The older superstars of the NBA

On a night when Jeremy Lin scored 38 points, the New York Knicks finally stopped their six-game losing streak.

For the players, the meaning of this game is different, even if they just defeated a bottom-ranked team like the Chicago Bulls.

In addition to Jeremy Lin's scoring, Andre Drummond's Knicks debut also made fans look forward to it.

He grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked 6 shots. Although he only scored 9 points, his performance on the defensive end was obvious to all.

Not only him, the arrival of Derrick Rose also made up for the team's lack of lineup on the back line.

However, Rose didn't score much in this game, and the limelight was mainly stolen by Jeremy Lin! But his value and his role on the court still cannot be ignored.

After this game, the Knicks management became more confident. After discovering the immediate impact of the trade, the Knicks had a bold plan.

For Andre Wiggins, the Knicks management made a private deal with another team. Then turned around, this team took the initiative to find the Timberwolves and tried to get Wiggins past them.

This method really works.

The team that helped the Knicks accomplish this task was the Orlando Magic, for which the Knicks sacrificed a hard-earned first-round pick and some funds.

The Timberwolves management did not have an extraordinary sense of smell, and they did not notice any problems with the Magic until they sent Wiggins away.

In less than two days, the Magic informed the outside world that they would trade with the Knicks. In the transaction, the Knicks sent backup center Mitchell Robinson and their first-round pick, while the Magic only needed Take out Andrew Wiggins.

As soon as this news came out, the Timberwolves management immediately exploded.

Team owner Lock even publicly blasted the Knicks in front of the media.

"They are a group of thieves and liars. These guys have no bottom line in order to win the championship... They are not worthy of playing in this league at all..."

"Zhao Feiyang, Zach, Dwight...you traitors! I will remember you..."

Locke's ridicule did not win the support of the fans. Even the local fans in Minneapolis were not interested in his remarks.

"Come on! What's wrong with the Knicks' trade? They made it within the rules! They didn't violate any rules... I think it's good that Andrew left, otherwise he would have to continue here A waste of life?”

"All the members of our championship team are gone! I don't want to stay in this bad place... If I were an NBA player, there is a high probability that I would not choose the Timberwolves! There is no competitiveness here. Neither the team management nor the players have any great ambitions. Every time I buy a ticket and walk to the door of the arena, I feel like I am being robbed by these bastards..."

"I don't understand! What does this have to do with Zhao? You guys were reluctant to give up the money and sent Zhao away in the first place! Later, you were reluctant to give up the money to Dwight... Not only were you reluctant to sign important players, but you were also reluctant to sign important players. Willing to invest more money to win..."

"Let me tell you, if Zhao hadn't led a group of young people to win the championship, I'm afraid the Timberwolves wouldn't even have a championship..."

Boss Locke did not take the ridicule from his own fans seriously and continued to express his dissatisfaction on social media. Any fans who mocked him would be immediately blacklisted by him.

Such rebellious behavior naturally caused dissatisfaction among many Timberwolves fans, but it made the New York fans happy.

The arrival of Wiggins has also made the Knicks competitive again.

After learning the news, Zhao Feiyang, who was far away across the ocean, also excitedly sent a welcome text message to Wiggins privately.

"Man, I'm so glad we can play together again!"

"Zhao, when will you return to New York? I also want to see you soon!"

"Almost! Maybe in half a month! Andrew, do you need me to bring you some Chinese specialties? For example, a new thermos cup for drinking wolfberry?"

On the day Wiggins arrived, it happened to be a game day for the Knicks.

When he first arrived, he didn't feel too unfamiliar. After all, Rose, Howard and Adrian were all his teammates before, and almost half of the team were his former teammates.

Coach Norman Thomas is also very interested in Wiggins, so he specially placed Wiggins in the starting lineup, trying to let him play and test his true combat ability.

In this game, the Knicks faced the Charlotte Hornets.

Compared with the previous Bulls, the Hornets are only one place higher. After being supplemented by super immediate combat capabilities like Wiggins, the Knicks are naturally far stronger than the Hornets.

The game was just as the fans expected. Throughout the first half, the Knicks completely suppressed the Hornets. There were no decent stars in the opposing team's lineup, which posed no threat to the Knicks. Can be ignored.

Wiggins worked very hard today, perhaps because his debut attracted his attention. In the first two quarters, he played a total of 17 minutes and posted 14 points and 6 rebounds.

The scoring doesn't seem to be much, but his performance is already very good, especially the efficiency, which was once the highest in the Knicks team.

In addition to Wiggins, Drummond also performed well in the first two quarters. This time he grabbed 10 rebounds. This was only the first half, and he only played 15 minutes. If he was given enough time, it would not be a problem to get 20 rebounds.

The performance of the two main players made the Knicks' situation finally look like it was improving.

However, in the second half, what no one expected was that the Knicks players, who were originally in good shape, suddenly felt worse for some reason.

First of all, Rose's three-point shot is not working well. After using Jeremy Lin, his long-range shooting status is also relatively average. Secondly, Adrian and Wiggins at the wing positions were not very strong either, and the two even made some non-contact shots.

The only thing that was stable was Drummond's rebounding. The super upper body strength he showed made it impossible for the Hornets players under the basket to compete.

As the situation gradually worsened, towards the end of the third quarter of the game, the Hornets unexpectedly managed to regain the score again.

call out.

The referee's whistle sounded, and the score between the two sides was 84 to 87. The Hornets, who were originally behind by double digits, narrowed the difference to 3 points in this quarter.

The opponent's main defender Terry Rozier made a contribution in the third quarter!

Although he is only 1 meters tall, he is very active in defense and offense.

Not only that, his touch is also very good. After consecutive mistakes in the first two quarters, he did not give up the idea of ​​continuing to look for touch. Finally, after experiencing double-digit shots, he found his own state.

In the third quarter, he scored 19 points alone, helping the humble Hornets save their face.

When the game came to the final quarter, the Knicks replaced all their main players in order to avoid making mistakes. I thought this would create an unexpected chemical effect, but to the disappointment of the fans, the main players on the field also began to compete for the ball.

When Zhao Feiyang was here before, there was no doubt about ball rights, and everyone focused on him.

But now, Rose needs the ball, Wiggins wants the ball, Howard also wants to score, and Drummond hopes to achieve a good result. Everyone hopes that the team will win the game, but they also have their own selfish motives.

Therefore, when the team was struggling to chase points and widen the gap, the Knicks made constant mistakes. While individual singles increased, their points did not increase.

On the other hand, for the Hornets, the team handed all the ball to core Rozier. Rozier also used his teammates' pick-and-roll screens to continuously cooperate with the inside, or he would shoot a three-pointer himself.

His three-point touch is pretty good, and he is top-notch within the team. It just so happened that he had a good touch today, and his advantage in three-point shooting gradually became apparent.

The score opened up little by little, and time also passed away little by little.

When there was only one minute left in the game, the Knicks players suddenly discovered that there was still a 1-point gap between the two sides.

Everyone tried to chase the points, but unfortunately there was a problem with the distribution of the ball. Not only did they fail to catch up, but the Hornets seized the opportunity to score a two-plus-one.

After the Hornets' free throw was thrown into the basket, the difference between the two sides widened to 12 points.

At this point, it is simply impossible for the Knicks to come back!

beep.

The moment the timer stopped, fans throughout the stadium couldn't help but sigh. The Knicks, who had a luxurious lineup, lost to the Hornets, who had a rather average lineup. This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the home fans.

The same goes for the players.

After the game, a group of Knicks players left the court in dejection. When it was time for the team to accept media interviews, except for coach Norman Thomas, only Adrian and newcomer Rose were pushed up, and no one else was present. He was refused any interview, even if reporters chased him outside the arena.

In the ESPN news that night, several NBA seniors also discussed this game.

"It seems like the Knicks need someone to bring the team together! This person must be Zhao... We don't know when he will return! But it should be time to come back..."

"Zhao, this is your team! Look at your current record! Eighth in the Eastern Conference is not a good ranking... Man, I know your goal is to compete for the championship! Since you want to win Championship, then it’s best to rush to first place in the Eastern Conference, which will save a lot of effort in the playoffs..."

"I used to think this guy was overhyped, but now it seems... He is indeed capable! At least the Knicks were not like this when he was there..."