Chapter 321 4:1, advance to the Western Conference finals
Paul is definitely not justifying the team's loss, he really thinks so.
Wang Feng's scoring ability in the final quarter was so exaggerated that it would not be safe if he did not lead by more than 20 points.
Of course, this is not entirely due to Wang Feng.
Although Wang Feng's scoring ability at the last moment is so explosive that no one can guard him, but correspondingly, if Wang Feng is scoring in the process, the Rockets can also score, how can they be caught up in the score difference?
No matter how powerful Wang Feng is, he can only score 3 points at most in one attack.
Even if the Rockets score one goal in two offenses and it counts as 2 points, they still have 4 points in four rounds.
But the real situation is that the Rockets did not score a point in the last 2 minutes.
Whether it was Harden, Paul or other players, they were all affected when Wang Feng made difficult shots one after another. On the contrary, the morale of the Lakers was greatly boosted, and they also worked harder on the defensive end. The Rockets were extremely defensive.
Uncomfortable.
Harden's flaws were once again exposed.
Although his scoring ability was extremely strong in the regular season, he relied too much on free throws to score points, and even trying to commit fouls at critical moments would not get the referee's whistle at all.
If any one of James, Durant, Curry, etc. is allowed to play in this game, they can rely on their stable scoring output ability to successfully score at the last minute to stabilize the situation and not give Wang Feng a chance to catch up with the score and make a buzzer-beating shot.
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In any case, with a total score of 3:0, there is no doubt that the Rockets will be eliminated.
There has never been a team in the history of the NBA that can make a comeback after falling behind 0:3. The next step is to see the final score between the two sides. Will the Rockets be ruthlessly swept 4:0, or can they fight at home and come back?
He saved some face in one round and was eliminated decently at 4:1.
On May 6, the G4 series started at the Rockets' home court.
The Rockets finally won this game.
From the beginning of the game, the Rockets established a score advantage and continued to expand it, winning the game smoothly and calmly.
Obviously, the Lakers took the initiative to let this game go, saving some face for the Rockets.
As the saying goes, keep a thin line in life so that we can meet each other easily in the future.
Although Wang Feng has no feelings for the Rockets because of a certain dog, he still wants to give face to the Rockets' star Dayao. After all, the stupid remarks made by a certain dog were in October this year, nearly half a year later. He is not legitimate.
He had no reason to explain this matter to Dayao, so he could only turn a blind eye.
In the G4 game, Wang Feng played 30 minutes and scored 27 points and 11 rebounds. The Rockets achieved a rare victory 112:108.
Although they won the game, no one among the Rockets fans was happy about it. They all knew that this was just a reprieve.
On May 8, in G5 of the Western Conference semifinals, the two sides returned to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the home of the Lakers. This time the Lakers did not give the Rockets another chance.
At 110:99, a clean and decisive move took away the game.
Wang Feng made 18 of 26 shots, scored 41 points and 13 rebounds, and dominated the offensive end.
On the other hand, Harden, after two consecutive home games where he performed well and scored 30+ points, returned to his undercover character when he came to the away game. He shot 35% on 7 of 20 shots and managed to score 23 points on 7 of 12 free throws.
point.
At this point, the Lakers took away the game with a total score of 4:1 and officially entered the Western Conference Finals with their heads held high.
Going back to the last time the Lakers reached the conference finals, they won the championship in the 2009-10 season. After winning two consecutive championships that year, the Lakers began to go downhill. In the 10-11 season, the Western Conference semifinals were defeated by the Mavericks 4:0.
After being swept out of the league, they met the young Thunder again in the 11-12 season, and were beaten to death by Westbrook, who was still a very stable mid-range shooter at that time.
Then to the 12-13 season, it was the season when Kobe was willing to rupture his Achilles tendon in order for the Lakers to enter the playoffs.
Since then, the Lakers have been at the bottom for many years. It was not until the team signed Wang Feng last season that they finally returned to the playoffs.
In the two years since Wang Feng came to the Lakers, he reached the conference semifinals in the first year and the conference finals in the second year. Such an excellent record is enough to satisfy Lakers fans.
Local media including Los Angeles also commented similarly.
"Wang Feng's performance in both the regular season and the playoffs has been dominant. There is no doubt that he has become one of the best players in the league. The Los Angeles Lakers should be grateful for acquiring such a top star.
Feel lucky!"
"Next, the Lakers' goal should be to set the NBA championship. This summer, the Lakers need to complete Jimmy Butler's contract extension, and then exchange for an All-Star player through a trade to form a three-man team.
A lineup of giants to challenge for the championship."
This statement was recognized by the majority of fans, but not many people found any clues from it.
Bringing in an All-Star player this summer to challenge for the championship? What about this season?
The Lakers have just entered the Western Conference Finals, and the Western Conference Finals haven't even started yet. Why next season?
The reason is actually not difficult to understand.
No one thought the Lakers could get past the Warriors.
Wang Feng is very strong. With Butler as a strong support, Ingram, Kuzma and others also performed well in the playoffs.
But their opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Golden State Warriors!
Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Clay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Draymond Green.
How many people can be scared off just by the names of these five players?
Even if they did not perform well during the regular season, and even if they enter the playoffs, minor injuries and illnesses often plague the Warriors, but how many people will doubt the strength of the Warriors because of this?
The Lakers and Warriors were tied at 2:2 in the regular season, but the Western Conference finals had not yet started, and the score generally given by major media was that the Warriors eliminated the Lakers 4:2 and entered the finals.
This is reality!
As soon as they entered the playoffs, the Warriors immediately showed their terrifying dominance and won three championships in four years. They easily swept the Thunder 4:0 in the first round. Even Westbrook, who had a small universe when Durant broke out, was beaten by the small universe.
Press it down.
Facing the Denver Nuggets in the second round, the Warriors once again defeated the Nuggets 4:0. Although Jokic's statistics in the 4 games were extremely luxurious, averaging 29 points, 13.9 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, it was also to no avail. The strength of the two teams was simply not there.
A horizontal line.
The Warriors swept the first two games, which reminds people of the terrifying dominance of this team in the past few years. Except for the Big Four of the Cavaliers in the 16-17 season, the Warriors have never lost in the playoffs.