Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 154. 154. Western Finals Opponent
"This time it is estimated that we can get about a week of rest, and we can prepare for the Western Conference Finals in advance, so who do you think will be able to advance smoothly in the end between the Clippers and the Suns."

After the 4:1 elimination of the Dallas Mavericks, the Timberwolves breathed a sigh of relief from top to bottom.

The Mavericks' excellent offensive firepower brought a lot of trouble to the Timberwolves. Although the Mavericks only won one of the entire series, this round of the series wasted a lot of energy for the Timberwolves, and it was difficult to eliminate their opponents.

The Timberwolves, who are currently locked in the Western Conference Finals, will wait for the winner between the Clippers and the Suns.

Judging from the overall strength of the two teams, the Suns are undoubtedly the one with the upper hand, but after the first four games between the two sides, the Clippers even drew 2:2 with the Suns.

Tonight, the two sides will have the "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" at the home court of the Suns. Whoever can win this game holds the match point, and the team's chances of advancing will be greatly increased.

After all, a team that is behind by a large score will bear more external pressure. Whether it is a player or a coach, it will be difficult to adjust to the best state.

The anxiety of this series is far beyond the imagination of the fans. Before that, no one thought that the Clippers would be so tough.

First, they eliminated the Spurs as the seventh seed in the first round, and then they seemed to upset the Suns in the semifinals.

If it weren't for the Timberwolves' best record of 74 wins and 8 losses this season, the Clippers would definitely become the most dazzling dark horse this season.

In fact, in the normal historical trajectory, the clippers are also so ferocious this season. They easily eliminated the nuggets 4:1 in the first round, and barely lost the sun in seven games in the second round.

In this life, due to the butterfly effect brought by Luke, the overall strength of the Spurs has declined, and this was completed by the Clippers.

After eliminating the Spurs, the Clippers are gaining momentum, and now they are decisively gaining the upper hand against the Suns, which could have entered the tiebreaker.

Now even Luke doesn't know who can advance to the Western Conference finals. The two teams are playing against each other, and they are really evenly matched.

"It's hard to say. Amare's season reimbursement is a big blow to the Suns. If the bully doesn't have the season reimbursement, the chances of the Suns winning the series are as high as [-]%."

"But what's a bit bad for the Suns now is that the entire Clippers team is in full swing, and the external pressure is much less than that of the Suns. These are the Clippers' advantages."

After a slight pause, Luke went on to say: "But I am more optimistic about the Clippers. Elton is so popular this season. Even Tim can't do anything about him in the first round. The Suns without Amare are even worse." There is no way."

"D'Antoni's defensive experience is very poor. He will only use offense to make up for defense. The old Dunleavy has now begun to familiarize himself with D'Antoni's style of play. The Suns will probably lose this round of the series."

Luke doesn't really care much about which of the two teams, the Suns and the Clippers, can advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Whether facing the Suns or the Clippers, the Timberwolves have an overall upper hand. The Suns without "Small Overlord" Stoudemire are like crabs without pincers.

The reason why the Suns were able to set off a "bombardment storm" in the league was due to the "little bully" Stoudemire as an inside player.

Stoudemire has the explosive power and mobility that most inside players do not have. This allows Stoudemire, who is [-] meters tall, to go on a fast break like a defender and throw the opponent's inside in the first time. behind.

The pick-and-roll tactics of Nash and Stoudemire are the soul of this Suns team. With the "Little Overlord" Stoudemire being reimbursed for the season after only playing seven games this season, the Suns are destined to be with the championship team. missed.

Even if the Clippers are lucky enough to defeat the Clippers under the leadership of "Son of the Wind" Nash, the Western Conference Finals will be the end of the Suns' season.

What's more, Luke feels that the Clippers have a slightly greater chance of winning than the Suns. The absence of Stoudemire makes the Clippers lineup not inferior to the Suns. In contrast, the overall momentum of the Clippers is much more fierce than the Suns.

As long as "Captain" Brand doesn't suddenly pull his hips in the last few games, the Timberwolves' opponent in the Western Conference Finals will most likely be the Clippers.

"I thought you would be more optimistic about the sun, but it turned out that you thought the same as me."

"The Clippers have become more and more courageous this season. If it weren't for the lack of a master of field control, I think the Clippers would become the biggest threat to the team's defending title." McHale said with a smile on his face while making coffee.

"Unfortunately, the opponent standing in the Western Conference finals is me!" Luke flicked the cigarette ash calmly, and looked out the window.

In May, the weather in various parts of the United States is already relatively hot, and in many places, even half-sleeves will be covered in sweat.

But the temperature in Minnesota is always half a beat slower, and now the weather is slightly cooler, which is just right for people to feel comfortable.

The temperature with a maximum of no more than 25 degrees and a minimum of no less than 10 degrees makes people want to stay in May forever.

If it weren't for the baptism of thunderstorms every day, the city of Minnesota would definitely be more lively.

Looking at the torrential rain that had just stopped outside the window, the sun pierced the dark clouds and shone in. When the sunlight reflected on the French windows outside the office, Luke couldn't help showing a smile.

…………

5月18日，随着“船长”布兰德在抢七大战中狂轰42分15篮板6助攻1抢断以及3次封盖，快船大比分4 : 3淘汰太阳，将与森林狼会师西决，对总决赛门票发起冲击。

Brand, who scored 42 points in the whole game, was unstoppable, and he dominated the Suns restricted area almost by himself.

Whether it is Marion or Diaw, both of them have suffered a lot on the defensive end. Marion is too thin to withstand Brand's strength in the low post. In just two rounds, Brand beat Marion to the bottom autistic.

As for Diaw, although he can match Brand in terms of tonnage, Diaw has never been a good defensive blocker.

To paraphrase a saying in life, Dior's fat body can only be regarded as "puffy"!
Facing Brand, who is one of the best core power forwards, Diaw made six fouls and left the field but failed to stop Brand from playing. He could only watch Brand score a playoff-high 42 points in the Suns restricted area.

Even though the Suns coach D'Antoni resolutely double-teamed Brand in the second half, Brand's excellent destructive power in the penalty area still caused a lot of trouble for the Suns.

The Suns' defensive efficiency ranks at the bottom of the league. When the Suns want to use defense to win the game, the Suns have already lost half of the game.

整轮系列赛“船长”布兰德可谓大杀四方，场均可以轰出29.6分11.4篮板4.2助攻0.9抢断以及2.5次封盖。

Brand's data has reached a super giant level. Even if it has something to do with the lack of excellent defenders inside the Suns, Brand's personal ability is definitely worthy of recognition.

(End of this chapter)