NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Even the Pistons, even though they are known as the toughest, most courageous and most resilient team in the league, even though their defense, unity and balance are first-class in the entire history of the league.

But when the team was trailing 3:0 and trying their best to defend, the Pistons still collapsed in the third game after Lin Tian scored 15 points in a single game with 15 shots out of 40.

Their mentality can no longer hold up, and their fighting spirit can no longer hold up.

Even though Brown repeatedly used words like defending the title, the dignity of the Motor City, and never say die to motivate them, and even Dumars brought in two big thugs, Laimer and Mahorn, to teach the team, hoping to help them regain their confidence and strength.

But it's totally useless!

In the fourth game of the series, when the team met the Knicks again, the Pistons players still failed to put up any effective resistance.

Morale is something that is gone once it is gone.

If you want to get it back, it’s definitely not something that can be done overnight.

It may even be difficult for the Pistons to find their confidence by next season. They may be trembling when they see the Knicks for a long time to come.

It's really scary!
99: 90!

Game 10 of the series became the final game of this round of the series. Although the scores of both sides were not high, although the rhythm was still in the hands of the Pistons, and although the difference between the two sides was within points most of the time.

But if you watched this game, and watched it from the perspective of a Pistons fan, then you would definitely not feel it was a pity or a narrow defeat.

All Pistons fans will feel despair after watching this game.

Extremely desperate!
Although the pace of the game was slow, although the shooting percentages of both sides were not high, although everything was what the Pistons wanted.

But throughout the entire game, the Pistons only led once, which was 2:0 at the start!

Since then, they have never led for even 1 second! Although it seems that everything belongs to them and is what they want, the Knicks can hold on to their advantage and make it impossible for the Pistons to overtake the score no matter how hard they try.

The Pistons were closest to victory when there were 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and they narrowed the gap to just 3 points!
But in the next 3 minutes, the Knicks suddenly exploded and they launched a 14:0 offensive climax!
Led by Lin Tian, ​​with Stoudemire and Anthony as their assistants, these three people took turns shooting, and they hit the target every time during this period. They easily tore apart the little hope that the Pistons had finally seen!

This kind of almost terrifying suppression, this cat-and-mouse style of play, this way of almost playing, teasing and teasing you, and quickly pulling away from you as soon as you get close, the blow and impact on a team is definitely more despairing than winning a game against them by 30 points.

This is a feeling of being completely controlled and unable to escape, which is also the reason for the despair of all the Pistons players and the reason why it may cast a shadow on the Knicks.

I really can’t beat him.

In this game, Lin Tian, ​​as expected, got a triple-double for the 12th consecutive game. Although he only scored 3 points, 24 rebounds and 12 assists that night, all his points came at the most crucial moments. In this game, Lin Tian gave people the feeling that I just exerted my strength, why did you fall down?
He led the team to win the game easily in an almost paddling manner!
The Knicks officially became the Eastern Conference champions this season after this night! What they have to wait for next is the winner between the Suns and the Lakers!

One of these two teams will become the Knicks' opponent in the finals!

But before that, the Knicks have one last Eastern Conference press conference to attend!

"Larry, your contract expires this summer, but you haven't signed a new contract with the team. We are very curious, will you stay here and continue to work hard for the championship with your disciples?"

The first to start was the Pistons' press conference, and the first question from the reporters was quite sharp!

"I will try my best to find a way to stay. I love this team and I regard this place as my home. I hope to continue coaching here. I think we can continue to win the championship."

"Then may I ask, have you received an offer from the team?"

"..."

Brown was silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "Not yet, but I believe it will be achieved."

"As we all know, Detroit's economy is quite bad. There are even rumors that the city may go bankrupt at any time. The team's owner is considering reducing the team's spending in the hope of saving money. So if the team wants you to take a pay cut, a substantial pay cut, would you agree?"

"I hope we can reach an agreement." Brown once again gave an ambiguous answer to the reporter's sharp question, and then quickly said: "Tonight, I don't want to discuss the issue of my stay or departure. We were eliminated tonight. You can ask some questions related to the game."

"Ben, your contract will expire this summer. Would you consider taking a pay cut to stay with the team? Although you won the Defensive Player of the Year award this season, I heard that Dumars' offer to you is quite low, even less than 800 million on average. Would you accept such an offer?"

"No." Compared to Brown, Ben was much more direct. He said bluntly: "But I believe Joe will not give me such an offer. We are buddies and brothers. We have fought side by side. I don't think he will offer me a contract far below the market price."

"But considering your age, the condition of a player like you can decline drastically at any time. If your team offers you a long-term contract, will you feel guilty because of your decline in performance?"

"I trained hard, played with all my might, and gave everything I had for the game. Why should I feel guilty?" Big Ben looked at the reporter with an expression that said, "Do you want to die?" He was about to continue scolding the reporter when the Pistons' press officer finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Okay, I hope you can ask some questions related to the game. We will not answer any questions that are not related to the game. If you still want to continue this press conference, you know which questions you can't ask."

"Chauncey, we heard that the team is planning to trade you. Do you know about this? If you are traded, where do you want to be sent?"

"I hope to be sent to your mother's bed! FUXX!" This question completely drove the hot-tempered Pistons crazy. They were already in a bad mood because of the loss, and after this question, all the players exploded. Brown was the first to stand up with a gloomy face and threw the microphone to the floor.

Then he turned and left, followed by Ben Wallace, Billups and others. The press conference ended so hastily.

"They flipped the table?" On the other side, at the Knicks' press conference, Lin Tian got excited when he heard this and leaned on the table and said, "Can you elaborate?"

After hearing the whole story, Lin Tian stroked his chin and said, "If they disband this season, it has nothing to do with me!"

As soon as Lin Tian said this, the reporters who had not yet connected the things immediately understood.

Good guy! Directly good guy!
You kid, what you mean is that you beat them up, right?

"Lin, you mean that they disbanded because the team felt that even if they maintained the original lineup, they would not be a match for you, right?"

"I didn't say that." Lin Tian quickly waved his hand and said, "You said that."

However, although Lin Tian refused verbally, his expression betrayed him.

Full of smiles.

Every movement and expression of this guy was telling the same thing: Yes, that's right! I was too strong, I beat them into despair, and then caused them to disintegrate.

That's it!
Lin Tian's performance immediately made the reporters below eager to try, and all kinds of headlines and articles burst out from their minds!

Tonight is destined to be another night of traffic!
"The Pistons didn't offer Brown and Ben because they were afraid?"

"Even if they pay the luxury tax, they can't get past New York. The Pistons would rather disband than maintain their roster just because they are desperate!"

"The consequence of a 4:0 defeat? The Pistons, the strongest defensive team in history, may become a thing of the past!"

"At least 6 teams have submitted offers to Ben, and more than 10 teams are interested in Larry Brown!"

"Billups may have played his last game for the Pistons, and more than 5 teams have expressed interest in him!"

"The Pistons will have a big change this summer! A detailed account of their championship journey last year!"

"At least it was glorious! Dumas said frankly: I have no regrets!"

The rush of media coverage and the emergence of various articles and speculations made this inexplicable incident the hottest topic in the American basketball circle that evening.

Lin Tian, ​​break up the pistons!
Of course, the most important reason why this topic is so hot is that Lin Tian’s performance in this round of the series was indeed a bit brutal, and it completely meets the conditions and possibilities of defeating the opponent.

In response to these speculations from the media, reporters and fans, Pistons boss Dumars could only smile bitterly.

He had no way to respond because he had received instructions from the team owner at the beginning of the playoffs: If they win the championship this year, then let the team hold on a little longer and see if they can win three games in a row.

If they fail to win the championship, no matter where or how the Pistons fall, the team must be disbanded this season!

If you don't want to disband the team, there is only one way! A big pay cut!
For example, Brown's current annual salary is 800 million US dollars. Looking at the entire league, his salary ranks third, second only to Nelson and Phil Jackson.

But if he wants to stay with the Pistons, the owner offers Dumars $500 million, and it is a 2+2 contract.

That is to say, there is protection in the first two years, but no protection and no compensation in the next two years.

This kind of contract given to Brown is just one word: insult! It is absolutely an insult to the old man!

Dumars, who knew Brown's temper well, knew that the day he handed in this contract would be the day the Pistons head coach announced his resignation.

This is also the reason why Brown has never received an offer.

If you can postpone it for one day, then postpone it for one day.

As for Daben's situation, it's actually similar.

如今大本的市场价大概在1000万左右，5年5000或者5年5500之类的合同，相当适合他。

But the problem is that the Pistons owner only gave Dumars a four-year, $4 million contract.

This price is far from Daben’s psychological price!
If someone can get 5 million for 5500 years, and you give him 5 million for 5000 years, Dumars will grit his teeth and say he will do anything to persuade Ben to come back.

No, with Ben's temper, if it was just this bad, he would definitely return without looking back, and Dumars wouldn't need to say anything.

But if you offer someone a price of 4 for 3200 years, then that's really insulting, no one would want to stay!

So Dumas is really feeling uncomfortable now and doesn't know what to do.

But he is sure of one thing, that is, this team will almost certainly undergo significant changes this summer.

Moreover, these changes are not for reinforcement, but are really necessary.

Even Dumars couldn't call his boss a piece of shit.

The boss is almost bankrupt, but he still gives you a higher budget to help the team win the championship. How much does he love basketball?

It is precisely because of this that Dumas is unable to accept interviews or speak out.

What could he say?
Saying that we will never disband? That's bullshit!

Saying that the team will see some changes? What's the point? It's useless except to get the media to write more reports.

Dumars will definitely be the most troublesome general manager among all the teams this year.

But there is no way, because the entire city of Detroit can’t bear it anymore.

As for the Knicks, after sweeping the Pistons and winning 12 consecutive playoff games, the entire team quickly returned to New York. They will have to wait and see who will win between the Lakers and the Suns!

After returning to New York, Lin Tian, ​​as expected, received another call from Ben.

"Lin, what should I do? I am very happy in Detroit! These are all my good friends, these are all my family! I am very happy here and I don't want to leave." Big Ben asked the same question he asked Lin Tian before he left the Pacers.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

In response to Da Ben's question, Lin Tian gave the same answer as before without hesitation.

"Go get the damn money! Ben, my answer will never change." Anyway, he had already persuaded Ben to leave last time, so Lin Tian didn't have any burden at all to persuade him to leave again this time.

"You have to think about the rest of your life, right? If the difference is only a few hundred thousand a year, then it's fine. For the sake of friendship, loyalty and life, you can stay."

"But if the difference is several million dollars a year, and the total amount is more than 10 million, then why would you stay in Detroit?"

"I understand, boss. I understand." Da Ben hung up the phone. In fact, he had guessed Lin Tian's answer before calling, but he still wanted to ask a question.

He doesn't want to leave Detroit, just as he didn't want to leave the Pacers.

But the problem is that both times, he had little choice.

Let's take a step by step.

……

After the Knicks easily defeated the Pistons and advanced to the finals, the Western Conference was almost decided.

Although the match between the Lakers and the Suns was not a complete sweep, it almost felt like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.

The Lakers defeated the Suns in the first game of the series, taking the lead and grabbing the home-court advantage. In this game, O'Neal scored a big double-double of 41 points and 17 rebounds, and Martin was fouled out early with 6 fouls, looking very embarrassed.

In the second game, the entire Suns team was in great form, making a total of 17 three-pointers. Relying on their hot outside shooting, the Suns won the game and the score came to 1:1.

The two teams were evenly matched in the first two games, but their situation suddenly changed after arriving in Los Angeles!
Back at home, the Lakers fought hard and played at a top level from top to bottom!
The third game of the series was Kobe's show time. He scored 50 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He dismembered the entire defense of the Suns by himself and led the Lakers to defeat the Suns.

In the fourth game, it was O'Neal's turn to explode. He scored 39 points, 21 rebounds and 7 blocks, a near triple-double. Not only did he destroy the Suns' inside line, he also sat under the basket and swatted away all the Suns players who wanted to rush in to challenge him.

3: 1!

After four games, the Lakers had a pretty clear advantage! They had match point.

Although the Suns successfully defended Phoenix in the next Game 5 of the series, that was all they could do.

系列赛第六战重回斯台普斯，奥尼尔41分17篮板5盖帽，科比40分5篮板6助攻！

The Lakers' two stars scored 81 points together! With such output and destructive power, even the Suns could not withstand the firepower of the Lakers. They lost 15 points again in this game and were eliminated regretfully!

The Suns fell in the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years and were unable to go any further!
The Lakers made it to the finals for the second consecutive year!
At the same time, this is the fifth time the Lakers have reached the finals since the 99-00 season!
In the previous 4 times, they lost all of them!

Three of those losses were to the Pacers and one was to the Pistons.

The number one loser and uncrowned king of the 21st century is definitely this tragic Lakers team.

They really serve as a background for various teams.

Especially Lin Tian!
This time, when the Lakers face the Knicks!

This is also the fourth time that the OK combination faced Lin Tian in the finals!

This time, can the OK combination avenge its previous defeat and defeat Lin Tian and his team?

What makes Stern even happier is that this round of competition is not just a battle of revenge, but also a head-on confrontation between the two largest cities on the east and west coasts of the United States!
Los Angeles VS New York!

These two megacities, which are ranked among the top two in the United States and even in the top five in the world, are facing off!
This time, it’s the finals! (End of this chapter)