unfinished glory

Chapter 299 An Easy First Round

There is nothing to watch in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Either the strong teams abuse the vegetables, or the rookies peck at each other.

The four groups of games in the Western Conference are different. The outcome of the other three groups is unpredictable. Even if there is no suspense between the Lakers and the Thunder, it has attracted much attention because of the operation of the MVP battle between Li Chongxiao and Westbrook.

Li Chongxiao still thinks that Zhan Duku, who was used to compare himself with himself in the seasons when he won the MVP in the past few years, is a flash of light.But for the Westbrook that he saw and painted with his own eyes, he only had half a sentence to say: "Xiao is such a good man..."

There are three types of recognition for NBA star players.

The first type of star is one that fans recognize and players don’t. For example, Irving of the Cavaliers has gorgeous singles, coherent dribbling, and graceful posture, which is very attractive to fans. In recent years, he has made several All-Star starts.

But for players who have been in the league for many years and have personal contact, it is not surprising.Whether Curry can't play it or Paul can't play it, it's just that they don't think it's necessary.Not to mention these point guards, it was easy for Li Chongxiao to play fancy.

For Irving, let alone these old players, even rookies may not be convinced.Not to mention, in the Cavaliers, Jahlil Okafor, the No. 15 pick in [-] years, once complained that he could not get the ball in the team; Go it alone.

The second type of star is recognized by players but not by fans.This season's Leonard is like this. The combination of offense and defense is the nightmare of every opposing player.But he obviously has MVP-level strength, but he is always considered by the fans as a fledgling and needs to be tempered.

This is the disadvantage of playing plain and simple, and it can't attract fans. When the All-Star Game is voted, the frontcourt players are Durant, Anthony Davis and Paul George, and he can't even get in the starting lineup.

The third type is the players who are recognized by the fans and the stars.Superstars such as Li Chongxiao, James and Durant are among them.

Westbrook brushed himself into the All-Star starting lineup, but there is still a long way to go before being recognized by his opponents.Not to mention being respected, even if the Lakers regard him as an enemy, they still can't do it now.

Li Chongxiao doesn't regard the current Westbrook and Thunder team as a serious problem at all.Not to mention that he didn't have the tension or excitement of the playoffs for a long time, even if he thought of taking it seriously, he wouldn't have it for the Thunder.

In the first game of the playoffs, the Lakers immediately felt relieved when they saw that Westbrook was still playing according to the regular season and collecting statistics.Li Chongxiao followed the regular season style of play and scored casually. After 28 minutes of playing time and 43 points in three quarters, he took a rest and sat on the bench watching the team's substitutes and Master West.

The second game was even easier.Originally, Scott, as a Lakers star, was a little uncomfortable with others playing wild at the Lakers' home court, and planned to arrange some targeted tactics to give Westbrook a good look.But Li Chongxiao and his teammates worked together to dissuade him from paying attention to these details.With the help of Master Wei, it would be great for the team to win smoothly, and don't mess around and make it self-defeating.

So the situation on the court is very clear. Westbrook is brushing his own data, and the Lakers players are busy expanding the point difference without delay.In the end, both parties got what they wanted and got what they wanted.

In this game held by the Thunder, Westbrook may really want to win.It started off so focused and unselfish that the Lakers didn't react.

In the first quarter, the Thunder rarely took the lead.This made the fans very excited and kept cheering for the players on the field.When Westbrook made a free throw, he even enjoyed the treatment of shouting "MVP" from the audience.

This kind of enthusiasm "infected" the Lakers players on the scene, and they quickly cheered for the Thunder and overtook the score.It can be seen that Westbrook is really working hard, but the gap between the two sides is huge. After the first half of the game, the Lakers took another 19-point lead.

The audience at home watched the team being torn apart bit by bit, but there was nothing they could do, and they gradually fell silent.Li Chongxiao had no sympathy. Taking advantage of his opponent's depression and panic, the game exploded in the third quarter, scoring 27 points. It was the first time in this series that he scored more than 50 points, successfully ending the game.

It was another battle of losing in three quarters, which made the Thunder and Westbrook deeply aware of the gap between the two teams.Whether he brushes the data or not, the end result is still the same.He can't influence opponents, and he can't even change teammates.

The reason why the Thunder can enter the playoffs is not because they are too strong, but because their opponents are too good.

There was no suspense in the fourth game of the series. Westbrook collected the data disheartened and finally achieved a triple-double in the playoffs. 31 points, 10.3 rebounds and 10 assists, but the shooting percentage is extremely low, only 31%, and the turnover is as high as 7.5 times.

Originally, many fans were scolding Durant, thinking that he had abandoned the Thunder.But seeing Westbrook's performance, they all felt excusable.After a season of "hard work", he successfully helped the eldest brother to wash away his infamy. I have to say that the second brother is really loyal and unparalleled.

……

The Lakers, who took the lead in winning the series, are waiting for the results of the other three games.

The Mavericks and the Pelicans scored 3:1, and it is estimated that they will end the battle soon.There is not much suspense about the winner of this matchup, it just depends on how long the Pelicans can last.

The rest of the game was inextricably fought, and the Clippers and Warriors fought 2:2.Under Rivers' chicken soup, a group of players exploded with extremely high combat effectiveness.

Compared with Li Chongxiao and Durant, Curry is much easier to target.The Clippers' strategy of concentrating on defending the Splash Brothers played a big role, and the Warriors had a tough time.

The game between the Spurs and the Grizzlies was also 2:2, but the process of the game was much more intense.The two teams are the top two defensive teams in the league, and the pace of the game is very slow.With all playoff teams taking more than 85 shots, they only shot 78 a game.

This group of duels will directly affect the next opponent of the Lakers, so Li Chongxiao is also very concerned about the battle between the old clubs.Seeing the frequent body collisions between the two sides, he remembered the muscle duel with the Pistons, which was his lost youth.

In the end, the two sides reached the seventh game, and the Spurs took a step forward.At the critical moment of this defensive battle, it is a great advantage to have a superstar who can throw the ball in.As a point guard, Paul's innate conditions restricted his explosiveness at critical moments, and Leonard, who is skilled and skilled, is unstoppable.

The Mavericks eliminated the Pelicans 4:1, and the Warriors defeated the Clippers 4:2. The two will have a second-round duel to compete for a place in the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers will also welcome their second-round opponent, the Spurs, at home, heading towards the Western Conference Finals.

(End of this chapter)