Capítulo 1321: Chapter 532.10: About the Timeline (Part 3)

The Warriors faced the Spurs in the second round, who had defeated the Clippers 4-1 to advance. On the night Curry received his MVP award, they lost 106-113 to the Spurs, losing their home-court advantage. In the next three games, they lost two, falling behind 1-3 in the series;

In Game 5, relying on Curry’s seven three-pointers out of ten attempts and scoring 46 points in a single game, the Warriors narrowly won 121-117 against the Spurs, dragging the series into Game 6.

In Game 6, Klay Thompson exploded, hitting ten three-pointers out of sixteen attempts, breaking the playoff record for three-pointers in a single game, scoring 42 points, and helping the Warriors even the series with a 114-108 victory;

In the Game 7 showdown, after battling for six games, both the Warriors and Spurs were in low spirits, with main scorers collectively struggling. Andre Iguodala became the key player, scoring 21 points with 16 shots made out of 7, plus 9 free throws made out of 7, helping the Warriors to defeat the Spurs 91-84, overturning the series to 4-3 and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

After advancing to the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors rested for two days but hadn’t found their rhythm. They began their quest on home court against you and your teammates, who were well-prepared, and dealt a heavy blow to the Warriors in the first match of the Western Conference Finals.

You made 30 shots out of 16, including 4 three-pointers out of 8, and scoring 5 free throws out of 5 attempts, amassing 41 points, leading the Lakers to a 106-90 victory over the Warriors, snatching the home-court advantage.

After a disastrous defeat in the Western Conference Finals opener, the Warriors rested for a day before collectively venting their fury, defeating your Lakers 127-113 in Game 2;

In Game 3, with home court alternated, the Warriors continued to rampage, winning 125-119 again and regaining home-court advantage.

You felt fortunate to have won Game 1, or you would now be trailing 0-3.

In Game 4, the Warriors returned to their normal state after two consecutive explosive performances, while your Lakers team had actually improved with each of the first three games, only to be masked by the Warriors’ explosive performances in Games 2 and 3.

In this game, you scored 27 points, Bryant had 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, Ellington made five out of six three-pointers, scoring 19 points, Gasol scored 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Nick Young, coming off the bench, scored 17 points… You led the Lakers to a 117-103 victory over the Warriors, evening the series.

During the pivotal Game 5 on the road, you once again exploded, scoring 43 points from 29 shots made out of 16, including 5 three-pointers out of 8, with free throws made 6 out of 7, outperforming Curry’s 35 points from 24 shots made out of 14, including 3 three-pointers out of 6, plus 4 free throws made out of 4. You led the Lakers to a 119-104 victory over the Warriors, snatching the home-court advantage again, leading 3-2 in the series.

In Game 6, you led the team at home against the Warriors in a decisive match.

Klay Thompson exploded again in this special match, scoring a personal high in the Western Conference Finals with 33 points, including nine out of fourteen three-pointers, along with three mid-range shots made out of nine attempts, and three free throws made out of three. Curry also performed exceptionally, scoring 37 points from 26 shots made out of 13, including five three-pointers out of 12, plus six free throws made from 8 attempts, leading the Warriors to a total of 115 points.

However, you were on fire tonight, scoring 52 points from 31 shots made out of 17, including ten three-pointers from 18, plus eight free throws made from 8, including four three-pointers in the final quarter, scoring 22 points single-handedly, turning the game’s tide in just over 11 minutes, reducing the deficit to one point after trailing by seven points over three quarters.

In the crucial moment, you made a difference on defense, forcing a fatigued Curry to miss his final shot.

After rotating, you drew a double team, passing to Bryant who was in position at the top of the arc.

Bryant got the ball in a straight run to the rim, making a buzzer-beater off the board, helping the team clinch the lead in the final moment with a 117-115 victory over the Warriors, winning three consecutive games and advancing to the Finals with a 4-2 series victory!

Curry hit five three-pointers and scored 37 points, Thompson hit nine three-pointers and scored 33 points; you hit ten three-pointers and scored 52 points, Bryant made eight out of 14 shots, including four out of six three-pointers, and scored 24 points with four free throws made from four attempts.

Your showdown among four players was lauded as – the greatest three-point showdown in history.

Bryant’s performance in this game was described as ‘canny’ by T.N.T sports commentator Charles Barkley. He said: I have never seen Kobe so sincerely looking for opportunities to catch the ball and shoot as he did tonight. Even when he couldn’t receive the ball, he didn’t give up and kept running, providing strong support for Jack. Kobe’s assistance to Jack was no less than Klay’s support for Stephen.

Kenny Smith said: If you’re given a $30 million annual salary along with a chance to earn a seventh ring surpassing Michael, I think you’d be even more canny than Kobe.

Barkley: No, I don’t need that much, one ring would make me cannier than Kobe.

This Western Conference Finals series has been considered to far exceed the level of all other series this year, with your Lakers averaging 115 points and Curry’s Warriors averaging 111 points, significantly outshining other teams. Moreover, your defensive performances remained at a high level, while any decline in the Warriors’ state resulted in their powerful offense being pressured to below 105 points.

This evaluation was soon confirmed…

Next, you met James in the Finals for the third time in four years. James had reached the Finals for five consecutive years. Although the Cavaliers were at the top of the Eastern regular season and showed dominance with a 12-win record in the East playoffs, only losing one game to Jimmy Butler’s Bulls in the second round, their regular-season record of 53 wins and 29 losses would place them in the lower half of teams in the West.

James averaged a triple-double in the four Finals games, with averages of 30.5 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 1.5 steals, 4.5 fouls, and 5 turnovers per game, but the Cavaliers only scored 104, 95, 102, and 103 points across the four games.