Chapter 571: That's it
The tragicomedy of history is always repeated.
After Li Liang hit this ultra-long three-pointer, the time seemed to go back to 2004, the 0.4 seconds that decided the direction of the series.
At that time, the Spurs were still the defending champions, and if it wasn't for that 0.4 seconds, they might have completed a three-game winning streak.
But history has no ifs, 0.4 seconds, heaven and hell, everything becomes different.
What's even more cruel is that this time, Duncan shouldn't have another chance.
In '04, that was ten years ago, and he was still the one who could control the league.
Even if you are injured, you can still recover by licking the wound and continue to challenge for the championship.
Nowadays, Duncan's basketball career is short-lived, and the life cycle of competitive sports is short, and often a win is missed for a lifetime.
After Li Liang hit this earth-shattering stunner, like Fisher in '04, he frantically rushed into the locker room to celebrate the victory with his teammates.
The only thing left in the arena was the constantly exiting spectators and the lonely Spurs players.
Duncan stood under the basket and looked up at the hoop, just now when he saw Li Liang shoot that three-pointer, he had a bad premonition in his heart.
The ball seemed to shine brightly.
Sure enough, it hit, and it was a good shot, a good shot without a doubt.
Duncan stood for a few more seconds, then jumped up lightly and tugged at the net with his hand.
Then he left the arena with his head down.
An era may end like this.
……
The Clippers locker room was a different scene, with the players celebrating wildly.
This is the first time in their history that they have reached the Finals, and the NBA has added one more team to their Finals record.
Champagne filled the locker room, and Li Liang put on a black Western Conference Championship Cap and received the silver Western Conference Championship trophy.
It was his night.
He hit eight three-pointers, including this one-shot 0.4-second shot.
4:2, no drag to tie seven.
"I still want that golden one, I still want that golden one!"
Li Liang was in the locker room and yelled at everyone.
The golden one, which is the O'Brien Cup, symbolizes the ultimate glory of the NBA.
At this time, in the Stamp Center in Los Angeles, it also turned into a sea of joyful red.
Clippers fans gathered here to watch Game 6 between the Clippers and Spurs on the big octagonal screen in the arena.
When Duncan threw in that step-back jumper, a lot of people were desperate and ready to buy tickets for Game 7.
But in the last 0.4 seconds, Li Liang's ultra-long three-point shot made Clippers fans experience the ecstasy from hell to heaven, even if there were no players on the court, the cheers of the fans still resounded throughout the court and lasted for several minutes.
Clippers fans finally raised their eyebrows at this moment, and this season they reached the Finals, ending the Lakers' domination of Los Angeles.
The finals will be played at the Staples Center on June 5, with the Heat vs Clippers and Li Liang vs James to determine the ownership of the 14-season championship.
Li Liang and his teammates returned to Los Angeles the day after the sixth game.
They were treated and welcomed like heroes in Los Angeles.
While the journey isn't over yet, for the Clippers, the Western Conference championship has already made history.
It is already a great honor to stand on the stage of the finals.
The whole team was immersed in joy, and Li Liang also felt that there was a huge difference compared with the Lakers last season.
Last season, the Lakers played the Western Conference Finals, and the whole team didn't react.
Kobe Bryant is more serious, because reaching the Finals is the beginning for the Lakers, and if they don't win the championship, they are the biggest losers.
The loose atmosphere of the Clippers came a little too early.
Thankfully, they still had a few days to adjust, and they came out of the overly relaxed atmosphere, realizing that their battle wasn't over yet, and that there was a mountain of heat to climb.
Li Liang has not relaxed at all in the past two days, he knows that the Heat is not as good as the Clippers in terms of strength, and in the simulation of the simulation world, the Clippers have won 4:1 several times.
But there are too many simulations, and there will also be a situation where the Heat will beat the Clippers 4:3.
This shows that there is an element of uncertainty in the series, and it is not impossible for the Heat to upset the Clippers.
If the Clippers are to ensure their consistent performance, the odds will be great.
In order to win the Heat, Li Liang has used up his lucky hand and can no longer rely on luck to win.
Consistent play, the Heat won't be a match for the Clippers.
……
Fast forward to the day of the Grand Finale, and the Stamp Center has a brand new floor.
This year's finals featured only "The finals" in bold on the floor, and it was placed on the inconspicuous flanks.
In the past few years, the NBA liked to make a big watermark of the O'Brien Cup in the center of the Finals floor, both flat and three-dimensional, completely destroying the overall beauty of the court floor, how ugly and ugly it is.
It's like I'm afraid that the audience won't know that this is the O'Brien Cup, and that this is the finals.
This stupid propaganda has been canceled in the past two years, and Li Liang said, "This is probably one of the most important reforms in the NBA in recent years." ”
The game was played at seven o'clock in the evening.
Before the game, the Clippers invited Beyoncé, the pop diva of the music scene, to sing the national anthem.
The scene became a grand banquet.
The ratings of this game also set a new high for the season.
After all, people have been looking forward to the confrontation between Li Liang and James for a whole season.
There are also Paul vs. Wade, Griffin vs. Bosh, which can be said to be full of highlights.
Li Liang and James stood on both sides of the field, James would never have thought that he had been fighting in the league for ten years, and in the end he would have to fight with such a Chinese kid who had just entered the league for two years?
And the visual battle can't be seen?
This year's Heat is not comparable to the previous two years.
Wade's form is declining, Bosh is hard to say, Chalmers, Cole and others are not talented players.
Entering the Finals for four consecutive years, the Heat are hanging in one breath on the one hand, and on the other hand, there are really no opponents in the East.
The Celtics grew old and fell apart.
Rose was reimbursed in a row, and the Bulls struggled to make it up.
As soon as the Pacers rose up, they blew themselves up and died inexplicably.
Relatively speaking, the situation in the West is much worse, with the old Spurs, the twin stars Thunder, the rising Warriors, and the dormant Lakers.
The first two rounds of the Clippers were easy, and the Spurs were really powerful.
When it came to the Finals against the Heat, the situation was a little wrong at the beginning of the first quarter.
It's the audience and the fans in front of the TV who feel that something is wrong, the Clippers' offense is a little too ferocious, why can't the Heat seem to be able to stop it?
The Heat are known for their high-intensity, pressing defense, but this year their defense has been a bit strong, and it can't reach the super high intensity it once had.
And the Clippers' offense has become sharper and sharper after being baptized and sharpened in the Western Conference Finals, so sharp that the Heat can't stop it at all.
Compared with the Spurs' dense and old-fashioned defense, the Heat's defense this year is really a bit rigid and not tough, and it seems to be very oppressive, but a few passes are combined to reveal holes.
At the same time, the problem of weak defense under the Heat basket has never been solved, but the Clippers are balanced inside and out, offensive and defensive.
In the first quarter, the Clippers beat the Heat 31:25!
In the game against the Spurs, the Clippers never scored more than 30 points in a single quarter, and this feeling was like being stuffy in the water for a long time, and suddenly their heads suddenly appeared and they could breathe.
And the Heat have an irresistible feeling under the fierce offensive of the Clippers.
In the second quarter of the game, Li Liang began to exert his power, he fired again and again on the outside, relying on his good condition, hit 4 three-pointers in a row, and hit a wave of 15:2 super attack wave of the Heat.
The Heat's main resistance came from James, but his resistance alone seemed to be weak, he kept passing the ball to his teammates, and then his teammates kept hitting the iron, or the other way around, and passed the ball back to him.
The long-awaited Li Liang vs James battle did not appear in this game.
Even Li Liang himself thinks, what is going on with this heat? How did you get to the finals and have no fighting energy at all?
The Clippers are full of fighting spirit, especially Paul, who is extremely aggressive.
In the third quarter, Paul's consecutive mid-range jumpers helped the Clippers play a wave of 10:0, and the difference was suddenly stretched to 20 points!
The Staples Center was jubilant, but the fans in front of the TV couldn't understand it.
That's it? That's it? It's more than a notch worse than the Western Conference finals.
What is this Heat fighting, what is it?
The Clippers felt like they were playing the regular season.
On the Heat side, is Spo not targeted at all?
Or is there a big gap in strength, and there is no way to target it?
If you think about it, it seems to be true, and the Heat can't target it at all.
The people's hearts have been somewhat scattered, and it is already a miracle to be able to rush to the finals.
The Clippers crushed the Heat in the first half, and then swept the Heat at home with a huge advantage of 121:97 and 24 points in the whole game, winning the first game of the Finals, which surprised everyone.