Chapter 58 Another 58!

When the final buzzer sounded, the arena erupted in deafening cheers and whistles.

But the two people with the most unsightly expressions at this moment were Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups.

Back in 2009, during Game 3 of the first-round series between the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Hornets, the Nuggets had routed the Hornets 121-63 on their home court.

Billups was playing for the Nuggets at the time, while Paul was with the Hornets.

That game had become an indelible mark on Paul's career.

But no one expected that after so many years, Billups and Paul would become teammates, only to be massacred by another team by 58 points!

Paul didn't even participate in the post-game handshake and left the court early.

Billups looked a little depressed at this moment. He felt like he was… here to pay off a debt?

On the other side of the court, Gregg Popovich's serious expression finally disappeared.

He hated it most when people showed off in front of him.

He was a coach, so he couldn't jump in front of his opponents and slap them in the face or start a war of words.

But grinding someone hard into the ground was much more satisfying.

"No practice tomorrow."

Back in the locker room, Popovich said to his players with a smile.

The old man was in a great mood.

Tang Tian couldn't help but smile wryly when he heard this.

The Clippers were really asking for it.

Winning was fine, but they had to be so cocky.

And they didn't even look at who they were up against.

If it had been any other coach, they might have just won back, but it was Popovich.

He wouldn't feel comfortable unless he beat you by 58 points!

"Maurice Williams is the ultimate cannon fodder; he actually missed that last 3-pointer!"

"I heard there's a website in China called 58.com that's very popular."

"Is this some kind of mystical phenomenon? Losing by 58 twice in the Western Conference Semifinals, this is truly unprecedented!"

"There must be a Hand of God manipulating all of this!"

"God says don't blame me for this; the person controlling everything is definitely a three-second man~"

After the Western Conference Semifinals game, fans were chatting excitedly all night.

In the East, the 76ers and Celtics were locked in a fierce battle, and the Heat and Pacers were tied 2-2, with the outcome still uncertain.

But in the West, the Thunder defeated the Lakers 106-90, also advancing to the Western Conference Finals with a 4-1 score.

With the elimination of both Los Angeles teams, the two teams in the Western Conference Finals were confirmed: the Spurs and the Thunder.

One was the first seed in the West, and the other was the second seed, so the result was somewhat expected.

One was a traditional powerhouse, and the other was a rising force in the league.

This was definitely the most anticipated matchup in the West.

If the Spurs won, they would continue their legendary run. If the Thunder won, it would be even more complete, a true rise of the Thunder.

And besides the teams, the feud between Tang Tian and Durant would definitely not be forgotten by the fans.

Durant could say that he just wasn't feeling it when he lost in the regular season, but if he lost in the Western Conference Finals, he would really lose face big time.

A clash of titans, filled with personal grudges, this matchup was full of highlights even before it began.

But perhaps feeling that there weren't enough highlights, a reporter interviewed Scarlett Johansson, who was attending an event, the day after the Western Conference Semifinals ended.

"We all know that Kevin Durant said he wanted to drink your bathwater. What do you think about that?"

This reporter was really bold.

But Scarlett smiled happily after hearing this, and didn't blush or seem disgusted.

It was clear that she was pretty open about this.

"Is he playing a game right now?"

After smiling, Scarlett turned around and asked the reporter.

"His team just made it to the conference semifinals. If they win, they'll go to the Finals."

The reporter was afraid that Scarlett didn't know much about the NBA, so he explained a little more.

"Oh, I see."

Scarlett nodded.

"If he can win a championship, I might consider what he said."

Scarlett's next words stunned the reporter.

What he said?

That was about drinking bathwater!

Scarlett's implication was that if Durant won the championship, she would let him drink her bathwater?!

This news was a bit explosive!

Sure enough, after the news was released, Twitter exploded.

"Woah, Kevin Durant, come out quickly, did you hear that? You have a chance to drink bathwater!"

"Speaking of which, what does bathwater taste like?"

"It depends on what brand of shower gel Scarlett uses ≡w≡"

"You guys are so naive, you really think he's going to drink bathwater! This is an implication, implying that if Durant wins the championship, they can try dating!"

"That seems to make sense. Durant is tall, rich, and a little handsome."

"This is definitely good news for the Thunder; Durant is going to be pumped up!"

"So Scarlett is a Thunder fan!"

…

During the Thunder's daily training, Durant was in great shape, and he kept humming in the locker room after training, in a very good mood.

Russell Westbrook was also very happy to see this. They had played together for four years, and he already regarded Durant as his best brother.

He was naturally happy when his brother was happy.

He had already decided that he would try to contact Scarlett when he got back and send some small gifts for Durant.

That way, when the Thunder really won the championship, Durant would really have a chance to be with Scarlett.

Because the Eastern Conference Finals were still in full swing, the Western Conference Finals would also be delayed to balance the schedule.

In the most extreme case, if there was a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Western Conference Finals would not be held until a week later.

The league also seized the opportunity to announce the results of the regular season's various teams at this time.

The regular awards, such as Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and even MVP, were all very important.

But the All-NBA teams were also a very big affirmation of a player's performance.

The All-NBA teams included the All-NBA Team, All-Defensive Team, All-Rookie Team, and the corresponding Second and Third Teams.

The All-Rookie Team was announced first.

The All-Rookie Team had a First Team and a Second Team.

Second Team: Isaiah Thomas, Marshon Brooks, Chandler Parsons, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson.

An important indicator of whether it was a good draft year was the performance of non-lottery rookies in the league.

In this Second Team, Brooks was the 25th pick, Parsons was the 38th pick, and Thomas was the 60th pick.

And all three of these players had already started for their respective teams in their rookie season, which showed that this was a truly strong draft year.

Including Williams and Thompson, they were also already solid starters for their teams.

If the Second Team was like this, you could imagine what the First Team would be like.

First Team: Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight, Ricky Rubio, Tang Tian, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kenneth Faried.

There was a rule for the All-NBA Team that when the vote results were the same, they would be tied for selection.

There was a tie this year, so there were a total of seven people on the First Team.

And among these seven people, the names of Irving, Walker, Tang Tian, and Thompson were on the list.

The Four Hardship Brothers directly occupied half of the All-Rookie Team, and more!

Putting everything else aside, this validated what Tang Tian had said, that hard work pays off!

Of course, it could also be said that if a player improved significantly after changing teams, then they must have worked hard in the summer.

ps: 3 more chapters to go.