pdf-ebookys Chapter 350 Unstoppable Momentum! A Steadfast Advance!
Chapter 350 Unstoppable Momentum! A Steadfast Advance!
"Patrick, we meet again." Lin Tian reached out and gave Ewing a high five. He didn't know if it was because they had known each other for a long time, but lately Lin Tian felt that Ewing had become more and more handsome.
Of course, this is only compared to Ewing himself. If you compare Ewing to any player other than Cassell, then Ewing's looks will be completely outclassed by everyone else.
Ultimately, ever since he won his only championship in 99, which brought his career to a perfect close, his personality has become much more peaceful in the last two years, and the aggressive and menacing aura he once had has long since disappeared.
In addition, a group of old buddies have long since scattered, so Ewing always has a smiling face no matter where he goes or what the team's condition is.
For example, today is already the third game of the series. The Pacers won the first two games easily, defeating the Knicks by 21 and 15 points respectively.
If it were a couple of years ago, and the team had lost like this, Ewing would have already lost his temper. He wouldn't have even greeted Lin Tian; he would probably have wanted to eat Lin Tian alive right now.
But right now, Ewing is extremely happy!
We're all brothers who have fun together!
After all, he won the championship, earns a super high annual salary of 1500 million, and the team doesn't have much pressure to achieve results. The fans are also very tolerant of him. At least for the next few years, no Knicks have been shouting to trade Ewing for Olajuwon or Shaq.
Well, but believe it or not, this year might actually be the year when Ewing and Olajuwon's trade values are closest, and the year with the highest probability of a 1-for-1 trade.
Two cities of glory, switching teams at the twilight of their careers—it's actually quite interesting!
As Lin Tian indulged his mischievous imagination, envisioning this exchange of "sunset glow" (referring to the elderly couples) happening, the third game of the first round of the series had already begun!
Although Ewing is old and slow, having degenerated into a regular starter, he still has the height to easily defeat Ben Wallace, who is a head shorter than him, and passed the racket to Charlie Ward, the only veteran player on the team now.
"Charlie, I heard you're also planning to retire?" Lin Tian quickly stood in front of Ward and launched an attack on his old rival, who was of average strength but extremely tenacious.
"Retire my ass! I only entered the league a year before you," Ward rolled his eyes. "I can play for at least another 10 years!"
"You're so young!" Lin Tian exclaimed in shock. "Judging from your playing style, I thought you'd been playing for 20 years and were almost 50! After all, anyone younger wouldn't play so boringly and dullly, mainly because you're bad at it!"
"Shut up!" Ward was Lin Tian's old rival, and his presence was felt in every Knicks team's loss to Lin Tian.
So this guy learned a lesson from Lin Tian. He knew very well that the best way to maintain his dignity when facing Lin Tian was not to actively seek it out!
If you lie flat, you'll get hurt less.
So, after crossing half-court, Ward immediately passed the ball to another veteran player who was nearing retirement and had just run out on the wing.
Larry Jensen, the "auntie".
After Jason got the ball, he faked a triple threat and then slammed the ball towards the post. Houston, who had just run to the wing, caught the ball and immediately shot it, just like his signature catch-and-shoot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, even though Christie's defense was spot on, Houston still managed to score!
As the king of mid-range shots, his shots sometimes don't depend on whether the opponent's defense is in place or not, but only on his own shooting touch.
After Houston hit his signature mid-range shot, Lin Tian started a pick-and-roll at the top of the key. Against this aging team, where almost everyone is past their prime, attacking their interior after the pick-and-roll and exploiting their slow legs and slow switching defense is a sure way to score!
After setting a pick and roll with Webber, Lin Tian quickly moved to one side and then drove into the paint. Lin Tian drove all the way to the free-throw line before Ewing, who was helping on defense, slowly stepped forward to interfere.
Lin Tian didn't even bother to look at this defense, which was mediocre in both intensity and strength. With a single-handed bounce, the ball came to the inside, and Da Ben received it and easily slammed it down with both hands, securing the team's first kill!
Lin Tian was still giving Ewing some face on this play, not humiliating him with a nutmeg pass.
After all, it was the last game of his professional career and it was at home. Let's just treat it as a way to give the old man some dignity!
Lord Lin, after all, has a soft heart.
Of course, being "soft-hearted" simply means not making nutmeg passes or trying to shake off Ewing with desperate crossovers.
Aside from this blatantly humiliating method, Lin Tianke showed no mercy whatsoever. He executed his outside shooting, inside drives, and passing and playmaking flawlessly, leaving the Knicks' defense completely exposed!
Lin Tian is soft-hearted, but not that soft!
In the first quarter, Lin Tian scored an impressive 10 points and 4 assists, and only played for 8 minutes before going to the bench to rest. In fact, his playing time in this series was just over 30 minutes.
Carlisle is very focused on player load management and is very keen to find ways to give key players as much rest as possible. In this respect alone, Carlisle is 20 years ahead of the league!
Even if he were to coach in the league 20 years from now, he could seamlessly transition and fulfill the key players' desire for rest.
When Lin Tian went down, the score was 25-17, with the Pacers leading by 8 points.
But after he left the court, the situation on the court changed dramatically. Houston made two mid-range shots in a row, and Larry Johnson also had a breakthrough performance, throwing in a three-pointer. In the blink of an eye, the Pacers' lead was reduced to only one point!
With 10 seconds left in the first quarter, Ewing, who hadn't scored a single point in the first quarter, suddenly stepped up. He first blocked Best's shot in the low post, then assisted the team on a fast break, followed up with a mid-range shot, received a pass, drove into the paint, and slammed home a dunk!
29: 30!
With Ewing's powerful dunk, the Knicks took the lead in the first quarter, marking their first time leading in a single quarter in three games!
In the second quarter, although the team was behind, Carlisle was not in a hurry at all. He did not bring Lin Tian on, but instead let Carter and Miller lead the team to fight the Knicks. The two sides played back and forth, neither giving an inch.
Until about four minutes into the second quarter, the score remained very close, with the Pacers leading the Knicks 34-33.
At this moment, Carlisle stopped suppressing Lin Tian and allowed him to appear on stage with Webber.
The Pacers' on-court players became Lin Tian, Miller, Christie, Harrington, and Webber.
The Pacers didn't pass the ball to Lin Tian on the sideline, but instead passed it to Webber near the free-throw line. After receiving the ball, Webber immediately slammed it down on the floor beside him with one hand. As the ball bounced up again, Lin Tian had already cut in and grabbed the basketball!
"Bang!"
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian slammed it onto the floor again, then charged up at full speed, heading straight for the inside!
Under the basket, Ewing spread his arms wide, showing no fear. Even in his old age, he still has the drive of his youth, determined to protect his little patch of ground under the basket!
However, his current strength is really not enough, and his defensive threat under the basket is completely negligible.
Lin Tian didn't care about Ewing's defense at all, and jumped up directly to meet him. After the two collided in the air, Ewing was struck as if by lightning. His defense immediately collapsed, and he was sent flying by Lin Tian!
Lin Tian, on the other hand, glided all the way up and easily made a layup off the backboard, putting the ball in steadily!
"Patrick, you better get out of my way! Otherwise, your retirement match is going to be a complete disaster!"
"A retirement game?" Ewing scoffed. "I'm not going to retire so pathetically! We won't be swept in this series!"
Lin Tian's words seemed to rekindle Ewing's long-dormant ambition. Ewing then rediscovered some of his peak form, hitting three consecutive mid-range shots and leading the Knicks to a back-and-forth battle with the Pacers!
Moreover, it's not just about shooting touch. Although Ewing's rim protection ability under the basket is not as good as it was in his prime, his tall stature and heavy weight still have a certain deterrent effect. At least apart from Lin Tian and Carter, the other Pacers players will face a huge challenge when attacking the basket.
As Ewing found his rhythm, the rest of the Knicks seemed to magically regain their youth. They swept away the embarrassment of being dominated by the Pacers in the first two games, with Jason and Houston hitting shots all the way and scoring in a flurry.
With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks were still leading!
91: 97!
The Knicks are leading by 6 points!
Originally, I didn't have much hope for this game. Rather than supporting the team, I was more like a Knicks fan who came to see Ewing's last game in his career and say goodbye to him properly. But now I'm all excited!
The lethargy and inattentiveness of the first three quarters had completely disappeared, replaced by overwhelming cheers, shouts, and insane trash talk.
The fans are getting into the spirit!
Amid cheers and encouragement from the fans, the Knicks played with great momentum for the next few minutes, and Ewing once again transformed into an inside behemoth, delivering 3 blocks in the fourth quarter alone!
With one minute left in the game, Ewing had already racked up an impressive stat line of 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks!
The last time he got 7 blocks was 4 years ago!
The last time I scored 20+15 was also two years ago, the year the team won the championship!
Tonight, Ewing seemed to have rediscovered his youthful energy and found a bit of the feeling of a top center!
99: 103!
With one minute remaining, the Knicks still led by four points!
Lin Tian received the ball on the Pacers' sideline and calmly dribbled it to the three-point line. Judging from his relaxed demeanor, it was as if the team was leading by four points, not trailing by four!
Lin Tian's competitive spirit now truly gives him the feel of being the league's top player!
"I heard you guys haven't lost a playoff game in a whole year? How many consecutive wins was it? 17?" Ward stood in front of Lin Tian, looking smug and saying, "Remember this number, this will be the end of your playoff winning streak!"
"I've never seen a guy so arrogant when he's down 0-2." Lin Tian turned his back to Ward and said calmly, "By the way, how many points did you get tonight? 6 points and 3 assists? It's like your lead has nothing to do with you."
"My plus-minus is +7! And I haven't made a single mistake!" Ward scoffed. "Do you know what that means?"
"That means your teammates are really strong; they can still take the lead even in a 4v5 situation," Lin Tian shrugged. "Besides, what kind of third-rate players are they, who only care about plus-minus and zero turnovers?"
While attacking Ward, Lin Tian suddenly turned around, then accelerated and rushed into the three-point line. Before Ward could catch up, Lin Tian pulled up and launched a mid-range jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
The difference has narrowed to 2 points!
"What did you say you were leading by? How many points?" Lin Tian chewed his gum after scoring. "Two points, right? Remember that number. This is the last time you'll be leading tonight!"
"Really?" Ward also received the baseline ball and started advancing. Perhaps it had been too long since he had gained the upper hand against Lin Tian, or perhaps it had been too long since he had a real battle with Lin Tian, but this guy was clearly a bit cocky: "Guess what our point difference will be in 10 seconds?"
"I bet it'll be 5 points! We'll score a 3-pointer!"
"Slap!" Before Ward could finish speaking, Lin Tian suddenly lunged forward, snatched the basketball from Ward's dribble, and then, before Ward could react, grabbed the ball and charged towards the frontcourt!
Once Lin Tian starts sprinting at full speed, no one in the league can catch up with him!
"boom!"
After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian easily scored with a powerful two-handed spin dunk.
103: 103!
With 30 seconds left, the score is tied!
"What did you say about the point difference, Charlie? How many mistakes did you make?" Lin Tian approached Ward again after scoring, and said to him, "Have I been too lenient with you lately, making you really think you can be compared to me?"
This time, Ward remained silent and said no more. After being pinned to the ground and beaten twice by Lin Tian, the guy finally regained his senses.
This person in front of me is someone I can't afford to mess with!
He didn't even dribble forward anymore; he passed the ball to Jason in the backcourt, letting the burly guy push the ball up the wing. Ward himself quietly ran to the wing, ready to play dead.
Once he regained his senses, he decided to use his signature move from when he faced Lin Tian.
I'm lying flat, I'm not holding the ball!
If I don't shoot or attack, then you can't humiliate me!
"Are you going to just stand there and not move again?" Lin Tian still looked relaxed. He looked at Ward and said, "I bet you guys will get the ball inside and pass it to Patrick, and then guess what I'll do?"
"I'll stroll into the paint, disrupt his offense, then dribble up the court myself, hit a mid-range jumper, and win the game. If you're smart, stay away from me and don't guard me, so you won't become a background character."
"As a friend, I've done my best. It's up to you!" After saying that, Lin Tian suddenly raised his hand and patted Ward's butt. Then, he actually turned around and ran into the paint!
At that moment, Ewing caught the basketball and backed down Ben Wallace.
Ewing quickly surveyed the situation on the field, but failed to spot Lin Tian sneaking past him from his blind spot.
Just as Ewing dribbled the ball once to start his attack, Lin Tian arrived!
"Patrick! Watch out for Lin!"
"Snapped!"
Ward's reminder and Lin Tian's ghostly hand arrived almost simultaneously.
Lin Tian's shots are always steady, accurate, and ruthless. Ward's reminder came a step too late. By the time Ewing reacted, Lin Tian had already swatted the ball down and dribbled it towards the frontcourt.
He didn't push the speed to the limit, nor did he rush to attack, and he didn't even plan to call a timeout.
7 seconds!
Lin Tian slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.
5 seconds!
Lin Tian stood outside the Knicks' three-point line, suddenly stopped, then dribbled between his legs twice before suddenly changing direction and accelerating, driving along the baseline into the three-point line.
2 seconds!
Lin Tian suddenly stopped two steps inside the three-point line, then pulled up and launched a mid-range pull-up jump shot without shaking off the defense, and even while still facing both Ward and Jameson!
"Whoosh!"
"Buzz!"
The whistle blows and the ball goes in! Goal! Lights on!
105: 103!
Lin Tian's decisive victory!
Lin Tian has ended the series!
Just one minute ago, the New Yorkers were leading by 4 points! Just one minute ago, they thought they were on track for a playoff victory! Just one minute ago, they thought they could avoid a sweep!
But in just one minute, they were defeated by the Pacers.
Or rather, they were defeated by Lin Tian, once again, defeated by Lin Tian!
Lin Tian scored 6 points and made 2 steals in the last minute, going on a 6-0 run and then making the game-winning shot. He once again won the game easily with a single-handed run!
This is the umpteenth time Lin Tian has displayed his prowess against the Knicks, and the umpteenth time he has shattered and trampled the pride of the New Yorkers in the playoffs.
Even for today's New Yorkers, Miller's 9 seconds and 8 points, 25 points in the fourth quarter, Jordan's dominance and his ability to beat them every time they meet, the Heat and Riley, well, that doesn't count, a bunch of trash, rotten stuff that we've already destroyed.
In short, Lin Tian has now become the Knicks' number one nemesis.
He truly is capable of crushing the Knicks every time they face them! And each time, the crushing defeat is more devastating and ruthless than the last!
But this time, unlike before, New Yorkers didn't use boos, curses, and countless insults to deal with Lin Tian.
This time, they treated Lin Tian completely differently.
"Give it to us, Lin!"
"MVP! Lin, MVP!"
"The first in history!"
"The greatest player in NBA history!"
"Unparalleled in the world!"
"Welcome to New York! We offer top salaries!"
"Banknotes in circulation are full of vitality!"
"Welcome to New York! Share the MVP in Brooklyn!"
"Breaked a new record in Madison!"
"New York's doors are always open; we welcome you with open arms!"
The stadium erupted in cheers, wild cheers that lasted for several minutes!
Crazy!
There has only been one instance in NBA playoff history where home fans erupted in cheers after their team was eliminated, seemingly congratulating their opponent.
In 1980, at TD Garden in Boston, after the Celtics lost to the 76ers, the entire arena chanted "Beat LA".
They wanted the Philadelphians to defeat the Los Angelesrs, a deep-seated hatred born from sworn enemies. They themselves might not win the championship, but they absolutely did not want the people they hated most to win.
But that cheer wasn't because they liked Philadelphians; it was simply because they disliked Los Angeles residents even more.
Their chants of "Beat LA" were more of a curse on the Lakers than a blessing for the 76ers.
The Bostonians' goals are clearly completely different from what the New Yorkers are thinking tonight.
Even a fool could see that the map the New Yorkers were holding was too short to block the daggers; they weren't even holding maps. These bastards were just brandishing daggers!
They were genuinely expressing their goodwill and affection for Lin Tian without reservation; they were truly cheering for Lin Tian wholeheartedly!
A fantastic match, a fantastic performance, and Lin Tian, who makes New Yorkers drool!
From this perspective, to win a game-winning shot in a playoff away game and receive a standing ovation is truly a first in NBA history! And it could very well be the last!
Tonight's scene, where fans can rightfully and wildly cheer and celebrate, is absolutely a perfect storm of perfect timing, location, and support!
Normally, when fans cheer for the away team players, they should consider the feelings of the home team players, especially the key players.
But what about tonight?
Everyone knows that Ewing has played the last game of his career!
He's retiring! And he has a very good relationship with Lin Tian, and the team owner, Dolan, also has a good relationship with Lin Tian!
Even several years ago, the Knicks almost got Lin Tian!
Under these circumstances, the New Yorkers' expression of their love and desire for Lin Tian once again will not embarrass the owner and the team icon.
They actually enjoyed it!
For example, right after the Pacers' celebration, Ewing gave Lin Tian a thunderous shout, yelling at him, "See that? That's the passion of New Yorkers! We're waiting for you, Lin! We're waiting for you!"
"Come here and start a whole new career! New York can give you everything you want, allowing you to stand at the center of the world, not just the center of the NBA!"
"Get lost, you stupid gorilla!" Miller shoved Ewing aside without any politeness, his face showing displeasure. "Lin isn't going anywhere! He's staying in Indiana; this is his home now!"
"Of course, of course." Although Ewing lost the game, he was in an unusually good mood, which made his eloquence even more outstanding: "Indiana is definitely his home, just like Chicago is his home!"
"New York can be Lin's home too! He only has three years left on his contract, right? We'll wait for him to arrive!"
"Just like Lin has dozens of girlfriends, he can also have dozens of homes! He provides different havens for different girls, and of course, he can have one home after another in different cities!"
Ewing's sudden outburst of eloquence caught even the usually sharp-tongued Miller off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless and unable to find a suitable way to retort. By the time he figured out how to counter Ewing, it was too late.
Dolan has made his move.
"Line up, line up, one at a time!"
Dolan, looking every bit the traffic cop directing traffic, waved his arms and solemnly directed the line in front of him.
As for what's in front of him?
A string of girls.
A string of beautiful girls.
The girls lined up and walked up to Lin Tian one by one to hug him. Then each of them whispered a sentence in Lin Tian's ear.
"This is a kind of happiness that can only be found in New York."
"The boss said he would try his best to resist the urge to spend money and wait for you for three years."
"He asked you to give him a list of players."
"He did everything he could to assemble the team before you arrived."
"This is while preserving salary cap space."
"He's even willing to pay three times the salary to poach Larry Bird, since the management doesn't have that damn salary cap to affect their performance."
"Or if you're tired of that country bumpkin, you can just name a few people in management and let me hear their stories."
"Then we can get down to business. You can choose any one of us to celebrate this exciting promotion night with."
"James Dolan is a slut-headed idiot. I'll knee that tiny, invisible thing in his groin and smash it in. What kind of bullshit dares to steal my man!"
Wow! That's awesome! This is the one!
Upon hearing the last sentence, Lin Tian immediately perked up! So Dolan has such wild girls under his wing?
Lin Tian, who was excited, looked down and was somewhat disappointed.
Well, it's not that the girl isn't pretty, it's that she's too familiar.
It's Hilton.
No wonder he's so brave.
"You're disappointed in me? You want to pick one from among those scumbags?" Hilton could tell what this scumbag was thinking just by looking at Lin Tian's expression.
"Don't misunderstand, I didn't think that way at all." Lin Tian shook his head firmly: "Only children make choices."
If I had to choose, I'd want them all!
At this moment, Hilton suffered from not having watched enough movies and couldn't guess the second half of Lin Tian's unspoken words. Even though he knew Lin Tian was a jerk, he still smiled with great satisfaction, then boldly hugged Lin Tian's head, kissed him, and said, "See you at the usual place."
Then, swaying her body, she turned and swaggered away.
She was incredibly charming, alluring, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Well, if I hadn't been there to give Dolan the middle finger and yell at him, "If you, you good-for-nothing idiot spoiled brat, give Lin Sai any more of this low-quality garbage, I'd blow your scrotum to smithereens!"
In all of New York, there's probably no one else who would dare to threaten Dolan face-to-face like that, and make him awkwardly scratch his head, speechless.
Why? Because Dolan hadn't slept with her.
In short, this night was incredibly wonderful for Lin Tian.
He enjoyed the cheers of the entire city of New York, had a wonderful and comfortable night, eliminated his old rival, bid farewell to one of the league's greatest centers, and then led his team into the second round once again!
This marks his sixth consecutive year reaching the second round of the playoffs in his career!
"Larry, do you think Lin will leave after his contract expires?" Miller asked Bird, who was traveling with the team to the away game, with some concern as he looked at Lin Tian's back.
"Does it matter?" Bird shrugged nonchalantly. "He doesn't owe Indiana anything. He can leave whenever he wants, just like you. After your contract ends, can't you leave with your head held high?"
"Head held high, shining brighter than Patrick, more honored than Patrick, leaving more gloriously than everyone, well, almost everyone, of this era." Miller nodded, patted Bird on the shoulder, and stopped thinking about those unnecessary things, quickly leaving Madison as well.
This night was joyous for all of Indiana!
And the unhappiest person... is in Washington.
"When I was in Chicago, those damn New Yorkers never cheered for me like this!"
"Fuck! When I was playing for the Knicks, when we won the championship, these bastards weren't playing this hard!"
"Do they really think that kid is better than me? A bunch of blind idiots!"
A bald, dark-skinned man in a suit stubbed out his cigar, his whole body radiating rage!
"Michael! Kwame and Yao have both arrived in Washington. How about we arrange for them to participate in tryouts tomorrow?"
"Call me boss! You idiot!" Jordan snorted, got up from his chair, and yelled at the bewildered assistant in front of him, "When you're at work, you need to act like you're at work, understand?"
"You can call me GOAT, the basketball goat, the longest river, the highest mountain, the 10-time scoring champion, the six-time champion, or boss, president, the great Mr. Michael, or whatever else."
"But don't call me Michael, because some disgusting bastard also calls me Michael!"
"Give the order: if anyone calls me Michael again, fire them immediately!"
Lin Tian, who was already used to unexpected experiences, knew without a doubt that Jordan must have watched the live broadcast of this game again.
Lin Tian didn't even bother to think about why his game-winning shot had caused Jordan to have such a big emotional reaction.
He no longer cares about these things.
Happiness! Right now, all Lin Tian cares about is happiness!
After Lin Tian led his team to a decisive comeback and swept the Knicks 3-0, they became the first team in the league to advance to the conference semifinals.
But in fact, on the very next day, two more matchups in the East were decided.
Although the Magic, the second-ranked team in the East, couldn't wait for Hill's return, they still easily defeated the Boston Celtics, led by Pierce and Walker, with McGrady, Duncan, and Malone.
The Celtics fell in the first round once again, while the Magic stood tall and triumphant!
So what if we lost O'Neal and Hardaway?
Lao Tzu has already completed the reconstruction!
Rebuilding is too easy.
One summer is enough!
What kind of trash is this? It'll take them years to rebuild and they still can't even get past the second round of the playoffs!
The team that advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals along with the Magic was none other than their opponent in the second round.
The Philadelphia 76ers, led by Allen Iverson!
The 76ers' first-round opponent is the Heat, who have lost their key player Malone and have been plagued by problems this season!
Although Mourning made a forced comeback in the second half of the season, his feel for the court completely disappeared, and his dominance on both ends of the court plummeted, with an average of only 13 points and 7 rebounds per game.
In the playoffs, Mourning averaged only 10 points and 5 rebounds per game, with a field goal percentage of less than 45%. He had an incredibly poor series, and everything proved that Mourning's era was over before it even began.
With Malone gone and Mourning almost out for the season, the aging Payton was clearly powerless to stop the Philadelphia 76ers' ferocity. They failed to secure a single victory and were swept out of the playoffs with a 0-3 deficit.
If people familiar with Riley saw his expression after the game, especially the way he looked at Payton and Mourning, they would know that he had made up his mind.
He wants to rebuild!
If he wants to rebuild, then the two people he needs to get rid of are these two!
These two players still account for more than 70% of the team's salary cap!
To rebuild, you must first clean up!
As for any other promises, feelings, or favors?
Pat Riley has never said this in his life!
The Heat are about to enter a completely new era next season.
All three Eastern Conference series ended in a predictable fashion, highlighting the significant gap between the teams in the East.
Fortunately, the fourth and fifth seed in the East really got heated and exciting! This matchup was back and forth between the players, and it went straight to a decisive Game 5!
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets!
Unfortunately, nobody cared about this duel.
Even though both teams have multiple All-Star caliber players, and even though they are evenly matched and are traditional powerhouses that have made the playoffs for many consecutive years, this matchup is not attractive in any way.
In conclusion, the Bucks won Game 5, and Milwaukee's Big Three led the team into the second round!
Their opponents were the terrifyingly powerful Indians!
Compared to the Eastern Conference series, which only had 14 games in total and three of them were sweeps, resulting in a lack of suspense and significantly impacting viewership, the Western Conference series was much more exciting and thrilling!
In the entire first round of the Western Conference, only one series ended in a sweep.
The Lakers, the top team in the West, easily defeated the eighth-ranked Houston Rockets with the combination of Kobe and Shaq, who were both at their peak at the same time, and advanced to the second round once again!
奥尼尔和科比这对号称当今联盟最兇猛的二人组在首轮的三场比赛中分别能够拿下35分15个篮板4盖帽以及31分6篮板5助攻2抢断的恐怖数据，打的火箭队的新双枪莫布里和弗朗西斯是抱头鼠窜毫无还手之力。
This season's Lakers have once again demonstrated unparalleled drive and hunger; they are determined to win the championship!
The matchup between the second and seventh seeds in the West is another head-to-head battle between two top power forwards.
Nowitzki, who has been playing better and better this season and has become the team's leading scorer and rebounder, is averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds per game and making nearly 2 three-pointers with a 38% field goal percentage. He is leading his Texas cowboys against the wolves from the frigid Northwest.
The Minnesota Timberwolves' star is none other than Kevin Garnett, hailed as the most versatile and well-rounded power forward in the league today, averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game!
A deadly battle between wolves and cowboys, a clash of ice and fire!
Almost everyone believes that although the two teams have vastly different regular season records, this game will definitely be incredibly exciting!
But once the series began, the game became almost one-sided!
The Dallas team easily won the first two games at home to take a 3-1 lead. Although they lost the third game on the road, they gave the Minnesota team no hope in the fourth game of the series, defeating the Timberwolves by 27 points and easily advancing to the second round!
The biggest reason this series wasn't exciting enough was that Nowitzki almost single-handedly destroyed Garnett! Although the two didn't face each other many times during the game, Nowitzki dominated every Minnesota player he matched up against.
For some reason, the Timberwolves never matched up Garnett against Nowitzki. But even though Garnett didn't have a defensive showdown with Nowitzki and didn't expend too much energy on defense, his offensive output simply couldn't compare to Nowitzki's.
Although Garnett's stats of 24 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game in the series were impressive and showed that he did his best, he did not score more than 28 points in any of the four games and his field goal percentage was not higher than 45% in any of them. As a leader, this output was really not good enough!
尤其是决定双方生死的第四战中，加内特虽然拿下24分15篮板8助攻3抢断3盖帽的完美数据。
Clearly, at this point, the Timberwolves didn't need his versatility and omnipresence; what they needed was for him to score 40 points and solve their scoring woes.
This may be the biggest reason why Garnett has never been able to lead his team to a breakthrough in the playoffs.
当球队需要老大不管不顾拿球杀出一条血路横扫千军爆砍40分、45分的时候，加内特却只能给你一个20+10+5+2+2的全能数据。
It's not that it's bad, it's just that it's a mismatch.
As for Nowitzki on the other side, he perfectly showed Garnett how a team leader should play in the playoffs.
Averaging 33 points and 15 rebounds per game in the series, with a field goal percentage of 53% and a terrifying 70% three-point percentage! Although he only averaged 1 assist, 1 steal, and 3 block per game, Nowitzki's insane output and firepower carried the team into the second round!
Basketball, at its core, is an offensive game! (End of Chapter)