Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 246 246. The Grizzlies who have won the favor of Phoenix fans, Martin's road to transformation (5.4K words for subscription)

With a weight of 275 pounds, Milicic can be regarded as a man with a big waist in the NBA.

What's more, Milicic had also practiced boxing, and this punch directly knocked out three of Bowen's teeth when Bruce Bowen was caught off guard.

I saw Bowen knelt on the ground in pain and tightly covered his mouth with his hands, but the blood still seeped through the gaps between his fingers to the floor.

Seeing the conflict on this side of the court, three referees immediately ran over to separate the players of the two teams, for fear of further physical conflict between the players of the two teams.

Ferreroni was the referee for this game. Seeing that Bowen once again spilled blood on the field and knelt down in the middle of the field, Ferreroni only felt that his head was getting bigger.

As a senior referee, Ferreroni has whistled the team coached by Luke many times in the playoffs.

Leaving aside the fact that the name Luke has entered the focus list of the league referee union, just talking about the grievances and grievances between Luke and the Spurs, this injury really made Ferreroni do not know how to judge.

The best way is undoubtedly to expel the two from the field at the same time, but every time a conflict breaks out on the scene, it is a torment for the referee.

If possible, Ferreroni would never want to whistle the team coached by Luke in his life.

"Don't pull me, I'll go by myself." Milicic walked straight towards Luke, throwing off the staff holding his arm.

"Coach, I'm a tough guy now!"

Seeing the expectation in Milicic's eyes, Luke shook his head helplessly.

The movement of Luke shaking his head made Milicic feel frustrated. He lowered his head without saying a word, and clenched his fists tightly, not knowing what he was thinking.

During the time he played under Larry Brown, Milicic's self-confidence was destroyed in pieces.

This made Milicic have always been very unconfident on the court, and he was completely different from the young man who had just entered the league and had a dream in his heart.

When Luke handed over the task of "keeping an eye on" Bowen to Milicic, Milicic waved his hands back immediately, saying that he could not do such a thing.

Apparently, Milicic was worried about the task Luke had assigned him, forgetting even his boxing practice, let alone being worthy of his big and round body.

Milicic's lack of self-confidence made Luke more determined to change him.

On the basketball court, nothing can stimulate a player's adrenaline more than violence. Luke doesn't advocate violence, but for a guy like Bowen who can't even be called a dirty dog, violence is an excellent way to solve things .

"Dako, you obviously did a good job just now, you should be more confident and show the courage just now, that's what a man should look like."

"Remember, the standard of a tough guy has never been the fierceness on the surface, nor is it the means to be competitive, but the self-confidence and determination overflowing from the heart."

"Your talent is rare even if you look at the entire history, but the experience of the Pistons makes you constantly question yourself. Before others pass you, you put question marks on yourself in advance."

"Before this game, you thought you couldn't do this kind of aggressive move against Bruce anyway, but now that you did, why ask me if you're a tough guy."

"A person's self-confidence and determination never need to be evaluated by outsiders. When you can understand this truth, you will become a tough guy on the court." Staring at Milicic seriously, Luke said in a cold tone.

"Okay, leave the rest to me, go back and have a good rest." Luke patted Milicic on the shoulder, and Luke signaled to Lambiel, who was on the side, to take Milicic out of the field.

After all, Milicic's actions are very aggressive. This punch is completely against the person and not the ball. Even if this is the home court of the Grizzlies, Milicic will inevitably be expelled and even suspended after the game.

But as Luke said to Milicic before the game, using the suspension to exchange Bruce Bowen's teeth is definitely a bloody business.

Bruce Bowen has caused public outrage in the league, not to mention the disgusting little moves Bowen made to Mike Miller, even without these moves, Luke would be happy to teach this guy a lesson.

As the referee repeatedly watched the foul actions of Bowen and Milicic just now through the playback center, the referee added a second-level malicious foul to Bruce Bowen and Milicic respectively.

Just compared to Bruce Bowen in order to stop Mike Miller's push in the fast break, Milicic boxing Bowen will inevitably be banned and fined by the league after the game.

When Bowen covered his bleeding face with a towel and started to leave, deafening cries erupted from the scene, and the entire arena was filled with joy.

Especially for the Suns fans who traveled thousands of miles from Phoenix to Memphis, Bowen's blood spilled on the field is definitely something worth celebrating.

If nothing else, this scene will definitely become a classic in a few years. When a player is boxed on the field, the fans at the scene feel happy, which can be regarded as a clear stream in the league.

"Be careful what tricks the Spurs are playing, I'll send Darko out of the scene first." Looking at Popovich's gloomy face on the other side of the field, Lambiel whispered.

"I know it in my heart." Luke frowned while sitting on the sidelines.

The absence of Bruce Bowen is definitely a loss for the Spurs. Even though Bowen's scoring average has dropped to 6.1 points per game this season, Bowen's real role is the ubiquitous small moves on the defensive end.

After Bowen left the field, the entire Spurs' defense could no longer find a second reliable blocker. For the Grizzlies with Kevin Martin on the back, this is obviously a good thing.

Grasping the emptiness behind the Spurs' defense, Martin succeeded in attacking consecutively in the last few minutes, causing Popovich to vent all his anger on the drink bottle at his feet, and looked at Luke with resentment in his eyes.

To deal with this Spurs, Luke will definitely not have sympathy in his heart. Bowen's absence became the breakthrough point for the Grizzlies throughout the game.

Even though Tim Duncan scored 29 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in the matchup with Pau Gasol, he showed his old and strong body to the outside world.

But as the whistle sounded for the end of the game, the Grizzlies still defeated the Spurs by 11 points at home and won the first game of the semifinals that made the fans hooked.

After the game, an angry Popovich kicked over the trash can next to the player channel.

The age of 50 really makes people worry that they will let go at any time. Even if that day does come, Sun fans may even wake up laughing from their dreams, but no matter how you say it, Popovich is quite popular among players in the United States.

If Luke is really going to die of anger, Luke has to pay for the funeral, which is really not cost-effective.

Thinking of this, Luke really started to worry about Popovich's body.

"I don't know what's the point of such a game, and I believe no one wants to see such a game in the NBA."

"I'm angry and frustrated with the way the Grizzlies have played on the court."

"I don't know since when, boxing players have become a common action on the basketball court. I think the league should respond to this matter." At the press conference, Popovich held back for a long time before saying this Come on.

Popovich would love to face media accusations that the Grizzlies won the game in a way that was not glamorous, dirty and disgusting.

But thinking of the series between the first round of the playoffs and the Suns, Bruce Bowen also killed the Suns star Steve Nash by stepping. It certainly wasn't Luke who died.

"What? You're asking me why Darko made such an aggressive move on the field?"

"I think you should ask him this kind of question, not my coach."

"Could it be that you think I instructed Darko to make an attack on the sidelines?" Luke stared at the reporters under the stands with a cold expression. "Young man, you have to be responsible for what you say."

Feeling numb from Luke's cold eyes, the young reporter hurriedly waved his hand, saying that he didn't mean it that way.

"Dako's relationship with his teammates is very good. Mike suffered such a bad foul from Bruce on the field. It is a normal thing to stand up for his teammates."

"I don't think any fan would like a league full of softies."

"When Bruce left the field, the voices on the scene were enough to prove everything. After all, the league needs some blood, some blood with justice in its heart."

"However, doing something wrong should be punished, and I believe the league will make the most fair judgment on this matter."

Luke got up and patted the dust on his suit. His arrogant look was exactly the same as when he coached the Timberwolves, and it even reminded people of that year.

…………

In the first game of the Western Conference semifinals, Bowen's blood spilled on the field made the Grizzlies' popularity much better overnight.

The outside world is even more one-sided about Milicic's boxing of Bowen.

All the fans are praising Milicic's justice and passion. There are very few fans who feel pity for Bowen, but there are many fans who make up for the knife online.

Although Bowen was added a second-level malicious foul in the first game of the semifinals, it did not affect Bowen's second game in the series.

As long as Bowen is willing to play with injuries, the chances of Bowen playing in the second game of the series are still relatively high.

Especially since the Spurs have fallen behind by a big score of [-] to [-], Popovich will never let Bowen rest for too long. After all, winning is the most important thing for Popovich.

In addition, although the Grizzlies won the first game of the series, they also exposed many problems.

The Grizzlies entering the playoffs are obviously not experienced enough. The oldest main player, Pau Gasol, is only 28 years old, and the offensive arrow Kevin Martin is only 25 years old.

The Grizzlies often made low-level mistakes on the court when the team was leading, and when the Spurs started to increase their defense, the Grizzlies obviously struggled on the offensive end.

It is a completely different team from the Grizzlies, which ranks first in the league in firepower in the regular season.

Sometimes in order to stabilize the situation, Luke had to intersperse Grant Hill and Chris Webber.

But although Webber and Grant Hill have many years of playoff experience, they have never been stained with a championship ring.

To be honest, these two brothers can only be regarded as losers. Except for Gerald Wallace, no player in the entire Grizzlies team has ever touched the championship trophy.

It's no wonder that the Grizzlies struggled under the strong defense of the Spurs. It is really that they lack experience in the playoffs.

Even Pau Gasol, who has led his team to the playoffs three times in his career, has never experienced the taste of winning in the playoffs before this year. He has been swept 0:4 in the first round for three years.

Otherwise, Pau Gasol would not be crushed by Duncan in the playoffs despite a substantial lead in regular season statistics.

Insufficient offensive stability is the hidden danger exposed by the Grizzlies in the first round of the semifinals. Especially facing an experienced team like the Spurs, the Grizzlies' youthful side will only be infinitely magnified.

If Bowen ushers in a comeback in the second game of the series, it will be difficult for the Grizzlies to advance as easily as in the first round.

However, the young Grizzlies have a huge advantage in physical strength. The longer the series drags on, the more obvious the Grizzlies' physical strength will be.

The Grizzlies will still sit at home in the next game. Whether they can go to San Antonio with a 2:0 advantage, Kevin Martin's performance will be crucial.

In the last game, Martin seized the gap when Bruce Bowen was ejected, scored 21 points in the second half, and scored 32 points in the game, leading the Grizzlies to defend the home court with a double-digit advantage.

When facing Bruce Bowen's defense and the defense of other Spurs players, Martin's offensive state can be called two extremes.

Bruce Bowen is very good at using small moves on the defensive end. It is destined to be a tragedy for the young Kevin Martin to meet Bowen.

As the new generation leader of the Grizzlies, whether Martin can withstand the pressure will determine how far the Grizzlies can go in the playoffs.

As Rockets player Uncle Mu said, the playoffs are a shortcut to test whether a player can become a star.

After completing the playoff assessment, Kevin Martin will skyrocket in the league, and once he fails in the playoffs, Martin's upper limit is destined to only stand at the top of the second-rate stars.

There seems to be only one step between the two, but it takes time and a lot of personal effort to cross this ditch.

…………

In the second game of the series, the Grizzlies continued to sit at home to meet the challenge of the Spurs, but in this game, the Grizzlies' shooting efficiency outside the three-point line has been sluggish.

When the Spurs were already behind by a big score, the pressure exerted by the defensive end suffocated the Grizzlies.

Although Kevin Martin's offensive methods are very rich, but with the Spurs' targeted zone defense, Martin's most effective scoring method has been pushed to the middle distance on both sides.

Although Martin's three-point shooting percentage in the regular season was as high as 40.6%, his mid-range shots on both sides were significantly lower than those outside the three-point line and attacking the basket.

The Spurs obviously studied Kevin Martin's offensive habits a lot before the game. This zone defense is to force Martin to leave his offensive comfort zone.

It's a bit like the tactics used when the Timberwolves forced Wade back then.

The Spurs' intentions are more obvious, but Luke doesn't have a good way to crack it.

Because the Spurs never use double-teaming when defending the Grizzlies, but use personal ability and teamwork to defend the Grizzlies players.

The Spurs have a lot of experience in the playoffs, and they know how to cooperate with each other to create a set of iron walls.

This made the Grizzlies, whose offense was not stable enough in the playoffs, even worse.

In the end, after four quarters of hard work, the Grizzlies lost by six points at home, and the Spurs tied the series to 1:1.

整场比赛马丁进攻端18投仅有4中，凭借罚球虽然也交出16分3篮板2助攻的数据，但灰熊外线只有29.8%的投篮命中率实在没啥盼头。

In terms of stability on both ends of the offense and defense, the Spurs are definitely the best team in the active league.

The young Grizzlies obviously still have a long way to go in front of the Spurs. The loss in the second game of the series can be regarded as a wake-up call for the Grizzlies players.

Let the Grizzlies players deeply realize that even if the team is the number one in the league, it is not invincible to enter the playoffs.

The Rockets could be easily eliminated in the first round. In addition to the fact that the Grizzlies' overall strength is really strong, it also has an inseparable relationship with the Rockets' weak strength.

Once encountering a difficult opponent like the Spurs, the fluency that the Grizzlies are proud of on the offensive end becomes a struggle, which is obviously a bad thing.

The only thing that makes Luke feel gratified is that Kyle Lowry gradually found a feeling in the matchup with "French Sports Car" Parker.

Although the team lost in the second game of the series, Lowry's 23 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists are still impressive.

Next, if the "Small Steel Cannon" can maintain this stable personal performance, the Grizzlies will still take the initiative in this round of the series after all.

After all, with better physical strength and a richer offensive system, the Grizzlies have many ways to deal with the Spurs.

The Spurs want to win the game by limiting the offense of the Grizzlies, and the performance of the troika must remain stable in every game.

The cooperation of the whole team cannot have the slightest mistake.

Even for a team like the Spurs who have been in the playoffs all year round, it is a difficult thing to accomplish.

To put it simply, the Grizzlies hold the key to winning in their own hands, and whether they can win depends on whether the team's offense is smooth.

The Spurs pin their hope of winning on the Grizzlies. Once the Grizzlies have problems on the offensive end, the Spurs can use defense to dominate the next game.

As long as the Grizzlies make no mistakes on the offensive end and play at the regular season level, all the Spurs can do is watch the Grizzlies pass over their heads.

.........

Losing in Game [-] of the Western Conference semifinals made Grizzlies fans feel an unprecedented sense of oppression.

Before this game, Grizzlies fans once thought the team was an invincible existence.

The league's No. 100 record, coupled with the impressive advantage of more than [-] points over the Rockets in the first four games, gave fans a sense of superiority from the inside out.

But as the team ushered in its first loss in the playoffs, this feeling of falling from heaven to hell emerged spontaneously.

Fortunately, the Grizzlies withstood the pressure in the third game of the series. With Kevin Martin scoring a 3.2+2 goal in the last 1 seconds, the Grizzlies narrowly escaped with a three-point advantage.

While rewriting the total score of the series to 2:1, they once again took the initiative in their own hands.

After the game, even though the Grizzlies were playing away, the Grizzlies + Suns fans who came to the scene still gave Martin a heroic celebration.

Kevin Martin, who hit a key playoff goal for the first time in his career, was ravaged by his teammates on the ground in the locker room.

The champagne sprayed everywhere, the harsh and loud whistles, those who didn't know it thought the Grizzlies had just won the championship.

I am afraid that no one except Luke knows how important this game is to the overall momentum of the team.

In the second game of the series, Martin played a very bad game. After a day, Martin completed the redemption in the third game, helping the team beat the Spurs with a quasi lore.

From being complained by outside fans to being called a hero by fans, it was only one day.

This is the case in competitive sports, and the goal of winning and losing is the constant purpose of competitive sports over the years.

Looking at Kevin Martin, who was held down by other players in the locker room and celebrated wildly, Luke sighed with a smile on his face, "Youth is really an enviable capital."

　Ask for a monthly ticket, ask for support, thanks to the third brother!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)