i am legend

Chapter 602
After the last regular season before the playoffs, the Eastern and Western rankings of this season's playoffs are finally completely clear!

According to the record arrangement, the eight teams in the Western Conference to enter the playoffs are the Warriors ranked first, the Timberwolves ranked second, the Spurs ranked third, the Lakers ranked fourth, and Sacramento ranked fifth. The Kings, the Dallas Mavericks in sixth, the Memphis Grizzlies in seventh and the Rockets finally broke into the playoffs at the last minute!

In this year's extremely competitive Western Conference rankings, except for the record of the Timberwolves, everyone was surprised. The Grizzlies, which were originally underdogs, have also exploded with great potential!
As for the Rockets, if they hadn't locked in the final eighth place in the Western Conference with two consecutive victories at the last moment, I am afraid that they were only half-time ahead of the Nuggets before. It's not good who the two teams enter the playoffs!
However, the rankings in the East, especially the bottom few rankings are very interesting!

The Cavaliers, who were very likely to enter the playoffs before, seemed to have completely run out of luck after losing to the Warriors!
When they finally launched an impact on the playoffs, they lost to the Celtics, which had some luck in it, by only one game!

The few teams in the East, except for the Cavaliers, the 76ers and the Raptors finally ranked tenth and eleventh in the East with a record of 33 wins and 49 losses!
Excluding the lower teams, only the Celtics broke into the playoffs. The fifth-placed Milwaukee Bucks and sixth-placed New Orleans Hornets also achieved a record of 41 wins and 41 losses. , so that they finally had to arrange according to the record between the two teams in the regular season. In the end, the slightly better Bucks stood in the fifth position in the Eastern Conference!
而整个东部，除去排名前三的球队分别拿下了61胜21负、54胜28负和47胜35负的成绩，排在他们之后的球队之间的胜场差也仅仅是一到两场而已！

This season, as the Pacers broke out after the All-Star Game, they pulled the Warriors, who lead the league, directly to the horse at the last moment!

In this season's game, after Carlisle invested a lot of energy on the defensive end, the Pacers directly became another iron-blooded team after the tough Pistons!
Among them, "The Beast" Artest is the most powerful. Although he does not have the status of O'Neal and others and has a super high annual salary, his extremely tough and even scary defensive style directly puts him on the back. The reputation of being one of the few villains in the league!
Now Artest doesn't know what a gentle defense is. Based on the fact that he directly broke Jordan's ribs in the training camp, it can be seen from his defensive actions and his tough attitude towards defense. up!
If the Warriors successfully reach the height of the finals in this year's playoffs, then they are very likely to collide with the Pacers. If they can meet, I am afraid that a shocking battle will make the whole world All spectators and fans get excited!

In the end, the eastern rankings were the Pacers in first place, the Pistons in second, the New Jersey Nets in third, the Miami Heat in fourth, the Milwaukee Bucks in fifth, and the New Orleans Hornets, seventh place New York Knicks and last place Boston Celtics!

In the end, after the final rankings of the East and West were announced, Bruce discussed with Wilkens and West, and did not plan to arrange any intensive training for the players during the only two days of rest. , just use some shots and half court offense and defense to keep them in shape!

In the training hall of the Warriors, Bruce and West smiled and chatted on the railing on the second floor!
"Jerry, if we can still win the championship this year, do you think the trading market and elite veterans will be crazy about us next year?" Bruce said pointedly, then looked at the court and his teammates Gerald Wallace, who got along well with them, said with regret: "If the Bobcats will pick players on every team next year, as rumored by the outside world, I think Michael, a stingy guy, will definitely Create some trouble for us!"

"Hehe, if he doesn't do this, I don't think this is Michael's style. After all, he is already going crazy for wanting to control a team!" West said with a playful face, and then seemed to understand the decision in Bruce's heart , He stretched his waist and said: "If he can provide that kid with a contract of at least four years with an annual average of more than 600 million, I am very happy to hand him over to Michael with confidence. A team in rapid rebuilding is where he belongs!"

"Hehe, I hope Michael will do this!" A smile flashed in Bruce's eyes, he shook his head and walked towards the court with West!

After a long break, Yao Ming and his teammates were sweating profusely on the court in the training hall of the Toyota Center!

In order not to be completely suppressed by the Warriors after entering the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy directly used higher-intensity training to "grind his guns" after confirming that they could eventually advance.

Of course, as a famous coach who has coached for many years, Van Gundy is very aware of what high intensity will bring to the players in the playoffs, but they have nothing to do. The Warriors were severely humiliated!
Now, looking at the serious players on the court, the only worry in Van Gundy's heart has gradually let go!

"drop!!"

A whistle sounded, causing Yao Ming and others who were practicing tactics on the court to stop their steps!
"Okay, gentlemen, today's training is over. You can take a good rest tomorrow so that you can prepare for the game on the 17th!" Van Gundy said slowly to the players with a satisfied face, then hesitated for a moment, watching After the players were sweating profusely, with joy and relaxation on their faces, he finally said: "If you don't mind, I think a delicious Chinese meal will be very eager for your participation!"

"Wow!!"

Everyone stared at Van Gundy with a hint of embarrassment in surprise. As a coach known for being rigid and strict, it was a shocking thing for Yao Ming and others that Van Gundy opened his mouth to invite players like this!
Seeing the players staring at him in shock, Van Gundy finally straightened his poker face and said in a rigid tone: "If you mind, then just pretend I didn't say it!"

Seeing that Van Gundy was about to leave after he finished speaking, as the current boss of the team, after a moment of hesitation flashed in Francis' eyes, he first turned his head and glanced at the rest of the teammates who were about to stay, and then said loudly: "Boss, We love Chinese food very much, after all, those beautiful, delicious foods are what everyone craves!"

"hiss!!"

After Francis finished speaking, not only Van Gundy was completely stunned, but some of the other players who knew the relationship between the two even gasped subconsciously. Believe it!

This season, with Van Gundy's entry into the Rockets, the relationship between the two has gradually deteriorated because of the coaching philosophy and Francis' rivalry!

Among them, not only the media and team insiders kept breaking the news that the two even had a big quarrel during the warm-up before the game, which made the relationship between them directly exposed to everyone who paid attention to the Rockets and Yao Yao. In front of Ming fans!
Now, suddenly hearing that Francis was able to make a temporary concession in this way, it made others unbelievable!
After being stunned for a while, Van Gundy's eyes flashed with gentleness, and then, while the rest of the players were stunned, he said in a gentle voice: "Hehe, you are very welcome. We haven't had a good communication for too long!"

After finishing speaking, Van Gundy didn't wait for the rest of the players to recover, he clenched his right hand tightly, and then turned his head and left the training hall!

"Isn't that too much?"

Yao Ming stared blankly at Van Gundy's back. Even though he didn't think that all Americans liked to eat Chinese food, the temporary reconciliation between Francis and Van Gundy really made everyone who was caught between the two at this moment The guy is shocked!
Afterwards, when everyone, with a hint of doubt and curiosity, drove their own cars or took the same car with their teammates to a very good Chinese restaurant in the center of Houston, the heat between Francis and Van Gundy The network really made them dizzy!
A meal that was originally thought to be just a false meal, in the hot chat between Francis and Van Gundy, ended this time very harmoniously. It was a very good gathering before the playoffs after many years!

The next day, as the major media flooded into Houston and Oakland, any news about the relationship between the two teams slowly appeared before the eyes of all fans!
In the training hall of the Warriors, Bruce was sitting on the edge of the court with a smile on his face. He watched Duncan and others running hard on the court. He really enjoyed it in his heart. The training on the court at this moment belonged to him. , belonged to someone who was once a super dick!
"Hey man, you should watch your running!!"

On the court, Billups greeted his teammates loudly. As the team's point guard, his understanding of tactics is obviously much better than others. This is one of the reasons why a considerable number of coaches in history were born as guards. one!
With Billups' reminders from time to time and Wilkens' loud guidance off the court, the Warriors became more and more skilled in using tactics.

When the training session was over, Bruce stood up slowly with a smile on his face. Before leaving, a trace of anticipation flashed in his eyes, and he murmured, "I haven't seen this tactic for a long time!!"

(End of this chapter)