No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 892 - 381. The only unlucky one overthrown by the lower ranks_3

The Spurs defeated the Mavericks 4-1. Nowitzki played Duncan fairly well, averaging 26.8 points and 7 rebounds with a 47% shooting percentage, which isn’t bad. But Josh Howard only averaged 12 points with a 30% shooting rate, Harris averaged 8.6 points, and Terry couldn’t get fired up, averaging 16 points with a 38% shooting rate... Plus, Coach Avery Johnson couldn’t get the players motivated.

Avery Johnson’s poor team management skills were fully exposed this season. Josh Howard wanted to assert authority, and as a coach, he didn’t make any statement nor did he provide support, offending both All-Stars Nowitzki and Josh Howard.

Seeing Ginobili’s incredible impact as a substitute, midway through the season, Avery Johnson learned from Popovich and moved Terry to the bench, offending Terry as well.

This season, Avery Johnson’s only good move was putting Terry on the bench, forcefully making him accept this arrangement, paving the way for a more reasonable rotation for the Mavericks in the future. However, just a few days ago, on the 3rd, after the Mavericks were eliminated 1-4, Avery Johnson was fired by Cuban, leaving a foundation for his successor.

The Magic defeated the Cavaliers 4-1. Tank Point Guard Nelson plus the rim-protecting powerhouse Howard were Kryptonite for the current play style of James. The only game the Magic lost was when James went berserk, scoring 35 points, including a top-arc three-pointer at the buzzer with 1.2 seconds left, winning 96-95. The Cavaliers struggled little in the other four games.

The Pistons defeated the Wizards 4-1, with not much to see; the entire series was nationally broadcast only once. Only Jamison, hitting 5 out of 7 three-pointers, set a personal playoff scoring record with 38 points, as the Wizards exploded for a 107-100 win in one game.

The Jazz also pushed the Suns 4-1, knocking them out in the first round.

Since Nash joined the Suns, he had never been so miserable in a series—averaging 16.2 points and 7 assists.

Deron was unbelievably stylish in this series, averaging 29.6 points and 11 assists.

The Lakers and Nuggets went to Game 6. The Lakers faced the same situation as the Bobcats, with the other side’s three major stars being perimeter players. Currently, the Lakers faced this situation earlier. If Iverson were still with the 76ers, he could average 30+, and both Ray Allen and Anthony had the ability to average 25+. The trio ran around so much that Kidd was exhausted. The Lakers had a clear edge in strength, but the Nuggets’ trio exploded in turns, managing to win two games.

Finally, the Lakers relied on their overall strength to drag the Nuggets to death in 6 games.

For Paul, it was the toughest; the first 6 games ended 3-3, with tonight being the Game 7 showdown.

Paul averaged 23.5 points, 10.7 assists, and 3 steals over 44 minutes per game in these 6 games, showing a bloody excellent performance.

But on the other side, Baron Davis averaged 14.7 points and 6 assists, Ellis averaged 18 points and 4 assists, Artest averaged 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1 block, and Stephen Jackson averaged 20.7 points...

Artest was like a bull on offense and dominant on defense, covering positions 2-4, and posed trouble for whoever faced him—from James Posey to Peja to David West—sometimes even guarding Paul, and challenging Chandler.

Baron Davis and Ellis’s breakthrough scoring was also very sharp, and Paul, despite being a strong defender and fourth in vote for the best defensive player, found himself unable to stop anyone.

The biggest beneficiary was Martial Saint Jackson, who made many shots on the wing, finding open spaces everywhere.

Paul was indeed formidable, facing four strong opponents and a Warriors team filled with quality role players like Al Harrington, Biedrins, Azubuike, and Matt Barnes, he still managed to drag the series to Game 7.

Zhang Yang already arranged with Felton to watch the live broadcast tonight to see if Paul could hold on.

However, watching the Warriors’ performance, Zhang Yang actually felt it was a pity. The Crazy Scientist built the team with the sole aim of getting back at the Mavericks, without considering what comes next. The lineup became skewed, suitable only for playing in fast pace, and not suitable for anything else.

Now that the revenge was complete, the Crazy Scientist returned to Nelson’s role, wanting to further improve the team but found it hard to proceed. Trading Dunk King for the Beast was a good deal, but it only solved the inadequate breakthrough ability on the wing, not the lack of intensity and a whole host of other problems.

The wave of team changes among those who entered the NBA in the late ’90s has already passed, and the top players entering the NBA in the 21st century have either signed long-term contracts or are still the new generation. It’s tough for old Nelson, with a bunch of chips but hard to pull off top-tier moves like getting Artest.

Zhang Yang also saw the news about the series between his Bobcats and the Hawks team after it ended.

The Hawks, although eliminated in the first round, received high praise. Their floor might be low, like in Game 6, but their ceiling was astonishingly high, like in Games 2, 3, and 5. It was predicted that they would become the most favored team by free agents, especially inside players, this summer.

... novelbuddy-cσ๓

At night, Zhang Yang went to Felton’s house as a guest, and after dinner, they watched the live broadcast together.

A little over two hours later at 10:24 pm, both Zhang Yang and Felton sighed regretfully.

Paul had his second 30+ game in the 7-game series, but just like the previous time when he scored 31 points, he only had 6 assists.

Paul made 11 of 24 shots, including 3 of 9 from beyond the arc, and 9 of 10 from free throws, earning 34 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. The Hornets lost to the Warriors 92-104 and were eliminated 3-4!

Felton sympathized with Paul: "Chris is really unlucky."

Zhang Yang: "He sure is unlucky. The Suns, Mavericks, Warriors, Nuggets, he just happened to face the strongest of the Western lower seeds."

The sourc𝗲 of this content is fre(e)novelkiss