Curry casually placed the MVP trophy in the locker room, not in his own locker, but in Harden's locker.
Then go back to the court to warm up and prepare for the game.
Harden sat in front of the locker, staring at the entire MVP trophy that did not belong to him in a daze.
Is it really going to be his turn next season? Isn't this really a joke?
Harden didn't think much and came on the stage immediately. The first game of the Western Conference Finals was about to begin.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the Clippers have reached the Western Conference Finals. They have been a regular in the Western Conference Finals since 2011.
The Clippers players were full of confidence, but the Warriors players were a little tired in comparison. They had just returned from Oklahoma and didn't even have time to go back to Oakland for a day's rest, so they came directly to Los Angeles to play.
Because they did not predict that they would win the tiebreaker in Game 7 in Oklahoma City, they booked a flight back to San Francisco in advance.
After winning the tiebreaker, the working team immediately refunded all the previous tickets and changed them to tickets to Los Angeles.
However, there are no tickets for flying to Los Angeles at night, and the fastest one is the next morning. The players can only sleep for a while and get up early in the morning to go to the airport to catch a plane. Then they arrive in Los Angeles in the afternoon, fall asleep and wait for the next day. Wake up early and prepare for the game.
The Warriors played two rounds of tiebreakers, with overtime in each round. The players' physical fitness and energy were greatly consumed.
Young players like Lillard and Thompson on the outside are okay, as young players recover very quickly.
Insiders like Bogut and David Lee are troublesome, especially Bogut, who has a lot of physical injuries.
Since the Clippers have so many outside attackers, Bogut's defensive role in the interior is crucial. If he is not in good condition, it will be difficult for the Warriors to cause any trouble for the Clippers.
Although the situation is very unfavorable, Warriors head coach Jackson is still ambitious and leads this young team to the Western Conference Finals and also faces the Clippers, whom he hates most. Of course, Jackson is thinking about a life-or-death showdown with the Clippers.
The wins in the first two rounds gave Jackson a lot of confidence. Neither the Lakers nor the Thunder can be my opponent for the Warriors!
Before the start of the game, Jackson was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines and said: "Tonight will be a difficult game, and this is also a difficult series. But it doesn't matter, we have just experienced two tough rounds of duels and stood firm. To be the winner in the end, I believe in my players, these talented young people, who have the ability to create miracles."
In terms of tactical planning, Jackson was also very bold in the first game. He decided to resolutely attack the Clippers and once again bombarded the Staples Center with an excellent offense.
However, after the first quarter of the game started, the Warriors players probably wanted Jackson to swallow what he said during the interview.
This is bragging before the fight even starts. Forget it if the side has the advantage. Look, who is the opponent?
The Clippers started off very well. Randolph, who was severely guarded by Duncan in the last round, began to dominate David Lee and Bogut, regaining some feeling of confidence.
He scored consecutively in the opening game, scoring 4 goals and 8 points, beating the Warriors 8:0 by himself.
The Warriors' offense seemed weak under the Clippers' strong one-on-one defense. Their three-point shooting tonight was terrible.
It's not that they are too good, but their condition today is really bad, and they can't compare with the Clippers who are waiting for work.
The preparations before the game were not done well. Jackson just said that everyone should let go and attack. If you have the guts, you can attack? Can you attack me and see?
The Clippers did not use any special defensive strategy, just simple man-to-man marking in the half court, but the pressure was very strong.
Curry's defense is the main weakness of the starting lineup. The Warriors try to attack Curry, but as long as the pick-and-roll is covered, the Clippers will definitely switch defenses and put enough pressure on the ball carrier.
After all, Lillard is only in his second year. He performed very well in the first and second rounds. However, facing the Clippers' best perimeter defensive team in the Western Conference Finals, he seemed inexperienced and had poor touch.
In the first quarter, the Clippers led the Warriors by 8 points 31:23, and the Clippers played easily and naturally.
Tyronn Lue is responsible for just making substitutions at the right time. The whole team runs at a constant speed, regardless of whether the Warriors can catch up.
In the second and third quarters, the Clippers maintained a lead of about 10 to 8 points.
The Warriors players played very depressed and frustrated. They tried their best to catch up, but the Clippers' back was right in front of them, but they couldn't catch up.
During a timeout in the third quarter, Mark Jackson was so angry that he cursed on the bench. He was not scolding the Warriors players for not playing well, but scolding the Clippers for bullying others too much and controlling points properly.
It's just like boiling a frog in warm water to show off your muscles. If I don't fight you with all my strength, I will win you by about 10 points.
Jackson felt that he and his players were being manipulated by the opponent. The most obvious thing was that for two goals, the Clippers could have used fast break counterattacks to attack the basket directly, but they didn't. Instead, they slowed down. Get into position and use tactics with the Warriors. You must coordinate your tactics.
Isn't this naked play? How about using the Western Conference Finals as a tactical experimental game?
But getting angry is getting angry, and the Warriors really can't find a way to solve it. Their hard power and state are here.
During the timeout, Jackson could only ask the players to strengthen their defense and advance as fast as possible to speed up the game.
The Warriors' hope is that by seizing the Clippers' flaw, the 10-point difference is very likely to come back and quickly reverse the situation.
"Try to reduce the point difference to less than 5 points before the end of the third quarter. We still have a chance to have a decisive battle with our opponents in the fourth quarter!"
Jackson asked the players to launch a wave of offensive climax to reverse the unfavorable situation.
But the Clippers seem to have noticed some signs. During the timeout, Tyronn Lue also scolded the players, saying that everyone underestimated the enemy. Do you think the 10-point advantage is stable?
The Warriors are a team with strong three-point explosiveness. If they don't play well at one stage, if they make more mistakes and make more mistakes, they may be seized of opportunities and be caught up by their opponents.
The Lakers and Thunder both died at the hands of the Warriors in this way, and their three-pointers were really sharp.
"Stop controlling points and fight hard! Kill your opponent and eat the peach!"
So the Clippers showed no mercy. After reappearing in the second half of the third quarter, they suddenly increased the intensity of the Warriors.
A wave of high-intensity defense, flanking the ball holder and switching positions at high speed, Leonard and George made consecutive steals, and then succeeded in a fast break counterattack, beating the Warriors 7:0!
The Warriors were stopped again.
"Coach, it's time to hit the offensive climax." Klay Thompson sat on the bench and said calmly.
Mark Jackson looked at the serious Thompson and thought to himself: Did we make this?
You are being beaten out! The shit came out!
Jackson was a little discouraged now. He knew that there was a high probability that this game would not work.
The players are in too poor condition, the opponent is waiting for work, and they are fully prepared for the home game. They cannot beat the first game anyway.
Therefore, in line with the principle of surrendering and losing half, so that we can meet again in the future, the Warriors made a symbolic resistance in the fourth quarter and then replaced the main force and stopped playing.
The Clippers were also very generous and immediately replaced their junk players. The lead had reached 20 points, an expected victory.
Speaking of which, this is actually the Clippers' first 20-point or more victory in this year's playoffs. There was no massacre in the first or second rounds.
It's not because the Warriors are weak, but it shows that the Clippers have entered the state.
With about five minutes left before the end of the game, Min Congda stood up and left the arena. There was no need to continue watching.
Min Congda is still very satisfied with the Clippers' current state. After training, no team can beat them this year.
In comparison, Min Congda is more concerned about the outcome of the game between the Nets and the Cavaliers, because this will determine whether the mutual agreement between Kobe and Min Congda can be realized.
In the end, the Clippers easily defeated the Warriors at home 117:96 with a 21-point advantage. From the beginning of the first quarter to the end of the game, the Warriors did not let the Warriors take the lead once.
The Warriors really experienced being pushed to the ground and beaten violently. After this game, the Warriors will definitely sum up carefully and they will not give in easily.
After the game between the Warriors and Clippers, the Nets and Cavaliers game took place in Cleveland the next day.
Unexpectedly, but reasonably, the Nets played poorly in Cleveland, and the 23vs24 that people expected was not exciting.
Kobe made 5 of 19 shots and only scored 17 points, while James easily scored 30 points when he clocked in at work, helping the Cavaliers easily win 94:81.
The Nets only scored 81 points in one game, which is a score that Kobe can score alone--of course he can't do it this time.
As a team with a severely aging core, the Nets have already made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, and their consumption has been quite large. It is normal for their state to be unstable.
Even if the Cavaliers have some minor internal problems, after all, the core players are at their peak, and their physical fitness and condition are much better than the old guys in the Nets. They also have the home court advantage, so the outside world is generally optimistic about the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
After a day's rest, the young players recovered very quickly in the second game between the Warriors and Clippers. After the Warriors suffered a big defeat in the first game, the whole team quickly adjusted.
In the game that night, the Warriors started with fierce firepower. They changed from the sluggish start of the previous game and started to attack the Clippers.
Mark Jackson's thinking has not changed. He still has to attack and cover the Clippers. The quagmire tactics are basically ineffective against the current Clippers, especially since the Clippers' infinite mismatch offense has been developed. The quagmire battle can only stall his own offense. In addition, it has little impact on the Clippers.
Lillard, Thompson, and Barnes, they played vigorously, picking and rolling, shooting, and breaking through, using speed and precise shooting to attack the Clippers basket.
They took the lead in the first half, but the Clippers played leisurely. They made a little too many mistakes in the first half, and were caught by the Warriors and fought back several times.
In the third quarter, the Clippers suddenly exerted their strength and quickly caught up with the score, and the two sides began a tug-of-war.
The Warriors were not intimidated by the Clippers' fierce pursuit of points, but started a confrontation with the Clippers. The two teams exchanged three-pointers.
Curry, Harden, Thompson, Lillard, and David Lee hit three-pointers one after another, and the scores on the scoreboard kept rising.
The two teams are mirror images of each other in terms of style. They can handle every position and the game is fierce, smooth and beautiful to watch.
The scores were staggered. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors' shooting percentage began to decline. The intensity of the game became higher and higher, and outside shooting became difficult.
At this time, the Clippers' advantage in hard power began to show. Randolph continuously beat David Lee and Green in the low post, and the Clippers opened the point difference to 5 points.
Then in defense, George and Leonard flanked Lillard, causing Lillard to make a mistake. Curry hit a three-pointer in the counterattack, and the score suddenly opened to 8 points.
The Warriors called a timeout.
The playing styles of the two teams are indeed similar, but the Clippers players are indeed much better than the Warriors in terms of personal ability, experience, and the thickness of the lineup.
To put it bluntly, the Clippers are just a Warriors plus. How can you beat your own father, Warriors?
On the contrary, the Mavericks' unconventional approach, or the thinking and style of play that are still stuck in the previous era, can cause a lot of trouble for the Clippers.
Min Congda sat on the sidelines and watched the game. There was no Poland in his heart. It was not a big problem for the Clippers to win this game. He was just thinking about what would be needed if one day he wanted to break the Clippers' new style of play that was at the forefront of the trend. What kind of system?
Perhaps there will finally be a return to the tradition of low, high and mid-range?
In the second match between the Clippers and the Warriors, the Clippers 115:110, with a 5-point advantage, won another game at home.
The game was exciting, but the outcome was not in great suspense.
Compared to the Warriors, the Clippers actually hate playing the Thunder more. A mirror team like the Warriors is really easy to handle. On the contrary, with Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder will be more troublesome if they rush and beat the Thunder.
After the game between the Clippers and the Warriors, the second battle between the Cavaliers and the Nets followed. As a result, the Nets once again lost 91:97, with a 6-point disadvantage in the away game. They fell behind 0:2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The situation was extremely difficult for the Nets. unfavorable.
Now people believe that the 2014 Finals will be another drama between the Clippers and the Cavaliers. Yesterday, the two sides will meet again in the Finals.
In the early morning, after watching the game, Min Congda called Kobe.
At this time, Kobe had already taken a plane back to Brooklyn, and the team disbanded and went home.
Kobe's tone on the phone was a bit bad, "What are you calling for? The series is not over yet. Don't be complacent. I will fulfill my promise, and you should remember our agreement."
If nothing else, when it comes to tough talk, Kobe is one of the best in the league.
"I'm not here to laugh at you Kobe, I'm just worried and want to give you some advice. If you want to listen, just listen. If you don't want to... I advise you to listen. You know, my advice is always useful."
Min Congda's advice is indeed useful, especially in basketball, which is well-known in the league.
Kobe patiently said, "Tell me, do you have any suggestions?"
Min Congda said: "The first suggestion is that you should communicate with your coaching staff and let Turner start the game, let Deron sit on the bench, and you play point guard. If you play this way, you can still have some hope of winning."
Kobe didn't speak, thinking in his mind. In fact, he also had this idea, because Deron's performance in the series was really average.
I originally thought he could suppress Irving when facing him, but he couldn't keep up defensively and couldn't attack offensively. His knee injury had a great impact on his explosive power.
Deron is inefficient, and he takes up a lot of the ball. The Nets scored very low in two consecutive games because the offense was completely unable to open up.
It is indeed a good idea to let Kobe play the one position and Turner start to increase the height of the forward to deal with LeBron.
"Well, go on."
"Second...Second, let me tell you two stories. In the 2012 Finals, our Clippers were also behind 0:2. In the third game, we were in danger, but we completed the reversal in the best three minutes. Fisher Killed the game. Many people didn't know what happened. At that time, the Cavaliers' offense suddenly lost power. This was due to the team's defense. We used zone defense and 1-4 marking in the half, but this was not The most important thing. The most important thing is - and this is what I learned later - Stephen asked Irving at the time, 'Even if you win, can you get the Finals MVP?'. Logically speaking, this sentence is not lethal, Irving was still a He was a rookie, but he performed very well in the finals, averaging 22 points per game. We couldn't guard him at that time. But after Stephen finished speaking, Irving missed two three-pointers from the outside. These two goals were crucial. . We fought back and the tide turned. And then, you know, the whole series turned."
Min Congda talked about the past of the 2012 finals. In fact, his heart still hurt, but now he feels better when he thinks about it.
In fact, Irving's performance in the 2012 Finals was outstanding and his performance was normal. However, in the last three minutes of the third game, two irrational three-point shots ruined the Cavaliers' hope of winning the championship.
Kobe was silent after listening to it. After a while, he said, "What about the second story?"
"The second story is that one year in the finals, a guard from a strong team wanted to win the finals MVP, and then he took crazy shots during the game, all kinds of irons, and the shooting rate was only 38%, causing the team to be easily defeated by the opponent. , sad loss..."
"Okay, stop talking! I already have three rings by then!"
"Yes, but human nature will not change, and many things have been revealed from the beginning. When you were a rookie, didn't you take three non-stick shots in a row? Irving is the same as you, even his desire for performance Being stronger than you is even more unreasonable. There were conflicts within the Cavaliers during the semifinals. As far as I know, Irving was not very convinced of James' leadership and dominance in the team. Yes, this sounds incredible, LeBron is God in Cleveland, but some people just don't want to believe in God. This is an opportunity for you and the Nets, take advantage of it. This is a war, and you can use all means to win, and you don't want to lose the Eastern Conference Finals Later, someone revealed the promise of summer and was laughed at, right?"
On the phone, Min Congda was like a devil, tempting Kobe to a path of no return.
If James were around, he would definitely advise Kobe not to listen to this man. He just wants to put you on the altar, and then destroy you alive as a sacrifice for the Clippers to ascend to the throne!
But Kobe can no longer care so much. He thinks what Min Congda said makes sense. A strong fortress will always disintegrate from within.
What's more, the knight's fortress has begun to loosen from within.
(End of chapter)
