NBA: James wants to team up with me

With many core main players being poached, it is already very rare for the Warriors to reach the playoffs. This is mainly due to the fact that after Iguodala joined, the Warriors' main lineup now has players including Iguodala. With players such as Godala, Klay Thompson, David Lee and Andrew Bogut, they still have a certain degree of combat effectiveness. However, in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, who teamed up with Harden and Paul, they still had no chance. A score of 4:1.

The results of the remaining two sets of matchups in the Western Conference were much more exciting.

Let’s start with the game between the Portland Trail Blazers, fourth in the Western Conference, and the Dallas Mavericks, fifth in the Western Conference.

This series matchup can be regarded as the closest matchup in the league. The Trail Blazers have rising star Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldrie, who has consistently averaged 20+ points per game for many years. A strange combination of partners.

On the Mavericks side, there is Dirk Nowitzki, who is also aging. Since Nowitzki failed to win a championship here, his title of softie has never been removed. Although Nowitzki Ski has scored in double figures for 13 seasons. This season, he is still the mainstay of the Mavericks, averaging 21.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game, helping the team achieve 50+ wins in the regular season. However, before the two teams met, the outside media was generally optimistic. Young and energetic pioneers can win in the end.

But the result was shocking. The two teams were locked in an inseparable battle. The Mavericks even took the lead in winning the battle at Tianwang Mountain and got the match point first. However, the Trail Blazers immediately equalized the score tenaciously and the two sides entered a tiebreaker.

In the tiebreaker, Nowitzki made 22 of 11 shots, scored 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. He completely overwhelmed his opponent Aldridge and helped the Mavericks win this tough battle and successfully advance to the second round.

This result is not surprising to Wang Chong. It was the Mavericks led by King Nuo. Although they did not win the hardest championship in history by defeating the Big Three of the Heat, this does not make them weaker.

In fact, in the 13-14 season, the Spurs easily defeated their opponents in the playoffs almost all the way to win the championship. They swept the Heat 4:1 in the finals, defeated the Thunder 4:2 in the Western Conference Finals, and also defeated the Blazers 4:1 in the second round of the playoffs. Or, the only one that made the Spurs break out in a cold sweat in the entire playoffs, and even almost capsized in the gutter, was the Dallas Mavericks, who were supposed to be ranked eighth in the Western Conference and met the Spurs, who were No. in the Western Conference, in the first round.

In the first round of the series, the Spurs and the Mavericks battled for seven games before finally coming through in a thrilling manner. This was also the only tiebreaker game the Spurs played in the entire playoffs. To some extent, the Mavericks were even better than the Finals and the Mavericks. The Heat were stronger against the Spurs.

Of course, it is actually unreasonable to say this, because the playoffs themselves are a steel-making furnace. With each round of life-and-death battles, the surviving teams will become more refined, especially some of the players in the team. Young players will grow up quickly as they accumulate experience in competitions.

Yes, this is Kawhi Leonard.

When playing against the Mavericks in the first round, Leonard averaged only 7 points and 11.9 rebounds in 7 games. But in the 5 games of the Finals, Leonard was already averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game, and the Mavericks There are no strong players at the forward position. When playing against the Heat, Leonard actually faced off against James.

Therefore, it is not reasonable to use the record of the Mavericks and the Spurs to measure the strength of the Heat.

But in any case, there is no doubt that the strength of the Mavericks is not directly proportional to their record ranking in the regular season.

The last matchup in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, was unexpected and not much less exciting than the Trail Blazers vs. the Mavericks.

In the playoffs, Kobe, who had a somewhat unsatisfactory performance in the regular season, actually showed an amazing fighting performance. The first game between the two teams turned into a scoring battle between Kobe and Westbrook. Westbrook scored 32 points, 7 rebounds and 10 rebounds. Assists, Kobe scored 37 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

With Kobe's 37 points, the Lakers won the first game. Although the Thunder quickly won two games in a row and rewritten the score to a 2:1 lead, it was obvious that Kobe did not intend to sit still and wait for death.

On April 4, in the fourth game of the first-round series, Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, helping the Lakers win this crucial battle and tie the score 42:2. Then on April 2, at the home court of the Thunder, Kobe once again scored 4 points and led his team to win Tianwang Mountain.

As a result, the score between the two teams reached 3:2, and the Lakers, as the weaker side, actually took the lead in winning the match point.

After these games, Kobe averaged 35 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and averaged nearly 45 minutes per game. He was like a legendary hero of the Lakers, which made Lakers fans excited.

So what if all the superstars are gone? As long as we have Kobe, we will always be one of the strongest players in the Western Conference!

However, the higher you fly, the harder you fall.

On May 2014, 5, Game 1 of the series was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home of the Lakers. Lakers fans were looking forward to this game in which the Lakers could defeat the Thunder in one go and advance to the second round. Some fans had even begun to study the game. How to deal with the second-round opponent, the Clippers, who are also a Los Angeles team.

However, in this game, Kobe broke through and hit the basket with the ball, but he did not stand up after landing, but fell to the ground with a face of pain.

At that moment, the minds of Lakers fans went blank, with only two words left. "It's over!"

A little later, Kobe limped back to the locker room with the help of his assistant coach, and did not return to the field until the end of the game.

Without Kobe, the result of this game is self-evident. The Thunder tied the score at 3:3. While they breathed a huge sigh of relief, they also secretly prayed that Kobe's injury would not be too minor. At least not in the tiebreaker of the next game.

For a time, the entire league was paying attention to Kobe's injury, but no one expected it to be so serious.

According to the post-game examination report, Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles tendon. It is unknown whether he will be able to successfully return to the court next season, let alone play in the next tiebreaker.

A torn Achilles tendon itself is an extremely serious injury. It is usually a season reimbursement package, and it also comes with a dbuff that reduces explosive power after returning from injury.

Kobe is already 35 years old and will be 36 next year. He falls under the standard of a veteran. Being seriously injured at this age can basically declare the end of Kobe's career.

This result is unacceptable to the Lakers, Kobe's fans, and even Kobe himself cannot accept it.

When being interviewed by the media, Kobe's eyes were red and his voice was choked.

"All this happened so suddenly, I still can't believe it, but this is the reality. We all need to accept it, and then slowly recover from the surgical treatment, hoping to return to the game as soon as possible."

When asked by reporters whether the Lakers still have hope of breaking through the first round without him, Kobe chose to remain silent. After a moment, he shook his head and said: "I don't know. I hope my teammates can get through it. Win the next game.”

Even though they say it, everyone knows it.

The reason why the Lakers were able to compete with the Thunder to this extent was all due to Kobe's strong outburst. Once there is no Kobe, why would Chris Bosh compete with the Thunder?
At this time, everyone can't help but think that Kobe's previous games were not about his explosive touch and fiery state, but his desperate Saburo style of play!
It is true that Kobe had many shortcomings, including selfishness, arrogance, and a lot of wasteful shooting, but when it comes to games and victories, at least Kobe before his Achilles tendon rupture was not bad at all.

Of course, after returning from injury, he felt at ease and led a group of Lakers rookies with unlimited potential to complete a national tour, except when he led the team to a record of 17 wins and 65 losses, the worst record in team history. Kobe's mentality during that period has changed, and it is not the same as the Kobe before.

Kobe's Achilles tendon actually ruptured, which really surprised Wang Chong, but it makes sense when he thinks about it carefully.

Although the time period does not match up, Kobe's character is there. He will never sit back and watch his team lose the game easily, so he will definitely try his best. But his age is there, and he scored in several games in a row. 30+40+ points, serious physical exertion, and injuries are only a matter of time.

But in this way, the Lakers are really over. Not only this season, but also in the following years, they can only participate in the competition for the No. 1 pick. Considering that the previous transactions involving Howard and Paul almost overdrawn the Lakers for several years As for draft picks, even if they get the No. 1 pick, it won't matter to the Lakers.

Sure enough, the Thunder easily defeated the Lakers in the tiebreaker and narrowly survived the first round and entered the second round.

As a result, all the lineups for the second round of the Eastern and Western Conferences are confirmed.

Eastern Bulls vs. Pacers, Heat vs. Celtics.

Western Spurs vs. Mavericks, Clippers vs. Thunder.

Before the start of the second round, the league announces the best lineup as usual.

This year's best team, the selection list has changed a lot compared to last year.

Howard returned to the best team, but unfortunately it was only the best second team. Although his data this season reached 22+14, he still failed to return to the first team. This is not because the league has a stronger center than him. The competition for the forward position is too fierce, making it difficult for the league to choose.

Wang Chong, James and Durant occupied the three frontcourt positions of the first team. Although there was no center player among the three, they still forcibly occupied the first team center spot. This result made Howard's fans very dissatisfied. , but there is no way
Just to talk about a very simple reason, if Howard is selected for the first team, then who among these three people should be selected for the second team?
Of course it is impossible for Durant to be the favorite for MVP this season, and it is even less likely for Wang Chong. James may be ranked last among the three, but as his biological son who is highly praised by the league, how can he be demoted to the second team?

Since the 07-08 season, James has never missed the best team, and naturally he can't do it now.

Therefore, Howard could only be resigned to the second team.

Three first-team spots were taken by Wang Chong, James and Durant, and one of the remaining two spots was given to Wang Chong's teammate Stephen Curry.

Curry, who had already been selected to the first team last season, has remained stable and efficient this season. Coupled with the Bulls' first record in the league, Curry easily defeated competitors such as Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. , becoming a first-team point guard.

As for the last spot, the shooting guard position, the league chose to award it to Clippers shooting guard James Harden instead of Kobe Bryant, who scored higher than Harden.

Kobe's fall out of the best first team is definitely big news, because like James, Kobe is also a professional first team player. Since the 05-06 season, Kobe has never missed the best first team for eight consecutive years.

Now that it has come to an abrupt end in its ninth year, it is still a bit sad.

From a statistical point of view, Kobe is no worse than Harden, and his score is even 2 points higher.

But Harden's shooting percentage is close to 46%, and he also has 6 assists. In terms of efficiency, it is much higher than Kobe's 41% shooting percentage.

What's more important is that this season the Clippers' record ranks second in the Western Conference, while the Lakers are only sixth in the Western Conference. Their record is also one of the important reference indicators for the selection of the best lineup.

However, against the background of Kobe's ruptured Achilles tendon, he failed to be selected for the best team again. People can't help but feel a sad feeling. The era of Kobe and the Lakers has really become a thing of the past.

The first five players are Curry, Harden, James, Durant and Wang Chong.

The five people selected for the second team are Paul, Kobe, Griffin, George and Howard.

The selection of players at this position is more reasonable, both in terms of data, team and on-field performance.

The five players selected for the third team are Tony Parker, Westbrook, Aldridge, Al Jefferson and Gasol.

There is also some confusion about the positions of the third team. Two point guards, Parker and Westbrook, were selected. At the same time, Jefferson and Gasol were also centers.

But there's nothing we can do about it. The only shooting guard positions we can look at right now are Kobe and Harden. Although Wade has averaged 19+4+4 per game this season, the Heat already have two players named James and Howard selected for the NBA Finals. A good lineup, even if Wade has enough data, he is still excluded.

Besides, the Spurs are ranked first in the Western Conference and the only team in the league with 60 wins. No matter how good the team is, it is unjustifiable that not even one player is selected for the All-NBA Team.

Although the All-Defensive Team, announced at the same time as the All-NBA Team, has received less attention than the former, it still attracts a lot of attention.

Defensive first team: Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, Paul George, Wang Chong, Dwight Howard.

Defensive second team: Patrick Beverley, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Marc Gasol.

Whether it is the best team or the best defensive team, the Bulls are the biggest winners, with three players selected from each.

In the best team, Wang Chong, Curry was selected for the first team, and Gasol was selected for the third team.

The best defensive team Wang Chong is still in the first team, and Gasol and Butler are selected in the second team. Such dominance is really rare in the history of the league. (End of chapter)