Chapter 1581 A Fierce Fight! The Most Gorgeous Offensive Showdown in the New Era!
With an earth-shattering 4-0, the Suns swept the Spurs in an unprecedented manner and met the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
This was the way they defeated the Spurs in the playoffs for the first time. The Suns undoubtedly shined with dazzling light. This sweep was obviously more shocking than the Lakers sweeping the Jazz. You can see it on any website. A bunch of shocked and numb fans were hyping the Suns crazily.
Richardson has physical fitness and three-pointers, Hill can defend and have experience and organization, Dudley, who is a prototype of a 3D player, perfectly complements the Suns' wings, Stoudemire is a proficient mid-range shooter inside, and Lopez has height and vitality. Frye can come out and throw, and Armandson can grab it when he comes up. Della and Barbosa have the offensive ability, not to mention the Nash who I talked about.
Compared with the Lakers, who easily swept their opponents, the Suns were undoubtedly more impressive in this round. In addition to the players, even Gentry was also praised.
Even Sports Illustrated called him "a wild element on offense and a master tactician on defense."
The Suns were also evaluated by ESPN as: "This Suns, which looks nameless and insignificant, is actually the Suns with the most balanced offensive and defensive distribution and handles the most ball points."
In short, judging from the results, this Suns does deserve these praises, and more importantly, after eliminating the Spurs, the Suns will finally face the Lakers again!
"The Lakers, after their opponent in the Western Conference Finals was 4, they paused and then said slowly.
Compared to the Spurs, who have more wins and fewer losses, Lakers fans, especially those who only liked the Lakers after the Sharks parted ways, must have a deeper impression of the Suns than the Spurs.
No one else, because the Suns were the biggest sufferer for the Lakers in those two years, especially for Kobe, the Suns were not an ordinary opponent.
In 2006, the Lakers in the post-O'Neal era made it to the playoffs for the first time. Their opponent in the first round was the Suns.
In the first four games, the Lakers led 3-1, and Kobe Bryant made two classic consecutive kills in key games. The media generally believed that Kobe would lead the team to advance to the Western Conference semifinals and join forces with the Clippers from the same city.
However, in Game 5, Suns guard Raja Bell gave Kobe a "clothesline" during a retreat, locking Kobe and earning him the title of "Kobe Terminator". Although Bell was sent off and An additional one-game suspension was imposed, but the Suns won this key victory.
In Game 6, without Bell defense, Kobe Bryant scored 50 points, but the Lakers lost at home in overtime. They were just a little bit away from creating a miracle, but there was no if.
Returning to Phoenix in Game 7, Kobe Bryant only scored 24 points under Bell's defense, and the Lakers were defeated 90-121. The Suns became the eighth team in playoff history and the last team so far to be able to come back and win after falling behind 1-3.
The following year, in the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers met the Suns again. This time, there was almost no suspense about the Lakers' failure. Although Kobe averaged nearly 33 points per game, the team lost with a total score of 1-4.
Everyone knows the subsequent story. Kobe was very angry about the continuous occurrence of this situation, and even wanted to seek a trade for a time. The Lakers finally began to seek changes. Only then did Gasol's package deal come about, and only then did the accident happen. Get Ji Feng's surprise.
It can be said that the beginning of this undefeated team started with a 3-1 comeback by the Suns.
So you can imagine how much Kobe looked forward to this reunion.
On May 13, one day after the Suns completed their sweep, a reporter asked Kobe Bryant at Staples: "Is it special for you to face the Suns in the playoffs again?"
Kobe, who was originally expressionless, frowned and said to the reporter angrily: "What do you think? You already know the answer."
The same is true for the Lakers. This is the first time the Lakers have met the Suns in the playoffs since they had the Twin Towers and Season Peak. Both Phil and Kobe expressed their desire to settle their scores.
"They have Nash and Stoudemire, and a bunch of bench gangsters, while we have Kobe and Ji Feng, and the Twin Towers to compete against each other." Jackson said in an interview.
And Kobe also admitted that he can't wait for the Western Conference Finals. He hopes to complete his revenge against the Suns. For him, there is nothing more perfect than stepping on the Suns and entering the Finals.
Later, someone asked him if he was still worried about being eliminated by the Suns for two consecutive years.
Kobe smiled slyly: "Only a little."
But Ji Feng knew that there was only a little bit. For the competitive Kobe, this encounter just scratched his itch. He really couldn't wait to tear his opponent into pieces.
The only one who is calm here may be Ji Feng. After all, he was just a spectator in front of the TV before. However, Ji Feng is also full of desire to defeat the Suns, for no other reason than to defeat Nash head-on!
"Nash used to be one of my favorite guards. When I was still playing in high school, Nash's style of play gave me a lot of inspiration. It has always been a big regret for me not to play against him in the playoffs, but This time, I finally encountered this opportunity, and I want to say, come on, Steve, let’s go for it!” Ji Feng said.
And Nash quickly responded; "Don't worry, kid. I always gave in to you before. This time I will show you my true strength. Don't cry then!"
Gentry also said that they just want to reach the finals: "I know it is difficult. The Lakers are very strong, but we are not weak either. Defeating the Spurs gives us confidence. We will not give away victory easily."
The media also caught wind of this. Compared with the scenario where the Magic and the Celtics meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals, the West is undoubtedly more eye-catching. After all, the Magic and the Greens in the East are both good at defense. The Magic defeated the Hawks 4-1 in five games. , only allowing opponents to score 83 points per game, which can be said to be very arrogant, and the Green Army does not give in too much. If you don't believe it, just ask James and you will understand.
The duel between the two can be described as a collision of strong players. However, compared to the slightly dull defensive battle, the Western Conference is a collision of offense.
The most entertaining team in the NBA in the first ten years must be the Suns, and the Lakers have become the benchmark for offense in the league today. Both teams are good at playing dazzling offense.
Some fans said that this was the most gorgeous confrontation between teams in history!
The NBA officials actually took advantage of this fan's remarks. The large posters were full of star players, and the large fonts made all fans who saw it can't help but look forward to it.
Time passed day by day, and finally, it was the day of the competition!
Los Angeles was star-studded on May 18. In addition to the celebrities who came to watch the game, Dayao, who was recovering from his injuries, also appeared on the sidelines with his wife on crutches.