This Forward is Not Serious

Lin Ying's training on the second day was conducted at his home.

Butler was called over to be his sparring partner again.

After practice, he took Butler with him to watch the live broadcast of G6 of the Western Conference Finals.

The two of them chatted for a while before the game started.

"Pat Riley came to see me."

Butler told Lin Ying what happened last night.

He took a shower yesterday and was about to go back to rest, and then met Riley in the underground garage.

It is better to say that we met him than that we were waiting for him. . .

"He wants you to go to the Knicks?"

Lin Ying could easily guess what Riley wanted to do.

Butler nodded.

"He said he admired me very much and was going to offer me a maximum salary."

Butler's rookie contract expires, and the Nets have the right to match all offers.

But the maximum salary is something the Nets cannot afford.

Lin Ying was a little surprised after hearing this, but it made sense after thinking about it.

It seems that the breakup of the Knicks' Big Three is a foregone conclusion, and Riley has already begun preparing for the summer's free market.

Of course, another possibility is not ruled out. Ballmer continues to engage in an arms race, preparing to spend more than 100 million in luxury taxes to form a real Big Four lineup to compete with the Nets.

Or maybe this is just some of Riley's tricks.

If you can't defeat your enemies head-on, then disrupt them from within.

"But I don't want to go there, it makes me feel like I'm surrendering to the enemy."

Butler continued.

He has a tough personality, which can be seen in his playing style.

Now that the two teams are rivals in the same city, it would be too uncomfortable for him to pass.

But the key to the problem now is that this is something that cannot be determined by his personal wishes.

Because of the restricted free agent rules, if the Knicks make a maximum salary offer and the Nets give up matching, he will automatically sign with the Knicks.

"I don't think it's a good place to be, either."

Lin Ying gave his own understanding.

"But you don't have to worry too much now. I think more than one team may offer you a maximum salary in the summer. It's best if you stay in Brooklyn. If you really can't stay, you'd better go to a team with more opportunities." team."

There is more than one rule for restricted free agents. If multiple teams make offers at the same time and the home team is not prepared to stay, the player can choose where to go.

"And I think if that happens, the management will definitely have new considerations on whether to match."

It is rare for a player to choose where to go for the maximum salary. This is because generally if the offer exceeds the price of two teams, it means that the player is worth the maximum salary, and the home team will usually find a way to match it.

Butler nodded after hearing this. Lin Ying's experience was of great help to him.

No matter what Riley's true purpose is, it has already given him psychological baggage.

Lin Ying's words made him shake off his burden.

When the two of them were chatting, the game was about to start.

"Guess if the Thunder can win tonight."

There were drinks and snacks on the table. Lin Ying picked up a squid ring as he spoke.

"able."

Butler gave his answer.

"This is their home court. They are a more emotional team, and their home winning rate is much higher than their away winning rate."

It seems that Butler has not done research on two potential opponents in private.

"I also hope the Thunder win."

Lin Ying watched the game video before. Compared with the Spurs, the Nets have a significantly greater chance of winning against the Thunder.

Because the Thunder's talent is high, but there are many points that can be targeted.

The game started soon.

The Spurs didn't feel good at the start and failed to seize several consecutive outside opportunities.

However, the Thunder's offense did not pick up. The defensive combination of Duncan and Leonard was one inside and one outside. The Spurs' defense was underestimated.

The two teams were more defensive in the first quarter.

After one quarter, both teams scored only about 20 points.

In the second quarter, the Thunder adjusted their offensive focus, and Westbrook began to frantically attack the Spurs inside.

To say that the biggest weakness of this Spurs is probably the inside line.

Popovich arranged a combination of Bonner and Duncan.

Bonner is the air on the defensive end. Although Duncan has a large defensive coverage, he is also older after all. Westbrook rushes fast and fierce, frequently causing damage.

However, free throws increase points slowly.

Although the Thunder gained some lead in this way, it was not big.

At halftime, the Thunder led the Spurs 49-44.

The two teams basically played evenly at halftime.

Both teams take a break.

At this moment, Lin Ying received a call from Dean Walken.

"Lin, congratulations, you have been selected for the double first team again."

Going one step ahead of the officials, Warken Dean already knows the results of this year's first round.

This is the third consecutive year that Lin Ying has done this.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Ying turned on the news and read it.

The official results have also been published online.

Best Defensive Team: Paul, George, Iguodala, Lin Ying, Chandler

All-Defensive Second Team: James, Butler, Leonard, Ibaka, Hibbert

The result of the defensive formation was basically expected, and Butler was selected to the defensive second team for the second consecutive year.

The only thing that is unexpected is that James did not score for a while.

All-NBA First Team: James, Paul, Durant, Lin Ying, Howard

All-Pro Second Team: Curry, Parker, Kobe, Anthony, Yao Ming

All-NBA Third Team: Irving, Harden, George, Griffin, Aldridge

The two chatted for a while while watching the news, and then turned their attention back to the game.

The third quarter was a surprise.

Popovich took the initiative to make changes and replaced Bonner in the second half and replaced him with Diaw.

In fact, whether it is Bonner or Diaw, Popovich's hammer tactics are also space-based.

Bonner's three-pointers are more certain than Diaw's, but his defense proved to be really not very good in the first half.

Especially tonight with Westbrook constantly driving to the basket.

Then this adjustment directly caused the Spurs to explode.

Diaw not only played the defense and support he should have, but also had a good outside touch.

He made 3 of 4 shots from beyond the three-point line in this quarter, and the Spurs scored 37-20 in a single quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, they in turn led the Thunder by 12 points.

This is the Spurs' version of the crazy third quarter, "Ma San Crazy"!

Lin Ying was silent for a while after seeing it.

The Hammers' tactics are like pick-and-roll tactics, and now they are going crazy.

Popovich is not standing on the shoulders of giants, he is directly grabbing the giants' wool!

This is just like the novels Lin Ying read in her previous life, most of which relied on "borrowing"!

After all, it’s easy to get into trouble if you write carefully by yourself. How good is it to learn from what others have figured out?

Of course, it will also make people who know it feel shameless.

For example, right now, Lin Ying's impression of Popovich is even worse.

The Spurs reversed the situation, but the Thunder did not give up.

Westbrook was performing in the first three quarters, and in the last quarter Durant started to come online.

When Durant enters the state, it is difficult for Leonard to restrain him.

Durant scored 15 points in the last quarter and hit the only three-pointer of the night against Leonard's defense at the last moment, which was also the tie three-pointer and helped the Thunder drag the game into overtime.

Watching this ball made Lin Ying's blood boil.

This is a bit similar to the game that the University of Texas had back then.

The momentum is on the Thunder's side, and they have a great chance in overtime.

However, in overtime, Leonard, who had not played much before, had a brilliant performance. He made two key three-pointers and a fast break layup that intercepted Westbrook, scoring 8 points in overtime. .

The Spurs also scored 11-6 in overtime.

At the end of the game, the Spurs defeated the Thunder 112-107 and eliminated the Thunder 4-2 to advance to the finals.

The process of the game was full of twists and turns, and the result of the game was also unexpected.

So in the end, Butler guessed wrong, and Lin Ying didn't get the answer he wanted.

In this way, the two sides in the finals are determined, Nets VS Spurs.

This result should be something no one expected before the start of the season.

Let’s not talk about the Eastern Conference. After all, although the Nets are not the most popular, they are also the defending champion.

Just talking about the Western Conference, popular stocks such as the Lakers, Mavericks, and Thunder stocks have all been delisted one after another. The Spurs who finally emerged are complete dark horses.

Overture of the Dead ended up becoming Rise of the Lich King.

They are now so close to wearing the crown.

"We have to be prepared to fight hard."

Lin Ying's expression was serious.

When he watched the video of the G1 game between the Spurs and Thunder before, he felt that the Spurs were not easy to play.

The Spurs' performance in this game further verified this.

Because in addition to the quality on both ends of the court, the Spurs also showed their excellent ability to adjust tonight.

So there is no doubt that this is not a welfare game that beats the Knicks and then takes the crown.

What they have to face is a more powerful opponent than the Knicks.

"Ready at all the time."

Butler said with fiery eyes.

After hearing this, Lin Ying reached out and patted Butler on the shoulder.

Where to go is a matter of next season, and what will happen next season is also a matter of next season.

At least now, they have to accomplish the goal they set from the beginning.

Let’s have another championship flag hanging over the Barclays Center!

…

So in the end, the Texas Twins PK that Stern tried so hard to create still failed to appear.

Compared with the 23VS24 he created before, this has to be said to be a pity.

Especially for Stern, who will never see it during his tenure.

But regret is also a kind of beauty.

Because everyone is looking forward to the meeting between the Nets and the Thunder, and the confrontation between Lin Ying and Durant in the Finals. They have fantasized about it and even written down all the possible situations.

This is like a TV series "The Beginning" that Lin Ying watched in his previous life. Before the finale came out, the audience had already enumerated all the possibilities.

So when the real ending comes out, many people's expectations will be disappointed, and they will feel like the ending is unfinished.

If the Nets really encounter the Thunder, it will be difficult for the fans to enjoy themselves without a tiebreaker.

But now that the Nets are playing the Spurs, a brand new matchup has emerged. Fans have new imagination and new expectations.

And although the topic between the Spurs and Nets is not big, the last time they met in the Finals was back in 2003. At that time, the core lineup of the Nets was still the trident of Kidd, Jefferson and Martin.

But there are many topics between Lin Ying and the Spurs.

Lin Ying and Duncan were both teachers, friends and rivals, and they even sent Popovich to the hospital.

These things may have been gradually forgotten as time goes by, but now that they face each other in the finals, they will definitely be brought up again.

And there are two pieces of information that have not been made public.

First, Duncan said "the future is yours" not only to James, but also to Lin Ying privately when he was still in Phoenix.

Second, Leonard had participated in Lin Ying's personal training camp before, and Lin Ying also said something similar to Leonard, "Seeing you is like seeing myself before."

So this round of the series has much more topics than expected, and it is also the continuation of many stories.

Of course, topics like this are just conversation starters. What fans really care about is who of the two teams will win in the end.

The Nets' victory over the Knicks was impressive, and the Brooklyn "boys' team" became famous.

But the Spurs' journey to the Finals has also constantly refreshed fans' understanding of them.

Unrivaled team play, perfect game understanding, and outstanding will to compete, including the tactical level that Popovich has shown in the past two years.

No one really thinks that the Nets can easily defeat the Spurs.

Of course, in general, the outside world is still more optimistic about the Nets.

On ESPN, A. Smith even believes that the Nets have more than 70% probability of winning within 6 games.

…

Time flies, and after two days of rest, the finals are about to officially begin.

Because the Nets have a better regular season record than the Spurs, the Finals will also be held first in Brooklyn.

The Barclays Center was still full this night.

Not only inside the arena, but also like last year's finals, a large number of fans gathered outside the arena.

The Nets came to the arena earlier than expected to warm up.

During the warm-up, the Nets players all showed excellent game status.

The advantage of the Spurs' win in G6 is that the Nets don't have to wait for a long time, and the state they played against the Knicks will not get colder.

This looks pretty good in the eyes of fans.

Getting off to a good start in one go would be the best thing.

Not only the state of the game, but the mental outlook of the players is also very good.

Look over there, JR is signing autographs and taking photos with fans from New Jersey again.

From the physical to the mental level, the Nets are ready for the finals.

After waiting for a while, the Spurs also arrived at the scene.

Popovich's expression was still serious.

On the other hand, GDP and the others seemed to be in a good mood, chatting and laughing.

Especially after warming up for a while, Duncan came over to talk to Lin Ying for a few words.

Well, by the way, look left and right to see the Nets warming up up close.

Lin Ying had already experienced this "shady" psychology doctor before when he was in Phoenix.

So he quickly "rushed" Duncan back into the Spurs' half.

"Du~"

A long whistle sounded, and the finals were about to begin!