Chapter 454 0405 Playoffs

Chapter 454 04-05 Playoffs

By April, the regular season was over.

The Sonics' record of 74 wins and 8 losses, although slightly inferior to last season's 76 wins and 6 losses, also helped the Sonics occupy the top two spots for the best record in regular season history.

The Lakers followed closely behind with 71 wins and 11 losses. They tied 2:2 with the SuperSonics in four games during the regular season, creating the second longest winning streak in team history with 28 consecutive victories and also creating the NBA's longest winning streak. The league now has the fourth-best record in history.

The Spurs ranked third in the Western Conference with 59 wins and 23 losses, while the Mavericks ranked fifth in the Western Conference with 55 wins and 27 losses.

The impact and changes brought about by the fluttering of butterfly wings are actually greater than Lin Dong imagined, and the alliance structure has become very stable.

Manu, who did not have the experience of winning the 2004 Olympics, failed to realize the talent he should have had in history. This season's performance was mediocre. The power of the Spurs' GDP was at least 20% less, although they are still in the first echelon of the Western Conference. But it no longer has the style of this year's championship in history.

The Mavericks fell into an internal conflict due to the conflict between Nash and management.

In this year in history, he was supposed to be poached by the Suns with a high salary. However, due to a series of transactions in the summer, the Suns did not choose to offer this large contract for unknown reasons.

This allowed Cuban to keep Nash with a one-year, $7 million contract.

Compared with Nash's previous salary of 5 million, this is already a big improvement. Cuban is more generous than historically, but the one-year short contract still cannot hide the team's contempt for him.

This makes the atmosphere within the Mavericks team definitely not one that can be called unity, and their results have been fluctuating. Currently, the team is predicted to be in the second round at most.

On the contrary, the Lakers, after winning Yao's name, paired with Kobe, it was just a season of running-in, and they have already shown the style of the OK combination, even better.

In terms of character, both Yao Ming and Kobe are the kind of extremely self-disciplined and diligent people.

Compared with Jordan, Kobe's desire to win is not weak at all, but his temper and arrogance are relatively less strong.

Compared with the former O'Neal, Yao Ming's desire to win is obviously much stronger, his defensive attitude is more active, and he never seizes the ball on the court. The league's top center with the highest salary is willing to do blue-collar work. The locker room never pretends to be big, and is even willing to help Kobe... Tsk, tsk, tsk, this attribute is simply Kobe's dream lover on the court.

He is so good on and off the court that he almost wears a pair of pants. You can even often see Kobe Bryant giving Yao a massage to relax on the bench before the game. The two talk and laugh like a couple, which is different from Jordan. The superficial show of affection towards Yao Ming is so different from the big-eyed glare that Kobe used to show when he teamed up with O'Neal, so much so that this year he just won the Oscar for Best with "Brokeback Mountain" Ang Lee, who won the film award, joked that these two people are the best interpretation of the movie.

As the so-called sympathy between heroes, mutual appreciation has become the source of tacit understanding between the two. It is the guarantee of the Lakers' record this year. It is also known as the wealthy team with the best chance to stop the SuperSonics this year.

It is the only time in history that there are two teams with more than 70 wins in one season, while the record in the Eastern Conference looks much more ordinary.

The Wizards ranked first with 63 wins and 19 losses, the Cavaliers ranked second with 61 wins and 21 losses, the Pistons ranked third with 60 wins and 22 losses, and the Philadelphia 76ers ranked fourth with 58 wins and 24 losses.

The worst thing is the Nets.

The Nets, which owned Kidd, had always been one of the giants in the Eastern Conference before last year. They were in the first three years of the regular season. However, the new owner Laettner, who just bought the Nets last year, made various tricks to reduce the team's salary space. Losing Kenyon Martin and selling Kerry Kittles dismantled the Nets' already mature system. He even sold the Nets' future first-round draft picks, and used them to compete with other teams. Exchange cash…

Encountering a boss who is obsessed with money, the Nets' record this season can be described as bad, with 40 wins and 42 losses, and they missed the playoffs.

Just after the regular season, Jason Kidd was cursing and announcing that he would give up his Bird Rights and opt out of the team contract, and test the free trade market this year. For this team that has no intention of competing for the championship, Kidd is I don't want to stay for a second longer, and I don't even want to bring any benefit to that stingy boss just because I retain my 'bird rights'.

Lin Dong feels that this is actually an aftershock of the butterfly effect...

Although Kidd in history encountered the same situation today and made similar remarks, he still stayed with the Nets for one more year.

But now, the rise of Lin Dong and the Sonics, the rise of the Cavaliers, and the rise of the Lakers have obviously made this championship-hungry veteran feel a little itchy.

And these three currently most promising teams all have a common characteristic, which is the lack of point guards!

Although the SuperSonics have Payton, Payton's data has declined seriously this season, and his big contract with the SuperSonics is about to expire this season. Even if he still plays next season, there is a high probability that he will only play with a veteran or mid-level contract. He's on the bench, but Kidd is still in his prime, just in his early thirties.

Not to mention the Lakers and Cavaliers. They are both strong forwards and inside, but they do not have a good organizational point guard.

Of the three teams, no matter who is paired with Kidd, they will all have a chance to compete for the championship. What's even better is that whether it is the SuperSonics, which has made a lot of money in the past two seasons, or it is famously willing to give money. The Cavaliers boss Lola Ballmer is enough to give Kidd a maximum salary. After all, the Cavaliers' current core players Wade and LeBron are still in the 3+1 rookie contract, and the SuperSonics Lin Lin The same situation exists for Higashi and Sakuragi Hanamichi, and the team has sufficient salary space.

And even if the Lakers are already full of salary space, with the Buss family's consistent generosity, they may not be able to pay a high luxury tax for the championship.

For Kidd, this is obviously the best opportunity to leave the Nets. He can not only get a maximum salary, but also compete for the championship. After this year, Lin Dong, LeBron, Wade, and Sakuragi Hanamichi will all be there next year. After the rookie contract ends, the team's salary space will instantly expand to an extremely exaggerated situation. It will definitely be impossible to give Kidd a maximum salary.

Lin Dong feels that this is probably the main reason why Kidd chose to give up the bird rights and jump out of the historical trajectory.

After all, he is a point guard at a historical level. As soon as the news came out, everyone in the league was eyeing him.

Lin Dong is not sure about the situation with the Lakers and Cavaliers, but it is already clear on his own side.

If you want Kidd, it can even be said to be at any cost.

Payton has decided to retire next season. Not only is his data declining, but Payton himself can feel the decline in physical function and fighting spirit. After all, he has won two consecutive championships. If he wins the championship again this year, it will be a dynasty with three consecutive championships. For Payton, he was satisfied enough and didn't work hard anymore.

Yang Dong's plan is to give him a three-year middle-class contract worth 18 million yuan.

Compared to a 37-year-old veteran whose data has seriously dropped to single digits, whose playing time is less than 20 minutes per game, and who is destined to continue to decline next season, this contract is definitely a premium enough, and it can be regarded as a match for the SuperSonics. This veteran's respect and recognition of his contribution to the team can also be regarded as providing him with retirement benefits.

Calculated in this way, next season for the SuperSonics, as long as Lin Dong and Sakuragi choose to implement the 3+1 contract, the overall salary space will be around 38 million. According to the league's salary cap standards that have increased over the years, next season's The salary cap is about 49 million. Even if a maximum salary is given to Kidd, it will exceed the salary cap a little, but an excess of several million is basically normal for the team. It is easy to operate, and the SuperSonics can fully afford to pay that luxury tax. of.

Kidd will fill the vacancy after Payton retires next season, and Payton will serve as Kidd's substitute to form the most luxurious organizational line in the NBA. This is the current reinforcement plan of the Sonics.

In fact, let alone people like Bob, Lin Dong, McMillan, and Payton who are more sensitive to the trend of the NBA, even Yang Dong, a new owner who has only been in the league for two years, can already sense that the NBA is dominated by the SuperSonics. , this seemingly calm and smooth lake has an undercurrent that is about to boil out of the water.

On the one hand, it comes from the fans. Although there is a strong voice for the SuperSonics to win three consecutive championships, it is different from the fanatical unity that witnessed the miracle in the first two seasons. Many different voices have emerged, dissatisfaction with the SuperSonics' dominance, Dissatisfaction with the league being dominated by an Asian and dissatisfaction with aesthetic fatigue has led to a certain decline in the league's ratings and popularity.

On the other hand, it comes from the league. Not only did they ban the elevator door in order to limit the SuperSonics, but they also began to acquiesce in many marginal transactions this season. Even if the superstars team up to affect the balance of the league, Stern will insist on The tacit attitude of the Sonics, which is obviously too powerful, has affected the balance and interests of the alliance to some extent.

After all, Lin Dong is an Asian, not the pure American Bulls once led by Michael Jordan. He is also the king, but the attitude of American fans towards him is obviously different.

Winning this three consecutive championships may not be a big problem, but if you want to win further, the obstacles you will encounter will definitely increase exponentially.

If Lin Dong really wants to surpass Jordan in terms of honor and win four consecutive championships to become the first person in history, now that all parties are ready to make a move and Payton is clearly unable to withstand it, he can only strengthen. We can only work hard to build a stronger lineup to cope with everything next season.

Although the summer market has not yet opened, Bob has already left for New Jersey to find Kidd, hoping to win the trump card that will ensure the continuation of the Sonics dynasty.

It is conceivable that teams from all sides will not sit back and watch this happen, and the competition for Kidd will definitely be fierce.

Maximum salary? Everyone can figure it out, and it certainly can't be the only factor influencing Kidd's decision.

The 2004-05 playoffs also quietly arrived amid such undercurrents.

The SuperSonics faced off against the Nuggets in the first round and easily took the game 4-0 without any surprises, which was obviously what everyone expected.

The combination of Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant also went smoothly. In the first round, they defeated the Kings 4-0 with a consecutive 15-point difference, and advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs on the same day as the SuperSonics.

The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 4:2, and the Mavericks defeated the Suns 4:3 with difficulty. Although the bottom two of the Western Conference semifinals had twists and turns, the results were basically as expected.

But the east side overturned one after another.

First, the Wizards encountered a black eight, losing 3:4 to the Pacers, who were almost not expected by anyone.

After losing the first game due to underestimation, McGrady and O'Neal had a conflict in the locker room. Both felt that the other party was holding them back.

The scolding escalated to the issue of team status. O'Neal believed that McGrady should play the second best position, but McGrady thought that O'Neal was no longer young, and he was the best scorer in the league besides Lin Dong. O'Neal This season's scoring average is not as high as his, so it's obvious that he has embraced him!

Therefore, O'Neal should step aside and let Tracy McGrady lead the team and become the team's absolute ace. He will surely lead the team to win every victory.

O'Neal's bad temper...Is it because I hugged you when I came to the Wizards? Do you have more rebounds than me? Is your salary as high as mine? Are you a better dancer than me? I score less than you because I am too lazy to score, so I am holding you in your lap?

I really think that the eyes of the people are blind, and the eyes of the boss are also blind! What nonsense is this!

The two almost came to blows in the end.

In fact, this pair had a lot of conflicts as early as the regular season due to issues of ball rights and limelight, and the current conflict is also expected.

After this quarrel, the two were on the same level. Each played his own game on the court. The Wizards had no tacit understanding of cooperation. Coupled with the Pacers' outstanding performance, Reggie Miller shocked everyone in the final game. The 12 3-pointers in the game were taken away in one wave and became the biggest joke in the league.

The second person to be hacked was the knight.

The same 3:4 defeat was lost to the Celtics who had the truth Pierce.

It can’t be said whether the performance was good or bad. The incompatibility of LeBron, Wade and Ray Allen in possession of the ball was the main reason for losing this series.

It can be regarded as a good lesson for Lola Ballmer, who has just started running the team. It is obviously not advisable to rely on money to accumulate stars without listening to the dormant ideas of the management team. You have to consider the ball. Team compatibility, style matching between players.

Although the Philadelphia 76ers and Pistons have made it through the top four in the Eastern Conference, the elimination of the two favorites obviously caught many people's expectations, and the pattern of this playoffs suddenly became extremely clear.

The Eastern Conference, which has lost the Wizards and Cavaliers, is obviously no longer able to pose any threat to the Western Conference. Whether the Pistons or the 76ers advance to the finals, judging from the regular season record, these two teams face the SuperSonics and Lakers. It was a two-game losing streak with no hanging rope. The gap in strength and restraint in style was quite obvious.

This made what should have been an exciting playoffs all focused on the Western Conference Finals.

As long as it survives the second round, the Western Conference decider between the SuperSonics and the Lakers is almost guaranteed to win this year's championship.