NBA's strongest prince

Chapter 125 The Western Conference is Coming
"Time is running out. The Mavericks haven't given up yet. In theory, they still have a chance. There are no shortage of examples of comebacks in NBA history, but...if the Suns don't make big mistakes, the promotion is just around the corner."

"Nowitzki! Hit a three-pointer again, and the Mavericks are only 6 points behind!"

"But with less than 24 seconds left, the Mavericks have to use foul play. Do you want to defend for a few seconds? No, the Mavericks chose to directly foul...but they are very smart. They deliberately pinched Russell and didn't give him the ball. , but let go of Stoudemire."

"Stoudemire has the worst free throw of the players that the Suns stay on the court now. Iguodala's free throws in their starting lineup are also very average, but D'Antoni just replaced the young Iguodala, so the Mavericks Choose to have Stoudemire catch the ball."

"The moment Stoudemire caught the ball, the Mavericks fouled."

"Stoudemire withstood the pressure. He made two free throws again this time. He raised his hands high and accepted the cheers of the fans. His performance in this series is the hero of Phoenix."

"This time it was Terry. Terry hit a three-pointer against the defense. The gap between the two sides became 5 points. The Mavericks still have a glimmer of hope."

"The Mavericks continued to use foul tactics. This time it was Marion who was on the free throw line. They just didn't let Russell make free throws, because Russell's free throws were very accurate, and Russell was born with a big heart."

"Marion hit one of two free throws, but there was really no time left."

"Nowitzki couldn't catch the ball, there was no time, Josh Howard made a hasty shot, but unfortunately missed."

"It's hopeless. The ball was knocked out of the baseline. The Mavericks still have the ball, but there is no time. They can only make one shot after receiving the ball. Even if they hit it, they lose."

"The Mavericks are all five shooters on the field now, and their last three-point shot ... missed, the game is over."

The Suns eliminated the Mavericks 4:1 and entered the Western Conference finals, and the entire West American Arena suddenly became a sea of ​​joy.

After the game, the opponent's head coach Johnson also said helplessly: "They played incredible basketball, and this season belongs to the Suns."

Russell was still surrounded by the media after the game, and the sun was getting closer and closer to his cowhide.

"It's always fun to reach new heights. It's a great series, but it's only the second round of the playoffs," he said.

But then he raised two more fingers, "There are still two opponents to beat."

In another matchup in the West, the Spurs defeated the Sonics 4:2.

Under the Spurs' defense, the Sonics' offense was completely unable to function. They won two games at home because of defense.

In the playoff contest, the weakness of the Sonics was fully magnified.

The two strongest teams have come to the Western Conference Finals, and there are no surprises in the Western Conference playoffs.

In the East, the Heat swept their opponents again, and the Wizards had no resistance in front of them.

The Heat's defense in the playoffs is excellent, and they have two strong points inside and outside. They are very champions at this stage.

On the other hand, the Pistons took down the Pacers in six games in the defensive battle.

It's a pity for the Pacers this season. A conflict ruined the period when they were most likely to win the championship.

The old Miller really missed the championship. In his career, he met either the Bulls dynasty or the Lakers dynasty. In the last year, there was no dynasty strong team in the league. The Pacers were also unprecedentedly strong, and the fight ended.

In this case, they all made it to the second round of the playoffs. If the lineup is complete, they are very likely to reach the top.

This season's strong teams are not so perfect, which is an important reason why Russell dared to speak wildly.

If there is a real dynasty team, he will definitely be more humble.

Now their opponent in the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs, is actually slightly worse than the original history, because Russell snatched Horry.

Horry's original history of the Spurs is not only a lucky bonus, but also a major rotation and villain.

Now that Horry is not here, the Spurs can only use two other veteran players, Glenn Robinson and Tony Masenberg, but they do not have the small characteristics of Horry in the playoffs, so the only reliable rotation for the Spurs is Barry. , Being able to reach the Western Conference Finals mainly depends on GDP and defense.

This is a relatively shabby season for the Spurs on the offensive end. If it weren't for everyone's failure, they would not have won the season championship at all.

"Amale, we are only one step away from rushing out of the West. During the game, you have to control your temper, and don't be provoked to ruin the big event. They will definitely not be able to guard against you, and they are afraid that it will come to you." Russell specifically instructed.

Joe Johnson will not be in a hurry to come back for the time being, and Stoudemire is very important to the team.

Russell didn't want anything to go wrong in the game. The Suns are now stronger than they used to be in history. They are not afraid of the Spurs at all, but they are afraid of the opponent's bad luck.

Spurs coach Popovich is a disciple of Larry Brown, but he is not as stubborn as Brown. He uses offense to win the game, and his team can play ugly defense if the defense can win the game.He has all kinds of tactics at his fingertips, and he has a great reputation both inside and outside the circle. Huaxia fans call him Zhuge Weiqi.

Popovich often quips, people think he is a kind and humorous old man.In fact, when the old man was young, his ambition was to become an agent and he had been trained as a spy.There has never been a shortage of villains in his team, and it is nothing to him to do whatever it takes to win.

It can be said that Popovich is a pragmatist, and it can also be said that he is an old man.

Before the start of the Western Conference Finals, Popovich praised the Suns, "They are great this season. Russell is a player I like very much. He always tells the Spurs players that they should learn Russell's wisdom in playing."

Russell will also do this trick. He smiled and said to reporters: "Popovich is also my favorite coach. I am even familiar with every set of his tactics. Duncan and Ginobili are my favorite players. Duncan entered the league. I loved watching him play, and Manu Ginobili was amazing, he beat Popovich in the Olympics."

What Russell said was not just a smoke bomb. He said he was familiar with the Spurs' tactics. He also said that Popovich followed Larry Brown to coach the U.S. team overturned. Popovich was also very upset.

He had already decided that he wouldn't mind having his players teach that arrogant young man a lesson if the opportunity was right.

Russell is not afraid of attracting firepower, he is more worried about the opponent getting Stoudemire.

Relatively speaking, he has played against the Spurs many times in simulated battles, and even if the opponent wants to use some tricks, it is difficult to catch him. After all, he usually operates on the outside, and there are only so many targeted methods.

Of course, the pre-match saliva and off-the-ball tricks are all tricks.

What really determines the outcome is the hard power on the court.

(End of this chapter)