basketball player

Chapter 660 658: Land of the North

Sacramento, Arco Arena.

When was the last time the Kings weren't in the lottery?The answer is 2006.

In that year, there were still two years before the opening of the BJ Olympic Games. The most popular mobile phone was still Nokia, and MP3 was the only way to listen to music.Wade, James and others have just entered the league for their third year
It's a very rare thing for a team to be in the lottery 12 consecutive years.Even the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost for a while and even lost their winning culture, have climbed up in the past two years with the performance of Embiid and Simmons.

This shows how weak the Sacramento Kings are.

But today, the weak king let the Pacers into a hard fight.Until the last 16 seconds, a tip-up by Willie Cauley-Stein made the Kings lead the Pacers by 1 point at a critical moment.

Henson suspended the game and arranged a lore tactic.But it is a pity that Paul George did not seize the last chance. His mid-range shot hit the iron, allowing the Kings to maintain the 1-point difference until the end of the game.

110 to 111, the Sacramento Kings had the biggest upset of the season!And they also became the second team that can defeat the Pacers this season after the Trail Blazers.

Although the loss of this game makes people feel incredible, this is also the charm of the NBA.No game is absolutely stable.

And according to Henson, the current kings are truly talented.To get rid of the fate of continuous lottery, these two years are the king's best chance.

After the game, the Pacers players were very frustrated.They actually performed fairly well today, but it's a pity that the Kings have stabilized their position with 44.8% of their three-pointers.

As for the goal at the last moment, in addition to comparing strength, the two sides are actually comparing luck.

It's a pity that the Pacers are the less fortunate side today.

Henson was already ready to accept the "baptism" of the reporters. After all, you are only allowed to lose, and you are not allowed to be said about you?
However, at the press conference after the game, Henson was unexpectedly not made things difficult by any reporter!
"Coach Henson, do you think the performance of the Kings is a bit extraordinary?"

"Have you considered launching an impact towards 70 wins this season? How sure are you of getting 70 wins?"

"The next game against the Bulls, will you field your ultimate lineup?"

The reporters asked all kinds of questions, but few related to the loss.Henson looked at the reporters in astonishment. Did they all take the wrong medicine today?This is a great opportunity to embarrass yourself!

However, all the reporters down there knew.This loss is nothing to the Pacers at all.After all, they had just spent a full month of victory. Losing the first game in December doesn't mean anything.

If you use the loss of this game to attack Henson, there is usually only one result - being swollen in the face by Henson in the next game!

Therefore, the reporters simply stopped wading into the muddy waters.Over the years, they had suffered enough from Henson.

The next day, the Pacers were beaten by the Kings, who had been in the lottery zone for 12 consecutive years, but the reporters took it lightly.

They all know that it doesn't make any sense to play up the Pacers' loss in this game.Of course, don't think that Henson will become a national idol.In fact, journalists are still not very kind to Henson.It's just that they are patiently waiting for an opportunity.

Waiting for an opportunity to make Henson fall from the altar in one fell swoop.

After losing to the Kings, for most of December, the Pacers have been winning just like the past November.

12月4日轻取公牛，12月7日大胜魔术，12月8日复仇国王，12月10日打服奇才。

After that, the Bucks, 76ers, Knicks and Cavaliers naturally couldn't stop the Pacers from expanding wildly.

The 76ers actually have a good chance to beat the Pacers, but it's a pity that Embiid's performance of 6 of 1 shots from beyond the three-point line dragged his feet.

So far, the Pacers have won another eight consecutive victories, and their record has accumulated to an exaggerated 27 wins and 2 losses.Although this is Henson's last season, it's Wade's last season and Dirk's last season.

But unlike the latter two who just enjoy basketball, Henson is still extremely bloodthirsty.

Sure enough, the Pacers' loss to the Kings in early December wasn't even worth mentioning.Because the real defending champion cannot be denied by an ordinary defeat.

So what if the Pacers experience a less common loss?
On Dec. 12, when the Pacers beat the Cavaliers at home, the postgame press releases became hilarious.

Of course, the reporters weren't here for the game itself.After all, as a lottery team, it is not surprising that the Cavaliers lost to the Pacers.The reason why the reporters are so excited today is because the opportunity they have been waiting for to embarrass Henson has finally come!
"Coach Henson, will you fly to Toronto immediately?"

"What preparations have you made for tomorrow's game?"

"Will back-to-back games affect the team's state? Do you have the confidence to win?"

Underneath, the flashing lights made Henson feel a little dazzled.Today's game shouldn't be so attractive, but unfortunately, the heat of tomorrow's game has already rushed to Indianapolis in advance.

Tomorrow, December 12, Henson will lead his team far north to Toronto.

In the past, Henson would not have put the Toronto Raptors in his eyes at all.Don't look at the Raptors playing well in the regular season, but when they meet a real top team in the playoffs, they wither.

But this year the situation is different, the Toronto Raptors have become a truly top team.So far in the regular season, the Raptors have not yet reached double-digit losses.It's a testament to how strong they have been this year.

Of course, the most important point is.

Today, the Toronto Raptors are led by Kawhi Leonard!

Looking at the situation in front of him, Henson couldn't help smiling.If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have raised them so well back then.
※※※

The flight from Indianapolis to Toronto actually takes only 1 hour and 35 minutes.However, even a short flight time can be torture for players who have just finished a game.

It was 1:[-] a.m. when the Pacers' plane landed in Toronto.And it is very unfortunate that it is snowing heavily in Toronto at this time, and the weather is very bad.

"Damn the weather, I hate it here!" Henson wrapped his big padded jacket tightly, even so, the cold wind was still biting.

Toronto is a place where most NBA superstars are reluctant to come, which is why the Raptors have been lacking superstars.In addition to the mediocre strength of the Raptors, Toronto's bad climate has also kept most superstars out.

Winter in Toronto begins in October, and the low temperature will last until April of the following year!It can be said that for most of the year, Toronto is in winter.

How many people like this climate?
It's December, and it's one of the coldest months in Toronto. The average low temperature in Toronto in December reaches minus 12°C, and the extreme low temperature can even be as low as minus 12°C!
Before coming today, Henson also checked the temperature here.Fortunately, the Pacers did not encounter extreme low temperatures.But they were also very unlucky, because the temperature in Toronto these two days was much lower than the average expectation, which was minus 15 degrees Celsius.

After getting off the plane, Henson didn't even think about the Raptors and Leonard.The inclement weather had already made him very anxious.

After leading everyone back to the hotel, Henson felt heaved a sigh of relief.Just now, he thought the team bus was going to be submerged by the snowstorm.

"It's getting late, everyone rest early! Training will start at noon tomorrow, so don't take it lightly!"

After saying a few words, Henson dismissed everyone.He himself fell asleep quickly, making full preparations for tomorrow's battle.

Toronto Raptors VS Indiana Pacers, this is the first meeting between the two finalists in the Eastern Conference this season!

Everyone expects the Raptors to end the Pacers' winning streak. The reporters have waited long enough for this day.

※※※

"Dong dong dong dong!"

A quick knock on the door woke Henson from his sleep. The man who was almost 40 years old opened his eyes dimly, and found that the sky outside the window was still black.

"Dong dong dong dong!"

The knocking on the door continued, Henson turned on the light, and then looked at the clock on the bedside table, his heart skipped a beat.

It's four o'clock in the morning, when someone comes to see me, usually it's an emergency!Could it be that some players went out to fool around?
He immediately opened the door, but the person standing outside the door was neither McMillan nor Becky Harmon, let alone the team's equipment manager, but the chief team doctor of the Pacers, Jim Clark.

"Clark? What happened?"

"Henson, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but Giannis, that kid is not doing well. I just took his temperature and he seems to have a fever."

After listening to the team doctor, Henson's eyes widened.Yes, his badge can only ensure that the players are injured as little as possible, but there is no way to guarantee that the players will not get sick.

"Well, he."

"I'm afraid he won't be able to catch up with tomorrow's back-to-back games." Before Henson could ask, the team doctor told what Henson was most afraid of.

This trip to Toronto has become more and more difficult.

(End of this chapter)