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In the first round, several teams managed to advance easily by sweeping their opponents 4-0, just like the Lakers.However, in the second round, the level of difficulty increased sharply, and none of the remaining four matchups ended with a sweep like the Lakers' past series.
In the West, the Timberwolves and the Spurs went to a full seven games. The head-to-head battle between the two power forwards, Duncan and Garnett, was hard-fought and intense. Garnett averaged 23.7 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, while Duncan averaged 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
Both players made significant contributions to their teams on both ends of the floor, with nearly identical personal stats. Garnett scored slightly more than Duncan, but his shooting percentage of 46% was lower than Duncan's 51%.
With the two star players battling evenly, the outcome of the series hinged on the performance of the other players.
The Timberwolves had another All-Star, Latrell Sprewell, who averaged 20 points and 5 rebounds per game, but beyond that, the other Timberwolves players were quite average. Sam Cassell, known as "The Alien," who had averaged 19.8 points and 7 assists during the regular season, struggled mightily against the Spurs' defense, managing just 9 points and 2.5 assists per game over the seven games.
On the other hand, the Spurs, in addition to Duncan, had two very capable partners in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. As a result, after seven hard-fought games, the Spurs narrowly defeated the Timberwolves by three points and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
The Western Conference Finals matchup between the Lakers and the Spurs is a classic one.
The Lakers and the Spurs have met in the playoffs each of the past three years. The Lakers emerged victorious in the first two meetings, defeating the Spurs and eventually winning the NBA Championship.
However, last year, the Spurs defeated the Lakers in the second round 4-2, ending the Lakers' dream of a fourth consecutive championship.
The Spurs, having eliminated the Lakers, went on to win the championship by defeating the Nets in the NBA Finals.
It's worth noting that in the past five years, the Lakers and the Spurs have won all the NBA championships. The Lakers triumphed in 2000, 2001, and 2002, while the Spurs were champions in 1999 and 2003.
Therefore, this matchup between the two teams is not just a battle for a spot in the NBA Finals but also a clash between two championship-caliber teams. It has drawn far more attention than the Eastern Conference Finals on the other side of the bracket.
In the East, the Pacers defeated the Heat 4-2, ending Dwyane Wade's playoff journey in the second round. However, Wade improved significantly in the second round, averaging 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists over the six games, with a shooting percentage of 48.9%. He became the most challenging matchup for the Pacers.
The Heat are thrilled that Wade, a rookie, has shown such strong offensive capabilities. Next season, the Heat plan to make Wade the team's core player, building the entire squad around him. By then, Wade is expected to deliver even more impressive performances.
Meanwhile, the Pistons defeated the Nets 4-3.
Although the series was challenging, and the Pistons' defensive style made some fans sleepy, they eventually reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the matchup between the Pacers and the Pistons has most experts favoring the Pacers. This is mainly because the Pacers' lineup is exceptionally strong this season. As one of only two teams in the league to win 60 games, the Pacers boast several outstanding players like Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Reggie Miller, and Al Harrington.
Although the Pistons have the famous "Pistons Five," this moniker only became well-known after the Pistons upset the Lakers in this year's Finals. At this stage, apart from Ben Wallace, the evaluations of the other Pistons players were not as high as they would be after winning the championship.
But only Wang Chong, the time traveler, knows that the Pacers are no match for the Pistons, and that the Lakers will face the Detroit Pistons, whose defense is at its best, in the Finals.
As for the Spurs, their opponent in the Western Conference Finals, Wang Chong doesn't take them seriously at all.
After all, even without Wang Chong, the Lakers were already dominant in the West.
In the original 2003-2004 season playoffs, because the Lakers were ranked second in the Western Conference, they defeated the Spurs 4-2 in the second round and then defeated the Timberwolves 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals to reach the Finals.
Now, because of Wang Chong's presence, the Lakers are ranked first in the Western Conference. They won't meet the Spurs until the Western Conference Finals. With the Spurs' lineup unchanged and the Lakers having added Wang Chong, who boasts an overall rating of 89, how could they lose in such a situation?
There is no need to delve into tactics. Just looking at Wang Chong's overall rating of 89 is enough to see the gap.
The only player on the Spurs who can surpass Wang Chong in overall ability is their core player, Tim Duncan.
The rest of the team, including Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, and Turkoglu, are not as strong as Wang Chong.
If that's true for Wang Chong, it's even more so for Shaq and Kobe.
With such a disparity in the individual abilities of the stars, the series promises to be quite difficult for the Spurs.
On May 21, the first game of the Western Conference Finals began as scheduled.
The Staples Center in Los Angeles was packed. Lakers fans, wearing the golden T-shirts that represent the Lakers' home court, turned the arena into a sea of gold. The noise and cheers nearly blew the roof off.
"This is the Western Conference Finals..."
Wang Chong, who has been with the Lakers for a season, is witnessing such a crazy scene for the first time.
Being there in person is entirely different from watching it on TV.
If the Western Conference Finals atmosphere is like this, how incredible will the Finals atmosphere be?
The Lakers' starting five remained unchanged: Payton, Kobe, Wang Chong, Malone, and O'Neal.
The Spurs' starting lineup was Parker, Bruce Bowen, Hedo Turkoglu, Tim Duncan, and center Rasho Nesterovic.
Although the Spurs still had Ginobili coming off the bench, the significant gap between the two teams' lineups was already apparent.
O'Neal won the jump ball, and the Lakers had the first possession.
Payton dribbled across half-court and waited for his teammates to get into position.
Coach Popovich, sitting on the Spurs' bench, raised his eyebrows slightly.
The Spurs' defense was interesting. Center Nesterovic took a risk by fronting O'Neal, while Duncan positioned himself close to O'Neal, clearly prepared to double-team him at any moment.
While the Spurs focused on containing O'Neal in the paint, they assigned Bowen to defend Kobe one-on-one on the perimeter and tasked Turkoglu with guarding Wang Chong.
There's no problem with Bowen defending Kobe. Bowen, who has been selected to the All-Defensive Team for four consecutive seasons, is the Spurs' strongest perimeter defender, fully capable of handling Kobe, the Lakers' perimeter offensive leader.
However, assigning Turkoglu to guard Wang Chong one-on-one might be underestimating Wang Chong's capabilities.
Hedo Turkoglu, known as the "Turkish Magician," would have an impressive career later with the Magic.
But at this point, he is merely a role player for the Spurs.
During the regular season, Turkoglu averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Spurs, and his shooting percentage of 40.6% was only average.
On the defensive end, Turkoglu wasn't particularly strong either.
His slow pace, lack of lateral quickness, and weaker physical presence, common among white players, were all defensive shortcomings for Turkoglu.
When facing Wang Chong, Turkoglu's only notable advantage might be his exceptional height of 2.08 meters as a forward.
End of this chapter
DEP Legend Mutombo
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