start with scouting

Chapter 409 Walking to the Western Conference Finals

On the same night that the Lakers led the Clippers 3-0 in the series, the Heat also led the Bucks 3-0.

'The Only James' Jennings said harshly before the series: It will be better to play against the Heat than against the Knicks, and the battle will be resolved within six games. As a result, after three games, the Bucks lost in total 48 points, now complaining that the league is biased towards the Heat.

In addition to the Lakers and Heat leading their opponents 2-2, other first-round scores in the league, in the West, the Spurs and the Warriors tied 2-2, the Nuggets and the Grizzlies tied 2-2, and the East also had two sets of [-]-[-]. [-]. The situation can be described as quite anxious.

Many commentators predicted the probability of the finals match, the Heat and the Lakers ranked first, and the Heat and Spurs ranked second.

Anyway, the East is specific to the Heat, and the Lakers and Spurs in the West depend on the situation. Originally, the Thunder were also popular. However, Westbrook suffered a sudden injury after the second game.

On the evening of the 27th, the fourth game of the first round of the playoffs between the Lakers and the Clippers will start at the Staples Center.

Su Yang did not adjust the starting lineup, and Clippers coach Nigro did not adjust the starting lineup. Not only did he continue to arrange Billups, who did not perform well in the first three games, as the starting shooting guard, but he also completely froze Willie, who started 60 games in the regular season. Green.

Su Yang couldn't understand Negro's arrangement, but he was greatly shocked. He thought it's no wonder why he couldn't find a job as a teaching assistant later. Not every former commentator can be like Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr. In that way, he successfully transitioned to serve as the head coach.

Nigro is still suitable to go back to do radio commentary. Bulls general manager John Paxson invited him to be the head coach in 08. Undefended.

The game officially started at [-] o'clock. The Clippers won the jump ball, but they were still the first to run around Jordan and launch an attack.

Jordan made a formulaic low-post singles game, the basketball slammed into the iron, and turned to the Lakers to attack. Seeing that the Clippers intend to strengthen the inside defense, Su Yang directed the main attack on the outside. Pass to Kobe.

The matchup turned into Billups defending Kobe, how can it be defended, but Billups may understand that his presence is a drag, and he did not hesitate to make big moves to defend Kobe, various hand checks, plus pushing and dragging, the referee Finally the whistle was blown for a foul.

But it wasn't over yet. Within a few minutes, Billups got fouled because of his big defense, but Nigro didn't make a replacement.

The two seem to have reached a tacit understanding. Just one minute after Billups' second foul, he was fouled for the third time because of a big move defending Kobe. It's like giving in three times and accepting three times.

After Crawford's debut, the Clippers' outside defensive quality has not improved much, but the offensive threat has improved a lot.

Su Yang took advantage of the Clippers to strengthen the perimeter defense and instructed the Lakers to attack the interior first. Gasol then scored two consecutive low singles. The whole team was in a hurry.

At the moment of crisis for the Clippers, Paul and Barnes stood up. The two made 8 of 6 shots together, forcibly carrying the situation that was about to collapse.

After the first quarter of the game, the Lakers only led by 3 points, costing the Clippers 12 fouls, showing a crushing momentum.

Immediately following the second quarter, Paul and Barnes continued to fight the Clippers' situation. The two made 9 of 7 shots together, and the Lakers were in full bloom. Nine players took turns to play, and all nine players scored. At the end of the game, leading the Clippers by 5 points.

Back from the halftime break, Paul and Barnes still resisted the situation, but Nigro may have re-appointed Billups, who hadn't played for a minute in the second quarter, as usual. Kaka made two mistakes, and the Lakers caught him. Taking advantage of the opportunity, they won the Clippers by 1 points in the third quarter.

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, and Paul, Barnes, and Griffin made their debut early.

Su Yang didn't take the lead, and sent Curry, Kobe, and Gasol at the same time, successfully maintaining the 13-point lead to the end.

After the whole game, the Lakers defeated the Clippers 119 to 106, and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a total score of 4 to 0 in the first round of the series.

The tough guy Matt Barnes used 14 shots and scored the Clippers' highest 30 points. Unfortunately, the first three games were not taken seriously, and the number of shots was pitifully small. The total was only 18 times. It is hard to say that the head coach Nigro made a serious mistake. , or a sudden explosion.

For the Lakers, seven of the team scored in double figures. Kobe and Curry tied for the highest 23 points, and Gasol also scored 20 points.

Participating in the press conference after the game, how did the reporter evaluate Paul’s performance? Su Yang said: “Chris Paul fought with a knee injury this time and played very well. I am his fan. The Clippers also have great potential. They will A regular in the Western Conference playoffs…”

But Su Yang encouraged, but the fans ridiculed.

Many fans think that Paul is known as the "God of point guards". As a result, the highest score in the regular season of his career was only 43 points, and the highest score in the playoffs was only 35 points. As many as there are no champions.

There are also fans who think that Paul holds too many balls, and it is best to use a combo guard to save energy, otherwise he will often fall into a downturn in the fourth quarter. James Harden of the Rockets is a good match. It is recommended that Paul give up the contract extension and go to the Team Rocket.

Paul's contract with the Clippers will expire in the offseason, and there is indeed the possibility of jumping out of the contract, but the Rockets are hard to eat.

On the same night, without Westbrook, the Thunder narrowly beat the Rockets at the Toyota Center 104-101. Durant made 30 of 13 shots and scored 41 points, while Harden scored 22 points on 9 of 30 shots. Points, the two brothers have a real free throw battle.

A Jinlun Fawang and a Porcelain King made the former free throw master Kevin Martin call the young man really fierce.

The Thunder lead the Rockets 3-0 in the series. As long as there is no nuclear war in the United States, the Thunder will definitely meet the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

Considering that the second round will have to wait for a long time to start, the Lakers have two days off for a full rest.

Su Yang took the opportunity to fly to Sacramento, had a secret meeting with the Kings boss Maloof Brothers, and met with Adam Silver, the representative sent by Stern, in Los Angeles. They communicated briefly for half an hour, and he was sure that he would get the full support of the alliance.

In a blink of an eye, on April NO.30, the NBA Relocation Committee officially announced a resolution rejecting the King's plan to relocate to Seattle.

According to regulations, the resolution still needs to be voted by the NBA board of directors, but before the small-scale vote, 16 owners have already expressed their opposition. It is impossible for the Seattle consortium to get more support, and their trading agreement with the Marouf brothers is completely invalid.

"Sacramento! We did it! I've never been so proud of this city and I want to thank the front office, the city leadership and most importantly the best fans in the NBA! I love you guys! "

"I also want to pay tribute to Seattle! It is a great city. You have provided a great plan and have a very great fan base. There is no doubt that Seattle will have an NBA team in the future! "

Saskatchewan Mayor Kevin Johnson sent two consecutive tweets to celebrate, and comments on the tweets welcomed Su Yang in advance.

The Seattle consortium is out, and the Saskatchewan consortium is far behind Su Yang's Los Angeles consortium, and it is difficult to compete with a reduced share.

Su Yang saw the tweet and did not respond to the comments, and was fully preparing for the Western Conference semifinals. He felt that the Thunder without Westbrook was too good.

At the end of the regular season, the Lakers fell to fifth because of Kobe’s finger injury. In the first round, they met the Clippers whose head coach was in trouble. In the second round, they were very likely to encounter the Thunder who lost Westbrook. A blessing in disguise.

(End of this chapter)