1343: Gone
The combination of George and Leonard finally took a holiday early.
Link and his teammates won the Western Conference Championship trophy at Staples Center, in this basketball holy site, and on this highly anticipated super stage.
In his speech after the award ceremony, Link also admitted: "The Western Conference Championship is just an accessory. Our real goal has always been one, that is, the O'Brien Cup. We are just approaching victory now. After winning the O'Brien Cup, it is a real victory."
Link spoke out bluntly about his desire for the championship. Even if he didn't say it, the whole world knew what Link wanted.
No one has ever regarded the division champion as a real champion. Only those who win over O'Brien will be recognized by everyone.
The Grizzlies rushed out of the West for the fourth consecutive year, which undoubtedly became the hottest topic of the night.
This time, the Grizzlies became the second team in NBA history and was able to win the Western Conference Championship trophy for four consecutive years.
The last time I was so arrogant in the West was the Los Angeles Lakers from 1981 to 1985.
As we all know, the league has always had a pattern of "strong west and weak east". It is indeed very difficult to win the championship in the "Wild West" for four consecutive years.
The value of this record is so high that it can be seen.
Moreover, at the beginning of the season, no one thought that 32-year-old Link could continue his glory with a group of "old, weak, sick and disabled".
Therefore, the results achieved by the Grizzlies now have created a huge contrast, giving fans many topics to discuss.
In addition, Paul George's saying "No one can defeat Link" has also become one of the hot topics.
His exaggerated speech also aroused heated discussions among fans.
Some people say that George is just saying polite words in front of his old classmates and selling Link for face, there is no need to take it seriously.
But some people think that George thinks so from the bottom of his heart.
Because of the entire Sixth Games, George was suppressed by Link and couldn't raise his head. He knew Link's current state better than anyone else.
He believes that even those who are helpless and others will definitely not be able to deal with them.
Both sides have different opinions and have a very strong quarrel on the Internet.
George never expected that what he said, a loser, could cause such a big stir.
However, the day after the game, some fans' eyes were diverted.
Because today is the day when the Eastern Conference Finals are likely to decide the winner.
The Grizzlies' opponent in the finals is likely to be born today!
At this time, the Milwaukee Bucks had already won the match point, leading 76ers with a total score of 3-2.
As long as you win another game, the Bucks will be able to reach the NBA Finals for the third time in team history.
Although the Bucks had reached the finals twice and won the championship once before.
But that was from ancient times after all.
In the impression of many people, the words "Bucks" and "Finals" and "Champion" have nothing to do with each other.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been immersed for too long, and their fans actually see this year as the Bucks' first to hit the Finals.
But the 76ers are not a good-looking lamp.
To put it bluntly, Philadelphia's lineup was specially created to deal with Antetokounmpo.
Embiid, Horford, Simmons, Harris, Richardson...
As long as these "five major deaths" are collectively contracted, they can effectively curb the impact of Antetokounmpo.
In the past, Antetokounmpo would have been targeted in the playoffs because of his overly obvious shortcomings and even lost the game.
But this time, Antetokounmpo showed his stronger side.
This time, facing the contraction, Antetokounmpo increased the number of shots he threw.
Moreover, the Bucks' shooting percentage outside the three-point line is more stable. As long as the 76ers dare to shrink, they have to take the three-point threat from the rest of the Bucks.
In addition, the 76ers' own poor attack also dragged them back.
When the Bucks were unable to score, the 76ers themselves could not score efficiently.
In the final analysis, there was something wrong with the 76ers' exaggerated attack space.
In the last moment of the last game, the Bucks clearly made two mistakes. But the 76ers successfully lost the game with their stable offensive performance.
So today, in order to solve the team's offensive problems, the 76ers coach Brett Brown finally decided to change the team's team's offensive problems.
He took Horford to start and replaced the 1.98-meter-high sophomore defender Sheck Milton.
Milton's data are very dull, but the only thing that attracts people is his super high three-point shooting percentage of 45.3%.
Since the space cannot be opened, a sharpshooter will be added, and Brett Brown's arrangement seems to be fine.
Sometimes, in the playoffs, a great change of the team can change the situation.
But after seeing the start of the 76ers in this game, Bucks coach Buden Hozer almost smiled.
The 76ers' array change is not great at all. On the contrary, they are digging their own graves!
After the game started, Antetokounmpo rushed to the basket frantically, with a terrifying success rate.
Without Horford, the 76ers lacked the strongest flesh shield to defend Antetokounmpo.
Although Horford is not very famous, he is one of the best players in the league to defend Antetokounmpo.
When Horford was still with the Celtics, Antetokounmpo suffered a lot every time he met the "Celtics".
The reason why the 76ers are willing to support Horford is that they hope that he can play a role at critical moments.
Now Brett Brown took Horford himself. Isn’t this self-destructing the Great Wall?
So today, Antetokounmpo beat almost unscrupulously.
What about the 76ers' offense? It's still the same, and it has not been improved by the appearance of Sheck Milton.
Because the 76ers' offense is basically carried out around Embiid and Simmons as the system.
As long as they are squeezed together, the 76ers will never have enough space.
In the previous five games, although the 76ers had a bad offense, at least the defense was in place.
Now, their most proud advantage has been lost, and this game cannot be played!
It turns out that the game is really impossible to play. Because when the third quarter was halfway through, the Bucks were already 21 points ahead.
Antetokounmpo's impact today is unmatched. The more he fights, the more excited he becomes, the more excited he becomes.
Brett Brown actually gave the opportunity, stolen everything he could destroy without hesitation.
In the end, this "Greek monster" scored 45 points on the head of 76ers, causing a mess!
45 points, this is also the record for a single-game scoring record that Antetokounmpo won in the playoffs!
With Antetokounmpo's terrifying performance, the Bucks finally won 76ers and became the Eastern Conference champion this year!
This also means that Antetokounmpo and Link, the Bucks and the Grizzlies will meet in the finals!
At the end of the game, all the Bucks players were extremely excited. After all, it was basically the first time the Bucks players participated in the finals.
They firmly believe that 2020 is the beginning of this team becoming the top team in the league!
The era that belongs to Link ends, and the era that belongs to Antetokounmpo begins!
After the game, Antetokounmpo, who performed extremely well today, accepted an interview with reporters before receiving the award.
When they talked about Paul George's advice, Antetokounmpo just waved his hand disdainfully.
"Paul George may not be able to get an advantage on Link's head, but that doesn't mean I'm the same as him. Link hasn't played tiebreak in the finals yet? Haha, if you have the chance, I'll let him play a try."
After Antetokounmpo said that, he rushed to the podium with his teammates to celebrate the hard-won Eastern Conference champion.
Link looked at Antetokounmpo's ecstatic expression in front of the TV, not feeling nervous.
Indeed, the "Greek Monster" performed well today, but the strength of the 76ers... Link doesn't think that beating the 76ers can mean anything.
Antetokounmpo's current state is to describe it as a word.
Half an hour later, Link responded on social media.
"Thanks to Antetokounmpo for his kindness. I was very pleased and moved to hear that you wanted to play a tiebreak with me. But unfortunately, I just want to retire with four more games. So, there is no need to do it."
Chapter completed!