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In the second round of the playoffs, the Bulls immediately showcased what a team with three All-Defensive All-Players and three All-Defensive Team members should look like. On May 5, the first game of the second round began, and the Bulls defeated the Pacers 106-88 at home.
In this game, all the Pacers were suppressed, especially Paul, who had just been selected for the Second Team All-NBA. George, who received special attention from Wang Chong in this game, was marked by Wang Chong throughout the match. The result was that he scored only 18 points, with 6 rebounds and 5 assists on 4 of 17 shooting from the field.
George's 18 points were the highest for the Pacers.
The Pacers' center, Roy Hibbert, was also overpowered by Gasol Jr. He played 20 minutes in the entire game, fouled out with 6 fouls, and his personal stats were 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, and 6 fouls. Even the local Bulls fans seemed confused by his performance.
You have to understand that Hibbert had been selected as an All-Star bench player this season and was known as a promising center in the league. However, nobody expected such strange statistics in a crucial playoff game.
But at that moment, they didn't know that for Hibbert, 0 points and 0 rebounds were just the beginning. He would often deliver performances like this, and fans would nickname him "Gao Yuanyuan" across the ocean.
The main reason for this nickname is that Hibbert, being a 2.18-meter tall big man, was often seen as someone who could rack up 0 points and 0 rebounds. Combining his height and those two zeros, he earned the title of "Gao Yuanyuan."
In the rematch two days later, Pacers' star George still couldn't handle Wang Chong's defense and continued to struggle, shooting 5 of 13 with only 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
When the stars couldn't create an effective matchup, the Pacers suffered a humiliating loss, 82-98, trailing 0-2 in the series.
In the next game, Paul returned to his hometown arena. George's performance finally improved as he gradually adapted to Wang Chong's high-pressure defense, playing at a more normal level. However, his stats were 6 of 15 shooting for 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, with 40% shooting, and more of his points came from 8 of 10 free throws.
Although George's condition improved, it was hard to stop the Bulls' iron horse from running over the Pacers.
With a final score of 117-99, the Bulls won once again, claiming a 3-0 lead and a potential series-clinching game.
The strength gap between the two teams was clear at a glance.
Last season, the Pacers were able to keep up with the Bulls, at least not getting swept, but in just one year, the strength of the Bulls had significantly improved. Curry, Gasol Jr., Butler, and others were not only growing, but Wang Chong could also clearly see great progress on the defensive side.
As for the Pacers this season, aside from Paul and George's improvements, none of the other players had made significant progress. Roy Hibbert, who had originally been a promising high-quality potential center, had averaged 17+10 double-doubles per game in last year's playoffs. But in the new season, he had been more like Wang Xiaoer's New Year—nothing special. His performance during the regular season was only 10 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and his performance in the first round of the playoffs was disappointing, averaging only 5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
This raised questions about the real potential of the 27-year-old center.
In the fourth game of the series, on May 11, there was no miracle. Despite the Pacers putting up a strong fight, the massive strength gap left them unable to resist.
With a final score of 101-95, the Pacers lost the fourth game, with the overall series score ending at 0-4, and they were swept by the Bulls. However, the score difference in this game was the smallest of the entire four-game series.
The Bulls easily swept the Pacers and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they only had to wait for the result of the other Eastern Conference matchup between the Heat and the Celtics.
Unlike the Bulls' crushing win, the game between the Heat and the Celtics was the battle of the century.
Although the Heat's Big Three had more star power, the Celtics' overall lineup was better. Both teams first won their two home games, then in the Wang Tianwang battle, the Heat won with a 30+10+10 triple-double by James. However, the Celtics, trailing 2-3, did not give up. Durant scored 46 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists in Game 6, helping the Celtics to narrowly win a game.
In the final tiebreaker, the Heat managed to edge out the Celtics in an exciting game.
Fans watching the matchup between the two teams in a trance had an illusion. Didn't they just see this episode before? Upon reflection, they realized it was almost identical to last season's series, and the score trends of the two teams were nearly the same as the final result.
I have to sigh that the strength gap between the Heat and the Celtics is truly extremely small. But no matter what, the Heat ultimately defeated the Celtics to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would face the Chicago Bulls once more. But it was unclear whether the Heat would have a chance to defeat the Bulls this time.
In the West, the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers reached the Western Conference Finals.
Since Paul had already won a championship with the Lakers in this time and space, it wasn't particularly exciting for him to bring the team to the Western Conference Finals once again.
In the second round, the Clippers faced the Thunder and also won after a tough battle.
Though Paul is experienced as one of the best point guards in the second team and a defender, he still struggles against Westbrook, who is taller, stronger, and more explosive.
But the primary core of the Clippers isn't Paul, it's Harden. The Thunder has no player capable of matching Harden in the point guard position.
As for the interior, Griffin is skilled, but it's difficult for him to take advantage of Jordan Jr., who should have been his teammate for many years.
Little Jordan is strong due to his excellent rebounding ability and shot-blocking skills. Although Griffin has decent offensive moves and understands several techniques, his real trump card is his ability to dunk in the paint, which is only contained by Little Jordan.
The Clippers took six games to resolve the series, advancing to the Western Conference Finals with a 4-2 record.
However, facing the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals would still be a tough matchup for the Clippers.
Basically, in the West, the runner-up of the previous year, the San Antonio Spurs, had a high chance of winning and advancing to the Finals. Whether the defending champions Bulls in the East could make it to the Finals to compete for the championship would depend on the real outcome of the game.
Before the start of the Eastern and Western Finals, the league announced the results of the season awards.
And there were no surprises. Kevin Durant won the MVP for the 2013-14 regular season with 35% of the votes, and Wang Chong, as the second-ranked MVP candidate, received 29% of the votes, not far behind Durant.
Wang Chong's statistics this season were a bit flat compared to previous seasons, and the team's record was not as outstanding as in previous years, so this result was not surprising. However, this was only a superficial comparison of data, and in terms of high-level statistics, Wang Chong had still completed the list of sacrifices as always, covering Durant, who won the MVP.
To compensate Wang Chong, the league awarded him the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award.
This way, Wang Chong had achieved two consecutive defensive dominations in the DPOY, even though this award is often considered one for "blue-collar" players. However, as the league's top scorer and superstar, Wang Chong winning this award twice in a row still highlighted his toughness.
This season, Wang Chong's defensive stats weren't as glamorous as last season, with steals and blocks averaging 2+2.
It's a fact that Wang Chong's unique defensive ability had strengthened this season, but regardless of how strong the defense is, in individual defense, it's difficult to steal or block the opponent directly, especially if the opponent is on guard. If you can easily steal the ball from them, they wouldn't be in the NBA in the first place.
This season, Wang Chong still averaged 2.1 steals per game, but his blocks decreased to 1.7.
The reduction in block numbers doesn't mean that Wang Chong's defensive ability has declined. After all, defense doesn't always require a block to be successful. As long as he prevents the opponent from scoring, it's considered effective defense.
Wang Chong's defensive efficiency had been evident throughout the season, even against James, Durant, and Cameron Anthony, who were the league's top forwards. It was difficult to find any weaknesses in their performances.
And Wang Chong's competitors for the Defensive Player of the Year award were also clearly visible.
Due to various butterfly effects, Joakim Noah, who should have won the DPOY award for the Bulls, had not shown DPOY-level defensive ability, or without Thibodeau's defensive system, Noah's defensive traits could not be fully utilized.
The competitors for the DPOY against Wang Chong were mainly Howard of the Heat, Jordan Jr. of the Clippers, Ibaka of the Thunder, and Jordan Jr. on the same team as Wang Chong.
Compared to these competitors, Wang Chong had an extremely obvious advantage, and it was natural for him to be selected as DPOY with high voting.
The Rookie of the Year award was won by Michael Carter-Williams.
As a rookie from the 2013 draft, which was possibly the worst draft in recent years, Carter-Williams averaged 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. This was enough to earn him the Rookie of the Year award, as among all rookies, only four players, including him, had double-doubles, namely Victor Oladipo (12.8 points), Trey Burke (ninth overall pick), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (24th pick).
Compared to these three, Carter-Williams' 16.7+6+6 made him the only true candidate for the best rookie.
What? Where's the 13-year champion? Didn't we have a first overall pick last year?
The Sixth Man of the Year award was given to the Bulls' bench player Isaiah Thomas, which was a surprise.
This season, Thomas was the main force on the Bulls' bench, averaging 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, which was impressive.
As a small player who stands at just 1.75 meters tall, it is truly rare to see such performance in the NBA.
However, Thomas didn't have the upper hand in the Sixth Man race because his competitors included Jamal Crawford (16.6 points, 3.2 assists), Dion Waiters (15.9 points), and Nick Young (17.9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game).
The reason Thomas won out over these competitors was the Bulls' top ranking in the league and his height.
Whether you admit it or not, Thomas' height is quite rare in the NBA, and it's very inspiring. It makes many average-height basketball fans realize they also have a chance to play in the NBA.
The league clearly wanted to send that message, so it helped Thomas earn the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Unlike Wang Chong, who was calm and unbothered after winning the DPOY and treated it like another meal, Thomas Jr., who won the Sixth Man award, was so excited that he even burst into tears in front of the reporters during his interview.
"I never dreamed of this, and when I was a kid, countless people asked me, how could someone like me make it to the NBA? Now I'm here, and I'm doing so well! I won the Sixth Man of the Year, and my team is going to keep fighting for the championship. My god, this is crazy!"
After calming down a bit, Thomas continued, "I'll keep working hard in the upcoming games to help the team win game after game, and prove that even small people can do well in the NBA! I'm working to be an All-Star like Wang Chong said!"
The excitement of little Thomas is completely understandable.
This year is also the contract year for Thomas, and after finishing his rookie contract, he is facing the challenge of renewing his contract. Though it's just a small Sixth Man award, it will definitely be a great opportunity for Thomas to increase his value and capital.
Thomas knows that after this season, he will likely not stay with the Bulls.
Not to mention that his salary is expected to start at least at $10 million. Keeping Curry as a bench player for the Bulls can't meet Thomas' expectations.
People are ambitious, and no one wants to be a bench player forever, especially someone like Thomas, who wants to make a name for himself in the NBA and prove the value of being a small player.
He has already decided that, even if the Bulls offer to extend his contract in the summer, he will politely reject it to choose a team that can give him a starting role, or even a starring position.
He also spoke with Wang Chong about this idea. After all, in his three years as a rookie, Wang Chong had given him a lot of help, and to him, Wang Chong was a good older brother who deserved respect.
And Wang Chong's support made little Thomas sigh in relief and immediately feel at ease.
Of course, Wang Chong won't stop Thomas from looking for a bigger stage. After all, he really likes Thomas, the 175 cm giant, one of the most inspiring players in the league. How could so many people not like him? Although it's unclear what will happen to Thomas' career in the future, Wang Chong will still offer his sincere support and best wishes.
End of this chapter
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