It's not like the 76ers haven't played the playoffs. Truth be told, the opponents the 76ers have faced in the playoffs are not weak.

The Chicago Bulls in their heyday, the New York Knicks with a superstar lineup, the Indiana Pacers coached by Larry Bird but very practical, and the Toronto Raptors (formerly) with a luxurious twin star lineup.

used to be very good, the Miami Heat with the "iron man" Mourning on the inside, and the Milwaukee Bucks with twin stars, etc., are all first-class teams. But with the exception of the first one, none of the other teams were able to beat the Western teams of the same period.

The reason why Stern asked for a trade so much was to break the situation of being strong in the west and weak in the east.

But it's still unrealistic. Now there's a big shark in the West who is at his peak, and under him, Karl Malone Stockton is in his prime years, Tim, Garnett, Rashid and Webb are growing, Kidd is working hard, and the Dallas Mavericks are gathering strength. Gary Payton isn't old yet. Olajuwon, "Admiral" Yu Wei is still there. The West as a whole is in a very strong state, and there is a saying in these years, 'As long as you can make the playoffs in the West, then the championship is a good thing.'" Of course, this sentence was ended by the Detroit Pistons, but that was in 2004.

The 76ers have a perfect roster this year, but there is a very fatal flaw - a lack of experience. A lot of the main players are in their first season, like Luke, Reed, and for example, those who don't have playoff experience, Big Ben, who didn't play playing time with the Washington Bullets and didn't play the playoffs with the Orlando Magic, has almost zero playoff experience.

Another example is a player like Allen who has experienced the playoffs but does not have the high-intensity of the West, and it can be said that the 76ers are in addition to the Bulls veteran Tony Kukic at the time. None have playoff experience against Western Conference teams.

For this kind of formation, the 76ers are really a little stunned.

But luckily, the regular timeout rang at this time. The 76ers breathed a sigh of relief.

Back on the bench, Larry said; "It's too early for you to know, but sooner or later. That's the level of the Western Conference playoffs. ”

"Coach, is that the highest level?" Reid asked.

"No, no, no, that's just the average level of the playoffs." Larry shook his finger and said, "And there are times, like when it's time to compete for a playoff spot, these teams will use all their strength to fight for it, and this can also be in the regular season, but today the Utah Jazz are very abnormal, and what was supposed to be an inconsequential game is actually starting to be used." ”

"That's a good thing, we're aiming for a championship this year, so it's good to start adapting to the intensity of the playoffs now." Luke said.

"That's exactly what happened." Larry couldn't agree more with Luke, "To be honest, I've always felt that the East is too weak right now, including us. Why? Because the Chicago Bulls are too strong. The teams in the west need to spend money to form a team in order to have a hope of beating the Bulls, but the owners of the teams in the east generally do not have the money in the west, and the rich people are stupid (you must know who I'm talking about), so the teams formed generally can't beat the Bulls, so they naturally have no interest, so the east guarantees a certain competitiveness. So the east has always been weak. But we have to face the Western team in the end, and that's our goal this year. Larry said after a pause before adding, "While our hypothetical target this year is the Lakers, and we're going to be the Lakers in all likelihood, and now we're 2-0 in the regular season, it's not necessarily going to beat them." Because it's the regular season, and then we're going to face the playoffs. While the team I would most like to experience is the Portland Trail Blazers, who are the only team that can play the Lakers for seven games and learn more from their formation, it's very unrealistic. But now that the Utah Jazz have come up with their playoff style, we can get a sneak peek at how they defend as well. Although the Utah Jazz didn't win the championship, it doesn't mean they aren't strong enough. The fact that they have reached the finals twice speaks for themselves. Defending is their skill and it's something we need to learn. On the offensive side, you have just seen why the blocking and pick-and-roll tactics are so simple, but the Utah double-brake blocking and pick-and-roll tactics are unbreakable, because they have so many changes that they are too much to guard against. One pick-and-roll is the most basic, but they will block twice, three times, everybody will block, and there will always be a seat in the end. Then just put the ball in the basket. It's impossible to defend. Because keeping up in time may also be the most terrible thing is the misplaced singles, do you think Aaron can prevent Ma Long? ”

"Coach, but I have a question." Luke said.

"What's the problem? You said. Larry replied.

"The Utah Jazz you said are very strong, and the offense and defense just now are unsolvable, but the biggest question is, how did the Chicago Bulls beat them back then? At that time, I think the Utah Jazz were a little stronger than they are now. Luke asked.

"Haha, Luke, you don't need to ask me this question, there is a player standing next to you who has been through two finals firsthand." Larry said with a laugh.

"Oh! Yes, Tony Kukoc happened to be a Bulls player back then, and he faced the Utah Jazz in their heyday. Tony is here to tell us how to defend them. Luke said excitedly.

"It was a perfect time and the most memorable one...... "Tony Kukochi recalls.

Rewind the clock to 1997, the 1996-1997 NBA season.

"This year's regular season MVP is—" Stern said, holding the envelope, "Karl Malone!" Congratulations to him! ”

“yes！” Karl Malone got the coveted regular season MVP, and now his goal is only a championship.

Jordan on the other side did not show a disappointed expression, he said that there were too many honors, so there was no need to worry about such a trophy. But I knew Jordan was secretly making up his mind. Although he didn't say anything at all.

The Bulls comfortably defeated the Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat before reaching the Finals.

After that, it's time to witness the legend.

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