CHAPTER 1349: CHAPTER 539: BIRTH OF A NEW GOD! (PART 3)

But unfortunately, trailing 77 to 89 was simply too much, the Lakers still maintained a steady lead.

At 11:27 in the final quarter, Zhang Yang, who had missed two consecutive three-pointers earlier, managed to shake off Thompson after Harden broke through and took away the wing Iguodala, turned and shot a three-pointer from a 45-degree angle to the left... Scored!

The Lakers’ final quarter score increased to 27 points, while the Warriors managed a 32 to 24 score earlier, barely narrowing the gap to 4 points, only to have it widened again by this shot.

This shot completely ended the Warriors’ hope of a comeback.

As Curry unwillingly scored a two-pointer from a long-range shelling, at 10:22:29 PM, the buzzer sounded.

Harden with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, Zhang Yang with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, DeRozan with 25 points, Louis Williams with 14 points, strongly suppressed Durant’s 35 points, Curry’s 30 points, Klay Thompson’s 14 points, McKie’s 10 points with 8 rebounds, Green’s 8 points with 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

to 111, aside from a scare in the last minute, the Lakers steadily suppressed the Warriors for the rest of the game, clinching a G5 victory, leading the series 4 to 1, defeating the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals for three consecutive years, advancing to the finals for four consecutive years!

...

After the game, under Harden’s leadership, the Lakers players went to a nightclub to party.

After separating from Durant, Harden immediately contacted Zhang Yang for a reason found in Los Angeles, Angel City, Hollywood... a party to celebrate the promotion, Harden invited celebrities and models to join.

Winning the game and the series, Zhang Yang was happy too, but after partying, there were many regrets.

This Western Conference Finals journey started strong, but faded towards the end.

Now that they’re here, Zhang Yang is at his peak, and the team is at its peak too, he must face the strongest opponent in their strongest state.

He finally personally felt why fans always talk about ’back then’.

In the early NBA, even with conflicts as big as the OK combination, it was only after achieving three consecutive championships and establishing a dynasty that they truly broke apart. This Warriors team just formed, and it’s already mired in salary issues like this.

Plus, the Tsunami Combination likely cannot be maintained, the conflict between Durant and Green is almost irreconcilable.

Durant joined with a pay cut, originally could get 4 years for 140 million to nearly 190 million over 5 years, regardless of his personal thoughts or the actual situation, he made a huge sacrifice.

But Green also feels his interests were harmed.

Zhang Yang feels the Warriors management will likely opt to put Durant on the shelf, Green has caused this mess, making him hard to sell unless it’s a clearance sale. Mainly, Green’s words truly reflect many players’ inner thoughts, including quite a few within the Warriors.

Durant should also see the current situation clearly, the next day at noon, Zhang Yang saw the news, Yahoo Sports reporter Shams reported that Durant directly called the Warriors owner after the game last night to request a trade.

This Shams was the assistant to the veteran sports reporter WOJ at Yahoo Sports, and after WOJ switched to ESPN with a higher salary, Shams became the new leading figure at Yahoo Sports, taking over a large part of WOJ’s intelligence resources, his reports are highly credible.

With this news out, the topics ’Green’s formula’ and ’Durant’s next destination’ overshadowed the Cavaliers arriving in Los Angeles two days early for the finals.

The East Final began a day later than the West Final but finished two days earlier. On the 4th, the Cavaliers swept the Celtics 4 to 0 to advance to the finals.

Durant’s advantage in signing a 2+1 short contract is evident, giving him enough autonomy to jump out after next season. If the selected team or trade plan doesn’t satisfy him, he only needs to signal ’I won’t renew’ to make trade targets retreat.

However, this won’t affect other teams’ interest in Durant, instead making them strive even more, as it means they can secure Durant at a more fitting price.

The Boston Globe revealed that the Celtics are considering forming a Three Giants with Paul, Durant, and Horford.

The Dallas Morning News revealed the Spurs are also interested in forming a duo of Durant and Leonard, Popovich is even willing to offer chips like Danny Green and Aldridge, which are quite tempting.

Time progressed to June 10, the first day of the finals arrived, and the public’s focus shifted back to the championship.

Other teams might compete for Durant, but their ultimate goal is becoming championship contenders. Now, yet another championship trophy’s destination is about to be decided.

The Lakers and Cavaliers faced off in the finals for four consecutive years, reminiscent of the yellow-green battles of the 60s and 80s.

Looking only at Zhang Yang VS James, this marks their fifth finals showdown in six years, vividly resembling Russell VS Baylor and Big Bird VS Magician vibes.

A funny coincidence, James is often referred to as ’The Modern Magician,’ and Zhang Yang has long been said to have a back-play style like Big Bird, with Big Bird-like arrogance, often facing off in finals, Zhang Yang is mostly victorious... zero losses.

That last part is not quite similar, Big Bird lost to Magician once in the finals, directly resulting in Magician surpassing him in championship numbers, Zhang Yang has a flawless finals record.

Today’s hottest topic — Zhang Yang’s constantly great teammates.

Almost all media outlets talk about how lucky Zhang Yang has been, partnering with Nash and Stoudemire to reach the Western Conference Finals when he first entered the NBA; the second year going to the Spurs with the GDP and Leonard supporting him in a championship win, talking about GDP as if it were from 05 to 07, labeling rookie Leonard as if he had just won 3 consecutive DPOYs; later teaming up with the MVP golden duo from the 96 class + Gasol; now with Harden and DeRozan as teammates...