In this game, the entire Knicks team performed very well.
Stoudemire performed a "Veteran Never Dies" performance, scoring 12 points in a single quarter, and contributed the second-highest score on the team with 24 points, and also grabbed 6 rebounds.
After Cousins returned in the second half, he also took advantage on both offense and defense, scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Among them, the one who surprised the audience was Hassan Whiteside.
Although he only scored 6 points, he grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 5 shots in his limited playing time.
After the game, Stoudemire and Sui attended the press conference together.
13 points in a single quarter and a dunk on James made him the focus of reporters' questions at the post-game press conference.
When the press conference ended, Stoudemire was greeted by his teammates with an "ice bucket to cool down" as soon as he entered the locker room.
"Knicks!"
"Defend the title!"
At the end, the players raised their hands high and shouted out their goals for the season together.
After the madness in the locker room, Lian Dao was preparing to leave the arena and drive home.
Passing by the training hall, I found that the sound of shooting was still coming from inside.
Lian Dao walked in and found Butler.
"Jimmy, pay attention to the balance between work and rest!"
Butler found out it was Lian Dao, so he stopped his shooting practice and walked over.
Lian Dao threw the water to Butler.
"Thanks, sickle!"
Butler took the water and sat casually on the floor next to Lian Dao.
"A little disappointed? Is it because the coach didn't arrange for you to play tonight?"
Lian Dao asked.
Butler nodded first, then shook his head.
"I know there is still a gap in my strength. I have no emotions about Mike's arrangement. I just hate that I am not talented enough and have insufficient strength!"
"So I……"
Butler said emotionally.
"So, you want to train hard and reach Mike's standards as soon as possible, right?"
"Yes, as long as I can improve my strength and can play, I don't mind how much sweat I sweat!"
Butler's eyes were firm.
"Jimmy, talent is something we cannot determine ourselves. It is the upper limit of a player."
"There is no shortage of talented players in the league, but there are very few players whose true strength reaches the upper limit of their talent."
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"Do you know why?"
Lian Dao turned around and asked.
Butler thought for a while and shook his head.
"It's because of hard work. Hard work is not talent, but it is a necessary condition for maximizing talent development."
"This is more like a quality, a character!"
"And you possess this quality!"
"Am I really as good as you say?"
Butler scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Of course, rookie, I've never misjudged anyone."
"Keep going, rookie, you will have a chance. Moreover, I believe you will become the most shining star in the 11th class in the future!"
Lian Dao patted Butler's shoulder, stood up, and walked out.
Butler stared blankly at Lian Dao's back until he disappeared.
Then, Butler's eyes became much more determined, he stood up and walked to the training ground, and started shooting over and over again.
…
The day after the Eastern Conference semifinals ended, the Western Conference finals officially kicked off.
The result of the game was unexpected.
The Spurs, who were not optimistic, actually defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 101:98 at home.
Although the Spurs easily solved the battle in the first two rounds, in the eyes of many fans, this is not the Spurs' strength, but good luck.
Needless to say, the opponent in the first round is the Jazz. It is surprising that the rebuilding team can reach the eighth place in the Western Conference.
The opponent in the semifinals, the Clippers, was dragged by the Grizzlies in seven games in the first round.
The big black bear is even nicknamed by fans as Griffin's fairy rope.
From beginning to end, Griffin was taken care of by Randolph.
The Clippers' experience lets all fans know why all teams in the league are unwilling to encounter the Grizzlies.
Other teams in the league clearly know that the Grizzlies cannot win the championship, but they just don't want to run into the Grizzlies.
As far as the Grizzlies' defense is concerned, it will lose its skin even if it doesn't die.
The key is still without Tony Allen.
The Clippers, who eliminated the Grizzlies in seven games, are already in a state of residual health.
To make matters worse, in the first game of the semifinals against the Spurs, they had the most abhorrent back-to-back game.
This already heralds the end of the Clippers.
Griffin had just been tortured to death by Randolph, and then he was taught how to behave by Duncan again.
The physically and mentally exhausted Clippers were completely defeated in the semifinals.
Many fans joked that the Spurs got a big bargain when they met the Clippers.
…
However, the Thunder are not like the teams the Spurs played against in the first two rounds.
The Thunder are younger, and their lineup depth and player configuration are more reasonable.
And this season, the Thunder's three young players are known as the most talented combination in the league in the future.
But even so, the Thunder were still educated by the Spurs.
In the face of the Spurs' extreme team offense, the Thunder's defensive counterattack could not be launched at all, and they could only be dragged into a positional battle by the Spurs.
The Spurs also showed their defensive skills in positional warfare. Their flanking and assisting defense made the team's overall defense airtight.
The Thunder struggled very much in this situation.
Durant was taken care of by Leonard and Jackson in turns. He made 8 of 19 shots and 0 of 4 three-pointers.
He scored 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists through free throws.
Westbrook made 7 of 21 shots, but made 2 of 3 three-pointers, scoring 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Apart from these two, no one from the Thunder scored in double figures.
Yin Baka, who had performed well before, encountered Duncan's iron-blooded defense and had almost no chance.
Although the Thunder's substitutes performed well, especially Harden and Westbrook, who hit three consecutive three-pointers in the last 17 seconds.
On the last shot, Harden hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
However, they broke out too late, and the Thunder fell behind too much at the last minute, a full 10 points.
And the Spurs were also scoring, and in the end the Thunder lost the game.
After this game, all fans no longer dare to underestimate the Spurs.
The voices in the league that said "the Spurs are old" have all disappeared.
…
The G2 battle between the Knicks and the Heat still started one day later at Madison Square Garden.
After the G1 victory, the Knicks' momentum reached its peak, and everyone wanted to go to Miami with a 2:0 advantage.
On the night of the game, Madison Garden was still packed.
The enthusiasm of the fans is still high and the atmosphere of the game is fiery.
Before the game, media reported that tickets for the Knicks' first two games had been sold for more than twice as much by scalpers.
That's it, it's still hard to get a vote.
It is precisely because it is difficult to get a ticket that fans entering the stadium can hardly conceal their enthusiasm.
During the warm-up before the game, fans screamed and shouted from time to time.
Madison is known as the Basketball Mecca, and now it truly lives up to its name!
…
After the players from both sides warmed up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the two teams came out.
Neither team made any adjustments to their lineups.
The Heat still didn't let Bosh take the job, which surprised Lian Dao.
The final warm-up was over and the game started soon.
In the first half, the Heat played with high quality on both offense and defense.
Of course, the Knicks' performance here isn't bad either.
The only difference is that Stoudemire and Hassan's performance in this game was obviously not as good as in G1.
It's not that their state has fluctuated, but that Spoelstra has made targeted defense.
Spoelstra arranged for James to focus on Stoudemire, but Stoudemire's space to play was greatly restricted.
As for Hassan, he still has many flaws.
Mainly when Hassan is on the court, the Heat's perimeter players take advantage of Hassan's position to play misplaced singles.
Wade, in particular, used Bosh's pick-and-roll in the second quarter to specifically target the slow pace of Hassan's defensive high-level core defenders.
Moreover, Wade's shooting percentage in the second quarter was really high, around 73%, which is quite scary.
At the end of the half, the Knicks did not get any advantage like G1.
On the contrary, the Heat have always had the upper hand.
At halftime, the score on the field was 50:58.
This result also made the Knicks fans watching the game a little restless.
They didn't expect the Heat to be so aggressive in G2.
In fact, the Heat have never been weaker than the Knicks.
The real explosive power of the Big Three is quite terrifying.
Especially this season, their coordination has become even more perfect, their substitute lineup has been strengthened, and their lineup integration has reached a new level.
Although the Knicks' lineup is more reasonable, only Lian Dao can reach the level of a superstar.
In terms of the configuration of top stars, the current Knicks are weaker than the Heat.