NBA: Starting with Jokic template

Chapter 189: The Battle between the Old and the New, the Western Conference Finals vs. the Spurs
Duncan walked towards Curry and stood in front of him, blocking his view of the basket.

Curry looked at the man who was a head taller than him, and saw him pat his shoulder, and then said in a gentle tone,
"Your three-point shot was amazing. It almost killed us."

"The future will be yours, Stephen Curry."

Curry remained silent, hugged Duncan politely, and walked towards his own player tunnel.

The whole audience cheered and no one cared about these losers.

Looking at his limping back, Duncan withdrew his gaze and turned around to hug his teammates to celebrate.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

The loser should leave.

The scoreboard froze at 102:100.

The Warriors lost by two points!
Didn’t beat the second-placed Spurs as the sixth-placed underdog in the Western Conference!
In the whole game, Curry scored 27 points and made 6 three-pointers.

Thompson scored 19 points and also made 4 three-pointers.

The Splash Brothers combined for the same number of three-pointers as the entire Spurs team!

This game also allowed many people to see how terrifying a star player with top three-point shooting ability can be when he plays like crazy!
But the steady Spurs team was led by Duncan with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Parker and Ginobili also scored 19 points and 18 points respectively.

The three players showed their usual stability. Even when the score was repeatedly narrowed by continuous three-pointers, they did not panic at all and played steadily.

This is why they won the game!

........................

Watching on TV, as Curry missed the buzzer-beater three-pointer and the Spurs won the game, everyone on the Thunder had different feelings.

Most people have forgotten that Brooks' original intention in asking them to watch this game was to observe the playing styles of possible opponents in the Western Conference Finals and to make targeted arrangements in advance.

Instead, he was completely immersed in the game.

My mood also fluctuated with the situation on the field.

It was not until the end of the game that everyone realized that they were not fans, but the opponents of the winner a few days later.

Durant couldn't help but exclaimed,
"Shit, that's scary. Looking at his performance in this game and the determination in his last shot, I believe he will make the shot."

Durant blinked his dry eyes a few times. In the final moments, in order not to miss any details, he was even reluctant to close his eyes.

Although he has never been optimistic about the Warriors.

But when he saw that Curry, with such a thin body, was able to force the Spurs, the second-best team in the Western Conference, into danger, and saw that the Warriors team fought to the last moment and did not give up, he could not help but have a lot of respect for this opponent who was almost facing him in the Western Conference.

"This kid will definitely make a name for himself in the future."

Brooks calmed down and commented on the TV screen:
"And of course, that point guard on their team."

Unlike others, Lin Chuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the three-pointer hit the rim at the end of the game.

Although the Spurs are also a rare strong opponent, they are still easier to deal with than the Warriors.

He didn't want to play against this kind of three-point team that suddenly exploded.

However, he also noticed Curry's seemingly strange movements when he left the game at the end.

Could it be that he hit too hard and his old problem came back, injuring his ankle again?

If that's the case, it's really unfortunate.

He finally had an outstanding season, but was injured again after the game.

I don’t know if I can recover in the future and become the three-point king of history again.

What Lin Chuan didn't know was that the result of his casual guess was true.

At this moment in the locker room, Mark Jackson was a little confused as he listened to what Curry said to him.

"What? Are you feeling pain in your ankle again?"

Mark Jackson seemed a little unable to believe his ears.

"Last September, after you had surgery to remove excess bone spurs and soft tissue, I thought there was nothing wrong with me..."

"Yeah... maybe I lost my balance and got hurt at the end..."

Curry also looked very bad.

Since his first ankle injury, he has been repeatedly affected by ankle injuries in the NBA. Since entering the NBA, he has been diagnosed with left and right ankle injuries 11 times.

You know, Stephen Curry only entered the NBA in 09 and has only played for more than 4 years now.

A part of the body that has such a high frequency of injury can be called a glass man.

Now he's feeling ankle pain again and he's unsure about his future.

The future that had once seemed promising was suddenly overshadowed.

Just after the game, Mark Jackson was still thinking that although the season was over and the team was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

But judging from their performance on the field, he believed from the bottom of his heart that they must be a team with a bright future.

And in his mind, Curry is the undisputed core of the new Warriors team.

But if Curry continues to be plagued by injuries, all of this may come to naught.

He didn't know what to think about the situation, so he could only force a smile and comfort Curry that he was fine. Then he quickly called the team doctor to check on him.

………………

The next day.

A piece of sports news caused heated discussion on major sports websites.

Stephen Curry injured ankle and will undergo surgery again

After seeing this news, many fans and players also expressed their opinions.

"Hope you get better soon."

"Come on, luckily it was a last-minute injury. After receiving treatment during the offseason, he will be able to recover and play normally next season."

"Oh, it looks like I'm going to be useless. How can I play after so many ankle injuries?"

"It's so sad. It looks like this powerful three-point shooter will be a flash in the pan."

"Yes, it has been sent. Please welcome the next rising star."

"Next? Are you talking about Lin Chuan? Lin Chuan is not that fragile."

"Heh, compared to our team's Duncan, they are just youngsters, nothing."

"Let's brag about it after the Western Conference Finals."

"1:4, let's talk about it after we win the same number of championships."

Given the chaotic state of the Internet, there is no doubt that the comments on this news have gone astray again.

Following the last few controversial comments, many of the following comments shifted from concern about Curry's injury to a debate about Lin Chuan and Duncan's strength and honor.

And it's getting worse.

Brooks also saw the news.

During the break in the team's training, I couldn't help but talk about this with several people in the team.

"Oh, what a shame. I was expecting him to perform well, but with his condition and injury history..."

Brooks didn't finish his words, but Lin Chuan could understand his thoughts. Curry was sentenced to death.

"Yeah, but this way we'll have one less opponent in the future."

Durant agreed.

"You don't have to think so."

Lin Chuan scratched his head and said,

"He's been able to recover from so many ankle injuries, so I think this one won't hurt either."

"Since you said so, Lin Chuan, I also think he can recover."

Durant continued speaking along the lines of Lin Chuan.

"Why do you change your mind in a second, Kevin?"

Brooks looked at Durant speechlessly, who had just agreed with him, and the next moment he agreed with Lin Chuan, who had a different opinion.

"After all, Lin Chuan is always right, isn't he, Coach?"

Durant chuckled.

Brooks was speechless, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to be true.

His previous predictions and judgments had rarely failed.

"Then please predict the result of our Western Conference Finals, Lin Chuan."

Brooks said.

"Of course we will beat them and advance to the finals, coach. Isn't that a foregone conclusion?"

Lin Chuan gave his answer immediately without any hesitation.

He didn't think that the Spurs, a team full of his defeated players, would cause him much trouble.

And the other side.

The Spurs, who had just finished a Game 7, did not relax too much after the game.

In the locker room, the Spurs players still couldn't control their emotions. They laughed, wiped their sweat and chatted.

"You all worked hard and gave your all to beat the opponent in this game. You didn't let yourselves and our fans down. I am proud of you."

After Popovich briefly congratulated everyone, he immediately put away his smile.

"but."

As soon as Popovich changed the subject, everyone immediately stopped smiling and became serious, listening to Popovich's subsequent words.
"I hope everyone knows that in three days, we will go to compete with the Thunder team that dominated the regular season, beat the entire league, and won 74 games."

Popovich's expression became more serious.
"So far in the playoffs, they are the only team that has not lost a single game. From the first round to the Western Conference semifinals, they have swept the opponents."

"Among them, there are games where Durant was injured and Westbrook missed the game due to injury. But they still maintained their undefeated record."

"What does this mean!"

Popovich glanced at everyone and said word by word,
"This shows that their strength is significantly higher than other teams, allowing them to beat their playoff opponents even after giving up two stars. Therefore, I hope you will never relax. Even though you are exhausted after just playing the seventh game, I still ask you to show your full strength in the next round and strive to win the next game at the opponent's home court!"

"We won't rest, we'll start training tomorrow!"

Listening to Popovich's request, no one on the Spurs had any complaints.

Even though they had just finished a fierce game for only 10 minutes, they immediately got into the game when they heard Popovich deprive them of the day off they could have had to celebrate their victory and started training directly.

Because everyone knows that when playing basketball, especially in the NBA, there is only one goal every season, which is to win the championship and hold the O'Brien Cup.

Without winning the championship, all the efforts this season would be meaningless.

After the game, the others left quickly, but Duncan was stopped by Popovich again.

"Tim, the next game will be against a different team than the Warriors. We will have two superstars. One is our old rival Durant, and the other is the center Lin Chuan who will be directly facing you. You will have a harder time in the next round."

"I'm going to do my best to guard him, Coach."

Duncan's tone was calm and his expression was very calm.

Although he is old, he has always been a low-key player.

But when it comes to performance on the field, he has never been afraid of anyone!
Even the Sharks in their prime would be defeated in front of him!
Now, although he is old and his offensive ability has declined significantly, only defense is left.

But he will also use all his strength to defend Lin Chuan and will not let him break through the entire team alone, making the team's efforts go to waste!
Seeing his beloved disciple of more than ten years speaking like this, Popovich also felt his determination.

Suddenly, he didn't say anything else, just nodded gently.
"That's up to you, Tim."

........................

Three days later.

2013 5 Month 21 Day.

5pm US time.

Oklahoma.

The first game of the Western Conference Finals is about to begin!

The Spurs, who had come from afar, had arrived in the city the day before and adapted to the new environment in advance.

They are ready to step up their adjustments and challenge the league's top team, the Thunder, at their best!

Chesapeake Energy Arena.

This is also the third opponent this stadium has faced in the past month.

However, thanks to the Thunder's vigorous play, they swept their opponents in the first two rounds.

It also means that the home team fans cannot watch too many of their team's games.

Many fans are waiting anxiously.

Now, returning to their home court, the Chesapeake Energy Arena was packed with 100% of its capacity of fans to watch.

Thunder fans are eagerly waiting for the game to start.

"I haven't watched the Thunder for a long time. I started watching the Heat vs. Celtics and the Spurs vs. Warriors a while ago to relieve my addiction to the game."

"That's right. Who made the Thunder so fierce? They swept every game without giving their opponents any face, making it difficult for us to watch."

"Yeah, I bought season tickets, but they swept the game twice and I missed a lot of games. I feel like I lost money on the tickets."

"I hope the Spurs can hold on a little longer, just for the fans to have more fun."

On the sidelines, some Thunder fans even jokingly said that the Spurs should win for the sake of their own viewing experience.

Of course, after receiving a lot of criticism, this kind of remarks quickly disappeared among the huge crowd of cheering fans.

In the pre-match interview, Lin Chuan said that he would try his best to defeat his opponent, and then returned to the locker room with Durant and Brooks.

At this time, everyone on the Thunder team had changed into their jerseys, and after waiting for a few people to come back, they walked into the player tunnel together and stopped.

"Okay, our opponents have already stepped onto the court. Now, let's go out and defeat them!"

A moment later, after hearing the noise in the venue across the long corridor, Lin Chuan spoke in a deep voice to everyone, boosted everyone's morale, and was the first to run into the venue.

After Durant entered the court, the introduction was completely over.

The players from both teams stood on either side of the field, and Lin Chuan stood in the center circle.

The first game of the Western Conference Finals is about to begin!
(End of this chapter)