Chapter 1047
Tactics! Everything is for the sake of tactics!
Whether Lin Tian's shot was an accident or intentional has become the hottest topic and point of discussion since the end of this series.
Especially considering that the Suns weren't particularly sad or distressed after being eliminated, even the Suns themselves discussed the topic at the post-game press conference.
"It was intentional! Lin definitely went to steal the ball on purpose. He was going after Kobe, he wanted to steal Kobe's thunder, I swear." Nash grinned wickedly, trying to sow discord at the post-game press conference.
“I heard him say that,” Garnett said, stroking his chin. “He said: ‘Give me a screen, and I’ll put the ball in!’”
"I know Lin. We played together in the playoffs 15 years ago. I know what kind of person he is. He dares to have Michael screen for him! So, he's absolutely capable of stealing the ball from Kobe, having him screen for him, and then taking the game-winning shot!"
The three old men exchanged glances, then laughed in unison, saying, "This guy is just trying to steal the spotlight!"
It was an undisguised, blatant, and extremely direct attempt to sow discord.
So, will the Lakers fall for it?
The reporters are definitely looking forward to it!
Aside from local Los Angeles reporters, no one else cares whether the Lakers win the championship or whether there's internal strife! They might even wish Kobe and Lin Tian could have a real-life showdown at the conference – that would generate real buzz and money!
At the Lakers' post-game press conference, after the first reporter offered a perfunctory congratulation to the Lakers and Lin Tian on advancing to the next round and hitting the game-winning shot, the focus of the press conference immediately shifted.
We just want to know what happened when we got the ball at the end, not what victory and advancement meant.
"I did it on purpose!" Lin Tian's bluntness immediately excited the reporters present!
He admitted it! As expected of Lin! He admitted it, he really admitted it!
Excited reporters have already begun thinking about how to write the next headlines and articles, and how to subtly expose the Lakers' internal conflicts.
Of course, it's not because everyone hates the Lakers or wants them to fight amongst themselves; it's just for fun, that's what makes it interesting!
Unfortunately, the reporters' happiness didn't last long, because Lin Tian then acted completely out of character.
"I ran toward Kobe after I spotted his position. My initial idea was to pass him, use his screen to block the people chasing me, and then use our offensive threat as the core to change the Suns' defense."
“Our off-ball screens will definitely be a huge challenge for any team’s defense. I think it will disrupt their defense and make them unsure which one of us to focus on.”
"If Kevin had chosen to pass the ball at that moment, the opening created by Kobe and me after the screens would have been much larger, and the shot would have been easier. As it turned out, I made the right decision, and I ended up with a wide-open opportunity. Kobe's screens were of very good quality."
"Of course, if Kevin hadn't chosen to pass and had chosen to shoot himself, and he had made the shot, I would have sprinted towards him and been the first to reach him and celebrate with him."
"If I miss, I can sprint towards the offensive rebound to give us another chance."
"But Kevin chose to pass in the end, which was great! I wasn't going to let him down, so I made the game-winning shot."
"That's it."
What Lin Tian said was quite reasonable.
His tactics are meticulous, his positioning is clear, and his on-court strategy is accurate. He truly deserves to be called one of the league's top commanders.
That makes perfect sense!
So reasonable that the reporters didn't know what to ask next.
If you're so reasonable, then what questions are worth asking?
Lin Tian's words extinguished the enthusiasm of the press conference and the passion of the reporters.
We didn't come here to hear this!
At least ramble on a bit, right?
Go back to your usual nonsensical style, give us some serious flair, shock the public, and let the young folks experience your style and intensity!
Lin Tian: No!
Do you think Master Lin doesn't know what you're up to? Do you think Master Lin doesn't know what you want to hear?
I'm in a good mood today, so I won't push you too hard. Go home early, cuddle with your wives, and go to sleep.
However, although Lin Tian was too lazy to make a fuss and simply used the most reasonable words to gloss over this most illogical scene, it did not mean that the public's curiosity and discussion about this matter would end there.
At the very least, until the next person eliminated is determined, fans from all walks of life will not stop their discussions and speculations about whether Lin Tian's move was, as he claimed, a tactical consideration or simply a matter of bad taste.
Anyway, most people believe it was out of a perverse sense of humor.
The Lakers, however, have had to wait quite a while this time.
Because this is the west.
The other rounds of the series were truly close, intense, and thrilling!
The second-ranked Mavericks in the West faced the seventh-ranked young Thunder.
After years of development, or rather, years of lottery play, the Thunder have finally begun to build their own young guard.
Based on the three drafts from 07 to 09, the Thunder recruited Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, and others. These four have now become the absolute core of the team and are known as the Thunder's "Big Four".
In addition, their team has quality role players like Nick Chriss and Kendrick Perkins, excellent defenders like Sabo Sefolosha, and experienced veterans like Derek Fisher.
They had already made the playoffs last year, and this year the team continued their 50-win run, advancing to the playoffs once again.
Their rivals, the Mavericks, were only officially formed last year. After a major trade and internal strife in the middle of the season, the Mavericks quickly got back on track and are now a star-studded team with a balanced and strong roster, featuring powerful stars in every position.
Many people say that if the Mavericks' trade had happened early in the season or during the offseason, it would have been very difficult to say who would have been the top seed in the West!
While more people favor the Mavericks to advance, few would underestimate the Thunder; their youthful energy is just as formidable!
In the first three games of the series, the two teams went back and forth. The Mavericks won the first game, but the Thunder then went on a scoring spree, winning the second and third games of the series.
In Game 4, the Mavericks were pushed to the brink by the Thunder. If they lost again, they would be down 1-3, a situation no one wanted to see.
The Thunder knew that this was their best chance against the experienced Mavericks, who were aiming for the championship! They absolutely did not want to hand over the victory so easily.
Thus, in Oklahoma, the two sides engaged in a true battle to the death!
Neither side managed to pull away in this game, with the score difference hovering around 5 points.
The Mavericks' ability to stay close in the score was largely thanks to Ray Allen, who joined the team in February. The league's top shooter hit seven three-pointers and scored a team-high 34 points. His accurate shooting consistently helped the Mavericks break their scoring drought and end the Thunder's offensive surge.
Meanwhile, the Thunder relied on Harden!
James Harden showcased his versatility in this game, hitting three-pointers, driving to the basket, and drawing fouls. Although he couldn't stop veteran Ray Allen, Harden delivered an outstanding performance.
With 2 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game, it was Harden's sudden stop that drew a foul, causing Ray Allen to pick up his sixth foul and leave the court.
In this game, Harden scored a game-high 37 points, along with 14 assists and a game-high 16 free throw attempts!
With his lethal drives and near-total court vision, he completely overwhelmed the Mavericks' defense.
It was under Harden's leadership that Green, Ibaka, Collison and others also performed admirably.
Besides Ray Allen, the best performer for the Mavericks was Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 29 points. Facing Serge Ibaka, the Thunder's best defender and shot blocker, Nowitzki also demonstrated his unstoppable scoring ability.
Especially in the fourth quarter, Nowitzki scored 17 points in a single quarter. After Ray Allen was fouled out, Nowitzki scored 7 consecutive points in the last 2 minutes, repeatedly pulling the Mavericks back from the brink of defeat and helping them keep the game suspenseful until the very end.
And just as some people play well, others play poorly.
The culprit for the Thunder's failure to secure an early victory was their star player, Russell Westbrook. Known for his all-around game, Westbrook, who averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in the regular season, completely lost his way tonight.
He took 25 shots but only made 6, including 0-for-7 from three-point range, scoring just 16 points while committing 5 turnovers. Westbrook's performance was absolutely game-criminal. Fortunately, while Westbrook had a game-criminal performance, LeBron James was no less disappointing. James once again struggled to find his footing, managing only 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists against Jeff Green's tenacity.
As the team's absolute core player, James' performance was clearly unacceptable.
So when the game came down to the last two minutes, it completely turned into a battle between Harden and Nowitzki!
In the final two minutes of the game, Nowitzki scored 7 points and Harden added 8. The two traded baskets, neither willing to give an inch, carrying their teams on their shoulders and refusing to concede defeat.
With 53 seconds left in the game, Nowitzki scored again in the low post against Ibaka, narrowing the gap to one point.
But then Harden unleashed his step-back jumper, calmly shooting from beyond the three-point line and hitting his fifth three-pointer of the night!
With 35 seconds left in the game, the Thunder extended their lead to 4 points.
Harden's basket sealed the victory. The Mavericks missed their next shot, and Harden grabbed the rebound and was fouled, sending him to the free-throw line. He calmly made both free throws, and the six-point gap was now insurmountable for the Mavericks.
In the end, the Thunder successfully defended their home court and won a crucial victory, 3-1!
They are just one step away from their first series win since arriving in Oklahoma!
If they can win just one of their remaining three matches, it will be enough for them to advance!
They showed the entire league their youthful energy and just how fierce these young men were.
But what was that saying again?
Youth has no price, but an overnight stay costs 800...
No, not that sentence.
Youth represents infinite possibilities, but it also represents regrets and pain.
After a dominant performance in Game 4, securing a match point, the Thunder suddenly seemed lost when the two teams arrived in Dallas.
The Thunder's poor shooting and collective sleepwalking performance perfectly described the game.
全队4人得分上双，但这4个人的命中率都低于40%，哈登、威斯布鲁克两人联手贡献了9个失误却只送出8次助攻。
Not to mention that the two of them combined to throw out 31 pieces of iron but only made 14 shots.
The Mavericks certainly didn't waste the opportunity presented by their opponent's abysmal performance. They took only three quarters to build a 20-point lead and maintained it throughout the fourth quarter, turning it into garbage time.
For the Mavericks, what was most exciting was not just their narrow escape and victory, but also that LeBron James, who had a poor performance in the previous game, finally found his rhythm in this game, contributing a triple-double of 33 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, making him the team's number one contributor to the victory!
In the upcoming Game 6 of the series, the two teams will once again move to Oklahoma City for a decisive battle. This game is widely regarded as the Thunder's best chance, and everyone believes that if the Thunder lose this game, it will be difficult for them to win Game 7 in Dallas.
The Oklahoma City team has high hopes for this game, believing it may be the most important game in the team's history!
Yes, since the team was founded.
Because when the Thunder moved from Seattle, they had a complete falling out with Seattle, and they couldn't take any of Seattle's history with them, including championship banners, retired jerseys, and everything else.
Legally speaking, this Thunder team is a continuation of the Seattle SuperSonics, but in reality, the two teams have no connection whatsoever.
The Thunder are not a new team, but they are not the SuperSonics either.
The SuperSonics are still in Seattle, but they are not part of the league's territory.
Seattleites have kept the flame burning, just waiting for a new team to reignite it.
Oklahoma got a team that was completely their own.
Far away.
In short, the Oklahoma City fans are full of enthusiasm and hope to see their team advance to the second round, while the Mavericks, aiming for the championship, will definitely give 120% effort to defeat their opponents and strive for a narrow escape.
In this game, James continued his brilliant performance from the previous game, scoring a 30+ triple-double for the second consecutive game. This time, his opponent was Westbrook, the team's core player who had a poor performance in the first two games, but whose performance in this game was no less than James'.
43 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists!
Westbrook recorded his first 40+ point triple-double in the playoffs of his career!
Unfortunately, his performance was not enough to help the team win a single game.
This time, blame Harden.
This brilliant guard, who dominated in Game 4, lost his way again tonight, shooting 4-for-18 and barely managing 15 points from free throws. Harden failed to provide support and help to his good buddy on this night.
Meanwhile, James on the other side received support from Nowitzki, who also scored 33 points that night, combining with James to score 70 points!
This duo, arguably the most potent offensive firepower duo in the league today, once again used their offense to destroy the Thunder.
3: 3!
After losing Game 6, the Mavericks became even stronger, winning the next two games and forcing a decisive Game 7 in the series!
Now, everyone is even more optimistic about the Mavericks.
They are playing at home, they are more experienced, their morale is incredibly high after winning two consecutive games, their star players are of higher caliber, and their star players are in better form.
Everything seemed to be on their side.
Once the match began, everything seemed to be progressing in the direction everyone had imagined.
James started the game on fire, frequently hitting mid-range and long-range shots, while Nowitzki repeatedly called for the ball in the low post and drove into the paint to bully Ibaka.
With the additions and scores from players like Mo Williams and Ray Allen, the Mavericks quickly took control of the game and built a lead of more than 10 points.
In contrast to the Mavericks' high spirits and excellent form, the Thunder seemed to be half asleep. They never seemed excited and were unable to catch up in the score. Their players looked like they had been clubbing for a week straight and were drunk every night.
Absolutely terrible!
Except for Westbrook.
After a serious lapse in Games 4 and 5 of the series, this guy found his shooting touch again in Game 6 and maintained it all the way into Game 7.
Westbrook remained unstoppable in Game 7, scoring a game-high 37 points, along with 8 assists and no turnovers. Tonight, Westbrook was truly flawless.
Unfortunately, Westbrook's breakout performance once again missed the opportunity presented by his teammates' form.
Harden still couldn't find his rhythm that night, as if his explosive performance in Game 4 of the series had exhausted all his energy. Harden performed poorly in the following three games, from Game 5 to Game 7, playing like an undercover agent in each of them.
Harden's poor performance led to Ibaka being completely outplayed by Nowitzki, and Jeff Green also lost his magic in successfully limiting James in the previous games, and he was also outplayed.
With two of the team's four core players getting blown out and one in terrible form, it would be incredibly difficult for the Thunder to beat a top team like the Mavericks, relying solely on Westbrook.
The final result was no surprise to the general public; the Thunder failed to create another miracle and were completely outmatched by the Mavericks.
The Thunder have been eliminated. They squandered a 3-1 lead, but they still have tomorrow. Their tomorrow will surely be better, and they will surely be stronger, until they truly become a championship-caliber super team.
The Mavericks also have a tomorrow, and their tomorrow is even closer because they advanced to the conference semifinals after a Game 7, so they don't have much time to rest. They only have 24 hours of rest before the next game.
Their tomorrow will be another push for the championship!
Everyone has a tomorrow. (End of Chapter)