I’m Really Playing Basketball

On June 4th, 2004 in BJ's time, the entire land of China was confused with a strong atmosphere of regret on this day.

At this time last year, the whole of China was immersed in the festive atmosphere as Chen Xiao successfully led the Nets to the Finals. In his rookie season, he led the New Jersey Nets to a record of 72 wins and 10 losses in the regular season, and even more so in the playoffs. 12-game winning streak in the East.

In the All-Star Game, he won the first MVP in China's history, the All-Star MVP, and in the regular season, he won the first NBA All-NBA First Team and Best Rookie in the history of Chinese basketball.

The joy lasted until a week later, when Chen Xiao successfully led the Nets to the NBA championship and was crowned FMVP, becoming the most successful rookie in NBA history.

So, at this time last year, it was really a national celebration.

Chen Xiao has also become one of the people who has affected the emotions of the entire land of China since last year.

After experiencing the joy at this time last year, this year, Chen Xiao's performance in the Cavaliers is still exciting enough.

The Nets, the strongest team in the history of the Black Eight.

Revenge for Wade and Yao Ming, the super defensive team, the Pistons.

With a team that was thought to be unable to enter the playoffs, it finally reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

When Chen Xiao led the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals, no matter what the American media experts thought.

In China, all the Chinese believed that Chen Xiao could once again create a miracle and once again make the entire land of China go crazy.

In fact, during the 13 days from May 23rd to June 4th (BJ time), the land of Huaxia was indeed driven into madness because of Chen Xiao.

In the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and Magic, the Cavaliers took the lead in the Magic's away game, defeating the stronger Magic 104-100.

In this game, the Cavaliers trailed for the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Chen Xiao made 6 of 7 three-pointers and 9 of 12 in the quarter, scoring 26 points, leading the Cavaliers to complete the reversal in one fell swoop. .

In this round of the series between the Cavaliers and the Magic, the two sides have paved the way so much in the early stage.

The outcome of the first game is extremely important.

Especially for the young Cavaliers, if the first game is won, it will bring huge confidence to the Cavaliers.

In the end, thanks to Chen Xiao's crazy performance in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers took the lead.

The Cavaliers' lead not only brought great confidence to the Cavaliers' young players.

At the same time, it also brought great confidence to Chinese fans.

In this game, Chen Xiao made 18 of 30 shots, 11 of 18 three-pointers, 6 of 7 free throws, 53 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the game, which gave them a huge fantasy.

The Cavaliers can beat the Magic in this series!

Chen Xiao can win the championship again and be crowned Fmvp again!

After Chen Xiao led the Cavaliers to win G1, both CCTV and other Chinese media were creating a domestic atmosphere in the direction that Chen Xiao could succeed again this season.

This cannot be blamed on CCTV and other state media.

Historically, Yao has never broken through the first round. He has been the favorite to win the championship every year. Chen Xiao has already led the Cavaliers to win an Eastern Conference Finals, and it was also an away game. This is not a boast, but when will we do it again? ?

Therefore, all of China is waiting for the G2 between the Cavaliers and Magic. As long as the Cavaliers can win another away game in this game, the Cavaliers will lay the foundation for reaching the finals.

In this game, the performance of the Cavaliers players did not disappoint them. Because of the victory in the previous game, the Cavaliers players had high morale in this game. As soon as the game started, they swept away the lagging behind in the previous game. The game has been It was not until the third quarter that the stronger Magic team slowly gained the advantage in the game.

Just when the Chinese audience thought that the Cavaliers might be hanging in the balance in this game, Chen Xiao stood up again in the fourth quarter. Although Chen Xiao was not as crazy in the fourth quarter of this game as in the previous game, he was still very successful in a single quarter. He made 5 of 7 three-pointers and 7 of 12 in a single quarter. He once again scored 22 points in the entire quarter.

At the same time, Chen Xiao made 17 of 32 shots, 9 of 19 three-pointers, and 7 of 10 free throws. He scored 50 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks in the game.

In the end, the Cavaliers once again defeated the Magic on the road.

And Chen Xiao himself became the first player in NBA history to score 50+ points in back-to-back away games.

At the same time, after this game, Chen Xiao's total playoff career points reached 1,016 points, becoming the youngest player to score 1,000 points in the playoffs in NBA history.

For a time, the whole of Cleveland and even the whole of China went crazy.

After the Cavaliers defeated the Magic in consecutive away games.

So Chinese fans across the ocean could see on TV that the entire Magic team was almost panicking.

McGrady, the leading outside player of the Magic, had already covered his face at the end of the second game. He didn't know whether he was crying or not. Anyway, he was extremely depressed.

At the end of the second game, the head coach of the Magic, Doc Reeves, even knelt on the ground with his eyes blank, his mouth and eyes wide open as he didn't know what he was thinking. They all seemed stupid.

The other players on the Magic team, except for Duncan, were all squatting on the ground. Everyone was looking at the Cavaliers' No. 24 who scored 50+ points in two consecutive games. The expressions on his face were all... It was that look of awe and fear.

And as for Duncan...

Well, Duncan was a bit special. He stood silently behind Ginobili, who was squatting on the ground dumbfounded, and McGrady, who was squatting on the ground and covering his face, gently stroking a braised egg in each hand.

In short, although the Magic and Duncan were not beaten down, let's be honest.

After this game, really, not only in China, but even in the United States, many people were exclaiming that the Magic was defeated by Chen Xiao.

Magic is going to fail!

No kidding, many people in the United States are already standing on the rooftops ready to jump off at this time.

In his home court, he lost all the games, and Chen Xiao played so crazy in the first two games. With Duncan playing center, he kept pulling out, whether it was against Gooden or Tracy McGrady, he almost relied on his own Single-handedly, he destroyed the Magic's entire forward line.

This also unbalanced the mentality of the entire Magic team except Duncan.

Chen Xiao's two games are just like Iverson's G1 against the Lakers in the 2001 Finals.

If Iverson could play two games like G1 in the Finals that year, to be honest, the Lakers' mentality would probably collapse.

What Iverson failed to do back then, Chen Xiao did.

Just when the whole world thought Chen Xiao and the Cavaliers were going to create a miracle...

On May 26, 2004, the Magic, who had been pushed to the brink by Chen Xiao, were finally forced to make adjustments to their lineup.

Putting Duncan at center is no longer an option.

In G3 between the Magic and the Cavaliers, the Magic promoted the team's backup center Zaza Pachulia, who had performed very well this season, to the starting position as the team's starting center, while Duncan returned to the power forward position. Coupled with the starting lineup of Mike Miller, Tracy McGrady and Parker.

Starting from this game, the Magic finally put Duncan in front of Chen Xiao.

Starting from this game, the whole world saw the most terrifying duel between a group of power forwards in NBA history.

At the same time, starting from this game, the world finally saw the best Duncan who had a quadruple-double against the OK Lakers last season.

In G3, under Duncan's defense, Chen Xiao lost the magic of the previous two games, but his performance was still very good. He made 11 of 23 shots in the game, 3 of 8 three-pointers, 8 of 9 free throws, 33 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. 3 steals and 3 blocks.

On the opposite side, Duncan made 11 of 20 and 11 of 15 free throws. He had 33 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks in the game.

In the end, the Magic defeated the Cavaliers 101-96, and the score was 1-2 on the road.

Under Duncan's leadership, the Magic players, who were already on the verge of collapse, stood firm.

In G4, Duncan, who played against Chen Xiao, was more familiar with Chen Xiao. Facing Duncan's defense, Chen Xiao did almost nothing in the paint in this game. Chen Xiao couldn't hook the basket or move around the basket. In this game, he shot crazy three-pointers from outside. He made 12 of 27 three-pointers, 5 of 16 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 31 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

Although the hit rate is not that high, such data and performance are still extremely outstanding.

On the opposite side, Duncan made 7 of 14, 11 of 14 free throws, 25 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks.

It can be seen from this game how different the styles of Chen Xiao and Duncan are.

Duncan is on the inside and Chen Xiao is on the outside. Duncan's offense is closer to the basket, more stable and efficient, while Chen Xiao's offensive efficiency is slightly lower.

In the end, the Magic once again defeated the Cavaliers 94-89.

G5, the third game of the super power forward showdown between Chen Xiao and Duncan. In this game, Duncan was more familiar with Chen Xiao. Not only did the inside not give Chen Xiao any offensive opportunities, but Duncan even followed Chen Xiao in this game. From outside the three-point line, Chen Xiao scored the lowest score in the series in this game, 9 of 21, 3 of 7 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, 26 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.

This data is actually still beautiful, not only the data, but also the performance is also wonderful.

Of the 9 shots Chen Xiao hit in this game, two of them were super long-range three-pointers.

The remaining 6 two-point shots were all the ultimate Joe's fadeaway.

It can be said that in this game, Duncan served as Chen Xiao's background for many times on the offensive end.

As for Duncan, in this game, Duncan is still simple and unpretentious.

10 of 15 shots, 8 of 13 free throws, 28 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 6 blocks.

It can be seen that Chen Xiao basically cannot guard against Duncan's attack at the basket.

After all, this is the third direct confrontation between Chen Xiao and Duncan. Duncan's defense is better than the last one in each game, while Chen Xiao's defense against Duncan is basically the same in every game.

And this is where the Cavaliers suffered greatly when Duncan returned to the power forward position.

Chen Xiao's offense can be greatly restricted by Duncan, but Chen Xiao basically has nothing to do with Duncan's offense.

98 to 89!

After G5, the Cavaliers, which originally led 2-0, were already trailing 2-3.

As for G6, this game is definitely the most intense game in this series. Facing Duncan's increasingly strict defense on himself, Chen Xiao used running and pick-and-rolls outside the three-point line to consume While having a lot of physical strength, he also got more opportunities to attack from beyond the three-point line than in the previous game. In this game, Chen Xiao made 12 of 27 three-pointers, 7 of 16 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, 34 points and 10 rebounds. 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

Not only did the score once again break through to 30+, but Chen Xiao also hit the final buzzer beater in this game.

On the opposite side, Duncan was still so unpretentious. He made 9 of 17 in the game and 9 of 11 free throws. He had 27 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks in the game.

Still an excellent performance.

Moreover, before Chen Xiao hit the lore three-pointer.

Duncan's 45-degree rebound under the basket has already killed the Cavaliers.

This was a terrifying game in which Duncan made the winning goal and Chen Xiao made the winning goal.

In G6, with Chen Xiao's buzzer-beater, the Cavaliers defeated the Magic 95-94. In the end, this series was dragged into a terrifying tiebreaker.

G7, in this game, Chen Xiao once again showed his true qualities as a key player. In this game, Chen Xiao's shooting percentage increased across the board. He made 12 of 23 in the game, 4 of 10 three-pointers, and 9 free throws. 7 goals, 35 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He performed very well both on the offensive and defensive ends.

Not only was he a good three-pointer, but in this game, Chen Xiao was extremely passive in the interior offense, constantly attacking Duncan, causing damage, and causing huge trouble for Duncan.

At the end of the game, Zaza Pachulia left the game with six fouls, and Duncan had also committed five fouls.

At the same time, Chen Xiao's crazy impact in this game also created a lot of blocking opportunities for Duncan.

In this game, Duncan blocked 9 shots in a single game, 5 of which were from Chen Xiao and 3 from Xiao Zhan.

In this game, Duncan made 9 of 18 shots and 5 of 7 free throws. He finished the game with 23 points, 21 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 9 blocks. It was almost another quadruple-double!

In the end, in this game where Chen Xiao and Xiao Zhan were almost crazy, the Cavaliers lost the game 97-102 on the road.

4 to 3!

The Magic were at a huge disadvantage at home, trailing 0-2, and were about to collapse. Under the leadership of Duncan, they finally reversed the young Cavaliers and reached the finals.

At the end of this series, even Magic fans with extremely weird personalities gave Chen Xiao, James and the Cavaliers players applause at the end of the G7 game.

Under the leadership of Magic players such as Duncan, McGrady, Mike Miller, Parker, Ginobili, Gooden, Pachulia, Robert Horry and other Magic players.

However, facing such applause and praise, the Chinese audience on the other side of the ocean sighed.

At the Orlando game, Chen Xiao and James were chewing on their sweat-soaked jerseys.

Not willing to give in!

Not willing to give in!

Still unwilling!

Xiao Zhan is unwilling to give up. What an outstanding performance Chen Xiao performed in this series!

As long as he does a little better, the Cavaliers can enter the finals.

In this series, James, under McGrady's defense, averaged 22 shots per game, 8 goals per game, 21.5 points, 7 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game. From a data point of view, it is beautiful, but this In this series, James' shooting percentage was less than 40%, and his three-point shooting percentage was only 18%. Even his relatively stable free throw shooting percentage became unstable in this series, with both being less than 70%.

McGrady, on the other side, averaged 9 of 21 per game in this series, 26 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game, with a shooting percentage of 43%. Among Cavaliers players such as LeBron James and Barnes Darius Miles, Under defense, McGrady's shooting percentage is actually not high, especially the three-point shooting percentage, which is only 25%. This group of young defensive players of the Cavaliers has a very large restriction on McGrady's pull-up.

but……

The current McGrady is not comparable to James in terms of offense.

Chen Xiao shot 49.5% from the field in this series, averaging 37.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. This is an extremely terrifying series performance, especially the first two games with 50 points or more, which is terrifying enough to defeat. Collapse most teams in the league.

If it weren't for the Magic and Duncan...

In this series, Duncan's statistics are that he shot 50.5% from the field and averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 5.5 blocks per game.

Although Duncan's scoring is not as terrifying as Chen Xiao's, Duncan's defense in this series is as terrifying as Chen Xiao's scoring.

So much so that at the end of the G7 game, Barkley, the on-site commentator for TNT, directly stated that Chen Xiao and Duncan performed as the best power forwards in history.

"In the history of the NBA, except for Duncan who played for the Lakers last season, no power forward has ever performed as well as the Wonder Boy and Duncan in this series. This is the greatest power forward showdown in NBA history!"

"Wonderboy is the most perfect power forward in history, he has almost no shortcomings, and Duncan is the strongest power forward in history!"

The best power forward in history and the most perfect power forward in history.

In the end, the strongest power forward in history led his team to advance.

Of course, this does not mean that the strongest in history defeated the most perfect in history.

It is difficult to say which one is better between Chen Xiao and Duncan in terms of data and performance in this series.

It depends on how you feel about it.

However, the Magic must be the best team.

McGrady is better than James now.

The current role players such as Ginobili, Parker, Mike Miller, Gooden, Pachulia, and Robert Horry are also better than the Cavaliers' role players.

If Chen Xiao hadn't thrown out all the scoring experience cards in this series, it would have been impossible for the two teams to reach the seventh game in this series.

Maybe it really is five games, six games at most, or even four games, and this series is over.

And this was also where Chen Xiao was unwilling.

In the first two games of this series, Chen Xiao threw out 12 scoring experience cards.

Scored 50+ points in both games, almost defeating the Magic.

Almost, except for Duncan, Chen Xiao could feel that the Magic really collapsed after G2.

At the end of G2, Chen Xiao felt that his strategy had been successful.

Take the score experience card and throw it out like a bomb, knocking out the magic, and then advance to the finals.

To be honest, Chen Xiao also knows the difference between the Cavaliers and the Magic.

Chen Xiao also knows that the Cavaliers will need a miracle to defeat the Magic.

Chen Xiao also knew that if he threw out his 12 scoring experience cards, he would probably be in vain.

However, when you lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, it is difficult to give up the opportunity to enter the Finals.

For this opportunity, Chen Xiao really gave everything.

"I really did my best..."

Finally, Chen Xiao, who was biting the jersey, put it down, raised his head, closed his eyes and sighed.

Xiao Zhan and the Cavaliers players next to him clenched their fists tightly after hearing Chen Xiao's sigh.

Even Xiao Mo, Barnes, and Korver, who were brought out by Chen Xiao and respected like gods by Chen Xiao, finally stopped holding back and cried with tears streaming down their faces.

Watching Chen Xiao hugging and comforting the crying Cavaliers players on TV, the Cleveland fans and Chinese fans in front of the TV made many American fans feel sorry for these young people.

"This summer, under the leadership of the Wonder Boy, they staged a youth storm that swept across the United States and shocked the world. Although the storm went out, this group of Cleveland Young Guards won the respect of everyone! "

"Wonderboy showed the world the potential he and this Cavaliers have!"

To be honest, for the American media who believe in the winner-takes-all spirit, it is really rare that Barkley and Kenny Smith were so unfazed and still praised in this game when the Cavaliers lost the series.

It can only be said that although the Cavaliers lost this series, Chen Xiao has indeed won everyone's respect. At the very least, the position of the top five forwards must be secure.

In fact, among the five power forwards, maybe second only to Duncan, maybe not second to Duncan, he is a very special existence.

In Orlando, after Chen Xiao comforted his Cavaliers teammates, he led his teammates to thank the Magic fans who gave them applause.

After thanking the Magic fans, the Magic players also came over one by one to hug the Cavaliers players.

Mainly Chen Xiao.

Magic has many good friends of Chen Xiao.

McGrady, Ginobili and so on.

At the same time, Magic head coach Doc Reeves is Chen Xiao’s senior brother.

After hugging other Magic players, finally, in this series, Duncan, who faced him against him and had made it extremely uncomfortable to defend him and make his attacks extremely painful in the next five games, stood in front of him.

Looking at Duncan standing in front of him, Chen Xiao had a complicated expression on his face.

In his career, Duncan is the only player he hasn't won with a cheat.

Maybe it's because the number of cheats is not enough, but...

In the end, Chen Ling shook his head lightly in his heart.

"Chen, you played a great series."

"You too, Tim."

After the two embraced, Duncan looked at Chen Xiao, was silent for a while, and uttered a very famous NBA quote in later generations.

"Chen, you almost broke us up."

ps: Today’s first update is a bit late, it’s already very late when I came back from my hometown on Ching Ming Festival, and finally, please subscribe and ask for a monthly pass! ! !