Starting from the last bus in the NBA

Chapter 429 Finals

"A new dynasty, a new era!"

"Michael Jordan: Yes, among today's players, Wang is definitely the one who is most like me."

"The Lakers, who have the Four Kings, failed to stop Seattle. Who else can stop Seattle?"

"Indiana or Detroit, who will be No. 2?"

……

As the finals are approaching, NBA news has become noisy, occupying many front pages.

It can be said that in today's entire sports world, the most worthy of attention is the NBA Finals.

Especially this year, it is even more different from the past, because the Sonics will compete for three consecutive championships.

The last team to complete three consecutive championships was the Chicago Bulls led by the God of Basketball.

It was also the great achievements of two and three consecutive championships that created the glory of Michael Jordan, the god of basketball.

The last team preparing to win three consecutive championships was the Lakers, who had just been defeated by the SuperSonics.

In fact, the Lakers' three consecutive championship dynasty was ended by the SuperSonics. The just-concluded Western Conference Finals was actually a battle of revenge.

It's a pity that the Lakers failed to seize the opportunity.

The Sonics took only a short day off after their game against the Lakers and then quickly assembled.

No matter who the opponent is, they will be ready.

The great cause of a three-peat dynasty is just around the corner, and the SuperSonics team is full of energy.

As for the Eastern Conference finals, in the just-concluded battle at Tianwangshan, the Pistons were even better.

Especially defensively, the Pistons showed their strongest side and only scored 65 points for the Pacers.

You know, this is a game at the Pacers' home court.

Now, with a 3:2 advantage and a home game next, the Pistons have a good chance of reaching the end.

To be honest, this is not what Wang Hao wants to see. He would rather face the Pacers.

Before the start of this season's playoffs, he and Artest had an agreement to meet in the playoffs.

As players located in the east and west, if you want to join forces in the east and west, what do you need to do?Naturally, we met in the finals.

To be honest, judging from the regular season records of the two teams in Shancong, there is still a good chance.

Unfortunately, the Pacers' last step was a bit difficult.

In addition to the agreement to join Artest in the finals, more importantly, the Pacers are indeed a more suitable opponent.

It can be seen from this Tianwangshan battle that the Pistons are definitely a tougher team, especially their defense.

From personal defense to the team's overall defense, they all show extremely tough and unwilling to admit defeat. This kind of opponent has always been the most difficult to deal with.

In comparison, although the Pacers have O'Neal Jr. and Artest, this team is not as tough as it seems.

When he said tough, he didn't mean fighting, but playing, which can be seen from the game that just ended.

When it comes to the real critical moment, when they need to score, they don't seem to be able to play the role of core players.

O'Neal Jr. plays a little softly, Artest plays a little recklessly, and neither of them can control the game at critical moments.

Take the current game as an example. Even though the Pistons don't have that kind of super scorer, they are really merciless at critical moments in the game.

Chauncey Billups' big heart is not something others can boast about, but his real ability.

Therefore, if they can choose their opponents, the Sonics would prefer to face the Pacers.

Of course it's not because you're afraid of the Pistons, that's impossible, but who doesn't want the game to be easier?

It's a pity that neither Wang Hao's expectations nor the Sonics' expectations came into being in the end.

On the first day of June 2004, with the attention of fans across the United States, the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals began.

In this game, the two teams really showed what it means to be tenacious in defense and appalling in offense.

In the torture of each other, neither team's shooting rate exceeded 40%, and the total score was less than 135 points.

We also know that in a game more than 10 years later, this score is not even comparable to a team's score.

The whole game, from the first minute to the last minute, was extremely intense, but it was intense and ugly.

In the end, with home court advantage, the Detroit Pistons firmly held the few advantages they had.

The Pacers showed great tenacity, but unfortunately, they couldn't get much benefit from the equally tenacious Pistons.

In the end, the Pistons won this fierce and ugly game with a score of 69:65.

After the game, many media criticized the two teams, believing that these two teams ruined the Eastern Conference finals.

Defense is needed in the playoffs, but such an ugly game, even if it is won, will only drive away the fans.

In comparison, many media outlets sang praises for the Sonics, and even wanted to directly declare them the champions.

For a time, the Detroit Pistons were accused of various things and were even described as ugly people and clowns.

The SuperSonics, with the glory of the two championships, has a completely glorious and majestic image.

As the absolute core of the SuperSonics and the absolute star on the next finals stage, Wang Hao naturally received countless applause and praise.

However, he also knows very well how enthusiastic the media is at this time, and how cold the media will become once they make a slight mistake on the stage of the finals.

During the continuous training camp, everyone's attention was focused on the game, and time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, June 6 is here, and the finals of this season are about to usher in the first game.

The Detroit Pistons came to Seattle early to adapt to the Seattle environment and the SuperSonics arena.

During the past few days of training, the two teams met several times, but there was no communication or even a greeting.

There is not much friendship between the players on both sides, and everyone understands that the next step is going to be a battle.

Seeing that the evening time was getting closer and closer, and the game time was getting closer and closer, Wang Hao finally came outside the arena.

In an instant, all the media swarmed in and surrounded him on three levels inside and outside.

Even with bodyguards around, it was difficult for him to move forward and he had to stop for an interview.

"Wang, our Detroit team is a good defensive team. Do you have confidence?"

"Of course, no matter what opponent we face, we remain respectful but also full of confidence."

"Some players on the Pistons have said that they will lock down your offense."

"Many teams and many people have said this. I can't even remember it, but no one has ever done it."

"Coach Larry Brown thinks you can only shoot, and winning a championship is just good luck. You're not even as good as Allen Iverson."

Hearing this, Wang Hao was also speechless. In fact, he had already known that there would be this problem.

The head coach of the Pistons was very eloquent during the interview and criticized Wang Hao in various ways.To be honest, this guy didn't necessarily mean what he said, but he did it intentionally, trying to get Wang Hao's mentality.

After all, in Larry Brown's vision, Wang Hao is still just a young man who is prone to impulsivity and changes in mentality.

Moreover, he is still the absolute core of the Sonics. Once he is affected, the entire Sonics will be affected.

"Larry Brown? What does this have to do with him? Isn't the head coach of the Pistons Rick Carlisle?"

Complete the kill in one sentence!

You know, the current Pistons team was built by Rick Carlisle, from the puzzle of players to the tactics.

Moreover, the Pistons' record is not bad. From the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Eastern Conference finals, their results have improved all the way.

Perhaps, even Rick Carlisle thinks that he has done a good job with the Pistons and that he has brought hope to Detroit.

That's why he acted so unbelievably when he was fired!
To be honest, in the original time and space, the Pistons won the championship. Otherwise, Larry Brown and the Pistons would only be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Moreover, this is not the first time Larry Brown has done this kind of peach picking. This guy is not a good guy.

People are always like this. The more they lack something, the more they crave it. It is said that he is picking peaches. This is a big taboo of Larry Brown.

In the past, both players, coaches, and the media looked at Larry Brown's reputation and kept it secret.

It's just that, now that you're doing it in a face-to-face manner, Wang Hao won't be polite.

The game time is getting closer and Paul Westphal is making final tactical arrangements.

Even in the locker room, they could hear the boiling sound coming from the arena.

Under the notice of the staff, the SuperSonics players came to the player tunnel, and the grand entrance ceremony began.

SuperSonics players entered the stadium one after another, and when Wang Hao appeared, the atmosphere reached its peak.

"King, king, king..."

"MVP, MVP..."

After the entrance ceremony, Wang Hao felt a chill behind his back. When he looked back, he saw a little old man staring at him with an unkind expression.

Who else but Larry Brown?

If you know you have sore feet, don't shoot them casually, otherwise, don't blame others for scratching your sore feet.

"CCTV, CCTV..."

The familiar voice sounded, and the Chinese fans who were thousands of miles away instantly cheered up.

There is no other way. Instead of being there, fans can watch the cheerleading team perform and the players warm up.

The Chinese fans have been watching the bragging for half an hour, and it is still an embarrassing kind of bragging.

Apart from watching the commentators chat awkwardly, there were only advertisements. Now they knew that the game was about to begin.

"Welcome to the sports channel, this is the scene of the 2003-2004 NBA Finals.

The two sides participating in the battle include the SuperSonics, which we are very familiar with, and the Pistons, which we are not very familiar with.

We can see that the referee has signaled the players from both sides to enter, okay, the game has begun! "

At the scene, the players from both sides stood still, the referee threw the basketball into the air, and this season's finals finally started.

The basketball flew to the highest point, and Ben Wallace reacted quickly and jumped up immediately.

However, PJ Brown's reaction was not slow, leaping high and stretching his arms at the same time.

After all, the height difference is there, and there is no way to rush for the jump ball. Wallace's disadvantage is obvious.

PJ Brown easily jumped to the ball. Wang Hao took the basketball and immediately took two quick steps while observing the situation on the court.

If possible, he would naturally not miss the opportunity to play fast, but it is a pity that he did not have the chance.

Almost immediately after the jump ball, the Pistons had their entire team retreating quickly, including Ben Wallace.

After all, they are a team that relies on defense. You may look down on the Pistons' offense, but you can't ignore their defense.

When Wang Hao saw that he had no chance, he was not in a hurry and simply gave the ball to Gary Payton.

As for himself, he came to the low post inside and just stood there, not in a hurry to get the ball.

Paul Westphal's analysis is correct. The Pistons are very afraid of Wang Hao's low-post offense.

Therefore, in today's game, they did not arrange for Richard Hamilton to defend Wang Hao, but arranged for Tayshaun Prince.

Prince looks like a thin bamboo pole, but in fact, his confrontation is not very bad.

More importantly, with a height of 206 centimeters and a wingspan, his blocking ability is really strong.

Choosing to fight with him at close range is not a good choice, as it is easy to be interfered with when taking action.

At this moment, Wang Hao suddenly moved. A sudden change of line after getting up in a hurry finally gave him a chance to run away.

Gary Payton reacted quickly and left to pass the ball to Wang Hao, but Prince also caught up.

He is obviously the height of an inside post, but moves his feet like a small forward. This is not Kirilenko at all.

However, the real Kirilenko is in the SuperSonics, and Wang Hao knows very well how to face such an opponent.

After receiving the ball, Wang Hao took action directly. Prince did not dare to be careless and immediately took another step forward.

Then after taking this step, the basketball that was about to be thrown out was suddenly caught by Wang Hao.

Then, the shot turned directly into a breakthrough.

At this time, Prince couldn't do anything at all, unless he chose to foul.

But the question is, this is the beginning of the game. If there is a foul at this time, do we still have to play the whole game?

Prince could only watch as Wang Hao passed by and headed directly towards the basket.

However, the Pistons are the Pistons after all. As one of the best defensive teams in the league, their defense is not so easy to break.

Ben Wallace's characteristics were vividly displayed, and his super mobility quickly allowed him to stand in front of Wang Hao.

Wang Hao saw his teammates next to him, Ben Wallace making up the defense, and someone must be open.

However, today he did not look for an open position. Instead, he stared at Ben Wallace and directly chose to attack.

When he came outside the three-second zone, without any hesitation or hesitation, Wang Hao directly grabbed the ball and then jumped high.

Ben Wallace was stunned. If anyone dared to challenge him, he was not polite and jumped up as well.

Although his height is not that great, his bounce is really good and he can easily seal the upper side of the basket.

More than that, the two people's bodies collided in mid-air, a super confrontation, this is what Ben Wallace is good at.

If the offensive player cannot withstand the confrontation, forcing a shot at this time will only result in a block.

(End of this chapter)