Chapter 6 Lakers' Opportunity

The Lakers dragging the series into Game Six, and on their home court no less, was an opportunity for them.

However, Popovich and the Spurs didn't seem flustered at all.

It was unlikely that the 39-year-old Nash would have a second game like the previous one, and the Spurs still held the initiative in the series.

With two days of rest, the Spurs flew back to Los Angeles a day early.

Before the plane took off, Tang Tian received a text message from Olsen.

The game would be over soon, and it would be his birthday.

It was also the first birthday they'd spent together since they'd been together.

Tang Tian hadn't really cared about this kind of thing.

Women's birthdays are called birthdays, but can men's birthdays be called birthdays?

However, Olsen had texted him, so it seemed like she had something planned.

He didn't pay too much attention to it. If everything went well, the series should be over after this next game.

"I kind of like this guy's personality."

Diaw said, holding a newspaper at that moment.

Tang Tian got up and walked to Diaw's side, only to realize that the newspaper was about Lillard winning the Rookie of the Year award.

It included Lillard's acceptance speech.

"I am the Rookie of the Year. They made a mistake not choosing me as the first pick. It proves that I am the strongest rookie this year."

Those were powerful words.

And he deserved to say them.

As the sixth pick, Lillard averaged 20 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1 steal, making him one of the few rookies in recent years to score over 20 points.

Moreover, he received all 121 first-place votes, becoming the first unanimous Rookie of the Year in NBA history!

And this was in a year with a clear cornerstone-type player in Anthony Davis (13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.8 blocks) as a competitor.

In addition, the other two competitors, Bradley Beal (13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists) and Dion Waiters (14.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3 assists), also performed well.

"I don't like this guy; he's too flamboyant," Green chimed in.

"No, Danny, you're still young. In the NBA, the ceiling for this kind of player won't be low. Don't you know Allen Iverson?"

Discussing historical players wasn't just something fans did; players did it too.

"That seems a bit deliberate. I think Anthony Davis should have gotten at least a few votes."

Green said.

Just based on his steals and blocks, it was impossible for him not to get a single vote.

"That's true; that guy is too talented. This might be a blow to him."

Diaw nodded.

"It's precisely because he's so talented that expectations for him are much higher than what he's shown so far, which is why people are disappointed," Tang Tian interjected.

Diaw and Green both nodded in agreement after hearing that.

That was a very objective point. If Anthony Davis was Kwame Brown, then those stats would likely have made him Rookie of the Year.

New Orleans.

Anthony Davis arrived at the training gym as usual.

His teammate, Eric Gordon, was still training with him.

The two went through strength training, ball training, and then scrimmage training. The intensity was high throughout, and they were both drenched in sweat by the end.

"Anthony, don't think too much about it."

After training, Gordon consoled Davis.

Davis turned his head and looked at Gordon, puzzled.

The eyebrows on his face looked very prominent, but his reaction was a bit dull.

"I'm talking about the Rookie of the Year award."

Gordon reminded him.

Davis nodded, didn't say anything, and continued to practice with the ball on the court.

Gordon sighed helplessly as he watched Davis's back.

Davis's talent was there, but his personality was a bit too gentle. If no one guided him, his growth would be slow.

He was a good candidate as a veteran player, but unfortunately, he himself was plagued by injuries and needed to prove himself.

Speaking of which, Davis, who was touted by the media as a surefire Hall of Famer and a player who would redefine the interior, didn't even get a single first-place vote in his rookie season…

And Gordon was also an All-Star-level shooting guard, but injuries had prevented him from living up to expectations.

The Hornets, renamed the Pelicans, were now a league of the disappointed!

While discussing the Rookie of the Year award, the plane had unknowingly arrived in Los Angeles.

Popovich only arranged for routine training, but after the training session, he still gave the players a pep talk.

Although it was unlikely that Nash would explode again, with Kobe on the other side, the team had to be mentally prepared for a tough battle in this do-or-die game.

After the training session that day, the other Western Conference Semifinals game ended early, with the Grizzlies eliminating the Warriors 4-2 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Grizzlies black-sevened the Thunder and then took down the Warriors, a performance that surprised everyone.

But after thinking about it, it made sense. They were originally a top-four team in the West, but injuries had caused them to fall to seventh.

At this point, fans couldn't help but recall that the Grizzlies had also black-eighted the Spurs before.

The Black and White Double-Tower were definitely a huge weapon in the playoffs.

In Game Six of the series, Kobe was full of fighting spirit, but after the game started, Tang Tian completely limited him.

Kobe was the type of player who performed better the more critical the game, but Tang Tian's defensive ability was too strong now, and he was also a counter to Kobe.

After shooting 11-for-30, putting up another Mamba-esque performance, the Lakers were ultimately defeated by the Spurs 83-101, and eliminated 2-4.

The Lakers' win in the previous game was due to Nash's unexpected explosion, but now that the accident was gone, this result was expected.

The only thing to be thankful for was that Howard played well in this game, with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

And after being on the verge of missing the playoffs at one point in the season, making it to the Western Conference Semifinals and losing 2-4 to the defending champion Spurs was an acceptable result.

The Thunder with their Four Young Masters had only managed to tie the Spurs 2-4 last year.

After the game, neither Kobe nor Howard accepted interviews.

Obviously, being eliminated at home wasn't a good thing for them.

Metta World Peace, on the other hand, patiently answered questions from reporters on the sidelines.

"What kind of player do you think Tang is?"

Because there had been rumors between Tang Tian and the Lakers before, and Tang Tian's performance in the series was indeed good, the reporter's question was perfectly timed.

"He's the strongest defensive player I've ever seen."

Metta World Peace's opening statement surprised the reporter.

As a historical-level defensive player, Metta World Peace's evaluation didn't even have a "one of," which was an extremely high praise.

"If it weren't for him, we would have had a chance to reach the Finals and win the championship. Although I think he still has relatively few offensive means, I believe he will definitely become a superstar in the future."