The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 296 - 178: Regular Season MVP Announced

Chapter 296: Chapter 178: Regular Season MVP Announced

During the fierce battle between the Pacers and the Wizards, the most anticipated match-up of the Western Conference first round, Game 5 of the Nuggets vs. Lakers series, Kobe’s "double kill" arrived as expected.

Originally, his "double kill" had occurred in Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns, where after two "kills," they had taken a significant 3-1 lead in the series. Just when everyone thought Kobe would pull off a "black seven," the Suns won three straight games, reversing the series with a 4-3 victory and eliminating the Lakers.

At that moment, you simply could not tell which was Lakers’ number 8 and which was Magic’s number 1.

And this "double kill" also became the final victory of Kobe wearing number 8.

However, this time, after Kobe’s "double kill," the Lakers went on to win Game 6, defeating the Nuggets 4-2 in an "upset".

The original Nuggets team was also upset by the sixth-ranked Clippers, who finished third in the Western Conference.

Now the teams had changed, Allen Iverson’s trade had come earlier, but...

They still could not escape the fate that had befallen them in being "upset."

It seemed the fate of the "Golden Dual Guns" was hinted at from this point on.

The Nuggets’ management was peculiar, to say the least, bringing in Allen Iverson along with Carmelo Anthony, hoping to crumble their opponents with sheer offense; if it didn’t work, the Nuggets would crumble themselves.

However, such a tactic has been proven many times in the past: offense alone does not secure a championship.

Even if they looked good during the regular season, come playoff time when the defensive intensity ramps up, a limited-offense Nuggets team could find no other way to curb their opponents. Especially in the sixth game of the series, with the pressure mounting for the team up against the wall, their offense could not break through, and their only plan was to quicken the pace. They ended up scrambling their own rhythm, leading to the Lakers taking the game effortlessly.

With the Lakers completing an "upset," the Western Conference top four were all decided, setting up the next round of the playoffs:

Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns, Mavericks vs. Clippers.

The first two games of both match-ups had been played, with the Mavericks leading the Clippers 2-0.

Although Brand could keep up with Nowitzki in scoring, his teammates could not, and the Clippers were twice killed by the Mavericks’ perimeter shooting. Brand scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the second game but still couldn’t help his team secure even a single victory.

The Lakers and the Suns were tied 1-1.

The Suns, having rested for four to five days, easily took the first game of the series, but in the second game, an explosive Kobe left the Suns with a troubling question: how to defend him? With Kobe scoring 34 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists, the Lakers took home-court advantage from Phoenix.

Judging by the looks of it, they were on the verge of another upset, much to the delight of the Los Angeles media.

The Lakers fans, having spent a season jeered at by the few Clippers fans, were finally able to fiercely counterattack.

Phrases like "There’s a difference between underdogs," "What pedigree do you have compared to ours," "Your streak is nothing compared to ours," and so on were rampant.

No wonder the Lakers fans were striking back so fiercely, as this was the first time in many years that those few hundred Clippers fans had been put in their place. They also took out their emotions on Kupchek.

Sitting in the GM position, he’s expected to do at least something. Haven’t you seen the situation with Yao and the Rockets? Why not get involved and try to bring Yao over?

Indeed, the Los Angeles media were already pushing, criticizing the Houston media from all angles for "eating off of Yao, wearing Yao’s brand, yet looking down on him," in the hopes of leaving a good impression in Yao’s mind.

They were very aware of the current situation:

The pressure from the Houston media made it so Yao could not simply nod and accept a pay cut; that would make him a "softie."

Such an image would definitely incur criticism from fans back home.

In fact, some domestic fans were already criticizing.

It wasn’t that Yao’s humility was a problem, it was Su Wan’s hard stance that made Yao seem... what’s the word... soft in contrast.

In this situation, how could Yao possibly give in to the Houston media?

And the Los Angeles media were very aware of Alexander’s character; he was the kind of owner who would only offer the maximum salary at the very last moment.

The odds were that they would match the contract offered by other teams.

After all, as the team holding his rookie contract, they had the right to match any offers.

And so, by matching the max contract offered by the Rockets, they were only meeting the highest salary other teams could offer—other teams could not trigger the "Bird rights." This allowed them to save millions in salary cap space every year.

Their calculations were clicking perfectly into place.

But judging from Yao’s past behavior during his negotiation with Nike, where he refused their insulting offer and switched to Reebok without a second thought, even after Nike offered more later, Yao showed that he had his pride.

Most importantly, they wanted Yao to feel underestimated by the Rockets.

That’s what the Los Angeles media were striving for.

Kobe’s individual performance so far this season, along with leading his team to the second round, and even tying the series against the Suns at 1-1, convinced the Los Angeles media that if Yao joined, the Lakers would immediately have a new "OK" duo!

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