basketball player

Chapter 668 Chapter 666: January full of malice

Henson's "gift" to Siakam, he hasn't warmed up yet, and the heat is taken away by a big man who hasn't played a game this season.

DeMarcus Cousins, before his injury, he was a super center who averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.Although Cousins ​​suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon last season, most people still believe that he can maintain his state.

Now, without Cousins, the Golden State Warriors are already the most dominant team in the league except for the Pacers.If Cousins ​​is added, no one knows how strong the Warriors will be.

Therefore, although Steve Kerr and Bob Myers only announced an approximate time for Cousins' comeback, it is enough to cause an uproar in the league.After all, there has never been such a luxurious starting lineup in NBA history.

The "Lakers F4" back then was indeed luxurious enough, but both Payton and Malone had already passed the peak of their careers at that time.

The Warriors are different. Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Cousins ​​are all in their heyday.Such a starting lineup consisting of five all-stars is unprecedented, and it is very likely that there will be no future!
"I really can't do anything about them. A lineup that has never actually appeared can attract such a wide range of attention."

The day after the Warriors announced Cousins' return, Becky Harmon found that Henson's brows had been frowning.

"Don't worry so much, Henson. We don't know how DeMarcus is, and besides, he may not be suitable for the Warriors' system."

"No," Henson shook his head and interrupted Becky Harmon. "Theoretically speaking, as long as Cousins ​​doesn't have a bad brain, he should be very suitable for the Warriors. He can run, jump, and has a good shot. Under Steve Kerr's system, he will definitely shine. We can't take chances, and we must be prepared to face strong enemies."

As he spoke, Henson found out the schedule for January 2019, which is the next month, from his mobile phone.

Looking at the schedule, the Chinese coach frowned even deeper. The first month of 2019 will be the biggest test of his team's strength.

After the start of January, the Raptors and Celtics will be the first to test the strength of the Pacers.Although these two teams have lost to the Pacers this season, the outcome of a game does not explain the problem. These two teams are still the Pacers' rivals in the East.

Subsequently, the Pacers will also meet the Philadelphia 76ers.

费城76人，亨森记得他以前几乎不用怎么发力就可以在季后赛中4比0横扫76人。本赛季之前，步行者也有过战胜76人队的经历。

But the current 76ers are different from the 76ers that the Pacers defeated before, because they actually harvested Jimmy Butler!
In the season opener against the Timberwolves, Henson found that the atmosphere in the locker room inside the Timberwolves was not very good. Jimmy Butler, who is used to working towards victory, may not be able to stand the atmosphere of the Timberwolves.

I just didn't expect Butler to choose to transfer so soon.Moreover, it turned back to the east!
In the East, Leonard is already troublesome enough.Now there is another Jimmy Butler spoiling the situation. Henson is really the first and the second big.

Originally, with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, the 76ers were already tough enough.Now that there is one more Jimmy Butler, the 76ers will undoubtedly increase in strength.

Facts have proved that since Jimmy Butler joined the 11ers on November 11, the record of the 76ers is indeed much better than before.Unlike the Timberwolves, the goal of the 76ers is to win.Therefore, Jimmy Butler must be very happy to be in such a group.

Having to face his two best disciples in the east at the same time, Henson sighed helplessly.

After beating the 76ers, Henson is about to meet his old enemy—the Golden State Warriors with DeMarcus Cousins!

According to Kerr and Myers, Cousins ​​should return between mid-January and the end of January.The next time the Pacers meet the Warriors will be January 1.Nine out of ten times Cousins ​​was already in the Warriors at that point.

For the five-star Warriors, just thinking about their starting lineup makes Henson feel pressured.Whether I can leave this year with success or not depends entirely on whether I can defeat the luxurious Warriors.

Henson turned off the screen of his mobile phone and burned the key airport game next month into his mind.

"Everyone, please continue to make persistent efforts. Next month's competition will be a real test for us!"

※※※

In the last game in December, the Pacers beat the Pistons at home.Although Blake Griffin played very well, scoring 12 points with extremely high efficiency.But helplessly, the configuration of the Pistons is the configuration of a second-rate team.Blake Griffin alone can't make the Pistons transform.

Speaking of which, Henson is also very sorry. When Blake Griffin was in the Clippers, Henson didn't like him. He thought he had a bad temper and only dunked the ball offensively.What's more, the results of leading the team are really mediocre.Henson always feels that he is a player whose fame is far greater than his strength.

But now in the Pistons, Griffin's performance has greatly changed Henson.He has comprehensive skills and a calm personality.In order to carry the team into the playoffs, he worked hard.

He got the hang of it, and he became a real superstar.But it is a pity that his team can only work hard for the playoffs, let alone the championship.

125 to 88, the Pacers slaughtered the Pistons with a brutal score.After the game, Blake Griffin was very helpless. He had done everything he could.But the result is indescribable.

After defeating the Pistons, the Pacers officially won 9 consecutive victories.And their 2018 games have all ended, and the next thing to meet Henson is the very "interesting" January schedule.

The first two games in January, against the Hawks and Bulls, were almost a warm-up for the Pacers.In these two games, the Pacers also won by double digits.

However, on January 1, the Pacers' first rival in January, the Toronto Raptors, let Henson suffer a big blow.

The game is still taking place in Toronto, and the temperature in Toronto in January has reached minus 1 degrees Celsius!
But even so, even in such a bitterly cold situation, tens of thousands of fans still gathered in the square outside the entrance of the Air Canada Center arena!
It goes without saying that Toronto fans are full of expectations for this game.

It is generally believed that after Antetokounmpo returns, it is impossible for the Raptors to win.After all, the last time Henson didn't use Antetokounmpo, he ate the Raptors to death.

But the charm of competitive sports lies in the uncertainty.Many times, there will be some situations beyond people's expectations in the game.

For example, today, Henson did not expect the Raptors to have a surprise soldier.

"Norman Powell, he made a decisive three-pointer at the critical moment! The ball was interfered by Oladipo, but it was incredible! It was still hit! Norman Powell, his three three-pointers at the end of the game almost killed the defending champion!"

On the commentary stand, Kenny Smith was shouting excitedly.Norman Powell, the little-known second-round pick in 2015, became famous today.

His three-pointer with Oladipo's lens just now made the Raptors lead the Pacers by 5 points at a critical moment.At this point, there are only 23 seconds left in the game.In other words, Powell almost contributed a quasi-lore.

Today, Powell did more than that.In the whole game, he came off the bench for Van Fleet and scored 23 points.This is also thanks to "Van Jordan"'s stable performance as always. Today, he made 6 of 1 shots in the game, making Nick Nurse dare not continue to use him.

And most importantly, in the last 2 minutes of the game, Powell made all three three-pointers.Without these three three-pointers, the Raptors may be behind now.

Norman Powell's whole person was an unexpected accident that Henson didn't expect.

In the end, although the Pacers gritted their teeth and insisted, but the 5-point difference was too great, and the Pacers still regrettably lost.

121 to 118, the Raptors succeeded in revenge by 3 points at their home court!This game also allowed the Raptors to successfully interrupt the Pacers' 11-game winning streak, becoming the third team in the league that can defeat the Pacers this season!

"Accident, I was very surprised. I was very surprised by Norman Powell, for those three three-pointers. My players have done enough, but accidents happen."

After the game, Henson commented on the game like this.Among them, the word he repeated the most was "accident".

In the first game of the Pacers' focus game in January, Henson encountered an accident.So, playing against such a team, you can never think that you are stable.You never know what's going to happen in the actual game.

In the first game of the crucial battle, Henson experienced the deep malice in January.It seems that it is not easy to win against these teams.

Huge pressure rushed over in an instant.

(End of this chapter)