At the end of the regular season of the 17~18 season, some people are naturally happy and some are worried.

The record of the teams in the first half of the Western Conference showed a crushing trend, and the 4~8 places were rolled up to the sky.

Unlike the Eastern Conference, there were new faces in the Western Conference playoffs this year, and the most surprising thing was that the Timberwolves finally withstood the pressure and successfully caught the last train of the playoffs.

After so many years of talent basketball, talent has finally cashed in, and Timberwolves fans celebrated wildly on the night of the 11th!

Jimmy Butler was definitely the team's No. 1 tough guy, and his season-ending record fluctuated, and he eventually fought with an injury to help the Timberwolves survive the toughest of periods.

Coach Thibodeau did inject an iron-blooded and tough temperament into the team, withstanding the pressure in the final stage and playing a wave of 4 consecutive wins!

On the night of the 11th, Jimmy Butler was 10-of-21 from the field and scored a team-high 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting in an overtime.

In overtime, he scored 7 points to help the team seal the victory!

At 106:112, the Timberwolves won the Nuggets at home, and the final record was fixed at 45-37, ranking eighth in the West.

On the evening of the 11th, the Eastern and Western Conference team record rankings were also released:

The final standings in the Eastern Conference are:

the Raptors with 59 wins, the Celtics with 55 wins, the 76ers with 52 wins, and the Cavaliers with 50 wins;

The Pacers with 48 wins, the Heat with 44 wins, the Bucks with 44 wins, and the Wizards with 43 wins.

The final standings of the Western Conference are:

the Clippers with 78 wins, the Rockets with 63 wins, the Warriors with 56 wins, and the Trail Blazers with 47 wins;

The Thunder with 46 wins, the Pelicans with 46 wins, the Jazz with 46 wins, and the Timberwolves with 45 wins.

Reaching the playoffs is indeed something to celebrate, but meeting the Clippers in the first round made the hearts of Timberwolves fans feel cold.

Trail Blazers fans are also complaining that even if they pass the first round and meet the Clippers in the semifinals, they simply don't have a way to live!

There isn't much time left for teams to adjust, and on the 14th, the first round of the playoffs will officially begin, while the Clippers get three days off.

On the morning of April 12, while Amerika fans were still basking in the Clippers' 78-win record, the NBA league announced the stats leaders for the season:

Playing in 78 games during the regular season, averaging 16.0 rebounds per game, Andre Drummond of the Pistons was re-elected rebounding leader;

Anthony Davis, who played 75 games close to full attendance this season, also showed his talent, averaging 2.6 blocks per game and won the block king this season;

The statistics in the selection of the assist king are very close, and Li Ze, who finally played 82 games and averaged 10.4 assists per game, won this award again;

In the end, Li Ze beat Oladipo with an average of 2.5 steals per game and was successfully elected as the steal king this season;

There is no suspense about the scoring title, and Li Ze, who played 82 games in the regular season, has been very stable, although he will fish in individual games, but it has not had much impact on the statistics.

In the end, Li Ze averaged 38.8 points per game, once again crushing all players in the league and scoring champion for 8 consecutive years!

And the 8-consecutive scoring champion also surpassed Michael Jordan's record of 7-consecutive scoring champions, the only one in history!

On the morning of the 12th, in the press conference hall of the Intuit Dome Arena, Li Ze, who was dressed in a light gray suit, took a group photo with a smile and the four crystal trophies in front of him.

In addition to the scoring champion, assist king, and steal king, the league also awarded the Player of the Month award in March and April to Li Ze by the way

The photos were shown on the official Instagram of the Clippers for the first time:

“GOAT！ (Goat .jpg) (Crown .jpg) #神的记录#快船国度"

In TNT's program, it is natural to discuss these small awards, but when the director showed Li Ze's data on the big screen behind him, the four could only shake their heads and smile bitterly.

In the 17~18 season, Li Ze played 82 games, playing an average of 31.1 minutes per game, averaging 38.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game;

He is averaging 17.4 attempts per game and shooting 78.0 percent from the field, 8.3 attempts from beyond the three-point line and 73.0 percent three-point shooting, and 5.7 free throws per game and 100 percent free throw shooting.

Hit 490 three-pointers in a single season, the only one in history!

Scored 180 clubs in 7 consecutive seasons, the only one in history!

In addition to these two big records, there are countless other small records.

Basically, about the scoring records, there is Li Ze's figure

"No matter how many times I watch it, I'm shocked, is this really a statistic that humans can type?"

Kenny Smith could only let out a sigh as he looked at the data on the big screen.

Host Ernnie Johnson turned around to look at the data, and then exclaimed:

"What I want to praise is Kayce's consistency, the long regular season, and the fact that some players were able to play that kind of stats when they broke out."

"But Kayce has been able to perform like this every game, which is really incredible!"

O'Neill smiled and gave his opinion:

"The Clippers' new arena has also helped a lot, with no late-night games, no more intensive schedule of five games in seven days, so that the team and players can adjust calmly."

"I never doubted Kayce's fitness, and I'm sure that even averaging 50 points per game won't be a difficult thing for Kayce."

Charles Barkley, despite not sending a word of praise, did not continue with the Timberwolves:

"Kayce's stats deserve 78 wins, and I feel sorry for the Timberwolves boys who have just made the playoffs against such an opponent, and hopefully it won't affect their confidence."

Host Ernnie Johnson saw that his old partner rarely did not sing the opposite, and couldn't help but joke twice:

"Chuck, haven't you always been optimistic about the Timberwolves?"

"Basketball is round, anything is possible, maybe the boys have a chance to stage the Black Eight Miracle!"

Charles Barkley shook his head helplessly and grinned at the camera:

"There are no miracles! The basketball gods don't give opponents a chance, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Clippers go on another 16-0 record in the playoffs. ”

“.”

Aside from Minnesota fans, no one believes the Timberwolves will be able to play the game.

Other awards for the season will continue to be announced at the awards ceremony at the end of June.

However, Amerika's sports media know that there is no suspense about MVP, and with the blessing of 78 wins, Li Ze will win the 6th MVP trophy in his career!

The Clippers' record and Li Ze's data have attracted a lot of attention, and even the playoffs have been affected for a while, after all, the gap in strength in the first round is too large, and it is indeed difficult for the home team to cross.

On the night of April 14, there were 4 games that night, Pelicans vs Warriors, Jazz vs Rockets; Wizards vs. Raptors, Heat vs. 76ers.

Amika's ball critics are naturally one-sided, with teams winning in the top half!

The result of the game was also as expected, and the stronger teams in the top half did not overturn.

At 101:123, the Warriors beat the Pelicans.

Although Stephen Curry was sidelined due to injury, Durant and Klay combined for 53 points to help the Warriors win easily.

At 96:110, the Rockets beat the Jazz.

Rudy Gobert became a toy for the Rockets' backcourt, and coupled with the inaccurate outside line, the budding new Mitchell was taught a hard lesson.

The bearded player exploded completely, shooting 12-of-26, 7-of-12 from beyond the three-point line, and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, finishing with 41 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.

In the two games of the Eastern Conference, 106-114, the Raptors successfully defeated their opponents at home;

At 103:130, Embiid was sidelined due to injury, and the 76ers under Ben Simmons defeated the Heat.

17 points, 9 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals and 5 turnovers, although he is still a rookie in the playoffs, he has talent and can do whatever he wants.

On the first day of the game, there was no such thing as a match, and the top half of the team showed absolute dominance.

The Timberwolves had already flown to Los Angeles by this time, and everyone watched the first round of playoff games at the hotel.

Looking at Simmons, who was killing all sides, Downs and Wiggins, who are also known for their talents, have lemons in their hearts.

In the past few days, the coaching staff has not arranged tactical adjustments, and Thibodeau just sent chicken soup dryly, and did not emphasize the matter of winning.

After daily training and video lessons back at the hotel, several newcomers to the Timberwolves felt that the playoffs seemed to be no different from the regular season, and even wanted to go back to their rooms to play two more games after watching the game

Looking at Downs and Wiggins with indifferent faces, before returning to the room, Jimmy Butler couldn't help but warn:

"Hey! It took a lot of effort for us to get to the playoffs, show your attitude, we have a chance to win! ”

Jimmy Butler, who had an explosive head, looked a little fierce, and Downs, who had already gotten up, naturally responded, and Wiggins agreed, but there was a surprised expression on his face:

"This guy doesn't really want to win!?"

Jimmy Butler's anger welled up when he looked at Wiggins' expression.

Jeff Tig was on the sidelines as a peacemaker, and he didn't want to see the playoffs yet to be played, and the team was in a mess first:

"Jimmy, take it easy, everyone is hungry for victory, we'll play hard!"

Jimmy Butler pushed his chair away, ignored everyone, and turned back to his room, but still had the words:

"I can't lead a bunch of softets to win the game, hell attitude!"

The newcomers looked at each other, but Derrick Rose and Ty Gibson understood Butler very well, and he just wanted to win.

After leaving the Cavaliers, Derrick Rose eventually chose to accept the call of head coach Thibodeau to play on the bench with the Timberwolves.

"Rest well, watch less boring reports on social media, the playoffs are a new beginning."

Rose comforted the newcomers, and quickly turned around and left, they were all adults, and it was useless to talk too much.

On the morning of the 15th, after the regular training session, Amika's sports media began interviewing the Timberwolves.

Downs and Wiggins are naturally in the spotlight, both of them are champions, and Amerika's melon-eating crowd likes talented players.

This kind of routine interview is naturally to blow to each other:

"The Clippers are the defending champions and our goal is to protect our home court."

"Kayce is a true GOAT and I'm excited to play him in the playoffs."

"The Clippers also have great talent, and Paul George and Jokic are hugely underrated"

From the head coach to the players, no one mentioned tonight's victory or defeat, after all, the gap between the basic data of the two teams is a bit big, and it is easy to turn into a clown if you force it to be touted.

Jimmy Butler has been on fire since he arrived in Los Angeles, and he came out with an injury to bring the team to the playoffs, and now everyone is satisfied.

This mentality of routinely completing tasks has made Jimmy Butler regret his choice a little, and in his opinion, the playoffs will be meaningless if he can't go all out to win.

"The Clippers are strong, they have 78 wins in the regular season, but we're on the same page in the playoffs!"

"It's my first time playing Kayce in the playoffs and I know you don't think of me, but tonight I'm going to limit him, I'm going to show my quality and I'm going to lead the team to win games!"

In an interview with TNT reporters, Jimmy Butler was also not interested in commercial blowing, and directly set a flag for himself

Notice that Wiggins has that kind of "You don't really want to win, do you?" Jimmy Butler almost turned his head to output his teammates.

The surrounding Amica sports media also reacted that Jimmy Butler has been in the East for the past few years and really has no chance to play against Li Ze in the playoffs.

It is rare to see a player boasting about Haikou and saying that he wants to restrict Li Ze, and everyone heckles and praises Jimmy Butler as a real tough guy!

It's just that the sports media has that schadenfreude look on their faces, which annoys Jimmy Butler very much:

"Why do you all look down on me?"

“.”

Intuit Dome Arena made its playoff debut, and the Clippers' uniform team made a big effort this year to provide fans in attendance with a retro-colored cheering T-shirt.

When the Clippers won their first championship, the team was equipped with a red cheering T-shirt at home, and this year there is a chance to achieve six consecutive championships and regain the color red, which can be regarded as a resonance.

The night's game officially kicked off at 8 p.m., and the Clippers have been preparing steadily on their home court in the past few days.

The advantage of having your own stadium is that you don't have to toss around for training, and in terms of time, the training efficiency has been greatly improved.

The Clippers usually warm up early at 16:30 in the afternoon, and they didn't change that habit in the playoffs.

After a simple activity for more than half an hour, the sports media blocked Li Ze.

Facing a weak opponent in the first round, Li Ze was really in no mood to blow each other commercially, so he didn't give too many interviews in the past few days.

ESPN's sports reporter relayed Jimmy Butler's words with added vinegar, and Li Ze looked at this microphone behavior, smiled and nodded, and then responded simply:

"I love Jimmy Butler's fighting spirit! Looking forward to tonight's game! ”

The sports media in Los Angeles saw that Li Ze didn't say much, and hurriedly asked again:

"Kayce, what would you like to say to Jimmy Butler? This is the first time you've played each other in the playoffs. ”

Li Ze signaled that he was going to continue to warm up, took the ball, and gave the answer with a smile:

"It's sure to be an unforgettable experience, welcome to the Western Conference playoffs!"

“.”

At 7:30 p.m., the Intuit Dome arena was already full, tickets for the playoffs had already been sold out, and many fans entered tonight with signs:

“Clippers in Four！”

Several newcomers to the Timberwolves team can naturally feel the hot atmosphere of the scene, and when the DJ introduces the appearance, many people also have a trace of nervousness in their hearts.

Several veterans looked calm, but everyone was in no mood to comfort the newcomers, and they could only fight hard in tonight's game!

When the arena was dark and all the lights gathered in the center of the court, the sound of the scene was louder and louder, and everyone from the Clippers appeared one after another.

Li Ze came out last, briefly clashed fists with his teammates, and then accepted the cheers of the fans with a smile on his face.

On the Timberwolves bench, Jimmy Butler's eyes were almost green with envy, and the loud noise on the scene made him feel like he was back in college games.

Steve Ballmer also wore a red cheering T-shirt tonight, and the old man sat in front of the stadium's designed "wall of sound", which he loved the lively atmosphere.

On the TNT broadcast seat, Reggie Miller looked amazed and sighed about the design of the arena:

"It amplifies the energy of the home team and is definitely not good news for the visitors, hopefully the young players of the Timberwolves can withstand the pressure."

Commentator Kevin Harlan looked at the starting line-ups of both sides and began to pray in his heart that the game would not go too early:

"The Timberwolves didn't put Rose in the starting lineup.

"Tonight it was still Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler in the backcourt, and the front three were Andrew Wiggins, Ty Gibson, and Karl Anthony Downs."

Reggie Miller is not optimistic about the Timberwolves, but he simply added a sentence for the game's information:

"Head Coach Thibodeau likes a short rotation and I believe the Timberwolves still have a chance to win games."

“.”

The game is about to start, Coach De Nagro has turned on the hosting state, and before going on the field, Li Ze just briefly told Jaylen Brown:

"Don't cut the ball lightly, defend well, don't be nervous, it's just the first round."

Jaylen Brown nodded excitedly, and the tension in his heart gradually dissipated, after all, he won the championship with the team last year, and he is also a player who witnessed the big scene.

Jokic greeted everyone on the Timberwolves with a smile, only to find that everyone was looking at him seriously, and finally had to come to the center circle boringly, ready to jump the ball.

“Let's go Clippers！ Let's go Clippers！ Let's go Clippers！ ”

Amid the loud cheers of the fans at the scene, the ball was tossed high and Downs struggled to jump, and soon he realized that he seemed to have jumped early.

Jokic, who saw the right moment, took advantage of the situation, and the ball fell into the hands of Paul George on his side.

Reggie Miller soon sensed that Li Ze didn't ask for the ball, but motioned for Paul George to dribble across the half.

Just came to the right elbow area of the free throw line, Li Ze immediately turned his back to the ball, and Jimmy Butler didn't dare to immediately defend, so he could only subconsciously lower the center of gravity of the defense, and then stared at Li Ze's movements.

After receiving the pass, Jokic stood near the baseline on the left side, Paul George on the left wing at the top of the arc, and Harris and Jaylen Brown in the left and right corners, respectively.

With simple and crude tactics, Jimmy Butler naturally realized that Li Ze was going to play alone, and hurriedly adjusted his defensive focus again while Li Ze completed the turn and attacked with a frame.

I thought that there would be a triple threat action to test the defense, but Li Ze immediately released the ball with his right hand after facing the frame, and then accelerated to break through against the defense.

Jimmy Butler was slightly stunned and subconsciously slid desperately to the left rear, and soon he found himself crushed into the paint area.

There was no time to reach out and make a blocking action, Li Ze, who broke through the tank, jumped close to the basket with both feet, carried Jimmy Butler on his side, and finally tilted his body and hit the board with his right hand to pick up the basket!

"Bang!" Hit the board and make a layup!

The Clippers fans cheered loudly, and the first point of the Playoffs at Intuit Dome Arena was born!

Li Ze, who completed the goal, just smiled slightly, this kind of defense is no different from paper paste for him, and it will be broken in one bucket.

Eaten one-on-one, Jimmy Butler cursed in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.

“Defense！ Defense！ Defense！ ”

There was a huge defensive noise in the arena, and Jeff Teague signaled to play a low-post tactic, and after the tactical gesture, he had to protect the ball with his back in the face of Jaylen Brown's close defense.

Gibson, as an experienced veteran, executed the tactics as soon as possible, cross-covering in the three-second zone in an attempt to swap Harris behind Downs.

The cover did work, but Jeff Teague couldn't pass the ball in time, which allowed Jokic to switch back behind Towns.

Receiving a pass in the low post on the right, Downs found himself squeezed into the right block

In the face of Jokic's defense, Towns tried to use his speed to complete the offense, and released the ball with his left hand, so he made two shots.

Sensing that he was not pushing the defense, Towns suddenly twisted forward, rushed up in three steps, came to the paint area, and came to the field with Jokic's block, and came with a backward throw.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the back edge of the basket, and Jokic, who turned around, grabbed the rebound, and then threw the ball hard, and the ball flew straight to the Timberwolves halfcourt.

Jeff Tig is not a rookie in the playoffs, so he naturally completed the defense at the first time, and after Jaylen Brown fished the ball, he took the initiative to slow down the newcomer.

The first line of defense worked, and the Timberwolves retreated to the halfcourt in time, allowing the Clippers to fall back into the positional offense.

Downs naturally has his own strengths, as a big man center, he is very fast, and by this time he has returned to the basket.

Jaylen Brown at the top of the arc didn't have a good chance, so he gave the ball to Li Ze on the left wing as soon as possible, and then cut in without the ball in the middle and quickly ran to the bottom right corner.

At this time, the Timberwolves have completed the defensive alignment, and Coach Thibodeau has indeed changed the defensive attitude of the players compared to the past.

Jimmy Butler sensed that the Clippers seemed to be playing a one-on-one game, lowering the center of gravity while waving to Towns behind him.

The Timberwolves have also been prepared, and in the face of Li Ze's breakthrough, no one will always defend alone.

Protecting the ball sideways, Li Ze held the ball in his right hand and noticed that there was no pinch attack on the line, and in the face of Butler's defense, he suddenly exploded the ball vigorously on the spot, turned around quickly, and after catching the ball with his left hand, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity to accelerate the breakthrough.

The huge stride allowed Li Ze to easily snatch half of the body, cut in 45 degrees, and completely stuck Jimmy Butler to his side.

Downs only felt that in the blink of an eye, Li Ze reached the left blocking area, and at this time, he didn't care about Jokic on the free throw line, and subconsciously retreated to the basket.

At the same time, Gibson also let go of Harris in the bottom corner on the right side and shrank into the three-second zone for the first time, and the Timberwolves showed excellent defensive flexibility at this time.

Li Ze, who broke through to the left blocking position, did not slow down, came to the bottom left of the basket and took off, facing the three people to block and block, and glided to the bottom right of the basket in the air.

Taking advantage of the fact that the three of them began to fall, Li Ze curled up, and finally twisted his left wrist, and the ball turned and knocked to the rebound, and bounced neatly into the basket!

"God! Incredibly, Kayce defied gravity, how did he get the ball into the basket? ”

Commentator Kevin Harlan couldn't see how Li Ze dodged the three-person encirclement, and subconsciously exclaimed.

After landing, Downs had a question mark on his face, and although he would encounter such a situation when he played in the regular season, he felt a wave of frustration every time he saw this kind of large pull.

"Good try, maybe you should wrap me up on the line!"

When retreating, Li Ze also smiled and sent encouragement, this kind of three-person defense is indeed very interesting!

Jimmy Butler's defense was not out of position, but the Timberwolves had communication problems and ultimately failed to form an effective defense.

Jimmy Butler subconsciously took a deep breath and kept sending psychological hints to himself:

"There's still a lot of time! We can win! ”

Jeff Teague dribbled quickly across the halfcourt, but this time he didn't make a direct handover, instead hitting a high pick-and-roll at the top of the arc.

Sensing that he couldn't get rid of Jaylen Brown's defense, Jeff Tig broke through to the interior and walked around before giving the ball to Wiggins on the right wing.

The latter received the pass and released it with his right hand, and Wiggins stood up to Paul George's defense and quickly broke through to the right block.

Suddenly dribbling the ball behind during the march, Wiggins made a quick stop and shook the shot slightly, and finally completed the emergency stop jump shot against the defense!

The ball brushed out of the frame, Harris withstood Gibson's rush, successfully protected the rebound in the backcourt, and then immediately accelerated with the ball.

Jimmy Butler stepped forward to delay the first time to prevent the Clippers from getting up to speed easily, and was defended, and Harris threw the ball to Li Ze, who accelerated along the left sideline.

"Defend! Help defend it! ”

Coach Thibodeau was still yelling from the sidelines, signaling to hurry up and complete the defensive alignment.

Li Ze had already rushed past half court at this time, and Downs, who was patronizing the retreat, heard the shouts of the head coach and hurriedly moved to the three-point line.

Li Ze, the right wing, has begun to slow down, and he is still a big step away from the three-point line, and suddenly stops in the middle of the march, and then pulls it up and throws it!

"Huh!" Three-point shot hollow into the net!

With exaggerated range and smooth counter-attacks, the Intuit Dome arena was filled with cheers from Clippers fans for a while.

0:7, Li Ze, who scored 7 points in a row, was in a good mood, and raised his hands when he retreated, signaling everyone to continue to increase the volume.

"It's just too fast, and if the Timberwolves want to win this game, they can't let the Clippers score easily."

"Let's not forget that Kayce is also an all-time three-point shooter, and the Timberwolves can't afford to make that low-level mistake again."

Reggie Miller happily helped the Timberwolves come up with ideas on the bench.

In his opinion, the Clippers' offense is simply impeccable, everyone can carry the ball and everyone can fire from beyond the three-point line.

"Coach Thibodeau should be clear about who is the core of the offense, and at this time he should give the ball to the player who is most sure of it, and all the Timberwolves have to do is score as soon as possible."

Seeing that Jeff Teague also joined in the fun and threw iron, the commentator Kevin Harlan couldn't help but squirt two sentences.

After a round of attempts, only Jimmy Butler didn't make a shot, and for the past two minutes, he mostly followed the switchback

In the minutes that followed, Jaylen Brown was completely relaxed, and it was really no different from the regular season, and the Clippers could keep scoring points on a regular basis.

The Timberwolves also scored some points, but they quickly found that the margin couldn't catch up.

With 6 minutes and 17 seconds left in the first quarter, the Clippers had an 11-point lead when the score was fixed at 6:17.

In the Intuit Dome arena, Clippers fans began to dance to the music, and the atmosphere became more and more exciting.

Jimmy Butler, who was still babbling twice before the game, returned to the bench without saying a word, and after Li Zelian scored 7 points, he fished in front of him

The feeling of being ignored set Butler on fire, but he then realized that he was in a rage of impotence.

No one spoke, and Coach Thibodeau was not very good at chicken soup, so he could only talk dryly about tactical adjustments, and no one could know how much he listened

When the timeout ended, Coach Thibodeau didn't say anything more, just looked at the five championship flags over the stadium, and suddenly had a lemon in his heart:

"If I hadn't been injured back then, maybe I would have become a champion coach."

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There is another chapter, 10 minutes later,

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(End of chapter)