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Chapter 221 A New Round of High-Stakes Gambling, Two Era-Defining Players (They Overslept Yesterday for Their Birthday)
2011 5 Month 2 Day.

This is the date when the Lakers and Warriors will play their first game in the Western Conference semifinals.

On the night of the game, Kobe and his teammates, always full of fighting spirit, arrived at Oracle Arena half an hour early, no matter what time it was.

It's worth mentioning that during the pre-game warm-up, Kobe, who was leading extra practice on three-pointers, showed no signs of nervousness before the big game. He even had the leisure to tease his little fanboy Ellis: "Monta, if you keep shooting this badly from three, they'll trade you to the Clippers next season."

Although the Lakers were swept by the defending champions in the regular season, and although Kobe has a poor record against Qin Yue in their past career matchups, as Kobe said before, the side that is afraid of losing is destined to lose the right to win.

Kobe knew very well that the current Warriors team was indeed a kind of counter to the Lakers.

This restraint prevented the Lakers' Spanish twin towers, whom they had always been proud of, from unleashing their full potential when facing the Warriors.

However, no matter how bleak the Lakers' chances of advancing were before the game...
If even the Lakers players themselves don't believe they can beat the Warriors in the next series, then what's the difference between the Lakers and the French decades ago who surrendered after suffering a minor setback?
Before the game started, in order to relieve the pressure on his teammates, Kobe, who acted as a mentor, had a brief chat with each of them.

Kobe laughed at Gasol, saying, "Paul, as long as you and Lamar don't let him score 100 points in the game, I think our chances of winning are pretty good."

Kobe told Marc Gasol, "Mark, do you know what the fastest way to get into the NBA All-Defensive Team is? Just block that guy once on the court, and you're guaranteed to be on the All-Defensive Team next season."

Kobe tried to relieve the pressure on each of his teammates in his own way.

The next game, the first game of the Western Conference semifinals held at Oracle Arena, also served as a response to Kobe through its progress and result.

When the Warriors, clearly exhausted from a long rest, struggled to get into the game, the Lakers, playing away from home and led by Kobe, quickly established a lead and maintained it until the final buzzer.

The final score was 121 to 112.

The Lakers unexpectedly won Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Warriors.

That night, the Lakers, bursting with energy on the court, displayed far more aggressiveness than the Warriors on both offense and defense.

Especially the Gasol brothers, who were always suppressed by Qin Yue single-handedly every time they faced him in the past.

Despite this, until the game alarm sounded in the fourth quarter, the Gasol brothers still couldn't gain any advantage in their actual matchups against Qin Yue.

But when the Gasol brothers used their well-coordinated pick-and-rolls to switch Kwame Brown onto their screens, just as Al Jefferson had predicted, Kwame Brown, who had put up "20+10" games in the first round of the playoffs, was exposed almost instantly.

According to ESPN's advanced post-game statistics, excluding free throws, all 44 points scored by the Gasol brothers for the Lakers in this game were scored against Brown's defense.

The paint, guarded by Brown, unfortunately became an ATM for the Gasol brothers.

Although since last season, the Gasol brothers have always gotten their revenge by beating Brown after being bullied by Qin Yue.

But unlike in the past
Because Brown gave the impression that the Gasol brothers could dominate him in this game, coupled with his impressive performance in the first round of the playoffs, Warriors fans had unrealistic expectations of him.
Therefore, in comparison, Brown naturally became the Warriors' number one culprit in this game.

“Once he leaves the protection of the Messiah, or if the Messiah can no longer help him defend as usual, Kwame Brown’s defense against the Gasol brothers is as laughable as the Maginot Line built by the French back then.”

The following day, when the "second greatest center in history" saw the media's barrage of criticism against him, he immediately launched a furious counterattack, saying, "They can't strip me of my honor because of one game!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue, who did not choose to review the game after last night's loss, couldn't help but complain: "Kwame, do you know, in my opinion, the media has actually been very lenient with you."

"Ok?"

"Because, after all, the Maginot Line was a defensive line built with real materials."

"."

At that moment, looking at Qin Yue's handsome face, a bad premonition immediately welled up in Brown's heart.

really
During the training session that day, head coach Mike Malone immediately made the decision to change the lineup for the second game.

Antawn Jamison will replace Brown as the Warriors' starter in Game 2.

Qin Yue was once again moved to the number five position.

Although this is not the first time Brown has been benched by Malone in a series for tactical reasons.

But whenever Brown recalled what Qin Yue had said to him earlier, he couldn't help but feel nervous, knowing all too well that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

Because if Qin Yue thought the Maginot Line was at least a line of defense built with real materials, then wouldn't that prove that Qin Yue thought he had absolutely no real materials?

beat!

This is definitely a warning!

Before the start of the second game, Brown, who had been arrogant and conceited all season, almost overnight transformed back into the humble and modest Brown who had first joined the Warriors.

Qin Yue hadn't expected that his sarcastic comment would make Brown so nervous.

Even years later, when Brown talked about the incident, he still felt lingering fear, saying, "How could I not be nervous? Thunder and rain, all are the emperor's grace!"

Brown knew very well that, in a sense, everything he had was given to him by Qin Yue.

Therefore, even though Brown no longer cared about what others thought of him, he had to seriously consider every word Qin Yue had said to him.

On the 5th, the second game of the Western Conference semifinals between the Lakers and Warriors continued at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors' adjustment to their starting lineup had an immediate effect in the early stages of the game.

Jamison, who started the game, brought an unprecedented sense of space to the Warriors on the court.

Even with Qin Yue moved away from the paint, the Warriors' interior defense still faced fierce attacks from the Gasol brothers.

However, as the Warriors regained their offensive rhythm, the Lakers, who couldn't keep Qin Yue out of the paint every possession, quickly lost their interior advantage from the first game.

Because as long as the Warriors' outside shooting is accurate enough and the spacing is wide enough, Qin Yue's impact on the court will be magnified countless times.

自进入季后赛以来，首次在比赛里使出全力模式的秦岳，当晚总计为勇士拿到了51分14篮板9助攻4封盖1抢断。

His performance in Game 2 even gave Phil Jackson the illusion that, given a spacing lineup, he was fully capable of dismantling any team's defense.

In Jackson's view, even if Qin Yue's teammates on the night of the game were replaced with other people...
As long as they can capitalize on Qin Yue's open shots when he's double-teamed, the Warriors will still win.

This undoubtedly shook Jackson's long-held belief in a championship team.

Because before Qin Yue appeared.
Many NBA head coaches, including Jackson, believe that a superstar needs at least one All-Star teammate, along with numerous championship pieces, to have a chance to compete for the championship.

After all, even someone as great as Jordan has his off days.

In situations like this, without Pippen, Jordan would inevitably face the same fate as in the early part of his career: no matter how many points he scored, he would still have to accept defeat with the Bulls. But Qin Yue was different.

As the ball-handling core player, Qin Yue can not only dominate the game with his influence on both offense and defense, but he can also make his teammates better, thereby raising the ceiling of the entire team.

What a terrifying ability this is!

Before Qin Yue's time travel, if the Nuggets with Nikola Jokic were a team capable of contending for the championship, then when Jokic was substituted out of the game, you would find that the Nuggets weren't even a playoff team.

Jackson felt that Qin Yue's emergence was redefining the concept of a superstar and the winning rules of basketball.

It can be said that the Zen master's understanding of Qin Yue was accurate.

The only limitation is...
Jackson clearly didn't realize that there are two players on the current Warriors team with the ability to change the future of basketball.

A day later, the third game between the Warriors and the Lakers was moved to Staples Center.

That night, Qin Yue, who noticed that Curry was in excellent physical condition during the pre-game warm-up, immediately started to assist the opposing team after their substitute Nash came on.

Although Curry is only in his second year in the league and still has a long way to go before becoming the "Curry God" of the future, in the game, when the GOAT personally sets screens for Curry and delivers that damn ball to Curry from every angle, it's a moment of glory.
A sudden barrage of three-pointers instantly dismantled the Lakers' entire defense.

Why was Curry able to change the course of basketball's development in Qin Yue's memory?
Because later generations realized that as long as you shoot accurately enough, you can win any game.
Often, before Curry hits those string of three-pointers, as soon as he crosses half-court, he will immediately be double-teamed or even triple-teamed by the defense.

This is the origin of "Coogravimetrics".

In Qin Yue's previous life, until he transmigrated, this baby-faced killer still held a record for the most points scored in a single quarter in the NBA, leading that era.

In a basketball game, it would be a very scary thing if a player's scoring always concentrated in one spot.

Just like this game.

In the latter part of the first quarter, Curry made a total of 8 shots, including 5 of 7 three-pointers, instantly widening the score gap for the Warriors.

Faced with Curry's incredible form, the Lakers' defense had to make adjustments for the upcoming games.

However, this adjustment ultimately led to the Lakers' complete collapse that night.

Because when Curry first appeared on the court, Qin Yue, whose offensive pressure was greatly reduced, did not even need to exert force to score for the Warriors after a pick-and-roll by bouncing out and rolling to the basket.

The final score was 130 to 105.

The Warriors crushed the Lakers on the road, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Interestingly, Curry, who scored a total of 31 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists for the Warriors in the third game, also received Kobe's recognition during the game.

That was a play where Curry faced Kobe's defense, dribbled back several times, and then drained a three-pointer.

On the court, after being shot right through by Curry, Kobe, with a helpless smile, patted Curry's butt as Curry prepared to turn and retreat on defense. (See picture)

Despite the fact that Qin Yue and Kobe Bryant had never had a harmonious relationship, Curry appeared very calm at the time.

But in reality, Curry was already overjoyed to have received Kobe's approval.

"That's Kobe Bryant! He's the only player in NBA history who could rival the Messiah!"

Curry later said in an interview, "When he patted my butt, I felt like I could die from over-excitement at any moment."

Trailing 1-2 in the series, the Lakers must win their upcoming fourth game against the Warriors to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

Two days later, the good news for the Lakers was that Curry did indeed need more time to develop during this period.

The bad news is...
Even with Curry struggling, the Warriors still have Steve Nash.

During the game, Qin Yue noticed that his old rival, the Lakers, was very clever in both the positioning and timing of their double-teams. Instead of acting rashly, he chose to pass the ball to Nash and, through Nash's playmaking, staged a textbook off-ball offense at Staples Center.

On this night when Kobe was in exceptional form, scoring a total of 45 points for the Lakers despite Wallace's close defense, Qin Yue's scoring method, which was on a completely different level from his opponent's, determined the final outcome of the game.

In the fourth quarter, Kobe's physical condition inevitably reached its limit.
Qin Yue can still run all over the field.
As the final buzzer sounded in the fourth quarter, the final score of this fourth game was set at 126-118.

After unexpectedly losing the first game, the Warriors won the next three games and finally secured a match point in this Western Conference semifinals.

After Game 4, Brown, who never expected to become the Warriors' controlling variable, even took on the responsibility of carrying bags for young players like Curry.

"Kwame, you don't have to be like this. You're a legend of this team, after all." Qin Yue said to Brown with a wry smile on his face as they boarded the plane to return to Oakland with their teammates that night.

Upon hearing this, Brown, who thought Qin Yue was implying that he usually acted arrogantly because of his seniority, shook his head repeatedly and said, "In this series, since I haven't contributed much on the court, I should at least serve you guys properly off the court."

In Game 5 at Oracle Arena, the Warriors did not give the Lakers a chance to pull off an upset.

From start to finish, they maintained control of the game.

On the court, as the game reached its final moments, Kobe stood calmly in his own backcourt, patiently waiting for Qin Yue to run out the remaining time for the Warriors.

The final score was 110 to 124.

After the game, Kobe walked up to Qin Yue and said calmly, "Congratulations to you and your team for advancing to the Western Conference Finals once again."

"Thank you," Qin Yue said. "You guys played very well too."

As the loser, Kobe's reaction to losing this Western Conference semifinal was far calmer than Qin Yue had imagined.

This led Qin Yue to mistakenly believe that he had completely subdued this unruly mamba snake.

So the question is, is it possible for Kobe to be defeated by Qin Yue?

The answer is obviously no.

However, after this series where Kobe tried his best but couldn't turn the tide for the Lakers...
Kobe, who knew better than anyone exactly where the gap between the Lakers and the Warriors lay, accepted the defeat with composure and prepared to make a comeback next year.

Meanwhile, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who witnessed the entire Western Conference semifinals from the stands, was equally well aware of the situation.
If the Lakers want to contend for the championship, they will definitely need to strengthen their backcourt and forward positions.

"Now, we need to take our chips to the table for a new round of high-stakes gambling."

After the fifth match, Kupchak thought to himself.

……

PS: Oh no, it was my birthday yesterday, and Ah Qiao was also resting too much. Another short and weak update!
(End of this chapter)