NBA: I am the god of basketball

Chapter 228 Wang Chao: Track and field team?When it comes to running, I have never been afraid of anyone

In addition to being selected for the best team, Wang Chao was also selected for the best defensive team.

This is the first time in Wang Chao's career that he was selected to the All-Defensive Team. His average of 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game played a big role.

The best defensive team in the 12-13 season is a bit interesting, because there are a total of six players selected for the best team. As for the center position, Bulls center Joakim Noah and Knicks center Tyson Chandler get the most votes It was exactly the same. As a result, both of them were selected for the best team. Besides Wang Chao, the remaining four were Chris Paul, Tony Allen and Ibaka.

James, who should have been selected as the best first defense, was squeezed into the second defense lineup by Wang Chao. The best second defense also included Mike Conley, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Marc Gasol.

Leonard, who was supposed to be selected to the All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career in the 13-14 season, has been able to be selected in advance this season, although he was selected as a shooting guard instead of his own small forward position.

Leonard averaged 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season. The offensive end can only be regarded as quite satisfactory, mainly focusing on fixed-point shooting outside the three-point line and cutting inside.

On the defensive end, Leonard can average 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. The pure defensive data cannot reflect Leonard's contribution on the defensive end. The richness of being abused in a one-on-one match with Wang Chao made Leonard's perimeter defensive ability easily reach the top level.

In fact, Butler's defensive ability is not particularly far behind Leonard, but after all, due to the static talent limit in terms of wingspan, his defensive performance is still slightly inferior. It is a pity that he was not selected together with Leonard.

This can't be helped. Players with outstanding defensive capabilities have sprung up like mushrooms this season. Not to mention Butler, even Paul George of the Pacers has been squeezed out of the best defense. Outside the lineup.

In fact, at least four of the Rockets' five starters are eligible to be selected for the best team. In addition to Wang Chao, Leonard and Butler, Garnett's defensive contribution in the game is not small.

After Garnett came to the Rockets this season, he has transformed from an all-round offensive and defensive All-Star power forward to a defensive-oriented functional player.

Garnett sees it very clearly. The 37-year-old has only one goal when he comes to the Rockets, and that is the championship. In order to win the championship, even doing some blue-collar work is acceptable.

On the court, Garnett devoted almost all his energy to the defensive end. During the regular season, he averaged only 12.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

Without Garnett's defensive strength in exchange for sacrificing personal data, it would not be so easy for the Rockets to achieve a record of 72 wins and 10 losses in the regular season.

It's a pity that even so Garnett was not selected for the best defensive team, because in the inside position, Garnett's direct competitors are James and Duncan, both of whom are the main cores of their respective teams' defensive systems.

In contrast, although Garnett's defensive efficiency is not worse than the two, the Rockets' defensive system is not supported by Garnett alone. There will be a decline, but it is still at the top level of the league. As long as there are Wang Chao, Leonard, and Butler's three perimeter defenses plus Yao's ability to protect the basket, the Rockets' defense will be indestructible.

Garnett's role is more like a glue or a lubricant. As an inside player, Garnett can defend both inside and outside. To a certain extent, he can make up for Yao's lack of mobility and make up for the last shortcoming of the Rockets.
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The Rockets' opponent in the second round of the playoffs is the Denver Nuggets Athletics, which is home to the Devils. This season, the Nuggets' home winning percentage is even higher than that of the Rockets with 72 wins and 10 losses. vividly.

Although the Nuggets are difficult to deal with, Houston fans generally maintain a more optimistic attitude.

Not to mention that the No. [-] Rockets in the Western Conference have the advantage of home court priority. Even in the Nuggets' away game, the Rockets may not be much worse than the Nuggets.

Although Dayao and Garnett are too old and are no longer suitable for the fast-paced game of the Nuggets, the Rockets players headed by Wang Chao, including Leonard, Butler, Thomas Jr., Chandler... Young and cutting-edge players such as Parsons are all energetic and athletic players, and they don't frighten the Nuggets at all when they run.

On May 5, the second-round opener of the playoffs began at the Toyota Center Arena, home of the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets start, Wang Chao, Butler, Leonard, Garnett, Dayao.

The Nuggets started, Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Costa Koufos.

At the beginning of the game, the Nuggets wanted to speed up the offensive rhythm as much as possible to prevent the Rockets from taking advantage of the big Yao inside.

But is the offensive tempo what they want to speed up?
Wang Chao, Leonard and Butler teamed up to block the outside line, especially Wang Chao, with the addition of interceptor talent, frequently completed interceptions and steals against the fast-breaking Nuggets and counterattacked.

The Nuggets' fast break was completely unable to play under the interception of Wang Chao and the three. Instead, they were frequently counterattacked, and the inside line was completely overwhelmed by Dayao.

Whether it is the starting center Costa Koufos or the backup center JaVale McGee, they have no power to fight back against Yao. As long as Yao can receive the ball at the basket, he can often score the ball. .

At the end of the halftime game, the Rockets' score advantage had expanded to more than 20 points. Although the Nuggets were unwilling to fail in the second half and took advantage of the opportunity of Dayao's physical decline to launch a wave of counterattacks, they were still powerless and were defeated by the Rockets with 113 points. :104 beat.

The Nuggets lost the opening game and then lost again in the second game, returning to their home court with a score of 0:2.

Although they were 0:2 behind at this time, the fans of the Nuggets and Denver did not really despair because of this. They knew very well that the real victory and defeat had to be decided at their home court. It's home games.

On the Denver plateau, the Nuggets' physical and physical advantages will be maximized. At the same time, the Rockets' two aging insiders will also be limited, and they will not be as unstoppable as they are at the Rockets' home court. .

The Nuggets thought very well, but when the third game of the series officially started at the home court of the Denver Nuggets on May 5, they were all dumbfounded.

Because the Rockets, which continued the regular season starting lineup in the previous two games, actually changed the lineup.

The Rockets' starting lineup for this game is Thomas Jr., Butler, Leonard, Wang Chao and Garnett.

Dayao, as the top inside center who was selected to the best second team this season, was actually placed on the bench.

The Nuggets were dumbfounded.

Garnett's height of 2 meters is naturally more than enough to play a center. After all, the Nuggets do not have a heavy center that Garnett hates.

The appearance of Garnett at the center position also caused a qualitative change in the Rockets' lineup structure. He was originally an inside player known for his excellent mobility. The pace of the team's offense is no problem at all.

Except for Garnett, the other four starters of the Rockets are all extremely athletic players.

With the talent of long-distance runners, Wang Chao, who is very good at running back and forth, Butler, who is less than 24 years old, and Leonard, who is 22 years old, are young and energetic, and they were promoted from the bench to the starting position again in the playoffs Thomas Jr.'s speed is among the best in the league.

After the change, the Rockets played a battle against each other directly on the Nuggets' territory.

Players from both sides walked like flying on the field, making the game abruptly into a very exciting offensive battle.

Then, the Nuggets lost inexplicably in such a confrontation.

At 127:121, the two sides scored a total of 248 points without playing overtime. This score is already quite exaggerated in the case of four quarters.

Nuggets fans were dumbfounded.

The rocket is too buggy, right?

You can run, I can run better than you!

You are ruthless, I am more ruthless than you!

Throughout the game, the Rockets never gave up, except that the pace of the game slowed down a little when Dayao came on the court, and the rest of the game was played in endless running and fast breaks.

The speed that the Nuggets are proud of has no advantage in front of the Rockets after the change. In the middle and late stages of the game, they even faintly felt that they could not run the opposite side.

This feeling mainly comes from Wang Chao.

When the game was in the middle and late part of the third quarter, the players of the two teams were exhausted in a lot of back and forth running, and the running speed also slowed down, but as long as the basketball was handed over to Wang Chao, both teams had to continue at full speed. Running and sprinting, because they don't run like this, they can only watch Wang Chao rushing towards the basket on his own.

Wang Chao doesn't care about you so much.

Track and field team?When it comes to running, I have never been afraid of anyone

Already trained to 99 physical fitness, coupled with the upgraded version of the long-distance runner's talent skills, Wang Chao has long been one of the best physical players in the league.

Last season, he was able to easily average 40+ points per game. This season, he easily averaged a triple-double and both offense and defense this season, relying on his abundant physical fitness.

When he started, his signature was running without the ball, and he could compete with Hamilton all over the court to compete in physical strength. The Nuggets wanted to play track and field with him, and he was still very tender!

Dayao didn't play very well in this game, and even played less than 20 minutes, but the Rockets won it was not much more difficult than the previous two games. The Nuggets didn't expect them to run and bomb. Unexpectedly inferior to the Suns, they were at a loss in front of the Rockets version of the track and field team led by Wang Chao, and the final result was a bloody 0:3 score.

Such a result was actually expected by many people. The Rockets' combat effectiveness has been well confirmed during the regular season, and no one will question it.

It's just that this process still exceeded everyone's expectations.

The Rockets' victory was really easy and comfortable, and it was still at the Devil's home court of the Nuggets, defeating the opponent head-on with the Nuggets' best style of play. What could make the Nuggets feel more desperate than this?

The huge gap left the Nuggets demoralized. On May 5, in the fourth game of the series, the Nuggets, who continued to sit at home, played like sleepwalking. They played poorly and fell behind by more than 13 points in less than halftime. At the end of the third quarter, there was no suspense.

The main players such as Wang Chao did not play for 1 minute in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets fans also left the court one after another before the end of the last quarter.

By the time the end-of-game whistle blew, the Nuggets home stands had become sparse, and not many fans wanted to stay for a doomed game.

At 110:83, the Rockets beat the Nuggets, the devil, by 27 points at home, sweeping the Nuggets 4-0 with a total score and officially entering the Western Conference Finals.

Two rounds of matches, two crisp 4:0, the terrifying dominance was fully revealed.

Except for the match between the Rockets and the Nuggets, in the other three groups of games, the biggest difference is the Heat who eliminated the Bulls 4:1.

The Heat are also quite strong this season. The 65-win record and 24-game winning streak in the regular season can fully show the state of the team. They swept the Celtics 4-0 in the first round and defeated the Bulls 4-1 in the second round. Lost only 1 game in the postseason.

In contrast, the other two groups of duels seemed relatively stalemate.

The game between the Knicks and the Pacers in the East was a little better. The Knicks were really good this season, but they were no match for the Pacers after all. After a fierce battle, they were eliminated by the Pacers 4:2.

Carmelo Anthony averaged 28.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in six games, showing his offensive ability undoubtedly, but it is a pity that he is alone in the Knicks. Apart from him, the Knicks' highest scorer is JR. Smith who averaged 13.5 points per game , while JR. Smith averaged only 28.9% field goal percentage in six games, and his efficiency was horribly bad.

This is also the most desperate point. Even though JR. Smith has stretched his hips to such an extent, the Knicks still have to hand over a lot of shots to him, because apart from him, the Knicks can't find anyone who can help Anthony's team.

On the Pacers side, five players scored in double figures. Paul George averaged 19.5 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, George Hill averaged 16 points and 4 assists, and David West averaged 14.7 points and 8 rebounds. Roy Hibbert with 13.3 points and 10 rebounds.

Although the Pacers this season are not showing off their mountains and dews, their true combat effectiveness must not be underestimated.

Compared with the series between the Pacers and the Knicks, the last set of series matchups can be called a fight in the true sense.

Spurs vs Thunder.

These two teams have obviously weakened compared to the same period in the original 12-13 season.

The Spurs are missing Leonard, a potential new star, who is also the main defensive player on the front line this season.

The Thunder sent Harden to the Mavericks and got two players, OJ Mayo and Kaman. In theory, they should be stronger than in the original history, but the problem is that Kaman is approaching the regular season. He was injured before the end, which caused the Thunder team to lack a general inside, and their strength plummeted.

This is also impossible. Kaman has the attributes of a glass man, and he has never played a full season in his entire career. Especially in the following years, he can only play about [-] to [-] games per season on average.

Being traded to the Thunder did not prevent Kaman from being injured.

As a result, the two western powerhouses who were short of major generals launched a very fierce fight in the semifinals of the division.

(End of this chapter)