Before the playoffs began, the outside world was already overwhelmingly promoting the Heat to win the championship.

Hook also issued a series of advertisements for Ajan:

"Earthlings who can stop the Heat."

"A new king is about to be crowned."

"A new era begins."

All of these themes are basically based on the theme of James winning the championship.

ESPN also asked its 12 reporters and commentators to choose the teams that could win the championship, and eight of them chose the Heat.

That nonsense, this is equivalent to voting for one's own people, just to create an illusion that "the mainstream media think that Ajan was the strongest at that time".

And in the ESPN vote, the Lakers received only one vote, from Mike. Brin.

The well-known commentator did not analyze the specific reasons for choosing the Lakers, and did not analyze the tactics and roster strengths and weaknesses.

He wrote only one reason:

"Just because I'm a nostalgic person, I feel like I'm still living in Shay's time. Or maybe it's still Shay's time.

I don't understand why anyone would be underestimating a player who averaged a triple-double this season and is the first player in history to have two blocks and assists.

The real best players are not made by the media, they are proven by championships.

It is not the king who convinces everyone, but the one who convinces everyone is called a king. ”

Mike. Brin is an outlier under the ESPN department, maybe ESPN deducted his salary and made his life unsatisfactory.

Anyway, he is one of the few ESPN employees who is willing to praise Shay.

Only Mike. Brin's investment in the Lakers is enough to see how much ESPN wants Ajan to win the championship.

However, in contrast, in the fan online poll initiated by TNT TV, 71% of fans still chose Shay to win the championship!

The Heat received only 14 percent of the fan vote.

Don't look at the usual fans who scold Shay on the Internet, there are also a lot of fans who gloat after the Lakers lose, and there are countless fans who spray Shay every day to deliberately avoid the Heat.

But those fans are basically Heat fans and Ajan fans, and the actual number of people is not much.

Now even the fans of the Bulls and Knicks don't scold Shay, because the enemy of the enemy is a friend, and seeing the Heat want to reach the top of the East, the most uncomfortable thing is precisely the Bulls and Knicks, the two former Eastern giants.

Therefore, this time the fans voted for the Lakers' approval rating, which directly opened up the gap with all other teams.

This is estimated to be the most divisive result of the media vote and the fan vote.

ESPN is determined to hold Ajan hard.

The Heat, on the other hand, are very unpopular among the fan base, and people want to see miracles more than taking shortcuts in groups.

Shay, who is 40 years old and riddled with injuries, led a team without Roy to the finals and defeated the Heat who were blown up by the media to win the championship.

This can't be called a miracle, it has to be called a fairy tale.

It's not hard to see from the voting results how much Shay is looking forward to this season.

But even Los Angeles fans are worried about the Lakers' prospects of successfully defending their title.

After all, the Heat's lineup is really outrageous.

A field is all young and beautiful, and a field is full of old people, how can this compete?

What's more, the Lakers' opponents in the first round are extremely tough.

The 2011 Lakers' championship journey began with the unfamiliar Memphis Grizzlies.

In Shay's heyday, Memphis didn't even have an NBA team.

Now, Shay has to face the Grizzlies' challenge.

This makes people have to lament the passage of time, there are several new teams in the NBA, but Shay is still the top superstar in the league.

For the Grizzlies team, Shay didn't dare to be careless.

In the original history, they staged the Black Eight Miracle.

Grizzlies coach Lionel. Hollins followed Bill back then. Wharton has won the championship, and this is a man who advocates hand-to-hand combat on the inside and has a strong personality.

And he also injected his genes into the team.

The Memphis Grizzlies have become a team that no one in the league wants to meet with with their fearsome meat grinder-like defense.

This Grizzlies, like a combination of 40-year-old desire and 18-year-old tightness, is enough to squeeze all the teams.

As it turned out, the Grizzlies were indeed a strong team whose strength did not match the rankings.

Because the Lakers unexpectedly lost two home games in a row in the first round!

In the first game of the series, the Gasol brothers were on the inside.

Pau Gasol scored 34 points on 12-of-22 shooting.

Gasol Jr. even hit an efficient 9-of-11 shooting to score 20 points.

Today, they both feel so good, they have a shot.

The brothers combined for 54 points, giving the Grizzlies a rare high score of 112 points!

On the other hand, on the Lakers' side, except for Shay, who scored 33 points with a 52% shooting rate, the shooting percentage of other players was miserable.

Randolph was surrounded by the Bears, shooting less than 40% as an insider.

Playing in the playoffs for the first time, Staphie clearly didn't adapt to the ferocious defense, and the fierce physical confrontation left him with no touch.

Moreover, Conley himself is a particularly active point guard on defense. With his entanglement, Curry simply didn't get too many good opportunities.

Gerrard. Wallace was being targeted by the old Battier and struggled to make a difference. Cut into the inside line? The Gasol brothers' inside line is no joke.

Especially Xiaojia, don't look at his soft and glutinous appearance, but he has a strong ability to protect the frame.

After all, he is the one who contributed to the classic "The Great Kneeling .gif".

The offensive pressure of the Lakers team was on Shay, but Shay couldn't take the Grizzlies alone.

In this way, the Lakers lost G1 and lost by 11 points.

G2, the Lakers are not much worse.

Both teams played until the very end, but neither team scored in the last 1:04 of the game.

In the end, the Grizzlies won G2 93-89.

The Grizzlies' style is like that, I can't score, don't think about it!

They peeled their skin and cramped, chewing until there was no bone residue left of their opponents!

Shay also played mediocre in this game, scoring just 26 points on 43% shooting from the field.

The most critical thing is that Shay only made one shot at the last moment, and he missed.

Tony. Allen and Battier took turns defending Shay, who didn't get a single good chance throughout the game.

Even in the last moments.

In the final 4 seconds of the game, when Shay used a change of direction to get rid of Tony. Allen, when he got a little space to shoot and shoot, all the Lakers fans raised their arms in the air, expecting to witness another playoff stunner.

As a result, the basketball slammed out of the frame under the glowing red rebound.

The Grizzlies players threw their arms up in celebration, and Shay crouched on the ground, sweat dripping like raindrops.

Tony. Aaron looked at Shay and shrugged, "Oh my God, Shay, your current miserable situation really hurts my heart. ”

Mr. Tony has never been a good man, and although he plays cleanly, he never lacks trash talk.

And he doesn't care who Shay is, he knows that if he wins, he will be crazy.

Randolph walked over and pushed Tony away. Aaron, and then pulled Shay, who was squatting on the ground, up:

"We believe in you, Shay."

With a big score of 2-0, the Lakers were forced to the edge of the cliff in the first round!

In both games, the Grizzlies showed extreme defensive toughness.

They are like the New York Knicks back then, iron-blooded, tough, and inside kings.

The Memphis, who have always been despised, are about to break through the first round of the playoffs for the first time in team history with their fortitude and determination!

Shay didn't expect to be beaten 0-2, he knew that the Grizzlies would be difficult to play, but he didn't expect to be directly 2-0 ahead.

This was probably the toughest first round he's ever played since the Black Eight Miracle in '99.

ESPN also began to go even more frantically, reporting on Shay's G2 miss at a critical moment.

Even shouted in the TV show:

"Shay may only have the last few games left in his career, so let's head to Memphis."

So much so that the Grizzlies' tickets quadrupled that night!

Everyone thinks Shay's game is one less game.

After all, in the next game, if the Lakers lose again and are led 3-0, then there is really no chance.

3-0 down, which is impossible to fight back no matter what.

Shay looked up at the disappointed fans in the stands, and then at his teammates.

He must never miss any more chances to kill the game.

After returning to the locker room, Shay saw Roy, who had returned alone at some point, arguing with Viti:

"I don't care so much, I have to play in the next game!"

"Brandon, I've made it very clear to you, you're gambling on your future!"

"It's about three wins in a row! Future? We need to seize the moment first! ”

Roy is rarely so angry, and although he is a gangster, he has always been very polite to his teammates and coaching staff.

Seeing Shay walk in, Victi also explained the reason why he and Roy had a big quarrel:

"Brandon wants to play behind closed doors, and I don't agree."

Roy's expression was firm: "The next game is our last chance!" ”

Curry hung his head in reproach, knowing that if he could also help Shay share the pressure in the position, then this kind of bickering would not exist.

"The next race is our last chance of the season, but not the last chance of your career! I don't allow this to happen to my players! ”

"Viti, you can't thwart my personal wishes!"

"No, as long as you're still on this team, then it's up to me to decide whether to play or not!"

Just as the locker room was in a mess, Shay slammed the locker and made a loud "bang".

The entire locker room fell silent in an instant, and everyone's eyes were on Shay.

"Now, this is not the time to argue.

Viti, hit closed. ”

Viti's eyes widened in disbelief: "This Shay, you don't understand. Doing so may make Brandon play, but it will affect him"

"Who the told you to beat him?"

"Huh?"

"Call me!"

Shay's knee, this game began to ache again, and the whole game was affecting his form.

In fact, this is the main reason why he was inefficient today and missed the kill.

I was already feeling unwell plus Tony. Allen's kraft-like defense, that's even more uncomfortable.

Although Shay had only had one rotation at the end of the regular season, it now appears that the time he can play healthy after the break is getting shorter.

As Barkley likened that day, his "battery life" was shrinking.

In the second half of the season, Shay also had more fluid in his knee more frequent.

His body is really at its limit.

Now, Shay has to force his knees healthy.

At least it doesn't hurt so much.

Of course, Shay was well aware of what it meant to be closed.

To put it simply, after playing the closure, the injured position of the player will not feel pain, and he can exercise more unscrupulously on the court.

However, pain itself is a protective mechanism of the body, and forcing movement in the case of an injury will further damage the relevant parts and make the injury worse.

Maddy, Ibaka, Iverson, Marbury, and Roy in the original history have completely fallen after playing the lockdown.

To put it simply, this is a "short burst, complete scrap" behavior.

It's like a little blue pill that will make you last all night, but you won't be able to get up again after that night.

In the original history, Paul was injured at a critical moment in the playoffs, but he never chose to play a closed comeback fight, because he knew very well how risky it was to play closed.

It's okay to gamble, but if you can't bet, it's a lose-lose.

But this is Shay's last season, and he can't care so much.

Now, he needs a pair of pain-free knees to help him get through this.

Wetti was a little hesitant, and although Shay didn't have a season left, he wasn't sure if Shay would fall directly in the middle of the playoffs due to the worsening injury.

After all, cracking down on closure is only a palliative solution.

Shay patted Viti on the shoulder, then touched Curry and Roy's heads.

He knows it's all about the team.

But from the summer of 1991 to the present 2011.

This team, it's all he carries!

"Didn't you say that I would die a glorious battle like a warrior?

Now, it's time! ”

On the night after the game, he easily beat the Pacers to a 3-0 win over the Heat and was attending a press conference.

The Heat's form heading into the playoffs is unstoppable, and their road to a championship is as easy as going on an outing.

After asking a bunch of questions about the game itself, a reporter finally started to switch topics:

"LeBron, the Lakers are now 2-0 down to the Memphis Grizzlies.

After the next game goes to Memphis, do you think the Lakers will still be able to turn the tide?

Do you think Shay will make it to the end? ”

James paused for a second, then approached the microphone:

"I don't care about the Los Angeles Lakers and Shay, I'm just focused on the opponent in front of me.

Or a potential adversary! ”

Otherwise, what about Ajan's high IQ?

He didn't say that the Lakers and Shay were not at all, but he had already beaten the Lakers hard.

Because this sentence can also be understood as: "The Lakers are not even a potential opponent right now!" There's no way they're going to make it to the finals! ”

yes, the team that has already been half-cut into the ground, let's survive the first round.

Even if you can survive the first round with difficulty, there are still two rounds waiting for Shay.

Will Shay be able to stay the course? James didn't believe it when he was killed!

Now Ajan is waiting for the MVP and championship to be added to completely start the domination of the 10s!

On the other side, in Memphis.

Carlisle and Shay are sitting in the hotel's rooftop terrace bar, eating real vegetarian plates, listening to jazz bands and feeling the cool Memphis breeze.

Carlisle took a sip of his cocktail, while Shay took a bitter sip of coconut milk and began to complain:

"Damn, I shouldn't have come to this place with you. Come to the bar to drink milk, Durant can't do such a dick thing! ”

"Hahahaha, when we win the championship, you can enjoy the excitement of alcohol. What are your plans after retirement? ”

"Me? What else can you plan, you can barely get by with a pension of hundreds of millions a year. ”

Carlisle:

"I'm asking you when you're going to get married and when you're going to have children!"

"Oh, there's no plan yet. For a person like me who has been single for 40 years, I may have to wait for the family to arrange a blind date. Hey, it's hard for a man like me who hasn't had a formal job to find a wife. ”

"Shay, you damn it, that's why you're only looking for a girlfriend?"

Amid the beautiful music, Carlisle slowly lowered his glass and glanced at Shay's knee:

"Shay, that's what life is called. You should really stop and feel it. ”

"Come on Rick.

There's still a four-round series and I'll be able to stop and feel life.

The tactics we just discussed in the room I think will be very effective.

In 1991, we came back with three wins in five games, and in 2011, there was no reason to fall in the first round! ”

"I'm worried about your knees."

"Don't worry, I won't fall until LeBron is disgraced!

The ESPN bastards are expecting me dead right now.

Fuck it, I'm going to make them afraid to mention my name again! ”

After speaking, Shay drank the coconut water in the cup: "Go back to sleep!" ”

That's right, just before they came to the bar to relax, Shay and Carlisle had already worked out a new, bold coping strategy.

When LeBron no longer sees Shay as a potential threat and thinks the Lakers will rot in Los Angeles.

A Jedi counterattack, but it is brewing

Today's 10,000-word update is presented, and the conscience of the old man kneels and begs for a monthly pass!

(End of chapter)