From sparring to superstar

Chapter 343

On the evening of the 12th, the NBA held a draft lottery ceremony.

At the mid-year meeting of owners during the All-Star Weekend, Charlotte's new team's application to join the NBA was approved. Therefore, there are a total of 14 lottery picks this year.

Robert Johnson, the first black TV station owner of Hawks, invested US$3 million in 'entry fees' through the matchmaking between Jordan and Ballmer. The Bobcats were successfully established, with Jordan as the executive president, and Jordan's friend former Nuggets president Bernie Bee. Kerstaff serves as general manager and head coach.

根据劳资协议规定，山猫队可以在6月29号和30号两天时间，从其他29支球队最多挑选13名球员建队。

Other teams can submit an eight-man protection list to the league before June 6. The Bobcats cannot select players on the protection list.

Under the restrictions of the labor agreement, the Bobcats' salary cap in the first season is only one-third of the league's salary cap, preventing the Bobcats from directly offering 3-4 maximum salary contracts in the free market without selecting players from other teams. .

It may be difficult to poach top free agents directly, but if you give a player with a market value of $800 million a starting salary of $1000 million, it will be difficult for the other party to refuse. After five or six years of contracting, the difference can reach more than $1000 to $2000 million.

Correspondingly, the Bobcats have no salary cap when drafting players from other teams if they wish.

比如步行者队绝对不会把下赛季工资1006万美刀的戴尔-戴维斯放进保护名单，热火队绝对不会把未来三年工资和麦迪一样高的布莱恩-格兰特放入保护名单，尼克斯队还剩3年2200万美刀山顿-安德森、雄鹿队还剩3年顶薪的范霍恩、篮网队还剩1年1949万美刀的穆托姆博……等等高薪球员，也是媒体们预测的不会被放入激活名单的球员。

If the Bobcats are willing to spend money, they can easily put together a lineup worth [-] million yuan in the first year, and every team will try their luck with junk contracts.

Today Li Ao came to San Antonio with the team, went to the hotel to watch the video all afternoon, and stayed in front of the TV to watch the live broadcast of the lottery in the evening.

The results came out quickly.

Neither the Suns nor the Bulls, the most aggressive teams, got the No. [-] pick, and the No. [-] pick was won by the Hornets.

The Sonics got the second pick, and the Bulls, who had the worst record, got the third pick.

As a new team, the Bobcats received a first-round pick, but instead of a lottery, they directly received the 4th overall pick and did not participate in the top three picks.

In other words, if other lottery teams do not draw the top three picks, the picks will automatically drop one spot.

The Suns ultimately only received the No. 5 pick.

老鹰队拿到6号签、篮网队7号签、勇士队8号签、火箭队9号签、开拓者队10号签、凯尔特人队11号签、76人队12号签、骑士队13号签、国王队14号签。

Li Ao feels that the Suns are really behind. The Hornets only have a 17% probability of entering the top three picks, but they can win the No. 7.3 pick with a 21% probability. The Suns have a 67% probability of the No. 33 pick and a [-]% probability of the top three picks. However, the team stepped on the [-]% probability of falling out of the top three picks.

He remembered a piece of news. In the original time and space, boss Joe gave Sterling a gift, using the No. 4 pick in exchange for the second pick that the Clippers had chosen with a 7% chance of being lucky, and selected Okafor.

I don’t know who Jordan is going to give gifts to.

The Magic, who don't have an unparalleled eye for picking centers, don't know if the first high school center in history will emerge.

Although Okafor did not win the championship in his senior season, he did reach the finals. His university dominance is still very strong and he is recognized as the top pick for the No. [-] pick.

The next day, the 13th, the Clippers came to ATT Arena to prepare for the game.

At noon, the league announced the final award of the regular season-the best team.

All-Rookie Team:

First team: Hinrich, James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh.

Second team: Ford, Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, Haslem, Milicic.

The Heat and Mavericks are the biggest winners of this draft from the perspective of the All-Rookie Team.

Fortunately for the Heat, the Mavericks, one at the end of the first round and one as an undrafted player, were both selected to the rookie second team, which is amazing. Coaches in the lineage of Nelson have good draft vision and can boldly give opportunities to newcomers.

Best team:
One team: Kidd, Kobe, Li Ao, Duncan, O'Neal.

Second team: Ray Allen, Carter, Raheem, Garnett, Yao Ming, Ben Wallace. Ben Wallace and Yao Ming received the same vote and were jointly selected for the second team.

Third team: Nash, Reid, McGrady, Nowitzki, O'Neal.

Best Defensive Team:
First team: Kobe, Li Ao, Artest, Garnett, Ben Wallace.

Second team: Kidd, Bowen, Kirilenko, Duncan, Camby.

The Clippers, Lakers, Magic, and Pistons became the big winners of the Best Team and the Best Defensive Team.

The grand occasion of last season's five-man double lineup is difficult to reproduce.

The Magic's defense has declined this season and failed to keep up with several strong teams. Duncan fell to the second defense.

McGrady even dropped out of the All-Defensive Team, receiving a few fewer votes than his cousin.

Kidd changed teams. Although the Clippers built a system around Kidd on the offensive end, the defensive system was built around Gerald Wallace, Li Ao, and O'Neal. Although this made Kidd easier on the defensive end, unlike During the period of the Nets and Suns, there were so many things to do, and he could devote more energy to the offense and help Li Ao more, but his defensive role and performance also declined.

The Pacers are relatively unique. As one of the top three defensive teams in the league, only Brad Miller has the chance to be selected for the All-Defensive Team, and no one else has.

And Brad Miller actually lost to Camby in the second defense competition!
Not only Brad Miller, but O'Neal was also undrafted!

O'Neal's defensive performance this season is not much worse than his first-defense performance last season. There is a slight gap between O'Neal and Ben Wallace, whose defensive efficiency has greatly increased after having Tianzun and almost defeated his teammate Artest. However, under Duncan When he was placed in the forward award, O'Neal's defensive performance was No. 2 at the center position!

Camby was able to steal a second defense by averaging 10.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.

The best lineup also has its shortcomings. In the past two years, Bibby, Li Ao, and Jordan formed the "Shenxia Gui" trio to win two consecutive championships. In the 7 finals games with the Magic last season, Bibby was the key killer, The title of White Devil also opened up. After joining the Jazz, he averaged 21 points and 6 assists per game and led the team to the playoffs, but lost to Nash and Reid in the best team competition.

Artest of the Pistons, Arenas of the Spurs, Gasol and Maggette of the Grizzlies, Brand and Hamilton of the Wizards were not selected for the All-NBA Team, which also caused many media and fans to complain. .

This season's iron wave has reached the peak of NBA history. Most players' data has declined. The data and performance gaps between top stars are very small, which also makes the selection of awards more difficult. No matter how you choose, people will dispute the final result. They are all bigger than in previous years.

...

On May 5, the Clippers started Game 14 of the series against the Spurs on the road.

快船队想要直接一口气直接通关的想法破灭，吉诺比利16投7中、其中三分球9中4，加上10中9的罚球，狂轰27分5助攻。

阿里纳斯靠吉诺比利打出来的威胁，20投8中，其中三分球4中1，加上4中4的罚球，拿到20分7助攻。

加上帕克的18分5助攻、特科格鲁的16分6板2助攻、夸梅-布朗10分11板……

102 to 91, the Spurs defended their first home game and chased the score to 1 to 2!

The Clippers actually played pretty well tonight. Li Ao had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Kidd also had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, but Kidd only made 20 of 7 shots, which was worse than Arenas. To be tougher, O'Neal's 18 points and 11 rebounds and Odom's 10 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists are also good. However, when the substitute lineup competed, Odom was unable to defeat four hands with two fists, and was defeated by Parker and Turkoglu. Exploded.

This game was quite enjoyable to watch, but the fans suffered a lot and were not fooled.

Sure enough, on the 16th, the two teams fought again.

The score of the two teams in the first half of this game was 30 to 33, with the Clippers trailing by 3 points. In the third quarter, Li Ao successfully counterattacked, scoring 13 points in a single quarter, and led the team to a score of 30 to 22. The Clippers led by 60 55 points ahead of the Spurs.

In the final quarter, the Spurs scored 11-28 in the first 22 and a half minutes. Ginobili returned Li Ao's 10+ points in a single quarter and scored 15 points.

However, Li Ao, who scored 8 points in the final quarter, used a mid-range shot to overtake the score at the last moment. He also shrank the basket at the last moment and blocked Ginobili's European step layup and Kwame Brown's second attack.

李敖全场35投14中，其中三分球10中3，加上6中6的罚球，拿到37分4板2助攻2抢断6盖帽，最后30秒2分2帽，率领快船队以74比73险胜马刺队，大比分3比1，进入赛点！
In the first four games between the Clippers and the Spurs, one played beautifully and the other was defensive. It took turns. On the 4th, the two teams moved to the Staples Center to start G19. The fans felt that it should be again Is it time for a beautiful offensive and defensive battle?
This time the fans thought too much again. The two teams scored 17 to 12 in the first quarter, and the Clippers led by 5 points entering the second quarter!

If you lose, you will fish. The Spurs had a bad start, but they did not give up. In the second quarter, Arenas went on a rare rampage. He scored 7 points on 4 of 5 shots and 4 of 12 free throws. He led the Spurs and Clippers to a 24-game score. A score of 24 in a single quarter sealed the situation.

The Clippers performed steadily in the third quarter, 22 to 21 in a single quarter, suppressing the Spurs' continued counterattack and opening the point difference to 6 points. However, in the final quarter, the Clippers failed to suppress the young and energetic Spurs. , only scored 18 points in a single quarter, and the Spurs scored 24 points.

With Li Ao's mid-range shot, the score was fixed at 81-81 in regular time and entered overtime!

In overtime, Parker soared and made consecutive breakthroughs. He scored 5 points and 3 assists on 6 of 2 shots. Bowen made a corner three-pointer and Kwame Brown had a tip-in. The Spurs scored 11 in overtime. A score of 7.

92 to 88, the Spurs narrowly defeated the Clippers by 4 points in the away game and refused to be eliminated!

It wasn't obvious in the first round, but the Clippers played too easily against the Timberwolves.

But in the second round, people saw the Spurs' potential and unlimited future, and also saw that the Clippers' strength had declined a lot compared to last season.

However, the progress of the Clippers in this series is also obvious. Under the strong defense of the Spurs, the Clippers' regular tactics are getting better and better. By G5, even if the Spurs players went wild during regular time, they could not narrow the point difference. They could only Rely on the depth of the lineup.

In fact, by this time, the Clippers' style of play has been very complete. The offensive coordination is not as good as in the past two years, but the defense is extremely strong. Compared with last season, the strongest lineup has its own merits. It is difficult to say which one is stronger, but the depth of the lineup has declined. It was very obvious that after overtime, it was obvious that I couldn't hold it anymore.

The main reason is that the Spurs players are too young, the starters are young, the substitutes are also young, and they are overflowing with talent.

On the 21st, the Clippers came to San Antonio again and started a G6 showdown with the Spurs away from home.

Li Ao bought another suitcase when he went to San Antonio this time.

When he came back from San Antonio a few days ago, he threw away his suitcase. The reporters interpreted it to mean that he didn't need to come to San Antonio again this year, but he was slapped in the face.

In the previous few games of the Spurs, someone broke out in every game. Tonight, they were not so lucky.

快船队首节23比18领先5分、第二节以17比13又扩大了4分领先优势，半场领先马刺队9分！
In the third quarter, the Spurs played well overall offensively and scored 24 points, but the Clippers scored 26 points. In the final quarter, the Spurs continued to try to counterattack, but the score was suppressed and only scored 21 points, while the Clippers scored 1 points in the final quarter. The difference was expanded by 22 point, to [-] points in a single quarter.

李敖26分2板5助攻、基德15分7板7助攻、小奥尼尔19分19板、奥多姆8分7板4助攻……

When Ginobili, Arenas, and Parker failed to break out, the Clippers were unstoppable and suppressed the whole process. They defeated the Spurs 88-76 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a score of 4-2. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals and faced the Lakers for the third consecutive year. The teams meet in the playoffs!
...

The average points per game is 89 to 87.1, and the total score is 534 to 523. Looking at the data in this series between the Clippers and the Spurs, the gap between the two teams seems very small. The Spurs do have hope of winning, but the hope is actually not very high. Big, after watching the game, you know that the Clippers have the upper hand throughout the series.

Someone broke out in each of the Spurs' first five games, especially Ginobili. He averaged 5 points per game in the entire series. Putting aside the poor performance of G23.5, he averaged 6 points per game in the first five games and averaged 5 minutes of playing time per game. Got it from .

His 48% shooting percentage throughout the series ranked first among all first-class outsiders in the second round.

But even though he played so well, the Spurs only won two games.

Once he fails to open this point, Arenas, Parker, Turkoglu...all have no chance to follow up the explosion.

However, the Spurs were able to push the Clippers to Game 6, which is already considered a big success. Although this team's play style is not pleasing, people feel that they can take a further step in the new season and become a truly top power. Team.

The three core talents of Arenas, Ginobili and Kwame Brown are very dazzling.

Another series in the second round of the Western Conference started one day later than the Clippers but ended one day earlier.

The Lakers defeated the Mavericks 4-1. The Lakers averaged 90 points per game and the Mavericks averaged 85.8 points per game.

People really didn't expect that this series would be uglier than next door.

The Sharks have proven with actual actions that just adding three seconds of defense to him will not prevent him from covering the basket on his own in the playoffs.

The outside group headed by Kobe and Payton completely ignored the Mavericks players' cuts and frantically blocked the mid-range shots of Nash, Finley, Nowitzki, Jamison, and Anthony Walker.

Jamison played in the playoffs for the first time and shot 27% from the field. Anthony Walker has always been very solid, shooting 33% from the field. Finley’s shooting rate was not bad at 41%, but he only averaged 7 shots per game. To 8.8 points, it won’t have a big effect.

Nash scored 38.6 points on 15.2% shooting, setting a new low in single-round playoff shooting after his rookie season.

Nowitzki scored 40.6 points on 18.6% shooting.

The two of them are pretty good among the Mavericks' top scorers.

In this series, Cuban discovered that Anthony Walker and Jamison are so redundant. Nowitzki is enough for the inside players in outside singles.

The presence of the other two not only occupied Nowitzki's movement space, but also affected the continuity of the singles flow.

In addition to facing the Lakers' crazy blocking defense, Nowitzki also had to overcome the dilemma of having to give up the ball for a while and then regain the feeling again.

The rest of the Mavericks also have to constantly adjust the rhythm of cooperating with the core singles inside under the high-intensity defense of the Lakers.

Although the three frontline stars have similar scoring areas, their playing styles are very different. The defensive intensity in the regular season allowed the teammates to make adjustments relatively freely, but in the playoffs, the teammates were really tired.

In addition to being extremely disgusted with the two major forwards, Cuban also dislikes the poor performance of the two guns in the backcourt...

相比小牛队的表现令人失望，湖人队那边，奥尼尔以48.6%的命中率场均拿到25.2分15.8板3.2助攻3.4盖帽；科比以46%的命中率场均拿到21.6分5.2板4.8助攻2.2抢断；佩顿以45%的命中率拿到13.6分5.2助攻，强得不要不要的。

In the East, the series between the Pistons and the Magic ended early, with a big score of 4 to 1. The Pistons averaged 84.8 points per game and the Magic averaged 81.6 points per game. In terms of ugliness, there is no uglier series than this.

The Clippers and Spurs at least have stars to watch, and they can occasionally have exciting offensive duels.

The Pistons and Magic were competing to see who could beat each other better. In the end, the Pistons won and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals first.

另一组步行者队与猛龙队的比赛，难看程度也很接近，前5场比分分别是79比56、95比80、64比72、79比84、81比75，步行者队3比2领先猛龙队。

In fact, in terms of score, this series is nothing more, but at least there is a duel between Raheem and Carter.

In the series between the Magic and the Pistons, Cassell, McGrady, and Duncan were as stable as old dogs. The Pistons could only fight for stability with the Magic, playing steadily, and there were no problems with inefficient scoring.

On May 5, the second round ended.

回到主场的步行者队靠着拉里-休斯的22分6助攻、拉希姆的21分11板、雷吉-米勒的18分、布拉德-米勒的12分12板4助攻……以90比77击败猛龙队，大比分4比2晋级东决。快船队、湖人队、活塞队、步行者队，常规赛战绩最好的4支球队打进分区决赛，正常来说，球迷们应该无比激动。

Generally speaking, teams with good records have more fans, such as the Kings in the 00-01 and 01-02 seasons.

Indeed, fans' expectations for the Eastern and Western Conference finals are high, but there is more excitement...unease.

Among the 4 teams, the Lakers averaged the highest scoring average of 90 points in the second round.

The Lakers' points per game average in the regular season doesn't look 'excellent', with over 90 points conceded, but that's because the Lakers don't control their rhythm during the regular season and often suffer from aristocratic disease.

In the playoffs, after the Lakers became serious throughout the entire process, their defense was directly in the top five, and their rim protection performance was on par with the Pistons.

As for the other three teams, it’s a coincidence that they are the top three teams in regular season defensive efficiency and limiting opponents’ scoring.

With four teams like this playing in a series, fans can already imagine the horrific scene.

Those who go to watch the game live are fine, the atmosphere is completely different. Those who pay that price to watch the playoffs are mostly true fans.

But watching the forge in front of the TV... The peak showdown between the Lakers and Clippers had little impact on the ratings. On the contrary, many fans who refused to pay to watch the game in the first two rounds saved their money for the Western Conference Finals.

As for the Eastern Conference Finals... Anyway, Stern and the major TV stations are already discussing how to promote it to increase ratings.

Carter, Duncan, and Tracy McGrady are all out, and there is not even a popular superstar in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The day after the Pacers advanced, May 5, the first game day of the Western Conference Finals arrived.

The Clippers took a day off after the second round, prepared for the game for two days, and are in good shape.

The Lakers advanced only one day earlier than the Clippers. With 4 days of rest, there is no chance that the veterans will lose their condition after resting for too long. The extra day of rest also allows the veterans to relax, with two days of rest and two days of training. God, the preparations for war are sufficient.

The two teams played against each other 4 times in the regular season, and each time they fought with all their strength. They are very familiar with each other.

At 7:40 pm, the Clippers and Lakers entered the stadium one after another.

The atmosphere at Staples Center is indistinguishable between home and away. You can only tell who is playing at home based on the color of the jerseys and the floor.

After the players from the two teams entered the court, Li Ao, Kidd, and O'Neal went to chat with the three opposing stars.

Kidd is going to learn the art of war mentioned by Spider-Man, and he will be polite first and then attack.

After all, he has no big grudges with the Lakers.

Kidd, who was ready to learn from the big spider, heard his strongest teammate say - "Shaq, Snake, Gary, I seem to have more MVPs than your entire team."

The big shark directly broke through the defense, turned around and walked away, cursing.

He has one MVP and two FMVPs, and his opposite Spider-Man has two MVPs and two FMVPs.

The key is that Spider-Man is only in the fourth year of his career!

This was also said by the basketball god when the two teams met in the second round of the 01-02 season.

But saying these words from the mouth of the God of Basketball is far less shocking to Shark than saying it from the mouth of Spider-Man.

At that time, Shark had just turned 30, had just won two consecutive championships, and was in his prime. He felt that he would win more championships than Jordan in the future.

But now he is 32 years old and has not won the championship for two consecutive years, and Spider-Man is only 22 years old!
Neither Black Mamba nor Gloves had broken their defense, they were extremely ashamed and angry.

After all, the Sharks have three best times, and they haven't even had one in total!
Kidd covered his face in pain. Is this the legendary saying of courtesy first and then fighting?

I believed your evil spider!
The glove opposite is my eldest brother!Can you give me some face?
Kidd can no longer imagine how he will get along with Payton after playing a series with the Lakers...

At 8 p.m., the first game of the Western Conference Finals begins.

There is no test, just go straight to the attack, with full defense!

The intensity of the confrontation between the two teams suddenly beeped, but there were very few fouls.

Payton, Kobe, and O'Neal are all big players who have won the first defense. They do excellent defensive details and have a clear understanding of the scale of whistleblowing in the playoffs.

For the Clippers, Kidd and Li Ao have also won first defense. Although Matt Halprin's defensive ability is not at the top, he is an expert in skills, awareness, experience, etc. Gerald Wallace and O'Neal Jr. has good defensive talent and is equally experienced in the playoffs.

The two teams defended with such intensity that they only made 5 free throws in the entire first quarter.

The Lakers' shooting percentage was not low, 21 of 9 shots, including 3 of 0 three-pointers, plus 1 of 1 free throws, scoring 19 points.

In terms of the defensive intensity of both teams, this was a good performance.

但是，李敖开局就“唰唰”连进两球，并且在接下来的9分钟时间里6投3中，还得到两次罚球也全部罚中，单节8投5中、外加2中2的罚球拿到12分！
Relying on Li Ao's 12 points in a single quarter, the Clippers led the Lakers by 25 points 19-6 in the first quarter!
The Clippers have Spider-Man, and the Lakers also have the Black Mamba!

In the second quarter, Kobe made 9 of 4 shots in a single quarter, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, plus 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 13 points. He also led the team to 25 points in a single quarter, and the Lakers were quick in this quarter. The Clippers defended and only scored 18 points, playing better than the Clippers in the first quarter!

44 to 43, the Lakers overtook the Clippers by 1 point and entered the second half!

In this half of the game, the score was not high, but it surprised the fans who were ready to watch the blacksmithing feast in front of the TV.

It is also a bloody battle, but the civil war in Angel City is different!
The two teams' hard work, concentration, and star scoring explosiveness... are all better than in the second round!

In the second round, have you ever seen O'Neal fly from the basket to the bottom corner and blow away the opponent's open ball for a three-pointer?
You can't see O'Neal Jr. getting close to his face and blowing the opposing center's hook out of the baseline.

After returning from the intermission, the two teams continued to fight.

The Zen master wants to change, but he can't!
After playing against the Clippers for the second time in the regular season, he expected the current situation.

At that time, the Lakers were almost complete, while the Clippers were still in the improvement stage.

Now, the Clippers are undoubtedly the strongest defensive team in the NBA.

Compared with the Pistons, the Clippers' lineup is more balanced; compared with the Pacers, the Clippers players have stronger personal defensive capabilities.

In terms of defensive system and coordination, the three teams are pretty much the same.

And compared to those two teams, the Clippers are more experienced in dealing with the Lakers' triangle offense and their defense is more targeted!

Tonight, the Lakers barely used the triangle offense and relied on the individual abilities of their stars.

In the third quarter, neither team could score much, and the defense struggled to the end, 20 to 18 in a single quarter. After three quarters, the Clippers overtook the Lakers by 63 point, 62 to 1!
Entering the break between quarters, Kobe looked at the data on the big screen. The Spider had 8 points in a single quarter and he had 7 points.

Big Spider's singles ability has improved rapidly this year, with extremely solid basic skills, a terrifying learning speed, and a hard-working training attitude...

And there's Kidd's passing blessing!
Bibby, Odom, Jordan, and Jaric, these people all pass the ball very well, but their combined offensive organizing ability is not as good as Kidd!

Kobe even felt that in the past two years, the Clippers' strongest offensive organizer was the Big Spider.

It's just that the Big Spider's style of play is not a one-size-fits-all approach. If his teammates can do most things well, he will reduce his physical and energy investment in that area and do what he is best at.

However, although the offensive organizing ability of those few players is excellent, except for Odom who is in a focused state, they can hardly be called top-notch. The Spider's off-ball ability and counterattack ability have not been fully demonstrated.

The court command ability is also not in the same level. Under Kidd's command, the Big Spider's singles conditions are obviously better than in the past two years, and even when his teammates' scoring ability is not as good as in the past two years, Kidd still did this. things.

Kidd's arrival completely unleashes the big spider!

At the end of the quarter, the two teams fought hard!
The scores of the two teams increased staggered, and at 11 minutes and 33 seconds, Payton hit a mid-range shot from behind, and the Lakers chased the score to 83-84, narrowing the point difference to 1 point.

The Lakers retreated quickly. Even though the opponent looked tired, they still did not dare to relax at all and retreated hard.

As long as the defense can prevent it next time, they will have a chance to win!

Payton and Kobe both felt very good in their mid-range shots tonight.

Kidd pushed the ball into the frontcourt and it took time. The Lakers tried their best to surround Li Ao's receiving space, but Kidd sent the ball to Li Ao with a through pass from the man's seam with 4 seconds left in the attack time!
Li Ao caught the ball and used Matt Halprin's cover to take a step forward, took off, and took a mid-range shot...hit!
The Lakers called a timeout!

When the ball fell into the basket, the Clippers took 23 seconds to attack, leaving only 4 seconds for the Lakers!

The advantage of Zen masters who usually don’t like to call timeouts is reflected in the fact that there is always a timeout available at critical moments.

Gentry was envious of this, but he didn't want to learn from it.

It's not that I haven't learned it before. When most coaches first started coaching, after playing against the Lakers or Bulls, they wanted to imitate the Zen Master.

But I gave up after learning it a few times. The demands on the team members were too high.

Although Gentry now has a team configuration that is no less than that of Zen Master, he still doesn't want to learn.

Not everyone is as lucky as Zen Master. After coaching the peak Qiaopi, he can coach the peak OK only one year later.

The Clippers sent a combination of Kidd, Yaric, Li Ao, Gerald Wallace, and Matt Halprin to defend three-pointers.

The Lakers sent Rick Fox to serve. The veteran basically had no playing time in this playoffs, but at this time, Jackson boldly sent him on.

Zen Master often does this kind of thing. In Game 1997 of the 5 Finals, the Bulls and Jazz had a big score of 2 to 2. After the first three quarters, the Bulls trailed the Jazz by 67 points 72 to 5. In the final quarter, the Bulls kept chasing points. With 3 minutes left, because Steve Kerr played 24 minutes that night without scoring a goal or a point, Jackson replaced Judy Buechler, who had not played for 1 minute before that night, at a critical moment. The latter's biggest advantage is that he is accurate in open three-pointers. After coming on the court, he made a three-pointer from the bottom corner that was completely open, helping the Bulls tie the score.

After the timeout, the game continues, and the Lakers serve from the frontcourt sideline.

The Lakers began to pick and roll for Kobe to catch the ball for three-pointers, and O'Neal, who never liked pick-and-rolls, also pulled out to block.

The tactics arranged by Zen Master were to create three-point opportunities for Kobe, but Rick Fox, as the core of the triangle offensive tactics, has a strong tactical reading ability. He seized the opportunity and sent the ball to... Fisher on the opposite sideline. !
Li Ao paid attention to Fisher and pounced on him immediately... a little slowly.

Fisher caught the ball from the sideline and hit a three-pointer, 86-86, and the Lakers tied the score!

In the last attack after the Clippers called a timeout, Li Ao caught the ball and quickly missed, and the two teams entered overtime!
After a few minutes of rest, overtime began.

The Lakers took the lead. Kobe and Wesley Persson, who came on the bench, hit 1 mid-range shot. The Lakers started 4-0 in overtime.

Then, the show time for the residual-blooded Spider-Man begins...

Li Ao turned around and hit a three-pointer against Devin George's defense!
When the Lakers attacked, Kobe broke into the paint and passed to O'Neal. O'Neal turned around and hit the hook.

That footwork, that soft hook, who says the Shark isn't skilled?
But then, Li Ao took the ball outside the three-point line and assumed a three-threat stance. He broke through with a fake move, tricked Devin George into retreating, stepped back and shot a three-pointer...hit again!
92 to 92, the Clippers tied the score!

Li Ao made these two goals, and the Lakers couldn't handle it anymore.

Devin George posted, Kobe chased... the grand scene of the Spider being double-teamed without the ball reappeared!

OK, the group is all numb. Gods are not so unreasonable, right?
The Lakers scored 3 points in the remaining 5 minutes and scored 11 points in the entire overtime. They performed very well.

But on the Clippers side, Kidd first scored a three-pointer with the help of Li Ao, and at the last moment passed the ball to Matt Halprin who cut in. Matt Halprin faced O'Neal's defensive football impact. A layup... and 5 points in 11 minutes of overtime.

97 to 97, the two teams were tied again and entered the second overtime!
After a few minutes of rest, the second overtime began.

The defenses of both teams have significantly declined.

The Lakers, who have more strengths in singles, once again had the upper hand at the start.

But the Lakers players don't want to take the lead now. Whenever they take the lead, the big spider on the opposite side goes berserk.

Kobe was already in bad shape - who was the Black Mamba hiding in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike a fatal blow?

Oh, by the way, spiders are also existences hiding in the shadows...

In the second overtime, Kobe scored 6 points and led the team to 12 points, which was better than the performance in the first overtime. With 7.9 seconds left, the Lakers led the Clippers by 109 points, 106-3. , the Clippers only scored 9 points in this overtime.

But at the last moment, the Lakers' defensive attention was focused on Kidd and Eddie House, who each scored a three-pointer in overtime. Li Ao went around the baseline to the right corner and it was empty!

Odom distributed the ball in time, and Li Ao, who made 2 of 0 shots in front, caught the ball and hit a three-pointer at the last moment!
109 to 109, the two teams were tied again and entered the third overtime!
The Lakers' mentality was about to collapse. After working hard for 5 minutes, they were about to win. Spider-Man, who played 54 minutes tonight and looked like he was almost useless, once again shot through the heart!
In the third overtime, the Lakers collapsed.

Payton can't move anymore, and O'Neal can't move now either.

Kidd made continuous breakthrough layups and points, and provided continuous assists to Eddie House on the wing and Matt Halprin who cut into the frame to attack the frame.

Kobe scored 5 points in overtime, Fisher, who played double point guard with Payton, scored 4 points, and no one else on the Lakers scored.

And the Clippers... scored 5 points in 16 minutes!
科比首节3分、第二节13分、第三节7分、第四节8分、第一个加时赛5分、第二个加时赛6分、第三节加时赛5分，狂轰47分。

李敖首节12分、第二节4分、第三节8分、第四节7分、第一个加时赛6分、第二个加时赛3分、第三节加时赛2分，拿到42分。

In the scoring match, Li Ao still lost slightly to Kobe.

但他还有三分球10投6中，全场打到27分11板11助攻3抢断的基德、拿到12分10板的小奥尼尔、10分3板7助攻的奥多姆、14分的埃迪豪斯、10分的马特-哈普林……

奥尼尔22分19板5助攻5盖帽、佩顿26分3板8助攻的表现也很好，但架不住对面上场9人有6人得分上双！
125 to 118, the Clippers defeated the Lakers in three overtime, 1 to 0 on the road, taking away the home court advantage!
(End of this chapter)