Chapter 151 Knicks and Lakers Meet in Finals

The Cavaliers, who lost two games, once again burst out with strong fighting spirit after returning to their home court, but the gap in hard power did not change the final outcome.

Game 105: 98:!

Game 112: 104:!

To everyone's surprise, the Knicks sent their opponents home in just 4 games. Even though their opponents had just defeated the Celtics, the biggest favorite to win the championship this season, 4:1 in the previous series, they showed no ability to fight back against the Knicks.

Everyone began to realize that the champion of last season was the Knicks!
If there were no injuries and the team's main players were not traded, they should be the strongest contender for the championship this season.

It should be natural for them to exert such strong suppression!

How could they have forgotten?

In fact, it’s not that everyone looks down on the Knicks, it’s just that their chances of winning the championship this season are too small, whether it’s the Celtics and Lakers who have strengthened their teams through trades, the Hornets who have emerged as a dark horse, or the old powerhouse Spurs…

Each of these teams is very competitive and they are determined to win the championship, but judging from the Knicks' lineup on paper, they do not have obvious suppressive power, so everyone is not optimistic about them.

But as the playoffs progress to this stage, it has become clear who is the strongest contender for the championship.

The Knicks have won the Eastern Conference Finals and are preparing for the NBA Finals. As for the Western Conference, the Lakers and Spurs are still undecided.

However, the Lakers are currently leading 2:0 and defeated their opponents by 30 points in the second game. Judging from the current situation, it is certain that the Lakers will win the game.

As for the next few games to come, it will depend on the Spurs' resilience.

In the third game, the Spurs finally regained their form at home and defeated their opponents by 19 points.

Duncan scored 22 points and 21 rebounds, a real rebounding maniac. The French sports car had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, providing sufficient firepower for the team.

As for the Lakers, Kobe scored 30 points but failed to prevent the loss. Gasol scored 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, but his performance was mediocre...

The fourth game was very close. In the last minute, the Lakers were leading their opponents by 93 points, 86:9. Logically, winning should have been a foregone conclusion.

However, the Lakers did not score a single point in the last minute. Gasol missed two free throws, Kobe missed two mid-range shots, and Fisher also missed two points, so the Spurs almost turned the game around in the end.

Of course, if Barry could make the three-pointer in the last two seconds, the Spurs would have won the game.

But there are never any assumptions in a game. If you lose, you lose. Now the team leading 3:1 is the Lakers.

They are just one step away from reaching the finals.

In the fifth game, Kobe took 30 shots and scored 60.6 points with a true shooting percentage of 39%, the highest in the game. No other player on the Lakers could score more than 20 points.

In the end, thanks to Kobe Bryant's scoring performance, the Lakers successfully overcame the Spurs and entered the finals.

At this point, the rosters of the two teams in the finals have been officially determined, with the Knicks facing the Lakers. The first game is scheduled for June 6th at Madison Square Garden.

……

Zheng Yang VS Kobe!

This is the point that everyone pays the most attention to before the finals start. After all, these two are currently the top stars in the league, and both are offensive and defensive players. When they meet, needless to say, this year's finals will definitely be exciting.

As for who will win or lose, no one dares to make a guarantee. After all, neither team has shown absolute dominance so far, and each team has one win in the two regular season games. In this case, if you ask everyone to make predictions, no one except their respective fans dares to jump to conclusions.

Of course, this is also one of the highlights of the finals. After all, if you can guess who will win before the game even starts, then what’s the point of watching the finals.

It is only interesting if people are kept in suspense, have quick-acting heart pills at the ready, hold their hearts tightly, and watch the game in fear.

……

Before a game, especially such an important one, head coach Larry Brown always needs to emphasize to the players what they should focus on on the court.

"Hey young guys, time flies so fast, it seems like our championship parade was just yesterday, but in two days, we will compete with the Lakers for this year's championship.

For this year's finals, I have only one request, and that is inside, inside, inside!
No matter who you are, what position you play, or what situation you are in, unless you are completely open and have a 100% chance of making the ball, keep attacking the Lakers' inside.

After Andrew Bynum was injured, the Lakers' inside line is very empty. Although there is Pau Gasol, his influence on the team's offense is far greater than its defense. As long as you continue to attack the inside line, he will definitely not be able to resist you.

In addition, the Lakers' backcourt rebounding protection will also be one of their weaknesses, so when you miss a shot, you must try hard to fight for the frontcourt rebounds, seize every opportunity to score, and create your own value.

This is the NBA Finals, and all NBA fans are watching this game, so we must show our value and keep our best side on the court."

After Bynum's injury, the Lakers' inside line will be their biggest weakness. As long as they can seize this point and continue to attack, the Knicks will take the initiative.

After Larry Brown finished speaking, Zheng Yang, who was originally sitting downstairs, stood up. As the team leader, he really needed to say something before the NBA Finals started.

"It's just like what the coach said, time flies by so fast, and now we are going to play in the finals again. I still remember how terrible it was when we played in the finals last year.

Jamal, do you remember your three-step layup? You know what? I was so shocked at the time. If I hadn't reacted, I would have kicked your ass hard, haha!
After a year, we have all changed a lot. At least when facing the finals again, we are much calmer than before.

If someone dares to do a three-step layup on the court in a few days, I will definitely not be polite this time.

Well, I have a lot to say, but for a moment I don’t know where to start.

It’s the same thing I said last year. We must remember deeply that perhaps this year’s trip to the finals will be the last time in our lives, so we must go all out and leave no regrets. Don’t let us recall this finals when we are too old to walk and can only shake our heads helplessly.

Our opponents are strong and we have to give them enough respect, but please remember that we are stronger than them and we will win this year's finals.

As long as we can win the championship this year, I think we can compete for a higher honor. Do you know what that is? That is the Knicks dynasty!
Wow, that's a crazy thought, we're two championships away from being a dynasty, but remember, anything is possible."

Zheng Yang ended his speech with his classic quote, but the Knicks dynasty he mentioned created ripples in everyone's hearts.

After Zen Master proposed the concept of "dynasty", countless players have been striving for this great goal.

But that is really too difficult. To win the championship for three consecutive years, the team must ensure that there are no problems such as large-scale injuries, aging of the team's main players, and changes in the team's lineup during the three years.

It is no exaggeration to say that it takes all the right time, right place and right people.

After the Lakers dynasty, there hasn’t even been a defending team, let alone establishing a dynasty!
If they could build a Knicks dynasty, they couldn't believe how crazy that would be!

Of course, the prerequisite for fantasizing about the Knicks dynasty is to win this year's finals first. Only by winning two championships will they have a chance to establish a dynasty.

If we lose to the Lakers this year, then all this would be just a daydream!
……

The night before the finals, Kobe, lying on the soft big bed in the hotel, couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned in bed, and finally could only sit up and stare out the window in a daze.

As a player with extremely strong psychological qualities, he can always face various challenges on the court calmly.

But when he thought about standing on the league's highest stage again tomorrow night, his mind could no longer calm down.

That's not fear, it's a complex mixture of excitement, nervousness, excitement and other emotions.

After the departure of the Sharks, he finally proved his ability to lead a team this season. He can be a good team leader and he can lead his team to the championship.

However, what he has done now is not enough. The Big Shark has won the championship, but he has not. He also wants to win the championship.

He wants not only one, he wants a second and a third to establish the Lakers dynasty again.

His goal was never to surpass O'Neal, but to surpass that god.

And it all starts with the game tomorrow night.

He knew that his opponent was very strong. He had studied their game videos many times and had a certain understanding of the common technical movements and habits of their starting players.

He was ready to go on the court and fight with them. He didn't know what would happen during the game, but he knew that he would definitely win the game.

for sure!
In the darkness, Kobe's eyes revealed a crazy determination.

……

Amid the cheers of fans outside Madison Square Garden, the Lakers team bus drove in. They will warm up here for a while before starting tonight's game.

Although there is still some time before the game starts, since it is the finals, all major studios have already begun discussing this year's finals.

"Kobe vs. Zheng? This is indeed the finals I look forward to the most in recent playoffs. They are both players who have a great influence on the game, and their status will greatly affect the direction of this series.

I am looking forward to their matchup. Although I am a fan of Zheng, I really hope that they can play more games in this year's playoffs, or even go to a seventh game.

This year’s finals will definitely be a very exciting round of competition.”

In the TNT studio, Barkley spoke seriously, and the others nodded after listening.

"During the regular season, the Knicks and Lakers each won one game, and the Lakers' win was at the end of the season, which is normally the game that best matches the team's playoff strength.

The fact that the Lakers were able to win at that time meant that they still had a certain advantage over the Knicks.

However, the Knicks are currently the team with more experience in the finals. They were the championship team last season. Although the Lakers have won many championship trophies in their history, judging from the team's current lineup, their experience in the finals is definitely not as rich as their opponents.

This could affect their performance and give the Knicks a chance to beat them.

So it is really hard to predict the direction of this series, but my idea is the same as Charles'. I hope this series can go to a game seven, because it will definitely be very exciting.

After 98, this year’s finals should be the one I look forward to the most.”

Pippen on the side took over the conversation and Barkley on the opposite side nodded.

Although he was disgusted with Pippen's constant reminiscing about the Bulls dynasty, he had to admit that this year's finals might be the most anticipated finals since 98.

The core players of both sides are superstars in the league, and their scoring abilities are also among the best in the league. The thought of their tit-for-tat confrontation is exciting.

……

This year's NBA Finals has received particularly high attention in China because everyone knows that at this year's Olympics, a young man named Zheng Yang will represent the Chinese team in the Olympics.

Although some fans currently do not have much idea about the opponent's strength, when they think about the fact that players like Sun Yue and Wang Zhizhi can only sit on the bench in the NBA, and that although Yao Ming plays well, he is not top-notch in terms of personal honors or team performance, they will know how strong Zheng Yang is.

With the media's special coverage, fans who usually don't watch the NBA also began to pay attention to this event. They all wanted to know whether Zheng Yang could win the championship again this year and successfully defend his title.

"Dear viewers, the first match of the 07-08 MLS Finals is about to begin. Let us first introduce the starting players of both teams.

The Knicks have Zheng Yang, Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson, Crawford, and Ben Wallace.

The Lakers team includes Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and Vladimir Radmanovic.

The starting players of both teams have already walked onto the court, and the game will begin soon! "

(End of this chapter)