Chapter 527: Semi-final competition

……

Larry Brown patted his already strong arm, "I know you're tired. But with Paul injured, we don't have a reliable inside line to replace your responsibilities. It's up to you and Memet to limit Duncan's play and prop up the Clippers' interior line. ”

"Yes, Coach. ”

Larry Brown nodded, his sharp, serious gaze quickly sweeping over everyone.

"Lads, I know you're tired both physically and mentally after 13 games in a row. But now that we're on the stage of the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row, we can't afford to fall in the same place for two years in a row. That's a shame for me and for all of you. So, today we have to win. … To win!!"

Larry Brown clenched his fists tightly and swung them a few times, then his palms were open and the backs of his hands were up. Seeing this, the five main players also put their right hands on it.

"Come on!"

"Come on!!"

At this time, all the attention on the court Larry Brown has forgotten about the big boss Guo Shouyun sitting in the back. And the latter, who knew how many pounds and taels he had, had no intention of ending up blindly commanding.

The game restarted, and sure enough, the Spurs, who had a physical advantage, chose to break fast as soon as they came up. However, Kidd has been in the league for many years and has a lot of experience, and the Clippers under his control have not been led away by the Spurs' fast attack. Instead, he made the most of every possession time and crossed the half-court at nearly eight seconds. The offense was formed when nearly 24 seconds had passed.

Kidd, who did everything he could to buy time to rest his teammates, made full use of his talent as the league's top point guard, and even when his physical strength was about to bottom, he firmly grasped the team's rhythm and organized every offense.

"Jason Kidd's talent at point guard is among the top in the league, and there is probably no one better than him at the No. 1 position in NBA history except for Elvin Johnson. Gary Payton and Stockton are also just tied with him. ”

After witnessing Jason Kidd's performance, Kevin Harlan sighed.

"This Clippers team has been able to play so far, and Kidd's contribution has been the greatest. When Bruce Guo rebuilt the Clippers, the smartest decision was to trade Michael Olowokandi and Jeff McGinnis for Kidd from the Suns. Just look at Michael and Jeff's performance with the Suns, and then look at Kidd's current state and what it does for the Clippers to see just how shrewd the deal is. Mike Green.

Kevin Harlan nodded in agreement, "Bruce Kwok not only has extraordinary judgment in business, but also has his vision in selecting players. It's unbelievable. ”

For the praise of the two, Guo Shouyun completely skipped it. The most attractive thing for him right now is the situation on the field.

If they can beat the Spurs here, then facing the Nets, who beat the Pistons 4-2 but did not have Kidd, the Clippers have a good chance of winning and winning the championship.

Once the championship ring is obtained, then the Clippers will not only get honors, but more importantly, they will be able to enhance the commercial value of the team itself.

Although Guo Shouyun doesn't expect the Clippers to make much money for him, if he can make this asset more valuable, why not.

Of course, it will be too difficult for the Clippers to take the Spurs smoothly. Even with Kidd's excellent skill and awareness, control the tempo and let his teammates rest as much as possible. But as time passed, their physical weakness was inevitably exposed.

The decline in physical strength directly caused the Clippers' shooting percentage and defensive intensity to decline significantly. In just two rounds, their two-point lead was overtaken by the Spurs.

"It seems that there is no hope of winning the championship this year!"

Looking at the situation on the field, Guo Shouyun sighed in his heart.

"Didi...!"

The referee's whistle sounded suddenly, Guo Shouyun's heart was shocked, he originally thought it was the final whistle, but after seeing that there were still 15 seconds left before the end, he was relieved.

Now 96:92, the Clippers, who are four points behind, still have a chance. Moreover, he had just seen Kidd's three-pointer scored, and if the penalty wasn't an offensive violation, the split would have narrowed down to one point. The suspense of victory and defeat has become bigger again.

The black No. 9 fouled and added a free throw. ”

"Great!"

The referee's decision cheered up the Clippers' bench. Puth, who was closest to Kidd, hugged him.

Compared to the jubilation of the Clippers, the Spurs and the surrounding Spurs fans are out of action. The boos that almost toppled the stadium rang out. And the Spurs players also surrounded the referee.

However, in this case, even if the referee makes a mistake, the verdict will not be changed on the spot. What's more, judging from the slow motion played on the big screen, when Jason Kidd made a three-point jumper, Tony Parker, who was defending him, clearly hit his right hand. It's just that when he hit, Kidd instantly swapped the basketball in his right hand to his left hand and threw it. The most important thing is to throw in.

Seeing that there was no way to change the decision and that Tony Parker did commit a foul, Popovich called his players back and set up a final offense.

It was indeed the last offense. There were 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and if we couldn't score, there would be no second chance. Of course, extra time counts separately.

While the Spurs were nervously arranging the final shot, Larry Brown of the Clippers was also constantly explaining to his disciples. However, at a time like this, he doesn't have a good way to do it other than keep repeating the defense. After all, there are only 15 seconds left. Only by holding on to this offense will the Clippers have a chance to win.

Everyone knows that the next goal is very crucial and directly determines the outcome of the game. So, the originally noisy stands gradually quieted down. So much so that by the end, the sound of the players' shoes rubbing on the field became so clear.

Guo Shouyun is also a member of the army of spectators who held their breath and stared at the stadium. His eyes were firmly fixed on the basketball that was being held by Tony Parker at this time.

"Bang Bang...!"

The basketball was getting faster and faster in his hands, and Kidd spread his hands and stared calmly at the enemy opposite. Having played in the NBA for almost a decade, he has long been accustomed to staying calm when it matters most.

After several attempts to get rid of it, Tony Parker knew that he still had a big gap in strength from the opponent in front of him. Knowing that time could not be delayed, he quickly changed his crotch backwards and hoisted the basketball directly to Duncan on the inside.

At such critical moments, it is significantly safer to use a strong inside advantage to score.

Seeing Duncan holding the ball, Yao Ming, who was in charge of defending him, instantly tensed up.

"I must hold this ball!"

Yao Ming, who was secretly determined, gritted his teeth, puffed out his chest, and spread his arms to block all the pitching routes.

"Bang...!"

There was a fierce clash of muscles. Duncan was surprised to find that the Huaxia center, who had been knocked back by him before, was not out of position this time! Subconsciously looked up and saw that he was greeted by a face that could not hide his tiredness, but his expression was hideous, and his eyes were wide open.

"You're a good guy, but unfortunately we won today. ”

After Shi Buddha finished speaking, he gathered his strength again and bumped into the opponent, and after squeezing half of his body, he quickly took a step back and got up to jump.

The arc of the basketball is very high, but Yao Ming, who is jumping with all his might, still has a height of 15 centimeters more than the opponent, as well as the length of his arm, and his middle finger touches the lower end of the basketball.

It's not a lot of force, but it's enough to change the course of the ball. Sure enough, Duncan must have made a close-range shot, smashed into the hoop neck and bounced out.

Yao Ming, who knew that he wouldn't score when he touched the basketball, grabbed the frontcourt rebound faster than everyone else. However, due to the time constraints, the moment he grabbed it, he dialed it out with his left hand.

For example, Puss is the best physical guy in the Clippers right now, and he reacted as soon as he received Yao Ming's pass, and ran towards the Spurs halfcourt at a gallop.

Parker isn't slower than him, but he's not very good defensively. Moreover, he is alone, and he can't stop people like Puss who are already running.

"Bang!"

As the sound of a slam dunk sounded, the Clippers' bench instantly boiled.

"Didi...!"

With the buzzer sounding at the end of the game, the seven-game tiebreaker between the Clippers and the Spurs was forever frozen at 98:96.

When the excitement passed, it was discovered that the hero who blocked Duncan's last shot and grabbed the key rebound was still lying on the floor.

"Doctor...!"

Larry Brown's face changed, and he hurriedly beckoned the team doctor to run over. At this time, Guo Shouyun also got off the stands and ran over.

"Yao, how are you?"

Looking at Yao Ming, who was sweating profusely and pale, hugging his right foot, Larry Brown hurriedly asked.

"Coach, my right foot seems to be out of strength!"

The team doctor quickly pressed Yao Ming's leg, examined it, and nodded at Larry Brown. And when he got an affirmative answer, he was relieved at this time. Although, this time it defeated the Spurs, but there are still Nets in the finals. Although the opponent's strength is not as good as his own, anything can happen on the playing field. Therefore, it would be unlucky to fold your main center in such a crucial game.

Moreover, if it weren't for Gasol's injury, the game against the Spurs wouldn't have been so difficult.

"We have three days to get you some rest. After patting Yao Ming on the shoulder, Memet Oku and Kidd jointly helped him up.

"Boss...!"

"You're doing a great job, get some rest!"

After speaking, Guo Shouyun got out of the way and let the players go down.

"Coach Brown, congratulations!"

"It was the good performance of the players that led to the hard-won victory. ”

Guo Shouyun smiled and nodded, "Are you sure of the finals?"

"Yes We don't have a physical advantage, but we have a roster that surpasses the Nets. The most important thing is that Paul is back and we will face it with the strongest squad. ”

"I'll be waiting in Los Angeles for you to get your championship ring back. ”

"Definitely!"

"Go and accept the cheers of victory, they are already waiting for you!".

Larry Brown nodded and walked towards the players.

Looking at his back, as well as the excited Clippers players in the distance, after a moment, Guo Shouyun turned around, "Let's go!"

"Aren't you ready to participate?"

"No, now they need more rest. As for celebrating, it's not too late to win the championship. ”

Matthew nodded and escorted Guo Shouyun out of the arena with his bodyguards.

The next day, when he was about to return to Los Angeles, he directly used his private jet to bring back the Clippers players and coaching staff.

"Boss, will the money go back with you?"

"What, reluctantly?"

Larry Brown nodded.

"It's the first time I've seen a little guy who is so physically gifted and works so hard. ”

Guo Shouyun smiled, "When you finish the finals, I'll give him to you to cultivate!"

After a brief exchange, the two separated. Guo Shouyun went straight back to San Francisco, while Larry Brown took the team back to the training gym. The next time I'm in Phase I, it's time to win the finals.