The San Antonio Spurs have surprised many people with the strength they have shown in this playoff tournament.

originally thought that after Duncan's retirement, there was no team soul, and with only Butler + Howard, and the dying GP combination, the Spurs might not be able to do anything in the playoffs.

But who would have thought that the Spurs went all the way in the playoffs, defeated the archrival Rockets in the division semifinals to enter the Western Conference finals, and then played against the Warriors, who won 66 wins in the regular season, and the two teams won their respective two home courts, and when the score came to a 2:2 draw, the Spurs even won the game in the crucial fifth battle of Tianwang Mountain, and took the lead in the match point 3:2.

It was also thanks to the fact that in the G6 game, Curry bottomed out and rebounded in a desperate situation, scoring 45 points in a single game to turn the tide, which avoided the situation that the Warriors were defeated 4:2.

In the final tie-break, the two teams staged a rather tragic battle, and in the end, the Warriors, who had a higher number and quality of stars, had the last laugh, narrowly defeating the Spurs 106-102 and successfully breaking into the Finals for the second consecutive year.

The strength of the Spurs and the Warriors can indeed be described as one or the other.

Compared with the same period, the combination of Butler + Howard is more forgiving than Leonard + Aldridge, especially Howard, who has been trained by Popovich, is really a bit of Duncan's shadow under the basket, and Cousins is miserable, with only 15 points and 8 rebounds in the entire series, and the shooting rate is less than 40%.

Butler, the toughest man in the league, has also emerged during this period, although he averaged only 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the entire series, he stepped up many times to score consecutive points at critical moments in the final quarter to help the Spurs win two crucial games.

However, it is a pity that the gap in the strength of the lineup still made them fall short and failed to beat the Warriors.

The Spurs are stronger than the same period in another time and space, and the Warriors are clearly more than a step behind the same period.

In the final analysis, Cousins and Durant are not stars of the same dimension at all, the strength of the two is very different, and Cousins' own style of play and the Warriors, who are known for their small-ball tactics, also have a slight conflict, although Cousins' presence can help the Warriors switch freely in fast break and positional battles, but at the same time, it is inevitable that the offensive firepower of the Death Five will be greatly reduced.

And when Cousins is on the back foot in the interior matchup, his feeling is even more obvious.

The Warriors' management and coaching staff are aware of this problem, but this kind of problem is not so easy to solve, if Cousins is traded, can he get a strong forward player of equal value? It's not very likely, so the Warriors can only hope that Cousins can further strengthen in the future and become the league's No. 1 center in the true sense.

Considering that Cousins, who was born in 1990, is only 27 years old, there is still a great possibility of further growth and strengthening.

For the Spurs, although the defeat in the Western Conference is disappointing, both the Spurs management and the fans are very satisfied with the team's current results.

When Duncan chose to retire last summer, San Antonio was in a panic, without Duncan, the soul of the Spurs for more than ten years, would they still be among the top teams in the West?

Now, it seems, it's clearly possible.

Butler has given them too many surprises, this seemingly inconspicuous player, but very reliable in key moments, is very suitable for the Spurs' unpretentious style, and can be used as a building block for the team.

Howard, as the former No. 1 center in the league, although his current strength can no longer support this title, and he is 32 years old, and there is little left in his prime, but at least in the next two to three years, he can be used as the Spurs' interior gate, building the strongest defense for the team.

Focusing on these two cores, one inside and one outside, the Spurs can continue to improve the team's strength through trades, signings and other reinforcements to impact the championship! ——

In this way, the matchup in the Finals is the matchup between the Brooklyn Nets in the East and the Golden State Warriors in the West.

The two teams have the best records in the East and West, and the meeting in the finals is something that most fans in the league have long expected.

And for this Finals matchup, most people are more optimistic about the Nets winning.

There's no way, the Nets' lineup is too buggy, and the partnership of Wang Chao + Durant simply doesn't give other teams in the league a way to live.

Everyone still vividly remembers what the defending champion Cavaliers were beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Nets, is the Warriors stronger than the Cavaliers? The answer is definitely no.

The gold content of the triumvirate is much higher than that of the original Cavaliers 2.0 Big Three, not to mention Pau Gasol, despite the average performance in the regular season, more fans still feel that the Cavaliers are stronger than the Warriors.

Even the Cavaliers were beaten by the Nets, and the Spurs played a seven-tie Warriors, how could they be the Nets' opponents?

"It seems that there is no suspense about this year's championship, it must be the Nets, and Wang Chao's eighth career championship is close at hand."

"These two teams play each other, and I can't see that the Warriors have a little bit of a winning point, from the outside to the inside to the bench, except for Cousins in the center position, the Warriors are almost at a disadvantage, and it is a huge disadvantage, and even as long as Wang Chao and Durant are not injured due to accidents in the game, the other main players will be reimbursed for one or two, and the Warriors will not have a chance."

If the fans sang the Warriors before the game, it was just a judgment based on the difference in the strength of the two teams, then on June 1, after the two teams officially met in the G1 game of the finals, fans didn't even need rational analysis.

"The first game was won, and the Nets beat the Warriors 121-113 to take the lead."

"The close score, the process of the game is not fierce at all, although the Warriors only lost by 8 points on the road in the end, which seems to be a big difference, but in fact, the audience who watched the whole game knows that there is a huge gap in the strength of the two teams."

"From the beginning of the game, the Nets relied on Wang Chao and Durant's turn-by-turn offense to take the initiative in the game, and always maintained a double-digit lead, with a score difference of more than 20 points at the end of the third quarter, and the Warriors relied on the play of substitute players to catch up with some points in the final quarter, making the final score look so good."

"On the Warriors' side, Curry was singled by Wang Chao, and only scored 16 points in the whole game, and Cousins, the interior pillar on whom the Warriors had high hopes, still failed to occupy an absolute advantage in the confrontation with Jokic, and the double-double data of 26 points and 11 rebounds in the game seemed good, but the shooting rate was only 44%, which could not help the Warriors catch up with the point difference."

"On the defensive end, the Warriors, like the Cavaliers, have nothing to do with Wang Chao and Durant, Green and Iguodala, who have the strongest defense in the team, are responsible for marking Wang Chao and Durant respectively in the game, but they can't have any limiting effect at all, Wang Chao and Durant both scored 30+ points in this game, and easily beat the opposing players."

"The outcome of one game can tell the whole series, the Nets are already sure to win the championship, and the only suspense may be whether the Warriors can avoid being swept."

The media's analysis of the Finals G1 has been very good, and it is impossible to find any fault, and the Warriors fans who watched it are deeply desperate.

But what's the point of despairing? It's such a bug and unreasonable for two of the league's top five superstars to join forces.

On June 4, Game 2 of the Finals, the Warriors regrouped and tried to fight for a win on the road, but this possibility naturally did not exist.

127:109, this time the Warriors lost a little worse, with an 18-point difference, a full 10 points more than the last game.

While the Nets ushered in another hearty victory, during the game, Wang Chao also noticed something wrong.

In this game, Durant's desire to shoot was very strong, and his efficiency was indeed very high, with 37 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists on 14-of-24 shooting, the highest score in the game.

In many cases, Durant's shot choices have been a bit abnormal compared to the past.

Seeing this situation, Wang Chao could guess with his toes what Durant wanted to do.

You're an old 1.5 who is quite yin, and it's only the second game of the finals, and you're already trying to grab FMVP?

It's normal for Durant to have such thoughts, although they are all championships, but whether there is FMVP or not is really a crucial factor.

As an individual honor, it is an indisputable fact that FMVP is an honor with gold content second only to MVP.

Considering that FMVP is an individual honor, there must be a bundle of team honor ceiling championships, and the gold content is usually higher than that of MVP.

Of course, the highest honor in a single season in the NBA must be MVP+FMVP, which means that a player who has won the highest individual honor awards and team honors in a season is the undisputed best player.

Jordan has won this honor four times, James has twice, Olajuwon, Duncan, O'Neal, Magic Johnson and other players have also won at least once, which means that they have been the best player in the league at least once and have not been one of the best players in the league in at least one single season.

The topic may be a bit further off, back to the topic.

Although many Curry fans cite various examples to try to prove that the value of FMVP is not so high, the indisputable fact is that Durant relied on the 16-17 and 17-18 season Finals FMVP, as the Warriors' old 1.5, higher than Curry in the league's all-time status ranking higher than the three-time crown.

Now that Durant is within easy reach of a championship with the Nets, it's understandable that the desire to compete for FMVP is at an all-time high.

Understanding is understandable, but disagreement is another matter.

You ran to the Nets and hugged my thigh to rub a championship, and now you are about to get your wish, twisting your face and preparing to snatch the biggest fruit of the championship FMVP? Isn't this not taking me, the first person in the history of the alliance, into account?

Wang Chao didn't plan to get used to Durant.

You're willing to lower your profile and run to me as the second child, that's no problem, but since you're the second one, you're not qualified to walk in front of the boss, and those who don't know think you're the boss.

As for brushing data to grab FMVP, if Wang Chao thinks that he is second, no one in the entire league dares to admit the first.

Since Durant wants to grab FMVP, then everyone has their own ability.

After the G2 game, a slight sense of saber-rattling was already evident within the Nets.

Although Wang Chao and Durant have no reaction and movement on the surface, they are actually more energetic.

Durant does think very clearly.

Wang Chao's attitude is still very clear so far, as long as the Nets win the championship, he will choose to leave, and there will be no nostalgia.

Since the two will not continue to play on the same team next season, there is no need to pretend, this FMVP is completely necessary to grab it in Durant's opinion, as long as he gets it, it is the best evidence, proving that he is not a vassal of Wang Chao in the Nets this season, the two of them are at most dual-core champions, he Durant is not the second, at least he is an old 1.5!

On June 7, the third game of the Finals, the venue of the game was changed to the Warriors' Oracle Arena.

Within two minutes of the start of the game, the Warriors sensed that something was wrong, and the Nets were a little strange, Wang Chao and Durant were completely on their own side on the court, with almost no cooperation, and there was little interaction on the court, and there seemed to be a conflict.

In the first quarter of the game, Wang Chao almost monopolized the ball, and did not pass the ball to Durant on the court at all, hitting 8 of 14 shots in a single quarter, cutting 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, on the other hand, Durant only scored 5 points in 2 of 4 shots without the ball at all.

In the second quarter of the game, the situation still did not change, as a point guard, Wang Chao did not pass the ball to Durant at all, and halfway through the game, Durant was already pale.

Durant thought that after G2 made a large number of shots, Wang Chao would make a difference in this game, but he really didn't expect that Wang Chao would do such a great job and not pass the ball to himself at all, isn't this guy afraid of turning over in the gutter and losing the game?

I'm sorry, Wang Chao is really not afraid.

Regardless of whether Durant can receive the ball or not, as long as he is standing on the court, the Warriors must put their defensive strength into the defense and dare not slack off in the slightest.

In this case, Wang Chao can use Durant as a tool to attract defense.

With the current strength of the Nets' lineup, Durant is still not inferior to the Warriors when he is a tool, after all, they still have Booker and Bogdanovic on the outside, they are not vegetarians, and the most important thing is Wang Chao, who is full of firepower, and his offensive ability has reached an exaggerated level.

18 points in the first quarter, 12 points in the second quarter, and another 15 points in the third quarter, after the third quarter of the game, Wang Chao's personal data has come to 45 points, on the other hand, Durant only scored 16 points in the third quarter.

Even without Durant's scoring, the Nets still led the Warriors by more than 10 points after the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter of the game, the Warriors, who finally began to figure out the taste, began to strengthen their defense against Wang Chao and strategically gave up defending Durant, betting that Wang Chao would still not pass the ball to Durant in this case.

They made the right bet, even in the face of the bag, Wang Chao still didn't pass the ball to Durant, and his head can be described as quite iron.

But the Warriors still failed to please Wang Chao, with the help of his teammates' blocking and dismantling cover and his own talent of being outnumbered, Wang Chao still scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and scored 55 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists in the whole game, almost single-handedly led the team to defeat the Warriors 118-114, rewriting the overall score to 3-0.

The four-point margin was the smallest in the three-game series between the two teams, but regardless of the process, the game was won in the end, and the 3-0 score also meant that the Warriors completely lost hope of a comeback.

The Nets won the game, with four match points in hand, and they already had the win in their hands.

But Durant, who shot 5-of-10 in the game and scored 19 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, didn't have much smile on his face.

"This TM, Wang Chao, you're too doggy, aren't you?"

(End of chapter)