NBA: James wants to team up with me

Chapter 104 Finals, players with different thoughts in the locker room

In 2004, the power of the fans' voices was not supported by the Internet platform, and it was not as influential as it will be in the future. Moreover, James had a lot of fans. Therefore, although James' election as the best rookie caused a lot of controversy, the storm quickly That goes by with the announcement of two more season awards.

The best defensive player and the regular season MVP are basically the two most important awards in the regular season, especially the latter, which is not even inferior to the finals FMVP in terms of value alone.

Throughout the history of the league, the top-ranked superstars have won both the regular season MVP and the Finals FMVP, and the numbers they have won are not small.

It is extremely difficult for ordinary stars to obtain one of these two honors.

The best defensive player award, on the other hand, is just the icing on the cake for top superstars. Having it is good, but not having it will not have any impact.

The most typical example is Michael Jordan, the god of basketball. When it comes to Jordan, the most discussed thing is his six championship trophies, two dynasties established, ten scoring titles, and five regular season MVPs.

Only when discussing defensive ability will Jordan's DPOY trophy for the best defensive player be taken out as proof of his defensive strength.

But for blue-collar players, the best defensive player award is the biggest award they can win.

In the 03-04 season, the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year DPOY award was Ron Artest of the Pacers.

This is not surprising at all.

The Pacers had their best performance in recent years this season, with 60 wins in the regular season. At the same time, Artest also had the best performance of his career, averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He made huge contributions to the team on both offense and defense. .

With this, he successfully defeated Ben Wallace, Bowen, Garnett and Kirilenko and other competitors in the voting, and successfully won the best defensive player.

The final grand prize, the regular season MVP, was also won by Kevin Garnett without incident.

Although the Timberwolves lost first place in the Western Conference to the Lakers because of Wang Chong, Garnett's performance and contribution on the court were real.

The all-around data of 24+14+5 made Garnett recognized as the best player this season. His vote rate was much higher than that of his competitor Duncan, and he was selected as the regular season MVP.

In terms of season awards, the Lakers have received nothing, but they have become accustomed to it. O'Neal's only regular season MVP can be traced back to five years ago. Although the Lakers have won three championships in the past few years, because Due to regular season attendance issues, O'Neal has always been excluded from the regular season MVP selection.

Let alone the selection of MVP, O'Neal has never even ranked second in the MVP voting in recent years, ranking third all year round.

O'Neal had no chance, let alone Kobe.

For the Lakers generals, the championship is obviously more attractive than these personal honors.

On May 5, the third game of the G25 Western Conference Finals was held at the SBC Center Arena in San Antonio, the home of the Spurs.

It seems that they were stimulated by the results of the regular season MVP selection. At the Spurs' home court, both O'Neal and Kobe played very actively, as if they wanted to prove it with their performance on the court. The so-called regular season MVP is just watching. Wearing nice-looking things cannot reflect their strength at all.

After all, Garnett, who won the regular season MVP, was eliminated by the Spurs in the second round. Their ability to defeat the Spurs in the game is the best proof, isn't it?

The result is that Garnett wins and Duncan suffers.

At his home court, Duncan was completely beaten by O'Neal in the paint. He only made 14 of 4 shots from the field, scored 10 points, 14 rebounds, and made 6 turnovers.

反观奥尼尔，18投10中，甚至连罚球都仿佛如有神助般11投8中，全场砍下28分14篮板4封盖。

科比也不甘示弱，22投10中，罚球8中6，得到26分7篮板7助攻。

With the OK combination showing off their power, the Spurs were defeated and lost to the Lakers at home 105:81.

The big score is 3:0.

The Spurs fans desperately witnessed the whole process of the defeat at their home court, which also shattered the last hope of a comeback.

Two days later, in the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs, who were fighting against the odds, put the team's honor on the line and were determined to win. They quickly suppressed the Lakers with strong momentum at the beginning of the game and successfully gained a double-digit lead.

However, as the game progressed, the Spurs' lead was being eroded bit by bit. Kobe was extremely active in this game, and he could maintain a very high shooting rate despite taking a lot of shots, completely beating Bowen, who was facing him. .

Especially in the fourth quarter, Kobe made 10 of 6, 3 of 3 free throws, and scored 15 points alone. The Lakers only scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, 15 of which came from Kobe, which is so average!

The final score between the two teams was 98:90. In front of Kobe, who made 27 of 15 shots, 13 of 10 free throws, and scored 42 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 rebounds, the Spurs still had no choice but to surrender, with a big score of 4:0. , was swept and eliminated by the Lakers.

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"Revenge successful! The Lakers avenged their elimination by the Spurs in the second round last season!"

"To prove to myself, Kobe averaged 26+6+6 in four games, shot 46% from the field, and beat defensive expert Bruce Bowen. He is the strongest shooting guard in the new century!"

"OK is still the strongest duo in the league. Kobe and O'Neal took the top two in the Western Conference Finals scoring list and dominated the game."

The Lakers easily swept last year's championship team the Spurs 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals, allowing many people to see the invincible Lakers OK dynasty combination two years ago.

Wang Chong's brilliance in this series did not shine so brightly. Except in G1, when the OK combination was not suitable for the Spurs' targeted tactical arrangements, he stepped forward and delayed the two of them to regain their form. Most of the time, he just acts as a fixed-point shooter, keeping a low profile and keeping a low profile.

But even so, after four games, Wang Chong still averaged 16.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage has always remained stable at around 50%, making him the most stable scoring point for the Lakers.

The average of 16.2 points per game ranks fifth in the Western Conference Finals, second only to Kobe, O'Neal, Duncan and Parker.

Even Ginobili in the GDP combination, his scoring average of 14.7 points per game is slightly lower than Wang Chong.

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Although Wang Chong's performance is not superior to Kobe's, who has a higher score, or O'Neal, who has an exaggerated efficiency value, his precise mid-range shot is not something even the Spurs, who are known for their defense, can do anything about.

The reason why Wang Chong only averaged 16 points per game in the Western Conference Finals is not that he could only score 16 points, but that this performance was enough for the Lakers to win.

That feeling of being at ease on the court, what should a first-year rookie have?

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The Lakers, who swept the Spurs 4-0, returned to the Finals after a year with a fierce determination to win the championship.

There was no surprise about their opponent in the finals, which was the Detroit Pistons who defeated the Pacers 4:2.

This is the real highlight.

As a time traveler, Wang Chong knows the history of the 03-04 season very well.

Even without him, even if Malone and Payton continued to stretch their hips during the playoffs, the Lakers still made it all the way through the Western Conference, defeating the Rockets, Spurs and Timberwolves, and meeting the Pistons in the Finals.

<divclass="contentadv">When everyone thought that the Lakers would win their fourth championship in five years, the Lakers unexpectedly lost to the Pistons, losing the championship 4:1. The Lakers F4 The combination fell apart, and the super giants lost to grassroots teams, which became a big joke in the league.

The defeat in the finals completely intensified the conflict between O'Neal and Kobe. The Lakers gave up the present and chose the future, traded away O'Neal, and the OK group officially disintegrated.

To sum up, in fact, even without Wang Chong, the Lakers can still stand out in the Western Conference. The difference may be that they will not sweep all the way 4:0 like they are now, and they will lose a few games.

But in the finals, everything was completely different.

The Pistons are a team that can really compete with the Lakers. Although this premise is caused by the Lakers' own internal problems, the 4:1 disparity is enough to prove the gap in strength between the two teams.

The finals are the real test for Wang Chong. He can help the Lakers win the final victory when the team is falling apart, Kobe wants to win the FMVP, and the opponent is still extremely strong!

It seemed to confirm Wang Chong's thoughts.

When the Lakers won the Western Conference Finals and entered the Finals, the system issued a new task.

"Ding - mission: help the Lakers win the 03-04 season championship!"

"You will be rewarded for completing the mission: 1500 points, and all existing badges will be upgraded to one level (except gold-level badges)."

As always, the mission rewards are generous.

1500 points will definitely raise his overall ability rating to over 90 in one go, reaching a true star level.

But compared to point rewards, badge rewards are more exaggerated.

Upgrade all existing badges except Gold level? What is this concept?

Wang Chong currently has a total of six badges, which are gold for entering the rhythm and fighting the terminator, silver for hot zone hunter and pick-and-roll shooter, and bronze for mid-range shooter and death coil.

According to the system, as long as the task can be completed, the system will upgrade all four silver and copper badges. The hot zone hunter and pick-and-roll shooter will be upgraded to the same level of gold as entering the rhythm. CIC expert and Death Coil will also be upgraded to Silver level.

The collective upgrade of the badges will definitely take Wang Chong's strength to a higher level!

Based on this alone, Wang Chong will help the Lakers defeat the Pistons no matter what.

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2004年6月6日，洛杉矶斯台普斯中心，NBA2003-04赛季总决赛的比赛终于打响。

Before the game, the media was almost unanimous. They all believed that the Lakers could win the championship, and they were full of praise for the Lakers' trade and signings during the offseason.

The momentum is so great that even the Lakers players already think that the championship is guaranteed.

The atmosphere in the locker room before the game was harmonious. O'Neal, Marlon Payton and others were talking and laughing, looking very relaxed.

Kobe was on the other side, out of tune with O'Neal's little group, his expression thoughtful.

Like everyone else, Kobe also felt that now that he had entered the Finals, winning the championship against a civilian team like the Pistons was a certainty.

But just like this, Kobe can no longer be satisfied.

In the past three championships, O'Neal won the FMVP and received the most flowers and applause, and he was just the younger brother next to O'Neal, a foil.

Now, he already has stronger strength than O'Neal (think he does). Whether it is his performance in the regular season or the playoffs, he is obviously better.

Therefore, Kobe felt that it was time for him to rise.

A man was born between heaven and earth, how could he live in a state of depression for a long time?

Kobe has already made up his mind that he will win the championship with his best performance in this finals and win the FMVP.

This is not just because he wants to be the boss of the team, but he also has another idea.

The Eagle County incident caused a sharp decline in the number of Kobe's fans and a plummeting influence. Currently, this matter is still in the endless debate and continues to affect Kobe's reputation. Therefore, he is eager to use other methods to gain as much as possible. Attract attention.

There is no better way than winning the NBA championship and winning Finals MVP.

Based on this alone, he will be extremely eager for the important award of FMVP.

Not far away, Wang Chong looked at Kobe, who had been silent since entering the locker room. He knew Kobe's thoughts and ideas, and he also knew that Kobe's solo play would definitely put the team into an extremely unfavorable situation.

As early as after joining the Lakers, Wang Chong had already thought about how he should change this result after joining the Lakers.

Trying to persuade Kobe to change his style of play is impossible. If this stubborn paranoid could listen to the persuasion, then he would not be Kobe.

Therefore, Wang Chong had no intention of finding a breakthrough point from Kobe.

The current situation of the Lakers is clear at a glance. O'Neal, Payton and Malone are considered a small team in the team, and they are the strongest small group. The latter joined because O'Neal chose to join with a minimum salary, and the relationship between them has been the best throughout the season. of.

Kobe is considered a lone wolf. Although he does not have as many fans as O'Neal, he is still a presence that cannot be ignored in the team because of his strength.

As for other players, they are two-faced players who do not help each other or please both sides, such as the cunning Fisher, Devin George who competes with Wang Chong, and Rick Fox who has made great contributions to the Lakers.

They belong to a group that doesn’t know which side they stand on and who they will support for whoever wins.

As for Wang Chong, when he came to the team, he was attracted by the cunning O'Neal and joined the O'Neal faction.

Wang Chong had no objection to this, even though he knew that after this season, O'Neal and Phil Jackson were forced to leave the Lakers, but so what?

It's not like he can survive in the NBA only by being supported by others. After a rookie season, Wang Chong is confident that he can gain a say in the team with his own strength.

Thanks to O'Neal protecting him, Wang Chong was hardly bullied in his rookie season, and he only helped O'Neal carry his bag once or twice.