Chapter 213 All-NBA First Team + Eastern Conference Finals
The game starts at half past eight.

In the first quarter, Kobe made 5 of 1 shots and 6 of 4 free throws, scoring 7 points, but the Lakers fell behind by 6 points.

Although Duncan only made 4 of 1 shots, the others played well, so he had a smile on his face when he left the court.

On the Lakers side, Kobe had no communication with O'Neal, nor did he talk to anyone else, including Phil Jackson.

At such a critical moment, he made a trip to Eagle County. In fact, the team had a lot of opinions about him, which had already hit the morale of the Lakers.

"See, I said the Lakers are bound to lose," said He Zhongqiu.

"Zhongqiu, do you want to play against the Lakers or the Spurs?" Zhang Heli asked.

He Zhongqiu thought for a while and said, "I don't really care. O'Neal and Duncan are both very good, but I'm also quite strong now. Even if they can defend me for one or two games, they can't defend me for the entire series.

Comparing the lineup, we are not bad. Our lineup is stronger than the Lakers and not worse than the Spurs. To be honest, we should not be afraid of any team. "

"You're right, the Knicks are the top-ranked team this season." Yang Jian said excitedly.

"Is your injury okay?" Zhang Heli asked.

He Zhongqiu said: "It's OK. Mutombo has been using it sparingly. Alan Houston has reduced his training volume recently. Although his knees have problems from time to time, it's not a big problem yet."

At this time in the second quarter, Kobe took more shots than in the first quarter and his touch began to improve. He made 7 of 4 shots and 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 11 points and 18 points in the first half.

The score between the two teams was 53:43, with the Lakers trailing by 10 points at home.

During the halftime break, the Staples Center was noticeably quiet, with fans' eyes occasionally directed to the Lakers' empty bench.

Soon after, the third quarter began.

Kobe made 5 of 4 shots and 2 of 1 free throws, scoring 9 points and 27 points in three quarters, leading the Lakers to 31 points in a single quarter.

The Spurs' performance in this quarter was far worse than in the first half, and they only scored 16 points.

After three quarters, the Lakers led by 69 points, 74:5.

The atmosphere at the Staples Center also changed, the home fans became more active, and the cheerleaders began to dance happily.

"Is this guy going to turn around?" He Zhongqiu said in surprise.

Zhang Heli seemed a little excited and said: "Kobe is the second Jordan. He is really strong! Especially his mental quality and willpower are very strong. Nothing can defeat him."

After the start of the fourth quarter, Kobe began a crazy personal offense, making 10 of 6 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 15 points in a single quarter and leading the team to win the Spurs.

全场打了45分钟，轰下42分6篮板5助攻3抢断1盖帽，命中率高达55.6%，三分球4投2中。

"He really turned it around."

He Zhongqiu scratched his head and said with emotion: "These guards can easily score 40+. I have worked hard for two seasons and have not scored many 40+."

Zhang Heli laughed and said, "Kobe is just that strong."

He Zhongqiu chuckled and said, "Strong? Then let's fight the Lakers in the finals and see how strong they are."

In another set of games, the Pistons lost and tied with the Pacers.

The next day, the Knicks defeated the Nets at Madison Square Garden and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a score of 4-1.

This is also the second time in a row that He Zhongqiu has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in his career.

In another group, the Timberwolves defeated the Kings and got the match point.

On the 11th, the Pistons defeated the Pacers and got the match point.

The Lakers also beat the Spurs by one point. Fisher made the most brilliant shot of his career in the last 0.4 seconds, defeating the Spurs and helping the Lakers get the match point.

After losing Game 5, the Pacers collapsed completely, and the Spurs also collapsed a little.

When the game ended, the grief-stricken Duncan punched the floor. Although he was as strong as a stone Buddha, he was a little mentally broken at this time.

They were clearly leading 2-0, but suddenly lost three games in a row, allowing the Lakers to get the match point. Why was his road to defending the title so difficult?

On the 12th, the Timberwolves were defeated by the Kings, and the two sides tied -.

On the 13th, the Pistons defeated the Pacers and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a score of to .

On the same night, the Lakers continued their efforts, eliminated the defending champion Spurs at home, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

On the 14th, the Timberwolves defeated the Kings in a home game seven and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

From then on, the matchups between the Eastern Conference Finals and the Western Conference Finals were revealed.

Eastern Conference Finals, Knicks vs. Pistons.

Western Conference Finals, Timberwolves vs. Lakers.

The Western Conference Finals will start on the 17th, and the Eastern Conference Finals on the 18th. The former team has the home advantage, and the home and away format is .

The media and some stars immediately began analyzing and predicting the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals.

Barkley said in an interview with the media: "Although the Timberwolves' regular season record is better than the Lakers, they only have two more wins. In terms of lineup comparison and playoff performance, they are not as good as the Lakers.

In this Western Conference Finals, I think the Timberwolves have a 40% chance of advancing, and the Lakers have a 60% chance of advancing. "

"Charles, what about the Eastern Conference Finals?" the reporter asked.

Barkley said: "The Knicks are now both offensive and defensive, and the Pistons are a pure defensive team, and they both have their own strengths and weaknesses.

If the Knicks want to win, they must rely on offense. The offense of Wolverine and Nash must be opened up, and then defense must be used to limit the Pistons' offense.

If the Pistons want to win, according to Larry Brown's style, they can only rely on defense, lock down Nash, cut off the connection between Nash and the Wolverines, and especially limit Nash's breakthrough with the ball. "

"So Charles, who do you think is better?" the reporter asked.

Barkley said: "It's 50-50. Nash is really in trouble. After the Pistons added Rasheed Wallace, their defense has become much stronger. Once Nash can't get in, Wolverine can't handle the Pistons' five tigers just by lobbing the ball to them."

On the 15th, Blade 3 was released worldwide, including in China.

The domestic box office was 1.05 million yuan and the global box office was 3.11 million US dollars.

He Zhongqiu surpassed Li Lianjie to become the actor with the highest global box office for a single movie from mainland China.

In the whole of China, only Rush Hour 2 had a higher box office than Blade 3.

But Blade 3 cannot be considered his movie. Even if the box office was supported by him, he was just a supporting role, not the protagonist.

"$3.11 million, bro, when can we make a movie like this, we'll be rich."

Huaxia, Yanjing, Huayi Film Company, staring at the notebook in front of him, Mr. Wang said with envy on his face.

"Brother, your vision is too low. If we can have a movie like this, the company can be directly listed on the stock market. It will be more than just a fortune. It will be a huge fortune."

Da Wang's face was also full of envy. He shook his head and sighed, "Last time I asked Huang Xiaoming to look for Yang Xue, but there was no follow-up. This kid is very cunning. I wasted an opportunity."

"Find an opportunity to let Fan Bing meet Wolverine in the future. He will come back eventually," said Mr. Wang.

The king nodded thoughtfully and said, "It is said that Wolverine plays a lot abroad, but he is very decent in China. I wonder if it is true or not?"

"Is there any cat that doesn't like fish? I don't believe that Yang Xue and Liu Yifei don't have an affair with him." Xiao Wang said with disdain.

At this point, he asked in confusion: "Brother, tell me, how did his movie sell $300 million at the box office?

I watched it, too, and the quality is just so-so. Compared to Hollywood blockbusters, the special effects are really not that good.”

"Why? Because of his kung fu and his fighting skills."

The king said: "His kung fu is different from that of Li Lianjie, the Dragon Rider, and his fighting style is also different.

With his physique, strength and explosiveness, I estimate that if it weren't pirated in China, the box office would have exceeded that of Hero.

You watched the All-Stars show, too. Can you find another person in the world who can perform hidden weapon skills like him? That's real kung fu. Li Lianjie and Chenglong's skills are just tricks.

I guess his new movie will definitely have hidden weapon Kung Fu, and All-Star is just a warm-up, just like last year's All-Star's bare-handed wardrobe ripping. "

"Wolverine starred in the China Film Investment Myth, and several big Hollywood companies also invested in it. Brother, should we also make a movie and invite him to star in it?" Xiao Wang said.

The King sighed, “Brother, Mythology is now a $3500 million investment, can you afford Wolverine for such a small production?
How can the company have any extra cash now? We spent all of it on Tian Xia Wu Zhi. Our costs are still too low. It would be great if we could go public one day. Besides, he is from Beijing Film Academy and Beijing Film Circle. Even if we have money, we may not be able to hire him. "

Xiao Wang was furious and said angrily: "Then ban Liu Yifei and Yang Xue."

Hearing what his younger brother said, the king was a little annoyed.

When Liu Yifei was originally selected for The Return of the Condor Heroes, the executives of the investor Dongfang Ciwen did not agree, thinking that she was too young and not suitable to play Yang Guo's aunt.

He wanted to sign Liu Yifei, so he made efforts behind the scenes, and finally Liu Yifei was selected. However, Liu Yifei refused the contract with Huayi, which made him do a losing deal.

He also heard that Tangren also wanted to sign Liu Yifei, but Liu Yifei was dragging his feet and filming "Legend of Sword and Fairy". He was afraid that he would reject Tangren after the filming was completed.

It's funny to think that a small actor dared to make fun of two top domestic film and television companies like this. He really doesn't know how to live or die.

"You can ban Liu Yifei, but forget about Yang Xue. It's not good to directly anger Wolverine."

He thought for a moment and said, "Yang Xue and Wolverine have the closest relationship. I think Liu Yifei's relationship with him is just average. Wolverine is just playing with her at most."

Xiao Wang said unconvincedly: "Brother, capital is king, we have the channels and resources, so we have the final say.

Wolverine is just an actor and basketball player who lives abroad. He has no resources in China. Even if we ban Yang Xue, what can he do?"

The king insisted, "Banned Liu Yifei first, and then Yang Xue will see the situation. If Wolverine doesn't react, then ban Yang Xue next."

"That's good too. You are the one who does things steadily." Xiao Wang praised.

The king sneered and said, "Don't think that Blade 3 has made million US dollars at the box office. It is very prosperous now, but my brother, look at Cheng Long and Li Lianjie. Once the box office fails, they have to go back to China to make Chinese films.

So, in this world, nothing lasts forever, and nothing lasts forever. If Wolverine fails at the Hollywood box office one day, he will have to roll back to China, and we will slowly control him then."

"Brother, you are so tall!" Xiao Wang praised excitedly.

……

On the 16th, Ross Lewis came to He Zhongqiu's villa.

Lewis is the chief producer of Iron Eagle King, and this time he is here to pave the way for the crew.

"Boss, the filming period for Iron Eagle King is scheduled for June, July, August, and September. It is expected to be released during the summer of next year, a one-year cycle."

"Boss, your filming schedule is two months, scheduled for July and September. You will have a half-month break after the finals, and August will be free for the Olympics."

He Zhongqiu thought about it and realized that the Olympics would open on the 13th and end at the end of the month, so there shouldn't be any problem reporting to the national team at the beginning of the month.

"OK."

Time was a little rushed, but he couldn't spare more time.

“In addition, important sets need to be built before June, including the martial arts hall in Chinatown, which has already begun.”

He Zhongqiu asked, "When will the crew come over?"

刘易斯说道：“波士，是22号。开机仪式定在5月31号，6月1号正式开拍。”

After the two of them finished talking, He Zhongqiu called Xia Song, told him the time to report to the national team, and asked him to notify the national team.

Xia Song will not return to China for the time being. If the Knicks can make it to the finals, he will definitely watch the finals before going back.

He said: "It's the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Olympics, so the reporting time is indeed a little late, but you really don't have more time.

Don't worry, I will communicate with the higher-ups, and they should also take your actual problem into consideration."

He Zhongqiu heard something from Xia Song's words, that his superiors might not be happy about his postponement of reporting time.

He could understand it, because they only reported half a month in advance, and the men's basketball team had already passed the joint training time and started the warm-up games.

Xia Song told him that the men's basketball team had assembled at the end of March, and after two months of training, they would start playing warm-up games this month.

He asked, "Brother Xia, what is our men's basketball team's best Olympic performance?"

"Eighth place in the 96 Atlanta Olympics." Xia Song said.

"Eighth? Then we must at least break this record this time," he said.

"Zhongqiu, since you said this, I will be easier to talk to when I go back." Xia Song said with a smile.

……

May 5th is the Western Conference Finals Game 17 game day.

At ten o'clock that morning, the league announced the best defensive team and the best team.

He Zhongqiu also hopes to be selected for the defensive team. If he can't make it into the first team, he still has hope for the second team.

But unfortunately, in the second team that was announced first, the center position was occupied by shot-blocking champion Theo Ratliff, so he was not included.

The next defensive lineup had Ben Wallace as the center.

It doesn't matter. His current defensive level is not good enough, especially his assist and backup defense abilities.

The next best lineup will be announced with the third team being the first.

When he saw Ben Wallace's name, he smiled and knew that his place in the second team was definitely secured.

But he was on the second team last year, and now he has won the MVP. If he is not on the first team, there must be something behind it.

In the next second team, O'Neal's name appeared, which made him feel relieved that his first team was secure.

Sure enough, his name appeared in the subsequent best team.

The best team is also a very important hard honor, second only to the championship, FMVP and MVP, and is at the same level as the scoring champion.

In the evening, the Timberwolves, playing at home, lost to the Lakers 97:88 and lost Game 1.

Among the Timberwolves' three-headed monster, Madman scored 22 points, but Garnett and Cassell only scored 16 points each, losing to the Lakers' Big Four.

O'Neal and Kobe scored 27 points and 23 points respectively, the Mailman scored 17 points, and Payton scored 7 points.

On the 18th, the Eastern Conference Finals kicked off.

In the evening, before it gets dark, Madison Square Garden is already brightly lit, with stars and celebrities arriving one after another.

Unlike in the past, Hollywood stars are more keen to visit the Knicks' locker room, under the euphemism of visiting the set.

At eight o'clock, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Detroit Pistons: Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Prince, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups
Knicks: Mutombo, He Zhongqiu, Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Nash
CCTV's live broadcast booth was right there, next to ABC's live broadcast booth. Zhang Heli said: "The Knicks' defensive tactics against the Nets were very bold, which was to defend against other players and let Kidd beat Nash, which was very effective.

When playing against the Pistons, the Pistons' offense doesn't have to worry about them because they don't have a superstar with enough deterrence to lead the team.

That is to say, the Knicks don’t have the pressure of double-teaming on the defensive end. They can just play man-to-man defense. They don’t need to play zone defense. Just appropriate help defense will be enough.”

Xu Jicheng continued, "Coach Zhang, the Pistons may use Rasheed Wallace to defend Zhongqiu on the defensive end."

"Well, it's possible."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Ben Wallace is too short and not as mobile as Zhongqiu. He definitely can't defend against Zhongqiu, otherwise we wouldn't have lost last year.

The Pistons are very strong on defense right now. Their strength lies in their strong perimeter defense, and the same is true for the interior, with no defensive loopholes. "

Yang Jian said: "Yes, the two Wallaces' defensive abilities are both first-rate or even top-notch. If they join forces, I'm afraid they can limit Zhongqiu's performance in the low post."

Xu Jicheng said: "There is another one. In the first two games of the regular season, the Pistons double-teamed Nash but not Zhongqiu. The Pistons won both games. We should also be careful of this move."

Zhang Heli said: "We have to be careful, but in those two games, we only restricted Nash to a certain extent through double-teaming. No matter how strong the Pistons' defense is, they can't really lock down Nash.

Moreover, at that time, Zhongqiu had no mid-range shot and could not pull it out. The two Wallaces were concentrated in the restricted area, so Nash's breakthrough was restricted.

Now that Mid-Autumn can be pulled out, the Pistons' defense in the restricted area will be weakened, which will be beneficial for Nash's dribbling breakthrough. "

Xu Jicheng said: "The mid-range jumper during the Mid-Autumn Festival has never been used much, maybe the Pistons don't know about it."

"Yeah, that's really possible." Zhang Heli nodded and smiled.

(End of this chapter)