NBA backer king

Chapter 623 The Shark Is About to Swim East
Also on this day, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak began to contact some teams, ready to trade O'Neal.

The news that O'Neal was put on the shelves quickly spread to all teams in the league.

The Mavericks reacted very quickly and immediately contacted the Lakers with an offer. Except for Nowitzki, everyone can be a bargaining chip.

Then the Timberwolves also sent an offer list, except for Garnett, everyone else is a bargaining chip.

The Grizzlies also sent an offer, Gasol + Mike Miller + White Chocolate + 04 first-round pick.

This is an offer from three Western Conference teams. Although the Lakers do not want to keep O'Neal in the Western Conference, it is not impossible to consider if the chips are right.

For example, Nowitzki of the Mavericks is what the Lakers want.

After Kupchak considered it, he returned an offer to the Mavericks, as long as Nowitzki was offered, but the Mavericks didn't consider it and refused directly, and the deal failed.

The general manager of the Mavericks, Nelson Jr., knows very well that O'Neal has begun to age, his condition is declining, and his weight is not easy to control. It is not worthwhile to trade Nowitzki.

Then the Lakers contacted the Timberwolves again, and what they wanted was Garnett, the only person in the Timberwolves who was not on the quotation list, but was also rejected.

Kupchak studied the Grizzlies' quotation again and thought it was pretty good. After contacting the other party, everything was ready. He finally called Phil Jackson to ask his opinion on the transaction.

Phil Jackson immediately objected, saying: "If the Lakers still want to make a difference, they can't keep O'Neal in the West.

He and Old K are both in the West. No matter what our new lineup is, there is no chance to break out of the West. There is no chance.At least, not within three years. "

The head coach disagrees. As the general manager who has just taken office for one year, Kupchak is not easy to force a deal, so he can only terminate the deal with the Grizzlies.

At this time, several Eastern teams sent quotations, including the Green Team, the Wizards, and the Heat.

Kupchak studied the green team's offer list, which is not bad, Ricky Davis + Mike James + three first-round picks in the future.

The Wizards were a bit worse and were thrown aside by him.

Picking up the Heat's quotation, he also thought it was pretty good, Caron Butler + Odom + Brian Grant + 06 first-round pick.

There is no All-Star, but the three players are very reliable main players, all are forwards, Odom can even play five positions, Butler averaged 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season, Grant averaged 8.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Odom averaged 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. With these three players in hand, the Lakers can directly complete the lineup.

"It's the Heat."

After much deliberation, Kupchak decided.

There is another factor that made him make a decision. Pat Riley is a meritorious coach of the Lakers. Under his leadership, the Lakers played a Show time era. The Lakers are willing to send Shaq O'Neal to Pat Riley.

After he negotiated with Pat Riley, the transaction was finalized, and it was only announced later, and O'Neal was not notified in advance of the chips being traded.

On the night of the 10th, the Nets defeated the Heat and took a two-to-one lead.The Blazers beat the Timberwolves [-]-[-] and got the match point.

On the 11th, the Pistons beat the Pacers [-]-[-] and got the match point.

On the 12th, the Trail Blazers lost, [-] to [-], and the Timberwolves saved a season point.

On the same night, the Nets beat the Heat [-]-[-] and got the match point.

On the 13th, the Pacers defeated the Pistons, two to three, saving a match point.

On the 14th, the Trail Blazers defeated the Timberwolves, [-]-[-], and joined the Suns in the Western Conference Finals, ending the second round of the Western Conference.

On the same night, Dayao failed to play, and the Nets lost to the Heat, [-]-[-], still in the match point.

On the 15th, the Pacers defeated the Pistons and saved another season, three to three, and the two sides will have a tiebreaker.

On the 16th, Dayao broke out, scoring 38 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks, beating the Heat and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season with a score of [-]-[-].

On the 17th, the Pacers and the Pistons had a tiebreaker. In the end, the Pistons defeated the Pacers and joined forces with the Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. The second round of the Eastern Conference ended.

This afternoon, the Blazers arrived in Phoenix.

On this day, ESPN announced the latest probability prediction of winning.

The Suns rank first, with a 45% chance of winning.

The Blazers are second with a 40% chance of winning.

The Nets are third, with a 10% chance of winning.

The Pistons are the lowest, with a 5% chance of winning.

This prediction has been supported by the mainstream media and most fans.

Everyone knows that the current situation is that the East is weaker than the West. The Nets picked up a bargain this season. Unless there is another change in the Western Conference Finals this season, it is almost impossible for the Nets or the Pistons to beat the Suns or the Trail Blazers in the Finals.

Lao Wang made a phone call to Dayao, and told him: "Be careful with the piston, especially you. Da Ben holds you back, and the sprayer will come to you in no time. You can't hit it in the low position, and you can't open it outside. Don't be killed by the piston."

"Understood, brother, I will be careful." Dayao said cautiously.

On the 18th, the Western Conference finals began.

At eight o'clock, the two sides announced the starting lineup.

Trail Blazers: Duncan, Zach Randolph, Darius Mikes, Derek Anderson, Payton

Suns: Wang Tiejun, Amare Stoudemire, Marion, Joe Johnson, Nash
The Western Conference Finals was broadcast live across the United States by TNT, with Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as the narrators.

Barkley analyzed: "After the old K came back in the regular season, the Blazers did not play at their full strength due to too many injuries earlier on the inside, so the records of the two teams in the regular season cannot be used as the basis for evaluating the Western Conference Finals.

The record of the two teams in the playoffs in the past is meaningless, because the Blazers have one more Payton, and his offense is nothing, but the Suns should pay attention to the defense of the glove. "

Kenny Smith said: "It's okay, Payton's state this year is average, especially after entering the playoffs, his performance is obviously not as good as the regular season, obviously old, or caused by injuries.

Nash's speed is very fast. Gloves can't lock him in positional battles, and fast breaks can't keep up with him. Anyway, gloves basically can't lock Nash, and gloves in the peak period are still possible. "

Barkley said with a smile: "The strongest point of the Blazers is the low-post offense. Whether it is Duncan or Randolph, they are both good at low-post offense.

So if the Suns want to win, they must strengthen their low-post offense. If old K still reduces his shots like in the second round, it will definitely not work. If he takes more outside shots, the overall efficiency will not be as good as the Blazers.

I think it is very difficult for the Blazers to defend K. Although Duncan's defense is top-notch, Randolph's defense is average.

It is also quite difficult for the Blazers to win against the Suns. They have to face K's strong defense on the offensive end, limit K's offense on the defensive end, and guard against the Suns' fast break. "

Kenny Smith said with a smile: "Duncan's current tonnage should be 118 kilograms, and the old K's is 130 kilograms. However, comparing the mobility, the old K who is obviously larger in tonnage is faster.

"It's possible." Barkley nodded.

At 08:30, the game begins.

For the jump ball, Lao Wang jumped a little earlier, and the Blazers attacked.

Payton pushed Nash to the top of the arc and observed the situation. Duncan was blocked by the old K and couldn't get in. He immediately moved to the right wing and suddenly passed the ball to Randolph in the low post on the right wing.

Randolph received the ball and dribbled the ball. He used his strong body to arch inward twice. Stoudemire couldn't hold it. After entering the paint area and getting close to the basket, he immediately turned around flexibly and hit a ball with a small throw.

Pharaoh had already returned to the basket. He didn't expect Randolph not to go in, so he couldn't get out in time.

The Suns attacked, pulled open, and Wang Tiejun singled Duncan in the low post on the left wing.

Randolph was also pulled to the right waist in the paint by Stoudemire. He wanted to double-team the low post on the left wing. It took time to cross the paint that was close to five meters.

Payton strengthened his defense. He was the first hurdle to defend the old K. He directly cut off the old K's offense from the source and prevented him from receiving the ball.

So he blocked the front of Nash, and the sides were exposed.

Nash pushed the ball casually and gave the ball to Marion on the left wing. After the latter got the ball, he quickly hung the ball to the low post through the defender Max.

Pharaoh got stuck with his left elbow and caught the ball with his right hand. The next moment, the attack began.

While catching the ball, he took a step back to face the basket, and quickly raised his right hand holding the ball to make a fake hook. After shaking Duncan, he immediately received the ball and broke through with a short body.

"Suddenly!"

Buckley shouted excitedly.

Duncan knew that old K was likely to break through, but old K's mid-range hook is also very powerful now, and he took a lot of shots. He was still shaken by a fake move. By the time he reacted, old K was already full of energy The wind rushed from his lower side.

On the right waist, Randolph quickly defended the basket.

Pharaoh didn't even look at Randolph, and took off directly.

"squeak!"

Randolph is not a strong defensive player. Seeing Old K take off, he hurriedly stopped.

"boom!"

In the next moment, under the ferocious dunk, there was a violent sound of exploding baskets in the Meixi Arena.

"boom!"

Suddenly, high cheers sounded instantly.

"Good job! The Sun King broke through the stakes Tim Duncan, frightened the coward Zach Randolph with a look, and then dunked the Blazers' basket."

A live commentator shouted excitedly.

"Ha ha……"

The other narrator laughed when he heard what his partner said.

Barkley said with a smile: "Old K has the speed of a top admiral and the technique of attacking the basket from the front, coupled with a larger tonnage and impact. This kind of attacking the basket is extremely ferocious. Not to mention Randolph, even the current O'Neal, except for fouls, it is difficult to stop."

Shaking his head, Kenny Smith said: "No player is willing to take the risk of being knocked into the air and injured to defend such an attack head-on. It's like blocking a tank that is charging at full speed with a speed of 180 mph with its own strength.

To be honest, Charles, old K does this a lot, but he has few, if any, injuries in this kind of offense, luckily, I have to say, and is very strong. "

Barkley said with a smile: "Of course, his physical strength is rare in history. Michael, Hakeem, Chamberlain, there are only a few people who can maintain health for many years like Old K. Even if he is seriously injured in an accident, he can recover very well."

Kenny Smith nodded and said: "For example, Michael Jordan was seriously injured and fractured in the second year of his career. After his comeback in the new season, he was in a brave state and scored an average of 37.1 points per game, forcing the league to introduce anti-isolation singles rules.

And the old K is the same, after his comeback in 02, he is also in a brave state.But he is more abnormal than Jordan. Jordan was injured at the age of 22, and he was injured at the age of 28. The injury is more than ten times heavier than Jordan, and his recovery ability is even more abnormal. "

On the field, Duncan has already played back and forth, and Duncan missed a shot and was almost capped by the old king.

Looking back at the Suns attack, Lao Wang missed a mid-range hook two steps away from the paint.

The reason why he shot a mid-range hook is that he hopes to use this kind of attack to continue to pull Duncan out, leaving the penalty area empty, which is conducive to the breakthrough of his teammates.

At this time, the Blazers attacked, and Duncan asked for the ball in the low post on the left wing.

The Suns didn't play zone defense, because the Blazers' outside breakthrough ability is average, so they don't need to play zone defense, and man-to-man is the most suitable.

Peyton was old and immobile.

Anderson is also injured. Although he can still break through, the damage is limited.

Small forward Max doesn't have a three-pointer, and the mid-range shot is not very good. He mainly scores breakthroughs, but his strength is average and he is a role player.

Now Max is only two steps away from Duncan, and there is no three-pointer. He must go deep into the flank to be a threat. Standing on the three-point line is useless.

Because of this, Marion is one step closer to Duncan's position.

Payton passed the ball, and Duncan was double-teamed by Marion and Lao Wang before he got it.

"Snapped!"

Marion steals the ball successfully.

The Suns counterattacked immediately. Nash threw off Payton, received the ball from Marion, went into the paint and hit a layup.

Michael Dunleavy yelled angrily: "Max, stay away from Tim."

Max was embarrassed for a while, I was farther away, and I didn't have long-range shooting ability, Marion would just let me go, what's the use?

At this time, Dunleavy continued to shout: "You go to the right wing."

On the low post on the right wing, Randolph received the ball, squeezed away from Stoudemire, and when he was about to make a layup, Lao Wang quickly completed the defense, flew the ball under the block, and then took off for the second time to catch the ball.

At this moment, the Suns' outside line began to drop quickly.

As soon as the Blazers saw it, they immediately returned to the defense with all their strength, including Duncan, who were running desperately, for fear that the Suns would play a fast break.

As soon as Lao Wang saw it, he immediately controlled the rhythm and switched to positional warfare.

After passing the ball, he ran forward slowly, admiring Duncan and Randolph's [-]-meter sprint.

Duncan and Randolph ran to the basket angrily, and when they looked back, Old K was strolling in the backcourt.

Nash held the ball outside, waiting for the old K to slowly settle down, not in a hurry at all, and it was completely different from when he was playing fast break.

After playing for the Suns for two seasons, he has adapted to this style of play. In the fast break, he can play the organizational role of the setter. In the positional battle, he can play the role of providing shells for the old K. The fast break and the positional battle are both important. This can make his physical energy distribution reach an excellent state.

Zhang Lili smiled and said: "This is the power of the Suns' fast break, which makes the opponent have to return to the defense with all their strength, and consumes more energy.

Whenever you don't run faster, the Suns' fast break will really play out, so you must try your best to return to the defense every time. "

Su Qun smiled and said, "Especially the inside line, it's very difficult."

Lao Wang walked to the front court, then ran, ran into the paint area, and after being blocked by Duncan, he immediately pulled to the left wing.

At this time Nash suddenly shook his hand, Payton couldn't react in time, and the ball flew in from above his head.

"Snapped!"

As soon as Lao Wang came out of the paint, the ball arrived and he caught it. In the next moment, he suddenly turned around and slipped to the bottom, avoiding Duncan who was following him, and went to the basket.

Randolph was still in the paint, on the right side of the rim, and he saw the old K come in, but he didn't make it up in time.

"boom!"

Wang Tiejun dunked with one hand, and the Blazers' basket slammed.

Amid the cheers of the audience, Dunleavy yelled at Randolph angrily: "Zach, are you defending with your eyes? Didn't you see it? Bastard! Are you afraid of old K?"

Randolph's face turned black. As the bad boy of the Blazers, he gave Dunleavy a dissatisfied look, and ignored it, as if he didn't care.

"It's the second time, you bastard!" Dun Levy cursed fiercely.

He regretted it. He shouldn't have agreed to the management's trade of Rasheed Wallace in the first place. The bastard Randolph didn't dare to defend Old K.

On the field, Duncan, who was running upfield, deliberately ran to Randolph's side and said to him: "Zach, you don't need to block Old K from the front, you can interfere and block shots from the side."

"I'll do it." Randolph replied stiffly.

"brush!"

The Blazers attacked, Payton didn't pass this time, and suddenly shot a three-pointer on Nash's head. Coincidentally, he made it.

5:6, the Blazers were only one point behind, and the Suns attacked.

(End of this chapter)