The best teammates in the NBA

Chapter 453 God's Data (7500 word chapter)
The regular season of the 17-18 season is over, and naturally some people are happy and some are worried.

The records of the teams in the upper half of the Western Conference are showing a crushing trend, and the 4th to 8th places are in the sky.

Unlike the Eastern Conference, there are new faces in the Western Conference playoffs this year. The most surprising thing is that the Timberwolves finally withstood the pressure and successfully boarded the last train of the playoffs.

Talented basketball has finally fulfilled its talent after so many years, and Timberwolves fans celebrated wildly on the night of the 11th!
Jimmy Butler can definitely be called the team's number one tough guy. His record fluctuated at the end of the season, and he finally fought with injuries, helping the Timberwolves survive the most difficult stage.

Coach Thibodeau has indeed infused the team with an iron-blooded and tough temperament. In the final stage, he withstood the pressure and played a wave of 4 consecutive victories!

On the night of the 11th, the game could only be won but not lost. It was an overtime battle. Under heavy pressure, Jimmy Butler scored 21 of 10 and scored a team-high 31 points.

In overtime, they scored 7 points, helping the team secure the victory!

At 106:112, the Timberwolves at home won the Nuggets, with a final record of 45 wins and 37 losses, ranking eighth in the Western Conference.

On the evening of the 11th, the record rankings of the Eastern and Western League teams were also released:

The final standings of the Eastern Conference are as follows:
59胜的猛龙队、55胜的凯尔特人队、52胜的76人队、50胜的骑士队；
48-win Pacers, 44-win Heat, 44-win Bucks, 43-win Wizards.

The final record ranking of the Western Conference is as follows:
78-win Clippers, 63-win Rockets, 56-win Warriors, 47-win Trail Blazers;

46-win Thunder, 46-win Pelicans, 46-win Jazz, 45-win Timberwolves.

It is indeed worth celebrating to make the playoffs, but when they met the Clippers in the first round, the hearts of Timberwolves fans were mostly chilled.

Fans of the Trail Blazers are also complaining. Even if they pass the first round and encounter the Clippers in the semifinals, there is simply no way out!
There is not much time left for the teams to adjust. On the 14th, the first round of the playoffs will officially start, and the Clippers will have a three-day rest.

On the morning of April 4th, when the fans of America were still immersed in the Clippers' record of 12 wins, the NBA announced the data leader of this season:
During the regular season, he played 78 games and averaged 16.0 rebounds per game. Andre Drummond of the Pistons was elected as the rebounding leader again;
Anthony Davis, who played nearly full attendance in 75 games this season, also showed his talent, averaging 2.6 blocks per game, and won the block leader this season;

The data in the selection of the assist king is very close. In the end, Li Ze, who played 82 games and averaged 10.4 assists per game, won this award again;

There was also a strong contender for the steals king. In the end, Li Ze defeated Oladipo with an average of 2.5 steals per game and was successfully elected as the steals king this season;

There is no suspense about the scoring champion. Li Ze, who played 82 games in the regular season, performed very steadily.

In the end, with an average performance of 38.8 points per game, Li Ze once again crushed all players in the league and became the scoring leader for 8 consecutive years!

And the 8 consecutive scoring champions also surpassed the record of 7 consecutive scoring champions set by Michael Jordan, which is the only one in history!

On the morning of the 12th, in the press conference hall of the Intuit Dome, Li Ze, who was dressed in a light gray suit, took a photo with four crystal trophies in front of him with a smile on his face.

In addition to scoring, assists, and steals, the league also awarded the Player of the Month awards for March and April to Li Ze
Photos were first shown on the official INS of the Clippers:

"GOAT! (Goat.jpg) (Crown.jpg) #神记录# ClipperNation"

In the TNT program, naturally these small awards were also discussed, but when the director showed Li Ze's data on the big screen behind him, the four of them could only shake their heads and smile wryly.

17~18赛季，李泽打满82场比赛，场均出场31.1分钟，场均拿到38.8分7.1篮板10.4助攻2.5抢断0.7盖帽；

He averaged 17.4 shots per game, shooting 78.0% from the field, 8.3 shots from beyond the three-point line, 73.0% from three-pointers, 5.7 free throws per game, and 100% from free throws.

Hit 490 three-pointers in a single season, the only one in history!

Scored 7 clubs for 180 consecutive seasons, the only one in history!

Apart from these two big records, there are countless other combinations of small records.

Basically, all the records about scoring have Li Ze
"No matter how many times I watch it, I will still be shocked. Is this really a data that humans can produce?"

Kenny Smith looked at the data on the big screen and could only sigh.

The host Ernie Johnson turned around to look at the data, and then praised:
"What I want to praise is Kayce's consistency, the long regular season, and some players can also play such data when they break out."

"But Kayce can contribute this performance every game, which is really incredible!"

O'Neill smiled and gave his own point of view:

"The Clippers' new arena has also helped a lot. There are no late-night games, and there is no intensive schedule of 7 games in 5 days, so that the team and players can adjust calmly."

"I never doubted Kayce's physical ability. I'm sure that even if he averaged 50 points per game, it would not be difficult for Kayce."

Although Charles Barkley didn't send out words of praise, he didn't continue to poison the Timberwolves:

"Kayce's data is worthy of 78 wins. I feel sorry for the Timberwolves boys. They have just entered the playoffs and encountered such an opponent. I hope it will not affect their confidence."

The host Ernie Johnson saw that his old partner hadn't played against him, so he couldn't help but joke a few words:
"Chuck, haven't you always been optimistic about the Timberwolves?"

"Basketball is round, everything is possible, maybe the boys have a chance to perform a miracle!"

Charles Barkley shook his head helplessly and grinned at the camera:
"There is no miracle! The god of basketball will not give any chance to the opponent. If the Clippers have another record of 16 wins and 0 losses in the playoffs, I will not be surprised."

"."

No one, except Minnesota fans, believed the Timberwolves would be able to take the next step.

Other awards this season will continue to be announced at the awards ceremony at the end of June.

However, Amelia's sports media all know that the MVP is no longer in suspense. With the blessing of 78 wins, Li Ze will win the sixth MVP trophy in his career!

The Clippers' record and Li Ze's data attracted a lot of attention, and even the playoffs were affected for a while. After all, the strength gap in the first round of the game is too large, and it is really difficult for the home team to win.

On the night of April 4th, there were 14 games in total, Pelicans vs Warriors, Jazz vs Rockets; Wizards vs Raptors, Heat vs 4ers.

The predictions given by America's football critics are naturally one-sided, and the teams in the upper half will win!
The result of the game was also as everyone expected. The stronger teams in the upper half did not overturn.

101:123, the Warriors beat the Pelicans.

Although Stephen Curry was out due to injury, Durant and Klay combined for 53 points to help the Warriors beat their opponents.

96:110, the Rockets beat the Jazz.

Rudy Gobert became a toy in the Rockets' backcourt. Coupled with the inaccurate outside line, the new Mitchell was taught a lesson.

胡子球手彻底爆发，26中12，三分线外12中7，罚球11中10，高效砍下41分8篮板7助攻1抢断3失误的数据。

Two games in the Eastern Conference, 106:114, the Raptors at home successfully defeated their opponents;
At 103:130, Embiid truce due to injury, and under the leadership of Ben Simmons, the 76ers beat the Heat.

17 points, 9 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals and 5 turnovers. Although he is still a rookie in the playoffs, he is talented and can do whatever he wants. The newcomer Simmons blasted the Heat's backcourt!
On the first day of the game, there was no down-and-up situation, and the teams in the upper half showed absolute dominance.

Everyone in the Timberwolves had already flown to Los Angeles at this time, and everyone watched the first round of the playoffs at the hotel.

Looking at Simmons, who is killing all directions, Towns and Wiggins, who are also known for their talents, both have lemons in their hearts.
In the past few days, the coaching staff did not arrange tactical adjustments. Thibodeau just sent out chicken soup dryly, and did not emphasize the matter of winning.

Daily training, returning to the hotel to take video lessons, several new Timberwolves feel that the playoffs seem to be no different from the regular season, and even want to go back to the room to play two games after watching the game
Looking at the indifferent faces of Downs and Wiggins, before returning to the room, Jimmy Butler couldn't help but warn:

"Hey! We worked so hard to get to the playoffs, show your attitude, we have a chance to win!"

The afro-haired Jimmy Butler looked a little fierce, and Downs, who had already got up, naturally agreed, and Wiggins agreed, but his face showed a surprised expression:

"This guy doesn't really want to win, does he!?"

Jimmy Butler was angry when he saw Wiggins' expression.

Jeff Teague is on the sidelines as a peacemaker. He doesn't want to see the playoffs have not yet been played, and the team is fighting first:
"Jimmy, relax, everyone wants to win, we will play hard!"

Jimmy Butler pushed away the chair, ignored everyone, and turned back to his room, but he still muttered:

"I can't win a game with a bunch of jerks, damn attitude!"

The newcomers looked at each other, but Derrick Rose and Ty Jipson understood Butler very well, he just wanted to win more.

After leaving the Cavaliers, Derrick Rose finally chose to accept the call of Thibodeau's head coach and came to the Timberwolves to play as a substitute.

"Take a good rest and watch less boring reports on social media. The playoffs are a new beginning."

Ross comforted the newcomers with a voice, and quickly turned away. They are all adults, and it is useless to talk too much.

On the morning of the 15th, after the routine training ended, America's sports media began to interview everyone in the Timberwolves.

Naturally, Towns and Wiggins have attracted much attention. Both of them were born as No. [-] picks, and the people who eat melons in America like players with outstanding talents.

This kind of routine interview is naturally for business mutual bragging:

"The Clippers are the defending champions, and our goal is to protect the home court."

"Kayce is a true GOAT and I'm excited to play against him in the playoffs."

"The Clippers also have great talent, Paul George and Jokic are seriously underrated"

From the head coach to the players, no one mentioned tonight's victory or defeat. After all, the basic data gap between the two teams is a bit large.

Jimmy Butler has been simmering in his heart since he came to Los Angeles. He played through injuries and brought the team into the playoffs. Now everyone is satisfied.
This routine mentality of completing tasks made Jimmy Butler regret his choice. In his opinion, if he can't go all out to win, then the playoffs will be meaningless.

"The Clippers are strong. They won 78 games in the regular season, but we are on the same starting line in the playoffs!"

"This is the first time I have played against Kayce in the playoffs. I know you don't like me, but tonight I will limit him, I will show my strength, and I will lead the team to win the game!"

When interviewed by a TNT reporter, Jimmy Butler was not interested in business, and set a flag for himself
Noticing that "You don't really want to win?" expression on Wiggins' face again, Jimmy Butler almost turned his head to output his teammates.

The surrounding Amerika Sports media also realized that Jimmy Butler has been in the Eastern Conference for the past few years, and he really has no chance to play against Li Ze in the playoffs.

It's rare to see a player brag about wanting to limit Li Ze, and everyone booed accordingly, praising Jimmy Butler as a real tough guy!
It's just that the expression of schadenfreude on the sports media's face made Jimmy Butler very annoyed:
"Why do you all look down on me?"

"."

The Intuit Dome ushered in the first show of the playoffs, and the Clippers uniform team made great efforts this year to provide fans present with a cheering T-shirt in retro colors.

When the Clippers won their first championship, the team was equipped with red cheering T-shirts at home. This year, they have the opportunity to achieve 6 consecutive championships and regain the red color, which can be regarded as an echo from beginning to end.

The game officially kicked off at 20:[-] that night. The Clippers have been steadily preparing at home in the past few days.

The advantage of having your own arena is that you don't have to toss around for training. In terms of time, the training efficiency has been greatly improved.

The Clippers usually warm up in advance at 16:30 in the afternoon, and this habit has not changed in the playoffs.

After more than half an hour of simple activities, the sports media blocked Li Ze.

Facing weaker opponents in the first round, Li Ze was really in no mood to brag about his business, so he didn't give too many interviews these days.

ESPN's sports reporter relayed Jimmy Butler's words emphatically. Li Ze looked at this behavior of the microphone, nodded with a smile, and then simply responded:

"I like Jimmy Butler's fighting spirit! Looking forward to tonight's game!"

Seeing that Li Ze didn't say much, the sports media in Los Angeles hurriedly asked again:

"Kayce, what do you want to say to Jimmy Butler? This is your first playoff game."

Li Ze signaled that he would continue to warm up, took the ball, and gave the answer with a smile:

"It's sure to be an unforgettable experience, welcome to the Western Conference playoffs!"

"."

At 19:30 in the evening, the Intuit Dome was full of seats, and the tickets for the playoffs had already been sold out. Many fans entered the venue with slogans tonight:

"Clippers in Four!"

The young Timberwolves can naturally feel the fiery atmosphere of the scene. When the DJ introduces them to the stage, many people also feel a little nervous.

Several veterans look calm, but everyone is not in the mood to comfort Mengxin, they can only fight hard for tonight's game!

When the arena was dark and all the lights gathered in the center of the field, the sound waves on the scene became louder and louder, and everyone from the Clippers came on stage one after another.

Li Ze came out at the end, and simply bumped his fists with his teammates, and then accepted the cheers from the fans with a smile on his face.

On the Timberwolves bench, Jimmy Butler's eyes almost turned green with envy. The huge noise at the scene gave him a feeling of returning to the college game.

Steve Ballmer also wore a red cheering T-shirt tonight. The old man was sitting in front of the "wall of sound" designed by the arena. He liked the lively atmosphere.

In the TNT broadcast booth, Reggie Miller showed a look of amazement, and lamented the design of the arena:

"This magnifies the energy of the home team. It is definitely not good news for the visiting team. I hope the young players of the Timberwolves can withstand the pressure."

Commentator Kevin Harlan looked at the starting rosters of both sides and began to pray in his heart that the game would not take too early:
"The Timberwolves didn't put Rose in the starting job.

"Tonight is still Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler partnering in the backcourt, and the frontcourt three are Andrew Wiggins, Taj Gipson, and Karl-Anthony Towns."

Reggie Miller is not optimistic about the Timberwolves, but for the game information, he simply added:
"Coach Thibodeau likes the shortened rotation, and I believe the Timberwolves still have a chance to win the game."

"."

The game is about to start, and the head coach De Nagro has already started the trusteeship state. Before playing, Li Ze simply told Jaylen Brown:

"Don't cut the ball easily, defend well, don't be nervous, this is only the first round of the game."

Jaylen Brown nodded excitedly, and the tension in his heart gradually dissipated. After all, he won the championship with the team last year, and he was also a player who witnessed the big scene.

Jokic greeted everyone in the Timberwolves with a smile, but found that everyone looked at him seriously, and finally he could only come to the middle circle boringly, ready to jump the ball.

"Let's go Clippers! Let's go Clippers! Let's go Clippers!"

Amidst the loud cheers from the fans, the ball was thrown high, and Towns struggled to take off. Soon he realized that he seemed to be jumping too early.
Jokic, who saw the right time, took advantage of the situation, and the ball fell into the hands of Paul George on his side precisely.

Reggie Miller quickly sensed that Lee didn't ask for the ball, but signaled for Paul George to dribble across half court.

As soon as he came to the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line, Li Ze immediately turned his back to ask for the ball. Jimmy Butler didn't dare to stick to the defense immediately, so he could only subconsciously lower the defensive center of gravity, and then stared at Li Ze's movements.

After Li Ze received the pass, Jokic stood near the baseline on the left side, Paul George stood on the left flank at the top of the arc, and Harris and Jaylen Brown were in the left and right corners.

With a simple and rough tactic, Jimmy Butler naturally realized that Li Ze was going to play singles. Taking advantage of Li Ze's turn and facing the frame to attack, he quickly adjusted his defensive focus again.

I thought there would be a three-threat move to test the defense, but Li Ze immediately released the ball with his right hand after facing the frame, and then accelerated his breakthrough against the defense.

Jimmy Butler was slightly stunned, and subconsciously slid to the left rear, and soon he found himself being crushed into the paint area.
There was no time to reach out to block the shot. Li Ze, who broke through from the tank, approached the basket and jumped with both feet, shouldering Jimmy Butler beside him, and finally tilted his body, and hit the board with his right hand to pick the basket!
"Bang!" He made a steady hit on the layup!
The Clippers fans at the scene cheered loudly, and the first point of the Intuit Dome playoffs was born!

Li Ze, who scored the goal, just smiled slightly. To him, this kind of defense is no different from a piece of paper. It can be broken in one bucket.

One-on-one quilt alone, Jimmy Butler cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

There was a huge defensive sound in the arena. Jeff Teague signaled for a low-post tactic.

As an experienced veteran, Gibson immediately executed tactics, crossing screens in the three-second zone, trying to switch Harris behind Towns.

The screen did work, but Jeff Teague missed the pass in time, allowing Jokic to switch back behind Towns.

After receiving the pass from the low post on the right, Towns found himself squeezed almost to the right block
Facing Jokic's defense, Towns tried to use his speed to complete the offense, and put the ball with his left hand, so he hit the frame twice.

Realizing that he didn't push the defense, Towns suddenly twisted his body forward, rushed up in three big strides, came to the paint area, and hit Jokic's block with a backward throw.
"state!"

The ball just hit the back edge of the basket, and Jokic, who turned around, grabbed the rebound and then slammed the ball vigorously, and the ball flew straight to the Timberwolves half.

Jeff Teague is not a rookie in the playoffs either. Naturally, he returned to defense immediately. After Jaylen Brown caught the ball, he took the initiative to slow down this cute newcomer.

The first line of defense played a role. The Timberwolves retreated to halftime in time, allowing the Clippers to fall back into the offensive position.

Towns naturally has his own advantages. As a big center, his speed is very fast, and he has already returned to the basket at this time.

At the top of the arc, Jaylen Brown saw that there was no good opportunity, and immediately gave the ball to Li Ze on the left wing, then cut in without the ball in the middle, and quickly ran to the right corner.

At this time, everyone in the Timberwolves has completed the defensive matchup. Compared with the past, Coach Thibodeau has indeed changed the defensive attitude of the players.

Jimmy Butler noticed that the Clippers still seemed to be playing singles. While lowering the defensive focus, he beckoned to Towns behind him.

The Timberwolves have also been prepared for a long time. Facing Li Ze's breakthrough, no one will always defend single-handedly.

Protecting the ball sideways, Li Ze sensed that there was no attack on the upper line with the ball in his right hand. Facing Butler's defense, he suddenly blasted the ball vigorously on the spot, turned around quickly, and after catching the ball with his left hand, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and accelerated his breakthrough.

The huge stride allowed Li Ze to easily grab half of his body, cut in at 45 degrees, and completely stuck Jimmy Butler at his side.

Towns only felt that Li Ze had reached the left block in the blink of an eye. At this time, he didn't care about Jokic on the free throw line, and subconsciously retreated to the basket.

At the same time, Gibson also let go of Harris in the right corner, and immediately shrunk to the three-second zone. The Timberwolves showed excellent defensive flexibility at this time.

Li Ze, who broke through to the left block position, did not slow down. He came to the bottom left of the basket and soared into the air. Facing the blockade of the three, he glided to the bottom right of the basket in the air.

While the three of them were falling, Li Ze curled up, and finally twisted his left wrist, the ball hit the backboard and bounced neatly into the basket!

"God! Unbelievable, Kayce defied gravity, how did he get the ball in the basket?"

The narrator Kevin Harlan couldn't see how Li Ze got out of the encirclement of the three, and subconsciously exclaimed.

After landing, Towns had a question mark on his face. Although this situation will be encountered in regular season matches, every time he sees such a large drawbar, he will feel a sense of frustration in his heart.

"Nice try, maybe you should double-team me on the line!"

When retreating, Li Ze also smiled and sent encouragement. This kind of three-person defense is indeed very interesting!
Jimmy Butler did not lose his defensive position, but the Timberwolves had a communication problem and failed to form an effective defense in the end.
Jimmy Butler subconsciously took a deep breath, and kept sending himself psychological hints:

"There is still a lot of time! We can win!"

Jeff Teague dribbles across half court, but this time instead of a direct handoff, he hits a high pick-and-roll at the top of the key.

Realizing that he couldn't get rid of Jaylen Brown's defense, Jeff Teague broke through to the inside, then walked around, and finally gave the ball to Wiggins on the right wing.

The latter received the pass and put the ball with his right hand. Wiggins quickly broke through to the right block against Paul George's defense.

Suddenly dribbled the ball behind his back while walking, Wiggins made a quick stop and swayed slightly to free up his shot space, and finally completed a quick stop jumper against the defense!

The ball brushed out of the box, Harris withstood Gibson's rush, successfully protected the backcourt rebound, and then immediately accelerated with the ball.

Jimmy Butler stepped forward for the first time to prevent the Clippers from getting up easily and was defended. Harris took advantage of the opportunity to throw the ball to Li Ze, who was accelerating along the left sideline.

"Defend! Help defend!"

Coach Thibodeau was still yelling from the sidelines, signaling to complete the defensive matchup quickly.

Li Ze had already crossed the half court at this time, and Towns, who was patronizing the retreat, heard the coach's shout, and hurriedly moved to the three-point line.

Li Ze, the right winger, had already started to slow down, and he was still a big step away from the three-point line. He suddenly stopped suddenly during the march, and then he pulled it up and threw it!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

With exaggerated shooting range and smooth counterattack, the Intuit Dome was filled with cheers from the Clippers fans.

0:7, Li Ze, who scored 7 points in a row, was in a good mood. When he retreated, he raised his hands high and signaled everyone to continue to increase the volume.

"It was too fast. If the Timberwolves want to win this game, they can't let the Clippers score easily."

"Don't forget that Kayce is also a historical three-point shooter. The Timberwolves can't make such low-level mistakes again."

Reggie Miller cheerfully helped the Timberwolves with ideas on the bench.

In his view, the Clippers' offense is impeccable, everyone can push the ball forward, and everyone can fire from beyond the three-point line.

"Head coach Thibodeau should make it clear who is the core of the offense. At this time, he should give the ball to the most confident player. What the Timberwolves have to do is to score as soon as possible."

Watching Jeff Teague also join in the fun and throw irons, the commentator Kevin Harlan couldn't hold back and sprayed a few words.

After trying in turn, only Jimmy Butler hadn't made a shot. In the past 2 minutes, most of him followed the turn and ran.
In the next few minutes, Jaylen Brown completely relaxed. This is indeed no different from the regular season. The Clippers can continue to score points step by step.

The Timberwolves also scored some points, but they soon found that the gap could not be caught up.
第1节比赛还剩6分17秒，进入到官方暂停时间，场上比分定格在6:17，快船队已经领先了11分。

In the Intuit Dome, the Clippers fans began to dance to the music, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.

Jimmy Butler, who was still bluffing twice before the game, returned to the bench without saying a word. After Li Ze scored 7 points in a row, he fished in front of him
This feeling of being ignored set Butler on fire, but then he realized that he was impotent and furious.

No one spoke, and coach Thibodeau is not very good at chicken soup, so he can only talk about tactical adjustments dryly. As for how much he listened to, no one knows
When the timeout ended, coach Thibodeau didn't say anything more. He just looked at the five championship banners above the arena and suddenly had a lemon in his heart:

"If there were no injuries back then, maybe I would have become a champion coach."

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(End of this chapter)