NBA: I am the god of basketball

Chapter 231 Finals, fierce battle against the Heat

The Rockets swept the Thunder 4-0 in the Western Conference finals and entered the finals. So far, they have swept the opponents 4-0 in all three rounds of the playoffs, fully demonstrating their dominance, and winning the championship is just around the corner.

Now the Rockets are only one step away from the finals, one step away from the championship.

In the finals in the Eastern Conference, the Heat and the Pacers are still fighting fiercely.

No one thought that facing the Pacers, who were not showing off during the regular season, the Heat would be in a tough fight.

After their respective home and away games ended, the Heat had already led the Pacers 3:1 to get the match point one step ahead.

Unexpectedly, the Pacers, who were lagging behind, managed to catch up and won the subsequent games in G5 and G6. They pulled two games in a row and tied the score at 3:3. war.

In the tiebreaker, James scored 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, leading the Heat to win the Pacers without any risk, winning the Eastern Conference Finals with a score of 4:3 and advancing to the Finals.

In the eyes of most people, the Pacers are just an ordinary team, especially after Danny Granger was reimbursed for the season due to injury during the regular season, the team did not even have an All-Star player.

It's just such a team that can play against the Heat until the seventh game to decide the winner. From this point of view, the Heat don't seem to be as strong as imagined, at least compared to the Rockets who crushed and swept all the way in the West. Compared with the deterrent effect, it is not 01:30.

Of course, the Pacers are definitely underestimated. Wang Chao knows very well that the Pacers can be regarded as the strongest team in the Eastern Conference outside of the Heat. Including next season, the Pacers are the only team that can compete with the Heat in the Eastern Conference. The team can push the Heat to the tiebreaker, it is definitely not that the Heat are too weak.

Therefore, Wang Chao will not have the slightest contempt for the Heat.

In the two seasons of 11-12 and 12-13, James is definitely the peak and strongest state of his career. Wade still has a little spare power. With Bosh, Ray Allen and others, their strength must not be underestimated. .

The start time of the NBA2012-13 season finals is three days after the end of the Eastern Conference finals. On June 6, the first game of the finals kicked off at the Toyota Center Arena in Houston, home of the Rockets.

After a lapse of one year, the Rockets and the Heat met again on the stage of the finals, but unlike last year, the Rockets were strong and strong. Not only did Dayao remain healthy and in excellent condition, but they also added Kevin Garnett as a strong support. Can the title be successfully defended, or will the Rockets complete their revenge and reach the top?

All kinds of highlights have brought the attention of this finals to an unprecedented height.

On June 6, the Toyota Center Arena in Houston was packed, and the entire arena was surrounded by a sea of ​​red. All the Rockets fans present put on the red T-shirts distributed by the stadium to represent the main color of the Rockets, shaking and waving their hands. The inflatable stick in the middle cheered loudly and cheered for the home team he supported.

The enthusiastic competition atmosphere is infecting everyone.

TNT, ESPN, CCTV Sports and sports-related channels in other countries broadcast the opening game of the finals live for the first time.

Under the eyes of everyone, the lights of the stadium began to dim, and the passionate voice of the live DJ sounded, introducing today's starting five of the Rockets.

"First of all, let us welcome the 21-foot-6 Jimmy, who is always full of passion and energy on the court, wearing the No. 7 jersey-Butler!"

"Then there's No. 2, 6-foot-7, top static talent, defensive specialist, rising star on the Rockets, Kawhi-Leonard!"

"The third place is Kevin Garnett, who wears the No. 5 jersey, is 6 feet 11 inches tall, a superstar in the league, a famous defensive expert, and a 15-time All-Star!"

Every time the on-site DJ introduced a starting player, as the player ran out of the player tunnel, there would be cheers like a mountain and a tsunami in the stands, like waves, and each wave became more violent.

And when the DJ introduced the No.4 starting player, the atmosphere of the stadium reached a climax instantly!
"He wears the No. 1 jersey, is 6 feet 9 inches tall, has a flawless three-point shot, and his offensive ability is unique in history. The strongest star in the history of the Rockets, the four-time regular season MVP winner in a row! Wang — -overtake!!!"

"boom---!"

The entire stadium seemed to explode in an instant, and the deafening cheers almost lifted the ceiling.

Wang Chao ran out of the player tunnel amidst the cheers and applause of everyone, and while celebrating with his teammates on both sides of the tunnel, he waved to the surrounding stands.

He is not the last player to play at the end of the game. Although with his current status and almost unanimous position in the Rockets, it is only a matter of saying that he wants to play the finale. However, Wang Chao still gave up the position of the finale to Dayao After all, Dayao has been the benchmark and banner of the Rockets for the past ten years.

"Finally, let us give our warmest applause to the 11-foot-7-inch little giant from the far east who wears the No. 6 jersey and is our eternal pride in Houston, Dayao!"
-
After the show ended, the national anthem and warm-up session followed. After the fans waited patiently for more than ten minutes, the substitute players and coaches of both sides left the field one after another, leaving their five starting players on the field.

The Rockets are the five introduced at the beginning, point guard Wang Chao, shooting guard Jimmy Butler, small forward Kawhi Leonard, power forward Kevin Garnett, and center Yao.

The Heat's starting five, point guard Mario Chalmers, shooting guard Dwyane Wade, small forward LeBron James, power forward Udonis Haslem, center Chris Bosh .

For most of the regular season this season, Bosh has served as the team's starting center. On the one hand, the Heat do not have qualified inside center players. Bosh's guest center is already the best choice. On the other hand, the highly mobile With Bosh as the center, the Heat's mobility can also be maximized. This season, the Heat's fast break ratio is among the best in the league, second only to the Denver Nuggets, and slightly higher than the Rockets with Wang Chao. Only when Yao is not on the court will the Rockets switch to a small-ball lineup and start to speed up.

Naturally, the small ball lineup has mixed advantages and disadvantages. In this league where the rules are getting closer to outside players, it is the general trend to develop a highly mobile small ball lineup.

But against Dayao, the remnant of the old era, the shortcomings of the small-ball lineup were fully exposed.

In the jump ball stage, Dayao easily won the scrum, and the Rockets got the ball.

Wang Chao dribbled the ball across half court and stood at the top arc of the three-point line. The defensive player standing in front of him was the star of the Heat, LeBron James.

In the finals last year, James and Battier took turns defending Wang Chao, double-teaming Wang Chao when necessary, so as to curb Wang Chao's offensive efficiency as much as possible.

But today, the situation is different.

Facing James' defense, Wang Chao had no intention of competing with the opponent at all. Just like facing Durant, simply blowing up the opponent on the field is no longer what Wang Chao needs to do now.

Wang Chao held the ball at the top arc and waited for Dayao to enter the inside line and stand in position before passing the basketball to Dayao with a high lob.

Dayao played Bosh with his back under the basket, and the process was no different from bullying a child.

Bosh is 2 meters tall, which is already considered a good height among interior players. The problem is that he weighs only 11 kilograms, which is even lighter than James. He is not a strong player who is good at confrontation. Yao is only slightly Arching his buttocks squeezed the other party back and forth.

Before the other players of the Heat stepped forward to help defend, Dayao had already raised his hand with a nimble little hook, sending the basketball into the basket lightly.

It is no different from facing the Thunder, the Nuggets and even the Mavericks... No, strictly speaking, the Thunder's blue-collar center Perkins is a little more difficult to deal with than Bosh. After all, Perkins is also a muscular guy. Although the tonnage is not as good as that of Dayao, it is not so easy for Dayao to enter the restricted area of ​​the basket without some footwork skills.

Still the same sentence, a healthy Dayao in this era, regardless of physical fitness, is like a bug.

With Dayao's stable performance at the basket, the Rockets easily established a score advantage.

Dayao's role is not only on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end.

The Heat are a typical breakthrough-oriented team. Whether it is James or Wade, the main offensive method is to break through the frame with the ball. There may be no way in the fast break, but in the positional battle, Dayao guards the basket. Down, will bring tremendous pressure to both James and Wade.

The Rockets' defensive strategy is also very clear. If you don't guard against shots, you can't shoot. Even Wade, who is not good at three-pointers, Jimmy Butler will stick to the opponent on the outside and don't give him the chance to shoot easily. The ball broke through me, but facing Yao under the basket and Garnett on the other side who can help defend at any time, what he can do after breaking through with the ball is a mid-range emergency stop jumper.

Mid-range shooting is arguably the area that James is least good at. James, who was in the 2.0 version of the Cavaliers, has become more and more skilled, and his efficiency in mid-range shooting has also steadily improved. He has made several lore shots, but at this stage James , The efficiency of the middle distance is not as high as that of the three-pointer.

James and Wade's offense was limited to mid-range shots, while Bosh, who was best at mid-range shots, had no shot at all under Garnett's special care.

Like Nowitzki, the playing style has softened, and Bosh, who mainly focuses on face-up shooting, is also one of Garnett's favorite inside players to defend. He is too good at defending such opponents.

The offensive efficiency of the Big Three was all limited, causing the Heat to score only 21 points in the first quarter.

However, this defensive strategy also has disadvantages.

In the first quarter of the game, Dayao committed two fouls on his back. Even if he has absolute dominance at the basket by virtue of his height, facing the impact of a top-level ball-handling master like James Wade, he still has too many fouls on his back. Foul, even James seized a chance and directly completed a dunk on Dayao.

A 2-meter-26 little giant was dunked, and the picture effect was quite explosive, and James performed his own overlord step on the spot.

He still lowered his head and patted his chest and roared in celebration. The Rockets had already served from the bottom line, and Wang Chao took the ball and ran towards the frontcourt of the Heat.

James had to stop and chase Wang Chao after halfway through the celebration.

Wang Chao's fast break was too fast. With the support of fast break masters, the Heat could only rush back to defense.

Wang Chao rushed all the way beyond the three-point line, made a big change of direction, passed James in one step, and then rushed to the basket. There was only the last line of defense in front of him, the blue-collar player Haslem.

Haslem is the captain of the Heat. Although he is a blue-collar player, he has a tough style of play and a tenacious will. He is known as the soul of the Heat.

Just as an inside player, his height of 2 meters is doomed that he can only serve as a blue-collar player in the NBA to contribute to the team.

Wang Chao didn't hesitate to face Haslem, and directly stepped out with two steps, the whole person jumped high, and his body collided violently with Haslem who was following him in the air, and then threw the basketball with all his strength. Slams towards the basket.

"boom--!"

Thunderous cheers from the stands!

James had just dunked Yao, and Wang Chao responded immediately. Although the 2-meter Haslem looks completely incomparable with the 03-meter Yao, Wang Chao's dunk action is Both the strength and the degree of body stretching are far superior to the ball that James dunks Dayao, and the viewability is almost perfect.

"squeak--!"

The referee's whistle sounded, Haslem made a defensive foul, Wang Chao scored 2+1, and an extra free throw!
With Wang Chao and James facing each other, the fierce game came to the halftime unknowingly.

The Heat, who scored 22 points in the first quarter and 24 in the second quarter, scored 46 points in the half, which was significantly lower than the usual average.

On the Rockets side, they scored 53 points at halftime, leading the Heat by 7 points.

The Rockets firmly revolve around the two core offensive points of Wang Chao and Dayao, and their offensive efficiency is as stable as ever.

In the Rockets, whether it is Leonard and Butler who are starting, or Thomas and Parsons who are on the bench, they all have experience in the finals last year. In addition to playing at home, there are not many new players who are nervous about playing in the finals for the first time. Not to mention Wang Chao's abnormal performance, there is no player in the entire league with more experience in the finals than him.

As for Dayao and Garnett, it was their first time playing in the Finals.

Dayao was unable to appear in the finals last season due to injuries. Garnett, whether in the Timberwolves or the Celtics, his best result was only the division finals and never entered the finals. Of course, this pot It is mainly Wang Chao's. If Wang Chao hadn't joined the Magic, formed a good chemical reaction with Howard and ruled the Eastern Conference for four years, Garnett should have been able to play at least two finals and win a championship.

The topic is far away. Although these two veterans have no experience in the finals, they are both veterans who have been in the league for more than ten years. Even participating in the finals made them even more excited, and their state and enthusiasm were better than usual.

The Rockets, whose members are in excellent condition, are at their strongest at this time!Facing such a rocket, it is normal for the Heat to be no opponent.

(End of this chapter)