Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 600: No matter how the plot unfolds, it's guaranteed to be a huge profit.

Another noteworthy point is that before the Eastern and Western Conference Finals began, another major event in the league was also underway.

Lotto draw ceremony!

Representatives from the 14 teams that failed to make the playoffs will gather in New York for the annual draft lottery, a chance for teams to turn their fortunes around.

For these teams, the playoffs and the championship are irrelevant. Tonight is the most important night of their entire season. They've been playing terribly all season, all for this one night!

Of course, this night had nothing to do with Lin Tian. The Knicks only had one 30th pick in the first round, and given their current situation, unless they fielded their own Big Three, no one would trade any lottery pick to them.

Therefore, Lin Tian only glanced at the results of this draw.

His main objective was to determine which position the Bobcats would be drawn in, and which position his former team, the Pacers, would be able to achieve.

Lord Lin, you cherish the past!

As for the final result...

The Raptors, who finished last in the league, got the number one pick and can choose first. Jordan's Bobcats had another stroke of luck, getting the second pick for the second year in a row. Including this year's pick, in just two years since the team was founded, they have been selected first, second and second in the three drafts!

Jordan's character is absolutely admirable!

It's his taste that's so questionable... tsk tsk tsk... it's really not worth mentioning.

I wonder who he will choose this year. Will he choose Aldridge, whom Lin Tian recommended?

This was Lin Tian's only expectation for this year's talent show.

As for the next picks, the third pick is the Rockets, the fourth pick is the Trail Blazers, the fifth pick is the Hornets, the sixth pick is the Hawks, the seventh pick is the Warriors, and the eighth pick is Lin Tian's former team, the Pacers.

It can only be said that the Pacers were unlucky and failed to pull off an upset. Bird will have to carefully consider who to select with the eighth pick.

Each team now has more than a month to try out and find suitable rookies, while the last four teams remaining in the league will once again engage in a fierce battle!

They're going to give it their all for the final championship!

It's worth mentioning that the four teams in this year's regional finals are exactly the same as those last year!

Last year, the Pistons defeated the Knicks in Game 7, and the Lakers beat the Suns in a big win, with both the Pistons and the Lakers advancing to the NBA Finals. The Pistons then won the championship!

So, what about this year?

Before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals began, Barkley and Kenny were seated in the studio on time, making final preparations and warming up for the two conference finals.

Barkley exclaimed, "There couldn't be a more perfect rivalry! So many teams have been looking for revenge this year! There's a lot of grudge between them, and no matter how the Finals are decided, it's guaranteed to be exciting and entertaining!"

"If it's the Pistons versus the Suns, it'll be another clash between the strongest shield and the sharpest spear."

"If it's the Pistons vs. the Lakers, it's a rematch of last season's Finals. Will the Lakers get their revenge, or will the Pistons lift the championship trophy again?"

Kenny quickly added, "If it's the Knicks versus the Suns, then it'll be a head-to-head battle between the two most offensively potent and physically dominant teams in the league! And if either of them makes it to the Finals, it will completely shatter the myth that 'you can't win a championship without defense'!"

Both of these teams are among the bottom five defensively in the league this season! They are both extremely offensively potent teams!

"And let's not forget, Nash snatched the MVP award from Lin last year, so their matchup is bound to be incredibly exciting!"

"And if the Knicks face the Lakers, that would be the scenario that the league and countless neutral fans would most like to see! The two teams with the highest market value, the largest market, and the most fans in the league would meet in the Finals, and the three top stars with the highest popularity in the league, who have been the starters and top five in the NBA All-Star voting for many years."

"We don't even need to consider the Lakers' and Lin's 'personal feud'."

"Since 2000, the Lakers have reached the NBA Finals five times, losing all of them. Four of those losses were to Lin Tian, ​​and one was to the Pistons."

"Los Angeles fans must be itching to tear Lin to pieces and feed him to the dogs after losing four Finals in seven years! Lin has definitely surpassed Boston to become the most unpopular jerk in Los Angeles!"

"In short, no matter which two teams face off, this year's finals will be absolutely thrilling!"

Barkley seemed excited and expectant, as if he were watching the two commentators' commentary. His speech became faster and faster, and he was visibly excited: "And even without considering the NBA Finals, the Conference Finals alone are full of exciting moments!"

Both matchups are between popular basketball and traditional basketball!

"The two run-and-gun offense teams will face the Pistons, known for their defense, teamwork, and balance, and the Lakers, who rely on their inside-outside duo and half-court offense."

"This is a clash of ideologies; it may very well become a duel between two teams that will lead the future of basketball!"

"Furthermore, can these four teams, who faced each other in the conference finals last year, pull off something different this year? Will the Suns and Knicks avenge their defeats, or will the Pistons and Lakers defend traditional basketball?"

Let's wait and see!

Neither the Knicks nor the Pistons need any extra motivation for this series!

Two days before the game, the Knicks players were united in their determination and consciously gave up nightclubs and alcohol, conserving their energy and waiting for the game to begin.

They haven't forgotten the grudge from last year's crushing defeat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals that led to their elimination; in fact, they remember it perfectly well!

The Pistons, aiming to defend their title, were equally fierce. They hadn't forgotten how the Knicks had utterly humiliated them in the first game of the season on their championship night, and they remembered it vividly!

This grudge must be avenged!

Both teams stepped onto the field with the determination to win and seek revenge.

Even Ben Wallace and Ron Artest were well aware of how difficult this series would be and what challenges they would face!

Even the Pistons players considered this series to be a preview of the Finals!

In the Finals, the Pistons are not afraid of either the Lakers or the Suns!

But the Pistons' thugs were somewhat uncertain about the Knicks.

After all, they won with great difficulty last season! And this season, although the Knicks' roster remains the same, the players' abilities and attributes have improved significantly!

Last season, the Knicks were a complete underperformer, but Lin Tian had a breakout season, and they managed to push the series to a Game 7.

So, can they hold on this season?

The Pistons players were actually somewhat uncertain about the outcome.

But now is not the time to worry. We'll find out what's good or bad after we've tested it!

"Beep beep!"

With that whistle, the highly anticipated first game of the Eastern Conference Finals began!

"Kobe, who do you want to win?" Inside the Lakers' training facility, Jackson led the entire Lakers team in watching the Eastern Conference Finals live, since their first game wasn't until tomorrow.

At that moment, O'Neal, watching on TV, couldn't help but ask Kobe about it.

"It doesn't matter. I have a grudge against them all. Whoever makes it out of the East will be defeated by us, and they will all be part of our championship!" Kobe answered with absolute confidence without even turning his head, as if the Suns had already been crushed by them.

"So who do you think will win?" O'Neal continued to ask.

"Lin! I even have a feeling that Lin and the Knicks might be able to sweep the Pistons!" Kobe said, then suddenly paused, because on the TV, Lin Tian almost knocked Billups off his feet with a crossover, and then hit a three-pointer!

"I won't be fooled by his moves!" Kobe clenched his fist, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

With Lin Tian's shot going in, the score is now temporarily set at 4:13!

In the first four minutes, the Knicks went on a 4-13 run against the Pistons! This year, they've taken control from the very beginning!

Of those 13 points, Lin Tian scored 8: a 3-pointer, a mid-range pull-up jumper, and a 2+1 play after a post-up move.

The remaining 5 points were also scored by Lin Tian after drawing the Pistons' defensive attention, quickly passing the ball to Okur on the outside and Stoudemire in the middle, assisting his two teammates to score!

The first 13 points were all related to Lin Tian!

The Pistons, on the other hand, were struggling with their shooting. Billups was tightly guarded by Lin Tian, ​​and although the rest of the team had some space, the Pistons' tendency to start slowly and get into form struck again! Apart from a putback by Ben Wallace and a mid-range jumper by Hamilton, the team failed to score a single point.

Brown quickly called a timeout at that moment. He wasn't going to make any substitutions or change the tactics. He called the timeout simply to let his players calm down.

He calmed everyone down while encouraging them to perk up, get excited, and get into the rhythm of the game.

Two things that sound completely contradictory actually make perfect sense to the Pistons players, who know what their coach wants them to do.

Stay calm during the timeout, and when the game resumes, rediscover their passion!

Get excited!

Soon, the timeout ended, and when the Pistons' starting five returned to the court, their performance was indeed much better!

On the defensive end, their perfect rotation defense and defensive collapse were once again demonstrated. Even Lin Tian had to be double-teamed to shoot. And every pass he made when double-teamed was actually in place, finding the most suitable teammate to receive the ball.

The problem is, the Pistons' defensive rotation speed is too fast!

They always manage to get to the Knicks players with incredible speed and then disrupt them.

After the Pistons deployed such an almost insane defensive strategy, the Knicks' efficiency clearly began to decline, and their scoring pace slowed down.

As for the Pistons' offense, they still rely on the same old three tricks.

Billups' tough shots, Hamilton's catch-and-shoot, Rasheed's high-range shots, Ben Wallace's putbacks, and when the team was completely stuck and had no other options, Artest had his occasional one-on-one attempts.

The Pistons' limited offensive options and low offensive efficiency meant that while they managed to contain the Knicks' offense, they also lacked the means to quickly close the gap.

In a sense, the Pistons' offense is just like the Knicks'; it's all about luck and relies heavily on shooting touch!

The team's top three scorers per game—Billups, Hamilton, and Rasheed—are all shooting players!

When all three of them are on fire, they can score 110-120 points in a game, but most of the time, they can't all be on fire at the same time.

Ultimately, the biggest label attached to these players is defense!

The first quarter went by quickly, but neither side scored much and both teams were quite inefficient.

At the end of the first quarter, although the Knicks were still leading, their initial 9-point advantage had been largely eroded.

19: 24!

The Knicks led by only 5 points after the first quarter!

One team was effectively contained and had low offensive efficiency, while the other, although not contained, was not good at offense.

Under these circumstances, both sides are destined to enter a tug-of-war tonight.

No one should try to pull away from their opponent easily, and no one should try to win easily!

"I think the Knicks had a pretty clear advantage after the first quarter," Barkley said during the first quarter break. "I'm not saying that because they were up by five points, but because they controlled the tempo of the game!"

"Yes, although their scoring isn't high, and it looks like a repeat of last season, this year's Knicks are clearly more composed. They don't get frustrated because they miss shots, because they know: we can definitely make them!"

Kenny followed up, "I kind of understand what you mean, Charles. You mean the Knicks have the ability to go on a scoring run and kill the game, while the Pistons don't have that level of offense. They have a hard time going on a run to widen the gap and finish the game."

"But the Knicks could do that at any time, right?"

"That's right! Barkley nodded and said, "The Knicks' offense is too strong! Just like in the first few minutes, even with the Pistons' defense, as long as the Knicks players find their rhythm, they can go on an 8-0 or 10-0 run to widen the score gap in no time."

"What about the Pistons? They don't have that kind of energy. They can only wait for the Knicks' hot streak to end, and then, when both teams return to normal and enter a close game, they can use their defense and physical advantages to slowly catch up and grind down the score."

"One team may not be very consistent, but they have the potential to widen the score gap at any time; the other can only inflate the score little by little. Kenny, if it were you, who would you favor?"

"If that's the case, it seems the Knicks have a better chance." Kenny nodded first, then changed the subject, "But they still don't have any defense. It's not enough for Lin to be the only one on defense! If they want to deal with the Pistons, they can't rely on Lin's defense alone."

"Without a tenacious defense to back them up, if their offense falters, completely loses its touch, or gets shut down by the opponent, how can they possibly win the game?"

"Ultimately, if the Knicks' offense is 100 points, then their defense is only 30 points, and those 30 points all belong to Lin."

"But the Pistons' defense is 95 points, while they also have 60 points on offense!"

"The Pistons are more balanced, more consistent, and more reliable! If this were a simple game, it would be hard for me to tell you who I support, but if it's a series, I support the Pistons! I'll stand with them, and I think they can win!"

"Even though the Knicks have this year's regular season MVP, a triple-double averager, and Lin Tian, ​​who had eight consecutive triple-doubles in the playoffs, I am still a fairly traditional player."

"Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships!"

"Bullshit!"

If Old Nelson had heard Kenny say that, he would have pointed his finger at him and yelled, "You don't know anything! You don't know a thing!"

Unfortunately, Don Nelson didn't hear it, but whether he heard it or not, he had already made up his mind when he took over the Knicks two years ago.

Victory is won through offense!

Even though this Knicks team has many players with elite defensive potential, Don Nelson has never been able to handle the team's defense.

Therefore, many people say that Don Nelson was wasting his talents! He had a team that could have built a top-level defense, but he only let them attack.

Old Nelson, on the other hand, was quite relaxed about it.

Who am I? A 'mad scientist'! If you idiots could figure out what I do, then I wouldn't be a mad scientist, I'd be a mad moron!

He had never told anyone about his crazy idea!

The second quarter was almost a carbon copy of the first. The Knicks took advantage of the chaos to score several consecutive baskets and quickly widen the gap to double digits again.

However, their rhythm was suppressed again, and the Pistons regained their form, resulting in a close and evenly matched contest. The Pistons continued to slowly but effectively erode the Knicks' lead.

At halftime, the Pistons had once again closed the gap to just 6 points!

45:51! (End of Chapter)