Defending champion

Chapter 181 First Battle
Chapter 1 opener

2006年4月20日，2005－2006赛季NBA常规赛尘埃落定。NBA季后赛第一轮比赛将在4月23日展开。

The opponents of the playoffs for the 06 season were announced today, the New Orleans Hornets led by Jack.The Hornets picked up last season's defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

List of NBA matchups:
东部：（1）活塞－（8）雄鹿（2）热火－（7）公牛（3）网－（6）步行者

(4) Cavaliers - (5) Wizards

西部：（1）马刺－（8）国王（2）太阳－（7）湖人（3）掘金－（6）快船

(4) Mavericks - (5) Grizzlies

As soon as this matchup table came out, some senior basketball experts and special reporters in the league, they stood in their so-called professional perspectives one after another, and made predictions for the first round of this game one after another.

Among them, ESPN, which is most convincing and cited as a classic by fans, gave their predictions:

According to ESPN, their point of view is that in the first round of the playoffs, the teams that win the East and West.East: Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers.

West: San Antonio Spurs Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Dallas Mavericks
In the first round of the playoffs, the Hornets will face the San Antonio Spurs, which ranks second in the league in the regular season. The big score prediction given by ESPN: In the first round, the Hornets will be swept by the San Antonio Spurs with a big score of 4-0.

The reason they gave was: this season, the Hornets got Paul and free agent Jack through the draft, and the Hornets quickly began to rise from the status of the weak in the league in the Western Conference.Passed through all the way, in the last game of the regular season, defeated the Miami Heat very thrillingly, and advanced to the playoffs.For the Hornets, such a young army, this is really not easy.

However, the playoffs are different from the regular season.Even though Jack and Paul can be very active in the playoffs, the playoffs are not a matter of two people, but a matter of five people.

The Hornets' dismissal is too simple. Although Jack and Paul are still omnipotent, their overly conventional dismissal has long been seen through by their opponents.

There is also a serious lack of player experience in the playoffs. None of the main players of the Hornets has playoff experience.Jack didn't, Paul didn't, Butler didn't, jr Smith didn't... and they were facing the San Antonio Spurs, which won three championships in seven years.

Moreover, it is still a question whether young people like Jack and Paul can perform as usual in the playoffs?The playoffs are different from the regular season. It is not a level game. The playoffs are the stage for the strong, and only the strong can survive the playoffs.

Whether they are the coach or the main players of the San Antonio Spurs, they have experience in the playoffs, and the experience in the finals is also exceptional.Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and the Spurs, these three chariots are all players who can play their own roles in whichever team they are placed on, and their experience in the playoffs is exceptionally good.

The most important thing is that they have the most cunning coach on the planet-Popovich, who can only fight.How can the Hornets be undefeated?The Hornets made history by making the playoffs with a rookie group, and we couldn't ask for more from a group of young lads.

Therefore, when the young Hornets meet the mature and fierce San Antonio Spurs, there is no reason for the Hornets to be undefeated.

黄蜂队将会被马刺4－0给横扫的发生指数为85%，4－1为发生指数为12%，4－2发生指数为2%，4－3发生指数为0·11%，而至于黄蜂在黑掉圣安东尼奥马刺队发生的指数espn干脆没有给出来。

Others underestimated like the Hornets are the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards.They are generally not optimistic about these young teams.

On April 4, the flames of the NBA playoffs were ignited!
At 7 o'clock tonight, at the SBC Center, the home of the San Antonio Spurs, the first game of the Hornets' playoffs is about to begin!In addition to the Hornets starting the first game of the playoffs tonight, there are 6 other teams that have games.They are the Clippers against the Grizzlies, the Wizards against the Cavaliers, and the Heat against the Bulls.

San Antonio is not a big ball market in a strict sense, but since Tim Duncan was selected with the No. 99 pick in 3.And rebuilt around Duncan, and it was a huge success.They have won the championship three times in the past seven years.

For such a reason, the Spurs' excellent record is like a good medicine that stimulated the San Antonio ball market.This also led to the applause at home in San Antonio tonight to be more lively than ever.

At home, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs were also very excited. They played a 12-0 climax at the beginning, and the Spurs led by 12 points at the beginning.The Hornets' lack of experience in the playoffs can be reflected from this point.

From the start, the Hornets were pushed into their rhythm by the Spurs.Even if Byron called a timeout, it still didn't work.

The young Hornets, when attacking, could not break free from the big net made by the Spurs, nor could they cut off the high pass of the Spurs with strict tactics.That's how the Hornets entered a vicious circle.At the end of the second quarter, the Hornets had lost by 20 points.

30 to 50, the Spurs lead by [-] points.

In the previous two quarters, Jack scored the Hornets' highest 18 points, but it was still impossible to prevent the Hornets from being ahead.

The situation of the Hornets improved slightly in the second half, but because the hole dug in the first half was too big, at the end of the game, the Hornets still had no way to fill the hole.

In the end, the Hornets lost the game 95 to 111.

Even in the playoffs, Jack's performance is still very stable.Jack made 16 of 8 shots in the game, scored 18 points, and had a double-double with 12 rebounds.Moreover, he also has 2 blocks and 3 assists.However, even this could not prevent the Hornets from losing the first game of the playoffs by a big score.

(End of this chapter)