Basketball Dragon

Chapter 68
When it comes to the ability of All-Star players to influence the team, Marbury can be said to be the number one negative teaching material.

In the 2001-02 season, Marbury left the Nets, and the Nets became number one in the East from the bottom in the East. Last season, Marbury left the Suns in the West, and the Suns ranked first in the West this season.

If it wasn't for the fear that Marbury would turn his face, Li Hai really wanted to have a good talk with him about this issue.

If he was superstitious, he should find a master to remove the curse.

In the second game Li Hai started at the small forward position, Madison Square Garden ushered in the Phoenix Suns, the strongest offensive team in the league.

The Suns' lineup emphasizes speed. They don't have a real center, but "Hacker" Sean Marion and "Small Overlord" Amare Stoudemire are composed of terrifying offensive power.

Plus master guard Steve Nash, singles master Joe Johnson, "Ah Q" Quentin Richardson, it is difficult for any team in the league to limit their offense.

The Knicks made a mistake at the beginning of this game. Muhammad couldn't keep up with the opponent's speed on the court, and the defensive end also didn't play a role. The Suns often played more and played less, and the game completely changed to the opponent's rhythm.

Replacing the rotation players didn't help much. The only Knicks who can keep up with the speed of the opponent at this time are Li Hai, Marbury and Crawford, which is really a disadvantage.

Li Hai scored a large double-double with 31 points and 13 rebounds, but the team still lost.

At 118:133, the Suns hit 16 three-pointers. When the opposing players did not directly confront him, Li Hai had nothing to do.

On January 1, the Cavaliers came to the home court of the Knicks, but James truce due to physical reasons.

When the inside was completely blown out by the opponent, Li Hai once again got a double-double of 20+10 and won the game together with his teammates.

The Cavaliers without James are not difficult to deal with.

But then, the Knicks suffered another disastrous defeat. After receiving attention, Li Hai felt that the Pistons had a completely different defense this time, but the opponent could use the huge advantage of the inside to make a fuss.

His poor statistics in this game made him realize his problem once again.

Although there are more opportunities to play in the starting lineup, the opponents you face will also be stronger. Especially after the opponents value you, they will make some arrangements according to your characteristics, making you uncomfortable and unable to help the team.

Li Hai also thought about it afterwards, whether he can become the core of a team now, the answer is that there is still a gap, he needs more experience and more polishing.

But he is very eager, and he will work harder.

Next, the Knicks lost back-to-back away games to the Clippers and Nuggets.

They have encountered a serious problem, what should they do if the inside line is always overwhelmed by other teams.

"Is it really that difficult to fight inside? I also stayed inside when I was in school. I really want to try to play inside. Many times I am anxious to death on the court."

"I sometimes have that kind of thinking, but I obviously can't play... They lack a lot of vigor. To be honest, the coach should find a way, or else trade for a guy who can really make a difference in the paint."

Li Hai glanced at Marbury, and secretly thought that he also had a problem with him. As the boss of the team, he has a bad relationship with many people in the team, which is considered weird.

Li Hai has a good relationship with most of the team, but it is only as a teammate. The cultural atmosphere is different, so it is too difficult to become true friends.

On the other hand, after a few quarrels with Marbury, they agree with each other's desire to win in a sense, and the relationship is not bad.

The consecutive away game schedule is not over yet. On February 2, the Knicks came to Sacramento to challenge the top-ranked Kings in the West.

The Kings are strong, but the recent period has not been very fast, and the team has continued to suffer from injuries.

In this game, the team's two strongest attackers, Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, will not be able to play, and the defensive master Doug Christie is also a chance for the Knicks.

At the beginning of the game, the Kings did not weaken their offensive power due to the lack of two main players. Without Webber, Brad Miller showed great strength. As an undrafted player, he did what many high-ranked players have done. less than things.

There is also Mike Bibby, who has shown a strong offensive power on the perimeter.

Many players in the NBA can complete excellent offenses as long as they are given enough shots. This is also the reason why some players who don't get much chance in the NBA can explode in the international arena.

For the needs of the team, only part of the ability can be shown, because other people are stronger, so they have to be supporting roles. This is the NBA, the highest hall of basketball in the world.

Li Hai was at the third position, and the player facing him was Matt Barnes who hadn't had many chances before.

Barnes is a good defender and has good physical fitness, constantly interfering with Li Hai.

However, the king is not a player who likes to defend. As Li Hai plays more and more games, he has many ways to deal with this kind of one-on-one defense.

"In the confrontation between No. 9 of the two teams, Li Hai performed more easily. He rushed in and made a fake shot. Barnes was cheated, and the referee called his foul."

"Barnes' shot in the fast break... Unfortunately, it was interfered by Li Hai, and his strength was a little bit weaker."

"Using the cover of his teammates, Bibby once again completed a mid-range shot. His hands were hot today... Marbury also responded. Both of them have high shooting percentages, and neither can guard the other."

Without the three starters, the Kings' offense still played well, but the Knicks had two stable scoring points in Lehi and Marbury, and they always had a slight advantage.

The most critical thing about this game is that Crawford found that he didn't feel good, so he didn't continue to shoot.

In the fourth quarter, Mike Bibby hit consecutive three-pointers and mid-range shots, once helping the Kings tie the score.

At the critical moment, Li Hai continued to break through and cause damage, causing Barnes to commit six offenses and stealing Brad Miller, which established the team's victory in one fell swoop.

116:112, it is not easy for the Knicks to win the game now.

Li Hai also sighed very much. There are 82 games in a season in the NBA. Almost every team will have some problems. The first step to victory.

Then there is the more important test of the playoffs. Only teams with both strength and resilience can go far enough.

The Knicks are far behind strong teams in terms of strength and resilience. The outside world is not optimistic about them, but Li Hai wants to fight, and it is cowardly to be content with the status quo.

(End of this chapter)