When the fourth game came to an end, most of the fans at the At&A Center had already left early.
Popovich looked bitter on the sidelines and patted the Spurs players on the shoulders one by one.
At the end, a man wearing No. 21 Spurs jersey stood in front of him.
Duncan's eyes were a little red. He lowered his head, looked into Popovich's eyes, and said apologetically: "Greg, I'm sorry, I let you down..."
When talking about the latter part, Duncan's voice already had a cry.
As a proud man and a representative of winning games, he is accustomed to helping the team win. Even after getting older and his physical condition is not as good as before, he can still be a key factor in determining the victory of a game.
But in today's game, the opponent completely allowed him to play in singles, and even allowed him to punish misplacements.
However, his physical strength was only enough to last half of the game. Even after a twenty-minute break in the middle, he could no longer maintain the offense and defense for a whole game like before.
This is the first time in his career that he feels like he has become a liability to the team...
For a player who has been at the top, this feeling is simply a bolt from the blue!
Although Duncan looks dull on the surface, unlike some power forwards who have to lie on the ground and do two push-ups to show their toughness after being fouled, but his heart is tougher than anyone else, and he never shows these things on the outside. On the surface, it is reflected through actions.
He is one of the most winning players in history!
Popovich looked at the history's number one power forward who lowered his head to admit his mistake like a child who had made a mistake. His beloved disciple, he originally wanted to reach out and pat the latter's shoulder, but his hand reached his shoulder. After a slight pause in height, it moved up some distance.
Duncan was lowering his head at this time, and suddenly felt someone touching his head.
He raised his head and found that the serious old man was smiling, and there was no intention of complaining about him from his expression.
"Tim, we are all old, now it is the world of young people..."
On such a night, after a crucial finals game, Duncan looked at the aging Popovich and suddenly remembered that on that distant day, also after the game, he met the man named Li Kaiming for the first time. little guy.
"The future is yours." This is what he wanted to tell the young man.
Unexpectedly, this boy predicted his prediction and did not give him a chance to say this.
At that moment he knew that this kid would be a powerful enemy in the future.
What caught him off guard was that the day came so quickly, and that boy was a little too strong.
The future in his mouth seemed to have arrived in the blink of an eye after he said those words...
Although it was close to midnight when we returned to the hotel after the game, the Wizards players were still full of energy. In addition to winning the match point battle, more importantly, they could finally return to their home court!
Although wearing noise-cancelling earplugs can help me get a good sleep, it is still far behind compared to sleeping without anything and nothing to worry about!
Therefore, the option of rushing back to Washington overnight has become a common choice for everyone on the team, from the general manager to the water cooler players.
After packing everything, the Wizards team rushed to the airport on the team bus that was already ready in the parking lot.
Then, amidst the roar of the aircraft engine, a small passenger plane taxied and took off from the San Antonio airport runway. With the navigation lights flashing, it gradually disappeared into the night.
Li Kaiming opened the sunshade beside him, looked at the brightly lit San Antonio below, and said silently in his heart:
Goodbye San Antonio, see you next time, next season...
June 16, Washington.
Today, the sky over the city has been cloudy since the morning. With the summer temperature gradually rising, Washington can already feel a touch of hot flashes at this time.
"It seems like today is not a good weather!"
Li Kaiming looked at the sky outside through the car window and muttered to himself.
Although the weather was not very beautiful, he felt very comfortable because he knew that today, he would reach the top again!
Driving to the mcI Center underground parking lot, every arena staff member he met greeted him with a smile.
Arriving at the training ground, many teammates were already training here. The team's head coach Sanders stood on the sidelines communicating with the defensive assistant. Everything seemed so normal.
After greeting everyone, the training ground gradually became lively.
It was afternoon, and the dark clouds that had been holding back for a long time finally broke out.
It was a drizzle at first, but soon it turned into a downpour. It was like God had a bad stomach. The heavy rain lasted for a full three hours.
On the Spurs team bus, Duncan opened the curtain and watched the heavy raindrops hitting the window glass one after another, and then flowing down the window.
The trees on both sides of the road were swaying in the wind and rain, as if celebrating this hard-won shower opportunity.
Duncan sighed, is today destined to be my day of failure? Even God sheds tears for me?
The atmosphere in the team bus was very dull, as if the depressive atmosphere from outside was coming in.
This heavy rain seemed to be prepared for the Spurs players. When they had entered the room to start preparing for today's game, the heavy rain outside stopped!
The deep blue sky looked like a gem after the heavy rain, and what was even more eye-catching was that a colorful rainbow appeared in the sky, attracting many people to stop and take photos.
People in Washington were either wearing Wizards jerseys or simple short-sleeved shorts and slippers. Those with tickets drove to the mcI Center, while those without tickets went to nearby parks or basketball courts, because there were There is usually a screen on the side to broadcast tonight's game.
A few days later, traffic around the mcI center was paralyzed again. The Washington police had to dispatch a large number of police officers to the nearby area to ease the traffic. For a time, this place became the place with the best security in Washington.
The Washington government also attaches great importance to tonight's game. All the major streets have slogans to cheer for the Wizards. Some government facilities are even directly open to the public for them to come in and watch the game together. The voice broadcasts at major subway stations in Washington are They all added the phrase "Wizards Championship".
What's even more honorable is that Patrick Nelson, the mayor of Washington, D.C., actually appeared in the VIP seat of the mcI Center tonight and stood up to greet all the fans during the introduction by the on-site commentator.
Of course, today the mayor came to watch the game as a Wizards fan, so he was also wearing a Wizards No. 0 jersey. Yes, it was Li Kaiming's jersey!
After the wonderful and hot pre-game performance, the lights in the mcI center dimmed, and then several light beams went up together, illuminating the two championship flags flying above the arena!
A low male DJ voice sounded, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Game 5 of the NbA 2012-2013 season finals. Let's witness Washington's third championship together!"
All the Washington fans in the audience cheered, and everyone's heartbeats accelerated in the darkness!
Yes, everyone here tonight is a witness to history!
The lights then moved down, targeting the home team's tunnel.
"Next, let us greet the heroes of this city with the warmest applause and cheers!"
…
In the dim tunnel, Li Kaiming raised his right hand, and the surrounding Wizards players immediately gathered around.
"Wizards!" Li Kaiming roared in a low voice.
"Must win!" All the Wizards players roared, and then pressed their arms down at the same time!
Everyone else had already appeared, and it was finally Li Kaiming's turn.
It was quiet outside for a while, and then he heard the familiar DJ sound.
"The last one! Please use your loudest voice! Let us welcome Washington Wizards player, eternal champion, mVp, Li Kai Ming!"
The MCI Center suddenly burst into riots, as if a blockbuster had been dropped into the arena, and the entire arena was on fire!
Amid nearly 20,000 people shouting "mVp", Li Kaiming ran out to receive everyone's applause and screams!
The lights returned to normal, and three commentators took over the microphone in the commentary box. Barkley couldn't help but sigh: "Lee's voice in Washington is too loud. I have only seen this kind of thing at the Bulls' home court in so many years." Formation..."
Reggie Miller next to him smiled and replied: "Lee is now Washington's own Jordan. Although Jordan also made a comeback in Washington back then, the two's presence is completely incomparable."
This answer was recognized by everyone including the fans at the scene.
Jordan's second comeback was just to help the NbA gain popularity. He basically had no achievements in basketball. However, after all, the basketball god was already 40 years old at that time and could not demand more from him.
The starting lineups of both sides also appeared on the big screen in the arena, remaining the same as before.
In the expectant eyes of the audience, Ed Malloy, the referee on duty tonight, took the ball to the center circle, and then threw the ball into the sky with a whistle!
In the competition for the opening jump ball, the Spurs' side Split won the previous games, but I don't know if Brac was in a more excited mood today and actually beat Split with an unprecedented jump.
The Wizards got the first possession of the opening possession!
The fans at the mcI Center did not miss this opportunity to celebrate and applauded very cooperatively.
Li Kaiming was feeling happy as he ran towards the frontcourt.
I didn't want to fight for the opening ball right at first. After all, it had no impact on the actual ball rights, but I didn't expect that Blatche actually jumped to win. It seems that God is helping me tonight and the Wizards will win the championship!
Hinrich dribbled the ball across half court and then passed the ball to Leonard at 45 degrees.
After that, the Wizards played an inside screen and a figure-8 running tactic for outside shooters. In the end, Hinrich came out from the bottom corner on the same side of Leonard. Leonard directly passed the ball to Hinrich. After receiving the ball, the player made a decisive three-pointer!
The basketball rotated through the air and drew a standard parabola, and then fell into the basket with a swish!
3 to 0!
