am i proud?

Chapter 275 The Tianwang Mountain Tragedy

湖人和快船这场荡气回肠的G3战结束后，5月24日晚东部决赛的G2战也分出了胜负，步行者队再接再厉，在主场以90:69再下一城，大比分2:0领先了卫冕冠军活塞队。

This is a very typical defensive battle during this period. Both sides played a very suffocating defensive intensity, but it is a pity that the Pistons did not show anything except defense, and the Pacers also performed very well on the offensive end.

With a top defensive player like Da Ben in history, and Larry Brown, one of the best defensive coaches in the league, the Pistons really lived up to their reputation. They worked hard on the defensive end throughout the game, wishing their opponents could only score 70 points.

But they seem to have overlooked one point... If you allow your opponent to only score 70 points, but you only score 69 points, isn't that still a loss?
The entire Pacers team played brilliantly in this game, especially Reggie Miller, who is about to turn 39 years old. He used 5 murderous three-pointers to severely teach the Pistons.

The saying is true... Your uncle is still your uncle!
Although the old Miller's offensive efficiency in the whole game was not high, he made 5 of 4 three-pointers in the third quarter, leading the team to play a wave, which directly established the victory of the game.

步行者队这边发挥最稳定的人当然还是杰梅因.奥尼尔，他全场17投8中，外加罚球10投9中，砍下25分12篮板4助攻2抢断2盖帽，成功捍卫了自己的主场。

On the other hand, the Pistons, when the team was in an unfavorable situation, Elton Brand, who was acquired by the team with Wang Dalin last summer, still failed to stand up. He only scored 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in the whole game, and his performance was extremely dismal.

Even Daben and Hamilton, who have always been the most stable performers, were not much better. They were also in a sluggish state, and together they only scored 22 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.

I will not talk about Daben, he has never been a good scorer, as long as he can defend and rebound, he can complete the task, but Hamilton was the second leader of this championship team last year!
全场15投仅4中，其中三分球5投0中，加上罚球也只得到14分3篮板3助攻……这哪还有一点以前那个“莫得感情的杀手”的影子？

If the "killer without emotion" can only shoot 26.7% of the shots, then it is conceivable that almost all of his shots can't be called shots... all of them are forced shots!
Hamilton is like an assassin in an online game. He has to use the attack method he is used to to be omnipotent. You have to let him carry a big shield in one hand and swing a giant sword in the other to face the enemy head-on. How can he just pass?
The result is obvious. After the game, all the blame points to the defending champion's head coach - Larry Brown!

At the post-match press conference, Larry Brown had a rare flustered face in the face of the journalists' verbal attacks, but he was still making excuses for himself.

"The Pacers played well, I should congratulate them in style!"

"We didn't do well in many aspects, especially defense... We have been doing very well in the regular season, but tonight we let the opponent get 90 points, this is the most unacceptable point for me!"

He said it lightly, as if the team's big loss had nothing to do with him.

But the latter sentence is quite correct, and he definitely expressed his own true thoughts... If we only allow the opponent to score 68 points, wouldn't we win?
This season, the Pistons can certainly claim to be the league's number one defensive team. They conceded only 84.3 points per game in the regular season, which ranks first in the league.

But careful fans may have already discovered... It is true that the Pistons defend well, but they only averaged 90.1 points per game, which is 15.9 points worse than last season!
It's still the same team, just because the original big boss left and changed the head coach, it immediately showed a world of difference in the game style, and there is indeed no one else!
On the morning of May 5th, a large number of Detroit fans came to the joint. They held up the sign that read "Larry Brown Get Out" and started a huge parade.

They chanted slogans and walked through the streets and alleys, and the crowd gathered more and more in the parade, reaching tens of thousands of people within an hour.

Faced with such a situation, how could the reporters remain silent?

There are many interviews with fans who can hardly contain their excitement, and almost all interviews are accompanied by various Detroit-specific expletives.

Wang Dalin also saw this news on TV, and he was very surprised that the old John also appeared on the TV screen... This old man with white hair was berating the management of the Pistons with a trembling voice.

"They're beasts, bastards, idiots...why did they drive out Coach Carlisle?"

"They also sent Darling away. This is the most infuriating thing!"

"How could we lose to the Pacers with the two of them? When did we lose to them in the past two years?"

"Of course I know that Elton is an All-Star power forward, but what did he do in the game? How can he compare to Darling?"

"Last year and the year before, Darling told me that he wanted to win a championship for this city. He did what he said, and he is worthy of our Detroit man!"

"When Coach Carlisle first arrived the year before last, he also directly shouted the voice of winning the championship, and he did what he said. He never failed the expectations of us fans!"

"But look now... has that old bastard Larry Brown said such a thing? Does he dare to say it?"

"He's a complete liar!"

"He thinks he is a famous coach because he once led the team to win the NCAA championship? No! He is not! He is an idiot who can only defend!"

Wang Dalin wanted to laugh and cry... Once upon a time, how much joy he and Carlisle brought to these loyal Detroit fans, now Brown and Brand have brought them so much pain.

If the Pistons can still gather the original team that won the championship lineup in the original history, maybe they still have a chance to kill the Pacers.

It's a pity that Rasheed Wallace didn't come, and Chauncey Billups had already left Oakland.

Only relying on Big Ben and Hamilton, and Brand, who is wearing the aura of an all-star power forward...they are really far behind the iron-blooded army in the original history!
I have to say that in the original history, Larry Brown came to Detroit to pick the ripe fruit of Carlisle, but in this life, he obviously made a mistake, and maybe this summer will become his Waterloo!
And this Waterloo is far more than that... At the upcoming Athens Olympics, Larry Brown is the head coach of the US men's basketball team!

With him leading the team, Wang Dalin is even looking forward to the Olympics... If the Chinese men's basketball team can overthrow the current world basketball leader on the Olympic stage, how exciting would it be?
In fact, not only Wang Dalin has this idea, even some American fans have begun to worry about this issue.

However, most people are still full of confidence in the US men's basketball team. Of course, the source of their confidence is not Larry Brown, but Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson in this "dream team"!
In addition, this team also has famous players such as Stephon Marbury, Sean Marion, Lamar Odom, Richard Jefferson, Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer.

Coupled with the three best rookies this season, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, how could the strength of the American men's basketball team not be good?

With such a luxurious lineup, in the words of O'Neill... "My grandma can win the gold medal in the Olympic Games even if she leads the team!"

Uh... forgot the only college player on the nomination list, his name is Emeka Okafor, one of the top picks this year!

If it wasn't because he was a senior, Dwight Howard wouldn't have had a chance. He just excels at being young... At this stage, he can't compare with Okafor in all aspects.

……

On May 5, the G24 battle between the Lakers and the Clippers continued.

In this game, the two sides still played at a very high level. They showed what a championship team should have on both offense and defense.

奥尼尔终于状态回升，他在这场比赛中打出了非常高的效率，全场19投12中，外加罚球16投10中，砍下了34分17篮板5助攻1抢断3盖帽。

上场比赛狂砍56分的科比同样发挥出色，他全场20投10中，其中三分球7投3中，罚球8投7中，砍下了30分6篮板5助攻2抢断。

When the "OK combination" both scored 30+, the Lakers really rarely lose, and the same is true for this game.

The Lakers defeated the Clippers 109:102, and finally tied the big score at 2:2.

In fact, the Clippers played well in this game, especially Wang Dalin and Artest both played very well, but it's a pity that the opponent's performance was even better.

Winning the G4 game is of course a very happy thing for the Lakers, but during the training on May 5, Karl Malone's left knee appeared to be swollen and painful. The team doctor directly told Phil Jackson... "Battle of Tianwangshan" Old Malone will definitely not be able to appear!
This news broke out for some reason, and the whole Los Angeles was full of uproar. The Lakers officials had to hold a press conference to confirm the news to everyone.

All of a sudden, the Clippers fans were jubilant, but the Lakers fans were all sad.

Judging from the previous four games, the strength of the two teams is already equal, and it is difficult to predict who will win or lose.

Now that the Lakers are directly missing Karl Malone, how can they beat the Clippers?
Don't look at the old Malone's performance in the first four games, it seems that he is not very good, averaging only 10.5 points, 6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and his shooting percentage is only in the early 40%, but everyone knows... His role is by no means fully reflected by the statistics.

Just like Sean Battier in the later generations of the Rockets, or Draymond Green in the Warriors in the summer of 2015...their statistics are not very eye-catching, but their role is very important.

Without Malone, Wang Dalin can forcefully attack the inside. If O'Neal defends him, he will definitely miss Mourning or Artest.

Taking a step back, even if the Lakers can protect their inside line, what about Quentin, Korver and others on the outside line of the Clippers?
If these two shots are missed, it will be very scary... They only need a few three-pointers to pull the score above double digits.

At present, only Stanislav Medvedenko in the Lakers team can fill the vacancy of Malone. He was originally the team's first backup center.

But in this way, the Lakers' rotation will have a big problem... The immature Brian Cook and the old Horace Grant can't support the inside of the Lakers' bench.

And Medvedenko is a typical meat shield center, of course there is no problem with his height and weight, but how can he keep up with Wang Dalin in his footsteps?

Don't look at his defensive efficiency this season as high as 102, that is, he only allows his opponents to score 102 points per [-] rounds, but that's because most of his opponents are their substitutes.

But now Phil Jackson is also "a clever woman can't cook without rice", so what can he do other than let Medvedenko step up?
Uh... He really has a way, and that is to let Devin George go to the fourth position.

This small forward who was selected by the Lakers with the 1999rd overall pick in the first round in 23 is 203 cm tall, weighs 100 kg, and has a very strong body... Even if he is not as strong as Wang Dalin, at least his speed is fast enough, so that he won't be wiped out by Wang Dalin in one step.

So Jackson arranged in this way in the "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" between the two sides, and then... Wang Dalin's various shots on the field were so relaxing and enjoyable!

Devin George's speed is quite fast, but he is only 203cm tall. Wang Dalin's pull-up in front of him is really not much different from an open jumper!
After observing this scene, Jackson made timely remedial measures, replacing Devin George and Medvedenko.

Unexpectedly, this guy's performance was even worse, Wang Dalin passing him was as easy as walking on the road in the early morning.

If the Lakers hadn't had O'Neal, a behemoth inside guarding the basket, Wang Dalin might have ruined the game long ago.

In this way, Kobe and O'Neal tried their best to score, but Wang Dalin played comfortably. In the third quarter, the last thing the Lakers wanted to see finally happened... The Clippers' outside pitcher's touch was off!
During this time, the Clippers played a 22:4 spurt, which established the victory of the game in one fell swoop.

In the fourth quarter, Wang Dalin and Ron Artest both showed their strength, scoring 17 and 14 points respectively, and the two teamed up to kick the Lakers into the abyss of failure.

In the end, the Clippers beat the Lakers 114:85, creating a "Tianwangshan tragedy" that shocked the North American sports world...

(End of this chapter)