Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 300 300. McMillan: "???"

In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, currently ranked second in the East, have defeated the Magic 4:1 and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Even though "Warcraft" Howard still averaged 20+10 per game in this round of the series, the joining of Ben Wallace has raised the Cavaliers' inside defense to a higher level.

In the matchup with "Warcraft" Howard, the veteran Ben Wallace perfectly played his defensive ability. The excellent lower body strength not only limited Howard's shooting percentage to 44.3%.

The rich defensive experience has made the Magic's penalty area score drop by nearly 1/3 compared with the regular season.

There is no doubt that ben wallace is the key factor for the cavaliers to beat the magic 4:1 and advance to the east finals.

Even if LeBron James is the best player in this round of the series, he averaged 31 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game.

But without the help of Mo Williams and Ben Wallace, it would be difficult for James to defeat the Magic with Howard guarding the penalty area so easily.

The promotion of the Cavaliers made the Celtics, who have the Big Five in another round of the series, feel a lot of pressure.

In the first round of the playoffs, when the Celtics faced the Pistons all the way, Boston fans were dissatisfied. In the second round, facing the Eagles, the Celtics still had a five-game stalemate with their opponents despite having an absolute advantage. The big score is 3:2 in the lead.

The performance of the Celtics in the playoffs undoubtedly surprised the fans and the outside media. No one thought that the Celtics of the Big Five would play so bumpy all the way.

On the other hand, the defending champion Grizzlies swept their opponents 4-0 in two consecutive rounds, explaining to the outside world what a top team in the league is. In contrast, the Celtics, which sits on the Big Five, is more like a joke.

In the current competition with the Eagles in this series, the Celtics' chances of advancing are still as high as 75%.

But compared to before the start of the playoffs, the outside world is already analyzing whether the Celtics can successfully defeat the Cavaliers led by LeBron James and advance to the finals after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

After all, the competitiveness shown by the Cavaliers in this year's playoffs is not inferior to the Celtics, and the whole process is much easier than the Celtics.

Now even the Boston fans are no longer optimistic. Although the Celtics lineup is much more luxurious than the Cavaliers, the dominance shown in the game is not as good as the Cavaliers. Laugh out loud.

After winning the Tianwangshan battle, Celtics head coach Sam Mitchell said stubbornly: "The team has been hiding its strength in the playoffs, just to win the championship trophy in the end. Although the team played with some ups and downs, the final result was within expectations."

"The Celtics are a team with rich experience in the playoffs. Players can adjust their status on the court. No matter how unfavorable the outside world is for the Celtics, I still think the team can beat all opponents."

When the reporter reminded that the Cavaliers had advanced 4:1 in another series in the Eastern Conference, Sam Mitchell's face was obviously a little embarrassed: "Competitive sports are never about who is faster, but who can persist all the way to the end." at last."

Sam Mitchell's obvious lack of confidence made the reporter instantly lose the desire to continue the interview, but Mitchell's words attracted the ridicule of Cavaliers coach Mike Brown: "Some people still think of a way to advance to the Eastern Conference finals first, Don’t get overturned in the semi-finals, that’s the real slap in the face!”

…………

After the promotion, the Grizzlies are always paying attention to the trend of this round of the series between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. When the reporter asked Luke some current views on the Eastern Conference, Luke showed a smile on his mouth:
"I am more optimistic that the Cavaliers can become the team that breaks out of the East. It's not that the Cavaliers' lineup is better than the other teams, but that the Cavaliers are obviously more relaxed in terms of mentality."

"Whether it's a loss or a win, these two results are acceptable endings for the Cavaliers this season."

"In contrast, the pressure on the Celtics is too great, like a string that has collapsed to the extreme. No one knows when this string will completely collapse."

"The Grizzlies are not afraid of any opponent. No matter who the opponent faces next, the Grizzlies will win the championship with a crushing attitude."

"However, if possible, I hope that the Celtics can persist until the end, otherwise I will be ashamed of Sam Mitchell with a lineup of the Big Five."

While Luke milked a wave of Cavaliers, he didn't forget to put pressure on Sam Mitchell again in the end.

Although there is no deep hatred between Luke and Sam Mitchell, the Celtics regarded the Grizzlies as the biggest stumbling block on the way to the championship long before the start of the season.

This also caused Mitchell to often target the Grizzlies intentionally or unintentionally. Now that he has the opportunity, Luke will definitely create more pressure for the Celtics in terms of public opinion, and strive to make the old guys of the Celtics more tired.

After all, when the Grizzlies have three players selected to the best defensive team, the Cavaliers led by James must be much less threatening than the Celtics.

If the Cavaliers can really get rid of the Celtics opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals, Luke would like to call LeBron James the strongest "championship wingman"!
…………

As time went on, the Grizzlies used that time to get some really good rest.

Some media captured that the mental state of the Grizzlies players seemed to be very good. Even Kevin Martin made 104 consecutive three-pointers during training, which caused heated discussions among a large number of fans outside.

At present, the voice of the Grizzlies championship has been getting louder and louder. Originally, this slogan was only shouted by Memphis fans, but now more and more passerby fans have joined the ranks of supporting the Grizzlies.

According to a voting window released by ESPN on the Internet not long ago, the support rate for the Grizzlies to win the championship has reached 72.4%.

In other words, the support rate of fans supporting several other teams to win the championship adds up to only 27.6%.

It is not difficult to see from the online support rate that the Grizzlies have completely conquered fans with practical actions this season.

Compared with the Celtics, who sit on the Big Five but play ugly like shit, the performance of the Grizzlies in the playoffs is more like the super strong team fantasized by fans.

Even NBA star Scottie Pippen posted on the Internet: "There is no doubt that the Grizzlies played a very crazy season. I don't think there is any team in the league that can steal the championship from the Grizzlies. , it must be from God’s nostalgia.”

While many fans turned their attention to the Memphis Grizzlies, the series between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers finally came to an end.

With Aldridge scoring 42 points and 14 rebounds in the sixth game of the series, the Blazers eliminated the Lakers 4:2 and will meet the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.

This result was something that no one expected before the start of the series. The Trail Blazers' 4:2 victory over the second-ranked Lakers in the Western Conference is definitely something that can be described as an upset.

Even though the Blazers' record this season is not bad, most people are still more optimistic about the experienced Lakers. After all, the Lakers have advantages over the Blazers in terms of lineup and experience.

But no one expected that Aldridge, who had performed very well in the regular season, had a complete explosion after entering the playoffs, and his average per game was even better than that of star Brandon Roy.

Aldridge's personal dominance reminds people of the man named Nowitzki, and his precise mid-range turnaround jumper is almost impossible to block.

In this round of the Western Conference semifinals with the Lakers, Aldridge made 72.4% of his turnaround jump shots about five feet away from the penalty area, ranking first among all playoff players.

Aldridge's excellent personal performance blew up the inside twin towers composed of "Polish Hammer" Gortat and Okafor.

No matter which of the two brothers defends Aldridge, they can only watch Adelaide use turnaround jumpers to steadily send the ball into the basket again and again.

What really makes Lakers fans feel desperate is that the "Emperor" Oden, who has always been dubbed a parallel importer in the regular season, also played the most exciting battle of his career in this round of the series.

Throughout the series, Oden averaged 16.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Although this data is not shocking, it also falls short of fans' expectations and fantasies about Oden.

But compared with Greg Oden's personal performance that missed many times due to injuries in the regular season, and both scoring and rebounding statistics were odd figures, Oden in this round of the series is absolutely unforgettable.

In the playoffs, the young Blazers showed a calmness and willfulness that did not match their age. In the words of Lakers coach Dwyane Casey, he commented: "This Blazers reminds me of the Grizzlies last season. The core players of the team are all young, and they all have a toughness."

"The Blazers' style of play on the court is extremely impactful. Whether it is a defensive counterattack or a three-point shot from the outside, it reminds me of the Grizzlies last season."

"It's very frustrating to be out of the playoffs, especially against a young team like the Trail Blazers."

"However, I still want to congratulate the Blazers for their advancement. Even though the opponent the Blazers will face after the promotion is the Grizzlies that really won the championship, I believe that many fans can't wait to see these two teams. Confrontation."

"I just don't know if the Grizzlies will have a feeling of looking in the mirror when facing this Trail Blazers."

Casey had a very high evaluation of the Trail Blazers after the game, and even compared the Trail Blazers with the Grizzlies who won the championship last season.

In fact, the Blazers' style of play this season is indeed very similar to that of the Grizzlies last season. Even the overall configuration of the team is almost the same. As early as the regular season, fans dubbed it the "poor Memphis Grizzlies".

The Trail Blazers coach McMillan did not shy away from this at all. In an interview, he said with a smile: "The Grizzlies last season gave me a lot of inspiration. This season, the team did imitate the Grizzlies in some places. But the Blazers have their own rhythm based on reference."

"The Grizzlies are a very great team, especially this season with a terrifying record of 76 wins and 6 losses."

"However, the Blazers are not afraid of any opponent. The team is ready to compete with the Grizzlies. No matter what the final result is, the Blazers will benefit a lot in this round of the series."

McMillan's words can be regarded as cheering for the young players of the Blazers. After all, the sense of oppression exuded by the Grizzlies is too strong. McMillan is afraid that the team will not be able to play the rhythm that the team should have when facing the Grizzlies.

Although even the head coach McMillan himself has no confidence in this round of the series, the Grizzlies in front of him are too terrifying, so terrifying that people dare not imagine what it would be like to defeat the Grizzlies.

But as the coach of the team, McMillan, knowing that the chances of winning are not high, still finds ways to encourage the players and try to get some cheap from the Grizzlies.

…………

On May 5, local time in the United States, the first game of the Western Conference finals between the Grizzlies and the Trail Blazers officially started at the United Express Arena.

Before the game officially started, the entire arena was already filled with all kinds of fans.

This season, the Grizzlies' home court has become the league's new Devil's home court. Unlike Utah and Denver, which have the advantage of altitude, Memphis cannot bring advantages to the home team's players in terms of climate.

But the cohesion of the Grizzlies fans is definitely the most exaggerated existence in the league. Whenever the Grizzlies play at home, the fans will bring huge mental pressure to the players of the visiting team.

Noise, laughter, and even the air filled with a harsh atmosphere, there is no doubt that FedEx Arena has become the last place that the league teams are unwilling to challenge.

Before the game, Blazers head coach McMillan took the initiative to walk towards Luke. Seeing Luke's indifferent and relaxed look, McMillan felt that his palms were sweating.

"Congratulations, Lu, congratulations on becoming the first candidate to win the best coach in league history. It is estimated that this record will be sealed forever in the future, and it will be difficult for anyone to break it again."

"Your existence really puts too much pressure on us and makes the management pay more attention to the position of coach. Although it sounds like a good thing, it is hard for us low-level coaches, and we are not sure when we will be confused. was kicked out by the management." McMillan said with a wry smile.

McMillan, who was already dark, looked so ugly with a wry smile on his face.

Patting McMillan on the shoulder, Luke showed a smile on his face: "It's just right, when you can't get along as the head coach, you can consider mixing with me, and I will leave a place for you."

McMillan: "???"

McMillan's expression gradually began to be puzzled, and he looked at D'Antoni, who was still normal behind him, as if asking Luke, is this guy always like this?
Before the end of the season, he helped people settle down even after unemployment. This tainted milk made McMillan wonder whether he should take it or not.

Although being an assistant coach next to Luke is a very tempting thing, as long as Luke gives an order, there are many coaches in the league who are willing to lead Luke to lead, but McMillan always feels a little awkward.

I have done a good job as the head coach, why do I want to be an assistant coach?

Although the Blazers have not yet renewed their contract with McMillan in advance, McMillan led the Blazers to a full [-] wins in the new season, and even the position of the acting head coach has become a regular in the middle of the season.

If nothing else, the Blazers will definitely choose to sign a long-term contract with McMillan during the offseason and let him continue to serve as the head coach of the Blazers.

Shaking his head to dispel these messy thoughts in his mind, McMillan was about to speak when he heard Luke smile again and said: "If you feel that being a head coach is too hard, I can help you. I guarantee that after this round of the series, you will be ready immediately during the offseason. I can finish class."

McMillan: "???"

(End of this chapter)