So I am the god of basketball?

这场比赛孟浪还是拿到了46分7篮板9助攻2抢断1盖帽的数据。

Moreover, this game also fully demonstrated Meng Lang's contribution in this round of the finals:
When he is needed to score, he picks up the gun and shoots 40 plus. So far in the finals, he has not scored less than 40 points in a single game. Including the 70-point game, his average score per game has exceeded 50 points.

No one was grabbing the rebound, so he took the lead.

At the same time, he is also very good at organizing and supporting others.

On the defensive end, 2 steals and 1 block were not enough to reflect his contribution.

After this loss, The New York Times said: "Dream is experiencing what Michael Jordan experienced in 88!"

According to ESPN, the environment Meng Lang experienced was far worse than that of Michael Jordan at the time:

Apart from himself, this team has no stable output.

Even besides Kobe, Tyronn Lue and Ben Wallace have no scoring ability, averaging only around six or seven points per game.

Especially Ben Wallace...

This resulted in him being left open at times on offense, but he was unable to respond at these times, causing the Philadelphia 76ers to suffer.

As for Ben Wallace's playing style, he is not good at offense, but he can minimize the problems caused by his offensive weaknesses through defense.

Now facing the top inside players Tim Duncan and Mutombo, the contribution he can make on the defensive end is really not up to that level.

It is worth mentioning that Mutombo also scored 15 points in this game.

After lowering the height of the inside line in the third game, the Philadelphia 76ers responded quickly and Mutombo had many open opportunities under the basket. He completed three or four dunks in this game alone.

Given his height, even if Ben Wallace could return to defense in time, he would not be able to cause any interference.

And if Divac is put back into the regular lineup, the Philadelphia 76ers can stay in the interior again.

If the lineup cannot be stretched, outside breakthroughs will also be affected.

Let’s put it this way…

Jordan didn't have Pippen by his side in 88, but at least he had a solid inside line. Oakley and Dave Korsin helped the Bulls get four more rebounds per game than their opponents. The Bulls lacked rebounds in 4, but Jordan still had Pippen in his "last peak" by his side. And he fell in the second round of the playoffs.

Now Meng Lang has neither a reliable "second in command" nor a stable guarantee of rebounds, and the score is almost entirely maintained by his unreasonable goals again and again.

Of course, there is another reason for tonight's loss, which is that Tyronn Lue did not restrict Allen Iverson as well as in the previous two games.

But this matter really cannot be blamed on him alone.

How stable can a rookie be?
It is not easy to be the "x factor" in one or two games.

Meng Lang only had one sentence after the game: "It's not over yet!"

He said it and did it. The fifth game of the finals was still held at Staples Center.

Meng Lang switched his form and returned to the "scorer" mode of the previous game. Moreover, he was in excellent condition that night. He exploded from the start, scoring 35 points in the first half and 25 points in the second half. In the end, he scored "miraculous data" of 60 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a single game, helping the team successfully defend the fifth victory in the series.

The overall score was 2 to 3.
After this game, Meng Lang became the only player in NBA history to score 60 points or more in two games in the finals.

While Bill Walton was expressing his feelings, he also felt helpless about Meng Lang's situation.

In the two finals that the Lakers won, Meng Lang scored 60 points in the end.

It would be really difficult for him to win every game like this.

because……

There is no player in the NBA who averages 60 points per game in the finals.

Even if Meng Lang is now averaging 50 points per game, there is still a gap of nearly 10 points.

This gap is almost the same as the gap between the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Lakers really couldn't find anyone to make up for the difference.

However, after the game, the Lakers fans at the scene gave Meng Lang huge cheers and applause.

At this moment, regardless of whether the Lakers win the championship or not, in their opinion, Meng Lang has already won their 100% respect. This season, Meng Lang did not leave them any regrets.

This is definitely the most thrilling individual performance in NBA history.

only……

Such performances often have a tragic tone.

Just like Jordan, who made Larry Bird call him "God" before, he was eventually swept out by the Celtics 3-0.

This play not only earned the respect of Lakers fans, but also earned the respect of Philadelphia players.

Tim Duncan said: "This is Dream. We can't limit him. What we can do is probably to limit other people besides him, and then pray that Dream doesn't score 60 points or more tonight. It's a pity that God didn't hear our prayers tonight!"

Allen Iverson also said: "All scorers are not as good as Dream when put together. I have never seen a guy who can score so easily. He is definitely a god on the offensive end. Of course, defeating such a god is definitely something I long to do. There is still one game left. We all know it will be difficult, but we will work hard to do it!"

The head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers said: "We will give up the fantasy of being able to limit Dream. What we have to do now is... defend the rest of the Lakers!"

In Game 6 of the Finals, Philadelphia's defense became extremely prioritized, with all the defense directed at everyone other than Meng Lang, especially Kobe.

Whenever he gets the ball, he will be double-teamed.

Just look at Kobe. Since he joined the Lakers, he has never been targeted by such defense!
This season he has indeed taken the position of "second in command of the team", but being restricted is also something he must experience in his life.

Meng Lang scored crazily, but Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson were in excellent form today, both scoring more than 30 points.

At the end of the sixth game, the Philadelphia 76ers relied on the outbreak of the "double No. 98 pick" to defeat the Lakers by 89 points, 9 to 4, and won the fourth game of the finals. With a big score of 4-2, they successfully eliminated the Lakers.

Meng Lang scored 50 points again in this game, with 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

这轮系列赛场均52.5分7.5篮板7.5助攻2抢断1.5盖帽，但还是没能阻止湖人队总决赛失利的命运。

This was also the first time in his career that he lost in the finals.

Meng Lang didn't expect that this "first time" would be given to Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan.

He did not hesitate and generously gave his blessings to the two people before leaving the scene.

Kobe turned his head and looked back. The 76ers' stadium was filled with "golden rain", and his eyes were full of unwillingness. This unwillingness was largely because he knew that the Lakers lost the finals because he did not take on the responsibility of being the "second in command".

In these 6 games, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, which looks okay, but his shooting percentage was only 33.3%, and his three-point shooting percentage was only 30%, and he averaged 3.5 turnovers per game.

With such performance, it is obvious that more data is sent out than received.

Such a defeat is undoubtedly the most painful thing for the arrogant Kobe.

The finals MVP was awarded on site.

最终的得主按说是场均28.5分14.5篮板5.5助攻2.5盖帽2抢断的蒂姆-邓肯。

He won such a big award in the second season of his career.

This would put his name together with Meng Lang's.

But the final result was Meng Lang!

This was beyond everyone's expectations. Tim Duncan had regret on his face, as did Allen Iverson.

Meng Lang thus became the second losing team MVP in the NBA. The previous one was none other than the "logo man" Jerry West.

He personally sent a congratulatory text message to Meng Lang:

——Isn’t this another kind of victory?

Meng Lang shook his head slightly:

——I prefer the championship trophy.

This is also what he said to reporters after the game.

Tim Duncan unfortunately missed the Finals MVP, but he also successfully became a spoiler...

As a result, the 90s became an era in which Jordan and Meng Lang were equally successful, with each of them winning 4 championships.

The "Bad Boys" of Detroit and the "double No. 76 picks" of the Philadelphia 90ers respectively won the first and last finals of the s.

The roaring 90s have come to an end, and the next season will see us enter the 00s.

The strong momentum of the "double No. 76 picks" and the invincible lineup of the Philadelphia 76ers have made countless 00ers fans fantasize that Philadelphia can defend its title and win its first championship in the s.

This is a good start!

After all, with this "double top pick" combination, it shouldn't be a problem for them to stay for 10 years, right?

Allen Iverson responded: "Whether we win the Finals MVP or not, it won't affect us. We will become a famous duo in NBA history!"

Tim Duncan also said: "I don't care (the Finals MVP trophy). Allen and I will win more championships together, there is no doubt about that!"

They looked very proud as they held the championship trophy high.

At the Lakers' post-game press conference, Kobe said solemnly: "I will not let the same thing happen a second time. Next time I will shoulder my own responsibilities. What the Lakers lost, I will get back next season."

As for Meng Lang, he only left one sentence: "Next season, no team will want to face us!"

The "flame of revenge" fueled the Los Angeles media.

Although they had just missed the championship, after seeing Meng Lang and Kobe's speeches after the game, they suddenly felt confident.

At this time, Kobe and Jerry West quickly reached a contract extension.

He entered the league in 96 and signed a 6-year contract worth 7090 million dollars without hesitation. The price of this contract is the same as Kobe's original contract.

As for Ben Wallace, who was an undrafted player and has become a free agent, Jerry West chose to renew his contract without hesitation.

Although the "inside twin towers" of Divac and Ben Wallace were beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers in this year's finals, apart from that combination, Ben Wallace and Divac are currently the best inside duo in the league.

The most important thing is that the price is right if we sign the contract now.

Before this round of finals, his net worth must have been at least 800 million.

But after the finals, a 6 million contract is more than enough to get it.

Because the finals exposed many problems of Ben Wallace, such as his height and his weak scoring ability.

Where can other teams find a "European tank" like Divac to give him a chance, and where can they find a Meng Lang to make up for his poor scoring firepower?
Such a player would thrive in the Lakers' system, but spending a sub-maximum salary of $8.1 million to get him would be a bit of a loss.

Ben Wallace's team did not hesitate. In fact, this contract was much larger than Wallace's rookie contract.

In this way, the Lakers can still maintain the main lineup of this season in the new season.

In addition, since Kobe's contract will expire in one year, and Ben Wallace's value has declined, with an extra 2 million in salary space, he can find a suitable substitute player to support the Lakers' bench.

Chuck Daly's use of players in the finals made Horry, who was originally playing as the sixth man, become a main player. The Lakers' weak firepower was undoubtedly exposed, and the entire bench was in a mess.

Of course, even now, Meng Lang's contract of 1200 million in the new season and Ben Wallace and Divac's combined contracts of 1200 million have occupied 2600 million in salary space.

In addition to the 5 million from Horry, who has already taken up the salary cap space, there are also 350 million from Derek Fisher, Tyronn Lue, and Kobe.

The salary space has reached 3300 million.

The NBA's salary cap for the new season is estimated to be much higher than this.

The biggest possibility is to strengthen through transactions.

Given the Lakers' fighting power, the first-round pick in the summer is not worth much at all, and they really don't have many chips to use to trade for players.

To put it bluntly, it's Fisher and Tyron...

Well, Jerry West won't lie to himself anymore. Given Tyronn Lue's magical effect in defending Allen Iverson, the Lakers would never trade him even if it was specifically to target Iverson.

The biggest possibility is Derek Fisher plus a worthless first-round pick.

This is estimated to be worth around 350 million players.

350 million. If it was in the early to mid-90s, he would definitely be the top player in the league.

But now, even picking a substitute for the main player is not an easy task.

Another possibility is to wait for the veteran to come and join.

The large market of Los Angeles has attracted historical superstars such as "Skyhook" in the past.

However, considering the bright future of the Philadelphia 76ers, it seems more likely that this veteran will join Philadelphia.

That leaves only one last solution...

This year the Lakers are ranked 4th in the Western Conference and 7th in the league.

In the end, they got the 22nd pick in the first round.

Jerry West has always been very confident in his vision.

In his opinion, the Lakers' bench reinforcement is the most promising path...

It’s just a pity that after looking around for candidates for this year’s draft, he still couldn’t find a suitable target.

Since it is a reinforcement, combat effectiveness is the first factor, and the growth of the players is secondary.

As long as he can average around 12 points per game, even if he maintains this level, the Lakers will have made this pick worth it.

But judging from the results, the possibility of selecting a player of this quality and combat effectiveness with the 22nd pick in the first round is very small.

How about trading upwards?

West's eyes began to wander to players of better quality.

However, he became more cautious...

After all, trading up means all in, and only by putting Derek in the trade can he get a better pick. Then if the newcomer doesn't work out, he can only count on signing a minimum salary in the summer.

West's personality makes him habitually think whether there is a better way.

At this time, two words popped out of his mind:
Intercept! (End of this chapter)