NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

In this game, the score difference between the two sides never exceeded 5 points. The two sides fought and struggled within 5 points. The two sides tied 15 times and changed the lead 23 times in 48 minutes of game!
James, Bosh, and Martin all played the full 48 minutes!

Meanwhile, Milicic and Billups on the other side didn't rest for a single second from beginning to end!
Tonight will be the ultimate showdown!

When the 48-minute match came to an end, neither side had won!

The score was tied, leading to the first overtime of the night.

In the first overtime, the Nuggets took the initiative, with Billups scoring a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer to give the team a 5-point lead.

However, the Nuggets then went on a scoring drought, failing to score for three minutes. In contrast, the Spurs seized the opportunity and scored on consecutive fast breaks. With James scoring on three consecutive fast breaks, the Spurs gained a one-point lead with only 20 seconds left in the game!

Then, on the Nuggets' final possession, Milicic received the ball and drove hard to the basket, drawing a foul and going to the free-throw line.

With only 3 seconds left in the game and the Spurs having run out of timeouts, if he makes both free throws, the Nuggets will basically advance to the Finals!

Unfortunately, whether it was because he had already played hard for 53 minutes tonight and his stamina had collapsed, or because Milicic was too nervous, he only made one of his two free throws.

Then the Spurs, having narrowly escaped defeat, grabbed the rebound, but JR's long three-pointer from half-court missed, sending the game into a second overtime!
In the second overtime, the game completely turned into a showcase for LeBron James!
This monster, with a physique like a demon, seemed to have no concept of fatigue. While everyone else on both sides was exhausted to the point of cramping up, this monster, who hadn't rested for a second all night, was still running all over the field, constantly contributing to the team.

In the second overtime, the Nuggets' stamina completely collapsed, and they only scored 3 points in total, all of which were from free throws.

Although only James scored for the Spurs, he scored 7 points in a row with inside drives and outside shots, including a super long-range three-pointer with 20 seconds left in the game, which extended the lead to 4 points and almost killed the game!

In the final 20 seconds, the Nuggets failed to mount any further momentum or create another miracle. They unfortunately lost this double-overtime battle, losing their last home game and their 3-1 lead.

Now both sides are back on equal footing, heading to the Spurs' home court for a decisive Game 7.

In this match, both sides fought to the bitter end.

掘金这边，比卢普斯打满58分钟，轰下37分13次助攻7篮板3抢断。

Milicic also played the full 58 minutes, racking up a massive double-double of 35 points, 21 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Camby played 49 minutes, scoring 15 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and blocking 5 shots. Kleiza also played 44 minutes, and Najera played 45 minutes. Tonight, the Nuggets truly gave everything they could and offered everything they had.

Unfortunately, they still lost the game in the end!
Because the Spurs have a monster like LeBron James who played the entire 58 minutes and racked up 48 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists!

This monster with an unfathomable stamina bar scored 7 consecutive points in the second overtime, effectively ending the game and forcing a decisive Game 7!

Besides James, Chris Bosh also played all 58 minutes, scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Martin played 50 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. JR scored 15 points, and Francis also contributed 11 points and 7 assists.

Tonight, the Spurs gave it their all, using every ounce of their strength, to finally bring the game back to San Antonio.

For fans, the worst news is that Game 6 and Game 7 of the series are only one day apart, and both teams have to travel a long distance from Denver to San Antonio!

After such a fierce battle the day before, the players from both sides only had 48 hours of rest before they had to face the crucial Game 7!
For everyone, such a short time is obviously not enough to recover their physical strength. Neither side's players will be able to fully recover, nor will they be able to exert 100% of their energy in this decisive Game 7!
Many fans even sent complaint letters and protests directly to the league headquarters, demanding that the league change the schedule. Even if it can't be changed this season, it can be changed next season!
Stern smiled and said he would definitely consider the fans' suggestions and would not let them down.

But regardless of what he said, based on Lin Tian's understanding of him, the old man would most likely forget about it once he got back.

It's normal to be forgetful as you get older.

However, let alone Stern, who is already of advanced age, even the fans and spectators quickly forgot about wanting the league to change the format as the game started and the decisive Game 7 began.

Let's watch the game first!

This is the important thing.

How to describe this Game 7 battle?

It was absolutely fantastic, and both teams played very well.

However, it was still far inferior to the previous match, where it was a fierce, all-out battle from the start.

Ultimately, both teams' players were exhausted. They had played too aggressively in the last game, so it's perfectly normal for their form to decline and their stamina to give out!

And whenever this time comes, when everyone is too tired to play anymore and is so exhausted they could do the splits, it's naturally James' time to shine!
His almost limitless physical abilities were once again on full display before everyone.

In the first three quarters, James didn't show his true colors and played just averagely, scoring 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, which can be considered a decent performance.

But in the fourth quarter, when everyone's energy was further depleted, James started to shine!

He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, single-handedly tearing the Nuggets' defense apart.

The Nuggets only managed 17 points in the fourth quarter.

They really couldn't fight anymore, and they couldn't hold on any longer.

Thanks to James's offensive surge, the Spurs finally escaped elimination and crawled back from the brink of elimination.

Not only did they make it back, they climbed all the way to the finals!
This is the Spurs' first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1999!
Last time, they fought the Knicks to seven games but ultimately lost to the combination of Jordan and Ewing. Then Duncan left for Orlando, which was a huge blow to the Spurs. Popovich's years of planning and hard work were all for naught, and the Spurs had to rebuild again.

Fortunately, they later acquired the super talent LeBron James. After a series of trades to strengthen the team and the development of the draft, the team has finally returned to the Finals stage after 9 years!

Nine years later, apart from Popovich and part of his coaching staff, none of the Spurs players participated in that Finals nine years ago.

This is a completely new Spurs team. And, of course, an exhausted Spurs team!
Both sides had some rest time before the finals officially began.

Needless to say, the Knicks swept through the league and had plenty of rest time.

The Spurs, on the other hand, had a total of 72 hours of rest after eliminating the Nuggets, which is frankly not enough time.

They fought so hard against the Nuggets, played so fiercely, and expended so much energy; it would be impossible for them to fully recover in less than 3-5 days.

Therefore, the first game of the Finals was basically a scenario where the Knicks, having rested and prepared, would crush the visiting Spurs.

Well... at least that's what Knicks fans think.

Why should the Spurs play against us?
There are many reasons why Knicks fans are so confident that their team can easily beat the Spurs.

In terms of regular season record, the Celtics far surpass the Spurs. They have the best regular season record in history, while the Spurs, despite claiming to be the best team in the West, have a record that could easily prevent them from making the playoffs. Their lead over the ninth-place team in the West is only a few games? It's definitely not as much as our lead over the second-place Celtics.

Then there's the playoff record!

Many people say that it will be quite interesting for these two teams to meet in the Finals!
What's interesting is their journey to the finals!

The Knicks didn't play a single game more in the three Eastern Conference series, sweeping all three rounds 4-0 to easily advance to the NBA Finals! Their goal is singular: a three-peat!
As for the Spurs, they played every single game in the three rounds of the Western Conference series. The series ended 4-3, with each team going through a seven-game series. They practically crawled out of a pile of corpses to reach the NBA Finals!
What are their goals?
It's hard to say, but that's the advice Barkley gave the Spurs.

"Lower your expectations, lower your expectations, take it one game at a time, and as for the result, just do your best! Winning one game is not a loss, winning two games is a huge gain, winning three games... to be honest, I think winning one game is the limit."

In short, the Knicks' journey to the Finals was one of the easiest and most effortless in NBA history. There have been a few teams in history that swept their way to the Finals like them, but it is truly frightening that they won by such a large margin on average in the Eastern Conference Finals.

After all, their opponents were really strong; it was just that the Knicks were too good, and no one could beat them.

As for the Spurs, their journey to the finals was truly arduous. They were practically dancing on the edge of a cliff for three rounds, struggling on the verge of elimination in each round and nearly being knocked into the abyss by their opponents in each round.

But the Spurs pulled through!
They now only have one opponent left, the Knicks!

The ultimate showdown between the two sides, the final suspense of this year's finals, the final bloodbath between the two teams, is about to begin!
Of course, although the series is about to begin, the general consensus is that the Knicks will win easily. Most people think they will likely sweep the series and lose at most one game. Even the most die-hard Spurs fans find it hard to believe that their team can create a miracle.

There's no way around it, the Knicks are just too strong this year! They're terrifying!
Not only are fans overwhelmingly optimistic about the Knicks, but even professional commentators, reporters, retired legends, and Las Vegas bookmakers are all overwhelmingly optimistic about the Knicks.

At least from the script, this is another series of brave young people challenging a ferocious dragon!
The boy might have a chance, but the dragon only needs one breath to reduce him to ashes!

The difference in strength is too great and too obvious!
But of course, no matter how this series unfolds, and no matter how overwhelmingly the Knicks are favored, there are still many interesting aspects to watch in this series!

The team with the easiest path to the finals vs. the team with the toughest path.

Can the Spurs, who have crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, give the Knicks a good beating?

Lin Tian vs. James!
The current king and the future king of the league have finally come face to face. Kings stand on the high platform and will engage in the ultimate showdown!

And of course, there's Anthony vs. James!
This group of representatives from the 03 draft class, who entered the league at the same time, will likely face off repeatedly in this series, and then we'll see who is better!
In any case, Anthony's performance is better so far, but he has Lin Tian by his side, and he is not the team leader.

While James led his team to the Finals, his individual accolades were not significantly more than Anthony's.

The prevailing opinion is that while James appears stronger, Anthony is not necessarily worse. What Anthony lacks may be an opportunity—an opportunity to lead a team to growth and progress on his own!
In addition, there will be head-to-head matchups like Stoudemire vs. Bosh, two face-up power forwards, which will definitely be quite exciting.

There's also the conversation between Popovich and Don Nelson, the former mentor and protégé. Will Don Nelson prove to be as strong as ever, or will Popovich surpass his mentor?
In addition, both sides have a wealth of talent on their benches.

The Spurs have a super sixth man, JR Smith, while the Knicks have a stellar bench lineup including Ariza, Smith, and Nate.

Judging from the lineups, the two sides seem to be evenly matched, with both sides having their own strengths and weaknesses.

Ok……

Without Lin Tian, ​​it would indeed be difficult to determine who is better.

But the Knicks suddenly have Lin Tian out of nowhere!

Who do you send to confront Lin Tian?

Francis, utterly exhausted from injuries, hadn't dunked even once all season.

Older than Francis, with more injuries than Francis, Michael Finley, once the pride of Dallas?

Or perhaps it's JR?

In short, the Spurs lack a backcourt player who can be compared to and matched up against Lin Tian.

Conversely, the Spurs' biggest advantage is that James will face off against Anthony. Their strengths are not evenly matched, but at most it's a 60/40 split. James might have the upper hand, but you can't expect him to completely dominate Anthony.

It's obviously impossible to completely dominate Anthony like Francis faced Lin Tian.

So, this is the first suspense of the finals.

How will the Spurs deal with Lin Tian? (End of Chapter)