Chapter 1036
Injuries and Upsets! An Unexpected First Round Matchup in the Eastern Conference!
The Pacers were lucky, they were ecstatic, the whole team and the whole of Indiana erupted in exhilarating roars and joyous cheers, but in contrast, of course, was the 76ers.
The pain of losing such a game is far greater than being crushed by the opponent by 20 points.
Strive, fight, give up everything, and give everything.
In this game, the 76ers players put in just as much effort as the Pacers, with several of them playing over 50 minutes, including Andre Iguodala who played a full 60 minutes! In this triple-overtime battle, he only rested for 3 minutes.
The playing time of other players like Turner and Holiday was equally staggering. The 76ers' efforts were no less than those of the Pacers' players, and they, too, were a team that hadn't made much of a splash in the playoffs for many years.
But competitive sports are just that realistic and cruel.
The 76ers held on until Game 2, enduring 48 minutes of play and two overtimes, but ultimately, they completely lost their rhythm in the third overtime and lost the game. Even if they were filled with resentment and unwillingness to accept defeat, their season was over.
"Get up." After lying on the floor for who knows how long, Iguodala was the first to stand up. He walked over to his little brother Turner, squatted down, and rubbed the guy's head, saying, "Let's come back next year."
"Yes, we'll try again next year." Turner's eyes were filled with resentment, and tears still welled up, but he finally stood up: "Next year, we won't lose to them!"
"Yes, we definitely won't lose next year," Holiday said, walking over as well. "Let's fight again next year!"
“Well then, show some sportsmanship, guys,” Iguodala said with a rather bitter smile. “Go congratulate your opponents on advancing.”
In this playoffs, there are two teams in the East with Lin Tian's involvement. The Pacers fought hard and finally made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the Bobcats, another team with Lin Tian's involvement, suffered a huge blow in the first round.
The Bobcats, ranked third, are a recognized powerhouse. Stevens' coaching this season has been commendable, with many of his moves being eye-opening. Meanwhile, the further development of players like Hayward and DeRozan has made the Bobcats increasingly stronger.
In the first half of the season, the Bobcats once held the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but then they suffered an injury. Yao Ming, the team's key player in the paint, suddenly went down in a game. Anyone who knows sports knows that this kind of non-contact injury is always the most frightening.
As everyone expected, the final examination revealed that Yao Ming suffered from fatigue injury. He had been working continuously for many years, which had led to his condition. He was eventually diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot, which was definitely caused by fatigue.
Based on the diagnosis, and considering Yao Ming's age and recovery ability, doctors advised him to rest for at least 9-12 months before returning to play.
This basically means that Yao Ming will not only miss the rest of the season, but will also definitely miss the Olympics this summer. As for whether he can make it to the training camp for the new season, it will depend on his luck and recovery ability.
Without Yao Ming, although the Bobcats still have strong interior players like Boozer and Odom, they ultimately lacked their primary core player in the paint and their only reliable scorer who could anchor the rim. As a result, the team immediately suffered a losing streak.
The ups and downs in performance continued until the end of the season, and the Bobcats were still unable to fully adapt to a lineup without Yao Ming.
Fortunately, their core base is still intact.
With Rose on the team, and the Bobcats' first-round opponent being a mere underdog—the Bulls led by Ben Gordon and Luol Deng—the Bobcats hold a clear advantage in terms of roster, record, history, and experience.
Both public opinion and the betting industry overwhelmingly favor the Bobcats, believing they can sweep or easily advance to the second round.
Indeed, the Bobcats easily held their home court advantage in the first two games of the series, taking a 2-0 lead. But in the third game of the series, the situation on the court changed dramatically!
It wasn't that the Bulls put on a particularly amazing or crazy performance; they were still completely dominated by the Bobcats in this game.
With three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats still held a 10-point lead, and theoretically, they could easily win the game and take a 3-1 lead in the season.
But at that moment, an unexpected event occurred.
During a layup attempt, Rose lost his balance upon landing, twisted his knee, and fell to the ground.
Lying on the floor, Rose had no time to check if his layup had gone in. He was only feeling waves of excruciating pain washing over him. He felt as if his knees had been run over by a tank.
Rose, lying on the floor clutching his knee, immediately drew the attention of the entire arena. Even though it was an away game, the Chicagoans were still quite worried as they watched the reigning Finals MVP with concern. Even as his opponents, they didn't want any serious injuries to befall him.
The fans at the stadium and those watching on television, especially Charlotte fans, along with the players, coaches, and everyone else following the game, were all on the edge of their seats.
They looked worriedly at Rose lying on the floor, awaiting the final judgment from the on-site team doctor.
After an unknown amount of time, and even after the Chicago home arena had been quiet for an unknown period of time, a scene that was extremely regrettable appeared.
A stretcher was brought in, and Rose was carried out.
At this stage of the playoffs, even if Stevens were mentored by Lin Tian, he certainly wouldn't be able to pull off a trick like having Rose fake an injury and then come back.
There's no need for that. It's a one-sided game, why would you need to throw out a smokescreen?
The moment Ross was carried out, Charlotte's heart broke.
Their title defense had only just begun, yet it was already destined to end.
With both of the team's top two players injured, and possibly seriously so, the Bobcats' future looks bleak.
In the following games, the Bobcats held onto their advantage. Their remaining players weren't exactly mediocre either; they had decent players like Jeremy Lin, Lamar Odom, and Carlos Boozer on their roster, so taking down the Bulls shouldn't be a problem.
"I hope he's okay. Our whole team is praying for Derek." After a victory, the Bobcats' press conference was rather dull. Head coach Stevens appeared alone, gave a few perfunctory answers to a few questions, and left early.
The reporters didn't make things too difficult for him, since everyone knew he was in a bad mood.
The next day, Rose's injury report was updated very quickly.
A torn cruciate ligament requires surgery, and the recovery time is 9-12 months.
Another major injury that will take almost a full year to recover from, another serious injury that can drive a player to despair, and another serious accident that can ruin a player's career.
This result was incredibly painful for everyone in Charlotte. After the injuries were healed, no one in Charlotte could laugh.
After all, this injury and recovery time not only mean that Rose is out for the rest of the season, but may even mean he will miss the entire next season...
9-12 months.
The Lynx dynasty collapsed before it even had a chance to take shape.
Who can say for sure what the Bobcats will look like in 12 months?
Perhaps the only good news is that although the Bobcats have lost two key players, Yao Ming and Derrick Rose, they are not likely to be eliminated in the first round.
Although they lost Game 4 of the series, they had already secured a match point and were leading 3-0, making it virtually impossible for them to upset the Bulls.
And indeed, that was the case in Game 5 of the series. Thanks to the performances of Odom, Boozer, and others, the Bobcats prevented the series from going any further. They won the game and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a score of 4-1.
But the Bobcats' problem is, what do they do next?
How will they cope with the powerful Celtics and players like Duncan and Howard in the Eastern Conference semifinals?
Ok……
As it turns out, the Bobcats were overthinking things.
They don't need to fight the Celtics, nor do they need to fight Duncan and Howard.
The Celtics vs. Heat game became the biggest upset in the first round of the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The Celtics' championship-winning roster was torn to pieces by the Miami Heat's youthful storm.
This season, the Celtics maintained their core roster and played steadily. Although their record was just so-so, not top-tier but still respectable, everyone believed that with their incredibly mature roster, the team would be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
Especially considering that their first-round opponent was someone they had easily swept aside in the first round last year.
You're guaranteed to win!
Both Boston fans and media overwhelmingly favor the Celtics to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals once again.
Even after Rose's season-ending injury, the Boston team became quite arrogant, shouting that they would head straight to the Eastern Conference Finals. They couldn't wait to challenge the Cavaliers to the top of the East.
In the first two playoff games at TD Garden, the Celtics displayed their prowess, dominating the paint and securing a commanding lead. With rebounding and a well-established system, the Celtics won both games, heading into Miami with a perfect 2-0 series score.
But after arriving in Miami, things took a dramatic turn.
In Game 4 of the series, Curry suddenly exploded.
It was as if the Heat had suddenly awakened to something. They stopped using Beasley's post-up game as the core of their offense and instead made Curry the team's primary scorer. Curry and Cousins ran pick-and-rolls repeatedly, and Curry unleashed his full offensive power.
Block, dismantle, throw!
Curry basically did only one thing in this game: his three-pointers were like fire from hell, burning the Celtics' interior defense to pieces.
Especially after pick-and-rolls, Howard simply couldn't defend. He would just watch or give a perfunctory raise to contest, as if he was certain Curry wouldn't score. Ultimately, Curry scored a career-high 40+ point game in the playoffs, hitting eight three-pointers for 45 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, leading the Heat to victory in Game 3 of the series.
2: 1!
Although the Heat are still trailing by a large margin, their morale has been boosted! If we can win one game, we can win the second!
In Game 4 of the series, the Celtics quickly changed their defensive strategy, but the way they changed it was quite strange.
It wasn't Howard who went out to delay Curry's shot and the offense after the pick-and-roll, but rather Duncan who came out.
Howard, this young, strong, and physically explosive guy, actually stayed in the paint to be the team's last line of defense.
"It's unreasonable." While watching the game, Van Gundy bluntly said, "The Celtics' choice is quite unreasonable. From any perspective, it would be more reasonable to let Howard go out and let the aging Duncan stay under the basket."
"But they just don't do it that way, and I really don't understand why."
Miller said, "It's possible that they're having internal problems again. Remember last year's playoffs? The Celtics looked like they had some issues back then, and this time, it looks even more obvious."
Jackson didn't continue the discussion into the Celtics' internal issues, because as commentators, while they couldn't be absolutely fair and impartial, they certainly couldn't engage in conspiracy theories and speculation. If it really affected the Celtics' team atmosphere, the guys would be fined.
So he changed his tone and said, "But I have to say, their approach was quite effective. Curry was contained tonight, and he only scored 15 points so far, a far cry from his 45 points in the last game."
"Curry was indeed contained, but what about Cousins?" Van Gundy said. "Don't the Celtics know that a strong man like Cousins, with excellent skills, a good touch, and the ability to face up, is the best counter to Howard?"
"There are still 5 minutes left in the game. Cousins has already racked up 27 points and 17 rebounds. In the first three games of the series, Cousins only averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds when facing Duncan. Let Duncan go out and let Cousins go one-on-one with Howard."
"What an incredibly stupid choice!"
"No matter what, no matter why the Celtics did this, they were in a terrible situation in this game!"
As the commentators said, with five minutes left in the game, the Celtics were still down by five points to the Heat thanks to Cousins' outburst.
They are clearly in trouble.
But then something even more difficult happened.
With the Heat leading, they started to "hack Howard"!
A direct foul, sending Howard to the inbound line!
Howard missed both free throws the first time, and then Beasley of the Heat made a layup.
The second time, Howard made 1 of 2 free throws, but the Celtics still couldn't stop the Heat. This time it was Curry's turn. After a pick-and-roll, he hit a long-range three-pointer over Duncan and made it!
The third time, the Heat didn't call for a shot, but the Celtics seemed lost because they didn't. Their tactics were terrible, and Ginobili's three-pointer missed.
On the other hand, Cousins made a strong drive to the basket against Howard, successfully drawing a foul on Howard and making both free throws.
In three possessions, totaling 66 seconds, the Heat used the "Hack-a-Howard" tactic to extend their lead to 11 points!
With just over three minutes left in the game, they had essentially secured the victory.
In the subsequent games, although the Celtics did not give up and launched counterattacks time and time again, they were unable to close the 11-point gap.
When the game finally ended, the Heat narrowly won their home game by 4 points!
2: 2!
The score is tied by a large margin.
Anyone who understands basketball can see that the reason for this defeat lies with Howard.
On the defensive end, he couldn't contain Cousins and was completely outplayed by him.
On offense, he was limited by the Hack-a-Howard tactic and made only 1 of 4 free throws, which led to the team being swept away in one go.
Howard's performance that night was absolutely criminal.
And that's not all!
In Game 5 of the series, a crucial pivotal game, Duncan, who averaged only 15 points and 9 rebounds per game in the regular season, once again stepped up, becoming the team's pillar and racking up a massive double-double of 29 points and 18 rebounds.
Led by Duncan, the Celtics also maintained control of the game for most of the time.
By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had a 14-point lead, giving them complete control of the game.
But in the fourth quarter, when Duncan went to the bench to rest, Howard delivered a nightmarish performance on the court.
In several rounds, he committed an offensive foul, missed two free throws, and committed a defensive foul, sending the opponent to the free-throw line.
After a series of maneuvers, Duncan's hard-fought 14-point lead for the team has dwindled to just 5 points.
The Heat went on a 9-0 run in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.
Even though Rivers quickly called a timeout and made substitutions, the situation on the court had already completely shifted to the Heat's side.
To put it bluntly, it's uncontrollable!
The rest of the game turned into a crazy shooting performance by the Warriors, with Curry, Hinrich, Jones, and others hitting three-pointers one after another!
The 5-point lead vanished in the blink of an eye, turning into a deficit.
From the final 1 minute and 10 seconds on the clock, it became a showcase for the Heat's rookies.
Klay Thompson, the 10th overall pick in the first round, which the team acquired in the summer by trading future draft picks and their own draft picks, suddenly became incredibly talented. This seemingly unassuming white backcourt player hit two consecutive three-pointers from the left and right 45-degree angles!
These two three-pointers were the final blows that decided the outcome of the game!
The Heat pulled off another upset, securing a crucial victory on the road.
3: 2!
They won three straight games and took a commanding lead. Now, the Heat's next task is to win at home and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
With victory already in their grasp, will the Heat let it slip away?
In Game 6 of the series, Riley and owner Arison were both present to oversee the game, and the whole team fought with one heart and one mind!
That night, they once again unleashed their youthful energy, completely overwhelming the Celtics and putting them at a disadvantage once more.
With four minutes remaining in the game, Howard committed two irrational and inexplicable fouls, resulting in his sixth foul and early exit from the game. Without Howard as their core inside player, the Celtics' resistance became even more negligible, and the difficulties they faced became even greater.
Ultimately, the Celtics were defeated once again by the united and determined Warriors.
After losing four games in a row and being eliminated, the Celtics were stunned by an upset victory, with the entire team being completely bewildered.
They lost completely; they were utterly crushed.
Nobody in Boston could have imagined that the team would be eliminated under such circumstances.
Although they led the Bobcats 3-1 last year before being reversed, they have also been reversed many times before that.
But this is the first time the Celtics have ever had such a sudden and illogical turn of events, where a winning position was inexplicably reversed.
"I think the Celtics need to make a change." After the game, Miller sighed and said, "Their roster is luxurious, perfect, and looks very strong, but maybe they've been together for too long, or maybe it's for other reasons, but in any case, I think they need to make a change."
"They shouldn't continue like this."
Van Gundy added, "That's right, they've had perfect results before, they've won championships before, but all good things must come to an end. No matter what happened in the past, it looks like this roster is coming to an end this year."
With the commentators' closing remarks, this series was officially over.
On the court, Howard had already left when he was ejected. Although Duncan looked bitter, he stayed on the court and hugged and greeted the opponents who had just eliminated him.
"The future is yours." Duncan hugged Curry, the Heat's best player in this round, and gave him his sincere blessings.
“Actually, the future can be ours.” Riley, who was standing next to Curry and Duncan, heard this and blinked at Duncan, saying, “You’re not having a good time in Boston, are you?”
Duncan paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Don't be silly."
"Of course it's just a joke." Riley chuckled, his face full of cunning. No one could tell whether the old fox was serious or just joking.
Then, Duncan turned around and continued to hug the rest of the Heat team.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Riley stood in the center of the court, his eyes constantly darting around. (End of Chapter)