The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 562 - 232 The Most Gimmicky Finals_3

Chapter 562: Chapter 232 The Most Gimmicky Finals_3

Indiana’s toughness was carried to the highlands; in this game, he was as tough as a chunk of iron.

Even though he couldn’t actually stop Yao, Yao made him extremely fatigued.

During halftime, he tweeted: Proud of my brother, this is Jeff Foster, before the end of the game, you can never knock him down!

Soon, some enthusiastic fans came running as if they had discovered a new continent:

Shouldn’t you be cheering for your compatriot, Su?

Su Wan replied, "What I really should be doing right now is to block you, you dumbass!"

After this episode, the second half of the game officially started, and who knows if Su Wan’s tweet was seen by Foster, but Foster became even tougher in the second half; even Su Wan, who was watching in front of the TV, could tell that Yao’s physical fitness was declining very quickly.

Phil Jackson could only substitute Yao out.

This was supposed to be a good opportunity for the Nuggets to pull away with the score.

But the result...

Baron Davis suddenly ran out of steam, not only was his personal offense in shambles, but his passing also resulted in outrageous mistakes.

George Karl’s offensive tactics rely heavily on the point guard, and with Baron Davis shutting down, the whole scene became a mess, an impatient Carmelo Anthony started his personal offense mode at this time.

That is, "Lone Wolf" mode.

But in this mode, who could be more familiar with it than Kobe?

The two of them were on fire again, the score was deadlocked, and as Yao returned, working together with Kobe, the Lakers eventually took down this crucial "King Mountain Battle" with a score of 98 to 88, a 10-point difference.

Baron Davis was rarely seen holding his head in frustration after the game.

He probably didn’t expect that, entering his 10th season in the league, he would be part of the most brilliant playoff series that might even alter his place in history.

And he, who had always been favored by the "God of Fate," paid the price for not focusing on the court, indulging in becoming the director with the most successful films among NBA players, and consequently neglecting training to improve his abilities!

The Lakers took the match point, just one step away from advancing to the Finals.

No joy could be seen on Kobe’s face, though.

It was just a match point, and in fact, when he heard Shaquille O’Neal had already entered the Finals, the only thought he had was:

To quickly finish off the Nuggets, he also needed to enter the Finals right away!

Now...

Just one game left!

He wanted to lead this Lakers team, to beat Shaquille head-on, to prove his ability to lead a team!

Of course, avenging the defeat by Su Wan two years ago was also one of the goals.

But what he cared about most was Shaquille!

Just like Shaquille was willing to bow down to Su Wan to beat Kobe!

The opponent Kobe wanted to defeat the most in the Finals was still Shaquille O’Neal.

Now they had two days of rest, and if this round of the Western finals went to a seventh game, they could rest for four games, which was unacceptable to Kobe.

So...

It was time to end it!

Two days later, coming back to Denver, Kobe started in fine form right from the beginning, while across him, Carmelo Anthony, perhaps in competition with the suddenly powerless Baron Davis from the last game, was very aggressive in personal offense this game.

And Kobe, wanting to win this game and enter the Finals quickly, noticed this, and together with Ariza, they successfully contained the solo-playing Carmelo Anthony.

The Lakers established the lead from the start.

Yao no longer worried about his physical fitness and pushed hard frequently in the second quarter.

As the NBA’s undisputed "number five" at that stage, Yao Ming, once in form, softened Foster, who was as hard as iron, and after being continuously damaged, he lost his composure and quickly got into foul trouble.

Eventually, Yao Ming scored 10 points in a single quarter, helping his team to a 12-point lead entering the second half. In the third quarter, Kobe initiated "Unrivaled" mode, and it was then that Carmelo Anthony finally found his touch, but it was too late.

The Lakers have eventually sent Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis packing at their home court in Denver with a score of 104 to 89, a 15-point difference, entering the Finals for the third consecutive year.

Barkley later commented on Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets, feeling hopeful about their future.

Then, all eyes were on the advancing Lakers and the upcoming Finals.

Couldn’t help it!

The Finals had too many draws:

"Huaxia Derby"!

"OK Civil War"!

The battle between Kobe and Su Wan for the title of the strongest active two!

And...

The battle between Yao Sha!

Can you believe that so many draws will converge in one round of the Finals?

But now, due to a twist of fate, it has happened!

The Pacers and Lakers meet again on the stage of the Finals after two years.

This time, the Lakers are the defending champions, while the Pacers are "Baptism of Fire":

A group of guys waiting to prove themselves have come together.

Not to mention the news exploding, even David Stern leaped up from his office chair when he saw the Lakers entering the Finals.

This was the last Final of the 2000s.

Ending the decade with these two teams, in David Stern’s view, was a perfect choice.

The "OK" combination was the most successful "duo" of the 2000s.

And Yao Ming and Su Wan represented the great success of David Stern’s "NBA Internationalization" strategy.

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