Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 89 89. No one can take away the championship from me! (3.5K words for subscription)

The Timberwolves swept the Spurs 4:0 in the Western Conference Finals, a result that stunned all fans.

People are not surprised that the Timberwolves can advance to the finals, but people are surprised that the Timberwolves were able to sweep the Spurs in this round of the series and played a crushing game.

In addition, the two teams in the Western Conference Finals series had a total of six players absent from the game. This level of tragedy was also unexpected by fans.

While the Timberwolves successfully advanced to the finals, many fans began to worry about the upcoming finals. Because the Timberwolves lineup is not complete, two and a half players will be destined to miss the finals this year.

As for why it is two and a half, this half of people can be traced back to Eddie Griffin.

Among them, Nehbar and Trenton Hassell were unable to play due to injuries and suspensions respectively.

However, Eddie Griffin was suspended by the league for five games in the series with the Spurs, but Griffin's suspension has now passed three games.

This also means that Griffin will miss the first two games of the finals and usher in a comeback in the third game of the finals. For the Timberwolves, this can be regarded as good news among bad news.

Even though Eddie Griffin's personal ability is not as strong as Nehbar, who was absent due to injury, Griffin's spiritual motivation is very important to the team.

When Eddie Griffin is on the court, the Timberwolves can always play an exciting defensive counterattack, which drives the winning momentum of the entire team.

But now the Timberwolves will definitely miss three players in the first game of the finals. Among them, Nehbar was selected to the All-Star team this year and is the core of the Timberwolves' bench.

This situation is a bit bad for the Timberwolves, who entered the finals for the first time in team history, so Luke must make plans before the start of the series to avoid being used to shave his head when he enters the finals for the first time. Way to knock it out!

…………

"Lu, you have contributed a lot to the team's ability to enter the finals this time, but now that the finals are approaching, everyone hopes that you can bring back the first championship trophy in team history for Minnesota."

"Although the current situation of the team is somewhat unfavorable, with so many eyes staring up and down in Minnesota, I don't know how sure you are about this year's finals."

Cutting a cigar for Luke himself, the general manager McHale looked energetic, but there was a trace of worry hidden between his brows when talking about the finals.

Everyone knows the current team situation of the Timberwolves. The All-Star player Nehbar was maliciously stepped on by Bowen and will have an indefinite truce. He will definitely not come back in this year's finals.

Defensive champion Trenton Hassel was also suspended by the league for 15 games and also unable to play.

Even Eddie Griffin will miss the first two games of the finals, and he will not be able to come back until the third game at the earliest. At the same time, he lacks three main players in rotation. This blow is huge for a finals team.

Especially the two teams in the Eastern Conference are eyeing each other. Whether it is the Miami Heat or the Indiana Pacers, both are the strongest championship teams in the league today.

No matter which team can advance to the final meeting with the Timberwolves, the Timberwolves will not take advantage of any advantages, and they are even at a disadvantage in the lineup.

After all, neither the Heat nor the Pacers are facing injuries. The Heat also reinforced the team's meritorious player "Kidney Fighter" Mourning at the end of the season. No matter how you look at it, the chances of the Timberwolves winning the championship are not very high. cast a shadow.

Putting down the steaming high-quality coffee in front of him, Luke reached out to take the cigar, and couldn't help frowning, "At present, the probability of the Heat advancing is higher than that of the Pacers. The high probability of the team fighting will be the Heat."

"Eddie's absence doesn't have much impact, but Trenton and Bokie cost the team a lot."

"Although Dwyane's performance in the playoffs this year was explosive enough, I naturally have a way to deal with him. The real tricky thing is the double Jones and insider Shaq."

"Shaq's inside dominance in this year's playoffs has declined seriously, but now the team still has no one in the inside who can defend Shaq one-on-one. When Shaq is on the court, he will definitely attract a lot of defense."

"It's okay if Eddie and Damon's outside touch is average, but this year's playoffs, the performance of these two is even difficult for me." Speaking of this, Luke took a deep puff of his cigar, and then exhaled heavily. , "If you want to win the game, luck and touch are also very important."

Luke's words made general manager McHale even more worried. As one of the most outstanding strikers in NBA history, McHale can naturally understand what Luke said.

It's just that every time McHale talked to Luke before, Luke would respond in a very confident tone, and Luke had promised McHale that he had never broken his promise until now.

Over time, McHale has formed a habit of Luke's self-confidence, as if Luke's insolence is like a reassurance that McHale feels at ease.

Today McHale really wanted to take another look at Luke's defiant look, so as to find some psychological comfort for himself.

After all, this is the first time in the history of the Timberwolves that they have entered the finals. It is absolutely self-deception to say that they do not expect a championship.

As a result, even Luke, who despised all beings, gave an uncertain answer. The implication was that the team would go all out in the finals, but Luke was not sure which side luck would be on.

This kind of answer discouraged McHale, and for the first time, he even wanted Luke to act a little more aggressively, even if he scolded himself in disdain!

"Lu, it's up to you in this year's finals. We beat the Heat twice in the regular season. If it's the Heat that finally advance to the finals, I think you should have a countermeasure."

"It's not that I deliberately put pressure on you before the game. It's the first time this year that the team is so close to the championship."

"The whole Minnesota is watching, not just the team management, but even the fans are looking forward to the scene of winning the championship."

"Even if you have done a good job, but now the team is completely stuck, I can't imagine how much regret the owner Glenn and Minnesota fans will have if the team is really eliminated in the finals."

"This kind of regret is too heavy. I really don't want to see that day come, so Lu, this year's finals is up to you." At the end, even McHale's tone was full of helplessness.

As the general manager of the team, McHale should not have put pressure on the head coach before the finals.

But as McHale said, the city of Minnesota is too special, and the fans' desire for a championship has risen to the point of obsession.

Although the Timberwolves have played well in the playoffs in previous years, they are still far away from the championship. Even if the fans are finally disappointed, it will not last long.

However, this year Luke has personally pushed the Timberwolves team to the top. If he unfortunately misses the championship, it is hard to imagine how broken the fans will be at that moment!

From a young football fan in his teens to a middle-aged fan who is now a father in his early 30s, the city of Minnesota has carried too many expectations and also suffered too many disappointments after 16 years of ups and downs.

Sensing the helplessness and heaviness in McHale's tone, Luke's expression gradually turned ruthless, his eyes stared at McHale and he said in a low voice: "No one can take away the championship from me, even black, this year I must also We must black out a champion!"

…………

On May 5, as Reggie Miller missed a three-pointer at the end of the G31 game, the Heat narrowly defeated the Pacers by two points, and eliminated the Pacers in seven consecutive games to advance to the finals.

After the game, Reggie Miller, who missed the buzzer lore, stood on the sidelines and did not move. Watching the Heat celebrate in the court, Reggie Miller's face was quite calm, but his eyes were full of unwillingness, and even Self-blame for failing to kill himself.

This season is the retirement season of Reggie Miller's career, and it is also the season when Reggie Miller is closer to the championship.

Especially in the fourth quarter of G6 against Reggie Miller, four three-pointers in a single quarter helped the team reverse the Heat in one fell swoop and drag the series into the top seven.

At that moment, the voice of the Pacers' ambition to win the championship was extremely high, and even Reggie Miller himself thought that he could wear a championship ring for the first time in his career in the retirement season.

As a result, in the tiebreaker, "Shark" O'Neal was overwhelmed in the interior. While beating O'Neal with one hand, he scored 34 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks.

On this day, "Shark" O'Neal dreamed of returning to the top, as if he had regained the inside dominance of the Lakers' three consecutive championships, and cooperated with "The Flash" Wade, who broke Reggie Miller into a stopper, to defend the home court. Eliminate the Pacers and advance to the finals with difficulty.

The promotion of the Heat not only means that "Shark" O'Neal is old and strong, and can still bring the team to the finals after leaving the Lakers, but also means that Reggie Miller will become another "uncrowned king" in the history of the league.

As an overhyped "Jordan's lifelong enemy", Reggie Miller's career may not be as legendary as Jordan's, but Reggie Miller is definitely one of the best outside stars in the 90s.

Under the defensive confrontation of the 90s, Reggie Miller, who weighed only 84 kilograms, was selected to the All-Star team five times and the best team three times, and he averaged more than 12 points per game in 18 seasons in his career. It is worthy of being called "the uncrowned king".

Of course, when it comes to trash talking, Reggie Miller is naturally the most hated star by the fans. The bottomless trash talk insults, the small moves on the defensive end, and the repeated speculation of himself through Jordan are all Reggie Miller. The place.

But no matter how you say it, this Indiana marksman wearing the No. 31 jersey is worthy of praise, especially for refusing to join forces many times and sticking to Indiana for 18 years. This comes from Reggie Miller's persistence.

It's a pity that Reggie Miller was born at the wrong time. He met Jordan in the early stage of his career and Sharks later in his career. This made Reggie Miller's career a complete failure.

But Reggie Miller would rather be defeated than join forces!

As for not having a championship in his career, it may be the punishment for Reggie Miller's stinking mouth!

The elimination of the Pacers in the tiebreaker also means that the Heat will meet the Timberwolves in the finals. At that time, the first game of the finals between the two sides will officially start on June 6, local time in the United States.

Compared with the Heat who just eliminated the Pacers through the tiebreaker, the Timberwolves have rested for a whole week after the Western Conference Finals. The players are definitely at an advantage in terms of physical fitness, which is the most unfavorable place for the Miami Heat.

However, the Timberwolves' lineup is not neat, especially when the two gold medalists Trenton Hassell and Eddie Griffin were unable to play due to suspensions. In Luke's view, it was simply a bad trip to the finals.

The "Wolf King" Garnett's personal honor has been softened throughout the season. Luke only hopes that Garnett will not pull his hips in the finals. After all, Garnett faced the Heat twice in the regular season, and Garnett's offensive performance was very average.

As a star player, Garnett must not only play a dominant role on the defensive end, but also carry the banner of offense on the offensive end.

Especially when Eddie Griffin is absent due to injury and the Timberwolves are already weak inside, Garnett's personal performance will directly affect the trend of the entire series to a large extent!
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(End of this chapter)