Tang Tian gave one reason, but there was another he didn't mention for wanting the Lakers to win.

The Thunder were basically about to be eliminated by the Grizzlies, and without Westbrook's return, it would be difficult for them to turn the tables.

This wasn't necessarily good news for the Spurs.

With winning the championship as their only goal, the Heat were their final opponent.

All opponents before that were just for warming up and finding their rhythm.

The Clippers had already proven themselves to be chickens in front of the Spurs, both in last season's playoffs and this season's regular season.

If the two teams met in the semifinals, it would likely be another 4-0 sweep.

If the Spurs were just beating up on a bunch of chickens before advancing to the Finals, they wouldn't be able to get into their rhythm, and their chances of winning would be very small.

The Spurs played so well against the Heat last year because their series against the Thunder had been so close.

Now that the Thunder were eliminated, the Lakers were the best replacement.

After all, the healthy F4, although a little old, still had the strength.

The game between the Clippers and the Lakers was still going on, but it would probably be a few more days.

The Spurs didn't have to travel because of their home-court advantage, so they could just train in San Antonio.

One day, after training, Tang Tian had just sat down in the locker room when he received a text message.

It was from the league office.

"Tang Tian, congratulations on becoming the 2012-2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. You can choose one of the following ways to receive it: 1. We can快递 (kuai di, deliver) it to the team; 2. It can be presented during a home game; 3. You can go to the league headquarters to receive it, address: Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue, New York."

Tang Tian was very familiar with this kind of text message; only the content was different.

Defensive Player of the Year!

Popovich was right; Tang Tian really became the Defensive Player of the Year.

"Woah! I knew it! I knew it!"

Not long after Tang Tian received the text message, Ginobili shouted in the locker room.

The league had just announced the news.

Tang Tian received 60 of the 121 first-place votes, with a high vote rate of 30%, beating Marc Gasol (13%) and James (9%) to successfully be elected the 2012-2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year!

The fifth perimeter player in history to win the award since statistics were kept!

This time, his name was clearly imprinted in the long river of NBA history!

"I knew you could do it, Defensive Player of the Year!"

Ginobili shouted as he walked towards Tang Tian, and the others followed suit.

Tang Tian's performance and statistics this season were very eye-catching, and it was well-deserved for him to be elected Defensive Player of the Year.

It was just that because perimeter players don't have a high probability of winning the award, they were a little worried before.

Now that the result was out, their worries were completely unnecessary.

Moreover, 30% of the vote was considered relatively high, and it was very difficult as a perimeter player.

"Tang, tonight's lunch, no, dinner is on you."

Diaw came over at this time and put his arm around his shoulder.

"No problem, definitely."

Tang Tian said with a smile.

There was a small celebration in the locker room.

After the celebration, Tang Tian asked Carl to reserve a restaurant for dinner before taking out his mobile phone to reply to the league.

He would choose to hold the award ceremony at home, at the opening of the first game of the next round of the series.

The main reason for choosing that point was naturally to boost the team's morale.

Time flew by, and a few days passed in a blink of an eye.

The first round of the NBA playoffs was all over, and all within 6 games.

Except for the Heat and Spurs, who had already advanced.

In the East, the Bulls won two straight after being tied 2-2 to eliminate the Nets 4-2.

Jimmy Butler performed well in the series. While defending Joe Johnson to the death, he also averaged 12 points per game, a clear improvement.

The Nets were more embarrassed. They spent money to build a super lineup, but in the end, they were eliminated in the first round.

The Pacers eliminated the Hawks 4-2. Lance Stephenson's growth made up for the only defect in this team, making them look competitive.

The Knicks also successfully eliminated the aging Celtics 4-2.

After playing a surprising regular season, Anthony had the opportunity to lead the team again and face James in the playoffs in a battle of brothers.

In the West, the Thunder were ultimately defeated by the Grizzlies 1-4 and were eliminated with regret.

Westbrook's absence was the main reason for the Thunder's defeat.

The Grizzlies also became the only team since the implementation of the best-of-seven series to achieve both a "black seven" and a "black eight."

In the remaining two sets of duels, the Warriors also achieved a "black six," successfully knocking the Nuggets off their horse.

The Lakers also won two straight to achieve a "black five," eliminating the Clippers 4-2 and advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.

Except for the Spurs, the other three teams in the upper half of the West all encountered dark horses...

Popovich's blessed mouth was really poisonous.

With the end of the first round of the playoffs, the matchups for the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals were also released.

In the East, the Heat would face the Bulls, and the Pacers would face the Knicks.

In the West, the Warriors would face the Grizzlies, and the Spurs would face the challenge of the Lakers.

Among these four matchups, the Spurs and Lakers were the most attractive.

One was the defending champion, and the other, although their regular season record was not satisfactory, also had a championship-caliber lineup.

Just looking at the rosters on paper, this was really going to be a clash of the titans.

On May 5th, just one day after the end of the series between the Lakers and the Clippers, the entire Lakers team flew to San Antonio one day in advance.

The Lakers scheduled their daily shooting training in the afternoon.

Head coach D'Antoni seemed to be in a very good mood.

Since the team traded for Livingston and C.J. Miles, the team's rotation was finally complete, and the fast-paced offense he wanted was finally taking shape.

Moreover, in the first round, they eliminated their most important city rivals, the Clippers.

This performance was enough for him to continue to stay with the Lakers.

Kobe also seemed to be in a very good mood. After listening to Tang Tian's advice, he played more efficiently than before.

The Lakers' record improved, and his statistics didn't drop much.

After the training, Kobe was quickly surrounded by reporters.

"Last year, the Lakers lost to the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Now they are welcoming the stronger Spurs. Is the team confident?"

"Of course, we are stronger than last year."

"Tang just won the Defensive Player of the Year, and you will be facing him in the game next. What do you think? We know that your performance against him in the regular season was not very good." The reporter then asked.

"Maybe I should learn Popovich's way of speaking and stand on the sidelines and watch?"

Kobe was indeed in a good mood, and the answer made the reporters laugh.

"Okay, just kidding. Tang did play very well this season, and he deserved that (Defensive Player of the Year), but for me, the stronger the defensive player, the more excited I will be in the game."

Kobe always seemed so confident.