The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 292 - 176 This is the Real Playoffs

Chapter 292: Chapter 176 This is the Real Playoffs

In 2006, the selection of the "Best Lineup" witnessed an interesting phenomenon:

There were 6 players selected to the "All-Defensive First Team."

Jide tied with Kobe, which was a rare occurrence.

Besides, after missing out last season to some controversy, Kobe and LeBron successfully made it into the final "Best Lineup."

Kobe even made a direct comeback to the "First Team."

His performance this year truly deserved a spot on the "First Team."

Moreover, Su Wan moved from last season’s "Second Team" to the "First Team."

Carmelo Anthony, as a rookie, made it into the "Best Lineup" roster.

Yao Ming also made it into the "Second Team" for the first time in his career.

The Pacers could be regarded as the biggest winners of this "Best Lineup" selection.

They had two players selected for the "Best Lineup." Additionally, Su Wan was on the "All-Defensive Second Team," while the younger O’Neal and Artest both made it into the "All-Defensive First Team."

However, there was no controversy from the public, given the Pacers’ league-leading record.

Even Kobe, when he faced the Pacers’ defensive lineup in the regular season, failed to gain any advantage.

Not to mention, just look at how LeBron fared in the first round of the playoffs.

Anyone who saw that series would hardly argue with the results.

As discussions about the best lineups continued, results from other league matchups came in one after another, with the Pistons eliminating the Bucks 4-1 in the Eastern Conference, and the Heat similarly dispatching the Bulls 4-1.

The Nets and the Wizards had a heated battle; even after five games, no victor had emerged, with the Wizards narrowly leading 3-2 in the series, setting up "Game 6."

In the Western Conference, after the Phoenix Suns swept the Rockets 4-0, the Mavericks also breezed through their opponents, advancing to the next round.

However, even if these two teams were to meet again, it would not be until the Western Conference finals, as they were waiting for the outcomes of the other two teams.

The Nuggets and the Lakers had played 4 games in their series, which basically boiled down to the core players’ performance; if Kobe was in good form, then the Lakers won, but if the "Golden Dual Guns" played well, then the Nuggets won.

The series was tied 2-2.

The consensus among the media was that these two teams were very likely to go to a "Game 7."

The Grizzlies were down 1-3 in their series against the Clippers.

The Clippers had the lead.

The Grizzlies’ lag was due to their inability to contain "Captain" Brand.

That’s probably the reason Brand made the "Second Team," while Paul Gasol was left without any honors!

The Spaniard’s paper strength could be ranked in the league’s top ten, even boldly in the top eight, but the problem was that against any power forward of the same calibre, at best he could fight to a draw, and power forwards that he could dominate were practically non-existent.

Instead, he was often seen as "fragile and easy to push over" in front of those with strong "back attack" abilities and under-the-basket scoring skills.

And Brand, a "Big Black" type of player, was precisely the kind of matchup that was very thorny for him to handle.

If it were not for the injury that led to his season-ending absence, Brand could have potentially become a top five power forward in the league.

Even just by leading the Clippers to the playoffs this season, he had achieved that.

Paul Gasol’s individual leadership was rather lacking.

Especially when compared to the next "Bear King"...

Of course, this brings us back to the inexplicable mystique.

Paul Gasol’s appearance doesn’t really relate to the "Bear King," but just look at Zach Randolph, he embodies the "Grizzlies"!

Memphis also entered its first "Peak Era" under his leadership.

In those years, using Stephen Curry’s words, there were no teams that wanted to face the Grizzlies.

Looking back at Su Wan and Indiana, they were a perfect match.

Fighting spirit flows indispensably in his blood.

The Pacers too welcomed their own period of glory.

For a team, having the right leader is a very important thing.

After about a week of rest, the Pacers, having advanced to the next round of the playoffs first, finally awaited their semifinal opponents.

The Wizards, after a grueling 6 games, dispatched the Nets.

The Nets’ wings, the "Double Gun," still couldn’t overcome the Wizards’ "Three Musketeers"!

Especially Arenas, with an average of 32.5 points and 7 assists per game in the first round, displayed a "Super Star" level performance.

Under his leadership, the Wizards had successfully reached the Eastern Conference’s top four, their first time since the 2000s, and for the first time in over ten years.

Something that Chris Webber and "Uncle Huo" couldn’t achieve together, the Wizards’ "Three Musketeers" did!

They fell even more in love with Arenas!

This was certainly the best period of Arenas’ career, arguably his absolute peak. It was after he received the maximum contract and suffered injuries, missing an entire season, that he lost his drive and the Washingtonians no longer saw such a fierce "Great General."

This season, the Wizards averaged 101.7 points per game, with the "Three Musketeers" contributing an average of 67.4 points, roughly 66% of the team’s total offense.

Therefore, if the Pacers wanted to win, limiting the firepower of these three players was crucial.

Rick Carlisle directly assigned Su Wan, the younger O’Neal, and Artest their defensive targets: "The player with the highest shooting percentage against us will treat the entire team to lunch the next day!"

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