NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

In the final two minutes, the Warriors were unable to find a way to score. The entire team was in a scoring drought, and in the last minute, the whole team was hesitant to shoot. Instead, the ball once again ended up in Ellis's hands.

This time, Ellis's shooting became more solid, hitting two consecutive three-pointers.

Unfortunately, the baby died before the milk arrived, and by then it was too late.

Holding a double-digit lead, the Spurs didn't give the Warriors a chance to turn the game around. They kept the pace and controlled the score, ultimately running out a lot of time.

With 5 seconds left in the game, James drove into the paint and dunked, giving the Spurs an 86-80 victory and securing their place in the Western Conference Finals!

This time, their opponent is the young Denver Nuggets!

In addition, James once again delivered a perfect performance that night, scoring 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double. This is also the first time in his career that he has scored 30+ points and triple-doubles in two consecutive playoff games!

整轮系列赛，詹姆斯场均33分11篮板9助攻，命中率高达51%，32%和71%！

LeBron James has reached his peak!
He played better and better in each of the seven games, and at least in terms of individual performance, he completely dominated Paul, who averaged 20 points and 13 assists per game!

Although the two weren't directly matched up, the Warriors managed to go to Game 7 before losing, given that their star player was outplayed statistically. That's quite an achievement.

The lineups for the East and West Finals are now complete!

The Western Conference is a head-to-head matchup between two top players from the 03 draft class: Milicic vs. James!
Now we'll see which of these two guys can lead the team out of the West!

Meanwhile, the scene in the East still felt a bit like a reunion of old teammates.

The Celtics now have as many as four former teammates of Lin Tian!
Artest, Josh Howard, Ginobili, Parker!
Even if you bring along the management team, there's also Danny Ainge who played with Lin Tian!
The Celtics' path to the championship has been jokingly described as a matter of finding seven of Lin Tian's former teammates to win the title.

The reason they haven't been able to win the championship yet is because they are still missing three of Lin Tian's former teammates.

But jokes aside, the Celtics' roster this year is significantly stronger than last year's!

There are two main reasons for the improvement. One is Dwight Howard's rapid growth, and he has now become one of the best defensive centers in the league!
This year, he was selected to both the All-NBA Third Team and the All-Defensive Second Team, and together with Duncan, they form what is arguably the league's premier twin towers duo!

Both of these players were selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Defensive Team this year!

Looking across the entire NBA, this is the only pair that has been selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Defensive Team this year!

This year, Howard is averaging 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, ranking second in the blocks list and forming a no-fly zone in Boston along with Duncan, who averages 2.2 blocks per game!
They are the league's leading frontcourt duo in blocks per game, but neither of them has won the Defensive Player of the Year award, which has led many to feel indignant on their behalf!

As for the final conclusion, it was that the two split the votes and fought over them, which ultimately benefited Camby of the Nuggets, who took advantage of the situation.

In any case, industry insiders have all said: in terms of defense, Camby is not as good as Howard or Duncan! He was able to win the award entirely because his teammate Milicic's defense is not elite, which gave him more points.

Although he didn't win Defensive Player of the Year, Howard's progress is clearly visible to everyone! Everyone believes that this is just the beginning, and his potential for improvement is absolutely enormous!
Another reason for the Celtics' significant improvement is the addition of Ron Artest!

The addition of Artest not only made their frontcourt defense a nightmare for the entire league, but also added a reliable ball-handling scorer. At the same time, the chemistry between Artest, Parker, Ginobili, and Howard has further improved the Celtics' team chemistry!
Artest didn't score many points this season, averaging just over 10 points per game, but his defense and average of 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game were an important part of the team's 60+ wins in the regular season!
The addition of Artest has made the Celtics' roster even more complete!
Then there's Parker, averaging 15 points and 7 assists per game. The young star has matured even more, and his passing and mid-range shooting have improved rapidly compared to his time with the Pacers. In addition, his top-notch penetration always allows him to easily tear apart the opponent's defense.

Parker absolutely deserves an All-Star spot this year!
Then there are mid-range shooting specialist Josh Howard and sixth man Manu Ginobili. Both are quite reliable ball-handlers, and Ginobili also has the added skill of playmaking and passing.

Both players have averaged over 10 points per game this season and are important members of the team's offense.

Finally, of course, is the Celtics' cornerstone and ultimate core: Tim Duncan!

This season, with the improvement of his teammates' strength and the change of the team's playing style, Duncan's average stats are less than 20+10 for the first time in his career. He is only averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks per game this year, and his scoring has hit a new career low.

But no one will question whether Duncan's stats have declined or his form has started to deteriorate.

Because anyone who watches a Celtics game will realize how great Duncan is.

His power can be described in a single sentence.

A heavy sword has no edge, and a great bridge is not long in existence!
No, it's the injustice of great skill!

This thing is practically flawless except for its visual appeal!

An absolutely terrifying opponent!

Of course, that applies to other star players.

For Lin Tian, ​​Duncan was nothing special.

After all, most of the time, Lin Tiancai is the big devil.

Lin Tiancai was the final boss who made the entire league cry out in despair.

Lin Tian is the truly terrifying being.

This marks the second consecutive time that Lin Tian and the Knicks have faced the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year, the ambitious Celtics and the Knicks went toe-to-toe in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But in the end, the Celtics, who had home-court advantage, lost Game 5 at home, and then lost Game 6 in New York!

They were eliminated with a score of 4-2, Duncan missed the championship once again, and the Celtics will have to wait another year.

And now, the Celtics have another chance for revenge!
They've become stronger this year, they've made improvements to the Knicks, but their opponents are just as strong.

The Knicks this year can absolutely be described as invincible and unstoppable!
As the Knicks' last opponent in the East, the Celtics must defend this final hurdle.

Unfortunately, apart from Boston fans, commentators, and current and retired players, the rest of the fans, commentators, and players do not have high hopes for the Celtics.

In a poll, after excluding local fans in New York and Boston, a whopping 93% of people believed the Knicks would win the series, while only a paltry 7% supported the Celtics!

Normally, you'd hardly see this kind of support even in the first round, let alone the Eastern Conference Finals! Especially considering that the Celtics are a solid 60-win team, and they came up cleanly and clearly without any injury concerns.

But even so, it was no use!
Everyone thought the Celtics couldn't stop the Knicks! "You've all seen the odds, polls, and articles from all the media outlets for this series, right?" After the Eastern Conference semifinals were over and their conference finals opponents were determined, Don Nelson, as usual, held a players' meeting.

The meeting took place two days after the Celtics advanced, one day before the conference finals began.

It was precisely at this time that the Knicks were being wildly praised, with people believing that the Celtics were no match for them and could not possibly take the victory from them.

"I saw it!" Anthony exclaimed excitedly. "Those guys really know their stuff!"

"You know nothing!" Old Nelson said irritably, "Don't you know what your average stats and shooting percentage were when you played against Artest in the regular season this year?"

"They specifically brought in Artest to deal with you! A heavy striker whose weight, height, and defensive style are exactly what you need to counter. Do you think he's easy to handle? Come on, Messi, tell me, how do you plan to deal with Artest?"

“I…I’m not afraid of him! I’ll go head-to-head with him! I’ll use my skills to make him dizzy and unable to catch me!” Anthony said with great force, determination, and a loud voice.

Those who know him well know that when this guy raises his voice to speak like that, it's most likely because he's feeling guilty and needs to use an extremely loud voice to cover up his unease.

"You're talking nonsense!" Old Nelson cursed again. "If you keep playing like this, you're the biggest weakness and loophole in this series! I've taught you so much, and in the end you want to fight a beast hand-to-hand? Are you stupid?"

Old Nelson gave Anthony a good scolding, which finally silenced him. The guy lowered his head and stopped talking, waiting for Old Nelson to give him directions.

"In this series, I want you to run! Play on the run! Unless there's a mismatch or you're forced to, you're not allowed to go to the low post, you're not allowed to go to the mid-range to demand the ball one-on-one, and you're not allowed to go toe-to-toe with Artest!"

“I’ve spent at least half the year improving your off-ball skills. We’ve been watching Reggie Miller and Hamilton’s videos. Of course, I know you can’t absorb all that knowledge in one season, but I’m demanding that you adapt to this style of play!”

"Run and shoot! Catch and shoot! I want you to become the most powerful, most versatile, and most dangerous catch-and-shoot shooter in the league! Any questions?"

“I’ll play like this, Coach, I always listen to you!” Anthony nodded without hesitation, but then said with a bitter face, “But the strongest and most threatening, isn’t that a bit too difficult? After all, this isn’t my specialty.”

"Shut the hell up!" Old Nelson cursed impatiently, then looked at Stoudemire, who was snickering beside him, and sneered, "What are you laughing at? You think this is none of your business? Come on, tell me, how are you going to deal with Duncan and Howard!"

What does it mean when fortune turns like a wheel? This is it!
"When playing on the run, I'll avoid Duncan and prevent him from catching me. At the same time, I'll try to get him out of the three-second zone so that my teammates can have an easier time when they drive to the basket. If he doesn't come, I'll teach him a lesson with my mid-range jump shot!"

"Why are you running? You're our number one core player in the paint, the best physical pillar in our paint. You think you can just run and play? Are you trying to kite us? Huh? I want you to toughen up, Amar'e! Just like how you bullied Gasol last time, I want you to toughen up!"

"I want you to attack straight in every time you go on an offensive! Even if it's inefficient, even if you get frustrated, just keep attacking straight in!"

"As for the objective, I want you to flatten their defense, I want their twin towers to always be under the basket, and I want them to be forced to retreat in a sorry state when they defend us, because one of them is no match for you, one of them can't contain you!"

"If you can compress their defenses and force them to retreat inside, Amaré, you've completed half your mission. The next half..."

"Dunk! The rest are all about dunking! I'll smash them all down!" Stoudemire was full of confidence. He felt that since Don Nelson had said it was wrong when he suggested playing a floating style, it should be right to say he would go all out now, right?
Otherwise, whether you float around or go all out, the result will be the same, and no matter how you play, it won't be right. So what are you, Old Nelson, here for? Are you trying to make things difficult for me, Fat Tiger?

"Of course not! The inside duo is Howard and Duncan! They're the second and seventh in the league in blocks, and also the highest-scoring inside pairing in the league! The paint is their no-fly zone!"

"You're going to charge straight at them, just go through the motions and fight them head-on?"

"I think you're craving hot pot tonight! Lin, get him an authentic Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot!"

"You even know that! That's impressive, Coach." Lin Tian couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. This old man actually knew about Sichuan and Chongqing hot pot; it seemed he had really done his research.

"Don't interrupt! We haven't even talked to you yet!" Old Nelson was clearly in a bad mood for no reason, so after yelling at Lin Tian, ​​he quickly turned to Stoudemire and said, "A smart player plays to his own strengths, not tries to force his way into the opponent's!"

"Compared to their twin towers, your advantage is scoring with mid-range shots! You can create space."

"But didn't you just tell me not to throw and tell me to charge in and fight?" Little Si was extremely aggrieved at this moment. He didn't understand what the old man was doing.

"You just listen to whatever I say. Can't you think outside the box and apply what you've learned to other situations?"

"I'm not telling you to shoot when you get the ball near the mid-range after a pick-and-roll. If they close in, don't shoot! Drive in! Use your speed and power to break through their defense. At that moment, with your physical attributes and strength, you can be incredibly effective by driving!"

"Because at this moment, their two inside players will most likely be guarding Mehmet, while the other one will be left behind by you. At this time, it will be easy for you to make a layup or dunk!"

"But if you're already under the basket and you can't use your advantages to create space, and you can't make them jump, but instead they stand still and engage in a stationary defense against you, then if you force your way in, aren't you just asking for a block? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

"I understand, Coach. Simply put, it's about adapting to the situation and playing according to your instincts, right?" Stoudemire slapped his thigh to indicate that he understood.

So all that old man was saying was nonsense!
Perhaps she's suddenly going through menopause and is venting her emotions here, right?
"You all probably think I'm talking nonsense, you all probably think I'm just being unreasonable and causing trouble for you, right?" Old Nelson was a smart man, and he knew what the guy was thinking just by looking at Little S's expression.

"What I really want to say is that the Celtics are an incredibly well-rounded team with almost no weaknesses, and the whole team is very well-balanced, making them a very difficult team to beat!"

"Although no one on their team scored more than 20 points, six players on the team averaged double figures. Their firepower was strong and balanced. More importantly, these players on their team are not the only ones who can score that many points per game."

"This is the number of points the team needs to score. If they do this, it will be enough for them to win 60+ games this season."

"If necessary, for example, if a player is not in good form, or if a player simply cannot put the ball in the basket tonight, then someone else will immediately fill the gap in their offensive firepower, and someone will immediately be able to score a few more points and make up for the lack of firepower!"

"Do you think Duncan couldn't average 25 points per game? Do you think Parker and Ginobili couldn't average 20 points per game if they were on another team? And their two Howards are both capable of playing even better, but they chose to sacrifice for the team."

"But when the whole team started to sacrifice, when the whole team started to support each other, we didn't hear a single complaint! The Celtics were incredibly united; there were no complaints within the team, and no one was dissatisfied with their place on the team."

"Everyone, everyone is willing to give everything for this team."

"This is a team that is almost perfect in terms of personnel, team atmosphere, management and chemistry. They are definitely the strongest opponent we have encountered in recent years. This is definitely the biggest challenge we have faced since the team was founded."

"What about the Pistons? They beat us once." Whether Wallace was trying to be clever or genuinely wanted the answer, he raised his hand rather inappropriately.

"After the meeting ends, you'll have three extra sets of strength and shooting drills, for a total of three hours. Go find our strength and conditioning coach and have him give you some pointers."

"Alright, does anyone have any questions now?" (End of Chapter)