naaapseattle Chapter 286 Reaching the Finals
Chapter 286 Reaching the Finals
Chapter 286 Reaching the Finals
The opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Warriors.If the Grizzlies waited three years to reach the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors waited 40 years.The last time they entered the Western Conference Finals dates back to the 1975-76 season, the era of Rick Barry.
The following season, the Lakers blocked them from reaching the Western Conference Finals.And after all these years, they finally got their revenge this season.Also in the Western Conference semifinals, the Warriors eliminated the Lakers 4:1.
In the first game, the Warriors counted on Australian center Bogut to limit Yao Ming. As a result, he didn't play a role at all, and Yao Ming repaired him into a fool, causing the Warriors to lose at home.
From Game [-] onwards, Kerr was afraid to let Bogut play with Yao Ming.Instead, Draymond Green was promoted to the center position and played a fast offense.
In this way, the Warriors really can't limit the Lakers' inside offense, but the same Yao Ming can't keep up with the Warriors' fast break.The Warriors are blooming more, and against the Lakers' Yao Ming and Paul's twin stars, the former still has more advantages.
In the remaining four games, the Warriors won two games easily, and speeding up the pace can drag down the aging Lakers.The other two games were stalemate to the end. In the superstar matchup, Curry was still stronger than Paul on the offensive end, reaping the game.
The end of this round of the series represents the end of Yao Ming's career.At the press conference after the game, he directly announced the news of his retirement.
This decision shocked the entire league.
In the past many years, Yao Ming has been the league's No. 20 center and also helped the Lakers win three championships.If it is said that his state is not good, that's all. The problem is that this season, he can still get 8+24 data, and this data has risen to 10+[-] in the playoffs.
And he is not too old, less than 35 years old.Generally, inside players have relatively long careers, and many of them can play until they are 40 years old.Like Willis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Parish, Mutombo, etc., they were all over 42 years old when they retired.
The Lakers also persuaded him to play for another two years, but Yao Ming chose to retire without hesitation.Since the year before last, ankle and knee injuries have been tormenting him, and he can only lose weight constantly, almost losing his dominance in the paint.
Over the years, he has won honors and earned enough money. He has lost the motivation to play, and only fights on the court because of his professionalism.Feeling tired now, just take a rest.
……
Duncan retired last year, and Yao Ming left this season. Li Chongxiao feels that his old friends in the NBA are becoming less and less, and there are new generations everywhere.
The opponents in the three rounds encountered this season feel that they are all young players.Davis of the Pelicans, Durant of the Thunder and now facing Curry of the Warriors.Of course, Durant and Curry are actually two years younger than Li Chongxiao.But it takes time to become famous. Durant only entered the league when Li Chongxiao won his second championship.His main achievements are all after 2010, which is really half an era behind.
Curry is even further away. When he entered the NBA in 2009, Li Chongxiao won the MVP. When he led the team to the playoffs, Li Chongxiao won three consecutive championships.After all, the standard juniors.
Facing such a young team, the Grizzlies dare not take it lightly.The first game was an away game, and Mike Brown still did a lot of preparation.
Curry is the absolute core of the Warriors and the guarantee of the Warriors' offensive end.How to defend Curry is a headache for the Grizzlies.After thinking about it, Mike Brown unexpectedly made Li Chongxiao the main defense.
Li Chongxiao also readily agreed, and he also wanted to measure the strength of the new generation.
So Curry was miserable. Li Chongxiao was better than him in any angle, no matter in height, strength or flexibility.The shooting that Curry is so proud of is completely useless in front of Li Chongxiao's wingspan.
Even if the Warriors frequently use pick-and-roll tactics, the well-prepared Grizzlies can also see their moves, switch defenses or make defensive throws, all of which will choke Curry's offense in their stomachs.
Kerr never thought that the Grizzlies would amplify their moves from the beginning and directly let the team's ace take on the most important defensive task.
Being a commentator and being a head coach are two different things.In the past, he only sat in the commentary booth and commented on Li Chongxiao's defense, but now that his core players are really taken care of, he is immediately numb.
The head coach was still not experienced enough, and Cole didn't come up with any good method for a while, watching the team slowly fall behind, being pulled away from the score, and then losing.
The loss of the first game made Cole reflect on it.It is not worth complacency to easily win the Lakers. The Grizzlies are the best team after 2010. If you want to win the championship, you have to pass this hurdle first.
Although Curry is the core of the team, it does not mean that the Warriors have no other way when Curry is seen dead.
Although Curry ranks first in the team in assists, he contributes more to scoring.The organization of the team is actually handed over to Iguodala and Draymond Green.Also equipped with shooters like Harrison Barnes and Korver on both wings, the Warriors can play fast transitions.
This tactic, coupled with Curry's pick-and-roll, hit the Grizzlies' weakness at once.Their biggest problem is that the inside line is too tall and difficult to get out.
Sometimes the Warriors' center Green started to shoot three-pointers, and the two big men of the Grizzlies could only stand awkwardly in the position of not being inside or outside, watching each other shoot.
When the teammates are all open, Curry is not easy to defend.He can shoot and pass the ball with ease after the pick-and-roll.The good touch of his teammates opened up space for him, and his number of three-pointers increased from 8 in the regular season to 11.
Mike Brown's sluggish tactical problems have committed again.Not only in this game, but when he returned to Memphis in the next game, he still didn't come up with a good way.His assistant coaching team is not good enough, and they can't give a good method. They just let Li Chongxiao and Thompson run more and take more turns to defend.
After the first three games of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors scored 2:1 and regained their home court advantage.
Only then did the Grizzlies react. They don't need two strong insiders to deal with the Warriors, just one.So Drummond stayed to deal with Green, and Gobert made the bench.
The Grizzlies also formed a big and four small lineup of Drummond + Li Chongxiao + Thompson + Carter + Conley to deal with the Warriors' quick transition.
This method of using the other's way to return to the other's body immediately had an effect.
The Grizzlies had counted on this lineup to be able to match up on the defensive end and contain the opponent's offense.Unexpectedly, there was a surprise, not only solved the defensive problem, but also became more active on the offensive end.
Mike Brown, who had tasted the sweetness, couldn't think of any other way anyway, so he simply started with this lineup for the next few games.
As a result, the Grizzlies' offense was higher than that of the game, completely suppressing the Warriors.
Cole is also a smart woman who can't cook without rice. The team only has Curry as an offensive flash point. Although other players can score goals, they need another flash point to stand up when they encounter a well-matched opponent.
He also thought of a way to strengthen the team, but it was just a matter of the offseason, and now they can only exit with regret.
The Grizzlies eliminated the Warriors 4:2, and reached the finals without being favored!
After coming here, I have accumulated too much work, so I have to finish this first.The update said that it will definitely be made up.
(End of this chapter)