Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 717 - 250 They Don’t Always Say Player and Ball as One? (2nd update, asking for monthly votes!)

If the first game of the Western Conference Finals was brutal and bloody.

Then the second game of the Western Conference Finals was truly an "Oakland Meat Grinder."

In the second quarter, when Curry was directly knocked to the ground by Paul during a layup.

From the Warriors' bench, Big Ben, the first to react, immediately shouted to Curry: "Don't complain, get back on defense, Stephen!"

Hearing this, Curry got up immediately and only after two possessions when the game entered a dead-ball phase, did he complain to the referee: "Wasn't that a foul just now?"

Foul?

Main referee Dan Crawford explained to Curry: "I'm not going to blow the whistle for such minor body contact."

In the Warriors' next defensive possession, Crawford used his officiating style to show the young Curry what kind of game this was.

Because in the Warriors' restricted area, when Curry stripped the ball from Paul's hands, with both hands and the ball, the referee team led by Crawford also didn't call a whistle for this minor contact.

"This is probably the most physically demanding game I've ever experienced."

During the official timeout in the second quarter, Curry said in an interview with the live host: "However, as long as the refereeing is consistent, I think I will enjoy this kind of physical contact."

Playing under such conditions, although the Lakers and Warriors could still complete many high-quality offenses.

But the shooting percentages of the core players on both teams inevitably declined.

In the first half, among the core players from both teams, only Qin Yue maintained an overall shooting rate of 15 out of 8, over 50%.

Don't ask, just know that the bruised Qin Yue had gotten used to this kind of physical confrontation in the past two seasons.

On TNT TV, O'Neal, who felt Qin Yue was simply a monster, said: "How on earth does this guy manage to keep his shooting touch in such games?"

And during halftime, looking at the bruised all over Curry, Qin Yue said: "Stephen, you know what, you're a superstar now."

Seeing this, Curry asked puzzled: "Why do you say that?"

Qin Yue smiled and said: "Because the players who always get beaten up before they even step on the court every game are the real superstars."

Curry really liked Qin Yue's view.

Especially noticing Qin Yue's bruises that looked even scarier than his own at that moment.

Even though Curry would gradually get used to the idea that his cylinder is different from others in the future, even without Qin Yue.

But the mentorship from Qin Yue undoubtedly made this baby-faced assassin fall in love with physical contact earlier.

After halftime, the game continued.

The Lakers, trailing the Warriors by 7 points in the first half, launched a fierce counterattack in the second half.

On the court, it was Curry, who came off the bench in the third quarter, that extinguished the Lakers' momentum.

That night, it was evident that Curry showcased he could fully adapt to high-intensity defense, and could hit those crucial threes for the team in such a meat grinder battle.

And, unlike Green, who went berserk in the third quarter of the last game.

A berserk Curry, whether in terms of threat level or influence on the court, was far above Green.

Oracle Arena, a Warriors' offensive possession.

When Curry, who already scored twelve consecutive points for the Warriors, received the ball, Paul and Klay on the Lakers' side immediately formed a semi-trap on Curry.

What is a semi-trap?

Simply speaking, besides the player specifically defending Curry, the Lakers' wing player would also keep an eye on Curry at all times, ready to double-team him anytime.

Compared to a full trap, the advantage of a semi-trap is that as long as you have a player with quick lateral movements, this player can, in specific areas, effectively guard two players at once.

Starting from the first game of the Western Conference Finals, the semi-trap strategy was widely used by Lakers players on Qin Yue.

And Curry became the second Warriors player to enjoy such treatment.

This was undoubtedly another piece of evidence proving that he was already a superstar, besides the bruises on Curry's body.

After all, if the Lakers weren't afraid of Curry, why would they trap him?

Only, when the Lakers simultaneously used the semi-trap tactics on both Curry and Qin Yue, on the court, those Warriors champions puzzle pieces who originally couldn't consistently contribute offensively in such games suddenly thrived under the gravitational pull of "Great Qin's Gravity" and "Curry's Gravity."

For instance, Kwame Brown, who always excelled at sneaking points in games.

In the Lakers' restricted area, when Curry passed the ball to Qin Yue, Brown, who had shaken off Little Gasol's defense, immediately cut into the Lakers' restricted area.

The next second, receiving Qin Yue's perfect pass, Brown dunked with both hands.

Additionally, the dogged Brown didn't forget to shout at Little Gasol after landing a dunk: "DPOY is just so-so!"

No doubt, being taunted by someone like Brown on the court is something more painful than death.

Try to imagine, when you've gone godlike in a game, but the weakest on the opposing team mocks you as a noob after they win with their teammates, how would you feel?

Anyway, at this moment, Little Gasol felt really awful.

And this terrible mood lingered for Little Gasol until the end of the game without dissipating.

Because, just like the last game, in the fourth quarter, the Lakers, who kept resisting stubbornly, once again faced divine punishment in the game.

1 minute and 14 seconds before the end.

Using a double crossover to create shooting space, raising his hand to shoot, and hitting the shot, Qin Yue completely wrapped up the suspense of this second game of the Western Conference Finals.

On TNT TV Station, Barkley lamented for the Lakers and Kobe: "Even if the opponent had Michael Jordan tonight, I believe the Lakers' performance would deserve a victory. But who could foresee that tonight, they faced the Messiah in god mode?"

Final score, 110 to 119.

The Warriors secured another win, leading the series 2 to 0.

Throughout the game, Qin Yue, who had tallied up 45 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals for the Warriors, drew a collective wail from the Los Angeles media after the game: "Oh omniscient and omnipotent God, to what extent must we go to defeat this Warriors team led by the God of Basketball?"

New York, NBA headquarters.

David Stern, not wanting this high-heat series to end prematurely, is well aware that this Lakers team, already infinitely close to the Warriors' strength, just needs a little help to beat them.

But considering the past two and a half years, where referees almost targeted Qin Yue every night.

So until the first two games of the Western Conference Finals concluded, Stern didn't know how to provide off-court weighting for the Lakers.

However, Stern having face doesn't mean Xiao Hua has face.

"David, I think we can totally adjust the officiating to favor the Lakers more, plus fans always dislike one-sided games." After the second game of the Western Conference Finals, Xiao Hua suggested to Stern.

Hearing this, knowing well the consequences of indecision, Stern said: "Then let's go with your suggestion, let the referees give the Lakers more favorable officiating in the next two games."

After wrapping up the first two fierce games of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors, leading 2 to 0, began their march towards Los Angeles, unaware of what awaited them there.

Meanwhile, in the second Eastern Conference Finals game held the next day, the lead referee's critical decision at the last moment successfully seized the day's headlines.

In the game, the Pacers, sparked by the pre-game slogan "Fight for Granger," brought the match into a clutch moment.

With 4.7 seconds left, James, who had "stripped" the ball from George's hand during a defensive play, was whistled for a foul by the referee, causing a frenzied James to drop to one knee on the court and make a gesture reminiscent of proposing to the lead referee Salvatore.

Though this era of the NBA lacked challenge rules.

Post-match slow-motion replays clearly showed that Salvatore, known as ever fair-minded, indeed made a perfectly correct ruling.

And Salvatore's keen eyes proved even sharper than the ubiquitous camera angles.

Because the top broadcast view revealed clearly that when James attempted to strip the ball from George, he solidly hit George's hand.

As for why this accurate call that led to the Knicks being upset for the second time at home sparked controversy?

"Just yesterday, in the Western Conference Finals, Stephen Curry made a similar strip on Chris Paul."

Post-game, an aggrieved James proclaimed his innocence: "Moreover, don't the referees always say hand is part of the ball? From my point of view, we lost the game due to unjust officiating."

Correct.

Based on the Western Conference Finals officiating standards, James' strip indeed wasn't a foul.

But here's the problem...

This year's Eastern Conference Finals saw stricter officiating, exactly to provide the Knicks with more home-court whistles, didn't it?

Moreover, is it not possible that the so-called hand part of the ball requires you to at least touch the ball to be considered as such?

On TNT TV Station, unable to comprehend why James, with 38 free throws across the first two games, would still blame the referees, Barkley remarked: "Based on LeBron's logic, then the NBA wouldn't need to play games in the future, just hit each other since hand is part of the ball!"

Unclear why a star like James would propose to the referee over a correct call, O'Neal, unhappy in life, said: "Even putting facts aside, assuming it's a favorable call for the Pacers, LeBron shouldn't be so aggrieved.

After all, every night the Messiah faces biased calls from referees, if the Messiah knelt to the referees as LeBron does, how many times would he have knelt?"

And beside him, Smith, the first to notice from slow-motion whether James knelt while actively seeking the camera angle to prove his grievances, said: "Aside from play-acting, when will LeBron show us what he's truly made of?"

...

PS: Second update! As a staunch James Fan, today Ah Qiao is genuinely hurting, but for some reason, the sadness just keeps sparking inspiration. (TnT)