NBA: I am the card dealer

The first game of the finals will be held at the Barclays Center.

As the home team, the Nets enjoyed the roar of the fans. This team, which recently moved to Brooklyn, is finally about to start their new chapter.

However, although this veteran team has a long history, it has never been glorious.

The Brooklyn Nets, formerly known as the New Jersey Nets, joined the NBA in 1976. The first generation superstar was Julius Erving, but after the team was incorporated into the NBA, he did not achieve the feat of winning the championship.

After that, I went up and down and never achieved any decent results.

It was not until the 2001-2002 season that, under the leadership of Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, they first defeated the young Pacers led by O'Neal Jr. and Miller Sr. in the first round, easily defeated the Hornets led by Baron Davis in the second round, and defeated Pierce and Walker in the Eastern Conference Finals, and finally made it to the finals to meet the OK combination at its peak.

The result is predictable, they were swept 4:0.

But no matter what, this is the greatest achievement in the history of the Nets. Even if they are swept in the finals, it can still be regarded as an honor.

Then the following year, with the growth of Richard Jefferson, they broke through again, first defeating the Bucks 4:2 in the first round, sweeping their old rivals the Celtics 4:0 in the second round, and then sweeping the rising Pistons 4:0.

And their finals opponent is no longer the Lakers with the OK combination, but the San Antonio Spurs.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

pity.

They ultimately failed to seize the opportunity and regrettably lost the finals 2:4, missing the chance to reach the top.

And this is the most glorious moment in the history of the Nets.

Fifteen years later, Xue Liancheng arrived and the team reached the finals again, returning to the public eye.

This is really not easy for a team with such a long history.

The bosses changed one after another, the fans changed one after another, and even the location changed, and only then did they have the chance to win the championship.

They had waited too long for this moment.

The fans are naturally excited, they hope to witness the historic moment and win the first championship in the team's history.

ESPN will broadcast the game nationwide.

Mike Breen: "The final chapter of the 17-18 season has arrived. Now it's time to see what happens next. What do you think?"

Mark Jackson, the former head coach of the Golden State Warriors, naturally supports the Warriors: "In terms of personnel configuration, tactical response, and their scoring firepower, the Warriors undoubtedly have an absolute advantage. Any team with Curry + Durant + Thompson will have the strength to compete for the championship. Now is the time."

Jeff Van Gundy: "Although I don't want to admit it, the Warriors' personnel configuration is indeed visibly strong. Their scoring ability is also extremely terrifying. Their scoring efficiency is also guaranteed under the influence of superstars. But what I want to say is that the Warriors are not invincible."

Mark Jackson raised his eyelids slightly and looked over with interest: "Hmm? I want to hear your opinion?"

Jeff Van Gundy: "First of all, the Nets and Rockets have similarities in their offensive systems. They both play fast, with three-pointers as the core of their tactics, and are supplemented by superstars. So if the Rockets can do it, why can't the Nets do it?"

In the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets put the Warriors in a very bad situation. If Paul hadn't been injured, the ending of the story might have been different.

This analogy is still convincing to a certain extent.

After all, the Nets' offensive firepower is no joke.

Mark Jackson: "That makes sense, but it's not enough. The Rockets have two superstars, Harden and Paul, and an offensive point with the ball in Eric Gordon. You didn't mention Capela's rim protection ability. Ryan Anderson, Ariza, P.J. Tucker, Gerald Green, Mbah a Moute, and Nene can start anywhere. Their lineup strength should not be underestimated."

Van Gundy Jr. smiled and said, "The second point I want to talk about is the Nets' forward group. Anunoby, Covington, Vonleh, and James Johnson exist specifically to deal with Durant and Thompson. The siege effect should not be too bad. In addition, Xue Liancheng is very good at defending Curry, so they may not be at a big disadvantage in the matchup. And the depth of the lineup you mentioned, in addition to the forward group, the Nets also have Hart, Powell, Lopez Jr., Joe Harris, Crabbe, David West, such a group of capable and combative people. The depth of such a lineup is no worse than that of the Rockets."

Mike Breen agreed, "It does make sense. Xue Liancheng was able to hold his own against Curry in several duels, and even made Curry feel uncomfortable. I think this series is not as simple as the comparison of strength on paper."

Van Gundy continued: "And the most important reason why I firmly support the Nets is that the star player of this team is Xue Liancheng, who is currently the best player in the league. He has proved himself countless times with his actions and has never disappointed anyone. This is why I am so determined."

Mark Jackson, who was about to open his mouth to refute, suddenly lost his temper after hearing this.

Can't say a word.

Mike Breen quickly tried to smooth things over, "Let's take a look at the starting lineups of both teams."

"Visiting Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, McGee, the same old routine."

"The home team Nets: Xue Liancheng, Anunoby, Covington, Vonleh, Sabonis Jr., their lineup has not changed."

At this moment.

Mike Brin was amused: "Xue Liancheng actually chatted with Curry for a while. It didn't seem like there was much hostility. He was laughing quite happily!"

Van Gundy Jr.: "Although they are competitors, Xue Liancheng has praised Curry numerous times in public, saying that Curry is his biggest rival in his career, and he still respects Curry very much."

Mark Jackson: "Yes, and Curry never gave up. He continued to fight unyieldingly. His fighting spirit is awe-inspiring."

This was undoubtedly flattering his former disciple, and anyone with a discerning eye could see it.

However, despite losing so many years in a row, Curry did not show a negative attitude like James, which is worthy of recognition.

Mike Breen suddenly thought of something: "I wonder if Vonleh and Green will fight?"

Little Van Gundy shook his head: "Definitely not. If Vonleh does it again, it will be extremely bad, and it can't be solved by a dozen games of suspension."

Mark Jackson: "Green is a big boy. Although he is very fierce on the court, he is actually very smart. He remains absolutely rational and pays attention to details. What they need now is to compete for the championship. He will not do stupid things to ruin the team's championship window."

The game starts soon.

Jumping Man McGee successfully got the ball and the Warriors started their first attack.

They were not in a hurry, but cooperated patiently, constantly breaking through and passing the ball, with Green as the axis, and Thompson easily slipped in and scored a layup.

Mark Jackson immediately couldn't wait to comment on his former beloved disciple: "Klay is definitely the most underrated player in the league. He has very good three-point shooting, breakthrough ability, and cut awareness. Most importantly, he is also very good at defense. He can always defend you with a plaster. He is definitely the best in the league on both offense and defense."

Look back.

The Nets were not in a hurry. Xue Liancheng rushed over to make sure there was no chance. He immediately let Sabonis Jr. take the ball and observe, while he ran and pulled. Finally, Covington had an open three-point opportunity.

Unfortunately, it didn't go in.

Watching the ball bounce out of the frame, Xue Liancheng had a bad feeling.

If teammates can't make three-pointers, their offense will become very difficult.

The result was quite unexpected.

Covington, Vonleh, and Anunoby all missed three-pointers in succession, which caused the Warriors to shrink their defense.

This change made it difficult for Xue Liancheng to break through.

To put it more bluntly, he had no room to break through. Once he entered, he was surrounded by people and couldn't get in.

Van Gundy immediately spotted the problem and made an appeal: "There is a problem with the Nets' offense. They need to make a substitution."

Atkinson is not a complete waste. After seeing Xue Liancheng having difficulty breaking through, he immediately made adjustments, letting Covington come off the court and replacing him with Joe Harris.

Sacrificing overall defense to increase shooting ability has its pros and cons.

Mark Jackson thinks so: "They have to make changes. Joe Harris' three-pointer is still very stable. Once he can shoot three-pointers, the Nets will be much easier to play."

Joe Harris has not fallen yet. He is a pure three-point shooter and his shooting is still very stable.

Not long after coming on, he made a three-pointer.

In addition, Xue Liancheng ran out of position and made a shot, which opened up the Nets' outside shooting and gave them a certain amount of breakthrough space.

And Sabonis Jr. also began to gradually drop to the low post, showing good low-post deterrence.

Throughout the first quarter, both sides displayed impressive offensive firepower.

However, due to inaccurate three-point shooting in the early stages of the game, the Nets trailed the Warriors by 30 points at 36:6 at the end of the first quarter.

The score difference is not huge, but it is enough to make people feel frustrated.

In the finals, scoring 30 points in a single quarter is already a very difficult thing. But after the end, they were still 6 points behind, which was very fatal.

Section 2.

The defensive intensity of both sides began to increase, physical collisions increased, and the advantages of the Nets' front line began to be reflected here.

During melee, the forwards are taller, have a wider coverage area, and have more energy to control the restricted area, which is a huge drain on the Warriors' physical energy.

Xue Liancheng has been an opponent of the Warriors for many years, and he clearly knows that the Warriors' most fatal weakness is their physical fitness.

Once Curry and Durant's physical fitness declines, the Warriors' offense will be in danger of being interrupted, and at that time, they will have a chance to win.

What they need to do now is to consume them desperately.

The results were pretty good.

In the second quarter, the Nets were still behind at 26:27.

But we are only 1 point behind, which is not a big problem.

After all, their three-point shooting failed again, and it was remarkable that they were able to maintain the score under such circumstances.

The most important thing is that he still retains three 100% hit skills, which is Xue Liancheng's confidence.

result.

In the third quarter, their three-point shooting still failed to improve.

With Thompson's three-pointer, the Nets trailed the Warriors by 76 points at 89:13, and at this time, there were only 43 seconds left until the end of the third quarter.

Xue Liancheng knew that he couldn't wait any longer.

When the score difference reaches double digits, it becomes quite demanding and can easily erode your fighting spirit.

Only when you narrow the score gap to a controllable range and your teammates can see the hope of winning, can they rekindle their fighting spirit and make a final effort.

and so.

After receiving the ball, Xue Liancheng simply set a screen and took a step back to shoot a three-pointer.

As soon as he shot the ball, he felt something was wrong and had no choice but to activate the 100% hit rate skill.

Hit a three-pointer.

The scene, which had been silent for a long time, became lively again.

Obviously.

Xue Liancheng, as their support, did not let them down.

The three-point shot gave the fans endless confidence.

However, the difference is still 10 points.

Curry was also very tough. He dribbled the ball, took two steps outside the three-point line, and shot directly.

Three points too!

Little Van Gundy said bluntly: "It's terrible. Curry is going head-on against Xue Liancheng. The momentum is really ignited."

Mark Jackson was very happy: "Xue Liancheng is indeed fierce, but Curry's unreasonable three-pointer is more lethal. It can be said that this is Curry's most powerful response to Xue Liancheng."

Sometimes momentum is such a magical thing.

Once you are really excited, you can't suppress it. The dopamine secreted by the human body can make you excited. It's a very strange feeling that you get no matter how you invest.

so.

The battle on the basketball court is not only about skills, but also about mysterious momentum.

Like now, Xue Liancheng hit a three-pointer at the last minute with great momentum, which was really encouraging.

But Curry's turning around and throwing the ball directly two steps outside the three-point line is the most powerful response to you.

It's like a basin of water, which extinguishes your rising momentum.

If you cannot respond, then your momentum is weakened, which is equivalent to being controlled by others.

So Xue Liancheng was in a difficult situation.

I don't know whether to respond.

If Curry was allowed to do whatever he wanted and he did nothing, could the team still fight the Warriors in the fourth quarter when they were 13 points behind?

He wasn't sure.

The most important thing is that they are already 13 points behind. If he doesn't use his % hit rate skill now, he might not need it later.

But the problem is, if we use it now, what if we can delay it until the decisive battle?

He can only fight with real guns and real bullets?

Exhaling heavily, he decided to run out of space first and then see the situation.

result.

After Sabonis Jr. got the ball, he suddenly took a mid-range shot.

Come in too!

81:92, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

result.

The Warriors really gave us a chance.

While Curry was dribbling the ball, he suddenly slipped.

Xue Liancheng successfully got the ball. There was no time left. He took a step across half court and had no time to think. He just threw the three-pointer.

As soon as he made a move, he felt that it was a bit too biased.

Looking at the scoreboard showing a difference of 11 points, he finally gritted his teeth.

Three points!

Hit again!

There were bursts of screams at the scene.

84:92, only 8 points difference.