I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 100: We tried our best, but our teammates were terrible! A sweep and the Western Conference Finals begin! [Please subscribe]

The good news is that the Jazz did just that.

After all, the Lakers won by so much in the last game because Fisher, Fox, and others had their best performances of the season, which is obviously impossible to replicate.

89: 105!

In this game, the Lakers ultimately defeated the Jazz by 16 points!

Although it was a far cry from the 60-point blowout victory in the first game, the Lakers' relaxed demeanor was evident to everyone.

Wilmarcus said, "They weren't playing at all! During the regular season, O'Neal, Kobe, and Lin Ze averaged 39, 38, and 36 minutes per game, respectively. In the first round of the playoffs, those numbers were also 38, 36, and 35 minutes."

"In the second round, in the two home games against the Jazz, all three of them played less than 30 minutes!"

"The Lakers easily won both home games!"

"I think the suspense in this series is no longer whether the Jazz can come back and win, but whether the Jazz can force the Lakers to go all out and bring out their best."

"If the Jazz are swept out of the playoffs by the Lakers in this manner this year—"

Wilmarcus didn't continue speaking because everyone could understand what he meant by the unspoken part of his sentence.

If they are eliminated in such a humiliating way this season, will the ace duo of Malone and Stockton, who have been together for 16 seasons, also come to an end?

After all, Stockton's aging is obvious to all. He is no longer capable of leading the team to a championship as the second-in-command. At present, he is just a decent starting player.

While Malone still has energy left, he's no longer at the MVP level, nor does he possess the ability to lead a team to a championship. If he still wants to win a title, the team needs to recruit someone stronger than him, a true team leader.

But how could a top-tier star be willing to come to Salt Lake City?

If Malone is unwilling to remain without a championship for the rest of his life, then he only has one path left.

After two days of rest, the Jazz team managed to get back into form and spirit.

Before Game 3 of the series, Sloan gathered the players together to boost their morale and instill in them a determination to win the crucial third game!

If they win this match, they will still have a chance at a 2-1 lead; if they lose 3-0, their season will essentially be over.

After all, no team in NBA history has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win. How could a team that can win four games in a row fall into such a desperate situation?

While waiting for the players to arrive, Sloan kept thinking. He had been pondering for the past few days how to boost morale and what kind of speech would best inspire the players' fighting spirit to win this must-win battle.

However, as the players gradually gathered and all arrived at the meeting room, Sloan realized he had been overthinking things.

Although the Jazz are arguably the most hated professional team in the United States, and although they have almost no fans outside of Salt Lake City, the team's fighting spirit is not a problem, and their team spirit has never changed due to the aging of Malone and Stockton.

They remain the most difficult and most hated team in the league!

"Coach, give us the instructions!" Malone said, sitting in his chair. "We'll fight however you plan! Even if you make me fight that bastard again, as long as we can win the match, I'll still rush over and punch him!"

"Well then, we'll be making some adjustments to tomorrow night's match. First of all—"

The following evening, the players from both teams appeared together at the Energy Arena in Salt Lake City.

Wilmarcus said, "At least from the faces of both teams, I saw the same confidence and the same determination. The Jazz didn't look lifeless and waiting to be eliminated, and the Lakers didn't seem to be underestimating their opponents."

"It looks like tonight's match might be the most exciting and deadly battle of the series! Both sides will fight tooth and nail to win!"

"This is interesting!" Smith suddenly exclaimed. "The starting lineups for both sides are out, and both teams have changed their starters tonight!"

"Oh?" Wilmarcus looked down at the latest message from the front with some surprise. It was reasonable for the Jazz to change their lineup after two crushing defeats, but the Lakers, who had won consecutive games, also made adjustments, which was really unexpected by Wilmarcus and most people.

"The Lakers have returned to their previous lineup. They put Madsen, who had limited Malone quite well in the first two games, back on the bench, and put Harper, the team's former starting guard, back in the starting lineup."

"Why is that? The Lakers' big men were playing really well before, completely controlling the boards and putting the Jazz on the back foot!"

"I think it's because Jackson guessed Sloan's changes!" Smith continued, "The Jazz got Polynes, who was completely unable to compete with O'Neal, and promoted Ostertag, who had been the starting center for the two consecutive Finals, back to the starting lineup."

"Ostertag is a full 30 kilograms heavier than Polynes. Although he is still lighter than O'Neal, at least in terms of weight, he can barely compete with O'Neal."

Wilmarcus said, "But the Lakers made a change! Jackson must have guessed Sloan's changes, so he proactively took Madsen out and put in their most comfortable traditional lineup. This lineup has four players running on the perimeter, with strong pick-and-roll and transition capabilities. As a result, Malone and Ostertag will definitely be targeted!"

"Sloan must be feeling terrible right now!"

"Furthermore, the Jazz replaced Starks, who had a poor performance in the first two games, with Brian Russell. So, aside from Hornacek, who has already retired and there's nothing else to do, the remaining four players are all core members of the Jazz's two-time NBA Finals team!"

"Let's see if this veteran lineup can save the team!"

On the court, Jackson was quite pleased with himself.

Sloan's changes were completely under his control; I guessed right again!

Sloan's expression was the exact opposite of Jackson's. He knew that he couldn't completely reverse the situation with a simple change in tactics, and he also knew that Jackson would definitely counter his moves and make targeted adjustments during the game.

But he really didn't expect Jackson to target him right from the start!

This feeling of being completely seen through and guessed is truly awful.

Sloan pursed his lips tightly; he had to figure out what the team should do next.

At this point, the starting players from both sides had arrived on the field, waiting for the match to begin.

Lin Ze stood with Ma Long once again.

"How's it going, Carl? Missed me?" Lin Ze tilted his head, looking at the guy he'd once beaten up. "Have you booked your plane tickets yet? Where are you planning to go on vacation this year?"

"Shut up, kid!" Malone wasn't going to argue with Lin Ze; all he wanted to do now was win.

"Who are you?" O'Neal looked at Ostertag with an arrogant air. "Where did they find you? A slaughterhouse or a nursing home?"

Ostertag didn't respond to O'Neal's words. He was focused on the basketball, waiting for the referee's whistle so he could get the first possession for his team that night.

"Beep beep!"

The referee's whistle blew!

The Lakers easily secured possession of the ball on their first possession of the night.

Fisher dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Kobe, who was facing Russell tonight.

Then O'Neal came out from the inside!

This big guy simply sidestepped and blocked Russell, completely shutting down Kobe. Kobe then accelerated and drove forward. Ostertag couldn't keep up with Kobe's speed and was easily left behind, making a layup with ease.

"Lakers this—" Wilmarcus looked at the Lakers' tactics in the first possession. Although he didn't say anything, Smith already fully understood his partner's meaning.

His partner didn't refuse to speak; he simply couldn't speak.

Will Marcus believes the Jazz are finished!

As a commentator, you certainly can't say such things in the first round of a match, or you'll definitely get complaints.

As for the reasons?

As is well known, Shaquille O'Neal disliked setting screens for his teammates, believing it would waste his historic dominance and offensive prowess around the basket.

Generally speaking, O'Neal would only come out from the paint to set screens and screens for his teammates when the team was in dire straits.

But tonight, he took the initiative to set a screen for Kobe in the very first possession, which means that the Lakers not only did not underestimate the Jazz and thought they had won, but also attached great importance to this game. It is even possible that the Lakers internally treated this as a do-or-die game when they were down 0-2!

Aside from games like this, it's hard to believe that O'Neal would step out to screen for his teammates in the very first possession.

Already at a disadvantage in terms of strength and completely suppressed by the Lakers, they now face a Lakers team going all out.

The Jazz were on offense. Malone received the ball and immediately pulled up for a shot, taking a decisive shot despite Lin Ze's solid defense!

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, Lin Ze's long arm almost slapped him in the face, which greatly affected his shooting accuracy. The basketball bounced off the rim and was caught by O'Neal.

This time, Lin Ze didn't talk trash. After interfering, he just glanced back to make sure O'Neal could almost certainly grab the rebound, and then sprinted towards the frontcourt.

Ma Long knew Lin Ze's thoughts, and immediately raised his arms to interfere with possible passing routes while running alongside Lin Ze. He couldn't let Lin Ze launch a fast break.

Seeing that Malone was following closely, Lin Ze stopped running towards the basket and suddenly changed direction, turning towards the left corner. Logically, Malone should have followed Lin Ze and spread out, but as soon as he turned around, he saw Kobe, who had shaken off Russell, rushing towards him.

Malone really had no choice. If he ran out to chase Lin Ze, Kobe would definitely be able to dunk on him. If he ignored Lin Ze and brought him back to the basket, Lin Ze would at least have a chance to make a three-pointer.

So Malone resolutely chose to retreat to the basket to disrupt Kobe's attack. The next moment, the basketball indeed came to Lin Ze's hands. After receiving the ball, Lin Ze immediately lowered his center of gravity, bent his knees, glanced at the basket, and easily pulled up for an open three-pointer!

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, the Lakers started with a 5-0 lead!

"Malone did his best," Smith couldn't help but say.

On the court, the Jazz's second offensive possession still failed to score. This time, the ball was passed to Marshall, who, despite Hubble's interference, was decisive enough to throw out a three-pointer.

But despite his attempts to shoot, Hubble's defense was quite effective, which somewhat affected the arc of his shot. With a muffled thud, the shot missed.

Ostertag, the Great White Bear, immediately turned around and got entangled with O'Neal. The two men, with their four arms, struggled for control of the rebound.

Although Ostertag ultimately couldn't out-steal O'Neal, he at least successfully wasted time and prevented the Lakers from launching a fast break immediately.

"Do you want to take a break? I can slow down." Although the team failed to launch a fast break, Lin Ze's fast break never stopped for a second. He had already sprinted down the court at full speed when Marshall made his shot!

Ma Longming knew that Lin Ze was unlikely to have a fast break opportunity in this round, but he couldn't just ignore it.

Everyone knew that if Ma Long, who was no longer at his peak and whose physical strength had declined significantly, simply followed Lin Ze back and forth, he would definitely not be able to last the whole game. He would definitely overexert himself and run out of energy in advance!

But Malone had no choice.

If you don't keep up, the outcome of the race might be decided before he even runs out of energy.

After the ball reached the frontcourt, it finally hit O'Neal's hands. O'Neal leaned back a couple of times to check Ostertag's position behind him, and then he noticed that no one from the Jazz was double-teaming him!

Without hesitation, the fat man exerted his strength and slammed his shoulder into Ostertag.

With a muffled "thud," Ostertag managed to withstand O'Neal's impact; his 130-kilogram weight was no joke.

But defending O'Neal requires both size and strength.

In the instant of the confrontation, O'Neal had already begun to turn around. It was as if he was on roller skates, and he glided past Ostertag in an instant, leaving him behind.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, O'Neal slammed the ball down with both hands, causing the rim to swing wildly once again.

"They actually thought you could stop me all by yourself." After scoring, O'Neal looked at Ostertag as if he were laughing at him: "You think you can stop me with just your fat? What kind of number one center am I?!"

"Tanyer!" Sloan, watching from the sidelines, couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "Follow Lin!"

"When you're giving out tactics, turn your back on people, old man," Lin Ze immediately retorted without any politeness. "Do you think everyone is as hard of hearing as you?"

"Don't get cocky!" Sloan stared at Lin Ze. If he were 30 years younger, he would definitely rush up and teach Lin Ze a lesson!

That bastard is so annoying.

"I meant well, why are you so irritable?" Lin Ze said innocently, "You said it so openly..."

"Things are changing. Can you guess what I'll do to you next? Can you guess?"

At this point, Lin Ze had already retreated quickly to defend.

This time, the Jazz finally scored.

Russell received a pass from Malone, forced his way through the defense to the basket, and then managed to shoot over O'Neal, the ball going into the hoop.

The Jazz are open for business!

But Lin Ze once again sprinted forward, charging towards the Jazz's basket.

Marshall, being dutiful, immediately caught up with Lin Ze and ran towards his own half of the field.

The Lakers' fast break failed again this time, which is actually normal. Even if the Jazz are slow, they can't give the Lakers that many fast break opportunities. Lin Ze's fast break wasn't entirely for scoring points; his most important purpose was to wear them down.

He wants to wear down the Jazz and Malone.

Marshall is young and has plenty of energy; he is indeed not afraid of this kind of exertion.

The problem is, while he isn't afraid of exhaustion, Lin Ze isn't afraid of him either!

After losing the fast break opportunity, Lin Ze did not leave the paint, but stood on the edge of the three-second zone and turned directly.

He blocks the position and calls for the ball with his back to the goal.

If you come with me, I won't give you a chance to escape!

Keep following!

Fisher quickly got the ball and passed it to Lin Ze immediately. Lin Ze received the ball in the low post, easily turned around to create distance, and pulled up for a jump shot that went in!

Marshall's defense is terrible; his only selling point is his three-point shooting. His inability to stop Lin Ze in the first two games was one of the main reasons for the Jazz's consecutive losses.

The Jazz's offense remained sluggish. Stockton had almost no scoring ability except for wide-open shots, and Russell and Marshall lacked individual ball-handling skills. So, after going around in circles, the ball ended up in Malone's hands again.

Ma Long vs. Lin Ze in singles!

This time, Ma Long didn't shoot. He lowered his center of gravity, turned around, and started to use his body to fight hard. Lin Ze also didn't retreat an inch, blocking Ma Long's position and fearlessly going head-to-head with him!

"Bang! bang! bang!" Three consecutive, brutal impacts, each one hitting flesh, each one a pure and ferocious collision of muscles!

However, although Lin Ze's strength can be considered excellent among the number 4 players, it is still slightly inferior to Ma Long, the number one strongman. In the continuous head-on confrontation, Lin Ze was still at a disadvantage. Ma Long pushed him aside and he struggled to jump and shoot, scoring a point.

After scoring, Ma Long was about to show off his biceps and toughness, but Lin Ze completely ignored him. As soon as he saw Ma Long shoot and the ball go in, he immediately lowered his head and accelerated, sprinting towards the front!

Are you going to follow, Ma Long or not?

If we follow, it will be another huge drain on our energy. After just scoring in the most tiring and difficult way, do we really have to run back and forth with Lin Ze?

Should he not follow? Lin Ze's strength is no match for Malone, but he's more than capable of bullying Marshall.

"FUXX!" After cursing, Ma Long gritted his teeth, accelerated at full speed, and followed Lin Ze back to the frontcourt.

In the ensuing match, both sides engaged in a back-and-forth struggle within this rhythm.

Regardless of whether he had a chance to score or not, Lin Ze almost completely abandoned the team's defensive rebounds, and just charged in during transition!

All Ma Long could do was keep running, running, running!

On offense, when the rest of the team struggled to score and the tactics failed to be executed, Ma Long could only repeatedly attack Lin Ze.

Malone scored a respectable number of points in the first quarter tonight, playing the entire quarter and netting 10, but he only managed to score on 9 shots.

He scored 3 points, but only reached double figures by making all 4 of his free throws.

The way Malone plays is taking a huge toll on him!

He was already panting after the first quarter.

But he had to do it; he had to burn himself out like this.

Because if he doesn't do this, the Jazz will be left far behind!

Even with Malone burning himself out and giving it his all, the Jazz only managed 20 points in the first quarter, still trailing the Lakers by 5 points.

Smith said, "Perhaps the only good news for the Jazz is that Lin was very tired tonight. He played the entire first quarter. I think Jackson's plan is to have Lin and Malone play together all night, to wear each other down until the end of the game."

Will Marcus said, "Lin has probably never been this tired before. He was battling Malone on defense and constantly running on offense. If Malone was the most tired person tonight, then Lin was the second most tired."

"I think that's why Lin scored continuously at the beginning of the game tonight, but didn't achieve much in the latter part of the first quarter. He was also very tired!"

Smith said, "But this kind of attrition is clearly in the Lakers' favor! Because they still have Kobe and Shaq!"

Even if Lin only scores 10 points tonight, Kobe and Shaq can easily combine for 70 points!

"But what about the Jazz? With Malone giving it his all in the first quarter, does the Jazz have a second player who can step up? Stockton? Starks? Or Manning or Marshall?"

The game continued, and the duel between the two sides continued in the second quarter.

Because the Lakers scored 4 consecutive points in the second quarter to extend their lead to 9 points, Malone had to return to the court after resting for less than a minute. This was Sloan's only option at the moment.

Let's hope Malone can hold on a little longer!

Malone is still able to persevere, and he can still score points with difficulty relying on his individual abilities.

Even if his efficiency is still very low, at least he can score goals.

But the rest of the Jazz team still seemed like they didn't know how to play basketball very well.

As for Lin Ze, he made too many ineffective runs during the offensive and defensive transitions, and also expended a lot of energy in the physical battles with Ma Long. As a result, his efficiency in the second quarter was also very low. He did not score any field goals and only got 2 points from free throws. He also committed a total of 3 fouls, all of which were committed against Ma Long.

But clearly, it was worth it!

His efforts exhausted Ma Long, leaving Ma Long limping towards the locker room during halftime.

54: 44!

The second half of the game started quickly!

The Jazz finally came up with some new ideas. After a fierce battle with Lin Ze in the paint, Malone passed the ball to Marshall, who caught it outside the three-point line and immediately launched a three-pointer.

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, the Jazz opened the scoring in the second half!

"This shot is crucial! If Marshall gets the shot off, the Jazz still have a good chance!" Wilmarcus said. "At the very least, the pressure on Malone will be greatly reduced!"

On the court, after seeing Marshall hit a three-pointer, Jackson on the sidelines suddenly put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

The Lakers players looked at him, but Jackson didn't say anything. Instead, he mysteriously made a "8" gesture.

Kobe nodded to indicate that he had received the message.

This gesture immediately sparked a discussion among the commentators, and then Kobe made his move after O'Neal scored again under the basket against Ostertag, bringing his total score for the night to 20 points!

This guy started marking Marshall from the center circle!

"What a pity, Karl! You just had a glimmer of hope to turn things around, and now you're going to be wiped out again!" Lin Ze was once again almost completely hanging on Malone, making every step and every movement extremely difficult for him.

Although Ma Long used his elbow to hit Lin Ze quite a bit tonight, Lin Ze was also quite adept at using his own tricks.

"I can take you down! I'll make you wish you were dead tonight!" Malone knew the team was in dire straits. Seeing that Marshall, who was being targeted by Kobe, was running back and forth but couldn't shake him off, Malone simply cut in position again and reached out for the ball.

"You'll beat me? Have you ever beaten me even once in your life?" Lin Ze said, "Have you forgotten that we were down 3-0 in the playoffs? Of course, it'll be 4-0 soon!"

"You'll never beat me in your life!"

"Those two times with the Bulls, it's none of your business!"

"You've said that line before, don't you have anything new to say?" Lin Ze was currently using a semi-fronting tactic, which would both make it much harder for Ma Long to receive the ball and allow Ma Long to quickly return to his defensive position after receiving the ball, preventing Ma Long from taking advantage of the situation to attack.

"You want something fresh?" Malone elbowed Lin Ze away, then struggled to get the basketball. But before he could turn around, Lin Ze pressed against him again, not forgetting to knee him in the leg as revenge.

Despite the pain, Malone continued his trash talk: "What right do you, a journeyman who's played for three different teams, have to boast about beating me? Is your way of beating me just about teaming up with superstars everywhere? It wasn't you who beat me, it was your team that beat my team!"

"You actually remember how many teams I've played for?" Lin Ze wasn't about to back down, and immediately mocked, "But you can't remember how many girls you've slept with, or how many children you have? Go take a look, Karl! Off the court are all your illegitimate children whose child support you refuse to pay!"

Lin Ze's words left Ma Long speechless. He could only wave his arms back and forth to create space for himself. Then he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and squeezed towards the basket. After Lin Ze blocked his way, he turned around to collect the ball and then waved it continuously in the air with both hands.

Useless!

Lin Ze wasn't fooled at all!

Lin Ze simply raised his hands high, maintaining his defensive position and not giving Ma Long any space to shoot!

Completely blocked by Lin Ze, Ma Long had no choice but to throw his elbow at Lin Ze again. But this time, Lin Ze did not take the hit head-on and fell to the ground. The referee immediately blew the whistle!

Malone's move was too big and obvious, and even though it was at home, the referee did not hesitate to give him an offensive foul!

"You're finished, Karl!" Lying on the floor, Lin Ze didn't rush to get up, but glared at Malone and said, "Your whole team is finished!"

This offensive foul became the turning point of the game.

After that, Malone's already low offensive efficiency dropped even further, and he was completely shut down by Lin Ze.

Now!

Marshall, who had just started to find his rhythm, was completely shut down by Kobe and had no chance to receive the ball.

The rest of the team has almost no ability to create their own offense. Stockton is known as the most reliable defender in history, but now he can do nothing but make sure he doesn't make any mistakes.

He can't beat Fisher, or rather, he can't beat anyone in this league right now. He can indeed maintain a high level of efficiency, but that's only because he's extremely cautious in his shot selection.

These days, he can't find the basket at all when he encounters even a little defense or contact.

This situation has persisted for several years, which is why many people say that if Stockton had been replaced by Kidd, Kevin Johnson, Hardaway, or another top-tier guard, Malone would have won the championship long ago.

The fact that this guy could reach the NBA Finals twice as the Jazz's second option really proves how powerful and terrifying Malone is.

In this situation, the Jazz's scoring completely stalled.

They missed many shots in the third quarter and were also fouled out by the Lakers with three 24-second violations in that quarter.

Malone finally showed signs of fatigue in this quarter, making only 1 of 6 shots. Although he made all 4 of his free throws, his efficiency was clearly not enough to help the Jazz turn the tide.

By the end of the third quarter, the gap between the two teams had reached 19 points!

By the fourth quarter, the Jazz's situation had worsened.

Ostertag picked up his fifth foul in the first possession of the fourth quarter, forcing Sloan to bring Polynes back in.

"The Jazz need to double-team or Hack-a-Shaq," Smith couldn't help but say. "Otherwise, Shaq alone could dismantle them."

"But the fourth quarter has only just begun, and the Jazz have only committed one foul," Wilmarcus said. "We can't just let them start committing fouls like crazy to rack up fouls, that would look too bad!"

But as it turns out, Sloan wasn't afraid of looking bad; he just wanted to win.

Tyson can bite people's ears, so what's wrong with Sloan letting his players commit a few fouls?

So, after one of their offensive possessions failed, several players on the court, who had less than three fouls each, started to foul intentionally, committing fouls against Lakers players in a single possession. After the referee called four fouls in a row, the Jazz successfully put the Lakers into BONUS mode!

Next, if the Jazz commit another foul, the Lakers will have to shoot free throws!

"It's about to start. The next few minutes are going to be incredibly ugly. Let's prepare ourselves—wait, what? Water?" Just as Wilmarcus was about to mourn for the inevitable ugly minutes ahead, he saw O'Neal walking towards the sidelines with a grin.

Jackson has been replaced!

O'Neal showed no displeasure or anger at being substituted early; on the contrary, he was overjoyed. He even wiggled his hips a few times while sitting on the bench, showing off his dance moves.

Sloan was completely dumbfounded.

He had just fallen into a mental trap, inexplicably getting stuck on a single point.

How could I not have thought of something so simple?

He can foul Lakers players to reach the foul count, and Jackson can certainly substitute O'Neal immediately after the Jazz have enough fouls, preventing them from "hack-a-Shaq"!

The rest of the Jazz team also suffered a major blow, including the smartest Stockton. No one expected this, and the tactical mistake was too outrageous and too basic!

This also shows that the Jazz team is already somewhat disoriented after being beaten so badly.

What made Sloan even more upset was that Harper, who had a 65% free throw percentage, was also substituted off the court along with O'Neal, and Jackson replaced him with Fox and Grant.

As a result, among the Lakers' five players on the court, Grant has the lowest free throw percentage at 72%, while the other four all have a free throw percentage of over 82%!

砍？

What's the difference between cutting these players and giving points to the Lakers?

"Don't be angry." Lin Ze saw that Ma Long had fallen silent, and patted the guy on the shoulder considerately. "That old man is like that, he has a terrible personality and is insidious, we all hate him! How about this, you shoot a three-pointer later, I won't guard him, is that fair?"

"Shut up!" Malone glared at Lin Ze. "You think we can't win without cutting down the shark?"

"That's right," Lin Ze nodded. "Of course, even if we cut you down, we still wouldn't win. Phil is doing this purely because it's insidious. Let me tell you, Phil is a complete scumbag; his mind is full of nothing but evil schemes and plots!"

"I'll tell Phil you talked bad about him." Grant, who had just come on stage, stretched his shoulders and stood next to Lin Ze.

"What did I say?" Lin Ze looked innocent. "Does telling the truth mean you're being malicious?"

"I told him that too!" Grant grew to like Lin Ze even more during his year with the Lakers.

It wasn't just because Lin Ze had a likable personality, but also because Hubble told Grant that Lin Ze had once beaten up Jordan!

If you've done this before, then we're brothers who can have fun together!

Back then, when Grant heard that Jordan might make a comeback, he was willing to leave the Bulls even if it meant losing money. He preferred to go to the Magic for a new contract with less money and a shorter term rather than stay with the Bulls and be Jordan's teammate.

This is one of the best among the first generation of "anti-Michael teammates".

The game continues!

Fox passed the ball inbounds to Kobe, who immediately charged toward the basket!

If your Jazz team has reached the foul limit, and every foul results in a free throw, then what can Kobe, or rather all the Lakers players, say?

Just charge ahead and that's it!

In the following game, the Lakers relentlessly attacked the paint, leveraging their physical advantages. The Jazz, hesitant to commit fouls, not only avoided fouling under the basket but also became cautious when defending Lakers players on the perimeter, fearing that unnecessary fouls would send the Lakers to the free-throw line.

Their defensive intensity dropped immediately, while the Lakers played better and better. Even Lin Ze, who had performed poorly in the first three quarters due to the immense defensive pressure, found his touch and scored consecutive points.

The gap between the two sides is widening!

Even O'Neal didn't get to play in the remainder of the fourth quarter because Jackson substituted all his starters before it was his turn to enter the game.

The gap between the two sides has reached 30 points!

With the Lakers' key players leaving the court one after another, Sloan knew there was no point in continuing. With three minutes left in the game, he substituted Malone and others, painfully accepting the crushing defeat.

The extra minutes the starters played helped the Jazz narrow the gap to 21 points, but this was clearly not enough to secure a victory for the Jazz.

After Malone and Stockton left the court, they remained silent, just staring blankly at the field. They knew that their season was over once again.

Two consecutive years of crushing defeats to the Lakers have cast a big question mark over the future of this Jazz team.

99: 80!

In the end, the Lakers easily defeated the Jazz by a huge margin of 19 points, taking a 3-1 lead in the series. The Jazz are now just one step away from being swept.

After three consecutive easy victories, the Lakers did not underestimate their opponents.

In the fourth game, they maintained the same rhythm as in the previous games, keeping the game close with the Jazz in the first half and wearing down Malone's stamina.

Midway through the third quarter, taking advantage of the Jazz's fatigue and Malone's exhaustion, Malone launched a scoring run, widening the score gap. He then played steadily in the fourth quarter, maintaining his advantage and ultimately securing the victory!

104: 95!

4: 0!

The Lakers easily swept the Jazz to advance to the Western Conference Finals!

At the same time, they also achieved their seventh consecutive win in the playoffs this season!

In this series, Malone faced tough challenges from Madsen and Lin Ze, averaging 28 points and 9 rebounds per game. However, his stats were entirely built on his shot attempts; he only achieved a 45% field goal percentage in one of the four games, with an overall field goal percentage of just 37%.

Even so, Malone was the only reliable player on the Jazz team who could create his own opportunities and space to score.

What the Jazz are lacking right now is a true second option, someone truly reliable who can help Malone. If they can't find that person, even if they meet the Lakers again next year, they will be swept once more!

The Lakers became the only team to sweep their opponents in the four division semifinals!

In the remaining three matchups, the experienced Spurs completely overwhelmed the young Mavericks. Duncan taught Nowitzki a lesson, and Nowitzki averaged 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game in the series.

而小牛队那边，第一轮大杀四方的诺维斯基这一轮系列赛场均虽然仍旧有23分8篮板的输出，但命中率只有44%，他擅长的3分球更是整轮系列赛11投只有1中！

The remaining players, such as Finley and Howard, also underperformed, and the Mavericks were swept by the Spurs in the first three games.

They were down 0 until Game 4, when Dirk Nowitzki scored 30+ points in his only game of the series, managing a hard-fought victory and avoiding a sweep by the Spurs on home soil, thus preserving the team's last shred of dignity.

As a result, the Spurs, who were eliminated in the first round last year due to Duncan's plantar fasciitis, have returned to the Western Conference Finals this year, where they will face the Lakers in a showdown of the Western Conference's ultimate showdown!

Meanwhile, in the East, the 76ers and the Raptors engaged in an extreme battle of individualism!

Carter vs. Iverson!

The series went to a decisive Game 7!

Just when everyone thought the duel between these two stars would reach its climax in Game 7, offering all fans the most insane star showdown, Carter suddenly had a major blunder!

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