The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 290 The team is in good shape

After the All-Stars, the Cavaliers' first opponent is the Wizards.

The Wizards started off well, but encountered problems during this time.

Bill's injury caused them to lose several games in a row, and the record has slipped.

The season is long, and there will be running-in, injuries, and ups and downs in the state. If the team does not handle it well, it will not be able to become a first-class team.

The second-year player Otto Porter, who replaced Bill in the starting lineup, has a good defense, but he can't give the team more help on the offensive end for the time being.

Le Fu's status on the Cavaliers' side is mediocre, probably because he has been dating his girlfriend too much.

Zhang Xiaotian, Irving, and James, the three players who came back from the All-Stars, are in good condition. All three are 20+, and they led the team to six players in double figures.

Their 20+ were all obtained in the first three quarters.

This was the first time for Zhang Xiaotian, but it didn't attract much attention.

After all, Otto Porter, who he was facing, was rushing to the shelves, so no one noticed when he became stronger.

On February 2, the Cavaliers played away against the hopeless Knicks in the playoffs.

Anthony chose to undergo knee surgery after the All-Star break. He was reimbursed this season, probably because he was dissatisfied with the team's record.

Facing a fish belly without any strong points, the knights are just training soldiers.

It was another three quarters to resolve the battle, but Zhang Xiaotian did not get 20+ in this game.

On February 2, the Cavaliers played away again, this time against the Pistons.

The Pistons have two inside lanes that can play, one offensive and one defensive, but the results just can't improve, and the speed of the two is a bit slow, and they are somewhat incompatible when they play together.

The Cavaliers' inside line can be regarded as one offense and one defense. They just don't care about Drummond and Monroe, but they suffer from rebounds.

Moreover, the configuration of the Pistons was unreasonable. There was no suitable shooter to cooperate with the two insiders.

Zhang Xiaotian's game was just average. After the three-pointer promotion, he hasn't fully gotten used to it. Coupled with the ball possession problem, it's really hard to see that his long-range shooting has become better.

The fans are also a bit regretful. Some time ago, the show of power has whetted their appetite. They never thought that he could only be regarded as the fourth player in the Cavaliers.

Some sunspots in the outside world couldn't help jumping out, saying that he was swollen after the All-Star, and he definitely didn't play seriously, Zhang Xiaotian just laughed it off.

Zhang Dajun has already gone back to San Antonio, his friends are not used to following Zhang Xiaotian there.

Yang Feiyu also went back to the other side of the ocean, and after the Chinese New Year, the company must be watching her.

The design of new products will also start. This year, clothing and other products will be promoted in different seasons, and sneakers will probably be released in summer.

It's earlier than expected. After going to the physical store, the product will look a little thin if it is not updated.

So after the two discussed and consulted professionals, they decided to speed up their pace.

However, Zhang Xiaotian is still relatively rational, and will not launch a variety of products like those big brands, which will force them to compete with those mature brands, and they will definitely encounter great difficulties.

Although it plans to produce several more products, it still focuses on fan consumption.

He and Yang Feiyu have also discussed that the physical store will not expand to other cities for the time being, and the current positioning of Free Choice is a niche brand, which will not change for at least five years.

On February 2, the Cavaliers played against the No. 26 Warriors in the Eastern Conference at home, which received a lot of attention.

The last time the two teams played against each other, Zhang Xiaotian was recovering from his injuries, and the Cavaliers were also defeated.

In fact, the Warriors did not have any personnel changes this season, but the main lineup has changed.

Putting David Lee and Iguodala, two players with an annual salary of tens of millions, on the bench, Warriors coach Kerr is also very bold.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens did the same when he took over the team. Cole was bolder than him because the Warriors had a good record.

If he succeeds, he is a handsome man, but if he fails, he is a rookie. For example, Fisher, who turned the Knicks into a belly, actually did similar things.

This is competitive sports, and heroes are always judged by victory or defeat.

Being able to sit on the number one throne in the East, the Warriors can be described as both offensive and defensive.

Among the five players on the field, except Curry's defense is mediocre because of his mediocre physical fitness, the defense of the other four is very good, which is better than that of the Cavaliers.

In terms of offense, it can only be said that the Splash Brothers are unreasonable.

When Zhang Xiaotian was still in the Spurs, Curry and Klay Thompson’s three-pointers were unreasonable. , They received a lot more targeted defense.

Now they only need to prove themselves in the playoffs, and their status in the world can go further.

To be reasonable, the Cavaliers are not easy to play against them. The Warriors' insiders Draymond Green and Bogut are both very good in defense, and there are people who can beat James, which is James' least favorite type of defense.

Because Draymond Green can also defend, the Warriors are also very good at defending the outside line, because Zhang Xiaotian's three-pointer is more accurate, but he has a chance to hit the opponent's defense.

It's just that James and Love's three-pointers are unstable, otherwise they really don't care about defense.

At the beginning of the game, Curry hit a three-pointer against Irving.

The difference between a three-point shooter and an All-Star is the degree of neglect of defense.

Before Curry, there was no All-Star player who played three-pointers to Curry's level.

The slightest hesitation by the defender, or being delayed by the screener, could cost the team a three-pointer.

However, it is not easy for Curry to guard Irving. Irving can basically interact with many outstanding guards in the league. The defensive end is so-so, and no one cares about the offensive end.

When encountering a strong offensive No. [-] position, the Warriors will often switch Klay Thompson on defense. Today is definitely not enough. No matter what happens, Zhang Xiaotian is also an All-Star, and Curry's small body can't stand it.

Neither Irving nor Curry care about the opponent's defense, but Irving's shooting percentage is slightly lower. If he breaks through, it is really difficult to face the Warriors' defense.

On the other hand, Barnes couldn't stand James a little bit. Draymond Green came to help defense very actively, but was fouled. Against the Warriors, James also planned to have a good game.

Love was restrained, and Mozgov and Bogut were already doing menial work.

On the contrary, Zhang Xiaotian and Klay Thompson stared at each other very closely, and it was unusual that they didn't score much.

Obviously the Warriors suffered more, because Zhang Xiaotian often didn't score many points in the first three quarters.

But even so, the Warriors scored 33 points in the first quarter, and the Cavaliers scored 32 points.

The Warriors play David Lee in the rotation time, which is also a big threat, but JR Smith is somewhat restricted this time, and Livingston, who came off the bench for the Warriors, is also good defensively.

In general, it is not easy for the Cavaliers to win the game.

(End of this chapter)