NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Whether due to exhaustion or tension, neither the Cavaliers nor the Wizards, both offensively-minded teams, combined for more than 160 points in Game 7!
Both teams only managed to score around 70 points!
Neither side had a field goal percentage exceeding 38%, and their three-point shooting was abysmal.

Between the two sides, they only made 3 three-pointers: Wade made one and Arenas made two. The rest of the team made 0 of 28 three-point attempts!
If these two teams were the Pistons and the Celtics, everyone would think this would be an ultimate defensive battle, with both sides fighting tooth and nail, filled with physical collisions, fierce fouls, seamless tactical duels, and cautious shot selection.

Although they didn't score, the game was exciting and entertaining, the tactics were spot-on, and the players rotated like machines.

Unfortunately, both teams in this decisive Game 7 are offensively strong but defensively weak; they are the kind of teams that rely on offense for their success.

So when they all miss shots and keep bricking their shots, the quality of the game naturally drops to a point where it's unwatchable. It was an incredibly ugly and unwatchable game, almost devoid of any highlights, and the game time was messy and unbearable. This game was practically set up to test whether the fans truly liked these two teams and whether they truly loved the sport of basketball.

The game was dull, with both sides constantly missing shots and the quality of both offense and defense being quite low.

Fortunately, at least this game didn't go into overtime; it ended within 48 minutes. If it had gone into overtime, the fans really wouldn't have been able to handle it.

The bad news is that although the game didn't go into overtime, the two teams combined only scored 4 points in the last 5 minutes of the game!
分别是终场前4分32秒，阿里纳斯造成犯规，2罚1中让球队领先了1分。

然后就是终场前2分45秒，骑士队的韦德打了一个2+1，让球队领先了2分，并且球队还将这2分的领先优势一直维持到了比赛结束……

How do you say this?

It's difficult to comment on that.

Strictly speaking, Wade's shot could be considered the game-ending basket for the series.

But this is really...

It's a memory I'd rather forget!

But no matter how unbearable it was to look back on, this series has finally come to an end.

Thanks to Wade's near-game-winner, the Cavaliers advanced to the second round and once again encountered their nemesis.

New York Knicks!
This time, the Cavaliers have brought in Pau Gasol, upgrading their roster, while the Knicks are in increasingly formidable form. What kind of sparks will these two teams ignite in this encounter?
Then it's Celtics vs. Nets!

Both teams were considered powerhouses in the East in the past few years, and of course, they were both defeated by Lin Tian. They went to great lengths, changing their rosters, increasing their strength, and raising their salaries, all in order to defeat Lin Tian and his team.

But so far, neither of these teams has managed to make it out of the Eastern Conference.

This year they meet again, and they will compete for one last chance to either lose to or defeat Lin Tian!

This series of games also marks a reunion for former Pacers players.

The Celtics have Parker, Ginobili, and Artest, whom they acquired from the Pistons in the offseason.

The Nets, on the other hand, have Carter and Harrington, and if you really want to be picky, they also have Yao Ming, Lin Tian's national team teammate.

This matchup is practically a reunion of Lin Tian's former teammates.

Besides the matchups between Lin Tian's former teammates, another key focus of this round of competition is the battle for the inside.

Who is the better center, Yao Ming or Dwight Howard?
If Howard can't withstand Yao Ming's outstanding performance in the first round, can Duncan withstand him?
And will Rivers be overtaken again when his team is leading?

In short, this series is definitely worth watching!

The first round of games in the East consisted of three sweeps and one Game 7, resulting in vastly different outcomes and game content. Overall, 90% of the games in the first round of the East were quite uninteresting.

But in the west, it's the complete opposite of the east!
90% of the games in the Western Conference are incredibly exciting!
Their first round of four matches was exciting and thrilling in every single one! The rivalries and competition between the players and teams reached their peak!

There's nothing we can do about it; the eighth seed in the West is only four games ahead of the first seed.

It would be a miracle if this kind of competition wasn't exciting!

First up is the eighth-seeded Timberwolves challenging the first-seeded Spurs in the West!
Although this matchup is between the first and eighth seed in the West, the two teams were very close in the regular season, and both sides actually have their own advantages!

With LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Martin, the Spurs have a very complete and impressive roster.

While the Timberwolves have never been able to dominate in recent years, and the team has not made any breakthroughs since Iverson left, the mere presence of the names Kidd and Garnett is enough to be lethal!
Who would dare to truly underestimate this combination?
The series began, and the Spurs, with home-court advantage, took the lead, winning consecutive home games against the Timberwolves and successfully defending their home-court advantage.

But as everyone knows, a successful playoff run begins with a road win! And this time, the Spurs failed to win on the road!

加内特在第三和第四场比赛之中先后轰下29分15篮板7助攻3盖帽2抢断和31分14篮板10助攻5盖帽1抢断的完美数据，他一个人就撑起了森林狼的内线。

Kidd also had a hot streak in these two games, hitting a total of 8 three-pointers and dishing out 23 assists, despite not being a good shooter!
When Kidd and Garnett are both in form, the Timberwolves are an unstoppable top team!
2: 2!

However, in the crucial Game 5, Kidd and Garnett, who had performed well at home, once again revealed their true colors, showing their inconsistent offense, mediocre scoring ability, and reliance on their shooting touch.

In this game, they suffered a crushing 33-point defeat to the Spurs, losing the pivotal Game 5 and the trust and expectations of many.

What about Garnett and Kidd?

They are incredibly consistent on the defensive end, and they are incredibly consistent in everything they do, except for passing, rebounding, blocking, stealing, and so on.

But their offense is unpredictable; who knows what form they'll be in tonight?

For example, in the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, they were cunning.

In the sixth and final battle, back at the target center, these two guys were 'godlike' again!

Garnett exploded for a playoff career high of 35 points! He also added 21 rebounds and 5 assists.

Kidd also hit five more three-pointers, scoring 20 points while also dishing out 17 assists!
The two key players delivered a perfect performance, dragging the series into a Game 7!

They are only 48 minutes away from another upset by an eighth seed!
Unfortunately, they weren't the only unpredictable players in this series!
The Spurs have JR Smith on their side!
In the first six games, JR Smith played like a piece of crap. He took 57 shots in six games, averaging nearly 10 shots per game, but only made 17!
57投17中的命中率说一句人神共愤都不为过！更别提他的3分球只有21投4中了！

Horrible!

It can be said that one of the most important reasons why the Spurs failed to end the series early was that JR Smith, a double-edged sword, kept stabbing his own teammates in the back!

But in the decisive Game 7, this guy suddenly came back to life!

全场比赛17投11中，其中3分球8投5中，罚球4罚全中，全场爆砍31分4篮板3助攻！

When JR Smith has a breakout game, the Spurs always win!

Not to mention that James continued his all-around top-level performance that night: 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists!

In addition, Bosh, Martin, and others also had quite good performances that night.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the entire team and Smith's sudden outburst, the Spurs managed to secure a narrow victory at home and advance to the second round!

As for their opponents, they wouldn't gain any advantage over them in terms of physical strength.

Because their opponents also went to a Game 7!
Hornets vs. Warriors!

These two teams are led by two outstanding point guards from the 05 draft class, which is also the biggest highlight of this series: Paul vs. Deron Williams!
In terms of roster, the Warriors actually have the advantage. They have the experienced Jackson, the dunk champion Richardson, and Aldridge, who has improved rapidly this year and would definitely have won the Most Improved Player award if he weren't so young.

On the Hornets' side, although they have the muscular duo of Mason and Wells, and the twin towers of Chandler and Yi Jianlian, their roster is weaker by all accounts. What are the Hornets' advantages?

Their advantage lies in Deron Williams, known in the underworld as "eating, sleeping, and beating up Paul"!
The relationship between Deron Williams and Chris Paul is actually quite similar to that between Dwight Howard and Yao Ming.

Paul and Howard dominated the entire league, and then Deron Williams and Yao Ming each dominated the other two!

This is the advantage of the mutually reinforcing and restraining attributes; you simply can't reason with it!

That's pretty much the gist of this series!

Deron Williams played all seven games in the series, averaging 24 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds! A top-tier performance from an absolutely top-tier guard!

Paul only managed 16 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals. In terms of shooting percentage, Deron Williams completely outclassed Paul, with his average shooting percentage being nearly 10 points higher than Paul's!

If there's anything Paul has that Deron Williams has over him in this series, it's his number of turnovers!

Although he couldn't beat Deron Williams, Paul kept his turnovers to the limit, committing only 11 turnovers in 7 games, less than 2 per game! Considering his average of 10 assists per game, this assist-to-turnover ratio is absolutely historic!

On the other hand, Deron Williams, although his stats, individual performance, game situation, and shooting percentage are much better than Paul's, he has as many as 4 turnovers per game!

Ultimately, it was those three more turnovers per game than Paul's that cost the Hornets their lives!
In the crucial moments of Game 3, Paul, who had been suppressed by Deron Williams throughout the series, suddenly erupted. He not only broke through Williams to score 2 points, but also made a steal in a one-on-one situation, and then drove to the frontcourt to hit a three-pointer!
These two offensive and defensive plays, totaling five points in a row, have completely eliminated any suspense in Game 7!

Because Paul did all this when the Hornets were down by 6 points and there were less than two minutes left in the game!
In other words, after Paul's three consecutive shots on both offense and defense, not only was there only 1 minute and 14 seconds left in the game, but the Hornets were also down by more than 10 points.

Under these circumstances, although Deron Williams and others did not want to give up, they sprinted after the serve, trying to score another three-pointer to keep their lives alive.

But at this moment, Paul, who had been completely outplayed by Deron throughout the series and had almost no chance to fight back, finally got his chance! He seized the opportunity and slapped the basketball in Deron's hands.

Paul successfully made the steal!

This break not only allowed Paul to finally get his revenge and eliminate any possibility of a comeback for Deron Williams and the Hornets, but also allowed Paul to finally advance to the second round!

Next, their opponent will be the king of the West for the past few years: the San Antonio Spurs!
Another point worth mentioning is that no matter how this series goes, there's one guy who'll definitely be in agony.

Michael Jordan!
Back then, he chose Felton and passed on Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Now, both of them are solid All-Stars, but Felton, whom Jordan chose back then, didn't even know what the playoffs were.

In addition, the Warriors also have Aldridge, whom Jordan didn't want and completely disliked!

Aldridge is averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds per game this season, and many believe that he will definitely become one of the best power forwards in the league in the future!

As for Jordan and Brown's interest in Tyrus Thomas, who was acquired from the Warriors in the offseason?

Let's not talk about it! Let's not talk about it!
This guy played pretty well alongside Paul last season, but the problem is he's with the Bobcats this season and is being coached by Brown!
His partner's skill level has also deteriorated from Paul to Felton.

As a result, Thomas couldn't receive the ball, he couldn't execute pick-and-rolls, and without pick-and-rolls, he had almost no offensive ability.

As for the defense? His defense relies purely on his physical attributes, jumping to compete with people in height. He can indeed deliver highlight-reel blocks, but most of the time, his defense is a sieve.

He likes to jump, is weak in physical confrontation, and his defensive positioning and help defense are mediocre.

Simply put, this is a player who is almost useless except for highlight reels.

As his weaknesses became more and more apparent, his playing time decreased, becoming shorter and shorter. By the middle and later stages of the regular season, he had lost his starting position. Furthermore, as the season progressed, Brown grew increasingly disliked Thomas, and his playing time and number of appearances began to plummet.

His final number of appearances was 58, with an average of only 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block per game.

This performance is not even comparable to Aldridge's; even if Jordan were to make a forced comeback this year, he would still play better.

It's fair to say that the Bobcats' high-profile offseason rookie trade, sacrificing Aldridge for Thomas, has become a complete joke.

On one hand, there's a future All-Star prospect, someone who's considered a sure-fire All-Star player within two years.

One side has already lost their rotation spot, and can only lament where the road ahead lies.

Jordan's eye for talent and Brown's ability to develop young players are truly remarkable. There are very few people in the entire league who can be compared to this duo.

Hmm... back to this series.

Deron Williams won the individual duel, and everyone saw how good he is. Paul won the series, and his defense against Williams in the crucial moments allowed the Warriors to finally advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade!
They are going to face off against the San Antonio Spurs, the top team in the Western Conference this year!
Of course, aside from the lack of home advantage, there really isn't a significant difference in strength between these two teams.

Even in the first round, they barely advanced by winning a tiebreaker.

In this matchup, both sides have their advantages, making it difficult to determine a winner.

On the other side, the second-ranked Nuggets in the West are facing off against the seventh-ranked Mavericks!

The core focus of this round of competition is undoubtedly the head-to-head confrontation between two top European strikers!

Milicic vs. Nowitzki.

In terms of roster, the Nuggets have Chauncey Billups, the Finals MVP, leading the charge, along with the twin towers of Darko Milicic and Jamie Camby, plus several strong Eastern European players on the team. They have an absolute advantage in terms of physicality, strength, and size.

On the other side, the Mavericks' biggest advantage is Nowitzki. After years of experience, Nowitzki has made continuous progress. He is becoming more and more mature, with fewer and fewer blind spots in his skills, and he is gradually making up for his physical and technical deficiencies.

The Mavericks have now formed their own trio: Josh Howard, who was brought in from the Celtics, plus Jason Terry, who was acquired in a trade a couple of years ago. All three are excellent one-on-one players, and each of them is incredibly accurate with their shots.

Therefore, the Mavericks are now also known as the one-on-one team or the jump shot team!
This matchup against the Nuggets felt like a battle between a technical style and a physical style!

The content of the debate series was incredibly rich, leaving fans amazed and excited!
Game 7!

Like the other two series, this series also went to a decisive Game 7!

In the decisive Game 7, neither side disappointed the fans. Nowitzki transformed into an unstoppable German machine, driving inside and shooting outside with incredible skill. In the first quarter, he drew two fouls from Milicic, and then drew one more foul from Milicic in each of the second and third quarters!
These four fouls in the first three quarters severely limited Milicic's playing time; he only played less than 20 minutes in total in the first three quarters!

It's worth noting that he averaged 41 minutes per game in the regular season, and even played an average of 43 minutes per game in the first six games!
But tonight, he was destroyed by Nowitzki.

Fortunately, Billups stepped up at this moment. Not only did he completely shut down Terry in their matchup, limiting Terry, who averaged 21 points per game in the first 6 games of this series, to only 8 points on 3-of-13 shooting that night, but Billups himself also had a stellar performance, scoring 33 points in just 3 quarters!
In the fourth quarter, the game completely turned into a head-to-head duel between Billups and Nowitzki!

Milicic picked up two more fouls in just five minutes in the fourth quarter and was ejected from the game.

He had a problem with his mindset tonight; the more he fouled, the more agitated he became, and the more agitated he became, the more fouls he committed.

Without Milicic, the Nuggets can only rely on Billups!

Billups truly made a divine intervention that night!

After scoring 33 points in the first three quarters, he scored 10 points in the fourth quarter with a combination of inside drives and outside shots!
全场比赛，他24投13中，3分球9投5中，罚球14罚12中，爆砍职业生涯季后赛新高的43分7篮板7助攻！

Billups's madness successfully countered Nowitzki's rage.

这个晚上，德国战车21投12中，3分球3投3中，罚球15罚全中，爆砍42分11篮板3助攻！

The two star players' equally phenomenal performances kept the suspense of the game going until the very end!
In the final moments, Camby, who had just won the Defensive Player of the Year award, finally stepped up. He defended Nowitzki's offense for two consecutive possessions, while Billups took advantage of the opportunity to score 2 points on his own offense and assist Kleiza on an open three-pointer!
These 5 points directly determined the final result of this round of the competition! (End of Chapter)