a battle between the strong ones!" Just when everyone thought that this series would be extremely exciting, and would go on in a back-and-forth manner, and even go all the way to a Game 7, the Lakers got serious!

James' bold words, the painful feeling of the team's first defeat, and the sarcasm, ridicule and criticism from all sides made the entire Lakers team quite nervous.

Phil Jackson, who is in the last year of his contract, is even more motivated. There is no way he will be eliminated in the first round at this time!

Change formation!

In the second game of the series, Jackson started to change his lineup directly.

He put Prince in the starting lineup, and added Kobe, Fisher, O'Neal and Kirilenko to form a one big and four small lineup.

Moreover, he let Kobe face off against James, who was not good at shooting but had top impact power; he let Prince, who was tall and had long arms, face off against Bosh, who liked to shoot from outside; and Kirilenko faced off against McGrady, who had the highest average score per game on the Spurs!

As for O'Neal, Jackson only gave him one task: No matter how many three-pointers the Spurs made, just stay under the basket and kill anyone who comes in!
This change in formation had an immediate effect in the second game. The Lakers' defensive efficiency and effectiveness improved by leaps and bounds. James became a little unsure of how to play when facing Kobe's deliberate two-stepping defense.

His pick-and-roll cooperation with Bosh was not taken seriously because of his shooting disadvantage. In addition, Bosh couldn't find any good shooting methods when facing Prince, a thin and tall talent. The 03 duo was completely lost in this game. As for McGrady, who should stand up at this time?
Facing Kirilenko's tight defense and the Lakers' three-second zone with O'Neal in charge, there was not much McGrady could do tonight and he played very badly.

In other words, in the last game, the three giants worked together to defeat the Lakers away from home.

In this game, the three bears went undercover in the Lakers to guard Staples Center.

And these three people are undercover for more than just this game!
Even after returning to San Antonio, facing Jackson's formation changes and mismatched defense and O'Neal who was no longer in foul trouble, the young Spurs could never play such a brilliant offense as in the first game.

After winning the first game, they lost four games in a row and failed to put up any resistance. They were swept by the Lakers and were eliminated from the season.

In the next four games, James and Bosh were almost completely silent, and both of them performed very badly. The only one who performed well was McGrady, who scored 40 points in the fourth game, but he could not break through Kirilenko's defense in the other three games and failed to help the team win even one victory.

4: 1!

The ambitious Spurs were eliminated!

Compared with the lofty ambitions after the first game, the Spurs' departure seemed somewhat comedic.

It's actually okay if they lose to someone else.

But the problem is, they lost to the Lakers.

The Lakers have a master of making things happen!

"I'm not as happy as I thought. I thought I would be excited after defeating the No. 1 team in the Western Conference, but it just feels that way. Maybe it's because it was too easy?" Kobe threw a boomerang at the media after the fifth game.

"Can we enter the finals? After the second-place team in the West beat the first-place team in the West, shouldn't they go straight to the finals? What? No! No! I can't accept that! No!"

If Kobe was just mocking with a cold face, then O'Neal would just get close to him and start a talk show at the post-match press conference.

As for the Spurs at this time...

fairly quiet.

After the fifth game, James didn't even high-five the Lakers to congratulate them as usual. Instead, he left Staples Center early with more than a minute left before the end of the game.

Leaving so early, it was naturally difficult for him to attend the post-match press conference.

The Spurs' season is over!
The Timberwolves' twin stars, who were once in their heyday, met the declining Kings in the first round. The Kings, who were no longer a championship contender due to injuries, age and other reasons, were unable to launch any effective counterattack against the Timberwolves.

Their three-point shooting and firepower allowed them to win Game 3 of the series, but that was all.

The glory of this team has finally come to an end.

4: 1!

The Kings were eliminated by the Timberwolves, and the future of this team is also cast into a big question mark.

Can they come back?
Can they rise again quickly through trading?
Will Peja, Bibby and Divac still be in this team's lineup next season?
All three series in the West ended with a 4:1 score, and the remaining one is naturally the match between four and five, which should theoretically be the most intense and fierce.

The Mavericks and SuperSonics, two offensive teams, did not disappoint.

Nowitzki and Jason Terry of the Mavericks averaged more than 55 points per game in this series, while Lewis and Ray Allen of the Supersonics combined to contribute 52 points!
With the top forces of both sides having exchanged pieces, the outcome of the game will depend on how the role players of both sides perform.

This time, both sides are evenly matched!

In the first four games, the two sides fought back and forth, each defending their home court.

In the next decisive battle, the away team of the Supersonics waited for the outbreak of veteran Payton! Payton, who averaged only 11 points and 5 assists per game this season, played like a young man tonight, scoring a personal season-high 24 points and 7 assists. Under his leadership, the Supersonics won the away game.

They got the match point and won a crucial victory!
But next, it's the turn of the Mavericks' role players to show their power!
Stackhouse and Van Horn, who they brought in last summer, made great contributions in the last two games of the series. First, Stackhouse came off the bench in the sixth game and scored 31 points, helping the team to win a tragic away victory in desperation.

Then in Game 210 of the series, Van Horn, who was always mocked as a wimp, who hated and feared physical confrontation and only liked shooting despite being nearly cm tall, had an explosion.

He made 5 three-pointers in the whole game, 4 of which were made in the fourth quarter alone, including an ultra-long buzzer-beating three-pointer with 1 minute and 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter when he took two steps outside the 3-point line and threw in Lewis' defense!
It was this three-pointer that gave the Mavericks a 2-point advantage, and the Supersonics were unable to recover from this advantage until the end of the game.

They lost the seventh game, they lost the most crucial game of their season.

"If we lose, we lose." After the game, Payton showed a calmness and relief that had never appeared in him before when facing reporters. This guy seemed to be liberated and showed a very rare smile to the media.

"They played really well and we couldn't hold on. Congratulations to them. We lost and I am convinced."

"I hope they can go further! I am optimistic about them."

"Nash is back in Dallas. This matchup is quite interesting. Maybe I will go to the scene to see how the Dallas players deal with Nash."

"By the way, I support Nash to win this year's MVP, not only because he is great, but also because I don't want to see that bastard Lin win the MVP!"

Payton's words and his calm attitude, as if he was completely out of the matter, gave many people a bad feeling.

"Gary, will you return to Seattle next season?"

As soon as this question came out, the scene fell silent. After a moment of silence, Payton suddenly grinned and said, "No, my career is over."

(End of this chapter)