First in scoring

Chapter 459 458. The Western Conference Finals begins!
In the evening, Zhang Yang watched the live broadcast of the game between the Thunder and the Clippers.

The game was very intense. The two teams were tied at 78-78 after three quarters. In the first half of the final quarter, the Clippers gained the upper hand and scored 18 to 9 in the first half. They were about to win... After the official timeout, the Clippers' fierce momentum was suddenly interrupted!

Paul set a pick-and-roll and passed the ball to the wing, but Nick Young and Redick also missed their shots. Paul also missed his own shot, and Griffin missed his shot with a cross-crotch dribble... If you close your eyes and just listen to the sounds, people who don't know would think the two teams were playing at the Staples Center.

In the second half of the fourth quarter, with 5 minutes and 38 seconds, the Clippers made only 13 of 1 shots, had no free throws, and only scored two points.

雷霆队后半节打了快船队一个17比2，最终以104比98逆转快船队，大比分4比3晋级西决。

The live broadcast made Zhang Yang speechless. In the first three and a half quarters, Paul could be called a "zero error" core player, but in the second half of the last quarter, he made many stupid moves.

Nick Young and Redick have missed three consecutive shots, and Paul passed the ball for the fourth time, but it also didn't go in. In that situation, Rondo and Kidd would choose to take the shot themselves.

Zhang Yang analyzed the logic of Paul's on-court behavior... Perhaps, Paul doesn't have the awareness that "role players cannot be trusted at critical moments"?

There seems to be no other solution except to give Pao a top-notch forward-guard swingman partner.

The Clippers seem to have noticed this problem and have begun trying to solve it - letting Griffin practice his skills as a small forward.

According to legend, it was Griffin's ability to control the ball with both hands that gave the Clippers coaching staff the idea.

The effect is very significant. Griffin's average rebounds per game this season has fallen below 10, and his scoring method has gradually changed from direct attacking the basket to mid-range and long-range dribbling and changing direction...

Zhang Yang felt that O'Neal's comment made sense - even if Griffin's skills had not improved and he had continued to play like he did in his rookie season, he would not have suffered so many injuries.

Many people have a misunderstanding that Griffin's playing style in the early stages of his career was harmful to his body and would not last long. In fact, for a heavy player like Griffin, the style of play that involves rushing forward to catch the ball is the least damaging.

If Griffin wants to develop his skills, Malone, who is also a short inside player, is the most suitable person to imitate, and his team happens to have Paul, the league's top organizing point guard.

If all else fails, you can learn from King and just use your body to crush your way through.

But the Clippers seem to want to train Griffin into a technical giant like Anthony and Pierce... The operation is quite funny.

The next day, the Lakers started targeted preparations. Since 10, one of the Lakers and Spurs has played against the Thunder in the playoffs every year. Budenholzer and the core players are very familiar with the Thunder, and the preparations are going very smoothly and with a clear direction.

Of course, they know that this means that the Thunder has enough understanding of their core players and basic playing style, and it depends on which side is better prepared and the most crucial stars' on-the-spot performance.

Budenholzer brought the Spurs' "quality over quantity" preparation philosophy to the Lakers, mainly because the two teams' starting tactical cores and substitute organizing cores are all "old men", which is just right.

Besides team training, Zhang Yang seizes every opportunity to learn more from Nash and Kobe, whether he learns them superficially or sharpens his skills before the battle, because who knows, they may be used in the game.

Another day passed, and at noon on the 17th, the Lakers flew to Oklahoma City. They started the Western Conference Finals away from home.

However, before leaving in the morning, just after 7 o'clock to be exact, the old blacksmith came to Zhang San's house with a trainer and a nutritionist and started his teaching work. The Son of Wind, who arrived at Zhang San's house an hour late, cursed loudly, but he could do nothing because others had already started teaching the key points of the fadeaway action when making a turnaround jump shot from the high post. He could not interrupt in the middle, so he could only swallow his anger.

With the experience of watching the Son of Wind teaching Zhang San skills, the old blacksmith abandoned the "wrong experience" of teaching Ariza, Shannon Brown and others, and started cramming teaching like the Son of Wind.

You just need to teach the technical movements as best as possible, explain the key points, core concepts, etc. clearly, and teach them all at once. You don't need to worry about the follow-up.

At 3 pm, after resting for a while in the hotel, Nash brought Zhang Yang and the coaching staff who went to the away game to the Ford Center to prepare for a two-hour practice.

Seeing that the two did not rest well and came to practice, Budenholzer did not say anything. The teaching of Son of Wind and Old Blacksmith, and Zhang Yang's study and training were not large, and would not affect tomorrow's game.

When Zhang Yang met with the trainer on the afternoon of the 14th, Budenholzer knew that Zhang Yang wanted to become stronger again. This time he also called Kobe to learn from the first and second outside technical masters in the league.

He has both talent and hard work, and he is never satisfied with the status quo. He is always eager to make progress. He is indeed a super genius who dared to step on a basketball and shout at the age of 15, "Basketball? As long as I want to play, I will be the best in the world." If this is not success, who else can be successful?

After a year in Los Angeles, Butu heard a completely new version of the rumors about Zhang San...

However, when he went to watch Nash's teaching, he thought of another young genius he liked very much, Leonard... It would be a bit difficult for Kawhi Leonard's disciples to catch up with their older brother!

...

After the afternoon training, Zhang Yang and Nash received an invitation from Kobe to go to his room in the evening to watch the live broadcast of the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The two teams in the Eastern Conference Finals are the Pacers, first in the Eastern Conference, and the Heat, second in the Eastern Conference. The two teams are also the only two teams in the Eastern Conference with more than 50 wins in the regular season, with the Pacers having 56 wins and the Heat having 54 wins.

最早步行者队一副奔着70胜去的架势，半程战绩能与99-00赛季湖人队、06-07赛季小牛队、05-06赛季活塞队、96-97赛季公牛队相媲美，结果步行者队在全明星周末期间，用格兰杰换回了艾文-特纳和拉沃伊-阿伦。

In terms of transaction value, the Pacers made a huge profit. Turner was the second pick in the 10 draft and played in all 52 games before the All-Star Weekend this season, averaging 17.5 points, 6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Lavoy Allen was a second-round pick in 11. As a backup power forward, he averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 1.8 minutes per game. He can rush and steal the ball, and has certain supporting capabilities.

Granger played only 20 games before the All-Star Weekend, averaging 8 points and 3 rebounds per game with a shooting percentage of only 35%. In terms of strength, he is not as good as Lavoy Allen, who was treated as a bonus.

His only value is that he is in the last year of his five-year, $5 million contract, and can help the 5500ers fill the poverty line. Before the 76ers traded for Granger, his salary was only over 76 million.

When the deal was just completed, the media and fans were all praising Bird, and then... the Pacers eventually had a record of 56 wins and 26 losses, 15 wins and 15 losses in the later stage of the season, and their winning rate in the later stage was even as low as 4% at one point.

After the collapse, people discovered that the Pacers had so many internal problems. Lance Stephenson was making trouble every day, making a mess of the locker room and causing constant trouble on and off the court. Hibbert had the same problem as Howard, complaining that he couldn't get the ball and wanted to score. The newcomer Turner was dissatisfied with being a substitute for Paul George of the same class and wanted a starting position...

Granger was traded away, internal conflicts broke out, and the people who were traded in also brought new internal conflicts!

Zhang Yang felt very sorry about this. He had never played against the Pacers before the collapse, and it was highly likely that he would not see such a Pacers team appear in his own team.

He remembered that Big Bird also expressed regret for the deal in a documentary filmed when he retired in 17.

Bird said that he knew at the time that the team was not really harmonious, but he thought that with two veterans, David West and Luis Scola, they could keep things under control. However, he overlooked that the two only had playing experience but no real qualifications to convince those unruly geniuses. Granger also had no substantial honors, but he "brought up" those young geniuses.

Although the Pacers collapsed, Zhang Yang is still very interested in this Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers are the only team in the East that has the ability to beat the Heat. This is the last ray of light for Hibbert's type of stationary frame-protecting center.

Zhang Yang remembered that the new president this summer was jokingly going to make three big moves upon taking office. The first was to change the cylinder rule. He didn't know what the purpose was... Anyway, he replaced Hibbert, the center who was the most restrained James after Howard, with Gao Yuanyuan.

After the end of next season, Hibbert, once the "strongest frame-protecting center", was sold by Bird for a whole summer during the 15 offseason, and the highest offer he received was for a second-round pick.

However, the change in the cylinder rule, in addition to eliminating big centers like Hibbert, also has an unexpected "side effect", which is beneficial to outside shooters. The biggest beneficiary is Curry. The help that the cylinder rule change has brought to Curry is no less than the help that NHC has brought to Nash.

In the evening, Zhang Yang, Nash, and Harden, who ran to the visiting team's training ground to find Zhang Yang after the Thunder's team training, went out for dinner together.

Nash and Harden, lsp+xsp, are birds of a feather. Every time they sit together and chat, the content of the conversation is extremely dark.

After dinner, Nash and Zhang Yang returned to the hotel and took the elevator to the floor reserved by the team. When the elevator door opened, the two saw Gasol leaning against the opposite wall playing with his mobile phone.

Zhang Yang joked, "Paul, you're not afraid to go to Kobe's room alone, are you waiting for us to go together?"

"Yes, I'm waiting for you. This should be your first time watching a live broadcast with Kobe, right? We need to make some preparations. Here are the clothes I prepared for you. Go back to your room and change into them first." Gasol said as he picked up the two bags next to him and placed them in front of the two men.

Nash said, "Huh?" and asked, "Do I need to change clothes to watch the game?"

Zhang Yang was just joking at first, but now his expression became even weirder, and he asked, "Yeah, are you watching the game seriously?"

Seeing the two people's strange looks, Gasol quickly said: "Of course it's serious! Very serious! But too serious..."

Zhang Yang took the bag handed over by Gasol, opened it and saw a pile of unopened jerseys, including those from both the Heat and the Pacers. Judging from the number, all the players from both teams should be there.

Nash also saw the jersey in the bag. He turned around and looked at Zhang Yang. They both saw shock and... speechlessness in each other's eyes.

...

Zhang Yang came to Kobe's room wearing Wade's No. 3 jersey and found that Kobe had actually moved to a suite with a large living room, a bar, a huge TV that was obviously not a standard hotel feature, and all kinds of other things... It was almost the same as the fan clubs he had been to before.

When it comes to the sense of ritual, Zhang Yang feels that he can never compare to the god-like players. Jordan is very particular about it, and Kobe seems to be even worse!
The money spent on watching a live game is enough for one person to fly to Indianapolis and watch the game in the front row at Conseco Fieldhouse!
On the bright side, if you spend the money for one person to watch the game in person, and let four people enjoy the perfect live viewing atmosphere comparable to a fan club, isn't it a good deal?
The live broadcast was very interesting to watch, and the talented old blacksmith even mixed a cocktail for everyone.

The Heat lost the first game 96 to 107. Van Gundy's "King-killing Strategy" is really effective, and it is still effective in 2014.

Facing Lance Stevenson's top defense, Hibbert's rim protection, and Paul George's assist defense, James made 24 of 9 shots in the first game.

After watching the live broadcast, Nash said in a slightly surprised tone: "James' physical strength is declining too quickly. After the offense becomes difficult, he can't take care of defense."

Gasol: "It's very surprising. I remember he was a favorite for the best defensive player last season, but this season he's only ranked second."

Kobe Bryant analyzed: "His physical strength is declining quickly, I guess it's caused by excessive weight gain. When the Heat played the Nets, I saw him defending Garnett.

The decline in defense is related to changes in physical fitness. He is almost 30 years old. After the age of 5 or , no matter who you are, your athletic ability will decline. His defensive foundation is relatively poor. He was selected for the first defense in the past five years mostly because of his physical fitness. The decline in athletic ability and physical strength have a great impact on his defense. "

Nash: "So our opponent in the finals this year is the Pacers? What a shame. I really want to see the showdown between the strongest veteran No. 3 and the strongest new generation No. 3."

Gasol said weakly, "We haven't even played the Western Conference Finals yet," but was ignored by the other three.

Zhang Yang: "The Heat still have strength advantages, and it is easy for them to think of a way out of the situation."

Kobe: "Oh? You've come up with a solution? I've thought of one too. You go first."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Zhang Yang: "Leave the offense to Wade and Bosh, and James can focus on defense, that's all."

Kobe's tone was full of appreciation: "It's the same as what I thought."

Nash: “Is it that easy?”

Kobe explained: "It's only so easy when dealing with the Pacers. No one on the Pacers can withstand the pressure, and no one can control the situation. As long as they feel the pressure, their internal strife will reappear and they will naturally collapse."

Nash was a little upset at the moment and complained: "I originally wanted to be a coach after retiring, but compared with you two, I don't think I'm suitable to be a coach. I'm completely unaware of these things."

Kobe laughed and said, "You point guards who have great court awareness always lack coaching thinking off the court. Just like Mark Jackson, he is very capable as a coach and is excellent in all aspects, but when playing, he always thinks about responses with the mentality of a player. However, many times, the tactical arrangements made by the coach are counterintuitive to the players. Kidd and Rondo are very good at this. When chatting with them, I feel like I am discussing the game with Phil."

Nash was even more upset. He was just a lousy blacksmith. Why shouldn't he praise Kidd instead of someone else?
He responded: "If a team wants me to be a coach, I would still like to give it a try. If not, I can be a trainer... What do you want to do after you retire?"

Kobe: "Me? I don't want to think about that for now. I'll focus on the work in front of me. One day I don't want to play anymore. I think I will just disappear from the court. Then I'll think about what to do and start when I'm ready..."

Nash brought the topic to "what to do after retirement". Everyone spoke freely. Zhang Yang said he wanted to go back to his hometown to farm, which left everyone speechless.

Gasol enthusiastically participated in the discussion and talked about his childhood dream of playing football and wanting to set up a football club after retiring.

Tonight, he was once again infected by his teammates' confidence.

Initially, in January 08, the Lakers traded him back in the middle of the season because Bynum was out. He played in three playoffs at that time, but never won a single game. He was also implicated by Nowitzki and nicknamed "softie". He almost lost himself. At that time, Kobe took the initiative to find him and talked all night. He was infected by Kobe's strong self-confidence that "the second and the first in the world are dead"...

In the past few years, he began to lose confidence again due to the impact of Nowitzki's direct blow in the playoffs, Bynum's performance, and Howard's joining. After Zhang Yang joined, he regained his status as the core of the inside tactics and gradually got out of the trough...

Sister-in-law: How about extending it for two years and trying it?
...

On May 5th, the first game day of the Western Conference Finals arrived.

Compared to the Eastern Conference Finals, fans are much more enthusiastic about watching the Western Conference Finals. The difference can be seen from the number of paid TV and online live broadcast reservations announced by the media as of 6 p.m., which is nearly half the number.

The topic before the Eastern Conference Finals was as hot as the Western Conference Finals, and the popularity after the game was also very high, but that was only because James was in the Eastern Conference Finals and James lost.

When people actually spend money to watch live broadcasts, apart from fans of stars and teams, the vast majority of casual fans still make decisions based on the excitement of the game.

As far as the performance of Eastern Conference teams in this year's playoffs is concerned, they are much worse than Western Conference teams. The second round of the Eastern Conference was not as exciting as the first round of the Western Conference.

Even the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals was not as entertaining as the first-round series between the Lakers and the Warriors, not to mention the two second-round series in the Western Conference.

Not to mention the Western Conference Finals, some media even brought up the topic during the Lakers and Spurs series - whoever wins the Western Conference Finals will win the championship.

It was 7:40 p.m. at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The visiting Lakers entered the court first. Zhang Yang was the first to run out of the court. The boos he received were no less than those at the AT&T Arena in San Antonio.

Zhang Yang was not surprised. It was not until this morning when he saw the media hyping up tonight's game that he realized this was the fourth time the Lakers and Thunder had met in the playoffs in the past five years, including the first round in 5, the second round in 4, the first round last season, and this Western Conference Finals.

Zhang Yang didn't have any special feelings before, nor did he sense any special emotions from his teammates towards the Thunder as their opponent, and the same was true for the home team's fans.

But it’s different for Thunder fans. The Thunder only moved here in 08 and changed its name. To them, this is a newly built team. It has been 6 years since the team was founded and this is the fourth playoff game against the same opponent. They completely regard the Lakers as their mortal enemy!

However, for Zhang Yang, the away fans booing him at the top of their lungs and cursing at him did not make him timid or afraid. Instead, he felt that this was how it should feel to play away games...

After the entrance ceremony, players from both teams exchanged warm greetings before the game.

Thunder lineup:
Point guard: Harden, Reggie Jackson, Fisher;

Shooting guards: Sefrosa, Andre Robertson;
Small forward: Durant, Lamb, Caron Butler.

Power forward: Ibaka, Perry Jones.

Center: Perkins, Adams, Nick Collison, Thabeet.

Among them, Fisher and Caron Butler have a good relationship with Kobe, especially the latter; Zhang Yang has a good relationship with Harden; Gasol, Nick Collison and Sefolosha have had similar interests for many years; Durant knew Nash when he was in college and went to watch his games...

During this greeting, Zhang Yang felt that a 'new era' was coming - the fans were quarreling with each other, and the players were all happy.

This is an irreversible trend in the NBA, and he has no intention of reversing it.

And this only applies in private. On the court, strength is still the key. No one will give in to anyone because of personal relationships. Even if you are the top scorer in history, you will still be beaten to death when you play against each other.

The pre-match preparation time passed quickly and the starting lineups of both teams came onto the court.

Lakers: Bazemore, Zhang Yang, Kobe, Jordan Hill, Gasol.

Thunder: Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins.

Zhang Yang glanced at the big screen. In the regular season, Harden averaged 25 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. He was one of only three players averaging 25+5+5 this season, the others being Westbrook and James. Durant averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, defeating Zhang San and becoming the scoring champion.

Two MVP-level players are really a bit difficult to deal with, but his excitement outweighs the pressure!
At 8 o'clock in the evening, the game started. Jordan Hill defeated Ibaka to win the jump ball and the Lakers attacked first.

Kobe received the ball in the frontcourt, facing Durant's defense, and passed it to Zhang Yang who was leaning against Sefolosha in the high position, but the ball was passed very far back!
Zhang Yang turned around and passed Sefrosa to receive the ball, then rushed into the inside, attracted Ibaka to make up for the defense and passed the ball... to the left side!
Jordan Hill cut to the basket after Ibaka went up to defend, Perkins blocked the right sideline of the three-second zone, and Gasol received the ball at close range on the left baseline and made a jump shot!

In the offense-defense transition, Harden advanced to the frontcourt, suppressed the urge to single out Zhang Yang who was guarding in front of him, and passed the ball to Durant on the left.

Durant was secretly happy. He turned around to face the basket and dribbled the ball quickly and continuously under Kobe's defense. Suddenly, he grabbed the ball, pulled up, and took a long two-point shot... Kobe made an accurate judgment, pressed forward to defend in time, and interfered.

This ball is iron!

Ibaka rushed into the inside to grab the offensive rebound. Gasol was quick-eyed and quick-handed. When he could not ensure a stable rebound, he stretched out his hand and hit the ball to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang struggled to block Erha from receiving the ball, turned around when he landed, and launched a counterattack!
Bazemore and Jordan Hill flew on both wings, Kobe followed up behind them, and the Lakers' counterattack formation was ready.

However, the Thunder's 1-4 positions also moved very quickly, and the four defenders were all above average, retreating in an orderly manner, and ready for defensive coordination... Then Zhang Yang grabbed the ball from a big step across the top arc, took a step, and jumped!

Durant, who had retreated to the three-point line first, quickly braked and rushed back. Harden, who was hanging behind Zhang Yang and preparing to make up for Kobe or Jordan Hill on the wing, also rushed forward, but the two were too far away to affect Zhang Yang's shot.

Zhang Yang was not affected by the two people's diving, and he made a three-point shot with excellent rhythm... and it hit the target!
(End of this chapter)