Chapter 529 It’s Raining in Seattle
After the Lakers were eliminated, the Sonics were in a delicate situation.
Their biggest opponent this year has been eliminated, and defending the title is a natural matter.
But this mentality is very dangerous. If they don't take their opponents in the East seriously, they may overturn.
Until then, they still have to wait for the Eastern Conference to decide the winner.
The Celtics and Magic pushed the Eastern Conference Finals into a Game 7, giving the Sonics a few extra days to rest.
Roy spent a lot of time shooting to regain his lost shooting touch.
When he practiced 500 extra shots a day, Yu Fei said to him: "Aren't you going to be our Scottie Pippen? Pippen won't waste time on shooting training."
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"Actually, I guarded LeBron like Scottie guarded Magic in the Finals in 1991. You can't expect more. Now I have to be myself."
Roy was talking to himself, with no intention of stopping.
Yu Fei could only say "Come on" to him.
In addition, he also wanted to say that it was nothing to prevent James' back hit, that is, they did not have players like JJ Barea, otherwise James would be even more embarrassed.
Although Roy seemed to have no possibility of guarding James at the time, in any case, he had the size as a player, but missing Barea on the back was a disaster of another level.
Durant is very excited these days.
Ever since he eliminated the Lakers, he has been in a state of excitement.
It is rumored that the oversized poster at the Nike headquarters building in Portland has been replaced with a poster of Durant's moment in the Western Conference Finals.
In the past, the posters in the headquarters building have been occupied by Woods, Kobe and James, but Woods thundered, Kojan lost another round of the series that he should not have lost, and Nike's double kings failed to stop Yu Fei from taking Rui Rui to the competition. To reach the top, they must focus on the future.
Promoting Durant is a top priority.
Even if Durant's performance in the conference finals can only be described as outstanding rather than critical, they will praise Durant and use the media connections at hand to exaggerate Durant's performance and give him a reputation beyond the current moment.
In this way, although it can't stop Reebok's momentum, nor can it separate Yu Fei's starlight, Nike can at least regard Seattle's victory as Nike's victory in publicity.
DeAndre Jordan tries to develop his shot.
Yu Fei once observed his shooting. It is not so much that he has no shooting talent. It is better to say that he devotes a lot of time to strength training and it is destined that he will not have stable muscle memory to shoot.
Therefore, developing a shot is almost impossible for him.
He will give up soon, just like Kwame Brown did.
However, whether he can shoot or not will not affect his position.
When he understands this, he won't waste his energy on these things.
After all, he will be the starter no matter what, and as long as he is better than Kwame Brown, no one on the team can threaten his position.
As for Brown, after making the statement "My time is over", he has completely laid down and has no idea about his status on the team.
This actually prevented him from having conflicts with the coaching staff on this matter in the future.
The sooner Brown accepts this outcome, the more likely he is to end up in Seattle.
The wait is long.
One day later, the Celtics and Magic started a tiebreaker.
It was a suffocating hand-to-hand battle.
The Green Army has more defensive elites, while the Magic can only rely on Vince Carter and Ray Allen.
However, Carter was guarded by the Celtics, and Ray Allen made 3 of 14 shots in this home game.
If anyone in Los Angeles was watching this game, they could clearly see how their team died as the Magic practiced it again.
Today's Ray Allen is no longer the all-around scorer with sudden shots next to Yu Fei eight years ago. He is now a pure shooter.
And pure shooters are destined to be unable to dominate the game in this kind of game where there is no time to relax.
Ray Allen is still the same Ray Allen, but he is on a strange team where the big brother only works in blue-collar jobs.
The score of this game was very low, 82 to 77.
The Celtics defeated the Magic with an extremely narrow advantage and won their second ticket to the Finals in three years.
Bostonians, however, were mortified.
Because there is no suspense for the outside world about the upcoming finals.
Just like "Unforgettable Tonight" in the Spring Festival Gala, the program that the audience really cares about is at the front.
There is a data that reflects the difference in attention between the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
The Western Conference finals between the SuperSonics and the Lakers were watched by an average of tens of millions of Americans per game, while the highest-rated tie-breaker of the Eastern Conference finals between the Celtics and the Magic did not have more than 5 million viewers in the United States.
As for the finals, all the audience cares about is the result.
A SuperSonics championship means several things.
They will become the third modern NBA team to complete three consecutive championships after the OK Lakers.
Yu Fei's championship number will surpass Jordan's and become the GOAT from an honorary level.
Even the finals against the Celtics are not as eye-catching as the SuperSonics will submit a new arena financing plan to the city government during the finals.
At least the financing plan for the new arena itself has considerable opposition in Seattle.
The only media person who took the finals seriously and believed that the finals were suspenseful was Bill Simmons.
He wrote in the last paragraph of the Finals preview article: "Things are good for Boston, at least for now. It's hard to figure out those stumbling and cute championship contenders. This is the sixth time in team history that we have encountered this situation. Russell's last two teams ('68 and '69) won consecutive championships in turmoil. The last good teams led by Havlicek and Cowens also experienced similar situations. The last two efforts from the trio of McHale and Parrish ultimately came up short. It worked because they couldn't stay healthy. The most recent one was that team in 2008, and we were definitely the better team that year, but our championship was taken away by Frye. Being on the road to a championship again, no one expected this to happen, and it's against Frye, and think about it, you have the opportunity to prove to the guy who beat you before that you come back better than you were before. . This is the best part.”
June 3, 2010
The first game of the finals
MCCAIT (Moving Citizens' Focus on More Important Matters) organized an unprecedented march to pressure the city government into rejecting the Sonics' financing proposal for a new arena.
But those backing Seattle organized a larger group.
The two men faced off in the city center.
The first game of the Finals between the SuperSonics and Celtics started at 4 p.m. that day.
All sports reporters and commentators believed that this was a 10-0 series, and the SuperSonics indeed showed suppression at the beginning of the series.
They are not arrogant just because they are unanimously favored by the outside world.
In the Western Conference Finals, Yu Fei, who averaged 47 points per game, came on full fire. He caused two fouls on Tayshaun Prince in the first quarter and scored 14 points in a single quarter. The SuperSonics established an 8-point advantage and thus defeated Greenland. The army suppressed it.
Rajon Rondo, the commander and engine of the Green Army, has a shooting problem. His long-range shots are extremely inaccurate and are often missed by opponents.
This may not be a fatal problem in the big ball era that does not pay attention to three-pointers, but in front of the SuperSonics, this flaw is enough to nullify his role.
The Sonics very realistically let him go a few meters, forcing him to take an uncertain long shot.
He wasn't completely off the mark.
Rondo shot 1 of 4 three-pointers. The goal he scored can be regarded as the team's consolation prize, but the three goals he missed were fatal.
Roy seized the opportunity and used defensive counterattack to widen the point difference to double digits.
This is one breath.
The Celtics never recovered tonight.
In the end, the SuperSonics used strong suppression to steadily suffocate their opponents.
107 to 92
They didn't win much, but the gap between the two sides was far greater than the margin suggested.
Doc Rivers put the problem facing his team succinctly: "We have to shoot more three-pointers."
But their opponents don't care so much about the results.
Yu Fei and others were asked more about the conflict between the MCCAIT organization and fans outside the city government building.
"No one wants to see something like this happen. It's basketball season now, and we hope fans can enjoy basketball." Yu Fei said, "I know the fans are doing this to protect us, but please believe that as long as we play well, Good things will happen.”
The neglected Celtics seemed to be stimulated by something.
Kevin Garnett said: "Our goal is to return to Boston with a score of 1-1, and then win three consecutive games at home. In the end, we will win the championship with a score of 4-1!"
"Do they actually want to play all the home games?" Yu Fei responded to Garnett, "I think he is a little greedy. I think there will only be four games in the finals."
After the harsh words were said, it was time to show their determination.
Garnett's words may be arrogant, but there is no doubt that the Green Army is determined to win.
The Celtics quickly adjusted their strategy.
Starting from the second game, just like the tiebreaker with the Magic, we have to defend against the SuperSonics.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Sonics relied on defense to beat the Lakers with all their strength, and now the Celtics are using this trick against them, and it is effective to a certain extent.
Because except for Pierce, the other four Celtics starters are players who are stronger on defense than offense.
Defense is also the foundation of the Celtics. However, the SuperSonics are both good at offense and defense. Although their defense is not as good as the Celtics, the Celtics' offense is also far inferior to the Sonics.
Fierce defense will seriously affect the offensive status of both sides. At this time, the test is who has a higher offensive limit.
Four minutes before the end of the game, the two sides were tied 82-82.
Then, Yu Fei and Durant started playing singles.
In that breathless moment of intense intensity, Yu Fei's single was as despairing to Boston as the ending of "The Mist" to those watching in the cinema.
The Celtics, who pinned everything on defense, really defended the Sonics until they couldn't make any tactics.
But with Yu Fei and Durant, the Sonics can switch to singles tactics at any time.
The Celtics must do the same.
They responded by letting Pierce handle the ball in the low post, but Pierce only had the superstar-like ability to take over at certain times, and Garnett has never been a convincing clutch scorer throughout his career. hand.
In comparison, Yu Fei and Durant are far better than Pierce and Garnett.
In the last four minutes, the score ratio between the two teams was 14 to 6.
This intuitive result overwhelmed the Celtics.
In the end, 96 to 88.
The SuperSonics defended their home court and took a 2-0 lead.
"SuperSonics may be playing their last home game of the season," ESPN's Mike Breen said.
"I think we have found a way to win." Rivers said the most confident words in the most confident tone, "We will definitely beat them at home."
Rondo is more realistic than his coach, and he knows how much impact losing this game will have on the team.
"Before we can defeat them, we have to put our bones back together." Rondo said, "I'm just not sure if we still have the determination to endure the pain of being broken into pieces to defeat them."
Defense is the Green Army's last trump card, but the Sonics' defense is also good.
If both teams defend well, then even if one team defends better, they will eventually have to fight for offense.
But the Celtics' offense just couldn't beat the Sonics.
This is the despair brought to people after the logic of winning is broken.
Unless the Sonics team performs abnormally, the Celtics have no hope of winning.
It is worth mentioning that there is a behind-the-scenes scene during the game.
The Associated Press reported a story titled "Seattle fans want to know the score regardless of their safety."
Here's what the report says: A Seattle man was rushed to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. In the coronary care unit, his first request was to watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Seattle SuperSonics and the Boston Celtics. Then his heart stopped beating. Doctors performed emergency resuscitation and successfully revived him, but had to insert a trachea. Dr. Scott Linscott of the hospital said: "He couldn't talk, but he motioned for a piece of paper and a pencil. He wrote down that he wanted to know the score of the Sonics. This was a man who had just died. He then asked the nurses to let him continue watching the game with another note, but the man kept pleading. Finally, the man was reportedly allowed to watch the game. After the game, his condition is currently stable.”
After the game, the SuperSonics sent Alonzo Key, a new favorite in the community, to express condolences to the fan on behalf of the team.
"This is the best day of my life!" the fan posted a photo of himself and Key on Twitter.
Then, the Sonics will head to Boston to play an away game.
If nothing unexpected happens, they will win the championship away from home.
After research, SuperSonics executives decided to provide an ambitious financing plan to the city government on June 10, the afternoon office day of Game 4 of the Finals.
Clay Bennett wants to build a multi-purpose sports complex in the heart of the city that will cost more than $500 million.
Then, some sources in City Hall said: The mayor and most council members believe the Sonics deserve a better arena than Key Arena. As a cultural totem of Seattle and even the most successful sports club in the Washington state area, KeyArena's rust has become a local shame.
New Yorkers will give the Knicks the best arena, no matter whether they are good or not, and Los Angeles will also give the Lakers the best arena, even if they fail one after another. Can't Seattle do the same?
Public support for the Sonics overwhelmed all opposition when the victory report came back from Game 3 of the Finals.
There are serious differences even within the MCCAIT organization.
Because they are becoming Seattle's paradox.
Because their organization is called "Let Citizens Focus on More Important Matters," and now they are doing everything they can to oppose the things that citizens care about most?
Before the fourth game of the Finals, Roy was DNP due to a thigh strain.
He originally wanted to stay in Boston to witness the team achieve three consecutive championships, but was recalled to Seattle.
Because the team will submit a financing plan to the city government today, they need a famous person to do this. The person originally chosen was Roy. Later, he came back. Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened, and in the end, this job It still fell on Roy.
At the beginning of the game, Durant's three-pointer took the lead.
Subsequently, Bosh also attacked in the pick-and-roll attack.
Without Yu Fei firing much, the SuperSonics scored 22 points in half a quarter.
The Celtics collapsed.
At that point, it became clear to Seattle fans that the team was going to win its third straight title.
Tens of thousands of fans gathered outside the city government building to await the results.
Roy submitted a financing proposal to the city on behalf of the team.
However, while politicians are whispering among themselves to share their opinions, the outside world is clamoring for numbers.
What is 55 versus 32, what is 58 versus 32
After Mayor Nichols asked someone to ask, he learned that this was the real-time score of the finals.
This tickles the hearts of some people.
So someone suggested that it would be better to watch the game first.
This was the most dramatic scene of the day. Just when the city government was deciding whether to pass the SuperSonics' new arena financing plan, they suddenly decided to put this matter aside and put down all official duties on hand. , because no matter what these things are, today, they are not as important as the SuperSonics game.
In this way, they started the ABC game live broadcast in the government office building.
"No, everyone"
Roy didn't expect things to develop like this.
The mayor gave him a reassuring look.
Everything is going to be okay, Brandon.
So Roy went outside to give the fans an update.
"Brandon!" the fan representative asked loudly, holding a loudspeaker, "What did the mayor say?"
"There is no result." Roy said, "They are watching the game live"
Perhaps nothing shows the attitude of the city government better than this. Suddenly, the fan representative shouted the name of the SuperSonics team, and tens of thousands of people at the scene also shouted together, and some people continued to broadcast the score.
Some things must have an outcome.
Roy knew they were about to succeed.
By halftime, the crowd already knew this would be the last game of the season.
Because the SuperSonics led the Celtics by 26 points at halftime.
In the second half, the score difference widened further.
Yu Fei didn't do anything at all, but the Celtics themselves performed poorly, while his teammates were as excited as the last exam before summer vacation.
When Jermaine O'Neal hit a humorous buzzer-beating three-pointer in the fourth quarter, the game turned into an exhibition game for the One Empire.
Tyronn Lue played a twelve-man rotation, and Yu Fei got more than 15 minutes of rest time.
"The last twenty seconds! The SuperSonics have given up the offense!"
"The Sonics are about to defend their championship!"
"This is their third consecutive championship!"
“This is also Frye Yu’s seventh championship in eight years!”
The scene was counting down until the red light came on. The Sonics players hugged each other excitedly. Lu leaned on his assistant coach and cried. Only one person did not react violently.
Yu Fei still had a dreamlike feeling.
Is this the end?
He accepted an on-site interview, said a few official words, and then walked to the tunnel.
When he opened the door to the dressing room, champagne suddenly sprayed into his face. The stimulating smell of alcohol made him realize that this journey had really come to an end.
He picked up the champagne on the ground and sprayed it back.
A few minutes later, the locker room was still noisy. Kevin Lin came over with his cell phone and handed it to Yu Fei: "Brandon's phone number."
"Hey, you should really see what has been done here!" Yu Fei wiped his face and asked, "How is the situation over there?"
Then, he heard chaotic roars over there.
Some people are shouting "championship", some are shouting "SuperSonics", and some are shouting "Seattle".
Some people seemed to be crying.
"Fry," Roy said, his voice trembling, "It's raining in Seattle!"
(End of chapter)