Chapter 413 Playoffs

"Distinguished guest?"

Kobe and Vanessa were startled. When they looked back, they saw a motorcade approaching not far away, including a super luxurious extended Cadillac RV.

Behind this motorcade, there were a large number of vehicles following. Some reporters with cameras and video cameras stretched out their upper bodies from the car windows and kept taking pictures of the motorcade in front of them.

The motorcade stopped outside the church, and a large number of security personnel and other staff quickly got off the other cars, and then Zhao Dong got out of the Cadillac RV.

Then a large number of reporters rushed out of the vehicles behind. They had followed from the airport and did not know that Kobe was getting married today.

When these reporters saw Kobe and Vanessa, they immediately understood that Kobe was getting married today, and that Zhao Dong and Mrs. Lindsay were here to attend Kobe's wedding.

"Flying dragon?"

When Kobe saw it, he was overjoyed.

Finally, his only invited guest appeared, and at this moment he felt like tears were filling his eyes.

"Ko, Kobe, look, Lin, Mrs. Lindsay?"

At this time, Vanessa's trembling voice sounded next to her.

When Kobe took a look, it was true that not only Mrs. Lindsay appeared in his sight, but also four little guys being held by the nanny. Are they the legendary four quadruplets of the Zhao family who were born with golden keys in their mouths?

The appearance of Zhao Dong's family was really a huge surprise for the two Kobe Bryants.

"Kobe, you didn't wait for me?"

Zhao Dong saw the two Kobe Bryants standing in front of the pastor and didn't understand.

He consciously ignored the fact that he was late. The wedding started at twelve o'clock, and it was now half past twelve. Kobe actually waited for him for half an hour.

There was no way, the four sons were too naughty and wasted a little time at home in the morning.

"Feilong, thank you so much!" Kobe said excitedly.

"introduce."

After Zhao Dong waited for Lindsay to come over, he introduced her formally, and then switched to Kobe to introduce Vanessa.

After getting to know each other, Zhao Dong gave a prepared gift to Kobe and Vanessa.

He solemnly said: "This is a pomegranate made of gold and jade carvings, which symbolizes a house full of gold and jade, hundreds of descendants, yin and yang combined, complete perfection.

Aiweier and I wish you to grow old together and never be separated. "

"Bless you, may you be happy, and never betray each other for life..." Then Lindsay smiled and sent her own blessing.

"thanks, thanks……"

Kobe and Vanessa really had tears in their eyes at this moment. Apart from Vanessa's relatives and pastor, this was the only blessing they received today.

Moreover, the people who sent blessings were Zhao Dong and Mrs. Lindsay, who had very high social status. With such blessings on their wedding, such guests were no longer so shabby.

"Kacha kacha..."

Twenty or thirty media reporters waved their shutters wildly to record this moment.

Next, the wedding begins.

The priest gives a blessing, both parties exchange rings, kiss each other, etc.

After the ceremony was completed, Zhao Dong took Kobe to the side, where others could not see him.

Kobe was a little confused, why did you drag me here?

"Kobe, Avril and I attend your wedding. Is that enough to give you face? We are not interested in attending the President of the United States' wedding." Zhao Dong whispered.

"Of course, Feilong, I'm very grateful, yes." Kobe said quickly.

"So, Kobe, I heard that you and O'Neal often hang out?" Zhao Dong whispered.

"This, Feilong, is impossible. I'm getting married today, so don't make any trouble, okay?" Kobe was startled, his face stiffened, he was so embarrassed, and he quickly denied it.

"Damn it, Kobe, I didn't care before. Today we are here to attend your wedding. Lindsay and I's reputation is tied to you. If you cause any trouble outside in the future, hang out with that fool O'Neal again." ,so I……"

Having said this, he waved to a bodyguard who was following him. After the bodyguard came over, he reached out and took out a pistol from the other person's waist, then put it under Kobe's body and said viciously: "Let someone blow your ass off." Second brother, don’t let you embarrass us.”

"Shet! Take that thing away, please! I agree to whatever you say, hurry up!" Kobe was so frightened that he almost peed, and his dark face instantly turned pale.

"Hey, who told you to invite me and Aiweier? Remember my warning, it is valid for life." Zhao Dong withdrew the pistol and threw it back to the bodyguard.

"Don't worry, bastard, I promise to do it."

Kobe breathed a sigh of relief and was already sweating profusely. He no longer felt grateful to Zhao Dong in his heart.

After attending Kobe Bryant's wedding, Zhao Dong and his family stayed in Los Angeles for a few more hours. Anyway, they were on a private jet and could return to Portland anytime.

While they were visiting Los Angeles, the news of Kobe's marriage and their attendance at the wedding had already spread around the world.

The biggest reactions came from the Lakers' management and Phil Jackson, and from Kobe's family.

They had no idea that Zhao Dong, who had never had anything to do with Kobe, would attend Kobe's wedding.

What surprised them even more was that Mrs. Lindsay actually accompanied Zhao Dong to the wedding.

In this country where money is paramount, the status of Wall Street giants, let alone ordinary people, even ordinary billionaires, is also a god-like existence, and they need to look up to them.

Lindsay's attendance at Kobe's wedding had a huge psychological impact on them.

"Kobe, you, Feilong and Mrs. Lindsay really attended your wedding? Did Mrs. Lindsay really bless you?"

Kobe's parents were in disbelief and immediately called Kobe who had just returned home.

"Yes, the media did not lie, and there are photos."

Kobe said coldly: "Feilong and the distinguished Mrs. Lindsay have indeed blessed me and Vanessa. With their blessings and those of the pastor, Vanessa and I will be happy.

Also, Mrs. Lindsay did not look down on Vanessa’s Latin heritage, and she even invited Vanessa to her home in Portland. "

"This, that, I'm sorry, Kobe..." Kobe's parents said incoherently.

Kobe didn't hang up the phone. He had some expectations in his heart. He really wanted to get his parents' blessing. Even though his wedding had already passed, he still hoped to get a belated blessing.

Finally, the stammering Kobe parents said: "Kobe, it's a pity that we couldn't attend your wedding. Yes, we are sorry. So, now we, our blessings, you, you and Vanessa Are you still willing to accept it?"

When Kobe heard these words, the coldness outside instantly collapsed, his eyes heated up, and he choked up and said: "Of course, I love you, and I hope you love me and Vanessa too. Today is my wedding day, and I am looking forward to it." Your blessings."

"I'm sorry, Kobe, your mother and I wish you and Vanessa the best. We will rush there right away, and your sisters..."

Kobe's father over there said hurriedly.

Kobe finally chose to forgive his parents. Although his parents' attitude and blessings were due to external forces and were mixed with other factors, he still longed for their parents' blessings.

The next day, many media outlets congratulated Kobe and Vanessa, and even the Wall Street Journal joined in the fun.

The Lakers management and his teammates, many players in the league, his agent Rob Pelinka, and his fans all sent their best wishes.

With the passing of Kobe Bryant's wedding, the atmosphere of the playoffs has begun to deepen. The most obvious thing is that several major TV broadcasters have arranged a number of related TV programs, and the fans' attention has also been shifted to the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference, the regular season rankings are Nets, Digital Team, Bulls, Bucks, Heat, Raptors, Hornets, and Magic.

Because the Nets and the Digital Team are in the Atlantic Division, the basic playoff ranking rules are that the top three are the championship teams of the three divisions, and the Digital Team can only be ranked fourth in the playoffs, and its position is eliminated. The district champion Bulls filled in.

Similarly, the Heat, the champions of the Eastern Southeast Division, automatically filled the Bulls' third spot and became the third seed in the playoffs.

So the playoff rankings in the Eastern Conference are Nets, Bulls, Heat, Digital Team, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, and Magic.

In the first round, the Nets played against the Magic, the Bulls played against the Hornets, the Heat played against the Raptors, and the Digital Team played against the Bucks.

In the second round, the winner of the Nets and Magic will face the winner of the Digital Team and Bucks, as will the remaining two teams.

In other words, the two most powerful teams in the Eastern Conference are likely to meet in the second round, which will be an early Eastern Conference Finals.

In the West, the regular season rankings are Trail Blazers, Lakers, Kings, Mavericks, Jazz, Suns, Timberwolves, and Mosaic.

Because the Kings are in the same conference as the Lakers, they automatically dropped out of the top three in the playoffs and were ranked fourth in the playoffs. The third place in the playoffs was filled by the Southwest Division champion Mavericks.

So the Western Conference playoff rankings are Trail Blazers, Lakers, Mavericks, Kings, Jazz, Suns, Timberwolves, and Mosaic.

In the first round, the Trail Blazers played against Mosaic, the Lakers played against Timberwolves, the Mavericks played against Suns, and the Kings played against Jazz.

In the second round, the victories of the Trail Blazers and Mosaic will face the victories of the Kings and Jazz, as will the remaining two teams.

The situation in the Western Conference is better. The Trail Blazers and Lakers will not meet in advance. The suspense of reaching the finals will remain until the Western Conference Finals.

The Knicks, the dynasty team that won four consecutive championships last season, completely collapsed this season, with 21 wins and 61 losses. They lost their pants and did not even make it to the playoffs.

The New York media and fans scolded the Knicks as dogs, but the Knicks still rely on New York, the largest ball market, to become the best-run team in the league.

From this point of view, James Dowland's choice to trade Zhao Dong seems to be right.

But not making it to the playoffs also cost the Knicks a lot of playoff revenue.

New boss Ballmer accepted an interview with New York Sports after the regular season. He expressed that the team will invest heavily in the off-season to rebuild the championship lineup. He even shouted from a distance to express his hope to Zhao Dong. It means returning to New York.

"Steve, don't poach me."

Without waiting for Zhao Dong's response, Paul Allen immediately called Ballmer.

The playoffs start on April 21st, and the Trail Blazers' first round G1 game will start on the 22nd, so they can have an extra day of rest.

At the end of the regular season, Zhao Dong also completed the season's tasks and received the reward of recovering from three minor injuries and a fragment of dominance.

He got all six fragments in total to form the badge of dominance.

The function of this thing is to strengthen the psychological quality, and the effect is still very great. The worse the defensive environment you face, the stronger the psychological quality will be.

The better the psychological quality, the more decisive the action will be, and the better the stability may be, which will help improve efficiency.

Of course, once the touch comes, he may be able to shoot any number of shots, and there is no five-man double team. If the touch feels cold, then the function of this badge is to turn him into a blacksmith.

The first round series of this season is still a best-of-five series. The Trail Blazers used their strong strength to defeat the Houston Mosaics on the 22nd, 26th, and 29th, without giving the opponent any chance, completing the sweep of the first round. .

In the first round of the series, Zhao Dong still had a triple-double of 40+, continuing his extraordinary performance in the regular season.

This made him the first player in league history to have a 40+ triple-double in the postseason, further stabilizing his status as the first player in history and the god of basketball.

On May 3, 2001, the first round of the Western Conference ended. The Trail Blazers, Kings, Lakers and Mavericks successively entered the second round.

Among them, the Lakers showed the same extraordinary strength as the Trail Blazers and completed a sweep of the Timberwolves.

On the same day, the first round of the Eastern Conference was also completed, with the Nets, Digital Team, Bulls and Heat advancing to the second round.

The Nets performed the same as the Trail Blazers and Lakers, both sweeping, while the digital team was a little weaker, eliminating their opponents three to one.

The second round started on May 5. The Lakers faced the Mavericks in the West, and the Digital Team faced the Nets in the East.

The other two games in the second round will start the next day, with the Trail Blazers facing the Kings and the Bulls facing the Heat.

The Kings are playing very well this season, and Rick Adelman has built his Princeton system on this team.

Because this team has the organizational center or organizational power forward that the Princeton system needs, which is Chris Webber.

Chris Webber can be said to be the soul of this team and the soul of this system.

Coupled with Peja, White Chocolate, and Divac, who are extremely suitable for this system, the Kings emerged from the West and even reached the second round.

The Kings have fierce firepower this season, averaging 101.7 points per game this season, while Zhao Dong's Trail Blazers are the team with the strongest offensive firepower in the league this season, averaging only 108.5 points per game, followed by the second-place Lakers at 108.3 points.

But no matter how strong the Kings are, there is still a clear gap in strength when they meet the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers have strong confidence in this series.

On the night of the 5th, Zhao Dong put two TVs together and watched the Nets and Lakers game at the same time.

Before the game, Dayao called him.

"Brother Dong, we will definitely win this game." Dayao's tone was very confident and firm.

"So confident?" Zhao Dong smiled.

"The Postman can't guard me, and he can't guard Duncan. They have no low-post offense, only Iverson's breakthrough. If our low-post offense can crush them, we will definitely win." Dayao said.

In the end, the Nets did defeat the digital team, and the advantage was still huge, winning by 18 points.

Dayao scored 30 points and 10 rebounds, Duncan also scored 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Marbury scored 27 points and 8 assists. The Big Three jointly contributed 84 points.

The E-mail combination scored 61 points together, and Iverson scored 38 points alone, but their overall efficiency was significantly lower than the Nets' Big Three, which was the main reason for their loss.

TNT commentator Bill Walton commented on this G1 game after the game, saying: "The Nets' low-post offense and basket offense accounted for 65%, and their shooting percentage reached 56%. The two super insiders' low-post offense and Ma Brie's breakthrough scoring is very efficient, which is close to the efficiency of Feilong. This is the main reason why the Nets won the game.

As for the digital team, only Iverson's breakthrough scores and secondary offenses were achieved, and the Postman rarely played low-post offense. Therefore, the overall team's low-post offense and basket offense accounted for only 34%, and the shooting rate in this area was only 52%. The shooting percentage is not very different, but the offensive proportion is very different. This is the main reason why the team loses the game. "

Matt added: "The Nets' overall shooting rate reached 49%, while the digital team only had 42%. There were too many outside attacks. This is the only reason for the loss."

At the same time, in another second-round series, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks cleanly.