You should cross the mountains like a brave man

Chapter 980 The Last Thing To Prove
The Celtics under normal conditions may be one of the best teams in the league to play positional warfare.

They have Embiid, the low-post killer of the new generation, and Irving, the unsolvable one-on-one player who once assisted James, and the super rookie Jason Tatum who specializes in offense.

A team has three points that can be used as offensive options on the offensive end. If they can be used properly, becoming the best positional team is a matter of course.

There is also a team structure, very similar to the Celtics.

That is the Lakers with James, Durant and Paul.

The composition of their position and single players is like a super-enhanced version of the Celtics.But the Lakers spent a regular season trying to find a way for James and Paul to coexist.

They don't want to sacrifice anyone's ability to benefit another.

In the end, the answer they got was only four words: heroism.

James plays the pivot more in the low post, Durant wanders in the high post, and Paul is remote at the top of the arc. Although this still cannot fully utilize the abilities of James and Paul, this is already the most reasonable way the Lakers can think of.

The difference between the Lakers and the Celtics is that their three stars are all old.

James has two championships in hand, he is eager to surpass Jordan, but at the age of 33, he only has two championships, not to mention Jordan, he is far behind Wei Xia in the same age group.

Therefore, he is willing to sacrifice part of his ball rights in order to obtain more honors.

Paul had never been to the conference finals before joining the Lakers. The 183-cm masked man sneaking on the floor of the Western Conference Finals has a long history among Chinese fans. Now he is joining an unparalleled team. If he sacrifices the ball in exchange for honor, he will recognize it.

Durant is more eager for the championship. He has been compared with Wei Xia and James since 2011.

Now, those two are both accomplished and famous super giants. He is still empty-handed. He thought that joining the Lakers could join forces with Wei Xia, but he only got an apology from the other party. He waited for a year in a daze before James joined.

The multi-star team made the outside world's expectations of the Lakers break through the sky, and they also used appropriate sacrifices to cooperate with each other.

This kind of conscious sacrifice is something that the Celtics do not have.

Or it should be said that they originally existed, but under the influence of some people, they disappeared.

The Celtics' tactics became singles, and Irving switched to others after playing singles. Due to a large number of singles, the 76ers got many opportunities to rotate offense.

Since Game 25.3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they have played an exaggerated 20% of the offensive rounds. The Bucks are playing transition offenses. This is the only team in the playoffs that transition offenses accounted for more than 18%.

To hit conversion, first make sure of two things.

The team's athleticism is strong enough to run;
Defensively, able to stop the opponent's offense and catch the rebound.

The 76ers' defense is good, but there are so many rotation offenses, as if the American Dream Team is playing FIBA ​​games to show off their athletic ability, it is all because of the Celtics' inefficient singles with countless numbers.

Game3 is the most obvious one.

The Celtics increased their defensive intensity. In the first half, the shooting percentages of both sides were controlled below 40%.

Then, the transition became the 76ers' weapon to end the game. In the first half, the shooting felt sluggish-or the shooting sight was off-point throughout the game, but the transition and the offense at the basket in the second half increased the shooting rate-the 76ers found a way to indirectly and efficiently put the ball into the basket, but the Celtics did not.

From the perspective of pure shooting percentage, the 76ers shot 38.5% and the Celtics hit 37%. The former made 21 of 4 three-pointers and the latter made 19 of 4 three-pointers.Entering the second half, the shooting of the two teams was still poor. The 76ers were 16 of 4 and the Celtics were 22 of 5. However, the 76ers' overall shooting rate rose to 52.1%, while the Celtics' shooting rate remained at 38.6%.

Although the number of conversions between the two teams is similar, the Celtics initiated 26 times and the 76ers initiated 29 times, but in terms of fast break points, the Celtics only had 13 points, while the 76ers had 32 points.

The Celtics have no direct and efficient way to break down the 76ers' defense. This is a problem that has plagued the Celtics throughout the series. No Celtics player has the ability to directly tear the 76ers' defense.

3 is better than 0
With 11 consecutive victories since the start of the playoffs, it is very likely that they will advance to the finals without losing a game.

The strength of the 76ers has amazed observers. They have the theoretical No.1 in the league and the number one center in the league. In addition, they are only 40 years old, Kobe Bryant, who is still in the top 20 in the league, and a bunch of high-quality role players.

Judging from the lineup, the Celtics are not under them, but they are just beaten without the power to parry.

The Celtics, who were completely abused by the 76ers, were the first to be blamed. Irving averaged 22.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 3.8 turnovers per game, shooting 37% from the field and 24% from the three-point field.

"I don't know how to explain Irving's downturn, because he is not the kind of player who will shrink back in tough battles." The Celtics head coach is confused about Irving's state.

Defensive strength doesn't explain Irving's struggles.

Fans prefer to regard this as another manifestation of Wei Xia's unsolvable single-defense ability.

The ACL tear ten years ago damaged Wei Xia's lateral movement speed, and the experience of possessing Larry Bird made Wei Xia start to move towards becoming a stream of consciousness defender.He no longer relies on physical fitness, but uses small movements, confrontation, endurance and anticipation to win.

While his defensive accomplishments in this generation are good enough, basketball pundits agree that he would be even more terrifying in an era of playable defense.

The downturn on Irving's books helped Tatum block the thunder.

In the three games against the 76ers, Tatum averaged 11.3 points per game, shooting 33% from the field, and did not make even a three-pointer.

The performance of these two blacksmiths indirectly dragged down Embiid.

The performance of outside players is closely related to that of inside players. If they play well, the inside will have space to perform better in singles. If they play poorly, they will naturally allow the opponent to shrink the space.

Embiid did not perform well, and he and his teammates were equally responsible for the reasons.

If the best three players on the team are struggling offensively, winning naturally becomes difficult.

Wei Xia's attention to this matter still lies with Irving and Tatum.

They are all famous "Kobe disciples", and they are all players who Kobe himself admitted "has the Mamba spirit".

"I think the way they insist on not making shots is very similar to you when you were young."

Before Game 4, when the entire Lakers boarded the bus to the North Shore Garden, Wei Xia asked Kobe to make fun of him.

"Can this also be blamed on the old man?" Cousins ​​didn't expect Wei Xia to let Kobe come out to block the gun every time.

"Don't you think they are persistent, full of obsessive paranoia for the cause of blacksmithing, and have a Mamba spirit?" Wei Xia looked at Kobe, "You also admit this?"

Cousins ​​has to admire Wei Xia, he can find a point to link with Kobe in anything.

The most difficult thing is that sometimes the events he chooses can really be hooked, so Kobe can't argue with it.

He had long since given up discussing these matters with Wei Xia, thinking that he has been in the league for 22 years, and he has borne countless scapegoats. Is it even worse?Come on, he has nothing to fear!

"When we reach the finals, it must be an extraordinary series." Oubre mentioned.

While the 76ers crushed the Celtics, the Lakers and Warriors tied the first four games in the Western Conference.

As expected by the outside world, the Warriors have the strength to wrestle with the Lakers.However, not many support the defending champion. No basketball fan wants to see the 76ers and the Lakers meet in the final.

This means inexhaustible topics and fateful encounters.

Wish and LBJ are already the 84 duo recorded in history. They have played against each other six times in the East, with three wins and three losses, and a draw.

Coupled with the entanglements between Weixia and Kobe and the Lakers, as well as the participation of Durant, Paul, and Cousins, this is likely to be the most star-studded finals after 1984.

In one round of the series, there are three top ten players in history, five of the top five players in the current league (20), six of the top 30 players in the league, and all of them are top [-] superstars in history ([-]).

Highlights, stories, and topics are all full.

This is definitely a series that can attract fans who don't watch basketball to watch the game.

Therefore, Ubre's remarks directly aroused heated discussions on the bus.

Wei Xia doesn't have as many ideas as them, but he has doubts about whether Kobe will try his best to play the Lakers: "Would you consider the Lakers as your own team then?"

"I'm old, but I'm not old and confused. I will definitely do my best!" Kobe said affirmatively, "Only if we win the championship, I can prove that I was right to leave Los Angeles!"

After listening to Kobe's words, Wei Xia was silent for a while.

Yes, Kobe reminded him.

He remembered why Jerry Buss refused to give him a maximum salary back then, and even withdrew his offer later.He got the answer very early. With the death of the old Buss, he won the championship and proved himself, and then poached Kobe from Los Angeles. He has completed self-proof and revenge.But now, James and Durant came to Los Angeles with the kind of influence recognized by the old Bass and entered the finals. If he can beat the Lakers in the finals, it will be a more powerful revenge than poaching Kobe from Los Angeles.

This will be an impeccable proof!

This is also the last thing Wei Xia wants to prove.

⑴ Cousins ​​has been in for a while, theoretically considered the top five of the season.

⑵It is still Cousins. In terms of honor, he should be in the top 40 in history in the book (conservative estimate).

(End of this chapter)