Basketball Dragon

Chapter 58 The Defending Champion
"Why, why, I think you should be reported. They must be worried that you will directly lock the starting position of the All-Star. It's really hateful."

"There are still people hacking you on the Internet, I really want to crush them to death."

"It's no big deal. Isn't there still a rookie competition? After the main competition, I will fight for the opportunity in a dignified manner. Then we will go have a good weekend. You have already planned it..."

Li Hai had just arrived in New Jersey with the team when he received a call from Xia Weiliang.

The All-Star voting began, and the Knicks did not put Lee, who was still a rookie, on the poster.

This matter has caused a lot of controversy among domestic fans. One view is that Li Hai's role in the Knicks is worthy of a nomination. The Knicks' three nominations are Marbury, Crawford and Kurt Thomas. , fans who hold this point of view think that Li Hai is at least better than two of them.

Another point of view is that Li Hai is not yet an All-Star, and the Knicks are right not to be nominated, otherwise it would be as ridiculous as Yao Ming overwhelming O'Neal when he was a rookie.

Li Hai himself is not dissatisfied. It is normal for the team not to nominate him as a rookie. He is also very happy that the fans support him.

It's too early for him to think about the All-Stars. The team's starters, better contracts, and how to help the team win more victories.

Against the Nets, Marbury very much hoped to win, not because he was unhappy. The head of the Nets, Jason Kidd, has always been a player compared with him by the media, and he was the loser of the two. that one.

Of course, there is another Steve Nash in the discussion now. The team that Marbury can’t move will become alive and well and become a strong team in the league if it is in the hands of other outstanding guards. This is the so-called "tumor" theory origin of.

Marbury himself will certainly not admit it, but this incident also caused him a lot of pressure.

He will especially want to win against these teams, and he will try his best to prove something.

However, during this period of time, Jason Kidd had some minor injuries and his condition was not good. The Nets also sent Kenyon Martin away, and their record was affected.

But obviously, they have no intention of giving up this season. In the first quarter of the game, the Knicks felt the opponent's defensive attitude and offensive determination.

It stands to reason that Richard Jefferson is not a powerful forward, and Tim Thomas should not be afraid, but in fact, he seems to have not woken up since he played, with missed shots and turnovers, Lenny -Wilkens had to bring him up early.

Richard Jefferson's speed and jumping are excellent, but Li Hai has even guarded against a player with strong all-round ability like James, so naturally he will not be surprised by this forward player who is more known as a "dunk player" .

To deal with players who are not strong enough to hold the ball, whether they are "pitchers" or "dunkers", or who can shoot and dunk, the most important thing is to keep the defense without losing their position.

This requires extremely strong concentration, and this is where Li Hai's defense is strong.

Richard Jefferson's marking efficiency was reduced by Li Hai, and the Nets barely drew with the Knicks in the first quarter with Jason Kidd and Eric Williams.

When Jason Kidd went to rest in the second quarter, the Knicks pulled the score to double digits. In the third quarter, Jason Kidd accidentally hit a few three-pointers that he was not good at, and then the Nets Nothing but defense.

Although Marbury was a bit worried about gains and losses, Crawford continued to play well, and Li Hai also continued his strong performance. The Nets didn't have many opportunities throughout the game.

90:79, the Knicks beat the Nets away.

Back at home, their back-to-back opponents are the defending champion Pistons with a strong defense.

As the defending champion, the Pistons also retained their main lineup to win the championship this season, "Mr. Key" Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, the NBA's current "Central Shooting King" Richard Hamilton, has super long arms Defensive master "Little Prince" Tyshawn Prince, "Roaring God" Rasheed Wallace, "Big Ben" Ben Wallace.

Double Wallace plus Antonio McDyess on the bench is another team that can push the Knicks inside to the ground.

There is no doubt that in order to make a difference, the Knicks still have to rely on outside scoring.

How to put it, after winning the championship, the Pistons have also been valued by other teams. The start of this season is not very ideal. The opponent's goal is the Eastern Conference team in the playoffs, and they need to show their strength.

On the first offense, Hamilton got rid of Crawford's defense and scored in a mid-range shot.

But then, Crawford hit a three-pointer against Hamilton.

The two No. 2 positions of the Knicks and the Pistons directly established the rhythm of mutual explosion. Crawford's defense is very average, and the Pistons' overall defensive ability is strong, but Hamilton is the weakest defensive player in the starting lineup. You can also let your teammates assist in the defense, but Crawford's nerve knife is not easy to handle.

The two scored easily against each other's defense. The difference is that Crawford can score three-pointers, and Hamilton just made mid-range shots in a well-behaved manner.

The Knicks started this game with five players playing well, and Li Hai played relatively late.

As soon as he came on the court, Prince felt a different pressure. Before Tim Thomas was like him, his offense was mainly shooting. His long-arm interference can have a very good effect.

Li Hai is also good at shooting, but he is not a pure shooter. Seeing a defender like Prince who has a strong ability to interfere with outside shots but does not move fast, Li Hai decisively made a breakthrough.

The Pistons have double Wallaces on the inside. If they go too deep, they will find a cap. Li Hai used his speed and strength to rush past Prince's defense in two steps and make a jump shot.

Li Hai can score at this point, Crawford has a good touch, Marbury can play more smoothly, and can freely switch between his own play and pass. The power of war.

But in the same situation, if one of the three outsiders is not in good condition, it will be difficult for the Knicks to compete with a strong inside team.

In the first half, because of Crawford's consecutive three-pointers and Li Hai's performance, the Knicks actually beat the Pistons by 16 points, which was overwhelming.

However, at the beginning of the second half, Rasheed Wallace made two consecutive three-pointers, and then Prince made a successful steal. In less than 2 minutes, the score gap was narrowed to 5 points.

This is the strength of the defending champions. The offense is only on the surface. In the past few minutes, they defended against the Knicks and only scored 2 points through free throws.

(End of this chapter)