Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 484 Advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals
Gasps of surprise erupted from the American Airlines Arena.

Durant stopped abruptly and pulled back, managing to regain control of his body. He then dribbled the ball and changed direction again, leaving James behind in one step, and took a long stride towards the basket.

He dunked over the defender, dominating the rim.

The moment the person landed, James had already charged forward.

He dribbles like the wind, is as strong as an ox, and charges like a raging Spanish bull.

Percy only followed for a few steps before uncontrollably falling behind.

With no defender in sight, James leaped into the free-throw line and soared high for a gliding dunk.

The Heat inbound the ball quickly.

Before O'Neal even reached half-court, Harris, who excels at fast breaks and chaotic play, had already passed the ball to Durant.

Larry Hughes, acquired through a large contract, caught up with Durant and stood in his way.

But Durant seemed not to see it, and after receiving the ball, he simply pulled back and pulled up for a jump shot, directly launching a three-pointer.

With a swift movement, the knife fell, and without a doubt, it struck the target squarely.

James responded in kind, posting up Posey on the wing, then immediately stepping back for a three-pointer.

Also, enter.

After years of training camps costing millions, James' skills are actually very comprehensive.

Judging from the statistics alone, he is a superstar-level player.

This kind of intense, back-and-forth battle left the entire audience breathless and their hearts pounding.

However, it's clear that Durant is more consistent in scoring.

James's lack of natural talent remains a fatal flaw.

In other words, he lacks coordination, doesn't have Jordan-level breakthroughs, and doesn't have Bird-level acting skills.

He excels at being straightforward, but his ability to vary rhythms isn't top-notch.

This means that in terms of scoring ceiling, he is not as good as Durant.

The first match of the day.

The Heat defeated the Cavaliers 114-103, a 11-point victory.

In his playoff debut, Durant showed no signs of discomfort or hesitation, scoring 41 points.

James scored 40 points, making it a close call.

At the post-game press conference, James looked regretful and said with deep regret, "I gave it my all."

This sentence became the epitome of the entire series.

The Heat swept the Cavaliers 4-0, eliminating them without any suspense.

Durant averaged 35.5 points in four games.

James averaged 37.2 points per game, outperforming Durant.

At least in terms of scoring, he showed a scoring ability that was no less than Durant's.

However, Durant clearly held back throughout the series.

Because the team also has O'Neal, who averages 27.2 points per game.

Durant will inevitably have some ball possession taken away from him.

You can tell by looking at the efficiency.

In four games, Durant averaged a terrifying 65% field goal percentage.

James only has 47% of that number.

It's fair to say that there's a significant difference in their ability to control the game.

However, Durant doesn't care at all about the media's claim that James is on par with him.

A defeated opponent, let's have a one-on-one fight if you dare.

Durant, who has long dominated the entire league, is not afraid of any opponent.

All he wants now is to win, to win the championship.

The Celtics-Magic series wasn't over yet; it went to a decisive Game 7.

Then, unfortunately, the magician was eliminated.

In the decisive Game 7, Swift relied on his athleticism to repeatedly penetrate the paint and draw fouls, giving the Celtics a much-needed reprieve and securing the victory.

Five years ago, the Magic were the NBA champions.

Now they've been eliminated in the first round.

After a few days of rest, the Heat will face the Celtics.

Riley himself didn't think anything of it, but the media hyped up a lot of animosity between the two teams.

For example, the debate over Shaquille O'Neal and Andrew Bynum. It was even said that the Lakers almost traded O'Neal for Bynum, suggesting that the "Big Shaq" wasn't as talented as the "Little Shaq."

Then there's the Celtics' endless regret at missing out on Durant.

In short, it's a story full of grudges and a clash of titans.

In fact it is.

In the first game of the series, Riley clearly underestimated the Celtics.

Before the playoffs began, Riley only had one opponent in mind: the Knicks.

If we beat the Knicks, we can win the championship.

His idea was to use the first two rounds as training grounds and let Durant get used to the playoffs.

Therefore, in terms of tactical choices, he did not adjust according to the opponent, but insisted on his own style of play, which is mainly the triangle offense pick and roll.

It's mainly for Durant to practice.

I never expected that you wouldn't target anyone, but they would target you.

The Celtics employed a balanced triangle offense similar to the Knicks, focusing their attacks heavily on Swift.

On defense, he ran back and forth, intercepting and surrounding O'Neal, and helping defend Durant.

On the offensive end, they pull out to set screens.

First, he screens Roy's drive; second, he drives and passes to draw the Heat's defense into a collapse, creating opportunities for Pierce to score on the wing.

Then in the fourth quarter, they launched a relentless double-team on Durant.

As a result, the Celtics maintained their lead for the first three quarters, which lulled the Heat into a false sense of security.

Riley was thinking that Durant would still have a chance to shine in the fourth quarter.

As a result, Durant's offensive firepower failed to continue in the fourth quarter, and he managed to maintain the lead until the end.

The Celtics took the first goal.

After losing the first game, Riley immediately realized what was happening.

The Celtics aren't a bad team, and they can't afford to use this as a training ground anymore.

In today's wild East, a slight misstep could lead to disaster.

The regular season allows Durant to become the king of the fourth quarter and hone his ability to handle pressure.

But in the playoffs, not only is he required to be a reliable player, but he is also expected to carry the team throughout the game.

He needs to become a superhero and lead the team to victory.

In the second game, the Heat changed their playing style, reverting to a style where Durant was the ball-handler and then distributed the ball.

Give Durant unlimited shooting rights.

In the first quarter, Durant unleashed his full offensive power against the shorter Roy, scoring 18 points in the quarter alone.

With 33 points in the first half, the Heat built an 11-point lead.

Tomjanovic's face on the sidelines was filled with helplessness.

He genuinely thought the Celtics had a great roster, full of excellent players.

But there really is a difference between excellent and top-notch.

The Celtics, and indeed the entire league, have no player of Durant's caliber with such exceptional scoring ability.

In this game, Durant scored a whopping 49 points, setting a new playoff scoring record and helping the Heat secure the victory.

Throughout the match, he was invincible in one-on-one situations and ineffective when double-teamed, perfectly demonstrating what it means to be unsolvable.

Upon arriving in Boston, Tomjanovich still hadn't found a way to deal with Durant.

Roy couldn't stop Durant, and double-teaming wasn't the best option either.

In today's league, championship-caliber teams don't have any obvious weaknesses in their starting lineups.

The benefits of double-teaming are not significant.

In Game 3, the Celtics tried to tie the score several times, but Durant's strong scoring run kept them back.

Kevin Durant scored 41 points, once again helping the Heat secure a victory.

The next two scenes were almost identical.

The Celtics have no way to contain Durant, and Durant has the ability to kill the game.

In Game 4, Durant scored 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, and three players on the team scored over 20 points, securing the match point.

In the final game, the Heat gave the Celtics no hope of a comeback.

In the final quarter, Durant scored on consecutive isolation plays and hit two crucial three-pointers, scoring 16 points in the quarter and 45 points in total. Like the Grim Reaper, he wielded his scythe and took away all of Boston's hopes.

The Heat and Knicks have met in the Eastern Conference Finals.

(End of this chapter)