Super Lord of the Rings

There is no internal strife in the Kings' locker room, as the media speculated, but they exposed many problems on the court.

In the first game of the Western Conference Finals, they lost to the Spurs 104-112.

This season, the Kings cannot withstand the offense of strong teams and often turn an ordinary team into a super offensive team.

As expected, Thomas was beaten by Parker, and Vucevic was also completely suppressed by Duncan. "Stone Buddha" scored many low-post singles.

They are the two biggest defensive weaknesses of the Kings and cannot be made up for. With Barbosa and Whiteside, the defense won't be much better, and the offense won't be able to open up.

In the second game, the Kings used small ball tactics, James went to guard Duncan, and Aldridge, Parker, and Ginobili began to show off their power again.

Ade pulls out to cover every round, allowing the defender to misplace Vucevic. The Kings cover the defense from the side, and the defender moves out to shoot a three-pointer from the outside.

Leonard has worked hard on three-pointers under the guidance of Popovich and has made significant progress this season. Belinelli and Green are even more accurate and are three-point kings.

Wang Jun and James performed very well in both games, but if they can't prevent the Spurs' offense, they won't win.

The Spurs play the same way as last season, with air cuts, pick-and-rolls, and inside support. The difference is that the players' shots are more accurate than last season, and Aldridge is far better than Diaw.

When he was with the Thunder, Ade was only the third offensive point. When he came to the Spurs, he was the core of the interior offense. The coach specially arranged tactics, which made him more efficient. In the playoffs, he averaged 21.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1 assist in 34 minutes per game, shooting 52.1% from the field.

The Spurs' bench is surprisingly deep, with Mills, Ginobili, Belinelli, Prince and Bonner. Bonner only plays a few minutes in the second quarter, which is the worst. The other four can all play a big role.

Efficiency is always the key to winning.

Unfortunately, Carter, Ray Allen, and Thomas are not efficient at the moment, and their shooting percentages barely reach 40%.

In the third game, Wang Jun exploded at home. He made 21 of 35 shots and 11 of 18 three-pointers. He made many sudden fouls during the counterattack and made 13 of 14 shots. He scored 66 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist.

In this game, Wang Jun hardly passed the ball and led the team to win the game.

Kidd arranged the ball for him, resolutely playing star tactics, and dealing with the Spurs like the Thunder, instead of passing and cutting to cooperate and bloom more.

The Spurs defensive rotation is too fast,

The shooting percentage of his teammates is not as high as Wang Jun's. If he shoots for others, his opponents will only be happy.

In the fourth game, the Kings were dominated by James and Wang Jun again. Both scored 30+ points and led the team to chase the score to 2-2.

Many people recall the time when the Kings fell behind 2-0 and then won four games in a row. It's a pity that it didn't go so smoothly this time because the Kings' interior defense was too poor.

The Spurs returned to their home court and let Parker take the lead in the opening game, quickly causing Vucevic to foul twice with his breakthrough.

In the past, Brand could replace Vucevic when he was off the field, and the defense was even better. This time the only substitutes are Whiteside and Patterson at the 5th position.

"White Side" performed very poorly in the playoffs, and its dedicated defense was no match for Duncan and Ade. Thomas and Brooks can score and are a black hole on the defensive end. Barbosa was in his lowest form, shooting only 37% from the field and 30.5% from three-point range.

The Spurs' defense is much better. Prince, Green, Leonard, and Diaw are the key. They share playing time and defend against breakthroughs fiercely. If they are passed, they will immediately catch them and send Wang Jun, James, and Thomas to free throws, disrupting the game. Offensive rhythm.

104 to 93, the Spurs got match point at home.

Back at home, relying on Carter's convulsions and the personal abilities of James and Wang Jun, the Kings evened the score again.

Neither side could win against their opponents on the road, and the Kings were already at a disadvantage.

In the tiebreaker, the Kings lost.

The Spurs won in some details, focusing on the defense of role players.

Thomas is fast and difficult to defend one-on-one, but Parker is also one of the fastest players on the Spurs. As a substitute, there is Mills, a small guard who has a similar style to Thomas. In this series, Thomas was guarded and his shooting percentage was less than 40% in four games. He made 3 of 13 shots in the tiebreaker and became a gold medal undercover.

Leonard defended James alone, and Green defended Wang Jun alone. Although they were not guarded, the other Spurs did not double-team. The Kings' role players, who have played under the glory of superstars for a long time, failed to perform in the face of strict defense.

The Spurs have always relied on team offense to win, and bypassing the Kings' defensive strengths is not a problem. The king failed to defend his title.

Wang Jun made 15 of 33 shots, 4 of 10 three-pointers, 7 of 8 free throws, and had the best performance with 41 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. James also scored 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he could not win a victory.

Zhang Liang said depressingly: "This Kings series reminds me of the Rockets during the Yao and Mai era. The two stars performed well, but the support from their teammates was not enough."

The Spurs won, some congratulated, and some shouted unfair.

Aldridge's trade has become the key to victory or defeat. If he is replaced by Split, the situation will be completely different. The Spurs' offense will not be so strong that they cannot be defended.

It's a pity that there is no if, if you lose, you lose.

In the past, Wang Jun always thought about how he felt after losing in the playoffs. The moment he was eliminated, he relaxed.

Just like a death row prisoner, the days of waiting for the death penalty are the most painful, but when the execution is carried out, he thinks about it. Everything is irreversible, and there is no need to think about anything anymore.

In an interview after the game, Wang Jun was very calm: "Congratulations to the Spurs for advancing to the finals. They played better in this series."

The reporter asked: "Do you have any special feelings about this loss?"

"I don't have any special feelings. On the basketball court, no one can win all the time, and I am no exception. I will try my best to win the championship back next season."

The reporter asked: "Which team do you think will win the championship?"

"The situation of the Spurs and Nets is similar to that of the Kings. The offense is strong and the defense is weak. No matter how strong the offense is, it cannot completely lose the defense. Unfortunately, we did very poorly on the defensive end."

James was asked whether he would opt out of his contract in the summer, and he said he would consider it.

By saying "I will consider it" instead of "I will stay", James has actually made a decision that he wants to return to the Cavaliers.

In this playoffs, the Spurs received some preferential treatment at home, and their defensive actions were not easily called for fouls. As a result, the Kings did not get many free throws in the last game, and the players' shooting percentage dropped.

The league is determined to prevent the Kings from winning four consecutive championships. The Western Spurs and Eastern Nets have ridiculously strong lineups. They are the obstacles held up by the league.

The draft lottery held on May 20 resulted in a shocking upset.

The Cavaliers once again won the No. 1 pick with only a 1.7% chance. If this probability is described in football terms, it is the probability of the Chinese men's football team breaking out of Asia.

Two consecutive No. 1 picks, who would believe this is good luck?

The second and third picks are the Magic and Philadelphia 76ers respectively.

If the Cavaliers select another No. 1 pick and package a high-ranking rookie or role player on the team, they will definitely be able to get back a big-name star. As long as James returns, the Cavaliers will be the favorites to win the championship.

The best thing is that no one will say that he is "clutching". The Cavaliers did not even make the playoffs before. If James leads the team to achieve an excellent record, he may still win the regular season MVP.

No matter how prosperous the Kings are, he can't get over the hurdle of leaving the Cavaliers. It just so happens that the Kings failed to defend their title, and a lot of problems were exposed in the team. It will be difficult to play next season. How to choose? Would the smart James not be able to figure it out?

PS (To be continued.):