Legendary star

Chapter 117 The hope of defending the title is dashed?
On May 2000, 5, after a day off, the fourth game of the Spurs-Lakers series started on time at the Alamo Stadium. Before the game started, when Duncan held the basketball in his arms as always, Meng Xu looked Looking at Kobe in the distance, he showed a look of envy.

After the last game against the Spurs, Kobe broke through the shackles he had been troubled for a long time. His ability value broke through 89 in the B-level and reached 90 in the A-level. He officially entered the ranks of the first-line superstars in the league. O'Neal's ability value of 98 and Duncan's ability value of 97 still have a big gap, but Kobe's future growth path is already smooth.The Lakers with O'Neal and Kobe have also become the only teams in the league that have two superstars at the same time.

Due to the previous three games, the Spurs and the Lakers played sparks, not only the point difference is very small, but also consecutive epic records, whether it is O'Neal's two consecutive 55+ games, or Meng Xu's NBA playoffs The first 5*5, even Kobe's 45+8+8, continuously occupied the headlines of the newspapers, so the fourth game of the two teams, after being hyped over and over again by the media, attracted countless attention before the game started The eyes of the media, and the other games that were played at the same time were almost not mentioned by the media.

The fourth game between the Spurs and the Lakers can be said to be the most critical game in this round of the series. If the Spurs win, the Spurs will lead the Lakers 3-1 and get the match point. If the Lakers win, then While the Lakers equalize the big score, they will also regain their home court advantage, so both the Spurs and the Lakers are doing their best to prepare to win this game.

It was originally a close game, but the process and result of the game were beyond everyone's expectations. Only 4 minutes after the start of the first quarter, David Robinson collided with O'Neal in the air while fighting for rebounds in the backcourt. David Robinson's knee, which was originally injured in the game against the Suns, was bruised again. David Robinson lay on the floor with his knees hugged. For a split second on the floor, David Robinson knew his season was over.

After David Robinson was injured again and was sent to the hospital, this game was undoubtedly a torture for the Spurs players. Without David Robinson, the Spurs could not limit O'Neal by relying on Duncan alone. In this game, O'Neal also exploded again. He made 21 of 13 shots and scored 35 points and 16 rebounds. In addition to O'Neal, Kobe also scored 31 points again in this game. There was also an episode in the final stage of the game. The Lakers' third leader, Glen Rice, was pushed to the bench again in this game, but in the final garbage time, Glen Rice refused to play. Glen Rice Finally, he couldn't bear the humiliation of Mayfair Jackson anymore. It is said that Glen Rice had a showdown with the Lakers after the game.

Meng Xu, who was exhausted in the previous game, in this game, in addition to his excellent defense, he was in no state on the offensive end. He only made 7 of 2 three-pointers and scored only 8 points in the game. Perhaps it was infected by Meng Xu's cold touch. Except for Avery Johnson who scored 16, none of the other Spurs players scored in double figures. Under such circumstances, even though Duncan scored 41 points and 21 In the end, the Spurs lost to the Lakers by a big score of 83 to 97 at home. After David Robinson stepped off the field, the Spurs did not take a lead in the game.

After the game, many Spurs players hurried to the hospital to visit David Robinson.According to the results of the hospital's examination, David Robinson will have to rest for at least a month, and he will definitely miss this round of the series.

After David Robinson's inspection results came out, almost all the media were unanimously pessimistic about the Spurs. Without David Robinson, it is basically impossible for Duncan, who is alone, to lead his team to defeat the mighty Lakers.

The fifth game between the Spurs and the Lakers at Staples Stadium on May 5 also confirmed this point. This battle of Tianwangshan is still without any suspense.In this game, Phil Jackson simply put Glen Rice on the injured list and didn't even give him a chance to sit on the sidelines.

The Lakers played very easily in this game. O'Neal and Kobe even played less than 35 minutes. After Glenn Rice's loss, the biggest beneficiary was Robert Hawley. Hawley only played 20 minutes in the regular season. Less playing time, and still as a substitute for AC Green and Glen Rice, and now, Robert Hawley has started two consecutive games, playing even more than 30 minutes, and Hawley performed well in these two games They are also very good. After scoring 17 points in the previous game, they scored 19 points again in this game.

Duncan, who played the whole game in the last game, played the whole game again after a day of rest, and did not show the slightest discomfort. In contrast, Meng Xu played more than 40 minutes in that game After that, I still feel a little tired in this game until today. The high-intensity and high-intensity confrontation in the playoffs is really tiring.Although Duncan made 35 of 19 shots in the game and scored a career-high 53 points and 17 rebounds, he was still unable to bring a victory to the Spurs. He made 13 of 2 three-pointers. With such a group of pig teammates, it is basically impossible for Duncan to win the game alone.After losing this game, the Spurs were also pushed to the edge of a cliff.

In the locker room of the visiting team, Duncan leaned against the door of the closet, looked up at the ceiling, wondering what he was thinking.

"Senior, it's all my fault." Seeing Duncan's disappointed and helpless eyes, Meng Xu also felt sad for a while, and at the same time blamed himself a little. If he could perform better in these two games, he wouldn't be like this now.

"Meng, it's not your fault, you are already good enough." Duncan stared at Meng Xu quietly: "We will make a comeback next season." The big score fell behind 3-2, and he lost his partner, and the most important Assistant David Robinson, in Duncan's mind, doesn't have any hope for this round of the series.

"As long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will not give up." Meng Xu also hoped that he could increase his strength quickly, but this hope has never been so urgent.

(End of this chapter)