On the evening of April 16, the first round of matches was over, and compared with previous years, there was a huge difference in the strength of the teams in the upper and lower halves this year.

In both Eastern Conference games that night, the top half of the league was won easily:

107:114, the Wizards suppressed the Hawks all over the court!

Super center Dwight Howard really got out of his way, playing 29 minutes, 2-of-6, with 7 points and 14 rebounds, completely turning into a blue-collar center.

The Wizards combined for 54 points in the backcourt, and the Polish Hammers Gortat went 7-of-11 for 14 points and 10 rebounds, six of which were rebounds.

Coach Budenhozer's egalitarian basketball doesn't seem to be playing well in the playoffs, and perhaps after the end of the season, he will say goodbye to the Hawks...

The game between the Bulls and the Celtics also presented a one-sided situation, 104-112, the Celtics successfully defended the home court.

Jimmy Butler took his performance up a notch in the playoffs, playing 9-of-20 in 41 minutes and scoring a game-high 30 points.

But the Celtics blossomed more, and after having the absolute strong point of Bray Griffin, they steadily suppressed the opponent throughout the game.

Griffin, who was recovering from a major injury, was in good shape, 10-of-18, with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 turnovers, and the Celtics Big Three began to show their dominance.

In the Western Conference, the difference in the strength of the game between the Thunder and the Spurs is even greater!

87:111, the Spurs at home beat the Thunder!

Turtle Turtle was 6-of-23 and 3-of-11 from beyond the three-point line, and got a quasi-triple-double of 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 9 turnovers...

Leonard, on the other hand, showed extreme efficiency, shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point line to score a game-high 32 points.

The Western Conference has lost several games in a row by a large score, which seems to be a sign that the first round will be over soon.

Of course, Amika's sports media focus is not on the Spurs' side, and after Paul George set a flag with a big mouth after the game, the sports media present fanned the flames and passed the word to Lillard...

At the Trail Blazers' post-game press conference, Lillard couldn't hold back either, so he simply sprayed directly:

"It's true that the Clippers are the better team, but that doesn't mean Paul George is a good All-Star!"

"If I play with Kayce, we're going to be the best backcourt duo in the league!"

"Kayce is the GOAT, he's ruling the era, and Paul George is just hitching a ride!"

“...”

On the morning of the 17th, Lillard's ride-hailing theory exploded on social media.

In TNT's program, the 4 people have already blossomed, and this theory is easy to cause a tearing war.

"I totally agree with Lillard that Kayce can take some players to heights that don't belong to them!"

"I respect every player, but seriously, most of the Clippers' championships are won by Kayce!"

Charles Barkley gave his opinion, implying that Li Ze's teammates were all hugging their thighs.

Kenny Smith shook his head helplessly, jealousy separated the hostages, and the old partner talked nonsense again:

"Basketball belongs to five people, and even if the Clippers won the championship last season and faced endless packs, Jokic and Harris also played a key role."

"Kayce can adapt to any tactic and any teammate, but a lot of times he needs help and the championship belongs to everyone on the Clippers."

O'Neill also liked the topic and immediately added:

"But don't forget, during the three-game winning streak, Griffin was always stuck with injuries, and the hitchhiking theory makes sense!"

"If Lillard joins the Clippers, I'm sure they'll be the best backcourt duo in the league."

The host Ernnie Johnson also listened to it from the sidelines, and it is obvious that Li Ze + star players can be called the strongest combination:

"Losing by a few games in a row shows the dominance of the top half of the team, and it seems that we were right and the Clippers will easily reach the Western Conference semifinals."

"Kayce has played too easily this year and the Clippers' rotation is definitely underrated!"

“...”

After Li Ze won the championship last season, the championship theory has disappeared, and no one mentions the bonus of the super team anymore.

It turns out that it is not possible to build a super team to win the championship, the Heat and the Cavaliers have failed!

At the beginning of the season, Amika's sports media thought that the Clippers were a two-core team, and as Jokic got better and better, something was wrong.

As the regular season progressed and the bench lineup played more and more minutes, Amerika's reviewers reluctantly found that the Clippers' roster was frighteningly deep.

Combined with the situation in Game 1 of the Clippers playoffs, 12 verified hammers!

TNT's show just mentioned Lillard's hitchhiking theory in passing, and as a result, Paul George was enough.

Brother Griffin on the surface is also in a bad mood, and he hugged his thighs together, obviously Chris Paul also hugged him!

Fortunately, the players are preparing for the playoffs, and there is no time to work with TNT at this time, but it is expected that there will definitely be another tearing war in the offseason.

On the afternoon of April 17, Li Ze simply conducted recovery training.

In the morning, he watched the footage of the Rockets with the coaching staff, and as Paul George said, the Clippers are really preparing for the next round.

Basketball doesn't lie, the difference in strength between the two sides is too big, the Trail Blazers have no defensive resources, and the Clippers' front line can easily kill all sides!

"Shet! I'm going to limit Lillard's scoring to less than 20 points in the next game! ”

Paul George was so angry that he almost broke the defense after watching the post-match press conference, and he complained wildly in his heart:

"Even if it's the truth, you can't tell it!"

Li Ze stood on the edge of the court, simply doing two-handed ball control training, and when he heard Paul George's words, he immediately joked:

"It's a bit of a tough thing to do, you know, once the margin gets to 20 points, the defensive intensity will definitely go down!"

"Our goal is to finish the first round healthy, and the championship is the most important thing."

Jokic can already understand the communication between most of his teammates, and the white fat man seems very calm about the hitchhiking theory, and says happily:

"I just love playing with Kayce, I like scoring easily under the basket, and if hitchhiking gets me a big contract, then I want to stay in the car!"

Harris didn't talk much in the team, and almost laughed when he heard the white fat man's opinion, and then immediately teased:

"I don't want to get out of the car either! There are data and honors, and I want to sit until the end of my career! ”

Eric Gordon slapped the ball over and laughed and said:

"Add me one, I like to be a passenger, Kayce drive me rest assured!"

As the team's main lineup made a statement, and the atmosphere group also shouted to get on the car together, Paul George was finally laughed at angrily and simply broke the jar:

"Shet! It's better to change the name to the bus theory! I think that's more appropriate than hitchhiking..."

On the evening of the 17th, the first round of G2 officially started, and in the two games that night, the teams in the top half of the region won easily.

At 111:117, the Cavaliers finally won the battle and led the Pacers 2:0 after protecting the home court.

The Big Three played steadily in this game, and Kyrie Irving rebounded, scoring a game-high 37 points on 14-of-24 shooting.

LeBron James also showed excellent form, shooting 11-of-20 from the field to finish with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks and 8 turnovers.

Coupled with Lefou, who was 6 of 7 and had a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds, the trio scored 89 points and dominated the game together.

Western Conference, 82:110, Durant was sidelined due to injury, and the Warriors clocked in for another half-game, easily beating the Grizzlies.

Mike Conley scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting, while Pau Gasol didn't seem to fit in with the Warriors' rhythm, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

The two sides showed very different styles of basketball, and the Warriors' pass-and-cut system with Curry at the core was superior.

The Warriors have won two games in a row and finally showed the power that critics expected.

Warriors fans, who have been suppressed by Clippers fans, also began to speak out on social media at this time:

"Warriors Championship!"

...

On April 18, the league's current strongest backcourt duo of Chris Paul and James Harden completely caught the attention of ball critics.

At 91:118, the Rockets defeated the Jazz at home.

Gobert has become a game toy for Paul and Harden, and the inside rim has become a joke...

With 7-of-17, 3-of-7 from beyond the three-point line and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line, the bearded ballster scored a game-high 35 points!

Chris Paul finished with 22 points, four rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and two turnovers on 8-of-14 shooting and 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point line.

The Rockets' super-No. 6 man, Louis Williams, also showed his firepower, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Under D'Antoni's system, the Rockets can be fast and slow, driving the inside from the outside, and completely blowing up the Jazz.

After this game, the series score came to 2:0, and Chris Paul looked very confident in the interview after the game:

"No one can underestimate us, 58 wins doesn't show our quality, the team is completely on the right track, we will reach the finals!"

The bearded golfer also seemed very happy, pulling Paul and yelling after the game, and so far in his career, Harden has tasted an easy win.

In the other two games, 100:106, the Menglong team struggled to protect the home court and pulled the big score to a 1:1 draw;

At 97:111, the Celtics continued to crush and win, leading the Bulls 2-0 in the series.

On April 19th, after a two-day break, the Trail Blazers adjusted their mood and prepared for the G2 game.

Amika's sports media game was constantly burning before the start of the game, and Lillard faced the provocation of the media, and finally just said in a low-key manner:

"I'll respond!"

Noticing that the media seemed to be a little disappointed, Lillard secretly pouted, but he was opposite Li Ze.

Ruthless words before the game, and clown after the game, Lillard has long admitted that he is not Li Ze's opponent, the strength gap is too big and he has no brains to provoke, only a fool can do that kind of thing!

In the game that night, although everyone in the Trail Blazers had made psychological expectations, after the end of the half, looking at the score of 44:66, everyone broke the defense again...

At Staples Arena, Clippers fans began celebrating the game after 17:33 of the first quarter.

The atmosphere was very joyful, with music, cheers, and laughter.

On the commentary bench of TNT, Reggie Miller smiled and said very happily:

"Lillard was right not to choose to be ruthless before the game, 3-of-9 for 8 points in the half, and McCollum was 3-of-11 for only 7 points."

"The core players in the backcourt combined for 15 points, and it's hard to win with such a performance!"

Narrator Marv-Albert feels like he can't blow it anymore:

"I can't describe the performance of the Clippers, every player who came on the pitch did a great job."

"In contrast, the Trail Blazers have been rotating seven players, but it has no effect, and the difference in strength between the two teams is too great."

Chris Webb also stopped commenting on the performance of the Trail Blazers, and the core players pulled their hips, and this game is definitely gone:

"Maybe Coach Stotts could consider putting Aminu in the starting line-up, they are very short of attacking resources..."

Paul George was full of momentum and aggressive on the defensive end.

In the Clippers' system, when it comes to the playoffs, Li Ze will take on the task of marking the opposing team's core players, and in this case, the role players will have a lot less pressure and usually play better.

Paul George didn't have to be responsible for marking the Trail Blazers' double guns at all, and the occasional round of changing defenses naturally showed twelve points of strength!

After the start of the third quarter, Lillard had been trying to misplace Jokic, only to switch Paul George to the front.

With little time left to attack, he finally forced a breakthrough and threw the iron...

Jokic accepted the rebound, Li Ze received the pass and immediately launched a transition attack, and Paul George was still in the backcourt, shouting at Lillard, who almost fell into the street:

"Don't shoot in front of me, that's definitely not a good offensive option!"

Lillard, who broke the big defense, didn't say much, and immediately stepped forward and pushed hard, and the referee hurriedly blew the whistle and pulled the two sides away as soon as possible.

"Fakyu! You can't achieve anything without Kayce! ”

Lillard, who broke the defense, was pulled away by the referee and kept shouting at Paul George, who simply smiled and shouted at this time:

"I'm going to stay with the Clippers forever! I'll take the championship here! ”

Lillard was speechless by Paul George's thigh-hugging remarks, and his heart was aggrieved to death, but he was powerless to refute...

The Clippers fans at the scene naturally couldn't hear the shouts of the two, but seeing that the two sides failed to fight, they also started to coax the fire.

Lillard, who completely broke the defense, made a crazy shot in the third quarter, and the result was right in the arms of the Clippers.

At 12:30 in the single quarter, the game was completely over...

Coach Stotts looked at the bench, covered with a towel, and the dull-eyed Lillard sighed helplessly, it may be a wrong choice for the small guard to be the core.

1 of 8 in the single quarter, under Li Ze's defense, Lillard slashed 2 points, plus McCollum scored 1 of 5, and also scored 2 points, the Trail Blazers coaching staff was like ashes.

Paul George, grinning after winning, sat on the bench in a good mood and kept leaning back tactically in a different direction.

Accept the fact of hugging his thighs calmly, and the other party will not be able to mock him...

Li Ze also didn't know what Paul George said to Lillard, but the opponent completely blew himself up in the third quarter, which is also a good thing for the Clippers.

The assistant coach saw that Li Ze was still two rebounds away from getting a triple-double, and reminded in a low voice:

"Kayce, the next game is bad for rebounding, so there's no need to be polite to everyone."

Li Ze didn't care about his rebounding data at all, many times this season, the rebounds were Jokic's, and the white fat man in the contract year needed the data more than him.

"Next time, it's just that the triple-double doesn't mean much to me."

Li Ze and the assistant coach whispered at the end of the bench, which made the sports media at the scene scratch their hearts and want to know what the two were talking about.

The Clippers' locker room never leaks secrets, which is a rule that Li Ze has set since he came to the team.

Like the Lakers' Russell recording door next door, it won't happen in the Clippers locker room at all.

The sports media in Los Angeles have always wanted to know what's really going on inside the Clippers' locker room, but a few years have passed, and everyone is getting tight.

The fourth quarter turned into garbage time, and on the TNT commentary bench, commentator Mav Albert began to talk about the rest of the series:

"How should Coach Stowe adjust? Their rotation seems to be too short. ”

Chris Webb saw that the Clippers had taken the 12th man, Kevon Looney, and finally replied helplessly:

"The Trail Blazers are in the eight-man rotation, and the Clippers were in the 10-man rotation in both games, and in the fourth quarter, it was basically a 12-man rotation."

"The gap in the roster can't be bridged, the Trail Blazers need to add defensive players, and as for the series, there's not much left to say."

Reggie Miller looked at the technical statistics and felt that the Trail Blazers must be hopeless:

"Kayce was 11-of-14 from the field tonight, 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point line, got 31 points, 8 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, believe me, he hasn't made a lot of effort yet!"

"Basketball is a long-man sport after all, the Clippers have all the upper height and size on the outside, and they also have the strength to crush on the inside, and the Trail Blazers should probably change their thinking to complete the rebuild."

At the end of the game, 81:118, looking at the disparity, the sports media at the scene knew that the series was over.

Lillard, who was draped in a towel, quickly shook hands with everyone on the Clippers and then ran to the tunnel without looking back.

TNT reporter David Aldridge waited on the sidelines early, and when he saw that there was finally no one next to Li Ze, he immediately came up:

"Kayce, congratulations on winning the G2 match, can you tell us what you think about this series, two big wins in a row, this kind of performance is amazing!"

After winning two big games in a row, Li Ze was no longer overly modest, raised his eyebrows, and replied very confidently:

"The Trail Blazers have been doing really well, but we don't want to go back to Los Angeles in this series!"

"We've got 74 wins this season, so naturally we'll have to pursue something in the playoffs!"

David Aldridge's eyes lit up immediately when he heard Li Ze's answer, and he added on his own:

"Do you have a record of winning all of your playoff games? The 73-win Clippers achieved this feat! ”

Li Ze patted the other party's shoulder with a smile and stopped talking, and then walked slowly to the player's tunnel.

The entire interview team was excited at this time, this is big news, Li Ze did not deny it, it was admitted!

After this game, TNT rushed out an article that night:

"Silent Declarations – Playoffs Wins? 》”

The core of this article is to help Li Ze loan a 16-0 record in the playoffs, not only the Trail Blazers were left behind, but the championship favorite Warriors also became a stepping stone...

A dominant Clippers team is now a hornet's nest, and on Reddit, lemon fans of each team immediately tore the Clippers.

The Celestial Empire on the other side of the ocean, Zepu reprinted TNT's comments as soon as possible, but unlike Amerika's fans, here is a brainless blow:

"Li Zeniu x! 74 wins and 16 wins and 0 losses in the playoffs! God doesn't lose! ”

"It's awesome! 16-0, beating the 4-star Warriors! ”

"The first round hasn't ended yet, so why did you advance to the Western Conference Finals? Brainless fans are terrible! ”

"Hehe, upstairs is Yongmi, Li Ze is going to be a traitor this year, so that Durant knows who is the GOAT!"

"Beat the Warriors, good brothers don't play basketball, if you have to challenge Li Ze, you must teach Durant a lesson!"

"How can I win a game, 16-0 is too exaggerated."

"Roll out the skewers! Support Li Ze 16-0! ”

The fans of the Celestial Empire have swelled to the sky, and everyone is looking forward to Li Ze winning the championship again, and then tearing Michael Jordan's old fans!

On April 22, Penguin Sports continued to broadcast G3 for the Clippers and Trail Blazers.

Back at home, the Trail Blazers finally picked themselves up, and at halftime, the Clippers led by just 13 points, 67:54.

The host Ke Xiaofan didn't care about the outcome of the game at all, and already tacitly accepted that the Clippers would sweep the opponent:

"Teacher Yang, have you seen the recent article of Amerika's peers, 16-0? Will it really happen? ”

As soon as Yang Yi heard this topic, he immediately said happily:

"It's hard to say, but we haven't seen a team with 74 wins!"

"Actually, the Clippers' record this season should be 76 wins, and back-to-back in April."

"It is also appropriate to let go of these two games, Li Ze has played too many games, and it should be delayed for two games, so 16-0, this is not outrageous!"

As soon as the host Ke Xiaofan heard such an algorithm, he immediately laughed and added:

"Then according to Mr. Yang's calculation, Li Ze has two more games off this year, and if you count these two games, it will be 78 wins, good guy, you can't count it like that!"

Yang Yi nodded when he heard 78 wins, and then said happily:

"78 wins, it is the real record of the Clippers, Li Zedu has become the god of basketball, and he has high requirements for God, I don't think there is any problem!"

“...”

The Trail Blazers, who fought to the death and death, were on fire in the second half, but to the disappointment of Portland fans, in the third quarter of the game, Lillard pulled again:

1 of 6 in a single quarter, relying on free throws to score 4 points...

At 33:21 in the first quarter, at the end of the third quarter, at 100:75, the Clippers extended the margin to 25 points.

Playing at home, Coach Stotts continued to play the main lineup in the fourth quarter of the game.

It's just that the game was less than half a quarter, and the score difference went to 30+, and after the official pause, he reluctantly changed to the atmosphere group.

In the Penguin Sports studio, the host Ke Xiaofan almost grinned at the back of his head, and when he saw Li Ze resting, he couldn't wait to say:

"Rare playing time came to 32 minutes, 14 of 18, 6 of 10 from beyond the three-point line, 40 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, no turnovers!"

"A mediocre 40+ two-pair!"

Yang Yi on the side also followed and continued the previous topic:

"So, let's not underestimate the 74-win Clippers, it's really 12 cores! The average team definitely doesn't have that kind of squad depth. ”

At 128:101, the moment the game ended, the Rose Garden Arena booed.

After greeting the Trail Blazers with a handshake, the bloated Paul George put up four fingers and ran to the tunnel for the players.

Steve Ballmer kept exchanging punches with Clippers players at the entrance of the players' tunnel, and when he saw Li Ze, he immediately shouted happily:

"I love all playoff wins! I don't care about the four-star Warriors, the Clippers are the strongest! ”

The old man's loud voice made the nearby fans boo, Li Ze smiled and walked to the players' tunnel, put his arm around Steve Ballmer and responded simply:

"74 wins, there should always be some pursuit! I'm sure you'll love this goal! ”