Chapter 133 The finals begin

October 2007, 6!
It was a sunny day, the sun was shining and the breeze was not dry!

When Zheng Yang got on the team bus and headed to the AT&T Center to prepare for tonight's game, he had mixed feelings.

Are you happy? Of course, who wouldn’t be happy to be able to play in the finals and have the opportunity to chase the championship?

Are you excited? Of course, it's the finals. If they can play in the finals, Nash is willing to trade his two MVPs.

Worried? Of course, there are some concerns. This is the Spurs team, with the GDP trio at their peak, defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen, experienced veteran Horry, and resourceful head coach Popovich!

It is really not easy to defeat them, and Zheng Yang has no confidence at all!
He stared out the window in a daze, his mind was blank. He didn't want to worry about it anymore. He just wanted to sit quietly on the bus, and when he got to the stadium, he would give his all to the game.

Except for Zheng Yang, everyone else remained quiet. They were all a little nervous, partly because they had never played in the finals, and partly because of the strength of their opponents.

Can they win?
Will they lose badly?
Is this their only chance to play in the finals in their lifetime?
Their minds are filled with countless questions!
The bus to the stadium was so quiet that it was depressing!

……

"Hello, audience friends. The next game we bring to you is the first game of the 06-07 MLS playoff finals. The Knicks, who ranked first in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, will challenge the Spurs, who ranked second in the Western Conference.

As a regular in the finals, the Spurs are obviously familiar to everyone. They have extremely rich experience in the finals and their performance has always been very stable.

As for the other team, the Knicks, except Zheng Yang and Ben Wallace, no one else on the team has any experience in the finals, which makes them appear quite passive in this finals.

They have a certain gap in mentality and experience with their opponents. Although this will not be the decisive factor in this series, it may very likely be the reason for the Knicks' failure.

Therefore, if we want to win this series, Zheng Yang must show leadership and lead the team to overcome the mental obstacles. "

The players' mentality can really affect the team's performance. If the players have a good mentality, they can at least show their original strength, even if they don't perform exceptionally well.

Once the players' mentality explodes, the team is likely to only be able to perform at 5% of its strength and make frequent mistakes. The Knicks themselves have a slight gap in strength with the Spurs. If there are more mistakes, then there is no need to play this game!
So what Mr. Yu Jia said in the CCTV studio makes sense.

At this moment in the TNT studio, Pippen, the special guest of this game, also expressed his concern about the mentality of the Knicks players.

"Charles, you've also played in the finals, you know how it feels to be on the finals stage for the first time.

You will feel your feet are so weak that they seem like they will float up in the next second. You can't even control the ball. Countless voices will pass through your ears, from fans, opponents, teammates, and coaches!
You can't even tell who's talking!

And this is obviously the challenge that the Knicks players have to face!

Except for Zheng and Daben, no one else on this team has any experience in the finals. They are all very young. They may be very excited now, but when they step onto the court, the overwhelming pressure will make them breathless. It will be difficult for them to even stand, let alone take the ball and win the game.

Therefore, the team I am optimistic about is the Spurs. They are too mature. Whether in terms of player configuration or finals experience, they are the better side.

I know you all place your hopes on Zheng, hoping that he can create a miracle, but the reason why a miracle is called a miracle is because the probability of it happening is so small. "

What Pippen said makes sense. Barkley has played in the finals, so he naturally understands the feeling Pippen described.

To be honest, only players with abnormally good psychological qualities like Zheng Yang can adjust quickly. Ordinary people may still be dizzy until the finals are over!
Still, Barkley shook his head.

"Scottie, the team I support is still the Knicks. If you want to ask me why, I can only tell you that Zheng is my only reason.

We all know that the Knicks have problems of one kind or another, but as long as Zheng is there, I believe these problems will eventually be solved.

Zheng is a player who can help his teammates become better. He will use his influence to help his teammates slowly get out of the trough. The Spurs are indeed great, but I still choose to support the Knicks.

As long as Zheng is here, Zheng is my only choice."

When Barkley said the last sentence, Pippen was a little stunned.

What the hell is this fat pig doing?

Why the hell are you being so affectionate?

Why do you make me look like a villain again? I didn't do anything to discredit the Knicks. I was being realistic and speaking from a practical perspective!

Are you working on the show effects?
Or are you really that affectionate towards that guy?

At this moment, Pippen completely lost himself. Barkley didn't care about his shocked look and turned his gaze to the big screen. At this moment, the starting players of both teams had already walked onto the court and the game was about to begin.

Let me first introduce the current starting lineup of the Spurs, "French Sports Car" Tony Parker, "Stone Buddha" Duncan, "Lone Egg Superman" Bowen, Zheng Yang's former teammate Michael Finley, and young player Fabrizio Oberto.

Although there is no player like Zheng Yang who can score explosively, Parker, Duncan and Finley are all good scorers.

Moreover, this starting lineup has no obvious defensive weaknesses, and no matter which team they meet, they will not be restrained particularly obviously.

During the jump ball phase, Eddy Curry used his height advantage to win the team the first offensive opportunity, but after Quentin Richardson received the ball, his first dribble hit his foot and the ball almost flew out of bounds.

Zheng Yang, who was standing by, was also shocked by his inexplicable mistake. Although the ball was finally rescued, Zheng Yang felt a little uneasy.

The Spurs also clearly felt that the Knicks were not in good shape, and the experienced Parker chose to press Quentin Richardson in the first round.

The latter panicked and chose to stop the ball. Seeing this, Finley rushed up to double-team him.

In a panic, Quentin Richardson's pass was intercepted, and Tony Parker completed the team's first attack with a layup after a steal.

The AT&T Center was suddenly filled with earth-shaking cheers. It was cheers for the Spurs, but for the Knicks, it was like the bells from hell.

The Spurs players sounded the death knell, and four games later, who will die?
The answer to this question seems obvious...

In the second round, Quentin Richardson's dribbling finally had no problems. After the ball successfully crossed half court, he couldn't wait to pass the ball to Crawford.

The moment the basketball was passed, Quentin Richardson visibly breathed a sigh of relief, as if what he had in his hand was not a basketball but a devil's fruit!
Crawford received the ball and rushed into the inside. He was known for his flamboyant style of play, but at this moment he inexplicably gave off a feeling of stiffness, but fortunately the basketball was not dribbled away.

Crawford, who had just rushed into the paint, seemed to be unable to stop, and he actually made a three-step layup for the first time. It was not the so-called "012 layup", but a very standard "123" layup. The referee on the sidelines was not blind, and he directly blew a traveling violation, and the ball was handed over to the Spurs again.

In the Spurs' offensive round, Finley used a mid-range shot to help the team score two more points.

0: 4!

One minute into the game, the Knicks made two turnovers!

Larry Brown on the sidelines was stunned. Is this basketball? Is the team I lead the best team in the East?

If you say that they can't beat the opponent, Larry Brown can barely accept it. After all, there is a little gap in strength between the two teams, so losing is normal.

But what happened to the two mistakes at the beginning?

I just emphasized, don’t make any mistakes, don’t make any mistakes. Now I’ve made two mistakes at the start. How can I continue playing this game?
In desperation, Larry Brown requested a timeout.

A timeout was called one minute into the game, which was definitely something Larry Brown did not expect. However, if this timeout was not called, Larry Brown was worried that the advantage of the game would go directly to the Spurs.

Then you won't even have the qualifications to struggle!
……

"Two turnovers at the start and a wasted timeout are bad news for the Knicks.

We were just talking about how the mentality of these young players might affect the direction of this series, but we didn't expect that they would be so nervous.

It can be seen that their limbs are stiff and their technical movements have been deformed. If they cannot adjust in time, the first game will be easily won by the Spurs.

If the Knicks lose the first game, they will be in a more passive situation! "

Pippen frowned and said helplessly that he did not expect the Knicks' situation to be so bad, and he did not want to see it.

As a fan, what he hopes to see is a fair fight between two evenly matched opponents, rather than one side being completely crushed by the other.

Barkley didn't respond. He stared at the Knicks players walking towards the bench, frowned and remained silent!

Is it really true that the Knicks have no chance of winning?

Are these players really unable to overcome their inner obstacles and find themselves again?

When Quentin Richardson and Crawford walked down with their heads down, Larry Brown didn't know what to say for a moment.

Should I scold them or continue to emphasize that they should not make mistakes?
Will this really help the team?

At this time, Zheng Yang spoke first.

"This is a bad start, guys!"

Zheng Yang's voice attracted the attention of all the players in the team. Crawford took over the conversation and immediately raised his hand.

"My problem. I made a stupid mistake."

"And I!"

Quentin Richardson also admitted his mistake, but Zheng Yang just smiled and shook his head without blaming them.

"This isn't a fatal problem, guys, just relax!

I know this is your first time playing in the finals, and I know how that feels. When I first walked into the finals two years ago, my legs were shaking.

Michael Finley was my teammate at the time, and he asked me, Zheng, are you okay? Why are your legs shaking?
I was embarrassed to tell him that I was a little nervous, so I said this was my secret warm-up trick. Hahahaha!"

Zheng Yang made a little joke and then continued.

"I know you are all afraid of failure. After all, our opponents are very strong and there are so many eyes on us. No one can adapt to this feeling all at once.

But guys, please think back carefully, in your college, high school or even earlier, was there a night when you tossed and turned in bed?

At that time, your mind was full of thoughts about how you must make it to the NBA, how you must make it to the finals, and how you must win the championship.

You were so excited that you couldn't sleep that night!

Please remember this feeling, and then look at where you are now. This is the finals, the place you have always dreamed of coming to. The opportunity to compete for the championship is before you. Please don't be nervous, but be excited.

We never know if this will be our only chance to compete for a championship, so when this opportunity presents itself to us, we must seize it.”

The referee's whistle had sounded, signaling the players to return to the court, but Zheng Yang's speech continued, he spoke faster and raised his voice.

"Now we need to get back on the court. Please enjoy the game with all your heart and soul. Don't be afraid of failure. Throw the unsolvable problems to me and let me solve them. If you fail in the end, I will bear all the responsibility.

And please believe that everything is possible!"

When Zheng Yang said the last sentence, he was already shouting!
He is equally emotional, he wants to win this game, he wants to win this year's championship trophy, so he needs his teammates to stand up and fight alongside him!

He knew they could do it, they were just a little nervous. As long as they adjusted themselves, they would still be able to fight with their opponents!
"Everything is possible!"

After Zheng Yang shouted it out, others all shouted out the slogan at the same time. Only at this moment could they realize how powerful this sentence was.

That is a belief of never admitting defeat and never giving up. Even if there is Jordan on the opposite side, they will go up and fight with them.

The referee once again signaled the Knicks players to return to the court. Whether it was the fans watching through the screen or on site, they all had an inexplicable feeling that this team seemed completely different from before.

(End of this chapter)