One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventeen. The Strongest Opponent in the East

The Warriors advance, the Thunder and the Trail Blazers play to a tiebreaker, these two popular games, not many people pay attention to them.

The highest average score per game in a single season in the modern basketball era, the second player in modern basketball to win three consecutive MVPs, 70+ wins in two consecutive seasons...

This season's Grizzlies and Sun Ce are more worth discussing than last season!

Because indeed, the performance of the entire Grizzlies team this year is too legendary, and Sun Ce's honors this year are completely inseparable from the team's performance. If either Sun Ce or the Grizzlies performs a little worse, the brilliance of both Sun Ce and the Grizzlies this season will be much dimmer, and even if it is dimmed by one point, it will not reach such an amazing level.

Until the next day, April 29, the Grizzlies' three consecutive MVPs were still the most concerned topic among fans.

The Grizzlies had a lot of fun last night, but everyone was still very self-disciplined and went home before 12 o'clock, including the stamp collecting brothers who temporarily closed the stamp album in the playoffs.

Gerald Green, Bargnani and Nance Jr., who drank the most, were not drunk. None of them had played in the playoffs yet...

There was nothing we could do about it. The Grizzlies were in good health this season. Sun Ce, Klay Thompson and Paul George played a lot of time, which gave other teammates a good chance to rest.

It's hard to say about next season, but this season, the Grizzlies are in good health.

Most people slept in in the morning, including Sun Ce. Sun Ce got up at noon and had lunch. He arrived at the stadium at 1:30 pm and saw that his teammates had already arrived, including the player with the development contract, JaMychal Green.

"Jamichael, you're trying so hard, are you trying to defend Kanter or Whiteside?"

"Third brother, I think you're more suitable to defend them than me, you're our rebounding and blocking king!"

"How can a weak point guard like me defend this kind of hard work? It must be you."

Looking at Sun Ce, who is the same height as himself, weighs two or three pounds more, and even his most proud 219 cm wingspan is slightly shorter than this guy, Jamichael Green doesn't know how to describe his feelings. Why does he want to hit him so much? Although he can't defend against conventional inside players, he is also a serious forward swingman...

Sun Ce and Jamichael Green can be regarded as old friends at first sight. They had a good chat when they met for the first time last year, but they didn't get to know each other well at that time. After all, God didn't know whether Jamichael Green could stay at that time, and Sun Ce didn't know whether Jamichael Green played well in the original time and space, and he had never even heard of this player.

It's not that Sun Ce is snobbish,

but if JaMychal Green fails to gain a foothold in the NBA, then he will not be a member of the same circle. Like the players on contract in the preseason training camp in previous years, once he leaves the Grizzlies, he will never see him again.

Over time, after Sun Ce has experienced a lot, he must be selective in making friends. Although true friends are still the same after not seeing each other for a long time, they are friends who have experienced a lot of ups and downs together, not just colleagues.

But JaMychal Green really makes Sun Ce admire him. This guy has played in the Development League for more than a year and finally started to enter the rotation. Instead of slacking off because he will definitely get a good contract, he has become more hardworking and hopes to make a difference in the playoffs.

Although JaMychal Green won the championship last year, he did not think that the championship without a single minute of playing time was his honor. He hopes to contribute to the season when the team wins the championship.

While chatting, teammates arrived one after another. Sun Ce was quite surprised, but more happy. This defending season was much better than the first defending season in the 12-13 season. Not only did he become stronger, but also the whole team became stronger. It was not so narrow, but they also became stronger in many details.

For example, the players have developed spontaneous discipline, because the team did not arrange training today. Tomorrow, which is the 30th, the Thunder and the Trail Blazers will start the seventh game. The Grizzlies have confirmed that they will start the second round on May 2nd. Today is a rest, and tomorrow is just a regular technical and tactical training. After the opponent is determined tomorrow night, targeted preparations will begin on the 1st of next month.

As a result, most of the players came to train this afternoon, except that Bargnani has not been very active in training. Randolph, Mo Williams, Carter, Tony Allen are old and drank last night and did not come to train today. Other players, including Gerald Green and Nance, came.

Sun Ce practiced the top arc three-pointer and the right three-pointer in the three-second zone for an afternoon. Now he must be practicing the strongest shooting area. The top arc is expected to break through to the quasi-explosive level. It has been at the S level for a long time. The mid-range shot on the right side of the three-second zone is the shooting area where Sun Ce is most likely to break through. It has been two months since he reached the S+ level. Other positions may also have the opportunity to continue to break through, but these two points are the strongest, and they must be practiced more.

A day passed, and finally, on April 30, the game day of the Thunder and the Trail Blazers' seventh game arrived, and the fans' attention was diverted from Sun Ce.

Many fans remembered that the first round was about to end!

The Grizzlies, Raptors, and Bulls swept and advanced.

The Heat beat the 76ers 4-1 to advance; the Warriors beat the Lakers 4-2, the Celtics beat the Nets 4-2, and the Spurs beat the Mavericks 4-2. Now only the series between the Thunder and the Trail Blazers has not been decided.

Sun Ce and the Grizzlies have been so popular these days that no one noticed that many teams have advanced.

Especially the Trail Blazers, who played so well but did not get the attention they deserved, and the Thunder were "involved".

Finally, the Trail Blazers no longer have to complain about being ignored. At 9:39 p.m., after 2 hours and 39 minutes of play, the Thunder defeated the Trail Blazers 127-121 at home in overtime and won the seventh game.

…

Finally, we know who the opponent in the next round will be. Sun Ce is impatient to wait. The fourth and fifth place are so tossing.

The main reason is that the Thunder didn't know what they were trying to do. They dropped to the fourth place in the West to avoid the Lakers, which stimulated the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers played beyond their level. If Durant hadn't scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the regular time to tie the score in the seventh game, Westbrook wouldn't have scored 11 points in overtime to help the Thunder win the series 11-5.

However, this seventh game gave Durant and Westbrook a good chance to shine.

But it also made Sun Ce more vigilant!

The biggest improvement of the Thunder this season compared to last season is the arrangement of rotation time.

There was already progress last season. After getting Kanter from the Jazz last summer, the improvement this season was more obvious, from the rotation arrangement to the distribution of ball rights and space... For example, Westbrook was required to defend the shooters and breakthrough players on the defensive end this season, and truly showed his ability as the best defensive player in the state during his college years. He is not top-notch, but he has the same first-class defensive effect as Rose.

This is shown by the decline of Westbrook's rebounding. In the past two years, Westbrook averaged 10+ rebounds per game, but this season it is only 7.5 times. Kanter, the best sixth man of the Thunder, averaged 9.1 rebounds per game and became the new rebounding king of the Thunder.

Kanter's inside singles, Durant and Ibaka's mid-range and long-range shots and cuts, Westbrook's organization, Dion Waiters' outside singles, this is the offensive end, and Westbrook, Andre Robertson, Durant, Ibaka, Adams are also very strong on the defensive end. As a result, the Thunder's offense and defense in regular time have become better, and they have also won 61 games this season.

The Thunder's record is not bad, but it has played the best performance in team history. However, this is the reason why they are born at the wrong time. 61 wins can't even make it into the top three in the West...

The reason why Sun Ce felt a sense of crisis after watching the seventh game was that the Thunder showed the strongest strength in their team history after the changes this year.

There is a better performance in regular time, Durant can stand up at the critical moment, Westbrook is a physical monster in overtime.

This opponent for many years must not be underestimated!

…

When the Thunder and the Trail Blazers entered the seventh game, the second round schedule was already released.

The Spurs and the Warriors will start the series on May 1, and the Bulls and the 76ers will also start the series on the same day.

Rose and Evans, who have been nicknamed "enemies for life", are very enthusiastic every time they play against each other. Both of them are very popular and have been the starting players of the All-Star Game for many years. They still shine with their own light when there is a super point guard like Sun Ce in the same era.

Curry also shone in the era of Sun Ce, but Curry is unhappy again...

Some media are guiding public opinion-this time the Spurs have Duncan's last season, and they hope to see the scene of Duncan and Sun Ce passing the torch. Moreover, the Spurs have a strong lineup this season, which may be the best chance to win the championship in the next ten years.

Curry was so angry when he saw this statement! The Spurs have the best chance, but the Warriors don't?

A new month has arrived as expected, and on May 1, the second round began.

Sun Ce started tactical training against the Thunder with the team.

Although the players have been doing basic tactical training and shooting training in the past few days, the coaching staff and scouts have not been idle, making preparations for the Trail Blazers and the Thunder.

The performance of the Trail Blazers in the playoffs was indeed surprising, and the Grizzlies spent a lot of time preparing.

Although it seemed that the preparations were in vain in the end, there is no such thing as preparing in vain. For the coaching staff, it is always right to be calm and consider possible situations as much as possible.

When drinking a few days ago, Sun Ce heard David West and Mo Williams sighing at the advantages of their Grizzlies. He really didn't notice that their Grizzlies had so many advantages. You know, the two have played in top teams. Since they talked about those small details that not many people would care about in an exclamatory tone, Sun Ce knew that they did a really good job.

However, Sun Ce himself had never thought of this before. He had always followed his previous successful experience and strictly required himself in matters related to the game. He also had some teammates with ambitions and dreams that influenced each other... After summing up, Sun Ce evaluated their situation very objectively - a group of excellent people gathered together and became even better.

At the end of the morning tactical training, Sun Ce heard that the Thunder team had already arrived here this morning.

Tomorrow they will play the first game of the series against the Thunder. Obviously, this is not good news for the Thunder. They played a tiebreaker in the first round and will play the second round after a day off.

It was okay before they were promoted, but after being promoted, Thunder fans criticized the unfairness on the Internet.

However, Sun Ce thinks it's fair, even if someone like him encounters this situation in a playoff...it may feel unfair then.

But now he thinks it's fair. The Grizzlies played better in the first round and advanced earlier, so they naturally have an advantage. That's how competitive sports are. If you perform well, you should have an advantage.

Otherwise, why do you want a better record?

If you want not to suffer a loss, you have to play better than your opponent in the next round.

…

The day's preparation time passed quickly, and there was not much practice. Basic tactical and technical training has been carried out enough in the past few days, but today's team training volume is particularly low.

The advantage of having solid basic tactics is that it will be easier to make changes.

Got home just in time for dinner.

After dinner, Sun Ce's father went to practice English with a group of adults and aunties of the same age he had recently met. Sun Ce's mother also went along, so as not to scare others.

Sun Ce’s mother has learned English very well in the past few years. She no longer needs a translator when going out to the supermarket or shopping mall. However, Sun Ce’s father’s English is a constant problem, but it has improved recently and has made rapid progress.

The reason is still related to Sun Ce. Because of his connections, many people from China and Asian countries and regions come to Memphis to work. The Chinese atmosphere here is getting stronger and stronger, and some immigrants or overseas Chinese who have lived in the United States for a long time have chosen to move there. Come to Memphis because it is probably the most friendly city to Chinese and Asian Americans in the United States.

Ever since, when Sun Ce's parents went out, they met a group of Chinese uncles and aunts who had lived in the United States for many years. They were good at English and enjoyed the process of being teachers.

If Sun Ce's father is asked to recite words loudly like a primary school student at home, he will not even want to kill him, but if he is not at home, then there is no problem.

When learning a language, the most important thing is to dare to speak it out loud.

Sun Ce and Zu Ge were waiting by the TV for the series between the Bulls and the 76ers to start.

Recently, Lily Collins's clothing brand is going to participate in a fashion show. She went to Europe to choose models, while Zu Ge stayed at home and watched Sun Ce. Now Lily Collins feels more at ease when going out, which is equivalent to solving two hidden dangers at once.

After sitting down and chatting for a while, the game started, and the topic Sun Ce and Zu Ge changed into basketball-related topics.

"Brother, today the media voted for the best defensive player. Leonard shouldn't get it this year. Their record is not good, and Whiteside can't do it either. Jordan? He doesn't seem to be good either. Only Green can get it. Brother, you can get it. Best defensive player?"

"It's difficult. Green's probability is higher. Thabeet has helped him a lot."

"That's right, brother, your defensive efficiency is a little higher, Green's side limits opponents to score lower... It's all my fault, brother, that you went to the inside when you had nothing to do, and helped Gobert achieve a defensive efficiency of 4.3, but your own defensive efficiency has not increased. , it’s still Gobert’s fault to limit the opponent’s inside scoring, but we can’t achieve such good results without Gobert…”

Zu'e pays more attention to basketball than Sun Ce imagined, and knows more about his Sun Ce's things than he does.

"Also, I won three consecutive MVPs. Maybe the media will not vote for me as the best defensive player when I win three consecutive MVPs. And I won it last year..."

Sun Ce felt a little helpless as he said that. He has a certain chance of winning the best defensive player. Although being the best defensive player is not a big deal, being the MVP + best defensive player is a big deal.

But it's just a matter of frustration. As he said, three consecutive MVPs have reached their peak. Another Defensive Player of the Year won't have any incremental effect. If he doesn't win it, it won't affect his status in today's basketball world.

While chatting, the first game of the series between the Bulls and the 76ers had passed the trial stage. In the second quarter, the two teams began to exert their strength. Sun Ce and Zu'e also focused their attention on the game and began to discuss the game. .

Rose and Griffin's Bulls are recognized as the strongest team in the Eastern Conference, perhaps even stronger than the Spurs and Thunder. The Spurs were swept by the Bulls in the regular season, and the Thunder only tied 1 with the Bulls. 1.

Evans usually looks uncompetitive, but when he fights against certain opponents, he fights very hard, and Rose is one of his favorite opponents.

However, Evans played well, but Gasol was held back. Gasol, who could play back and forth with Griffin last season, was beaten by Griffin this time.

Griffin's marking + Lopez's assisting defense... this defensive routine, Sun Ce thought of his team's defensive combination of Randolph and Larry Sanders in the past two years. Obviously, Sloan is the best. In the past few years, the head coach who played this kind of defense was because Noah was not that mobile and Griffin was not that good at defense. Now it is replaced by Griffin squatting at the basket and Lopez helping to defend. Maybe It's not easy to guard against Ibaka and Aldridge's insiders, but it's perfect to guard against the slow-moving Gasol.

Although Evans once helped the 76ers tighten the score, the Bulls relied on positional defense to take away the score from time to time. Slowly, the gap between the two teams began to appear.

After the Bulls survived the impact of Evans' 9 points and 2 assists at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bulls completely controlled the situation.

In the end, the Bulls defeated the 76ers 98-91.

Sun Ce didn't watch the Bulls' first round game. It was meaningless. Their opponents were too weak. Now it seems... they are stronger than last year! Even if they lost Noah, they have made some additions, especially the forward defense.

The most important thing is that Rose can already suppress Evans' strength, as well as Griffin's strength... This guy is the strongest inside player in the league!