From today on is the king

Chapter 1573 1572. Before the Finals

The stage of the finals, the Phillips Arena... Josh Smith feels all this is very familiar, but this time, he returns to this arena as an opponent.

Just as Raheem received cheers and applause in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the fans who had just sent a shrill boo to O'Neal gave a standing ovation to Josh Smith.

Josh Smith can become an All-Star, be selected to the best team, and play so well in the Western Conference Finals, leading the team to the Finals together with Nash, O'Neal and others. Eagles fans are very happy for Josh Smith.

When Josh Smith was traded away, Eagles fans were very reluctant. Josh Smith’s talent is too good. It only depends on his physical condition. He can’t lose to LeBron James.

But because of this, the Hawks couldn't keep him and couldn't give him the team role he wanted.

If all Josh Smith wanted was money and the ability to play like Marion, Price would definitely keep him, but obviously not.

Of course, if Josh Smith and his team lose in this Finals, the fans will be happier.

O'Neill and Josh Smith have long been used to this stage, and they feel that they should stand on this stage.

But the best player of the Suns, even though he had tried his best to adjust his emotions before, when he entered the court, he still felt a little floating...

Starting from defeating Kobe Bryant, the "King of the Western Conference" in "Special Program: King of the Western Conference" after Liu Mang finished the first round of this year's playoffs, Nash has always felt like he was living in a dream. After 12 years, he finally stood on this stage.

"Is this the finals?"

This is the first time that Nash, as an opponent, has seen the Eagles wearing the Eagles' team T-shirt or Eagles jersey with "rogue" written in Chinese on the chest.

In the early 01-02 and 02-03 seasons, Eagles fans did not have a strong sense of belonging. Except for members of the "Rogue League", few fans in the regular season wore Eagles team T-shirts or jerseys to watch the game.

During the short transition period in the first half of the 03-04 season, it happened that the Eagles and the Suns did not have a game...

And this is the first time Nash has reached the finals, and it is really the first time he has seen Eagles fans so passionate.

Nash felt so excited when he heard the boos of the fans!
but……

When the opposing players came out and saw the familiar faces on the opposite side, Nash felt overwhelmed.

Standing in two rows are Grant Hill, Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Michael Finley, Dwyane Wade and Jason Terry!
The top five starters are even worse, Tracy McGrady, Kwame Brown, Marion... even Rondo, who came out second to last, is now a hot new generation point guard, and Liu Mang has been squeezed into the position of shooting guard.

After Rondo appeared on the stage, the voice of "MVP" sounded on the scene. Nash took a closer look and saw that the strongest man in the world came out!
Liu Mang was used to being watched on such occasions, and he didn't care about it long ago. He was also observing the Suns' players.

"Steve Nash, 95; Raja Bell, 80; Jason Richardson, 87; Josh Smith, 90; Shaquille O'Neal, 90; Jose Calderon, 82; Leonard Barbosa, 79; Boris Diaw, 81..."

After reading the ability evaluation of the Suns stars again, Liu Mang thinks that the Suns deserved to reach the finals!
Their head coach Gentry has done much better than D'Antoni!

What surprised Liu Mang the most was Josh Smith. After four years, he entered the NBA as a dunker who could only dunk. After laying a good foundation for the Eagles, he soared to the sky in the Suns and quickly became a top-level superstar!
"Ability evaluation 90, offense 88, defense 92, three-pointer 79, mid-range shooting 68, layup 94, speed 90, strength 91..."

When he was with Liu Wei, Josh Smith was laying the foundation, learning to work hard and to specialize in one aspect of determination; when he was with Nash, what Josh Smith learned was brains. After he had developed the interior to the extreme of his 94 layup evaluation, he began to develop three-pointers. Step by step, he improved faster!
After one year, Josh Smith's three-point rating has risen to 79!
The players of the two teams are many teammates with each other. After the entrance ceremony, the players of the two teams came to the court to say hello. Wade and O'Neal lamented that they did not make it to the finals when they were teammates, but now they are opponents in the finals.

Nash is greeting two old teammates, Finley and Marion, and there are quite a few players from the Eagles and the Suns who are old teammates.

Liu Mang and Josh Smith were chatting in front of the technical stage.

"Josh, what should I do? I'm so excited to see how powerful you are now!"

"You don't have to be so happy for me, really, Boss Ace, don't be like this!"

"Since you still call me the boss, then I will definitely go all out and let you see my progress in the past two years!"

"..."

……

After saying hello and taking photos with the stars, celebrities, and celebrities on the sidelines, there is not much time left until the finals start.

After nearly half an hour of pre-match procedures in the complicated first game, the game was about to start. Liu Mang sprinkled chalk into the air and went on stage with his starting teammates.

For the Eagles, the starting lineup of Rondo, Liu Mang, Tracy McGrady, Marion, and Kwame Brown has been replaced.

For the Suns, the starting lineup of Nash, Raja Bell, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, and O'Neal appeared.

Rondo came to the free throw line and waited for his teammate to win the jump ball. He returned to the starting lineup, which represented that the Eagles were ready to play defense in the finals.

It’s not that Wade doesn’t play defense when he starts, but that when Wade starts, the defense of the rotation lineup will drop a lot. When playing against the Magic, Rondo suffered a lot from Howard. Although Nelson’s defense on the outside is not particularly good, it’s okay, but the comparison between Nash + O’Neal and Nelson + Howard...

Mainly because the Suns have two lineups.

Liu Mang and Raja Bell stood on both sides of the center line. They were considered old rivals. They had played the chokehold game. Kwame Brown came to the center circle. O'Neal and Kwame Brown stood facing each other. This was the third time they played against each other in the playoffs. Although Josh Smith may have jumped the ball even better, O'Neal couldn't say he couldn't...

When the time came to eight o'clock sharp, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air!
(End of this chapter)