Chapter 1157: Evenly Matched in the Western Conference Finals?
The Lakers weren't the only 4-0 winners in this one.
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers also defeated their opponents 4-0 to advance to their respective division finals.
In fact, all the Lakers players, coaches, etc., regard the Golden State Warriors as their biggest opponent on the way to winning the championship.
As long as the Golden State Warriors, who have three giants and several first-class stars, can be eliminated, then the next Cleveland Cavaliers will have nothing to fear.
Although the Cleveland Cavaliers also have two giants, the problem is that LeBron James, the second strongest player in the league, is determined to follow Shen Huan, Shen Huan can not only restrain him, but also score more than 40 points, or even 50 points.
LeBron James was "scrapped", and the remaining Irving, no matter how tough he was, couldn't afford to be the savior of the Cavaliers.
In this respect, the Lakers are restrained by the Cavaliers.
But the Golden State Warriors are different, their style of play is blossoming in all directions, Curry and Thompson are super masters of three-point shooting, and now with Durant, and a group of stars who have worked together for many years, it can be described as very difficult.
No matter how good Shen Huan is, it is impossible for him to guard against Curry and Thompson outside the three-point line at the same time.
As long as the two of them feel super-godly, then they will be in a bitter battle.
Fortunately, in the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs last year, Shen Huan also unlocked his three-point shots, shooting percentage and number of shots, more than Curry and Thompson combined, so he hit the Golden State Warriors and made them regretfully lose the Western Conference Finals.
This time, with the addition of Durant's strong offense under the basket, the Golden State Warriors have even more options.
If you Shen Huan dare to play Curry and Thompson, then we will pass the ball to Durant and let him solve the game.
If you defend Durant, then the two league's three-point kings will let the Lakers know what despair is.
And with Durant in the basket, Andre Iguodala can concentrate on dealing with Shen Huan.
Don't look at Iguodala is 33 years old this year, and he has only been an All-Star once, and he is still a substitute, but this player is very good.
His stats are not great, for example, in the regular season this season, he scored only 7.6 points, rebounded only 4.0, and assisted only 3.4.
But playing basketball is definitely a fake fan if you only look at the stats.
Iguodala's role on the court, whether it is offense, defense, organization, etc., is the soul of the Golden State Warriors.
In the 14-15 season when they won the championship for the first time, Iguodala was not the most scored, nor the most assists, nor the best defense, but he was FMVP!
It's about Iguodala being well-balanced in every way, he can show up when he's supposed to be there, and he's fierce when he's fierce.
It was because of this spirit that Iguodala led the young Warriors to a historic second championship.
It's been a full 40 years since they last won the title.
Even in these two seasons, the big brother of the leader on the court is Iguodala.
He does what no one else can do, and keeps the entire Golden State Warriors strong.
The player who once made the best defensive team is better than LeBron James if he concentrates on defending one person.
In fact, in last year's Western Conference Finals, Iguodala was already defending Shen Huan, but Shen Huan bullied his speed and reflexes, as well as all aspects of scruples, so Iguodala couldn't do anything about himself.
Now if Iguodala only puts his defensive radius around the three-point line and focuses on Shen Huan's three-point shot, it will definitely put pressure on the Lakers.
If Shen Huan is forced to enter the restricted area and only shoot two points, the Golden State Warriors will be half the battle.
Curry and Thompson's three-pointers, two as Shen Huan's three two-pointers, for a long time, the Golden State Warriors will definitely benefit.
But it's not without its problems.
The Golden State Warriors have received a strong reinforcement this year - super power forward Durant.
The Lakers also got Howard, the superpower center they coveted.
If Howard two years ago, he basically only had 5% of his skills left, and when it came to the playoffs, it would be the share of food delivery.
But I don't know why, Howard seems to have exploded this season, and he has magically recovered his form all of a sudden, leading the team on the defensive end, becoming the league's No. 1 rebounding champion and the league's best defensive team.
Such a player is guarding the basket, which is definitely a great threat for Durant.
Therefore, Durant's power will also be reduced a lot.
Such a dramatic scene surprised all NBA experts and coaches.
As you all know, there are a lot of key points in this game.
The key to the Lakers' victory lies in whether Shen Huan can be overwhelmed in the offense.
It depends on whether Howard can hold the basket well and hold Durant to death.
It is about how much state Kobe and Iverson can play to support Shen Huan.
The key to the Golden State Warriors' victory is whether Iguodala can defend Shen Huan.
It depends on whether Durant can completely blow up Howard and take the initiative to attack under the basket.
lies in whether Curry and Thompson's three-point shots are good enough, as long as their three-point shots are superb, then Shen Huan can't hold them down.
Many celebrities have expressed their opinions.
"I don't think Shen Huan has any difficulties, he will definitely win, this is the next generation of basketball gods I am optimistic about!" - Basketball God Michael Joe Boss.
"Shen Huan's style on the offensive court is unique and invincible, and I am optimistic that he will blow up the entire Golden State Warriors team alone. —Lord of the Rings, Bill Russell.
"Obviously, I have always supported Shen Huan, he has shown me the most gorgeous basketball, and it is also the hope of victory!" - Magic Johnson.
"No, no, basketball is a whole sport! This year's Golden State Warriors are very strong, unexpectedly strong, and I chose them to win!" - Karl Malone, postman.
"I like Durant more, although he is not as good as Shen Huan, but Shen Huan is only one person after all, at best, there is a Howard who is in his prime, so the Golden State Warriors have a better chance of winning. —Skyhook Jabbar.
"Haha, this Western Conference Finals must be very good, I can't talk about who to support, but on the whole, I think the Golden State Warriors will win!" - Big Bird Larry Bird.
“......”
The celebrities were divided into two factions, and so were the journalists.
According to the statistics, 40% of reporters support the Lakers, and 60% of reporters support the Golden State Warriors.
For the Warriors to defeat the Great Demon King seems to be a little more in line with the characteristics of the news.
But the support of the fans is different.
More than 90% of the fans strongly support the Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors, who have 10% support, have the vast majority of fans who are native to the United States.
It means that almost all overseas fans support the Lakers and Shen Huan.
Looking at such a huge fan base, the top brass of the NBA is simply drooling.
So many years.
In addition to Boss Qiao's 10 years of NBA promotion, which has been extremely successful, the NBA has been in full swing in recent years, but the actual expansion of Shanghai and overseas is not large.
The people who like basketball the most are still those countries, and there are still so many fans.
No more explosive growth.
Only in the two years since Shen Huan joined the NBA, NBA global fans have once again ushered in explosive growth, with at least 300 million more in two years!
This is still to say that you can buy NBA goods, and every Shen Huan game must be watched by fans.
Those passers-by have more fans, and it is easy to have seven or eight billion.
If Shen Huan can play in the NBA for another 10 years, the NBA will definitely become the number one sport in the world, far more than football!!
What a pity!
Why doesn't this teenager fall in love with this Vanity Fair!?