basketball player

Chapter 587 Chapter 585: Promise Years Ago

"The ultimate duel between Antetokounmpo and James, the battle for the strongest forward in the league!"

"If Chris Paul can maintain the state of the Eastern Conference semifinals, then Irving will encounter unprecedented trouble."

"Will Coach Henson change? Can Siakam be reused? Everything will be revealed tonight!"

In the NBA division finals, until now, only the 4 most powerful teams are still fighting each other for the championship. The NBA playoffs have also officially ushered in the climax stage.

The situation in the East and West is exactly as people imagined.On the west side, the Golden State Warriors finally encountered the veteran Spurs, while on the east side, it was completely dominated by the Pacers and James.

Tonight, Game [-] of the Eastern Conference Finals will start at the Bankers Life Arena.So early in the morning, a piece of news with appalling headlines appeared in the push on Henson's mobile phone.

Looking at the reports on the mobile phone, Hansen felt a little boring.These reporters seem to write about these things forever.

Chris Paul, Antetokounmpo, Siakam, Oladipo... These people were all talked about by the media in turn.But few people noticed that there were very few discussions about Paul George.

Seeing this situation, Henson let out a sigh of relief.It's a good thing that George is ignored, otherwise, how can George create surprises for everyone in tonight's game?

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Paul George got up early today. In order to ensure that he could stay refreshed all day, he even went for a run outside to warm up in advance.

Today is the start of the Eastern Conference finals, and it is also the day Paul George is looking forward to.For the Eastern Conference Finals and the Cleveland Cavaliers, George has always been very concerned.Because he has not forgotten how he has fought against the Cavaliers led by James in the past two years.

In the two years without Henson, if there is any player on the Pacers who has the deepest understanding of these two losses, it is undoubtedly Paul George.

Because of Paul's injury in the past two years, Antetokounmpo has not yet fully grown up.Against such a background, it was Paul George who carried the team alone against James.Only George can understand the ups and downs of facing James in the playoffs.

Especially last season, George felt a lot about his loss in the playoffs.

G1, the Pacers lost by 1 point, G2 lost 6 points, G3 lost 5 points, and G4 lost 4 points. I am afraid this is Paul George's weakest round of the series!The difference in each game is not big, but it is indeed a real loss.This sense of despair once made George very disappointed.

In last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, Paul George averaged 35.9 points, 23.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 3.3 minutes per game.His performance is not bad, but facing the Cavaliers of the Big Three, he cannot escape the fate of being eliminated after all.

It is precisely because of being eliminated by the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals for two consecutive years, George is always ranked outside the ranks of "the most powerful star".

His statistics are not bad, and he also led the team to a record of 68 wins.But on the MVP rankings, George was nowhere to be seen.The Eastern Conference finals are approaching, and people are discussing Paul, Antetokounmpo and other players, but few people are willing to talk about Paul George.

However, this humble All-Star starter will no longer be unknown this year. Henson has put the power to kill the Cavaliers in his hands.

Antetokounmpo is the face of the league's future, and Chris Paul is the Pacers' steady metronome.But don't forget, there is only one top card in Indianapolis-Paul George!

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Before the series started, Henson had studied the Cavaliers.The biggest shortcoming of the Cavaliers lies in their defense.As the defending champions, the Cavaliers' defense should not rank in the bottom ten of the league.But the truth is, the Cavaliers really don't have anyone who can make a difference on the defensive end.

Especially on the back line, the Cavaliers' defense is even more fragile.

"Nervous Knife" JR Smith has always been a score-oriented player. If you let him defend conscientiously, it would be better to kill him.

Korver is limited by his physical fitness and lateral speed, and is very disadvantaged in one-on-one defense.His defense is not a bottomless pit, but it's not much better.

Once Deron Williams was definitely one of the best defensive point guards in the league, but now, you can't expect Deron to play the performance of the Jazz period.

As for Iman Shumpert, his defense is very good.But there is still a big gap between Shumpert and the top outside gate.

So yesterday, Henson has established a strategy with Paul George as the core of the offense.He gave George unlimited firepower, hoping that George would use his scoring ability to crush the Cavaliers' backline.

Once Tyronn Lue wants to double-team or use James to defend George, then Henson will be happier!Because in this way, George was not the only one who was liberated.

When preparing for the running tactics this morning, Henson found that George's desire to attack was very strong.He's a scorer, but he's never been given the right to shoot indefinitely.

So today, Henson will let the world see what kind of player Paul George is.

After the noon break, three hours before the start of the game, Henson led the players to start the pre-match preparations.

As soon as Henson walked into the locker room, he smelled a strong aroma of coffee.Looking carefully, it turned out that George brought a coffee machine to the dressing room and was making coffee at this time.

"What? Didn't sleep well at noon?" Henson looked at George's coffee machine and asked curiously.

"Well, not much sleep. Some... some too excited." George nodded slightly.

"It's just an Eastern Conference finals. There's no need to be so nervous. I know, you played a lot in the first two years. But believe me, it's all over."

"Boss, if I play out of order."

"Hush." ​​Before George could finish speaking, Henson put his right index finger on his lips, signaling him to be quiet.

"Forget about the game, I still remember a sentence you said to me before. Although many years have passed, I still remember it. Do you know what it is?"

"Um..." George scratched his head embarrassingly, "What are you talking about?"

"You said, I am a legendary coach, and you are a legendary player under a legendary coach. I left without saying goodbye two years ago, and I failed to complete this goal with you. But now, I am back, and you are still there. So, let's continue to move towards this goal. What do you think?"

George did not finish, but nodded with a smile.Tonight, he will not allow himself to play abnormally!

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Today, the Bankers Life Arena is extremely lively.LeBron James is back here again, feeling extremely embarrassed.

He has won big at Bankers Life Arena the past two years.He also thought that his career would never get rid of the Pacers haze.

Who knew, just a few days after winning the championship, that man announced that he was back.And this season, the Bankers Life Arena has become James' least favorite place.

As soon as James entered the court, he felt the enthusiasm of the Indianapolis fans.There may not be any star in the league who can receive so many boos here.

George, who was warming up, couldn't help turning his head when he heard the commotion, and the number 23 came again.The man who defeated himself for two consecutive years set foot on his land once again.

This time, there is no reason for him to continue to be arrogant!

"LeBron James, he is the key to the Cavaliers' victory! I believe that LeBron in the playoffs will teach Antetokounmpo and Paul George a good lesson." The game hasn't started yet, but the commentators on the commentary stand have already started working.

Today, Jeff Van Gundy and Reggie Miller are explaining the game.Van Gundy is a very neutral commentator, and he praised James without actually belittling the Pacers.

"Although I don't want to admit it, in the past two years, George has been suppressed by LeBron. But this year, if Antetokounmpo and George join forces, I think they still have a chance to restrain LeBron." Even Miller never thought that George could resist James' impact alone.

The warm-up is over and the players walk off the pitch.George kept frowning tightly, and Henson saw a huge desire to win in his eyes.

"What should be said, practiced and prepared, we are all ready. I don't need to remind you, you also know what this game is about. This is the conference finals, guys. After breaking through this hurdle, we are going to grab the O'Brien Cup! So, keep your spirits up. Let the bankers live in the arena and become the burial place for the Cavaliers!"

"Roar!" The players roared, ready to play.But people found that Henson suddenly grabbed George, whispered something in his ear, and then let go.

George steps onto the field and closes his eyes.No one knew what Henson said to George just now, but George's mind was full of echoes of those words just now.

"Go for it, Indianapolis legend."

(End of this chapter)