am i proud?

Chapter 217 Black Eight?nonexistent!
If someone said that the defending champion Pistons would be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs before the start of the playoffs, everyone would think...is this person crazy?

Are the Pistons just your average defending champions?
They are the superpowers who broke the Bulls' record of 72 wins!
They averaged 105.99 points per game in the regular season, and only allowed their opponents to score 88.1 points. They ranked first in the league in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency. How could they fall in the first round of the playoffs?
However, when Hamilton suddenly retired from injury and Ben was expelled from the game, the defending champion's originally good situation suddenly took a turn for the worse. Both the coach and the players of the Magic team couldn't help but have a strong desire to win... It seems that there is hope for us to stage a "black eight miracle"?

……

The timeout ends and the game continues.

When Wang Dalin, Boozer, Okur, McGinnis and Barry re-appeared, there were earth-shattering boos in the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons suddenly lost the two absolute main players, Big Ben and Hamilton. The home fans in the "Water House Center Stadium" probably saw the hope of winning, so they desperately booed the visiting team and hoped to put more pressure on the Pistons players.

Although the Magic also lacked a Garrity, Garrity was not a member of the starting lineup. The team's main players such as McGrady, Gooden, Girisek, Armstrong, and De Klerk were all present, so their combat power was not affected much.

On the contrary... the Pistons have almost lost half of their country, and it is now the weakest time of the season. Even if Wang Dalin is still there, what waves can he cause alone?
Wang Dalin is really good, even this season has been a bit abnormal, but what can the Pistons do if they rely on him alone?

After all... basketball is played by five people!
For example, McGrady in the first two games of this round of the series, scored 1 points in G42 and 2 points in G46...is that fierce enough?But the result is still no suspense to lose?

So when the game continues, as long as Wang Dalin appears in the frontcourt, there will always be two defensive players near him, who will double-team him at any time.

Naturally, Wang Dalin was mentally prepared for this, so he did not panic, but began to receive a large number of balls at the top of the three-point arc. He hoped to attract the Magic's defensive attention through his offensive threat, and then create offensive opportunities for his teammates.

However, the good balls he passed to his teammates were always in exchange for a strike... The Pistons missed several offenses in a row, and the Magic took the opportunity to hit a 10-0 climax, opening the point difference to double digits in less than 3 minutes.

I have to say... a role player is a role player!
Most of the time, they can only achieve "icing on the cake", but they cannot "send charcoal in the snow".

If they can really stand up and perform well in times of crisis for the team, how can they be just role players?

For example, Derek Fisher, the so-called "champion puzzle" of the Lakers back then, the most impressive thing in his entire career was that 0.4-second lore, but apart from that time, do you remember his performance?
To be honest...he is just a very ordinary starting point guard, wouldn't someone else be able to do better than him?
Another example is Robert Horry, who has won 7 championships with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. He can definitely be called the strongest role player in history.

But just imagine, if the Lakers lost Kobe at that time, could everyone still count on Horry to help O'Neal turn the tide?
本赛季常规赛里麦金尼斯场均可以得到12.3分2.4篮板5.1助攻，布泽尔10.1分6.2篮板，威廉姆斯9.6分4.2篮板，奥库6.9分4.7篮板0.8盖帽……活塞队本赛季角色球员的实力并不弱。

But these performances are more caused by the strong offensive involvement of the stars on the field. If the team suddenly loses two All-Star players, especially Hamilton, who averaged more than 22 points per game.

Bottom line...role players may play well when the team is doing well, but they tend to struggle when the team is struggling.

What's more, Okur and Boozer are both rookies in the first grade. How can we expect them to perform well in the playoffs for the first time?

In a few years, maybe both of them can grow into the first-class stars in the league, and even be selected for the All-Star team, but now...they are too immature!

Wang Dalin let out a long sigh, and had no choice but to turn on the aggressive mode... He scored 5 points in a row from inside and outside shots in 7 rounds, and finally continued the offensive firepower for the Pistons.

Seeing that Wang Dalin suddenly started to go berserk, the Magic players raised his defensive intensity to another level. Almost as soon as he came to the frontcourt, he immediately double-teamed. It was extremely difficult for Wang Dalin to catch the ball every time.

Perhaps it was due to playing too many smooth games this season and suddenly facing such a difficult situation, even if Wang Dalin's current strength has made great progress compared to last season, his offensive efficiency will inevitably decline.

In addition, this is the "Water House Center Gymnasium", and the Magic can still take advantage of some home calls. Wang Dalin has to do his best every time he attacks, and it is impossible to get an easy shot.

And now that the Pistons have lost Daben, the inside defensive pillar, Wang Dalin has to devote a lot of energy on the defensive end... McGrady is not the kind of player who only sees the basket in his eyes.

At halftime, the Pistons trailed by 46 points 52:6.

王大林半场15投8中，其中三分球6投3中，罚球4投3中，砍下了22分9篮板4助攻2抢断2盖帽……他在攻防两端无处不在，可以说已经竭尽全力了，可球队依然处于落后的局面。

As long as any one of Big Ben and Hamilton can appear on the court, Wang Dalin can guarantee that the Pistons must be leading at this time, but the reality is so cruel.

After the start of the third quarter, Wang Dalin worked harder on both ends of the offense and defense. His shooting was still so accurate, and he also shouldered the burden of defending McGrady on the defensive end.

However, in addition to McGrady, the Magic also has Gooden, Armstrong, Girisek and others. They played brilliantly under the leadership of McGrady, and the morale of the Pistons players became lower the more they played.

到了第三节结束时双方的比分已经来到69:80，尽管王大林单节就砍下了16分5篮板1盖帽，可他还是无法带领球队追上比分。

During the intermission, Wang Dalin sat on the sideline bench and was already panting heavily. He hadn't rested for a minute in the first three quarters, and he was on both offense and defense... At this moment, even if his physical strength was as high as 1, it was a bit too much.

After playing for a few more minutes in the fourth quarter, Carlisle resolutely chose to give up and replaced Wang Dalin and several main rotation players.

This is only the third game in this round of the series, and they lead 2:0 with a big score. Instead of fighting the Magic to the death, it is better to save their strength and make a comeback in the next game.

最终魔术队以101:94赢下了这场G3战，麦迪全场20投11中砍下31分9篮板9助攻2抢断3盖帽，是他们取胜的最大功臣。

王大林全场疯狂出手29次，砍下了43分17篮板7助攻3抢断4盖帽，可如此出色的个人表现依旧只能沦为空砍。

At the post-match press conference, Tracy McGrady said that they had the best chance, and the Magic will definitely make persistent efforts to win another home game, and then they will win the "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" in Detroit.

Wang Dalin did not express his opinion on this, he just took the responsibility for the loss calmly, and said that he will work harder in the next game.

Carlisle also said that the loss of this game is his responsibility as the head coach, because he did not find the best response after Big Ben and Hamilton left the field, but he has already planned the response. Please wait and see in the G4 game.

……

"What? Let me play center forward?"

On the morning of April 4, the Pistons conducted a simple recovery training. During the training interval, Carlisle told Wang Dalin about his plan, and the latter was shocked when he heard it.

Carlisle's expression was quite dignified: "Now that Ben has been suspended, if I let Mehmet play the starting center, what is the difference between the situation and last night?"

That's right, on the morning of April 4, the league officially announced an additional penalty for Big Ben... a five-game suspension and a fine of $26.

I have to say, the price that Big Ben paid for this punch is really a bit high... The league is still as disgusted with the Pistons as ever.

Currently the Pistons have Okur and Bateer as their backup centers. Under normal circumstances, Okur must be on top. However, Okur's performance in Game 3 last night was quite dismal. After all, he is only a rookie. Even with great potential, he is still too immature.

So Carlisle had already thought of a countermeasure after the game last night... Let Wang Dalin play the center forward!

Wang Dalin has a height of 211cm and a weight of 110KG, and his strength has reached 91. He is more intimidating inside than any center in the Magic team.

And his outside shooting is extremely accurate. If he plays center, the Pistons can maximize the offensive space.

As long as one or two of these role players of the Pistons feel normal, the opponent's defense will be difficult... At that time, will they dare to continue to double-team Wang Dalin?

Carlisle is worthy of being a tactical master at the historical level of the NBA. He has already drawn a conclusion from the process of the G3 game... If the offensive firepower of the role players in the team cannot be activated, Wang Dalin alone will not be able to defeat the Magic in any case.

Therefore, it is necessary to use Wang Dalin's unparalleled offensive power to create opportunities for his teammates... Carlisle does not know the effect of this arrangement, but the current normal game against the Pistons is obviously at a disadvantage.

For this reason, Carlisle specially arranged for the players to conduct several tactical drills. Before the G4 game on April 27, this style of play finally took shape.

Obviously, Carlisle's strange move caught the Magic by surprise. At the beginning of the G4 game, Wang Dalin scored consecutive points through low-post attacks.

The head coach of the Magic, Doug Rivers, immediately called a timeout to make adjustments, and replaced him with Pat Bock, who was no less tall and weighty than Wang Dalin, to defend him.

However, Wang Dalin immediately adjusted his offensive strategy. He began to appear on the outside more often. A slow-footed tank center like Bock obviously couldn't defend against it... If he gave up the basket and stared out, neither Robinson nor Boozer at the Pistons' fourth position would be vegetarians in mid-range shots.

Immediately after that, Rivers replaced De Klerk, Garrity and others who had faster footsteps to defend Wang Dalin in turn.

All in all, Wang Dalin's appearance at the fifth position is completely a bug for the Magic, even if Rivers exhausted all methods, it will not help.

McGinnis also formed a mutual explosion with Armstrong at the first position... He is 193cm tall and weighs 87KG. On the offensive end, he can completely crush Armstrong, who is 183cm tall and weighs 77KG. However, he also has a headache on the defensive end. After all, the opponent is much faster than him.

The two sides fought until the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the Pistons still led the Magic 77:72... The role players in the team did show their hips in the last game, but they are all excellent role players after all. They may stretch their hips when playing against the wind, but they are extremely violent when playing against the wind.

The critical moment depends on the superstar, so McGrady on the Magic team started to play a lot of singles with the ball, and Wang Dalin naturally went head-to-head with him to score points.

The fourth quarter basically became the star confrontation time between Wang Dalin and McGrady. Both of them are scoring machines with rich and diverse offensive methods.

However, the Magic team fell behind by 5 points. Even though McGrady and Wang Dalin fought evenly, they still could not fill this "small hole"...In the end, they lost 98:103, which is really only 5 points.

此役王大林砍下41分14篮板10助攻2抢断3盖帽，终于打出了今年季后赛的第一个40+三双。

常规赛时王大林就已经8次上演40+三双的好戏，而且其中有2次60+和2次50+，所以他再次砍下单场40+三双并没有引起多大的轰动，或许大家已经习以为常了吧？
Even Michael Jordan, who has announced his retirement, said that this is just Darling Wang's normal performance. If he goes all out, he will definitely play even better.

After hearing Jordan's evaluation, Wang Dalin could only complain secretly in his heart——

I'm already doing my best, okay?
Do you think I don't want to cut a 50+ or ​​60+?

When you have to face double-teams every time you attack, and the opponent's defensive player can't wait to call all the defensive tricks on you... Do you think it's so easy to score points?
There are also assists... I did have a lot of assists in the regular season, but have you counted how many assists I gave Hamilton in each game?
Without my assists, could "Third Brother" average 22.3 points per game while maintaining a shooting percentage of 48.7%?
If other people can be as powerful as the "third brother", how can I only have 10 assists in this game?
……

Originally, after the Pistons lost the G3 game, the outside media almost looked down on them. Except for Barkley, who had always supported Wang Dalin, everyone else believed that the Pistons should lose this round of the series.

But when the Pistons won the G4 game, the attitude of the outside media immediately changed 180 degrees, and they all said that the Pistons had a high probability of being able to solve the Magic in the fifth game.

The media in America is like that... when you have the upper hand they will praise you, and when you have the disadvantage they will immediately demote you to nothing.

Just like Nowitzki at the peak of his career, he won the regular season MVP with a great advantage in the 2006-2007 season, but when the Mavericks were "black eight" by the Warriors in the first round, people used almost all derogatory words on him.

If the "veteran driver" hadn't led the team to win the championship with a single core in 2011, even if he scored 31560 points in his career and ranked sixth in the historical scoring list, he would still only be known as a "soft guy" for the rest of his life.

The G5 match between the Pistons and the Magic was scheduled for April 4. When the Pistons players appeared one by one at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the audience stood up and gave them the warmest applause.

Ben, who was suspended, could only sit on the bench to cheer for his teammates. His expression was a bit lonely, obviously because he could not fight side by side with his teammates on the field.

In his opinion, he is the oldest player on the team and should have taken on more important responsibilities, but now he can only watch his teammates fight on the court. This feeling is really terrible.

Hamilton, who hadn't seen him for a few days, also appeared at the scene. He was wearing a straight gray suit, but he wore a protective boot on his left foot and was leaning on a cane.

His left ankle was indeed a second-degree sprain, and the injury report given by the team doctor indicated that he had to rest for 2-4 weeks. That is to say... even in the best case, Hamilton would not be able to return to the court until at least mid-May. If he was unlucky, he might not be able to return at the end of May.

"Fourth brother, come on!"

"Fourth brother, I know you can do it!"

When the first five tigers of the two sides were about to debut, Big Ben and Hamilton said to Wang Dalin respectively, Wang Dalin turned his head and smiled at them, and then said: "Don't worry, we will definitely win!"

Seeing the smile on Wang Dalin's face, Big Ben and Hamilton couldn't help feeling relieved...

This is the Pistons this season!

This is Wang Dalin of this season!

Maybe they're having trouble right now, but this 73-win superteam has regained confidence with one win...they're on the mend!
Black eight?

nonexistent!

(End of this chapter)