Chương 405: Chapter 405: Westbrook's Lone Struggle
The playoffs were in full swing...
Two teams had already advanced to the second round of the playoffs, the Suns from the West and the Heat from the East. These were the least suspenseful series in the playoffs.
The Suns swept the Mavericks 4-0.
The Heat swept the Cavaliers 4-0.
After returning to Phoenix, the Suns began preparing for the second round of the playoffs.
Sarver was both happy and pained. He was happy because, in the last two years, the team's value had skyrocketed due to Wade Dong. However, he was also in pain because, if they kept sweeping their opponents, they would sell fewer tickets.
...
Twelve teams were still in the competition:
Lakers 3:1 Thunder
Spurs 2:2 Grizzlies
Trail Blazers 3:1 Warriors
Pacers 3:1 Hornets
Bulls 2:2 Nets
Raptors 2:2 Wizards
The winner between the Trail Blazers and the Warriors would face the Suns in the second round of the playoffs. The Suns were waiting for them at the US Airways Center.
In the early regular season, the Warriors were on a roll, even surpassing the Lakers to rank second in the West. However, by mid-season, the team was plagued by injuries. David Lee's return from injury didn't help, and his performance continued to decline. But the Warriors' biggest problem wasn't David Lee's injury; it was Bynum.
After breaking free from Wade Dong's control, Bynum became increasingly unruly.
Especially in the early season, Bynum had six consecutive games with 20+10 stats, earning him the Western Conference Player of the Week award. This made Bynum feel like he was on top of the world, and then his mind went blank... He started playing erratically.
Bynum had great talent, but his body was fragile, often getting injured during games. And when he was injured, instead of resting properly, he would spend his time styling his hair, which was even exposed by the media. During his recovery, he would play sexual games with young models.
He enjoyed the 'whip' very much.
The Warriors' team manager contacted Tian Zhen, seeking a trade to send Bynum back to the Suns.
His reasons were compelling. Head coach Jackson and star player Huang Yu couldn't control Bynum. If this continued, Bynum would be ruined. It would be better to let him return to Wade Dong, who could watch over him and help him play well.
The Warriors' team manager wasn't asking for much. He didn't want Curry back; Thompson and Whiteside would be enough...
Tian Zhen's response to this trade request was polite but firm: No!
...
Three days later, a few more teams finished their first-round matches.
The Thunder's Westbrook struggled alone and was eliminated by the Lakers 4-1.
In the first round, Westbrook had four triple-doubles, averaging 35.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 10.9 assists. Unfortunately, he still lost to the Lakers, who had Kobe, Harden, Howard, and Gasol.
After the game, Kobe said that Westbrook was the most like him in the league.
With an average of nearly 35+12+12, Westbrook was the only active player in the league, besides Wade Dong, who could achieve this.
Kobe, who was usually arrogant, rarely used excessive praise for a player. But his statement that Westbrook was the most like him in the league showed his high regard for Westbrook.
There was also an interesting aspect to this.
Because both Wade Dong and Westbrook averaged triple-doubles for the season, Robertson's historical status declined.
Robertson's most dazzling achievement wasn't his 1 MVP, 9 All-NBA First Team selections, 6 assists titles, or 12 All-Star appearances. It was his 1961-62 season, where he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists, achieving a triple-double average. In the past, when ranking the top 10 players in history, Robertson always had a place.
However, this season, both Wade Dong and Westbrook averaged triple-doubles, making it seem like achieving a triple-double average wasn't that difficult. Moreover, Wade Dong's 37.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 13.7 assists seemed even more impressive than Robertson's stats.
Robertson was also a victim of this.
Besides the Lakers...
The Trail Blazers also eliminated the Warriors 4-1 and would face the league-leading Suns in the second round of the playoffs.
"Dong, you have to avenge Huang Yu!"
This was the request of all Chinese fans, who actually wanted to see a Chinese derby in the playoffs.
Huang Yu led the Warriors to take on the Suns, with Wade Dong at their core.
Although this scene had already occurred in last year's playoffs, Huang Yu was still very inexperienced at that time. This season, Huang Yu had already proven himself, and this confrontation would be very exciting.
Unfortunately, Lillard didn't understand the sentiment.
Basketball games don't always go as fans expect, and in the end, the Suns faced the Trail Blazers.
...
In the East, two teams also finished their first-round playoff games.
The Pacers eliminated the Hornets 4-1.
The Hornets played well in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs, losing 4-1 to the Pacers. After the game, owner Jordan was very unhappy. He told the media, "I can't play the ball now, I can only watch them lose and be eliminated."
While owner Jordan was unhappy, owner Guo was very happy.
The Nets, ranked sixth in the East, were leading the Bulls 3-2 under coach Kidd and were about to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
...
May 3rd, cloudy with sunny intervals.
After defeating the Warriors, the Trail Blazers flew to Phoenix after a short rest to prepare for their away game against the league-leading Suns.
The Warriors' loss to the Trail Blazers was normal.
In the middle of the season, the Trail Blazers traded for Gortat and Frye from the Suns, significantly improving their team. The Trail Blazers had found a treasure.
Stotts even regretted that the trade had come too late. If it had been completed earlier, the Trail Blazers might have surpassed the Spurs and the Lakers to rank second in the West.
The night before the game.
After arriving in Phoenix, Gortat and Frye went out for a late-night snack.
During the snack, Gortat reminisced about his time with the Suns. If he were still with the Suns, they wouldn't have needed five games to win the first round; four would have been enough.
Although the two were full of fighting spirit, they knew in their hearts that their playoff journey would end here.
If they had won three more games in the regular season and ranked third in the West, they might have had a chance against the Lakers. But there were no 'ifs' in the league, and they faced the Suns in the second round.
Only those who had played for the Suns knew how terrifying they were!
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