Chapter 679

After the Pacers passed the first round easily, the next thing to do is to wait for the next opponent.

The next round of opponents will be between the Bulls and the Raptors, and judging from the trend of the series, the situation has gradually become clear.

In the fourth game between the two sides, the Bulls defeated the Raptors in Toronto. The series took a 3:1 lead and got the match point.

The Raptors really can't afford it. The regular season is booming, and they are caught blind when it comes to the playoffs.

The Bulls finally ushered in the return of Rose this year. Although he was still affected by injuries, Rose still played an excellent performance.

The Bulls have Rose and Butler outside, and Paul Gasol and Noah inside. Gasol was also selected as an All-Star this year.

The Pacers suffered losses against the Bulls in the regular season, so the semi-finals will definitely not be as easy as the first round for the Pacers.

Both sides are defense-oriented teams, and it is almost predictable that the two sides will be beaten to death.

On April 27, just over an hour after the end of the fourth game between the Pacers and the Celtics, the fifth game between the Bulls and the Raptors also came to an end.

The Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 95:90 at home by 5 points and advanced to the next round with a big score of 4:1.

The first match between the two sides is scheduled for May 3.

...

Several other series have also come to fruition.

In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards 4-0 very easily.

The strength of the Wizards is actually not bad. Backcourt Wallga Beal, center Gortat, power forward Nene, plus Paul Pierce, should be said to be a very strong lineup.

However, when they met the Cleveland Cavaliers, the forward line composed of James and George was simply not something Pierce and Bill could match.

Even if Pierce faced off against James at the last moment in the third game, he was still not James' opponent.

They suffered a game-winning jumper from James at home -- another injury from the man.

It doesn't matter, someone will help you hurt and come back.

The Cavaliers' opponent in the second round is the Eagles.

The Eagles, who were still advancing in the regular season, struggled against the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

They lost all of their two away games in Milwaukee. The battle of Kings Mountain and the Bucks took overtime to decide the winner, and then won the sixth game to advance.

Judging from the performance in the first round, the Eagles faced the Cavaliers, which was more or less ominous.

On the other hand, in the West, the Pelicans and the Warriors are playing vigorously. Many people still hope that the Pelicans will be black.

Facts have proved that the black eight is really not that easy. The Warriors easily took away the Pelicans 4:0 and advanced to the semifinals.

Their opponent in the semifinals will be the Memphis Grizzlies.

After the Grizzlies took a 3:0 lead, the Blazers finally rose at home in the fourth game and won a game.

Otherwise, they will encounter the dilemma of being swept in the playoffs for two consecutive years.

After returning to Memphis, the Grizzlies still sent the Blazers home with a tough defense, anyway, it was an extra ticket.

And the Clippers, they won two consecutive cities in Dallas, and then returned to Los Angeles to end the series.

4:1, the defending champion took a solid but useless step on the road to defending the title.

Without Li Liang, the Clippers' defending journey this year is really not optimistic.

As for the Rockets and Spurs, the Rockets retreated in San Antonio, won the game in Game 4, tied the score, and regained home court advantage.

As a result, in the crucial Tianwangshan battle, James Harden lost the chain and made consecutive mistakes at critical moments in the fourth quarter, causing them to lose the victory at home when they were leading the game.

Then in the sixth game, the Rockets, which had lost their momentum, slumped and lost to the Spurs in the away game, and were eliminated with a total score of 2:4.

This is the third straight year they have been eliminated in the first round.

The Houstonians once again entered the vicious circle that failed in the first round.

After entering the 21st century, the Rockets have only broken through the first round of the playoffs once, and they are the worst performers among all Western Conference teams-even worse than the Timberwolves, who have made it to the Western Conference Finals.

Therefore, the Spurs and Clippers met again in the playoffs this season.

Compared with last season, the Spurs have not changed much in the lineup.

It's just that Duncan is a little older, but Leonard has grown more.

As for the Clippers, needless to say, morale is still there, strength is declining, and it is not yet known who will win.

...

Li Liang and his teammates returned to Indiana for a few days to recuperate.

During this period of time, Li Liang still participated in team training normally, preparing for the semi-finals.

Because he was pinched by Olynyk in the first round of his arm, he returned to Indiana for another comprehensive inspection.

The results of the examination shocked the Pacers team doctor, "Your body is too healthy, isn't it?"

That's right, because Li Liang is protected by various props, his body is quite healthy.

Not only healthy physically, but also mentally.

No bad habits, optimistic, happy every day.

Of course, if there's anything wrong with him, it's that he's always trying to make people unhappy.

Frustrated in Boston, he decided to find ways to get it back in Chicago.

Generally speaking, the basketball enthusiasm of Chicago people is still very high.

Not only because there have been basketball gods here, Chicago has long been the basketball center of the central United States.

There have been many great basketball stars. At the same time, the street basketball atmosphere here is very strong, and it is known for its tough and fierce style.

This is very similar to the defensive style of the Chicago Bulls.

Therefore, every time he went to Chicago to compete, Li Liang still gained quite a lot of anger points.

It's Raging Bull after all.

Of course, before going to Chicago to meet the wrath of the Bulls, the Pacers must first meet the Bulls at home.

On the night of May 3, the Chicago Bulls came to defend Indiana, and the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals started.

What everyone didn't expect was that the Pacers stumbled at home.

The Bulls are obviously very, very well prepared for the game.

Tom Hibbert did not make the same mistake as Stevens did in the last round, and was led by the nose by Li Liang.

He unswervingly chose the "mainly me" game strategy. I don't want to choke Bruce Lee, but I want to choke the entire Pacers.

The two sides dedicated a high-intensity defensive battle.

The Pacers went above and beyond in this game, including Li Liang himself, who also made 2 of 7 three-pointers, creating his worst three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs.

The entire Conseco Arena was built by Thibodeau and the Bulls into a blacksmith shop and a meat grinder.

At the last moment, the Bulls relied on Rose and Butler's strong breakthrough to break into the Pacers' inside line.

This game made the Pacers realize that although they added Kevin Garnett, the hardness of the interior is still not enough.

In the last few offenses of the fourth quarter, the Bulls took away 4 offensive rebounds, which led to wasted time.

At 92:97, the Pacers lost their first game to the Chicago Bulls.

As a defensive team, the Pacers have once again exposed their offensive instability.

Li Liang scored 31 points, still the highest in the game.

But no one else scored more than 20 points. The second highest score was Granger's 15 points.

Smith and Stephenson once again incarnated double irons in the backcourt.

Once the two of them can't open up on offense, they may show off on the defensive end, and they will have to keep wiping their butts on the inside.

McGee has been played by Paul Gasol in various ways.

McGee was able to bully the Celtics in the first round, but in the semi-finals, he was a bit difficult to use when he encountered technical problems.

The Bulls gave the Pacers a big blow.

The Pacers must make adjustments and changes.