Bishop of the Devil

After the Spurs were eliminated, the Philadelphia 76ers quickly followed in the Spurs' footsteps. In Game 5 of the series against the Bulls, they lost by three points, which was quite a pity.

But even so, this 76ers team with two annual salary cores is still impressive!

They reached the Eastern Conference semifinals this season. Next season, as the two young core strengths continue to grow and Rick Carlisle continues to make improvements, they may have a chance to reach the Eastern Conference finals!

Think about how many years the Philadelphia 76ers have been in ruins, and now they finally see the light!

Since 1991, they have been determined to be in ruins. It took them six years to finally see the hope of rising...

The biggest reason why it took so long was that they selected a bunch of parallel imports in the first three years of their high draft picks.

They selected Clarence Witherspoon with the ninth overall pick in 1992, Shawn Bradley with the second overall pick in 1993, and Sharon White with the sixth overall pick in 1994. In addition to Except for Bradley, who is slightly famous, the other two are parallel imports among parallel imports...

Even if Bradley is said to be a parallel import, sorry for his status as the second pick, there is actually nothing wrong with him...

It wasn't until the 76ers selected Stackhouse in 1995, and then Iverson and Dazhi in the next two years, that their misfortune was over.

Just imagine if the 76ers didn't have the No. 1 pick in 1996, they wouldn't be able to get Iverson. I guess they are still stuck in the quagmire and unable to extricate themselves...

With Iverson, they have the confidence to get rid of the burden of Stackhouse, and then they can introduce Carlisle and Dazhi.

After clarifying this relationship, it can be said that Iverson is the savior of the Philadelphia 76ers!

…

Five days later, the results of the remaining two groups of conference finals were also decided.

In the Eastern Conference, just as Richard predicted, the Knicks, as a team in the bottom half of the playoffs, defeated one after another, fought their way out of the siege, and finally met the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals.

As for the Western Conference, the Jazz were slightly better in the end. They defeated the Rockets with a score of 4:3.

The physical fitness of the Rockets' three veterans is a problem that they cannot ignore. The series has a dense schedule and intense competition, and the three veterans suffer a lot in terms of physical fitness.

This result makes Richard a little regretful...

He really wanted to have a duel with the three Rockets veterans, but it was a pity that the Jazz did not give him such a chance!

They met the Trail Blazers in the playoffs for the third consecutive year!

The first time they met, Richard had not yet entered the NBA, and the Trail Blazers lost quite miserably...

In the second encounter, last season, although the Trail Blazers still lost, in the eyes of many Trail Blazers fans, they won and avenged last season.

The next Western Conference Finals is the third time they have met, and countless people are paying attention to this game!

No one will forget the bloody battle between these two teams. This is the most talked about event in the NBA in the past two years...

When the two teams met for the first time in the regular season this season, the two teams fought hard again. Although including the scheduled rematch, both sides were very restrained in the four games...

But that was the regular season after all, and the playoffs might happen again like last season's group fights!

Fans still don’t know that Stern has privately informed both teams...

In this current situation, both teams are trying to avoid the enemy. No one dares to take action first, because once they do, the price will be too high!

Besides, Richard has no intention of taking action. This time, the Blazers are going to kill the Jazz in an upright manner!

Nothing makes a player feel more humiliated than being beaten on the court...

The previous Blazers did not have the ability in this area, and their strength was still far behind the Jazz!

But now Richard is full of confidence. He feels that he is sure to kill the Jazz, and it doesn't take seven games.

…

Trail Blazers boss Paul Allen is already crazy happy. The team has made it to the Western Conference Finals, and may even have a chance to make it to the Finals!

In Paul Allen's view, this is no longer a possibility of reaching the finals, but a certainty of reaching the finals!

He had great confidence in Richard, and at the same time he was grateful for his wise move!

If I hadn't invited Richard in person, Richard might not have agreed to join the Trail Blazers so easily, and it wouldn't be impossible for him to eventually join another team...

Now that Richard has been invited, the effect is immediate. In just two years, the Trail Blazers have already reached the Western Conference Finals!

Next, we will reach the finals!

…

On May 18, the first game of the Western Conference Finals began, and the Trail Blazers faced the Utah Jazz at home!

Before the game started, both sides had a relatively good understanding and did not hold a press conference...

The hatred between the two sides is now well known to everyone, and there is really no need to provoke each other. The only thing they need to do is to win their opponents in the next series!

"Guys, I don't need to say more, what this series means to us!"

The game is about to start, and Richard is in the locker room, motivating the players!

The players all nodded solemnly. No need for Richard to say more, they knew the significance of this series...

It's not just an honest win over the Jazz, it's also related to whether they can get tickets to the finals!

"Okay! Since everyone knows the significance of this series, I won't say more!"

"In this series, our starting lineup is the same as in the last series, with Sara playing the starting center position!"

The generals nodded. The effect of Lao Sa's appearance is indeed quite good. Besides, there are no strong centers in the Jazz team. Lao Sa teaches a rotten bird's egg inside, which is quite useful.

At least it's easier to use than the young Xiao Ao...

"There's another thing, you all already know, that is, you can't take the initiative on the court!"

"I have already told you all about the seriousness of this matter..."

"But again, we won't take the initiative, but if the other party dares to do something dirty, we can't spare them!" Richard said to the generals.

"Okay! Coach, don't worry, this series will be the Jazz's final glory!"

"We will be on the court and let them take a closer look at who is the real overlord of the Western Conference!"

"Try to sweep them in four games!"

All the generals shouted loudly, their momentum was like a rainbow!

…

"Alright guys, get ready to show up and tear them apart!"

"Tonight is the night when our Blazers declare their supremacy in the Western Conference. There is only one supremacy in the Western Conference, and that is us, the Portland Trail Blazers!"

Richard roared angrily and led the players to prepare for the stage.