Eastern and Western Conference Showdowns
The Eastern Conference Playoffs Finals on May 19th were a dull game, with the New Jersey Nets defeating the Pistons 76-70.
For fans, playing against a defensive team is a boring game.
The highest scorer in this game was Hamilton, who later became known as "the Runner Who Never Tires," playing 38 minutes and scoring 24 points, becoming the highest scorer on the field.
On May 20th, the first game of the Western Conference Finals took place.
In this game, Popovich focused his strategy on disrupting Li Chen's connection with the Clippers.
After the game started, Li Chen learned that Popovich had watched the post-game press conference from two days prior.
Li Chen's random S-skill for this match is [Mid-range King].
He wore [Open Three-Pointer], [Miracle Shot], [Divine Shooter], [Assist Master], and [Clutch Shot].
In the first quarter, the Spurs smoothly and won the first quarter 36-23.
But in the second quarter, Popovich realized something was wrong. What happened to the team-oriented play he was talking about? Why had it turned into isolation plays?
At halftime, the Clippers led the Spurs 59-56.
In the third quarter, Duncan displayed his regular season MVP level, leading his Clippers.
At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers trailed by one point, 89-90.
In the fourth quarter, the Clippers unleashed their sharp fangs, playing impressively on both ends of the court, and took a 30-19 lead over the Spurs.
They ultimately secured a victory at Anthony AT&T Stadium, winning 119-109.
In this game, Duncan played 40 minutes, shooting 14-for-20, scoring 40 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and making 12-for-19 free throws, achieving a Duncan percentage of 70%.
But he could only stand there, hands on his hips, staring blankly at the score.
Parker played 34 minutes and scored 18 points.
Bowen scored 13 points, Ginobili scored 12.
For the Clippers, Li Chen played 47 minutes, shooting 15-for-21, scoring 38 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block, shooting 2-for-4 from three-point range and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Duncan shot 70% from the field in this game, but Li Chen shot an impressive 71.43%.
Other Clippers players also performed well today: Corey Maggette scored 20 points, Elton Brand 22 points, Odom 18 points, and Wang Zhizhi 10 points.
May 21st.
In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the New Jersey Nets defeated the Pistons 88-86 once again.
Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, May 22.
The Spurs defeated the Clippers 119-109.
Duncan continued his excellent performance in this game, playing 40 minutes, shooting 11-for-21, scoring 32 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists, and shooting 10-for-13 from the free-throw line.
Parker, 19 points.
Ginobili scored 7 points.
Clippers, Corey Maggette, 16 points.
Odom scored 15 points.
Elton Brand 14 points.
Wang Zhizhi scored 10 points.
Li Chen played 44 minutes, shooting 10-for-20, scoring 29 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 block, including 4-for-7 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
This is Li Chen's first triple-double in the Playoffs.
Although he lost the game, Li Chen was not frustrated. On the contrary, he was very happy because he had won a series of individual honors in the past few days, and his Legendary Star Skill had finally reached its maximum level.
In other words, he can gain another Legendary Star Skill.
[Pull-up Jumper]
[Rank: S+]
[Skill Description: When using Pull-up Jumper, there is an 80% chance of ignoring defenders, but it will consume more stamina (but not more than four times the normal amount).]
Seeing this, Li Chen felt a bit of a toothache. The skill wasn't weak, but the stamina consumption was quite unpleasant.
Pull-up Jumper already require more stamina, and now they require four times or less. Even if someone has stamina far exceeding that of an average person, they can't handle it!
However, Li Chen thought for a moment and realized that since the "pull-up jumper" skill couldn't be used as a regular weapon, it could be used as a trump card, a powerful tool to help the team stabilize the situation in critical moments.
He then opened the fourth slot in the Functional Store again, where another skill appeared—a passing skill, Alvin Johnson's no-look pass.
[Unrestrained]
[Skill Level: S+]
[Skill Description: The host can deliver spectacular passes at any time, and teammates will be awestruck by the host's amazing passes, with a very high chance of receiving a "stimulant" buff.]
[Stimulant: Increases teammates' stamina, strength, explosiveness, and focus for 30 seconds. Skill cooldown is three minutes.]
[Note: Doping buffs can only be active on one person at a time and cannot be stacked.]
When Li Chen saw the skill description, he thought to himself, "Holy crap, this skill is too powerful."
Doping is incredibly powerful; it's like gaining an extra 30 seconds of Hexagonal Warrior every three minutes. However, it's a bit of a shame that the buff isn't 100% guaranteed.
Also, this skill requires 15 personal honor points, but he only has 7 right now.
However, if you get more Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards next season, you'll soon be able to obtain the [Unfettered] skill.
After that, Li Chen pretended to practice his Pull-up Jumper.
On May 23, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the New Jersey Kings defeated the Pistons once again.
May 24th, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Clippers will host the Spurs.
Li Chen did not wear the [Pull-up Jumper] in this game.
He was contained by the Spurs' double-teaming tactics, and they lost the game.
Duncan maintained his consistent performance in this game, playing 42 minutes, shooting 12-for-19, scoring 34 points, grabbing 24 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and shooting 10-for-14 from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Parker, the German speedster, also performed exceptionally well. He played 37 minutes, shooting 13-for-23, scoring 29 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists, and making 1 of 4 three-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws.
In contrast, the Clippers' scoring was rather disappointing, with Elton Brand, Odom, and Corey Maggette all scoring less than 15 points.
Li Chen set a new Playoffs low, playing 47 minutes, shooting 7-for-19, scoring 19 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, shooting 3-for-7 from three-point range, and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line.
On May 25, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the New Jersey Nets defeated the Pistons 102-82, sweeping the Pistons 4-0.
May 26th, Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Staples Center, which can hold 20,000 people, was packed to capacity.
The Los Angeles Lakers' unexpected defeat has made fans even more hopeful for the Clippers.
Meanwhile, Kobe glanced at the time, hesitated for a moment, and finally silently turned on the TV.
But he was a little frustrated. Li Chen was his underling, someone he used to beat up every day, but now? He had actually made it to the Western Conference Finals, which he couldn't accept.
He kept asking himself, why did this team make it to the Western Conference Finals, while the Lakers' legendary OK Combination was eliminated?
Kobe couldn't quite understand this, so he fell into deep thought.
A dozen minutes later, he seemed to have figured something out: the reason why Li Chen was still able to succeed, even though he was not as good as him, was that the Clippers were Li Chen team, while the Lakers were not.
Yes, that must be it. A team only needs one core player; there's no need for two. The Clippers are a perfect example.
Next season, we must get rid of O'Neal and make the Lakers our own team. Then, we'll definitely win the championship.
Good heavens! Another pot flew down from the sky and hit Li Chen on the head again. Li Chen protested that he was innocent and wouldn't accept this blame.