章 137: Wang Chong was selected to the All-NBA Second Team, while James was pushed down to the Third Team.
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After the Mavericks returned to their home court, they showed incredible resilience. In a do-or-die situation, they managed to win Game 5 with a score of 103-100, closing the series gap to 3-2. But that was as far as they could go.
The Lakers did not give the Mavericks a chance to tie the series or force a Game 7. After all, playing a Game 7 in Dallas would be a huge disadvantage for the Lakers.
In Game 6, Wang Chong and Kobe scored 29 and 33 points respectively, leading the Lakers to a 101-94 victory and closing out the series 4-2.
The fifth-seeded Lakers defeated the fourth-seeded Mavericks 4-2, completing a comeback, but this outcome was not a major surprise.
At the start of the season, the Lakers had a far superior record compared to the Mavericks. Even when Kobe was injured in January and missed a month, the Lakers still maintained a better record. The conflict between Kobe and Wang Chong post-All-Star break led to the Lakers' dip, allowing the Mavericks to close the gap.
Even then, the Mavericks finished just one game ahead of the Lakers in the regular season, so it wasn't much of an advantage.
Once the issues between Kobe and Wang Chong were resolved, the Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki alone, could not compete with the Lakers.
Other Mavericks players like Michael Finley and Jason Terry were strong but not core stars, at least not at this stage.
With this, the Mavericks' playoff run ended, and the Lakers advanced to the second round, where they would face the Suns, who had swept the Denver Nuggets 4-0.
The gap between the Suns and Nuggets, as the first and eighth seeds, was much larger than between the Lakers and Mavericks.
For Carmelo Anthony, this was his second trip to the playoffs, but like last season, he gained little experience.
Even against the Suns, the team with the league's best offense and worst defense, Anthony struggled, averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 42.2% shooting, largely due to being matched up with Shawn Marion.
Still, Anthony could at least say he made it to the playoffs, unlike some players who had already started their offseason early.
James: "Why don't you just tell everyone my jersey number while you're at it!"
So, despite the sweep, Anthony was calm in his post-game interviews, confidently promising to come back stronger next season.
Anthony had reason for optimism. Barring anything unexpected, his third season (the 2005-06 season) would be a breakout year, with averages of 26.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, placing him in the top ten players in the league. The Nuggets would finish third in the Western Conference, though their record would trail teams like the fourth-seeded Mavericks and fifth-seeded Grizzlies.
The second-round matchups in the Western Conference were set: Suns vs. Lakers and Spurs vs. SuperSonics.
The Spurs had eliminated the Kings 4-1 in the first round, while the Sonics had encountered trouble facing the Rockets.
The Yao-McGrady duo proved formidable, with McGrady averaging over 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, and Yao contributing a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.
But they ran into Ray Allen.
In this series, Allen averaged 32.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, hitting nearly four three-pointers per game at a 45.2% clip. His offensive performance outshined McGrady, a two-time scoring champion.
While the Yao-McGrady duo was strong, the rest of the Rockets couldn't match the overall depth of the Sonics. After seven hard-fought games, the Sonics narrowly defeated the Rockets 4-3, advancing to the second round.
This seven-game series between Houston and Seattle was the most exciting of the first round, with the scoring duel between Allen and McGrady taking center stage.
Fans had long wanted to see a duel between two top guards like Allen Iverson and Kobe, but since the Lakers and 76ers faced off in the 2000-01 Finals, they hadn't met in the playoffs.
In the East, the results went as expected.
The Heat swept the Nets 4-0 and would face the Wizards in the second round, who had defeated the Bulls 4-2.
The Pistons eliminated the 76ers 4-1, despite Iverson averaging 31.2 points and 10 assists per game. The 76ers, however, were a team on the decline.
The Pistons would meet the Pacers, who had overcome the Celtics 4-3 in their first-round matchup.
With all four second-round matchups set, the league began announcing its season awards.
The All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams were the first to be revealed.
The All-NBA First Team included: Steve Nash of the Suns, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks, Tim Duncan of the Spurs, and Shaquille O'Neal of the Heat.
These five were selected based on their impeccable stats and strong team records of at least 55 wins.
The most controversial selection was Kobe. While his averages of 28 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists were impressive, he missed over ten games due to injury. The Lakers' 55-win record had a lot to do with Wang Chong leading the team during Kobe's absence.
Still, Kobe remained the best shooting guard in the league, surpassing both Wade and Iverson.
The All-NBA Second Team was more interesting.
Amar'e Stoudemire of the Suns secured a spot with his 26-point, 8.9-rebound averages, and Kevin Garnett earned a place despite the Timberwolves missing the playoffs, thanks to his all-around game.
Iverson, unable to beat out Kobe, was selected to the Second Team alongside Wade of the Heat and Wang Chong of the Lakers.
Having two players from the 2003 draft class, Wade and Wang Chong, make the Second Team was both unexpected and understandable.
Wang Chong's averages of 28.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists could have made a case for the First Team, but Kobe's presence on the same squad pushed him to the Second Team.
LeBron James, meanwhile, dropped to the Third Team. Despite his standout stats, his team's record paled in comparison to Wang Chong's Lakers and Wade's Heat. He joined players like Gilbert Arenas, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, and Ben Wallace on the Third Team.
As the top pick in the 2003 draft, James now found himself trailing not just Wang Chong but Wade as well. It was frustrating for him.
Even more so, both Wang Chong and Wade had advanced to the second round, while James was left to start his offseason early. This sense of falling behind drove him to make demands of his team's management.
"We need to bring in strong players this offseason. I can't stand missing the playoffs anymore!" James said.
Wang Chong, meanwhile, expected his selection to the All-NBA Team, but was slightly surprised to edge out James for the Second Team spot. He thought the league would promote both James and Wade alongside him in the Second Team, relegating Garnett to the Third Team.
However, these honors are more about influence and historical standing than practical value.
For Wang Chong, honors like the All-NBA Team hold far less importance compared to major awards like MVP, championships, or Finals MVPs.
More valuable than these accolades, in Wang Chong's view, were the system's rewards—such as the 1,000 points and bronze badge he received after defeating the Mavericks in the first round.
But the system hadn't issued the full reward yet, as the task series wasn't over. If the Lakers could beat the Suns in the second round, the reward would upgrade to 2,000 points and a silver badge.
But that would require beating the Suns, a much stronger team than the Mavericks.
In a regular season without Wang Chong, the Suns would have had a 62-20 record, placing three players on the All-NBA Teams: Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion.
The Lakers' only chance lay in deploying their small-ball lineup, which had worked against the Suns in the regular season.
But even that lineup could only level the playing field, pitting both teams in a contest of firepower.
May 9, American Airlines Center, Phoenix.
Game 1 of the second round.
Chinese fans eagerly gathered in front of their TVs, ready for the game to begin.
With Yao Ming's Rockets eliminated, they shifted their support to Wang Chong's Lakers.
If the Lakers could win another championship this season, it would mark a two-peat!
On the court, both teams were warming up, and the starting lineups were displayed on the screen.
The Suns' starters were Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
The Lakers' starting lineup featured Chucky Atkins, Kobe Bryant, Caron Butler, Wang Chong, and Lamar Odom.
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni raised his eyebrows upon seeing the Lakers' small-ball lineup.
Though he had anticipated it, he couldn't help but admire Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
"This is the playoffs, not the regular season where you can test lineups freely," D'Antoni thought. "But Jackson is full of courage."
This small-ball lineup had only worked against teams like the Suns and Heat. Against bigger teams like the Rockets and Spurs, the Lakers would be at a significant disadvantage.
However, Jackson had no better options.
End of this chapter
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