The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 491 - 218: Is This Something Great?_2

Chapter 491: Chapter 218: Is This Something Great?_2

Basketball isn’t a sport for one person; it’s for three...

No matter if it’s Kobe or Yao Ming, the Warriors couldn’t contain them.

As for Paul Gasol...

If he stood on the court alone, he could be contained, but now he stood beside Yao Ming and Kobe, making it much tougher.

Unable to contain these three, the Golden State media wasn’t like the delusional Cleveland media that lied to itself all day, they knew they were beaten.

The final result confirmed this, a sweeping 4-0 victory.

The Hornets encountered some hurdles in their game against the Nuggets, but eventually won 4-2.

The title "strongest 183 cm" officially shifted from Allen Iverson’s head to Chris Paul’s after this series.

After two seasons together and still getting knocked out in the first round, rumors emerged from inside the Nuggets about trading Allen Iverson—It wasn’t just about the team’s performance; now the problem was... Carmelo Anthony, influenced by Iverson, even adopted a "cornrow" hairstyle, looking like a bigger version of Allen Iverson.

This was definitely not what the Nuggets’ management had initially planned.

To prevent things from worsening, the Nuggets’ management thought it necessary to "cut the Gordian knot."

When Su Wan saw the news, he realized his once-admitted "idol" was at a crossroads in his career. But "The Answer" himself obviously didn’t know it.

The day after the game ended, reporters snapped photos of Allen Iverson attending a gang party with Carmelo Anthony right by his side, looking very much like a driver.

Just this scene alone was enough to be the last straw!

The Mavericks versus Spurs, the "great cattle and horse battle," is also a classic NBA playoff series. Tim Duncan and Nowitzki, as the "four great forwards" of the early 2000s, almost peaked simultaneously.

Both represented a city single-handedly, yet their fates were starkly different:

Tim Duncan received guidance from "Big Brother" as soon as he joined the team and smoothly secured his first Championship Trophy, followed by the second and third.

But it took Nowitzki until his 13th year to realize his dream.

When he first joined the Mavericks, there were only three or four capable players, and Old Nelson was still experimenting. The team hadn’t yet bonded. The entire Mavericks grew with him, slowly becoming a force in the West!

Another difference was that Nowitzki experienced setbacks by "Black Eight" and "Black Six," and until his triumphant championship in 2011, he was always labeled a "softie."

Yet, Tim Duncan had no fewer upset defeats in the playoffs; the Spurs, during Duncan’s era, faced "Black 6," "Black 7," and even "Black 8."

This included Nowitzki leading the Mavericks to a triumphant victory over the Spurs.

Yet no one ever called Tim Duncan a softie!

Well...

Tim Duncan winning the championship in his second year and then single-handedly leading his team in 2003 surely didn’t qualify him as a "softie."

From this, we can see how crucial winning a championship is for the reputation of a player...

Of course, there are those who win the "championship" yet their reputation worsens!

The Western Conference also saw a "Black 6"!

After the Mavericks defeated the Spurs 4-2 in an underdog triumph, the second round for the West was set:

Lakers vs. Jazz, Mavericks vs. Hornets.

In the Eastern Conference, besides the Pacers easily overcoming the Cavaliers,

the other three matchups were all tough battles.

The most fiercely contested series, unexpected to everyone, was the Eastern Conference’s top Celtics vs the eighth-seeded Hawks.

Due to Yi Jianlian’s presence, domestic fans also paid close attention to this series.

Originally, they knew the Hawks were set to lose, hoping Yi Jianlian would perform well in his limited playing time.

The result was drastically different from what they anticipated...

Facing the Celtics, the Hawks did not crumble from the start; instead, they fought back and forth.

They lost this game, but won the next.

Regrettably, in the limited 10 or so minutes of playing time, Yi Jianlian failed to impress.

During the regular season, having played 76 games with an average of 23 minutes and 13 seconds per game, Yi Jianlian scored an average of 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, showing great impact and "second attack" ability.

Unfortunately, in the more intense playoff atmosphere, possibly facing Kevin Garnett and Perkins, Yi Jianlian didn’t spark in these areas.

He averaged just 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

His playing time also was reduced to around 10 minutes.

The only thing that thrilled domestic fans was, during a confrontation with Kevin Garnett, facing tough shoving, he didn’t shy away but shoved back.

This tough attitude was very satisfying to domestic fans.

The Hawks’ coach was also pleased with his demeanor.