Chapter 587 Generous Bonus Pool

After conquering the Rockets' two home games in a row, the Lakers' chances of winning are unimaginably great.

Throughout the past ten seasons, there have been a total of 20 series in the Eastern and Western Conference finals. All teams that play the first two games have received tickets to the finals, and the Lakers are even more special...

Because the first two games the Lakers conquered were the Rockets' home games.

According to the 22111 schedule, even in the tiebreaker, the Lakers still have three home games, but the Rockets only have two, and the next two games will be the Lakers' two home games.

The home field advantage really cannot be underestimated.

It is false to say that the fans' boos and free throws will be affected, because if you compare the historical home and away free throws of a single player, it is really similar.

It is said that playing away games puts a heavy burden on the players' bodies, but the schedule of the playoffs is not so tight, and there is no problem of fragmented sleep time. Everyone basically eats enough and sleeps well.

In fact, the real home advantage is the referee's whistle!

Just like walking, as long as the home player doesn't step back and then step back for a three-pointer, as long as he doesn't take an extra three, four, five or six steps, and as long as no one notices it, the referee doesn't have to call it.

There are more subjective offensive foul calls and so on.

It is ambiguous and difficult to define. The referee is willing to be a one-eyed man, as long as it is not too excessive and the problem is not big. After all, the people watching the game at home are fans of the home team. A slight favoritism can essentially create more hot topics.

Having said that, the home whistle is not a black whistle, nor is it a guaranteed victory at home.

This was the case in the Rockets' two games, because at the end of the game, the referees couldn't help even if they tried hard. The whistle simply didn't have the attribute to increase physical strength for the home players and the Big Three.

…

Back to the schedule.

The Lakers returned to Los Angeles on the 23rd, but it was really difficult for the Rockets to "leave their hometown" to play away games. The journey from Houston to Los Angeles was not a problem, nor was the rest time. The problem was that the psychological pressure was too great.

Of course, pressure must also be divided into two parts.

The Rockets, who lost the first two games, were worthy of being Texas cockroaches. They exploded under huge pressure, and almost all the focus was on the first quarter. For three consecutive games, they started diving from the first quarter and jumped to the last quarter in one breath.

It’s just that the G3 game is a little different.

The Big Three were all crazy. The first quarter was still wild, and they successfully continued the rhythm for a few minutes in the second quarter. This time, in the first half, the Rockets took a 20-point lead in one breath.

The Rockets are very strong, but the Lakers who returned to their home court are in poor condition.

Although the Lakers chased all the way in the second half, and Li Shengli and Kobe Bryant's dual-core tactics were used, the 20-point lead at halftime was given to Rudy and gave the Big Three ample rest time. The physical quagmire that troubled the Rockets was diluted by this rhythm, and The situation was also stabilized in the second half.

In the end, the G3 battle ended at 99:91, with the Rockets leading by 8 points and recovering one game.

The statistics of the Big Three are still astonishing. In this game, they actually reached a terrifying ratio of 70 points and 35 rebounds. What is unexpected is that in addition to Li Shengli, the Lakers also went against the trend of Kobe Bryant, who scored 80 points in the first round. , scored 33 points again. Although the game was lost, Lakers fans also saw hope for the future.

…

This series is so special.

After three games, the entire league has figured it out. It turns out that the winning or losing of these two teams only depends on the first half, and the G4 game also well confirmed this point of view.

In this battle, although the Lakers' Purple and Gold Army failed to suppress the Rockets in the first quarter, they only lost by 4 points. Then they evened the point difference in the second quarter and successfully made the Rockets fall into a trap in the second half. Rudy was It doesn't matter if people are substituted or not. All tactics are ineffective because they are not executed properly.

At this point, the score in the Western Conference Finals came to 1:3.

At this time, the Lakers held the match point, but the home game moved back to Houston.

Not every game is played by the main force, the core, and the boss. The occasional role player who breaks out is also the highlight of the game, and Eddie Johnson broke out in the G5 game against the Rockets.

Although the Rockets' game was still going high and low, Eddie Johnson re-injected firepower into the team in the second half, making things difficult for the Lakers and gaining rotation time for the Big Three. The score of this game was the most anxious. It was not until the last minute of the final quarter that the Lakers lost by three points. The game score was 89:92, a big score of 2:3.

…

Game six! !

The Eastern Conference is over. The Bulls advanced 4:1 to the Heat. We are waiting for news from the Western Conference. This time the home game is in Los Angeles. The Lakers do not plan to go out. At least Li Shengli and Kobe have considered it and do not plan to go to Houston again. .

So the game fell apart.

The Rockets, who were invincible in the first quarter, were beaten to tears this time. Li Shengli scored 17 points in the first quarter, leading the Lakers to their first first quarter lead. Although the lead was only 3 points, this was the Rockets' first quarter.

In the second quarter, Rudy gritted his teeth and let the Big Three do their best to take care of Li Shengli, but he never thought... He was beaten by Kobe outside. He also scored 17 points in the second quarter, beating the Rockets by 5 points, and the total at halftime was Lead by 8 points.

The outcome of the game depends entirely on the first half!

Unless something unexpected breaks out, like Eddie Johnson in the last game.

However, it didn’t happen. It stretched my hips in the first half, and it was already difficult to play in the second half. The Rockets almost collapsed in this game, until the end of the game...

Olajuwon played less than 47 minutes. Rudy originally wanted him to rest, but just over a minute later, the inside line exploded, so he only rested for one minute before emergency play.

Drexler played 42 minutes. Compared with Olajuwon's importance, he was better at this point. Rudy also hoped that substitute Eddie Johnson could fire the savior again, but it didn't happen.

The worst thing was Barkley, who fought to the death and played the entire game!

You must know that the 48 minutes played as a second-rate power forward are different from the 48 minutes played by Ben. Although Ben did not accompany Barkley all the time, more than 30 minutes of strong confrontation still consumed a lot of Barkley's physical energy. of.

Until the last minute...

Look at the scoreboard of 91:103!

Watch the Lakers gradually replace their main players!

Watch the game enter garbage time!

Barkley still didn't want to give up. Although chasing 12 points in 1 minute was very dreamy, without a ring, he still had to fight until the last second... The fans at the Lakers' home court couldn't stand it and stood up to give Barkley a try. Applause, and Barkley felt more uncomfortable hearing the thunderous applause than listening to the trash talk.

…

After all, the game is still a game. The Rockets retreated and the Lakers bench celebrated wildly for their victory in the Western Conference Finals.

The best result of the Lakers' old team last season was to stop in the second round, but now they have made a huge leap and directly stood on the stage of the finals. As for the two first-year rookies Kobe and Ben, it feels even more dreamy. If they do They are just substitute players, but the problem is that both of them are the main players of the Lakers.

Ben played the Jazz and defended Malone in the first round, and played the Rockets and defended Barkley in the Western Conference Finals. This is simply a model of low salary and high energy, and it can be regarded as one of the most profitable deals for the Lakers.

The same goes for Kobe. The Lakers exchanged starting center Divac and the Hornets for the 13th pick. His performance in the playoffs so far is not like a first-year player. He has greater potential for development in the future. It is a perfect deal. .

Coupled with super center Li Shengli and defensive madman Crotty.

It can be said that after a series of operations this season, Lakers general manager West will simply become a god in the management circles of the league. A large number of fans and media even called him the Godfather of the Lakers before, making West Stern feels the second spring in his life since retiring.

As for Li Shengli and Crotty.

Crotty followed Li Shengli, an 'old man' who had seen the world. Although he was laughing, he was not crazy, but Li Shengli was crazy. Because it was the Lakers' home court, West was right behind the bench, shouting to the sky. He slapped his thighs vigorously.

…

"West!!"

"Oh, Li...oh, my Li...oh, are you my Li?"

Damn it, are you pretending to be blind?

What's wrong with you old man?

Li Shengli's face darkened, and he pulled West down across a row of seats.

“How much has my prize pool accumulated?”

"Huh? What prize pool?"

"Damn it, you don't want to default on your debt, do you? The promised settlement for the playoffs is here!!"

"Huh? Oh..." Everyone in West was dumbfounded, and then they remembered the personal playoff promotion incentive plan promised to Li Shengli before, "Congratulations, Li, for advancing to the Western Conference Finals. You now have 2.36 million in the bonus pool. .”

"Wow, I'm getting rich. I'm getting rich." Li Shengli opened his mouth wide, feeling happy just thinking about money.

"Hey, Lee, can we stop acting like we've never seen money?" West felt a little broken. "In fact, if we win the championship, your bonus will have accumulated to 3.54 million, and this means If you beat the Bulls, you can get an extra... 1.18 million!"

"1.18 million?"

"Yeah, don't you get excited just thinking about it?"

"Yes, everyone looks like 118 to me now!"

"Ahem...don't do this!"