The Fifth Point Guard

With the first round of the playoffs over, several important awards for the 2004-05 season have been announced.

The most anticipated regular season MVP was won by Steve Nash of the Suns.

With the Suns' fast-playing whirlwind and the league's best record, Nash received 20 more MVP votes than the Cleveland Cavaliers' STO, winning by a slim margin.

The call for STO is actually very high, but the Cavaliers performed well last season, and there are also players such as James, Big Z, Wagner, Miller, etc. on the team, so in terms of the sense of surprise and surprise it brings to people, the Suns The team is undoubtedly better.

In addition to the Suns' 62-win record, which is quite convincing, Nash's personal performance is not weak at all.

He averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game, shooting 50.2% from the field, 43.1% from three-point range and 88.7% from free throws.

11.5 assists is the league's assists leader this season, and his shooting percentage has also entered the 180 club!

More importantly, under the leadership of Nash, several of the Suns' starting players all played the best seasons of their careers.

Nash seems to have an aura that adds buffs, injecting vitality into the Suns, which has been hovering on the edge of the Western Conference playoffs.

Stoudemire averaged 26.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game and was promoted to the league's first-tier stars.

Shawn Marion also averaged a double-double of 19.4 points and 11.3 assists per game. In addition, he also had 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks on the defensive end, becoming an all-around "hacker" on both offense and defense.

When STO learned that it was ranked behind Nash in the final regular season MVP selection, STO was not too surprised.

First of all, in the last time and space, Nash was the MVP of this season.

After losing 3-4 in the series between the Rockets and the Mavericks, Shentong understood one truth, that is, if you want to change your fate, even in a parallel time and space, it is very difficult to break the "facts" of another time and space. matter.

Like myself, even if I have the "Basketball God Space", it is only in my second season with the Nets that I joined hands with Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Kenyon Martin to break the barrier. The historical torrent of time and space won a championship.

Therefore, with the "experience" of Yao Ming and the Rockets this season, Shentong knows that any change will not be easy.

While Nash won the regular season MVP, the league also awarded the honor of best coach to the Suns.

D'Antoni won this honor and was so happy that his moustache almost fluttered.

He has Steve Nash to thank, otherwise he may not be able to survive a season.

You know, after taking over the Suns from Frank Johnson last season, D'Antoni only led the Suns to a poor record of 21 wins and 40 losses.

But D'Antoni's system also stimulated Nash's potential.

He and Nash can be said to have achieved mutual success this season.

D'Antoni's fast hitting system is very suitable for Nash's style of play.

And Nash is also the most suitable organizer in D'Antoni's system.

The Sixth Man of the Year award this season went to Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls have made great progress in winning games this season. If the Suns hadn't performed so amazingly, Bulls head coach Scott Skiles would have been very likely to win the best coach.

The improvement of the Bulls' record this season is inseparable from Gordon's contribution.

Although he is a substitute player for the team, Gordon showed his big heart in his rookie season. He often became the absolute core of the team at the last moment of the game and delivered the winning shot.

As a rookie on the team, he has a mature style of play, averaging 15.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, and his three-point shooting rate is as high as 40.5%.

Despite not winning Rookie of the Year, Gordon certainly looks to have a very bright future.

The winner of the Most Improved Player award is Bobby Simmons of the Clippers.

This guy who was abused by STO in the draft training camp finally regained his new life in the fourth season of his career.

He seemed to suddenly have an enlightenment and regain the feeling of playing at the University of Florida.

Scores, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage, and three-point field goal percentage are all career highs!

Moreover, Simmons, who had a maximum three-point shooting rate of only 28.6% in the first three seasons, suddenly broke out from the three-point line this season, shooting a terrifying 43.5% shooting rate throughout the season.

Averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Although Simmons, who is in his contract year, failed to help the Clippers reach the playoffs, it seems that he will get a very good contract extension this summer. contract.

Although the Detroit Pistons were unexpectedly upset and lost to the Washington Wizards led by Arenas in the first round of the playoffs, the best defensive player award was still awarded to "Big Ben" Ben Wallace.

Wallace is still remarkable on the defensive end this season, averaging 9.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. His spirit and defensive ability are indispensable assets for Detroit.

For Wallace to win the title of Defensive Player of the Year, everyone said it was well-deserved.

In addition, the alliance has also successively awarded various data king awards.

Cleveland Cavaliers' Shentong won the scoring title for the second consecutive year with an amazing performance of 34.7 points per game!

Allen Iverson also had a season that could be called the scoring leader, but his 30.7 points were a full 4 points behind Shentong.

Although the Timberwolves failed to reach the playoffs this season, Kevin Garnett still won the rebounding title for the second consecutive year by averaging 13.5 rebounds per game.

The assist king is Nash, who averaged 11.5 assists per game.

The selection for the shot-blocking king is amazing.

Utah Jazz small forward Andrei Kirilenko won the title of block leader this season with 3.2 blocks per game.

He is also the first non-post player to win the block title in NBA history since the statistics of blocks were recorded, which can be regarded as creating a new history.

The steal leader is Larry Hughes of the Wizards.

As one of the Wizards' Three Musketeers, Hughes ranked second in the rankings of the best defensive players, only behind Ben Wallace, which proves his ability on the defensive end.

Shentong: Defense? Larry Hughes? Give me a break

Hughes averaged 2.9 steals per game, a new high in the past ten years.

As for the selection of the league's best team and defensive team, it is still in progress and is expected to be announced later in the playoffs.

On May 17, 2005, the first few games of the second round of the playoffs were played.

Facing the aggressive Boston Celtics led by Pierce, STO, James and others were waiting for work at home.

In the first home game, the Cavaliers played calmly and always controlled the rhythm of the game in their own hands.

When the Celtics used the small five of Anthony Walker, Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, Ricky Davis, and Gary Payton in the third quarter, the Cavaliers immediately changed their formation. , sent out a small lineup of Drew Gooden, LeBron James, Reggie Miller, Shentong, and DaJuan Wagner.

The Cavaliers took advantage of the situation and didn't give the Celtics any chance.

99-89, the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics by 10 points at home and got a good start in this series.

Shentong, who won the second scoring trophy of his career, scored 35 points in this game, which is considered a regular performance. In addition, he also had 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

James still plays the role of second-in-command, averaging 23 points per game, while also getting 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks.

Pierce was the Celtics' best player, scoring 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

In the second game, the Cavaliers were still bloodless.

Another victory 97-75, leading the total score 2-0.

It looked as if they would sweep their opponents away once again.

Shentong scored 39 points in this game. Although Tony Allen tried his best on the defensive end, he could not stop Shentong's offense at all.

In an interview after the game, Allen shook his head when facing reporters' questions and expressed his thoughts.

"He can't defend at all. I feel like he is playing like God wearing the No. 25 jersey every day. He has too many scoring methods, and there are no blind spots in offense. Sometimes you can't tell whether his next goal is going to be. He will still shoot or pass when he breaks through. What's even more annoying is that when he wants to ensure a goal, he will hit you with his back and then end the battle with a fadeaway. To be honest, I can't guard it by myself. his."

Perhaps hearing Tony Allen's complaints, Doc Rivers made adjustments on the defensive end.

STO encountered huge pressure on the defensive end.

Even when he broke through to the inside, he encountered a double block from Al Jefferson and Jeff LaFrentz.

On the outside, Gary Payton will help Tony Allen double-team Shentong.

In the third game, STO scored "only" 26 points in the away game, and the team also lost 91-93 to the Boston Celtics who returned home.

However, STO is like a spring with full elasticity. When it encounters a little pressure, it will immediately rebound with all its strength.

In the fourth game, Shentong was full of firepower. While hitting 7 three-pointers from the outside, they also made breakthrough layups, fadeaways, and pull-up jumpers.

That night, Boston was silent.

Shentong scored 50 points and personally allowed the Cavaliers to return to Cleveland with a score of 3-1.

In Game 5, the Cavaliers did not continue the suspense of this series.

They defeated their opponents 111-100 at home and knocked Boston out of the playoffs 4-1.

With such a luxurious lineup, but only winning one victory against the Cavaliers, the pressure on Doc Rivers is evident.

After the loss, Rivers told the media that the team would make some changes.

"Boston's history is glorious and enterprising. Only real men can play for this city. Cowards are not worthy of standing on the court wearing Celtics jerseys!"

The media generally believed that Rivers' remarks were directed at the returning Antoine Walker.

This guy spent almost all of his game against the Cavaliers on the outside, shooting crazy three-pointers.

It seems that Walker's time in Boston is running out.

The day after the Cavaliers eliminated the Celtics, the Miami Heat sent Arenas and the Wizards back home with the same score.

In front of the powerful inside giant O'Neal, the three musketeers, the troika, the three horses, etc. are all scum.

Arenas tried his best. He averaged 23 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 5 games. His performance even surpassed that of Wade of the Heat, but there was nothing he could do against the big O'Neal.

Whether it is Haywood or Kwame Brown, they are just younger brothers in front of O'Neal.

O'Neal averaged 22.4 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.4 blocks per game, leading the Heat to easily pass the second round and enter the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the finals, they will meet the Cavaliers led by Shentong and James.

After the game, O'Neal reviewed the first two rounds of the series and looked forward to the next round.

"It's true, the first two series were just sugar and honey for us. You know, when the Wizards unexpectedly beat the Pistons, what did I say to Dwyane? I said, man , look, God has given us a gift, we should prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals."

Obviously, O'Neal did not take the Pacers and Wizards seriously.

"We only played the seventh-ranked Pacers and sixth-ranked Wizards in the first two rounds. Eliminating them is a very normal result for us ranked second, but our opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals is the Cavaliers with STO and LeBron. This The series is the real challenge, but I'm hungry for it and we're ready."

After the opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals were determined, the two teams participating in the Western Conference Finals were also selected one after another.

The Suns defeated the Mavericks 4-2 in the first half of the division. While leading the team to the Western Conference Finals, Nash also avenged himself for being abandoned by the Mavericks.

Both teams played offensive basketball in this series, with both teams scoring over 100 points in each game.

But playing the Cyclones quickly seems to be more beneficial to the Suns.

After a 2-2 tie in the first four games, the Suns won two games in a row and defeated the Mavericks 4-2.

After Game 6, Nash and Nowitzki hugged each other affectionately.

Although they play for different teams, the friendship between the two has not been affected in any way.

In the second half, the Spurs defeated the dark horse SuperSonics with the same score.

The old Spurs were still so calm, slowly grinding the Sonics to death like boiling a frog in warm water.

After the Spurs took a 2-0 lead, the Sonics returned home and tenaciously tied the score to 2-2.

But the Spurs have more experience. In the Battle of Tianwangshan, they defeated the SuperSonics 103-90.

In this game, Argentinian Manu Ginobili showed off his power.

He scored a crazy 39 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, with only 1 turnover. His efficiency was terrifying.

Duncan also contributed 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Parker scored 11 points.

GDP teamed up to score 70 points and defeated the SuperSonics in one fell swoop.

In Game 6, the Spurs still relied on their experience advantage and a little luck to narrowly defeat the SuperSonics 98-96 away from home and eliminate their opponents 4-2.

In this way, the list of matchups for the Eastern and Western finals is revealed.

east:

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers VS Miami Heat (2)

west:

(1) Phoenix Suns VS San Antonio Spurs (2)

The two strongest teams in the East and West all entered the finals of the conference finals without any suspense.