NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

The Lakers, or rather Lin Tian, ​​are true to their word.

During halftime of the first game, Lin Tian told Kobe and Durant that in the next game, they should play as Kobe suggested: compete on intensity and defense, see who can bite harder, who can withstand fierce confrontation, and who is more ruthless.

The Lakers did exactly that in the second game.

The tone was set by Jackson, who believed that the second game was the best opportunity to increase the intensity of the competition and improve defense.

This is the Lakers' home court, so their defensive actions can be amplified to some extent, and the referees will more or less favor them.

After the first game, the Lakers were fully in form and were eager to get revenge in the second game, having suffered a setback in the first game.

Morale, form, home advantage, and team configuration are all thanks to me, so what makes you think you can compete with me?

If the Grizzlies controlled the tempo and dominated the game for most of the first game of the series, then the Lakers completely took control of the second game.

This time, however, they chose to dominate the game through defense and positional warfare!
Don't you like slow things and confrontation?

Then I'll grant your wish!
In this game, both sides played at a very slow pace, and the combined fast break points were only 12, with very few fast breaks in total.

However, the Lakers still had the upper hand in the Grizzlies' favorite and most proficient slow-paced half-court offense!

Because the Lakers can also defend, they have considerable defensive capabilities, and in addition to their strong defense, they also have some of the league's top firepower.

With top-tier performance on both offense and defense, the Lakers are certainly not an opponent like the Grizzlies, who have a severe imbalance in their strengths, and they cannot be stopped by them.

78: 87!

Ultimately, neither side scored 90 points, a typical Grizzlies-style pace.

In the end, however, the Lakers won by a margin of 9 points!

It seems that a 9-point lead is significantly less than the previous 20+ point victory, and the Lakers appear to be facing much more difficulties.

Anyone who watched the game knows that the Grizzlies had almost no chance of fighting back from start to finish; they were constantly being pressured and pressured!

One simple, intuitive statistic can illustrate just how desperate this game was for the Grizzlies.

Although they ultimately lost by only 9 points, they only led once throughout the entire game, in the first 40 seconds when they scored the first point. From then on, they never took the lead again, and they never even tied the score once!
Furthermore, the total number of minutes in the entire game where the score difference between the two sides was within 5 points was only 4 minutes!

其中3分23秒来自于比赛的前4分钟，剩下差不多40秒则是第一节比赛的最后40秒。

For the remainder of the time, the score difference between the two sides was greater than 5 points!
This kind of gap, which is visible and tangible but impossible to close, is enough to make people despair. For players, this kind of game, where there is always a glimmer of hope but no matter what they do, they can't grasp it, which can make them feel so frustrated and upset that they want to cry.

But that's just how the Lakers are; they didn't pull away much tonight, and no matter how hard the Grizzlies tried, they couldn't close the gap.

The psychological impact of this game on the Grizzlies players is at least 10 times greater than that of the first game.

After the first game, the Grizzlies players looked angry and confident. They felt they hadn't lost, that the series was long, and that there were plenty of opportunities to turn things around.

They felt that they only had a few points and details that they hadn't done well, and that if they continued to improve in the next game and put in some effort, they might be able to win.

But after the second game, the situation was completely different.

The Grizzlies players, who lost by 9 points, had expressions of utter despair, hopelessness, and a sense of utter utter dread on their faces. They were all silent and bewildered.

The pace they want, the scale they prefer, the style they're good at.

But in the end, they were completely outmatched by the Lakers.

This kind of blow is too strong for them.

This self-doubt among the Grizzlies players persisted all the way to Memphis.

When they returned to their home ground, the situation did not improve at all; in fact, it got worse.

In this game, the Lakers started playing fast again!

The run-and-gun tactic centered around Lin Tian has been put back into play.

Grab rebounds, launch fast breaks, make quick passes, run the whole team at full speed, and look for opportunities to shoot during transitions between offense and defense.

The Lakers played like they did during Showtime, just like their predecessors!
They established their lead from the first quarter and maintained it for four consecutive quarters.

In the four quarters, the Lakers won by 8, 12, 11 and 2 points respectively!
After three quarters, the Lakers had a 31-point lead, which completely secured their victory. They turned the entire fourth quarter into garbage time and silenced the entire city of Memphis.

Grizzlies fans came to the arena full of hope and dreams of defeating their strong opponents to cheer for their team, but they were beaten so badly that they couldn't even cheer. The entire arena was in a state of complete lack of passion for a long time.

The fans were truly stunned.

The fans were stunned, so how could the players fare any better?
They watched as the Lakers players ran frantically, constantly shooting and launching counterattacks, unleashing a fluid and relentless offensive display.

They were powerless; they simply couldn't keep up!

In particular, the Lakers once fielded a true small-ball or five-foreign lineup during this game.

Durant, Kobe, Lin Tian, ​​Barnes, and Terry!
With three guards and two forwards, the Lakers completely overwhelmed the Grizzlies when they brought out this lineup midway through the second quarter!

This lineup has five players who can dribble the ball and advance quickly, pass the ball, and shoot.

This lineup has five players who are all incredibly accurate, with four of them capable of one-on-one shooting with the ball.

This lineup, with its exceptional ball control, can almost seamlessly launch counter-attacks time and time again.

Especially when Durant, Kobe, and Lin Tian took turns rebounding and held their own, preventing the Grizzlies from being overwhelmed on the boards due to a lack of interior strength, the Grizzlies were completely powerless against the Lakers' all-out offensive lineup.

They were completely destroyed!

The game became garbage time from the fourth quarter onwards, and the Grizzlies players looked increasingly miserable sitting on the sidelines.

Silence, blankness, emptiness, confusion, doubt...

The Grizzlies were completely crushed by the Lakers.

And it wasn't just the players who looked pained and confused; the coaching staff was the same. The head coach was helpless; he had no way to stop the team's crushing defeat.

120: 87!

The Grizzlies suffered a crushing 33-point defeat, falling into a 0-3 deficit in the series.

They were cornered by the Lakers, and everyone could see that they were powerless to fight back and had no chance to retaliate.

The fourth game of the series became a mere formality, with the Grizzlies offering little resistance and the Lakers not pressing them hard enough to win.

The intensity of the match clearly decreased, and both sides improved their shooting percentages, resulting in a very gentlemanly game.

This can be considered as the Lakers giving the Grizzlies a final bit of face.

111: 107!

The Grizzlies lost the game by 4 points, and with that, the series.

Their season is over.

Although they broke team history by reaching the divisional semifinals for the first time, their semifinal journey was anything but memorable.

"Throughout the series, the Grizzlies only played well for two and a half quarters. For the rest of the time, they were like helpless children, being humiliated and completely dominated by the Lakers." After the game, Van Gundy once again gave a simple and direct summary.

Lacking playoff experience, the Grizzlies paid the price of growth, becoming the first team to be eliminated in the semifinals.

However, they were not alone, because the Grizzlies only waited one day before finding their fellow sufferers who could join them in ending the season together.

Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers, also young and inexperienced, faced the Cavaliers, currently the strongest team in the East, and were similarly overwhelmed. After all, they barely managed to advance in the first round after giving it their all and practically fighting tooth and nail.

As we all know, there are only three truly strong teams in the East, and the rest are all weak teams. The Pacers, a team that barely made it through a battle of weak teams, naturally won't be able to cause any trouble when they face the Eastern Conference champions.

4: 0!

The Cavaliers seemed to be going head-to-head with the Lakers next door, easily sweeping their opponents out of the game just like the Lakers.

And it's the second round in a row!
So far in the playoffs, both the Lakers and the Cavaliers have a playoff record of 8-0!

The strength of these two teams is evident!
The other two matches were fairly evenly matched.

In the East, the dark horse Heat faced the Bobcats, who were missing both Rose and Yao Ming. However, the Heat did not gain much advantage against the Bobcats, who were missing two key players.

They are too young, their roster needs adjustments, and their players need to improve.

However, the Bobcats are indeed lacking in strength. They can only rely on Boozer and Lin to attack and act as the core of the team. One of them is older and the other younger, so they are really not up to par.

This matchup was jokingly referred to by everyone as the 'pinnacle of noobs pecking at each other'.

Although everyone could tell they were bad, the two teams played incredibly excitingly, with everything from long-range three-pointers and fast breaks to one-on-one plays and high-flying dunks.

The problem is that the technical skill level and the excitement of the competition are lacking.

"There's no better show of mediocre teams fighting each other than this." That's Barkley's summary of this round of games.

The two teams, neither of which seemed particularly strong, fought a close battle in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In the end, the series returned to Charlotte.

Game 7!

The Bobcats, playing at home, lost this game.

They lost because their star players weren't good enough. Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer, who is over 30, simply didn't have the ability to carry the team in this kind of game.

As for the Heat, although they are still immature and have many problems, Curry has indeed gradually shown the style of a top star.

Especially in this year's playoffs, he was officially promoted to the team's number one scorer starting from the second half of the first round, with Spoelstra giving him unlimited shooting rights and the right to shoot anywhere.

He can shoot anytime, anywhere, from any position.

Curry did not disappoint his head coach's trust. Since the playoffs began, he has averaged 28 points per game, ranking first on the team, and has also made 4 three-pointers per game with a 47% three-point shooting percentage. Curry's firepower has been completely ignited.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, he went even further, averaging over 30 points per game in the series. Regardless of the quality of his opponents, no one would underestimate him if he could achieve this statistic in the conference semifinals.

The final Game 7 became nothing more than an exhibition game for Curry.

He made 14 of 24 field goals, including 8 of 15 three-pointers, and 8 of 8 free throws, racking up a well-rounded stat line of 44 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. In the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, when the score was extremely close, Curry stepped up and hit three three-pointers in 100 seconds, completely crushing the Bobcats!
Thanks to Curry's explosive performance in the final moments, the Heat won Game 7 and advanced from the road!

They made it to the division finals as they had hoped!

And the name Stephen Curry officially entered the public eye starting from this series!

A genius guard who can change the course and style of basketball!
The true future's number one point guard.

A completely new type of league.

A super shooter who made the three-pointer a regular weapon.

The God of War is destined to break the curse that marksmen cannot lead their teams to victory.

……

All sorts of praise are already being eagerly adorning Curry.

Regardless of whether he can ultimately achieve these goals or fulfill the hopes placed upon him by others, Curry is certain to unleash a storm with his playing style, appearance, and unique approach!
Of course, what many people didn't notice was that while Curry was enjoying great success and receiving a lot of praise and compliments, Beasley, who was still the team's absolute core player during the regular season, wasn't very happy.

His mindset was somewhat unbalanced.

We always see the new bride laughing, but when have we ever heard the old bride crying?
In the East, one match went to a Game 7 while the other ended in a sweep. In the West, it seemed as if they had planned it all along, with both matches ending in the same result.

The Lakers swept their way to the conference finals, while the Mavericks and Warriors went to a decisive Game 7.

These two teams are completely different from the Heat and Bobcats. The Mavericks and Warriors are recognized as top teams with the potential to contend for the championship. Their rosters are star-studded, with LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, and LaMarcus Aldridge all being top stars in their prime.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have star players like Ray Allen, Andrew Bogut, and Mo Williams to support them. As I said before, if it weren't for the infighting in the middle of the season and the time wasted on team integration after the trade, which led to more losses, the Lakers' first place in the West would not have been so easy.

The Warriors have now shaken off the shadow of being crushed by the Lakers at the end of the season, and they have completely found their rhythm after the first round of the playoffs.

This series against the Mavericks is widely regarded as the most exciting matchup of this round of playoffs!
With a plethora of top-tier stars, a well-developed and excellent team system, a clearly defined core, and role players fulfilling their respective duties, coupled with the fact that both sides' key players are middle-aged players in their prime, this matchup is sure to be incredibly exciting.

An absolute battle of the highest order.

Once the game started, neither side disappointed. If the Bobcats vs. Heat matchup was more exciting than thrilling, then the Mavericks vs. Warriors matchup was truly packed with every element!

Let's see who has the last laugh.

In the first six games of the series, the two sides were evenly matched, with each game ending in a 3-3 tie!

In the first six games, both sides seemed unable to defend each other. For the Mavericks, James averaged 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists per game in the first six games, showing incredible versatility. Nowitzki averaged 27 points and 8 rebounds, making him the team's second-leading scorer.

In addition, Allen and Mo Williams scored 14 and 13 points respectively per game, and Bogut averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. All five starters of the Mavericks are averaging double-digit points per game!
The Warriors were equally impressive, with Aldridge leading the team's scoring in this series. His average of 26 points and 12 rebounds per game made many realize that they had been underestimating this unassuming big man all along.

Paul's stats of 24 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals are equally impressive, showcasing his all-around abilities. More importantly, he only committed 8 turnovers in 6 games, averaging just 1.3 turnovers per game. Considering his 12 assists, this assist-to-turnover ratio is absolutely phenomenal!
Besides the Warriors' star duo inside and outside, Chandler also had an outstanding performance in this round, averaging 15 points and 13 rebounds with a terrifying 77% field goal percentage. Under Paul's feeding tactic, he repeatedly found opportunities for direct alley-oop dunks, making the Mavericks extremely annoyed.

Other players like Gay and Redick also performed admirably. On the offensive end, the Warriors withstood the combined attack of James and Nowitzki, and fought the Mavericks all the way to a decisive Game 7!
In this game, the Mavericks finally demonstrated the importance of having just a tiny bit more wins than the Warriors in the regular season.

The game was held in Dallas! The Mavericks, with home-court advantage, faced the Warriors' challenge.

As soon as the match started, both sides immediately got into the game.

James drove to the basket and slammed home a dunk, and Paul immediately set a screen and found Chandler, who had been left out, assisting the rim-running master to take off and retaliate.

Then Nowitzki hit a mid-range jumper, and Aldridge then showcased his touch from almost the same spot.

During the decisive Game 7, both sides completely forgot about the pressure and that it was a duel. At this moment, both sides unleashed their full potential and brought out their strongest side.

The score was neck and neck, with both sides trading baskets, it was incredibly close!

In the first three quarters of the game, the Mavericks won by 3 points in the first quarter and 2 points in the third quarter, while the Warriors won by 7 points in the second quarter thanks to a surge in the second quarter.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the gap between the two teams was a mere 2 points!
Furthermore, those two points disappeared just 12 seconds into the game, during James's incredible dunk as he once again stormed into the paint.

With 11 minutes and 40 seconds remaining in the race, both teams were back on the same starting line! (End of Chapter)