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Chapter 292 The Time to Draw the Sword (5K-word bonus chapter, a bonus chapter for the scumbag I'm proud of!)
Two days later, Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals continued at Staples Center.

On the night of the game, the starkly different mindsets of the Lakers and Warriors determined the final outcome of the match.

With a commanding 3-0 lead in the match.
With a more relaxed mindset, the Warriors players were noticeably more relaxed in both ball handling and tactical execution than before.

The Lakers players, unwilling to be eliminated, still showed a do-or-die attitude.

Therefore, the score is 104 to 123.

The Lakers, playing at home, managed to win a game.

Unfortunately.
This victory came too late.

Lakers fans would be better off hoping India's domestically developed Tejas fighter jet could shoot down the Trisolarans than hoping to defeat the Warriors in a four-game series.

A day later, they returned to their home arena, Oracle Arena.

Let's dedicate Jay Chou's "Far Away" to this Lakers team led by Kobe.

The Warriors, whose spirit was completely different from that of Game 4, brought this Western Conference Finals to a close with a 4-1 victory.

After the game, he held his jersey in his mouth.
In recent years, Kobe Bryant has always been at the forefront of the fight against the Warriors. The image of him walking back to the player tunnel with a look of disappointment, loneliness, regret, and desolation instantly brought tears to the eyes of countless Kobe fans.

Will Kobe, who will be 35 years old next season, still have a chance to win the championship?

At that moment, no one knew the answer to that question.

But as Kobe's arch-rival, Qin Yue felt...
Because of the Lakers' stronger roster, Kobe has suffered far less wear and tear in the regular season over the past two seasons than he has in previous years, and he is likely to have a healthier career as a result.

"I remember you once said that you hoped Kobe's peak period could last as long as possible." In the Warriors' locker room, Brown suddenly said, turning his gaze to Qin Yue.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue nodded and said, "That's right."

After a pause, Qin Yue added, "Because I always feel that I haven't beaten him into submission yet."

Brown shook his head and said, "Kobe won't accept it. Even if you beat him ten thousand times, he will tell you on the ten thousand and first time, 'Come on, let's keep fighting.'"

Qin Yue laughed and said, "That's why I get a different kind of satisfaction every time I beat Kobe."

In the NBA, there are always some players who will show you through their performances what it means to be proud and never give up.

Perhaps Kobe was never the best player in the NBA.

But his innate rebellious spirit always made him stand out among his contemporaries in the NBA.

Another noteworthy point is that Paul, who is equally rebellious by nature, was still "fighting" even until the end of the game.

During the handshake before returning to the locker room, Paul immediately launched a surprise attack on Qin Yue's "knee" with a cannon punch.

Furthermore, they did not give Qin Yue a chance to retaliate.

Paul, having completed the sneak attack, vanished into the player tunnel at lightning speed.

"You and Chris have such a great relationship."

Brown couldn't help but sigh as he watched the Wake Forest duo still having the leisure to "play around" after the game.

To this, Qin Yue could only grit his teeth and say, "Yes, he and I have a really good relationship!"

The love-hate relationship between Qin Yue and Paul has become a recurring theme since they joined forces to enter the league.

With the Western Conference Finals officially concluded...
Having secured their spot in the NBA Finals for four consecutive years, the Warriors were able to enjoy the Eastern Conference Finals with a more relaxed mindset.

After a 2-2 tie in the first four games of the series, the Heat and Knicks faced off in the highly anticipated Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on the evening of the 24th.

Actually, if it weren't for Lang losing the second game against the Heat...
The Knicks, whose overall strength far surpasses that of the Heat, should have been leading the series 3-1 after the first four games.

Take this highly anticipated battle for Tianwang Mountain as an example.

When the Knicks returned to their home court, they were fully prepared and led the Heat by as many as 20 points in just the first three quarters.

This was a typical battle at Tianwang Mountain that was far from what people expected.

On the field, the game between the two teams was clearly one-sided.

Compared to last year's Knicks.

This year's Knicks, assuming they don't waste any time, are a team without any weaknesses.

Furthermore, this Knicks team, which can create complementary effects on the court, is constantly deepening their chemistry through daily practice.

In Qin Yue's view, if one insists on nitpicking...
The only weakness of this Knicks team is likely their head coach, Mike D'Antoni.

As a head coach with equally obvious strengths and weaknesses
Since entering the playoffs, D'Antoni, who has always preferred to use only five starters rather than a six-man rotation, has become increasingly conservative in his player rotations. Moreover, in those crucial possessions for the Knicks, D'Antoni's tendency to burn out his own CPU has repeatedly hampered the Knicks' performance on the court.

As it turns out, not every coach in the NBA has the ability to run a super team well.

Indeed, Mike D'Antoni can now be considered a great coach.

But compared to Malone or Carlisle, D'Antoni is clearly lacking.

However, D'Antoni's shortcomings do not diminish the strength of this Knicks team.

In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks gave the Heat no chance whatsoever and crushed them in Miami. After winning the next two games, they secured the other Finals ticket with a 4-2 series victory.

The matchups for the 12/13 NBA Finals are now officially set.

The New York Knicks will face the Golden State Warriors, who are on track for a fourth consecutive championship, in the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year.

According to the schedule, the first game of this year's Finals will be played on June 3. The Warriors, who have the better regular season record, have home-court advantage, and the format is 2-2-1-1-1.

Interestingly, before the Finals began, the New York media couldn't resist teasing James, saying, "LeBron, we can still make it to the Finals without you."

For James, who is already in an endless hell, he really didn't expect that he would still be kicked by the New York media after he had already fallen to such a state.

However, James is still lucky.

Because compared to the "Durant Formula" in Qin Yue's memory, there is the "Mbappe Formula" after Qin Yue's time travel.

In this era ruled by the Qin Dynasty.
Considering that the formation of the "James Formula" requires the Knicks to defeat Da Qin first, James can fully expect to lead the Warriors to create the first four-peat in the NBA since the invention of complete statistical data this season.

of course.

For James, who believes that Qin Yue is the culprit behind his current predicament, supporting Qin might be less desirable than killing him.

For now, let's set aside the issue of James's "one-track mind and double-dealing" approach.

6 month 3 day.

The first game of the Finals kicked off at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

This legendary arena, which will be replaced by the Qinhuangdao Center next season, has officially begun its countdown to its farewell.

That night, the golden wave in Auckland was as overwhelming as ever.

Especially during the entrance ceremony, when Qin Yue made his grand entrance as the final performer.

Yu Jia, who was in the commentary booth and had to raise his voice to block out the noise from the home crowd, sincerely said: "Many fans watching on TV probably don't know how terrifying the sound waves generated by Oracle Arena are. To be honest, at this moment, I can only raise my voice as much as possible to avoid my microphone being drowned out by the noisy environment in Oakland."

After a brief warm-up, the Oracle Arena's big screen immediately displayed the starting lineups for both Nyon and Nyon teams.

Away team Knicks: Howard, Love, Iguodala, Durant, Harden.

The home team, the Warriors, consists of Brown, Qin Yue, Wallace, Green, and Curry.

Before the Finals began, ESPN launched a poll on whether the Knicks could have built a dynasty in the NBA without Qin Yue.

In response, Qin Yue commented when voting using a secondary account: "Dynasty? Is ESPN looking down on the Knicks, or on Durant?"

In Qin Yue's view, it is no exaggeration to say that the current Knicks team has the potential to become the strongest team in NBA history.

Unfortunately.
Since the current era is an era with GOAT.

Even the strongest teams have to give way to the team that plays for the GOAT.

In the center of the court, Qin Yue and Howard jumped for the ball to start the game.

Howard, who usually crushes others with his talent in games, immediately felt Qin Yue's abnormal physical qualities that far exceeded those of ordinary humans.

A standing reach of nearly 290 centimeters. A vertical jump of nearly one meter.

If we only consider physical abilities, Howard is fully deserving of the title "F-35 of the Raptor world".

The Qin Yue is the J-36 and J-50 that the Chinese will develop in the future.

On the court, in the first offensive possession, Qin Yue, who had moved up to the high post to receive the ball, delivered a perfect assist to Brown, as is his custom.

However, Brown, who executed the same "American step" as James when he received the ball, was penalized with a traveling violation.

This season, although under the new combined ball rule, players can still take an extra step when going for a layup or dunk, the referees are extremely strict with Brown's "American step" that he doesn't even bother to fake.

"Can't you just go for a layup?" Qin Yue interrogated Brown, who had just committed a traveling violation, as they retreated on defense.

Upon hearing this, Brown said aggrievedly, "But my body is already used to 'crab dribbling'."

As the biggest victim of James's decline, Brown's average points per game this season is 7.4, a new low since he joined the Warriors, and his finishing rate at the rim has also dropped from 70% in the past few seasons to 61%.

The reason
Brown's physical condition is declining with age, which is certainly one factor.

But most importantly, Brown's "nightmare dance" that is no longer allowed by referees has become a "forbidden move" in the NBA.

Even so, Brown protested in the media more than once, saying that the referees were questioning his dazzling skills as Hakeem Olajuwon's top disciple.

In a sense, though.
The NBA's rectification of player footwork this year is of epoch-making significance.

Because by paving the way for future players to "wait and see," the NBA's entertainment value will inevitably be elevated to a new level.

On the court, the Knicks regained possession of the ball.

It is rumored that during Khloe Kardashian's breakup with Lamar Odom, James Harden, who had already conquered Khloe, drew a foul on Stephen Curry during the Knicks' first offensive possession.

How can we describe Harden's flopping behavior while dribbling?
Simply put...
While praising Harden's basketball IQ, Qin Yue immediately sent his regards to the family of the referee, Tony Brothers.

Nothing.

Since the current NBA has not yet changed its rules regarding drawing fouls, Qin Yue could only remind the referee through his "gentle words."
Since this is the finals, the finals should have the intensity of competition that a finals should have.

Sure enough, after Qin Yue reminded him, Harden, who was still trying to draw fouls on Curry, handed the basketball to Curry himself.

In Qin Yue's previous life, Harden was disliked in both China and the United States for a long time, precisely because of his playing style of drawing fouls for the sake of drawing fouls.

After all, fans pay money to watch games because they want to see thrilling matches, not a contest of who can best use the cylinder to draw fouls.

On the court, it was the Warriors' turn to attack.

The Warriors successfully executed the Flex tactic, with Qin Yue receiving the ball near the free-throw line.

Seeing this, in order to prevent Qin Yue from making a move immediately, Iguodala had no choice but to switch defenses with Howard.

However, while this defensive switch relieved the Knicks' immediate crisis, it couldn't handle GOAT's subsequent powerful drives.

In the heart of the Knicks' defense, Qin Yue, swift as the wind, combined with the ball and launched a fast-flying layup in the blink of an eye.

Immediately following, it was the Knicks' offensive possession.

Before clearing the area, Love deliberately set a screen with Howard, successfully drawing Qin Yue away from the paint.

In the past two years, NBA teams have gradually reached a consensus when facing the Warriors.

That is, only by moving Qin Yue away from the paint can the Warriors' paint area avoid becoming a no-fly zone where anyone who enters will be eliminated.

It has to be said that Love proved his value to this Knicks team based on this one play alone.

To move the GOAT away from the paint, you first need to be accurate enough, have strong tactical execution, and possess the corresponding basketball IQ.

Meanwhile, seeing Qin Yue leave the paint, Durant, who is becoming increasingly "smart" in his approach to the game, quickly called for the ball and initiated a double crossover to get past Wallace.

Again.

In the NBA, being able to play simple basketball is never a derogatory term.

However, some players are just good at playing simple shots.

In the Warriors' paint, Durant switched hands and made a layup over Brown.

This season is different from the same period in history.

To ensure that NBA teams have ways to limit Qin Yue's drives to the basket, the league has retained the rule that interior players must jump vertically when protecting the rim.

Therefore, even though Brown has shown varying degrees of decline in both offense and defense at this moment.
In the current era, the Warriors really can't find a player who can replace Brown in the short term.

On the court, the Warriors are on offense.

Having already deeply felt the changes in the Knicks during the previous defensive rounds, Qin Yue experienced it firsthand again in this round, witnessing the Knicks' defensive system, which gradually developed through the complementary skills of their players.

Although, the Knicks' defense might be better if D'Antoni were replaced by a defensive coach.
But it must be stated for this Knicks team that...
When it comes to winning, every Knicks player on the court is willing to play defense.

Their ability to consistently surround Howard on defense is far superior to that of most teams in the league today.

After all, the talent of this Knicks team is undeniable.

Even if they had a dog leashed on the coaching bench, Qin Yue wouldn't doubt their ability to reach the Finals. (D'Antoni: ?)

On the left high post, in order to break the Knicks' defensive system, Qin Yue actively called Curry over to set a screen for him during the offensive process.

Yes, you are not mistaken.

Curry set a screen for Qin Yue.

Instead of Qin Yue setting a screen for Curry.

At this moment, don't ask.

The question is, if Curry can set screens for players like Kuminga in later generations, then why can't Qin Yue occasionally use Curry as a tool?

Harden, whose screen-avoidance skills are slightly inferior, made a mistake in his haste, which actually made things worse for Howard.

Because as long as Harden stands still, Howard can easily defend two players.

After Harden attempted a forward lunge and failed to get around the screen, Howard had no choice but to follow suit and push forward as well.

Then, Howard watched helplessly as Qin Yue dribbled past the defense he was guarding.

Fortunately, Howard, who was always complaining about his teammates and was no longer the source of all that negativity, didn't blame Harden at this moment, knowing that Harden was at least willing to defend him.

However, in the Knicks' paint, the moment Qin Yue made another layup and turned to retreat on defense...
Qin Yue noticed Howard comforting Harden.
Qin Yue, however, felt that this scene was somewhat contrary to the natural order.

Historically, if Qin Yue remembers correctly, no matter how Harden tried to raise his child, Howard would have always done his own thing.

However, Qin Yue was unaware of the allure of the championship.
Even Howard can change.

And this final has only just begun.
But this Knicks team is united.
They have already unsheathed the sword they used to try and end the Warriors dynasty against the defending champions.

Barkley told TNT, "In the past, people always said that a player's outstanding performance could not be reflected in statistics."

Upon hearing this, O'Neal chimed in: "But now, it turns out that the damage an over-packaged player causes to the team on the court cannot be reflected in the statistics either."

Barkley laughed and said, "Shaq, why do you always seem to know what I'm thinking before I even realize it?"

O'Neal said, "Because when you try to criticize LeBron, as a die-hard LeBron fan, I naturally have to say a few fair words for LeBron."

On the court, the Knicks are on offense.

Just when James was itching to send lawyer's letters to Barkley and O'Neal.
Kevin Durant, who ranked second on LeBron James's all-time kill list, then immediately showed all Knicks fans in front of their TVs his performance that night, which was clearly a level above everyone else.

Swish!
At a 45-degree angle on the right wing, Durant caught the ball and pulled up for a three-pointer, defeating Wallace.

At this moment, the Grim Reaper's scythe has begun to swing in the finals.

And as the owner of Oracle Arena.
When the close-up camera focused on Qin Yue, people couldn't help but become curious.
How will the Messiah of the Bay Area respond to his younger brother who is unwilling to be runner-up for three consecutive years?

……

PS: 5K chapter added as a bonus for the generous donor "I'm Proud of Being a Scumbag"! Thank you again to "I'm Proud of Being a Scumbag" for their previous donation. (Also, I, A Qiao, will definitely try my best to make up for the 10,000-word update I still owe to the generous donor "Class Monitor Yi Liao" before finishing the book.)
(End of this chapter)