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Chapter 459 - 206. We are already considering our opponents for the next round_2

Chapter 459: 206. We are already considering our opponents for the next round_2

The Pistons were forced to disband their formidable lineup purely because of Detroit’s economic woes, with the owner nearing bankruptcy and running out of money.

On the Lakers and Suns side, Kobe was taken down 1-4 by Nash.

This result didn’t surprise many, and although people had hopes for Kobe, there were few who believed the Lakers could prevail. Stoudemire’s performance this season was of All-Star caliber. His face-up single play techniques and mid-range jump shots had improved dramatically, placing him among the elite in breaking through defenses. With Nash securing the base, Kobe alone couldn’t compete.

In the only game the Lakers won, Kobe made 15 out of 25 shots, including 2 of 3 three-pointers, and scored 45 points with a 13 out of 13 from the free-throw line, leading the Lakers to a mere 6-point victory.

When Kobe scored over 30 points, the Lakers had no hope; when he scored in the 20s, the Lakers were beaten by more than 20 points...

Anthony and Iverson lost 1-4 to the trio. Of this series, the least suspenseful was when Iverson scored 30 points from 11 out of 20 shots and Anthony scored 31 points from 12 out of 22 shots, leading the Nuggets to an upset victory in one game, but in the other 4 games, the Nuggets looked hopeless.

Duncan averaged 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.8 blocks, as if he had returned to his peak form at the turn of the century.

Facing Duncan, the golden backcourt had no answer other than scoring points.

They couldn’t even create opportunities on the fly like Kidd or have a scoring streak that gave their teammates a glimpse of hope like Kobe did.

The other three series hadn’t ended yet, but the Warriors won G4, leading the series 3-1.

Zhang Yang saw the San Antonio media making jokes, comparing the Mavericks-Warriors series to the Bobcats-Nets series—only that the Mavericks played the role of Nets and the Warriors were more like the Bobcats.

Zhang Yang wanted to complain about how sharp the comment was but couldn’t tell if the San Antonio media were making fun of his Bobcats, making fun of Kidd who rejected a trade from the Spurs for Parker, or making fun of the Mavericks...

Yao Ming only scored 20 points in G4, and McGrady only 18, and they lost again, defeated by the Jazz Team by 14 points.

Zhang Yang wasn’t sure who had it worse this year, the Silver Horned King or the ’little giant’... probably the ’little giant’ had it a bit worse.

The Silver Horned King at least had Harris, Terry, Stackhouse, Josh Howard, Dampier, Devin George, Croshere... and other teammates to rely on.

On the Bosh and James side, the Raptors were behind 1-3 from the start. In G5, Bosh exploded for 35 points and 10 rebounds, along with 2 assists and 2 blocks, by making 13 of 23 shots, including 1 of 1 from three-point range and 8 of 8 from the foul line. His three-pointer with 6 seconds left was a near game-winner, leading the team to a narrow 98-96 victory over the Knight and dragging the series into a sixth game.

This game earned Bosh the media’s accolade as the ’number one power forward in the East’, a title not even Jermaine O’Neal at his prime could match in the playoffs.

However, the media’s assessment of the Raptors was the same as Zhang Yang’s analysis to Felton and Rondo when they played the Raptors: the Raptors had a complete roster with all kinds of players needed by Sam Mitchell’s offensive and defensive system, but the players lacked in strength. With a 50-win level performance in the regular season in the East, when they encountered hard-nosed playoff players like the James duo, the Raptors simply couldn’t defend.

Offensively, they only had Calderon’s long shots and Bosh’s mid-range singles to open up the game.

After checking updates on the other series, the next day Zhang Yang went to the arena early, shooting practice before 10 am.

That afternoon, he saw the news: Marcus Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year award, defeating Gerald Wallace, Bowen, Artest, Garnett, and Duncan. He received a total of 53 first-place votes, more than the other five players combined, with a 33.9% share of the total points, dominating the vote.

Gerald Wallace received 19 first-place votes with a 17.63% share of the total points, ranking second.

Zhang Yang joined his teammates in the Big Brother Group’s internal discussion to complain about Camby’s stat-padding.

But he felt that if Gerald Wallace got the DPOY... that would also be a bit much.

Of the other candidates, Bowen’s defense was good but not the best.

Garnett’s team record was too poor, and he had already fallen to the second defense line last season; this season, he likely remained on the edge of the All-Defensive team.

Duncan, who has been in the NBA for 10 seasons, has been in the top ten or even the top three or five defensive players almost every season, but never the absolute best.

Artest was the only player among the top six vote-getters who didn’t receive a first-place vote, meaning the media always thought of him, but they weren’t willing to elect him as the best defensive player.

Reviewing the performance of the candidates, Camby’s election this season felt more like picking the tallest dwarf.

That evening, in a situation of trailing 1-3, the Mavericks managed to claw back a win.

The Mavericks’ stars had much stronger explosive power than the Nets. Josh Howard made 10 of 16 shots for 23 points and 5 assists, and Harris made 6 of 11 shots for 15 points and 7 assists. The two, on a rampage, led the team to unleash their offense—for instance, feeding Diop to score 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting plus 1 of 4 from the free throw. The Mavericks won narrowly against the Warriors, 118-112, closing the series to 2-3.

On the 3rd, the Knight defeated the Raptors 4-2 to advance, setting up a second-round meeting with the Bobcats.

James averaged 25.8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.3 steals with a 46.1% shooting percentage, a solid performance; Larry Hughes averaged 19 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.5 steals with a 45.3% shooting percentage, also performing quite well. Both players were comfortable against the Raptors.