This Forward is Not Serious

The two heroes in the east competed for the ranking, and after the chaos in the west, the final result also highlighted the word "chaos".

In the end, it was neither the Mavericks nor the Lakers that ranked first in the Western Conference, but the Spurs.

The Spurs maintained their second place position for a season, winning 61 games in a row in the final stretch and ranking first in the Western Conference.

The Mavericks rank second in the Western Conference with 60 wins.

The Rockets rank third in the Western Conference with 58 wins.

The addition of Billups allowed the Rockets to achieve an 18-2 record in the second half of the season, and finally succeeded in overtaking the Lakers.

The Lakers rank fourth in the Western Conference with 57 wins.

The Thunder rank fifth in the Western Conference with 55 wins.

Durant averaged 27.7 points per game and retained the season scoring title.

The Suns rushed to 54 wins, but fell short in the end.

In the fourth season of his career, Lin Ying averaged 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.7 steals per game, with three shooting percentages of 50.2%/91.1%/40.5% respectively.

The Trail Blazers ranked seventh with 48 wins.

The Grizzlies ranked eighth with 46 wins.

It is worth mentioning that although Allen did not go to the Grizzlies as in history, Gay did not suffer a season-ending injury in the regular season.

The Hornets' final record was fixed at 44 wins.

West's season reimbursement cost them not only their strength, but also their fighting spirit.

West has announced that he will opt out of his contract early, Paul has also officially determined that he will not renew his contract, and the Hornets will face a major reshuffle in the summer.

The matchups in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs will be Spurs VS Grizzlies, Mavericks VS Trail Blazers, Rockets VS Suns, Lakers VS Thunder.

There are two teams that have attracted much attention in the West. One is the Lakers and Thunder, and the other is the Rockets and Suns.

Last year's 3-1 lead was reversed, and then Durant's chance for revenge came so quickly.

Of course, it is also possible that Durant and his Thunder will be scored twice by the Lakers and Kobe Bryant.

If that's the case, it looks like a new chapter in the Suns-Spurs feud.

But in terms of difficulty this year, the most difficult thing is the Suns.

The Suns will face the Rockets in the first round!

There is no doubt that after adding Billups, the Rockets have become a team with real championship potential.

Yao Ming has a good chance of winning his first career championship this season.

Then, this is the Suns' first-round opponent this season.

This is certainly not the situation the Suns want, but in order to avoid such a situation, the Suns have made every effort during the regular season.

Even in order to move forward a little bit, the team's current state is a bit tired.

However, the Suns are the defending champions after all, and their mentality has been adjusted quickly.

And the sixth position in the Western Conference is too familiar.

Even in a sense, if the following can be defeated in the first round, the team's entire morale will be greatly enhanced.

Because the Rockets have home court advantage, they flew to Houston the day before the game.

Lin Ying still felt a little deep.

After all, I had already played against the Rockets in the playoffs when I was with the Nuggets.

A positive psychological implication is that he won last time.

On the plane, Gentry announced the starting lineup for the playoffs in advance.

Nash, Allen, Lin Ying, Stoudemire, Oden.

Oden's performance got better and better in the second half of the season, and his playing time gradually stabilized at 20 to 25 minutes, but he always played as a substitute.

Now in the playoffs, Gentry has directly put him in the starting lineup!

Needless to say, this is for Yao Ming.

Although Oden's defense against Yao Ming is a leapfrog challenge, the Suns have no more suitable candidate than him.

Moreover, Yao Ming's dominance in the low post has declined after losing weight. He is now more like an offensive axis like Gasol, and Oden has no chance to guard him.

Auden was very excited after hearing the arrangement.

Regardless of whether it is difficult or not, it is worth it even if a soldier dies for his confidant, even if he is used as cannon fodder!

That is to say, on the plane, Lin Ying noticed that McGrady's emotions were also complicated.

This is also understandable.

McGrady's personal peak is with the Magic, but the team's peak is with the Rockets.

It would be a lie to say he has no feelings for the Rockets.

But although the original departure did not have the disgusting "black seven minutes" in history, it was unpleasant after all.

Now in the playoffs, the emotions will definitely be complicated.

Well, it feels a bit like meeting an ex-girlfriend I loved.

Lin Ying could somewhat understand McGrady's emotions, which were different from his encounter with the Nuggets in the playoffs, so he couldn't say anything.

However, he and Yao Ming met again in the playoffs, and the feeling was also very subtle.

Winning is definitely his goal, and if he can really defeat the Rockets, then Yao Ming's departure from the team is basically determined.

But based on his understanding of Yao Ming, Yao Ming is definitely not someone who gives up easily, especially when the Rockets lineup is so good this season.

Yao Ming wants to win, and Lin Ying, as the defending champion, doesn't want to lose either.

An extremely brutal battle can be expected.

…

Arriving in Houston, Yao Ming and Lin Ying had dinner at Yao Restaurant.

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time and talked a lot.

In addition to the upcoming game, the two also specifically talked about this summer.

As Lin Ying thought before, if the Rockets cannot make further progress, Yao Ming will indeed choose to leave.

Yao Ming is loyal, but after this season he has played for the Rockets for 9 years.

How many nine years can a player's career last?

He has given his all to the Rockets.

Moreover, he was relatively old when he entered the league, and is now 31 years old.

If he really has to leave, it will most likely be the last stop of his career.

Lin Ying had an idea at this time.

Because when it was the 2008 Olympics, he had thought about the two of them playing together.

In the summer, did you and Kerr suggest that Yao Ming be brought to Phoenix in a sign-and-trade?

With his current team status, Cole should consider it.

Of course there are too many unknowns about this kind of thing.

Especially this year, according to this momentum, the league will most likely usher in a shutdown as it has in history.

That makes those uncertainties even greater.

Then the two naturally talked about next year's London Olympics.

That’s right, the Olympics are only a little over a year away!

Lin Ying also told Yao Ming that Durant would probably not play for the Dream Team.

Yao Ming was also very happy when he heard this.

Although I won the World Championships before, what could be more tempting than the Olympic title?

Although even without Durant, it will still be difficult to defeat the Olympic Dream Team, but at least they have a chance.

They also talked about Yi Jianlian.

Yi Jianlian is doing very well in the Nets now.

Played 68 of 82 games, the season with the highest attendance rate of his career, and started 34 of them, averaging 8.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Although the statistics are not particularly dazzling, his efficiency has reached a career high, with three shooting percentages of 46.2%/85.7%/38.4%, all of which are career highs.

This is the data for a qualifying rotation.

And on the basis of 3D, he also has the ability to "fake shots and make real shots".

After all, he is only in the fourth grade like Lin Ying. Regardless of whether he can continue to stay in the Nets, there is a high probability that he will get a new contract.

At the end of the chat, the two talked about the next first round match.

"I know you want to defend your title now, but this is a game I can't afford to lose."

"I...me too."

When the two said the last sentence, their eyes met, and sparks seemed to flicker.

They are teammates in the national team, but in the NBA, they are opponents who can do anything to win!

…

Toyota Center.

The venue was packed with fans holding Yao Ming's KT boards high, and a large number of Chinese fans also came to the venue.

Another big highlight of this series is the Chinese Derby.

Of course, these Chinese fans who came to the scene were all here to support Yao Ming and the Rockets.

After all, the Rockets are at home, and they have reached the top half this year. Both their status and lineup strength are super strong.

Kill the Suns, the defending champion, to sacrifice the flag, and then win the championship unstoppably?

That must be very embarrassing!

During the warm-up before the game, Yao Ming, Lin Ying, Billups, Nash, Carter, Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady and others were constantly present on the scene.

A few years ago, this would have been an all-star showdown.

Of course, how could such an occasion be without Barkley.

With last year's experience, "Ba Da Xiao" is now familiar with it.

"I have to admit, I've always been a fan of Yao. This guy blocked Shaq three times in one possession in his rookie season. That day I knew he was going to be the best center in the league."

The three armies have not moved, but the poisonous milk goes first.

Fortunately, Kenny Smith was used to it and smiled and nodded in agreement.

The warm-up ended quickly and the scene entered the opening ceremony. The Suns took the lead as the visiting team.

Nash, Allen, Lin Ying, Stoudemire, Oden.

The Suns' starting lineup was the same as Gentry had scheduled on the plane.

Next up was the home team Rockets.

Billups, Carter, Artest, Scola, Yao Ming.

Adelman is also a seasoned veteran and has a good grasp of Gentry's arrangements.

This lineup will look very good with points on both sides.

Both sides made their debut.

Oden took a long breath before coming on the court. He faced Yao Ming in the first game. Even though he was mentally prepared, the pressure was still great.

Lin Ying patted him on the shoulder after seeing it and gave him a look that believed in him.

In the center circle, Oden and Yao Ming's jump ball!

"beep!"

As soon as the whistle blew, Oden jumped up first and moved the ball back to the Suns half. Lin Ying got the ball and the away team attacked first!

With Nash holding the ball at the top of the arc, Lin Ying used Oden's pick-and-roll to catch the ball and hit Yao Ming with a fake shot, and then went straight to the basket and made a throw-in to score!

The style of play of a small forward, the skills of a power forward!

This goal is a reflection of Lin Ying's current style of play.

The Suns come out on top!

In the Rockets' offense, Yao Ming received the ball in the high post, and Princeton's high post tactics were used.

After losing weight, Yao Ming became the best organizer in the Princeton system.

And with Billups here, the Rockets have a coach on the court who can clearly arrange for you how to play.

Use high-position tactics, pull out Oden, and use softness to overcome strength to directly resolve Gentry's arrangement.

Carter's cut in, Yao Ming hit the ball beautifully, Carter caught the ball and was about to fly into the air.

But the moment he got up, a figure quickly appeared in front of him.

Lin Ying!

The match against Georgetown in NCAA that year was still vivid in his mind, and he was very familiar with Princeton's various styles of play!

Carter was forced to stop the ball and wanted to pass the ball only to find that the passing route was strangled.

Of course Gentry knew Princeton's high post tactics and arranged for Oden to start, so how could there be no other response!

Princeton's advantage is that people move and the ball moves, but in the end there is a high probability that they will score by cutting to the basket.

In this case, making full use of Lin Ying's defensive ability, the defense will be half successful!

Carter finally chose to hit Lin Ying from behind and turned around.

The four major shooting guards each have their own strengths, but they all have the skills they should have.

But in this position, Carter obviously thought too much about beating Lin Ying like this.

After the ball was released, it was caught by Lin Ying's finger. Lin Ying took off the second time and directly grabbed the defensive rebound!

The Suns' fast break advanced rapidly. After receiving a long pass from Lin Ying, Nash flew with long hair and scored on the fast break.

4 to 0!

The Suns turned away and gave the Rockets a start!

The Rockets advanced to the frontcourt, and under the command of Billups, the Rockets began to play more complexly.

Carter and Scola's "split" split tactic, Carter received a pass from Yao Ming and made a mid-range jump shot.

"Dang!"

The tactics of this shot are very beautiful, but I don’t know if it was because Lin Ying blocked him in front of him, but Carter didn’t make the shot this time!

Stoudemire returned to the basket and picked off the defensive rebound!

When Princeton plays in the high post, Yao Ming needs to be on the outside, and the Rockets' ability to compete for rebounds will obviously become weaker.

Fortunately, they retreated quickly this time and did not allow Nash to directly score.

But just when fans thought the Rockets could defend the Suns' fast break this time, Lin Ying reached the frontcourt three-point line and directly inserted.

Nash's hit to the ground was directly given.

At this time, Yao Ming has not yet settled down, and the Rockets only have Scola under the basket. Lin Ying reaches the three-second zone and directly rises into the air.

He has been in a state of excitement since the beginning.

Scola was also very hard and stretched out his hands directly in front of Lin Ying.

"Bang!"

But Lin Ying was faster than he expected, and he dunked more resolutely. The ball was smashed directly into the basket through him!

There was a commotion in the place.

6 to 0!

This was no longer a show of force, it was a complete suppression of Team Rocket!

Moreover, the Rockets advanced to the frontcourt, and Billups' three-point shot from the outside was blocked by Allen's flying slap!

The Suns played another fast break, and this time Allen received a pass from Nash and scored a layup!

8 to 0!

Successful defense time and time again, wave after wave of fast breaks!

After entering the playoffs, the Suns seemed to be in their best form all of a sudden, showing the same form as when they won the championship last year!

In the stands, the Houston fans were already restless.

In the commentary box, Barkley suddenly recalled something after seeing this scene.

Although that experience was the biggest pain in his heart.

But another year of sixth place in the Western Conference and another defending championship still made him involuntarily say Tomjanovich's famous saying in the commentary box.

"Don't underestimate the heart of a championship."

Last year, the Suns came back to win the championship with the sixth record in the Western Conference. This year, as the defending champion, they are sixth in the Western Conference.

To paraphrase Lin Ying’s words from a famous scene before:

Come again, why not!