At 7:40 pm, at Staples Center, the Timberwolves and Clippers entered the stadium one after another.
The fans had no time to distract themselves from booing the visiting Timberwolves. They had already started chanting "Spider-Man" before the entrance ceremony began.
The fans didn't stop shouting until Li Ao took over the MVP trophy from Jordan and the pre-game award ceremony was over.
At 21 years and 9 months old, Spider-Man, the youngest MVP in history, received the MVP trophy from the basketball god who had won five MVPs. It became an unforgettable classic image for this generation of Clippers fans.
The torch of inheritance, at this moment, is truly passed from the hands of the God of Basketball to Spider-Man!
Fans were very emotional. When Ballmer personally announced Jordan's joining, many Clippers fans were not happy to see it.
They are afraid that Spider-Man's growth will be hindered by Jordan, and they are also afraid that Spider-Man will be robbed of attention.
But it turned out that they were overly concerned. In the first year after joining, Jordan took on the role of a "living target" very well. Spider-Man took the opportunity to fully develop his off-ball offensive capabilities and high post.
Jordan also greatly enhanced his offensive ability, helping the Clippers win the championship and helping Spider-Man become a member of the '20-year-old FMVP Club'.
Jordan came off the bench this season, making the Clippers the strongest team in the league in the third quarter. Several young players, including Spider-Man, had more room to grow in the first half...contributing to the youngest MVP in history. Birth!
On the Timberwolves bench, Garnett's face was filled with envy and jealousy.
Give him a Jordan or O'Neal, and he doesn't need Bibby or Odom. He is confident that he can play better than Li Ao.
But in the past five years, their most successful signing has been Joe Smith...
Thinking of this, Garnett wanted to cry.
The atmosphere of tonight's game is particularly noisy, but the happiness belongs to others...
At 8 o'clock in the evening, the first game of the series between the Clippers and Timberwolves began.
Garnett wants to continue to defeat his opponents as he did in the first round.
He played really well! In the first quarter, he made 4 of 6 shots, plus 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.
But the Timberwolves only scored 23 points as a team...
Li Ao, who just won the MVP, made 4 of 7 shots in the first quarter, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals in a single quarter, leading the team to a 29-23 lead over the Timberwolves. Team 6 points!
The score was 27-24 in the second quarter, 29-22 in the third quarter... After three quarters, the Clippers led the Timberwolves by 16 points, 85-69!
Although Garnett had 5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the final quarter and led the team to a score of 29-22, he was still unable to recover.
Li Ao made 15 of 28 shots, including 2 of 4 three-pointers, and 9 of 11 free throws. He scored 41 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. On MVP night, he won the third playoff single in his career. 40+ in the field!
O'Neal Jr. had 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, Bibby had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Odom had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, Jordan had 11 points and 2 assists...
Facing the furious performance of the Clippers' five major stars, Garnett made 11 of 20 shots and efficiently scored 25 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, which was difficult to match.
107 to 98, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves, with a big score of 1 to 0!
After the final whistle sounded, Garnett, who played 46 minutes, doubted his life.
He felt powerless to fight back in this match!
In the final quarter, he led the team to narrow the 7-point gap, but that was because the opponent did not send Bibby, Jordan, and O'Neal in the final quarter. Li Ao and Odom were playing with their substitute teammates on the court.
The narrowed 7-point difference, apart from making the final score look better, did not play any role in reversing the situation.
“Aren’t we the team that has beaten the Clippers the most times this season?”
Garnett looked at the score and muttered this sentence repeatedly. The strong confidence he had gained from defeating the Kings 4-1 in the first round was shattered...
Before the game between the Clippers and Timberwolves started, many media promoted the Timberwolves' ability to defeat the defending champion. The reason is that the Timberwolves defeated the Clippers twice in the regular season.
But in this game, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves with overwhelming force and did not give their opponents any chance.
Hubie Brown, who was specially invited by Time Warner Cable Sports to commentate on the playoffs, commented: "The biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs is actually not the confrontation, but the clear need to play at least 4 games with the opponent and do more. With sufficient preparation, the gap in strength will become more obvious.
The Timberwolves were able to defeat the Clippers in January. At that time, the Clippers had won 20 consecutive games. The period of explosive state had just ended, and the Timberwolves seized the opportunity. When the two teams met again a few days later, the Clippers did They were fully prepared and defended the Timberwolves to only 70 points. The last time the two teams met, the Clippers did not do a good job in defense during the most tiring stage of five consecutive away games.
Now that the Clippers have advanced to the second round earlier, they have home court advantage and more preparation time. The Timberwolves can defeat the Kings. This is indeed a great thing, but it will also make the Clippers more vigilant..."
…
The Clippers and Timberwolves kicked off the second round.
The Magic faced off against the Raptors again, meeting in the playoffs for three consecutive years after the cousins broke up, and the topic was aroused.
The Nets and the 76ers met, and the most versatile and strongest shield in the backcourt clashed with the strongest spear in the backcourt.
The Lakers and Jazz meet again in the playoffs after 4 years. Can the two evil teams continue to defeat the OK combination, or will the OK combination bully both teams and become ineffective?
The next three series were more popular than the Clippers and Timberwolves. The main reason was that the Timberwolves' performance in the second round was far below people's expectations.
On May 8, the Clippers will face the Timberwolves in the second game of the series at home.
Li Ao, who scored 41 points in G1, was targeted by Garnett.
When Garnett is focusing on a player to help defend, let alone Li Ao, even the top Djoko has to deal with it.
Li Ao only made 5 of 16 shots in the game, with a dismal shooting percentage, but he also got 6 rebounds and 10 assists, plus 2 steals and 3 blocks!
Targeted by Garnett, Li Ao consciously expanded outwards. O'Neal became more popular tonight, making 12 of 19 shots, plus 7 of 11 free throws, scoring 31 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks!
In addition, Jordan, who came off the bench, scored 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Three Clippers scored in double figures and beat the Timberwolves 94-79, a big score of 2-0!
Garnett made 6 of 13 shots tonight, plus 6 of 6 free throws, scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Apart from limiting Li Ao's scoring, the rest was basically for nothing.
The Wolf Kings shined to the extreme in the first round, but in the second round, they were knocked back to their original form, returning to the appearance of the past 6 playoff trips.
After the first two games, the two teams got two days of rest.
On May 10, Li Ao came to Minneapolis with the team and watched the NBA draft lottery at 8 p.m.
The Cavaliers got the No. 1 pick just as he remembered.
The second pick... was still picked by the Pistons!
The live broadcast cut to the logo man covering his face.
This scene was full of joy, and Li Ao guessed that the man with the logo was thinking: Since he already got the second pick, why not get the top pick? Playing with me!
The Pistons are second in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the league. They are not eligible for the lottery. Their draft pick is the 25th pick in the first round.
This pick was acquired by the Pistons from the Grizzlies in exchange for Thorpe in 1997. The pick was highly protected, and the protection gradually decreased. In 2000, there was still lottery protection, and last year there were still top 5 picks. Protection, but only the No. 1 pick is left this year.
What a coincidence, I just picked the highest pick besides the protection pick.
The Nuggets general manager happily accepted the No. 3 pick.
Anthony, Bosh, Hinrich, Ford, Kaman... these college geniuses, talented high school students such as James, Pietrus, Outlaw, Perkins... international talents such as Milicic and Diaw... have participated. If you choose, the first three picks in this draft can select a future superstar with your eyes closed.
The following rankings are based on record.
The Heat picked 4th, the Bucks picked 5th, and the Bulls picked 6th... This is the first time the Bulls have broken out of the top five picks since Jordan retired.
Hawks 7th, Warriors 8th, Rockets 9th, Celtics 10th, SuperSonics 11th, Knicks 12th, owns the Spurs The Grizzlies took the 13th pick in the first round.
Seeing that the Grizzlies got the 13th pick and also marked the unprotected pick... Li Ao finally understood why the Spurs, who could still add a little more talent, didn't mess up this year. The pick was given away in the summer of 2000. , showing off is to help others.
On the Grizzlies side, the logo man changed to a capable coach this year. He stopped playing badly and achieved the best record in team history. He just didn't want to take advantage of the Pistons.
This draw is more interesting than any draw Li Ao has ever seen...
After a night's rest, on May 11, the NBA announced the final grand prize of this regular season - the best lineup.
All-Rookie Team:
First team: Butler, Gooden, Yao Ming, Stoudemire, Nene.
Second team: Wagner, Ginobili, Kirisek, Brehmer, Boozer.
There is only one outside player on the rookie team, and half of the 10 players on the All-Rookie Team are inside players. The last time this happened was in the 1995 class, when 6 of the 10 players on the All-Rookie Team were inside players.
Best lineup:
One team: Kidd, Li Ao, Kobe, Duncan, O'Neal.
Second team: Iverson, Carter, Nowitzki, Garnett, Ben Wallace.
Third team: Nash, McGrady, Mashburn, Webber, Jermaine O'Neal.
All-Defensive Team:
One team: Kidd, Li Ao, Kobe, Duncan, O'Neal.
Second team: Eric Snow, Doug Christie, Bowen, Garnett, Ben Wallace.
Diligent shark doubles for a while!
O'Neal's defensive focus this season is unprecedented in his career. He never worked so hard when he was a lean shark. With the severely degraded Samakie Walker and Horry, rookies Mark Madsen and Med. With Videnko and other inside teammates, O'Neal's rim protection performance still ranks second in the league, second only to Duncan!
Four people including Kidd, Li Ao, Kobe and Duncan were selected for the double team. This was predicted by the media before the start of the season.
But O'Neal was selected for the first defense. The media and fans never thought about it before the start of the season.
A scene that may never be repeated appeared - five double teams in a single season!
This never-before-seen scene sparked heated discussions among fans.
ESPN evaluation - This is the most dominant five-man group in the league.
Kidd - Absolutely powerful team leader ability.
Li Ao-probably the best offensive and defensive link-up ever.
Kobe Bryant - the strongest perimeter player.
Duncan - an absolutely stable super center.
O'Neal - the pinnacle representative of personal ability in basketball.
It has to be ESPN, which not only pushed a hot topic to a climax, but also broke out 5 hot and controversial topics.
In the evening, the Clippers came to Target Center to play against the Timberwolves.
Garnett regrouped after returning to the home court. Although he only scored 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting and 4-for-6 free throws after playing the entire game, he still had 18 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 steals. Block shot.
Troy Hudson scored a game-high 28 points with the help of Garnett.
At the same time, Garnett also limited Li Ao to only 7 of 20 shots and only scored 21 points.
But Li Ao also defended Szczerbiak and only scored 15 points on 6 of 16 shots.
In addition to Li Ao's 21 points, the Clippers also had O'Neal's 22 points, Bibby's 10 points and 6 assists, Jordan's 15 points, Big Q's 16 points, Odom's 9 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists...
102 to 97, the Clippers crushed the Timberwolves' fighting spirit to counterattack, leading 3-0!
After a day of rest, on May 13th, the Clippers and Timberwolves started Game 4 of the series at the Target Center.
Garnett still has his hard points.
He will never give up on the game!
He played 42 minutes tonight, threw more than 30 times, made 14 of 31 shots, and 5 of 7 free throws. He scored 33 points and 12 rebounds, but only had two assists and was very weak defensively.
He has no choice but to play like this. He has fighting spirit, he never gives up, he is arrogant and self-respecting... His teammates' mentality completely collapsed after falling behind 0-3.
O'Neal Jr. had 31 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, Li Ao made 7 of 14 shots and 2 of 4 free throws to score 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, Jordan had 24 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, Bibby had 12 points and 5 assists. , Odom had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists...
101-83, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves again, sweeping 4-0 to advance to the Western Conference Finals!
…
The Clippers went straight to the Western Conference Finals with 8 wins and 0 losses, and the fans were unfazed. After the G1 match between the Clippers and the Timberwolves, the media's tone changed - the Timberwolves could win one game at most, and there was a high probability of being defeated. Sweep.
This is also true. Except for the possibility of an upset in G3, the Timberwolves were beaten in the other three games.
The topic of the Clippers' sweep to advance was not as popular as the topic of the five double-teams the day before yesterday.
Li Ao now, Pippen and Garnett during the Bulls era, who has the better ability to connect the team?
Who among O'Neal, Jordan, Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the pinnacle of personal ability?
Who among Kobe Bryant, Iverson and Carter is the strongest perimeter player in the league today?
There is no controversy about Kidd's leadership ability and Duncan's stability... The topic of whether Duncan is a center is still quite controversial. Anyway, Magic fans firmly do not recognize Duncan as a center. They say Clifford Robinson is the center. .
Li Ao returned to Los Angeles with the team at noon on the 14th, and went to Memorial Stadium for extra practice in the afternoon. The series between the neighbors and the Jazz started late, and the first two games were tied 1-1. It took such a long time , he needs to practice more quickly.
Seeing his disciple's enthusiasm for training, Gentry complained to Wally Walker: "I think we need a Pat Riley to organize a devil's training camp and just give it to Leo alone."
Wally Walker said to Mark Hunter, the head of the training staff on the side: "Mark, ask the team doctor to pay more attention to Leo's physical condition."
Hunter smiled and said: "Don't worry, Wally, Leo is a natural athlete. He was born to eat this bowl of food. Almost all his physical health indicators are the best in our team. Even Gerrard Not as good as him."
Wally Walker responded: "Even so, we have to be careful. The floor must be wiped clean at all times, and the balls on the ground must be emptied in time... I don't know which one will come first, accident or tomorrow. When Leo finishes training, you can let the engineering department check it." Training equipment, you can’t take things by chance, you have to eliminate some dangers.”
Hunter shrugged at Gentry who was watching the show, agreed, and ran to work.
The general manager was nagging a little, but he was right. This is what they should do well.
While Li Ao was undergoing intensive training, the other three series were still in full swing.
On May 16, there will be a series in the Eastern Conference to decide the winner.
The score was 82-74 in the first game, 95-86 in the second game, 85-97 in the third game, 100-84 in the fourth game, and 93-92 in the fifth game... On the night of May 15, McGrady received Cassell passed the ball and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, killing Cousin. The Magic defeated the Raptors 4-1 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Li Ao also watches the live broadcast of the game after training. He is very interested in the other three groups playing in the second round.
The Raptors' scores in these five games, except for G3, which broke out to win, and G5, which struggled, the scores in the other three games were all below 90 points.
As expected of the Magic, a super team with no losing streak in the regular season.
On May 19th, the third team to advance to the conference finals was announced.
Iverson's personal performance in the second round was still fierce, averaging 28.5 points, 9 assists and 2.5 steals in 6 games.
But Kidd is stronger!
Averaged 16.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and averaged 2.6 three-pointers per game with a 43.5% three-point shooting rate. Kidd led the Nets to defeat the 76ers 4-2 and meet the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals!
In this round, Kidd's dominance seems to be much lower than in the first round, but Li Ao feels that Kidd has done an excellent job.
Kidd is not good at guarding Iverson's type of defender personally. The Nets' team defense is very strong, but they have a limit when it comes to guarding a single player. Combined with Iverson's scoring ability and playing style characteristics, The Nets' defensive limits have obviously been exceeded.
But Kidd still controlled the situation and used his team strength to grind the 76ers to death.
On May 21, the Lakers defeated the Jazz 88-76 in an away game.
From 0 to 1, to 1 to 1, to 1 to 2... to 4 to 2!
The Lakers won 3 games in a row and took 6 games to reverse and end their losing streak against the Jazz in the playoffs! He took revenge for being beaten for two consecutive years in 1997 and 1998, and joined the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals!
(End of chapter)
