unfinished glory

Chapter 70 End of Regular Season ([-])

The first game in April was away against the losing Nuggets, but Popovich obviously wouldn't jump into the same pit twice.

Kenyon Martin played nearly 10 minutes without any achievements, and Anthony's persistent singles made them fall behind by 20 points in the first half.

Anthony was nothing more than bitter about Li Chongxiao taking away his limelight in the rookie game, because the fans at the Pepsi Center cheered a few times when the DJ announced Li Chongxiao's name.

But the Spurs are not popular with heroism. Facing Anthony's strong attack, Li Chongxiao didn't get dizzy because he started again. If he should be double-teamed, he would call his teammates to double-team, and if he should rely on the overall defense, he would use his teammates to block.

In the first half, Anthony took 15 shots and hit 12 irons. George Karl was so angry that his face was livid.

Perhaps because of the coach's exhortation in the locker room, Anthony restrained himself a little in the second half and no longer insisted on singles.

But the Spurs are best at defending the victory, and the 20-point difference has been maintained until the end.

The next day, they played against the Lakers, who had only theoretical playoff hopes, and against the desperate Kobe, both Bowen and Li Chongxiao were blown away.

Kobe made 36 crazy shots, made 30 of 16 two-pointers, 6 of 2 three-pointers, 13 of 10 free throws, and scored 48 points. One person accounted for half of the team's points.

With 12 seconds left at the end, with Li Chongxiao and Bo Wen chasing back and forth, he even made a lore shot, which made Li Chongxiao realize, "I know who will get the ball and how to attack, but the defense Can't stand" despair.

The Spurs lost the game 95:96.Kobe told "Little Melon" that it's not that taking too many shots will hurt the team, it's just that you are not strong enough.

The Spurs, who lost the game, vented their anger on his neighbors. Facing the visiting Clippers, the Spurs beat the killer. 112:78, the Spurs ushered in another hearty game.

But after the wave is over, the backlash is also very strong.Although the ranking of the Mavericks is basically determined, the new and old grudges are counted together. This season, they lost three games to the Spurs. This is the last chance for revenge.

104：78，小牛队主场狂胜26分，上一次浪过头的吉诺比利被防得9投1中，只得到2分。

In the next day's game, the Suns defeated the Warriors 129:127 in an offensive battle, and their record came to 58 wins and 17 losses, which was on par with the Spurs and ranked second in the league only because of the relationship between mutual wins and losses.

The Spurs, who were pushed very hard, waited for the Clippers to send warmth, 102:94, not many points, but the scene was not intense, and the situation has been controlled by the Spurs.

In the game on the same day, the Rockets gave the Spurs another assist. They defeated the Suns 98:97 and helped the Spurs get a win.

In the back-to-back games on the second day, the Spurs and the Warriors played a high-scoring game of 136:134. The two sides played two overtimes before Parker made a 2.9-second layup to kill the opponent.

After winning this tough game, the Spurs went all out and beat the Blazers again.But in back-to-back games, he was shot by Mehmet Okur of the Jazz.

Then in the two-day game, the Suns continued their winning streak. After defeating the Clippers 98:91, they achieved a record of 61 wins and 18 losses and tied with the Spurs again.

Both sides have only three regular season games left, whoever loses the chain first will lose the home court advantage in the playoffs.

The good news for the Spurs is that Duncan was finally able to come back. In fact, he could play against the Warriors, but Popovich forced him to rest for two more games.

For the Suns, the next game will be two hosts and one guest. The three opponents are the Kings, Nuggets, and Kings.

The Kings (49 wins and 30 losses) and the Nuggets (48 wins and 31 losses) have already confirmed their tickets to the Western Conference playoffs, but they both have to compete for rankings, which is related to their playoff opponents.

Coincidentally, they are all competing for No.6, which can play against the Sonics, not the Suns or the Spurs.

The King's record is slightly better, but they are at a disadvantage in the previous duel with the Nuggets, and they have to lag behind with the same record.And in the next game, there will be no direct confrontation between the two sides, so we can only see the face of the Suns.

The Spurs' opponents are also coincidental. They have one home and two away, against the Grizzlies, Grizzlies and Timberwolves respectively.

The Grizzlies (44-35) and Timberwolves (42-37) are still fighting for the final playoff spot in the West. The Timberwolves have a slightly worse record, but they have the better record against the Grizzlies.

In the rest of the game, they have no chance to face each other directly, and it still depends on the face of the Spurs.But no matter who makes the playoffs, they are destined to face one of the Spurs or the Suns.

On April 4, the Spurs played against the Grizzlies at home, and the Suns played against the Kings at home.

In the locker room after the training, Li Chongxiao held a tactical board and enthusiastically explained the chaotic situation of the Western Conference playoffs to the teammates who surrounded him.

Duncan, a top student, understood it effortlessly and listened with gusto.The romantic Frenchman couldn't hold numbers in his head, so Parker looked at Li Chongxiao in a daze, and asked directly, "Don't talk so much, just tell us how to play!" Mohammed and other teammates nodded in unison.

Li Chongxiao licked his lower lip, still unsatisfied: "Of course we must win. We must win all three games, so that we can guarantee the first place in the league."

"Cut!" The teammates scattered, and Duncan came over dotingly and patted his head.

It may be that Li Chongxiao's pre-match mobilization worked. The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies effortlessly. Li Chongxiao scored a game-high 20 points.

With the joy of victory, the Spurs came to Memphis.

In today's first game, the Timberwolves have already won, and they have the last home game against the Spurs, chasing the winning difference to 0.5 games.

The Grizzlies are under tremendous pressure. If they can't win, they will face the majestic Dallas Mavericks on the last day of the game.On the contrary, if they win the game, they will go ashore.

Faced with this situation, the Grizzlies team exploded with great energy. They entangled with the Spurs from the first ball, and they maintained the lead most of the time.

But the Spurs couldn't afford to lose either. They clung to the score tightly and didn't allow the point difference to be more than 5 points.

The confrontation between the two sides was very fierce. Even Paul Gasol, who was criticized as a "soft guy", played hand-to-hand with Duncan.

With 3.5 seconds left in the game, Mike Miller's goal gave the Grizzlies a 92-90 lead.

The Spurs used up the last timeout, and today the Grizzlies' inside defense shrunk very tightly, so Popovich arranged a tactic to shoot a three-pointer. He unexpectedly gave Li Chongxiao the last chance to shoot, because Li Chongxiao was today The most accurate player on the Spurs, he made 12 of 7 shots and scored 19 points.

Moreover, the Spurs tried a total of 15 outside shots. Only Li Chongxiao made 4 three-pointers, and the other players made 10 of 0 three-pointers.

Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello put the focus on Manu Ginobili and Parker, and felt that the Spurs would attack from the inside of the paint, so the Grizzlies' defense shrunk to the three-point line.

Ginobili was taken care of, his running position took away Mike Miller, and Li Chongxiao easily received the pass at the top of the arc.

Mike Fratello's face changed drastically and he yelled from the sidelines. Mike Miller hurriedly turned around, but it was too late, and Li Chongxiao made the three-pointer just like training.

The Grizzlies, who had no time and no timeout, rushed to shoot in the backcourt and missed the basket.

Li Chongxiao scored a game-high 22 points, helping the team achieve a record of 63 wins and 18 losses, and firmly grasped the initiative of home court advantage in the playoffs.

The Suns also won. They first won the Kings and then the Nuggets. They won a wave of five consecutive victories in the final stage of the playoffs, with a record of 63 wins and 18 losses.

The air showdown between the two sides will be on April 4th to complete the final round of the contest.

(End of this chapter)