Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 44 44. Only magic can defeat magic!

"It's done, but this guy John doesn't look like a talented person."

"He has been in the league for three full seasons, but his overall level has not improved significantly."

"I think he may have touched his upper limit, but since you are so confident, I really hope you can let John realize his potential." Looking at Luke who was drinking coffee leisurely in front of him, McHale said very tactfully.

There is a sentence that McHale didn't say clearly, that is, McHale thinks that Luke is really going to make mistakes this time.

It's just that Luke is the head coach of this team. When Luke led the Timberwolves to the first place in the league and was very determined to execute this deal, McHale could only help Luke to change hands.

Otherwise, if Salmons is really a talented embryo, McHale doesn't want to take the blame, even though in McHale's view, Salmons has no potential to fulfill.

"I know what you're nervous about, don't worry, I've never been wrong about player transactions." Blowing on the steaming coffee, Luke sat on the sofa with cold eyes. "Never before, and never will be."

"I hope so." Shaking his head helplessly, McHale didn't want to comment on whether Luke was confident or arrogant. As long as Luke had the ability to lead the team to win, McHale didn't want to think about it at all.

………………

As the All-Star weekend is approaching, on January 1, the first round of voting for the All-Star will be officially announced.
In the first round of voting, the Timberwolves had two players leading the way.

In addition to "Wolf King" Garnett being able to secure the starting position, "Madman" Sprewell also took the lead in the number of votes in the backcourt.

It's just that due to the popularity of Kobe and McGrady is too high, so there is a high probability that Madman will be selected as an All-Star substitute this season.

In addition, Nehbar, who has just entered the league not long ago, also stood out in the first round of the All-Star voting.

At present, Nehbar's number of votes is similar to that of Ray Allen and Ginobili, but it is not known whether Nehbar can maintain this momentum in the future.

If Nehbar can really be selected to the All-Star team, it will definitely be a great feat in NBA history.

After all, in the history of the NBA, no European player has ever been selected to the All-Star team in his rookie season. I don't know if Nehbar's existence can set a precedent for European basketball!
………………

The time has come to January 1, and today the league will usher in a heavyweight game.

The Suns, ranked second in the league, will be a guest in Minnesota and challenge the league's No. [-] Timberwolves away.

And the outcome of this game will directly affect the next battle rankings and a series of winning odds.

You must know that the Suns' current team record is very similar to that of the Timberwolves, and the win gap between the two teams is only 1.5 games.

In addition, this is also the first time the Timberwolves have played against the Suns this season. As one of the biggest favorites in the league, this match between the Suns and the Timberwolves can be described as exciting.

Everyone wants to see what kind of sparks will burst out when the two teams with the best records in the league meet!
This season, under the leadership of the new head coach D'Antoni, the Suns turned salty fish directly, and the one-handed running and bombing tactics shocked the league. The seven-second offense made even a historic defensive team like the Pistons become frightened.

The record of the Suns last season was only 29 wins and 53 losses. This season, under D'Antoni's running and bombing tactics, the Suns not only turned over and became the second in the league, even the Timberwolves, who ranked first, might not be able to win. Get off this rock.

At least in the online voting before the start of the game, the Suns beat the Timberwolves with 63% approval rate, which is something most people did not expect.

In other words, 63% of the fans watching the game online support the Suns to win the game.

Excluding some black fans who don't like the Timberwolves, the Suns' approval rating is still higher than that of the Timberwolves, which seems incredible to many people.

After all, in terms of record, the Timberwolves have always suppressed the Suns, sitting firmly in the league's first position, until recently there was no risk of being caught by the Suns.

But even though the Timberwolves have an advantage on the bright side, the sun seems to have a kind of magic power, a magic power that makes fans choose to believe it!

It is worth mentioning that the Suns are the most polarized team this season.

Even if the team has two excellent defensive players, Sean Marion and "Reaper" Parker, the Suns' defensive efficiency is still at the bottom of the league.

It can only rank 30th among the 28 teams in the league.

However, in stark contrast is the offense of the Suns. The offensive efficiency of the Suns ranks first in the league, beating many teams such as the Timberwolves, Heat, and Wizards. There is no suspense to become the strongest offense in the league that season. that team.

This kind of polarized madness may be the reason why fans love the Suns, because the offensive style of this Suns is very elegant, and the "seven-second running and bombing" led by Nash can be described as attracting countless fans.

It is very different from the king's gorgeous offensive style. This Suns team is more elegant and smooth while being occasionally gorgeous.

And the offensive frenzy that can score more than [-] points in each game is simply unstoppable in this era.

Especially the connection between "Small Overlord" Stoudemire and Nash has become the most gorgeous, explosive and elegant team in today's league!
Let's take a look at the first place in today's five best balls, and watch Nash go through the needle and help the little bully to set fire to the sky!

Before the game, the atmosphere on the Timberwolves side was not relaxed. Compared with the past, today's Timberwolves have become obviously depressed.

Obviously, the Suns' excellent offensive ability this season has made the Timberwolves aware of trouble. Even the head coach Luke is frowning, completely without the cold and ruthless self-confidence of the past.

Luke is very clear that this season, the Suns have been playing in five small lineups, with "Little Overlord" Stoudemire as the center, Sean Marion as the power forward, and then Nash, Richard Desen and Joe Johnson three people.

This lineup can not only ensure that the Suns dominate the league in terms of mobility, but also ensure that the Suns have space to stretch on the offensive end.

But the key is that the entire league knows the Suns' lineup configuration and the Suns' offensive style of play.

But when they face the Suns, people will find that even with the known Suns’ style of play, many teams still can’t defend against the Suns’ “seven-second offense” and can only watch the Suns on the court again and again. completed the bombardment.

It has to be said that although D'Antoni's coaching philosophy is extreme and he often puts up five small lineups on the court, D'Antoni's offensive theory is a cross-generational existence.

In the eyes of Luke, who has been a man for two generations, if the current league must find a coach whose offensive philosophy is most similar to his own, then this coach must be D'Antoni.

In fact, Luke is very clear about D'Antoni's coaching methods. After all, D'Antoni can be regarded as the patriarch who promoted the small ball era.

But it's not Stoudemire that really gives Luke a headache, because it's very difficult for Stoudemire to wreak havoc in the penalty area when the team has Kevin Garnett.

Luke's real headaches are Nash and Marion. Today's Marion is too comprehensive, running and bombing, cutting, three-pointers, steals, and blocking shots. It seems that there is no task that Marion cannot complete.

If Luke chooses to put Garnett against Stoudemire, then Marion will become extremely eye-catching.

Luke doesn't think that Szczerbiak can explode with Marion on the court. In fact, Luke will be thankful if Szczerbiak is not blown up.

As for Nash, Luke also doesn't have many ways to deal with it. Unlike players like Wade, Nash has basically no flaws on the offensive end. Except for his weak physical confrontation, Nash is simply a perfect point guard.

And because of Nash's excellent passing ability, people tend to ignore Nash's offensive ability.

If Nash puts his mind on the offensive end, then Nash will definitely become one of the best offensive players in the league today.

With an overall shooting rate of 50.3% this season, a 43.7% three-point shooting rate, an average of 11.5 assists per game, and the personal reputation of "the son of the wind", Luke really can't think of a reason for Cassell to guard him .

Especially after Hudson was absent due to injury and Hoiberg was traded to the 76ers, the Timberwolves currently have few options on the back line. Luke must make a choice between offense and defense.

However, although Luke had been frowning before the game and felt tricky about this game, if you observe carefully, you will find that there is no panic in Luke's eyes, and there is even a hint of banter in Luke's eyes.

Because Steve Cole and Tyronn Lue have proved more than once that only magic can defeat magic.

And the one who can defeat Fifth Elementary is also only Fifth Elementary!

(End of this chapter)