Basketball Dragon

Chapter 169 Eastern Conference Finals
The Knicks' defense in the last moments, everyone did a great job.

89:88, with Marbury's quasi-lore, the Knicks successfully entered the Eastern Conference Finals.

All the players on the Knicks bench rushed in, and a group of big men embraced excitedly.

They did it, they did it, a scene they couldn't have imagined just a few seconds ago.

Both Marbury and Francis had tears in their eyes. Compared with the young players, they had more emotions. It was just the Eastern Conference finals, just the revenge heat, but it brought back their true self-confidence.

This tie-break victory allowed them to truly sublimate. This kind of sublimation cannot be achieved by training and determination. Only when they have truly experienced victory can they understand.

Just like teams and players who have won championships will be sublimated, they are all similar.

After this victory, Marbury and Francis can be said to have truly returned to the peak in their hearts.

When it came to the Eastern Conference Finals, the strongest Knicks were finally about to appear.

The battle between the Knicks and the Heat can be regarded as a duel between the two new generations of Lehi and Wade.

But the other new generation has no way to continue to beat the Pistons on its own. Even if James scored 27 points and 8 rebounds under the strict defense of the Pistons, it could not prevent the team from only scoring 61 points, which is the lowest in the tiebreaker in NBA history. Score.

The Pistons emphasized offense this season, but in the end it was defense that saved them, which is also a bit ironic.

The Mavericks had the last laugh in the Mesozoic decisive battle between Nuo Tianwang and Shi Buddha in the West. Duncan scored 45 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists. The amazing data did not help the team to get it. Of course, Nowitzki also scored 37 points. 15 rebounds.

But the Suns were raining three-pointers, sinking the Clippers with 15 three-pointers. Captain Brand had 36 points and nine rebounds, unable to recover.

This season, the Pistons have reached the Eastern Conference finals for four consecutive years. No matter which team becomes their opponent, there are enough topics, let alone the team led by Pistons coach Larry Brown last year.

Larry Brown was also troubled by media reporters, but Li Hai simply stated that they would be the final winners.

His words were not accidentally counterattacked. Rasheed Wallace was not afraid of being slapped in the face, and he immediately spoke up with a big mouth, which made the media very unhappy.

After all, off-court topics are off-court topics, and the real outcome can only be determined by hard work on the court.

Like the previous semifinals, the Knicks did not have home court advantage in the Eastern Conference finals, but they don't care anymore. The Heat are their most difficult pitfall, and they are actually very adaptable to the Pistons' style of play.

After just one day of rest, the Eastern Conference finals can't wait to start.

The two teams also know the bottom line. The Pistons are stronger inside, but their strength is not the same as that of the Heat. The Knicks don’t need to be too nervous on the defensive end against the two Wallaces. Maybe the Pistons are stronger inside. Offensively, it is not as good as O'Neal.

Hamilton and Billups are the ones the Knicks need to pay the most attention to, but their threat is combined with the strength of the team, and their individual singles ability is not as good as Wade.

Prince's offense is a bit weak, and Li Hai can also switch to Hamilton without any scruples at critical moments. The difference between the Pistons and the Heat is the defensive end. Li Hai also has to face the most troublesome defense since the playoffs.

The first game between the two sides was played at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Knicks also omitted the trial link and entered the state directly. They handed over the first ball to Eddie Curry. Hit the first goal in front of him.

Compared with the single-defense ability limited by height, Ben Wallace is actually stronger in defense ability. Eddie Curry will not be afraid of the best defensive player on the offensive end.

It is also impossible for Prince's defense to completely limit Li Hai. What they need to pay attention to is the Pistons' overall defense and team offensive capabilities.

Under the mobilization of Billups, the Pistons' offense is like a machine, running without the ball, covering without the ball, the most obvious of which is Hamilton, who just keeps running on the court.

They went through two open screens on the first ball, and Rasheed Wallace hit a mid-range shot after the Knicks' defense was a little confused.

However, the Knicks' offense was much simpler. Li Hai made a direct hit with a cover, which was crisp and simple.

What makes the Knicks better than the opponent is the ability to play singles with the ball, and there is no need to taboo on this.

Billups, Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace all performed well on the offensive end, while the Knicks, Lehigh, Marbury, Francis and Eddie Curry also scored one after another, and the score between the two sides was tight .

When it came time to come off the bench, the Knicks had an advantage. Originally, the Pistons had a good bench lineup, and there were generals like Antonio McDyess, but after the playoffs became more and more intense, the Pistons came off the bench. less and less time.

The five starting players of the Pistons are all in good physical strength, and they hardly need to rest, but this also prevents their substitute players from being able to play to help the team.

It is true that when the lineup is rotated, the opponent's main players spend more time on the court and it is easy to form a certain advantage, but the Knicks' main players rest for a while to better adjust their physical strength. Especially after going through the previous seven battles.

After all the Knicks returned in the second half of the second quarter, they immediately played a 10:2 spurt.

Li Hai was always able to break through Prince and complete mid-range shots in the gap of the Pistons' defense.

Or distribute the ball in time to let teammates get good offensive opportunities.

At the end of the first half, the Knicks led by 48 points 44:4.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the two sides increased their investment on the defensive end. The defensive capabilities of the two Wallaces radiated, and with Prince's adjustment, even if Li Hai broke through Prince, it would be difficult to get a shot.

However, after the Pistons invested a lot of energy on the defensive end, they also encountered trouble on the offensive end.

The Pistons also left behind some Larry Brown stuff, and the new coach Philip Sanders is also an academic. A team that advocates the whole to the extreme as long as some key points are stuck, the offense will stumble.

So in the playoffs, it is easier and more efficient for stars to directly tear through the opponent's defense than to use teamwork to tear through the defense. NBA rules are to protect heroes after all.

So after a difficult defensive battle, the Knicks led by 66 points 61:5.

The Pistons were suddenly a little embarrassed, because the offensive power was not strong enough, and the result showed that the Knicks didn't seem to be afraid of them no matter whether they were competing offensively or defensively.

(End of this chapter)