I just want to play healthy basketball

Chapter 299 The much-anticipated Lakers, the upset king!
After the Bucks swept the Pistons, the pressure was much less.

Regardless of whether the next opponent is the Celtics or the Nets, the Bucks at least don't have to face the risk of players being abolished.

Although the ancestors of the Celtics also have a tradition of iron and blood, but the current Celtics are fine.

Maybe O'Neal played too violently in the paint, but at least he won't go directly to the disabled.

The Bucks are not short of people inside. Although there is no big meat shield like Joel, there are heavyweight power forwards Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, both of whom are good at dealing with O'Neal.

As long as this point of O'Neal can be resolved, the Celtics have nothing to fear.

After all, Pierce's ability to lead the team alone is just that. Although he played steadily in the playoffs, he rarely performed 40+ in a single game.

Taking a step back, even if Pierce has such an ability, isn't the Bucks still capable?

As for the Nets, there are no superstars in charge. Even if they barely beat the Celtics, they are just defeated by the Bucks.

The Bucks didn't care too much about the overall weaker Nets.

Therefore, before the start of the Eastern Conference finals, the Bucks are already studying the opponents of the finals in advance.

"Kobe is really tenacious!"

"The finger is dislocated, but I can still break it and continue to play the game with pain. I saw this scene and I was stupid!"

"The Spurs and the Lakers should be our final opponents, right?"

In the Western Conference semifinals, the Lakers and the Spurs have reached Game [-]. Originally, the Lakers were sure to win. After all, just relying on Kobe, Garnett's lineup is already better than the Spurs, not to mention the addition of Arenas this season.

However, the Spurs' GDP combination has gradually begun to show off, and this year happens to be the peak of Duncan's career.

Relying on Duncan's strong support, the Spurs defended two home games in this round of the series and were not taken away by the Lakers.

The current score is 3 to 2. If the Spurs can't win this game, then the Lakers' advancement to the Western Conference Finals and the Finals is basically a certainty.

However, in the first five games, the Spurs abolished the main rotation members of the Lakers, Derek Fisher and Devin George.

A clever woman can't cook without rice. Although Zen master has Kobe, Garnett, and Arenas under his command, there are no other auxiliary soldiers to fight, so this battle is not easy to fight.

Not to mention, just now, Kobe broke through the bottom line, turned around and shot with the lever in the air, but was blocked by Hedo Turkoglu.

Although Kobe succeeded in a layup, his right middle finger was dislocated.

Although Kobe straightened his fingers, the pain would not disappear instantly.

As we all know, the power of shooting mainly comes from the legs, but a double-action shot like Kobe requires a lot of core strength and upper body strength while using the strength of the legs.

When shooting, it is also very important to move the ball with the index finger and middle finger to give the ball a spin.

For Kobe Bryant, a high-volume shooter whose shooting percentage is not particularly good, hurting a middle finger will definitely have a big impact on shooting stability and shooting percentage.

It is worth noting that this game is still relatively anxious, and in normal times, Kobe might hand over the ball to Arenas and let him help the team score and help the team win.

But at this critical moment, Kobe, who was paranoid and eager to win, happened to be impulsive and used his "bad" shooting, causing the team to fall into the abyss of defeat.

And that's exactly what the Spurs are looking forward to seeing.

"The Spurs' defense doesn't seem to be as tight as before!"

"Wrong, this is just a trap set by Popovich for Kobe! Popovich hopes that the Lakers will give the ball to Kobe and let Kobe take a lot of outside shots."

"Kevin Garnett's defense is great, but Tim Duncan's ability to protect the rim is better. The Spurs are helping them kill the game with Kobe's shooting!"

"It seems to be the case. If the Lakers can't win this game, maybe the Spurs will turn the tables and make the Lakers enter the Western Conference finals. In the finals, our opponent may be the Spurs!"

"So, we should expect Kobe to shoot more balls! Haha!"

The game on TV was very anxious, but the Bucks players who were watching the game were very happy.

It's nothing to do with hanging up high.

With a lineup of the Big Three like the Lakers, they lost to the seemingly weak Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals ahead of schedule.

Even if the Spurs can't make it to the finals and become the opponent of the Bucks, it will help the Bucks get rid of a powerful opponent like the Lakers in advance, and give the Bucks one more hope of achieving three consecutive championships.

However, this game is not as simple as the Bucks players imagined.

With 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bryant collided with Bowen's knee during a jumper.

The two collided in the air, their knees didn't hit too hard.

However, Kobe seemed to be physically exhausted after repeated battles. He failed to stand firmly when he landed and injured his ankle when he landed.

The momentary pain made Kobe stagger, and he staggered gradually from the front court to the back court.

But before he got to the bench, Kobe couldn't help but press his ankle and Achilles tendon on the floor.

"Don't come here, let me try again." Kobe seemed to say this to the Lakers doctor on the sidelines.

However, he consciously walked back to the front court and stood on the free throw line.

"I said that I would lead the team to win this round of the series, I said that I would lead the team to enter the finals again, the enemy we have to defeat is not only the Spurs, but also the Bucks who are trying to win three consecutive championships!"

Before Kobe reluctantly made a free throw, he said this to everyone present.

The Spurs fans at the scene also had to be moved.

Under the eyes of everyone, Kobe made two free throws, and then did not choose to drag his teammates down, but chose to return to the locker room after the game, and do a physical examination first.

The Bucks players could feel the reluctance on Kobe's face through the TV screen. If it wasn't for the unbearable pain, Kobe would definitely stay on the court until he couldn't move his position.

But something really went wrong with the sprained ankle this time.

Even Kobe, who is eager to win, has to pay attention.

If the ankle is really injured, even if he beats the Spurs and relies on his teammates to win the Western Conference Finals, but finally enters the finals, facing the mighty Bucks, can he still play 100% of his combat effectiveness with an ankle discomfort?

The severe pain in the ankle made Kobe have to face up to the problem he would encounter next.

Kobe must first solve the uncontrollable factors before facing this problem.

As Kobe left the field, the Spurs fans shouted wildly, cheering for the Spurs players on the field.

With the strong support of the fans, Duncan defeated Garnett time and time again, scoring the ball at critical moments.

But at this moment, Arenas suddenly went crazy.

All kinds of unreasonable goals of Arenas in the face of double-teaming made people mistakenly think that Kobe had returned to the court and retaliated wildly against the Spurs with a complete victory.

"What can't be killed will only make me stronger?"

No one expected that the Lakers, without Kobe, would become even more terrifying under the force of Arenas.

"Arenas faced two double-teams and hit a three-pointer with one step outside the three-point line!"

"With 43 seconds left in the game, the Lakers took a 4-point lead. The Lakers are really going to turn defeat into victory!"

The last 43 seconds are basically one round for each of the two teams.

In order to ensure victory, the Spurs definitely want to grab an extra round, but before that, they must also ensure that the next attack can hit.

Popovich called a timeout, not only to arrange tactics, but also to change the free throw from the backcourt to serve from the sideline of the frontcourt to grab some time.

The ball quickly fell into the hands of Ginobili, and Ginobili relied on a serpentine breakthrough to kill the basket and prepare for a layup.

But at this time, Garnett made up the defense in time to kill Ginobili.

Ginobili wanted to make a foul, and chose to make physical contact with Garnett before shooting.

It's a pity that the goal was missed, and because the referee didn't blow the whistle, not only the idea of ​​2+1 fell through, but even two free throws were missed.

"Doesn't the league want us to get the ratings for a tiebreaker?" After missing a layup, Ginobili's head was buzzing.

He never thought that he would mess up this crucial shot.

However, at this time Duncan was extremely calm. He was serious about observing the basketball trajectory and grabbing rebounds.

Duncan got in position ahead of time, kicked off the ground violently, flew into the sky, and caught the ball with one hand and chopped down.

"From Tim Duncan's dunk, the Spurs completed the offense in just 5 seconds, and the difference between the two teams is only 2 points!"

Duncan's dunk kept the game in suspense. What's even more suspenseful is that Arenas, who had been brave for 6 minutes, suddenly failed. Arenas, who took 17 seconds to make a shot, failed to make a three-pointer from the outside, and Duncan grabbed the rebound again.

With the help of a wave of fast breaks, the Spurs counterattacked and tied the score in just 4 seconds.

However, the Lakers still have 17 seconds to arrange a lore.

Of course, at this time, the Spurs can also try to use foul tactics to regain the initiative.

Sure enough, after the Spurs tried to steal the serve and failed, they immediately adopted foul tactics.

The Lakers didn't pass the ball to Garnett and Arenas. Kobe, Fisher, and Devin George were no more. Instead, Kareem Rush, who replaced Kobe, received the ball and got a chance to go to the free throw line.

Although Karim Rush is a first-round guard, his free throws are unreliable. In the past two seasons, his free throw percentage has never exceeded 70%.

It stands to reason that at this critical moment, it is possible to miss two free throws in a row.

But the goddess of luck came to him at this time. Kareem Rush made two consecutive goals after hitting the frame, but he just made the ball and helped the Lakers gain a two-point advantage.

In the next round, the Lakers unsurprisingly also adopted foul tactics.

Unlike the Lakers who served from the sideline of the front court after a timeout, the Spurs without a timeout made free throws from the backcourt. Although the Lakers failed to press the ball to intercept the ball, they managed to consume 6 seconds.

By the time Bowen got to the free throw line, there were only 7 seconds left in the game.

This also means that even if Bowen makes two free throws, the Lakers still have the initiative to shoot the lore.

Even if the Spurs resort to free throw tactics again, it is unlikely that latecomers will prevail.

The result of the game was also decided in the next free throw.

Bowen's free throw ability is average, and this time it is similar to the past. He made two free throws and the Spurs trailed by one point.

Then the ball was in the hands of the Lakers, and there were only 7 seconds left in the game.

As long as the Lakers can ensure that the ball is not lost, they can play mutual passing games in the backcourt without worrying about exchanging the ball in 8 seconds after halftime.

Of course, in the last second of the game, Arenas still tried a three-pointer in the middle circle in a fit of anger. Of course he missed the shot, but the Lakers still won this round of the series.

The game ended here. For the Bucks players who witnessed the game, although the Spurs did not beat the Lakers, the Lakers eventually advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

But the Spurs injured Kobe, and Kobe may miss the Western Conference Finals. This is good news for the Bucks, who may become the biggest competitor in the Finals.

Thinking about it this way, today's game is not in vain.

It is said that after the battle between the Lakers and the Spurs came to an end, the results of another round of the Eastern Conference semifinals were quickly drawn.

The Celtics fought the Nets in 7 games, and in the end the Celtics were superior.

With a big killer at the basket like O'Neal, it is not surprising that the Celtics can achieve the final victory.

On the contrary, it is strange that the Nets were able to fight the Celtics to the tiebreaker.

The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, but they were a long-term and exhausted division. This is just as the Bucks originally envisioned, and the promotion to the finals has been relatively easy all the way.

Opponents encountered trouble one after another, but gave the Bucks a lot of opportunities to take advantage of.

In fact, the Eastern Conference Finals did exactly what the Bucks had studied and imagined in advance.

Although the Bucks did not sweep the Celtics, they also lost 1 game in exchange for 4 big victories. While preserving their strength and stamina, they overcame a seemingly powerful stumbling block on the way to the championship like the Celtics.

On the other side of the west, it was the tiebreaker that was played in a dark and dark environment.

The Kings won the Western Conference Semifinals against the Mavericks until the tiebreaker. In the Western Conference Finals, because they were tired as a whole, the Lakers took advantage of their home court to win successively.

But when the Lakers were injured by important players such as Kobe, Fisher, and Devin George, the more they hit the back, the worse they became.

In the first few games, Garnett and Arenas could continue to carry, but in the end Arenas suddenly stretched his hips. Even if Garnett guaranteed the bottom line, he couldn't handle the King's output.

In the tiebreaker, the Kings defeated the Lakers in three and a half quarters when Kobe Bryant forced his comeback.

Kobe gritted his teeth, refused to admit defeat and continued to attack wildly on the court.

But in the end, he used the stunt of "Four Ups and Three Irons" and became an accomplice of the King's defeat of the Lakers.

In the end, Kobe's forced comeback still failed to help the Lakers. Instead, he witnessed the Kings enter the finals with his own eyes.

The Bucks, also in the finals, saw the third Western Conference team that was different from the previous two years.

For the opponent of the King, the Bucks actually miscalculated.

The Bucks didn't think in advance that the Kings could make it to the finals in an upset.

In the past two years, the Kings were indeed the top four teams in the West, but this year the Lakers, Mavericks, and Spurs have all become stronger than ever. On the other hand, the Kings are in decline.

Moreover, with many powerful players in the West wanting to reach the Finals, the Kings were able to overcome all difficulties, and the latecomers took the lead and became the opponents of the Bucks. This is indeed not easy.

It was also the king's sudden upset, defeating the Mavericks one after another, and a strong team like the Lakers made the Bucks a little unexpected.

And most of the research materials and preparations for the finals that the Bucks have done before have become mirrors.

However, the final opponent is the king, and the Bucks are not in vain for joy.

The Bucks don't study much about the king, but the king is weak after all!

In this way, won't the achievement of three consecutive championships be achieved soon?

It's exciting to think about it.

(End of this chapter)