TL: 100PS
Chapter 314: Playboy Traps And Western Conference Finals Hype
"Rivalry Renewed, Western Conference Finals Matchups Set."
"The Lakers Return To The Western Conference Finals For The First Time In The Post OK Era."
"Kobe Versus Nash, A Clash From The Class Of 96."
"Chen Yan Versus Kobe, The Supernova Meets The MVP."
The build up to the Western Conference Finals was insane.
The league was in a very clear state. West strong, East weak. In most Fans' eyes, whoever survived this series would be the favorite to take the title.
"This is Kobe's year. Win MVP, then take the trophy."
"The Lakers roster is ridiculous. Kobe plus Garnett means wins."
"My Lakers are the champions."
"The Lakers are rolling, but Phoenix is just as hot right now."
"I am riding with Chen Yan. If he wins a title in his rookie season, how many people will lose their minds?"
"I am a Kobe Fan, but I want Chen to win too. I am so torn…"
"I just want to see Chen keep tearing through people."
The Fan base was split, but the energy was the same. Everyone was locked in on Suns versus Lakers, especially on the individual matchup.
Kobe versus Chen Yan.
It did not quite reach the level of the 23 versus 24 mythology, but as a duel between the current face of the league and the fastest rising star, it had more than enough pull.
In the domestic market, most Fans leaned toward Chen. At the end of the day, he was 1 of their own.
Overseas, Kobe's popularity still drowned him out. That was normal. Kobe was regarded as the best player in the world, and Chen was still in his first year. In terms of global reach, he could not compete yet.
But his rise had been obvious.
Through 2 playoff rounds, Chen had silenced critics with nightly highlight reels. The 13 points in 33 seconds game had turned countless neutrals into Fans.
His followers climbed. So did his haters.
For the Western Conference Finals, those haters united behind Kobe, even if they had not been Lakers Fans before. Their wish was simple. They wanted Kobe to give Chen a hard lesson, the more brutal the better.
Some Fans still stood behind Chen.
They had pounded their chests for years watching the Rockets bow out in the first round. After they followed Chen and took Phoenix as their "home" team, they suddenly realized that reaching the Western Conference Finals did not have to be a distant dream.
Now they were living it.
...
The hype even pulled in city hall.
The mayors of Los Angeles and Phoenix decided to join the fun.
The last time 2 Pacific Division teams met in the Western Conference Finals had been back in 2002. To commemorate the occasion, the 2 mayors made a public bet.
If Phoenix won the series, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would invite Phoenix mayor Emanuel R Arita to dinner in Los Angeles.
If the Lakers won, then mayor Arita would host mayor Villaraigosa in Phoenix for steak.
On top of that, the losing city's hall would hang the winner's team logo in a prominent spot until the end of the entire season.
...
After 1 full day of rest, the Suns flew to Los Angeles.
They needed to get used to Staples again and lock in for Game 1.
D Antoni shut down all outside access.
No media. No open practice. All sessions were closed door.
He wanted his team focused and insulated.
This round was different.
Phoenix did not have home court advantage. Game 1 would be on the road, which meant the Suns had to be sharper mentally from the very first possession.
To tighten things further, the usually relaxed D Antoni set a hard curfew. No one could be out past 10 PM.
Los Angeles was not Phoenix. It was a city built on distractions, and Little Beard did not want to see energy wasted before the ball even went up.
His fears were not exaggerated.
The test arrived the first night.
At 11 PM, there was a knock on 2 doors at the team hotel.
Steve Nash's room.
Chen Yan's room.
When they opened their doors, 2 models stood in the hallway with small cakes in their hands and bright smiles on their faces.
They walked in, set the cakes down, then slipped off their coats, revealing tight, perfectly cut outfits that left very little to the imagination.
Maybe most Americans had never read The Art Of War or The Thirty Six Stratagems, but human nature did not need a textbook.
Temptation was a classic tactic.
Nash and Chen both saw through it instantly.
Nash cared about his public image and his family. Chen cared about his future and his reputation.
Both of them were cool headed enough to recognize this as a psychological ploy from the Los Angeles side and turned it down without hesitation.
The models left with their coats back on and their mission failed.
It was a ruthless move, and not many players would have passed that test.
The next morning, when Stoudemire heard what had happened, he threw his head back and howled.
"There was something like that going on and nobody thought to send them to my room?"
The locker room burst into laughter.
...
While Phoenix sharpened its edge, the Lakers did the same.
The Suns were the mid season darlings, had just dethroned the defending champion Spurs, and were coming in with a full head of steam.
Kobe understood the weight of this series clearly.
He was a perfectionist. If he lost to the Suns for 3 straight years, he would never forgive it.
On the first day of prep, he called everyone into a huddle at practice.
"Treat every single drill like it is the Western Conference Finals," Kobe said, eyes cold. "If you are going to sleepwalk, get off my court."
His personality, like Jordan's, had only 1 setting between the lines. Tyrant.
This was how he pushed teammates. This was how he drew the line.
"Kobe is right," Garnett shouted, clapping his hands. "Wake up, everybody."
Just like Kobe, KG hated losing. That was part of why he had forced his way to Los Angeles in the first place.
...
With media coverage pouring gasoline on everything, the Western Conference Finals atmosphere went from hot to scorching in 48 hours.
Ticket prices at Staples exploded.
Average seats doubled in price. Courtside VIP spots climbed into the 60,000 to 80,000 dollar range for a single seat.
Even at those numbers, tickets were still almost impossible to get.
Los Angeles never lacked for rich people.
...
The night before Game 1, ESPN rolled out a full segment to break down the matchup position by position.
"At point guard, Nash versus Fisher," the studio host said. "Nash has the clear edge. He is an MVP level floor general who lifts the entire system. Fisher is a solid role player. He has had big moments, like that famous 0 point 4 second shot, but next to Kobe and Garnett, his main job is to bring the ball across half court and hit open looks."
"At shooting guard, we get the matchup everyone wants. Kobe versus Chen Yan. Kobe is widely seen as the league's best player and the regular season MVP. In terms of skill set and experience, he is still ahead of Chen. But Chen is more unpredictable. His athletic tools are elite, his scoring bursts are scary, and his shooting range is something Kobe does not have. Chen has been almost flawless through 2 rounds, so it is hard to say who will be better in this series. For players at this level, form from game to game matters more than paper analysis."
"At small forward, James Posey versus Raja Bell. Both are role players, both are perimeter stoppers, and both can knock down shots. Whoever does a better job limiting the other team's perimeter firepower will swing a lot of possessions. This one is basically even."
"At power forward, Garnett versus Diaw. This one is not controversial. Diaw is a very useful system player, he can pass, he can shoot, and he can handle the ball a little. Garnett is a historic level power forward. He can do everything a coach asks. He changes games by himself. At this spot, the Lakers have a massive advantage."
"At center, the script flips. Stoudemire is an All Star caliber big. His scoring explosions are near the top among interior players. Kwame Brown came into the league as a number 1 pick, but by year 7, he has settled into a pure blue collar interior role. The best thing he can do for this team is catch the ball cleanly and not fumble it."
When the segment ended, a lot of Fans watching at home quietly turned off their televisions.
Summed up in 1 line, the expert's conclusion was simple.
This series was 50 50.
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