NBA: I am the card dealer

Chapter 295 is a true prophecy!

After beating the Raptors, the Knicks team rushed non-stop to the next stop, Charlotte, to challenge the biggest dark horse Hornets this season.

In fact, Xue Liancheng didn't quite understand that this Hornets could actually achieve such a high winning rate of 48 wins.

The first is last season.

The Hornets only achieved a record of 32 wins and 50 losses. The proper team showed no competitiveness at all.

This season, their core lineup has not changed much. Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams, Kaminsky and others are all there.

The only thing they changed was the shooting guard position. Gerald Henderson went to the Trail Blazers, while Batum came to the Hornets and went around. The two of them were equivalent to changing clubs...

On the bench, the Hornets added Jeremy Lin this season, Jeremy Lamb, who shined during the Thunder days, and white center Hawes. These are all powerful players, which can be regarded as increasing the depth of the Hornets' lineup. Quite a few.

But it hasn’t been upgraded to the standard of a strong team in the Eastern Conference!

The only explanation is that in the East, the standards for strong teams have been lowered.

of course.

With a record of 48 wins, moving to the West is actually not bad.

in this way……

This proves that the strength of the Hornets is real.

So……

What is its strength?

According to Xue Liancheng's understanding, Kemba Walker has evolved.

Last season, Kemba Walker averaged 17.3 points, 5.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, shooting only 38.5% from the field, and a tragic 30.4% from three-point range. Such efficiency is simply a disaster.

In the new season, Kemba Walker has a new look, averaging 20.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. His overall data has improved by a level, and he has entered the ranks of All-Stars.

The efficiency has also improved a lot. The overall shooting rate has reached 42.7%, and the three-point shooting rate is as high as 37.1%. It is also more lethal and has one more free throw.

Such progress is definitely visible to the naked eye.

From a poor player in three rebounds to an All-Star level player, although the overall efficiency is still difficult to say outstanding, it is already a huge improvement for Kemba Walker.

The progress of the core of the team and the help it brings to the team are naturally immeasurable.

This is the first point.

The second point is that Batum's arrival has completely liberated Kemba Walker from the organizational burden, allowing Kemba Walker to score with peace of mind.

As the second scoring point, Batum made a big contribution. He averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. His overall shooting percentage was 42.6% and his three-point shooting percentage was 34.7%. His efficiency can only be regarded as quite satisfactory.

But Batum sent out the highest assists on the team, perfectly solving the problems of organizing offense and receiving the ball.

At the same time, Batum defends well, has a good three-pointer, and has abilities in all aspects. Although he is not refined enough, he is more than enough in the Hornets lineup.

He can even be called a hexagonal warrior.

Then the strength of the Hornets' bench has been visibly strengthened. Jeremy Lin's current offensive level is still a bit better. Lamb is very good on both ends of the offense and defense. Hawes also had his shining moments. In the 13-14 season, he was able to score 13+8. Three The ball distribution is pretty good.

Their overall level is considered very high among many teams' bench seats this season.

the last point.

That is the change in the style of play. Marvin Williams came on the bench for most of last season, but this season he was promoted to the starting position as a power forward, replacing Al Jefferson.

The result was unexpected, but the effect was surprisingly good.

Because Marvin Williams is only 206cm tall, has very good mobility and excellent athletic ability. He was the second overall pick in 05 and his talent is beyond doubt.

In addition, this guy's three-pointers are very accurate. His three-point shooting rate that season was as high as 40.2%, and he took 4.7 shots and made 1.9 of them.

That's right.

This season, the Hornets also used an unconventional lineup with one large and four small players to increase their speed, which made their offense extremely powerful.

In addition, Batum did a good job stealing from the Heat during the Heat. In these games, it can be seen that he also likes to push defensive counterattacks, which has greatly increased the Hornets' offensive firepower.

and so……

Overall, the Hornets should not be underestimated this season, and are even stronger than their historical trajectory.

Because Batum has also evolved. So far, he has averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game, which is a level higher than in historical terms.

He did not dare to take this game lightly.

But for now, no one takes the Hornets seriously, including the Knicks players.

After the opening.

Xue Liancheng and Batum briefly hugged and exchanged a few words.

Batum: "Xue, I'm really happy to see you."

Xue Liancheng smiled slightly and said, "Seeing what you have achieved now, I am extremely proud."

Batum looked serious: "Xue, I have been with you for a season. You have taught me a lot, which has made me stronger. I am very grateful to you. I really..."

Xue Liancheng was dumbfounded, as expected!

After seeing Batum put up such good statistics, he watched Batum's videos, and he really gained experience in defensive counterattacks, passing, and fast breaks.

But Batum's generous admission surprised him a little.

After a pause, Xue Liancheng flattered, "Your talent is here, and your understanding is also very good, man! You are not bad to begin with, okay?"

of course.

It's also true.

Batum was the absolute main force during the Trail Blazers, integrating offense and defense.

The Blazers' Five Tigers, including Batum, have been famous for a long time.

However, Batum's efficiency is really hard to describe, so he was sold to the Heat.

Now Batum just regained his self-confidence, coupled with a little bit of understanding and talent, and evolved from an absolute main force to a quasi-All-Star level. He was not lying when he praised Batum.

Batum had a different view: "Xue, you don't know how I felt when I was on the bench at that time. I thought the sky was going to fall. I thought my career was like this, and my life was like this." It was all gloomy, but your presence saved me.”

Speaking of last season, Batum was a little emotional.

When Wade was not injured, Batum was a solid substitute with basically no chance to perform, and his playing time was sometimes pitiful.

He was even abandoned by Spoelstra at a critical moment because of his lack of confidence in shooting.

In the end, he was able to come out because of Xue Liancheng's unremitting feeding of the ball.

Because Xue Liancheng was established as the core at that time, at Xue Liancheng's suggestion, Spoelstra began to implement fast tactics and use small lineups.

Batum is 203cm tall and has a small forward figure that can move from position 1 to position 5. He is an excellent candidate in the five-small lineup.

Not only does he have three-pointers, he can also receive the ball, and he can switch defenses infinitely. His defensive ability is not weak, and he plays an important role in the five small lineups.

This allowed Batum to get enough playing time, and his tactical role was comparable to that of the starter. Only then did he slowly regain his confidence and shine.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xue Liancheng is a bright light in his career.

Just imagine that in the darkest period of life, someone suddenly stands up to give you a hand and pulls you out of the darkness into the sun.

How could you not be grateful?

Xue Liancheng couldn't empathize, but seeing how excited Batum was, he couldn't help but encourage him, "Then you have to work hard."

Batum's eyes were firm and solemn: "I will work hard to defeat you."

Xue Liancheng: "..."

He didn't expect that Batum's words would come true.

The Knicks finally lost to the Charlotte Hornets 95:101 on the road, ending their five-game winning streak.

In this game, the Knicks' running-in pain struck again.

The effect of coordination suddenly appeared to be broken again.

For example, you want to pass the ball there, but your teammates think he wants to pass it here.

For example, when covering each other, there will be situations where the person of your own blocks the way of the other person.

Another example is that when moving, they often overlap.

This is so...

It would be a ghost to be able to run out of space.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

Because when the team is newly formed, there must be a running-in period between a large number of unfamiliar teammates.

This running-in period may be long or short, and the period given by the team management is generally characterized as one season.

For example, when the Heat's Big Three formed a team, they failed in the first season. According to public opinion, they should be disbanded on the spot and all die.

But in the end Riley chose to fight for one more year.

Everyone knows the result, two consecutive championships...

Another example is the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.

With a 3:0 lead, they lost four games in a row and were directly nailed to the pillar of shame. According to the overwhelming abuse and curses at the time, the Big Three should have disintegrated on the spot.

But David Griffin and James both chose to fight for another year.

reason?

The running-in period of the season is one year, and failure in the first year is not that difficult to accept. This is why they chose to retain the original lineup and fight for another year.

It's just a matter of the running-in period...

The Knicks now have the same problem.

It was slightly better during the five-game winning streak, but now various problems have arisen again, some are new mistakes, and some are old habits that cannot be corrected in a short while.

This will take time.

For example, Will Barton has talked about this issue many times when he rushes back during a fast break.

Will Barton also firmly nodded that he can change.

But during the game, he remained stubborn and would do it again from time to time.

This is a habitual problem. It will definitely take some time to correct a subconscious action.

In addition, the Hornets' offensive and defensive rhythm is really fierce. After rushing up, it is like a flood and cannot be stopped.

Their three-point threat is also great. Except for Zeller, the other four people can shoot three-pointers and surprise the Knicks from time to time.

而薛连城本场发挥也一般，20投8中，三分11投4中，只拿到了25分10助攻6篮板。

<divclass="contentadv">The main reason is that Batum disrupted his offensive rhythm when he led the defense.

That's right.

The Hornets originally had an unlimited defense tactic, but in this game, they used Batum to guard him man-to-man.

There's really no way...

The people who know you best are your former teammates!

In fact, Xue Liancheng didn't even notice that he had some playing habits.

For example, when breaking through, his ball protector turns outward.

Batum seized on this and grabbed his arm.

He thought he could hit the ball and immediately raised the ball, but Batum immediately withdrew his hand, which made him very embarrassed and had no choice but to throw the ball out.

This kind of shot that is not aimed at shooting is naturally much less accurate.

The result was naturally a fine contribution of iron.

even……

When Batumka touched his arm, he successfully snatched the ball away from him, causing his mistake.

Really are……

Xue Liancheng scratched his head and was in no offensive condition.

Fortunately, his passing skills are still there, and he can lead the team to play back and forth with the Hornets.

Coupled with the strong substitutes, they allowed them to maintain the score.

pity……

In the end, I still couldn't turn it over.

Because his three 100% hit skills were all used up before the last moment.

This is the difference between the Knicks this season and the Heat last season.

Last season, we were basically able to negotiate with our opponents until the end. Most of them were still in the lead and rarely fell behind.

At this time, he can stand up and make the final decision.

This is also the reason why the Heat were able to win 67 games last season.

Because last season's Heat team was really strong, all configurations of the lineup were well connected, and the chemical reaction was good, so the running-in period was also short.

of course.

The most important thing is that in terms of personal ability, every position is better than the Knicks this season.

Compared to shooting guard Wade and Will Barton, the gap in physical talent and personal ability is like a chasm.

The small forward is still PJ Tucker.

Power forward Ibaka also has the potential to crush Crowder in terms of physical talent and personal ability.

Not to mention the difference between Gasol and Lopez at the center position. There is a huge gap on both offense and defense, especially on the defensive end.

Looking at it this way, no matter which position, the Heat era looks like an upgraded version.

They were able to catch many of Xue Liancheng's passes and completed them very well.

The Knicks' current lineup is much worse.

The speed is not as fast as that of the Heat.

The ability to protect the frame is not as good as it was during the Heat.

The effect of attacking the frame is not as good as that of the Heat.

Even an empty cut is far inferior.

During the Heat era, as long as Wade or Ibaka took a step forward and blocked the defensive player for half of his body, he would dare to pass the ball over, and the two of them could live up to expectations, fly up and dunk directly.

This is the absolute talent of the body, it can fly, jump and dunk, and it is fast enough.

I don’t dare anymore.

Will Barton, Crowder, Jeff Green, Ilyasova, David West and others, who can compete with Wade and Ibaka in terms of physical talent?

If they are just a bunch of people on the floor, they don't have the body to fly.

Only Will Barton and Jeff Green are better, but not good enough to compete with Ibaka and Wade.

The difference is so big.

That's why they fell into a passive position in this game, falling behind and tending to get bigger. Xue Liancheng had to use his 100% hit skills in advance time and time again to save the team's life.

In the end, he couldn't be saved.

Lopez made 17 of 7 shots and only scored 15 points and 5 rebounds, which was not the dignity of a top-paid player.

After Will Barton's two consecutive downturns, he obviously lacked confidence in this game and took fewer shots. He made 9 of 4 shots and only scored 10 points.

Crowder made 14 of 6 shots and scored 14 points.

PJ Tucker scored 5 points through normal operation.

They also failed to get any benefits from the bench.

Except for Tyler Johnson who scored 11 points, no one scored in double figures.

On the contrary, the Hornets bench shined.

林书豪11中7，爆砍17分3助攻2篮板。

Jeremy Lamb made 10 of 6 and performed equally crazy, scoring 14 points and 4 rebounds.

泽勒6投3中拿到了12分5篮板3助攻的数据。

The performance of the bench became a boost for the Hornets to win.

The Knicks' bench, which was originally quite strong, failed to perform as expected.

of course.

The biggest contributor to the Hornets' victory was actually not only the bench, but also one person, and that was Batum.

This guy might have been too excited to see his former boss, so he really kept his word and had a big bang.

In 18 shots, he hit 10 goals and two three-pointers. He scored a total of 26 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He performed extremely well.

I don’t know if Riley, who is far away in Miami, will beat his chest when he sees Batum’s crazy performance.

I guess I regret it three times already, right?

but.

According to the historical trajectory, after Batum got a big contract of 100 million yuan, his performance became mediocre again, which can be called the worst garbage contract.

I just don’t know if Batum was really influenced by him and enlightened.

If he really gets enlightened and changes his role to the main point, focusing on fast breaks and defensive counterattacks, then that's another story.

Another leader of the Hornets, Kemba Walker, had a sluggish performance in this game. He made 13 of 4 shots and only scored 13 points. The problem of finishing ability at the basket still troubles Kemba...

After the game, Batum took the initiative to find Xue Liancheng again.

Batum: "Xue, this is really an unforgettable journey. The feeling of playing against you makes me extremely excited."

Xue Liancheng: "..."

You are so excited, but I am quite embarrassed!

but.

As a former teammate, he was quite emotional when we met again. He couldn't help but joked, "It seems that you don't regard me as a target during training."

Batum laughed: "You are the best in the league! Of course I have to use you as my defensive standard."

Xue Liancheng: "You are the best in this game."

Batum smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I just took advantage of my familiarity with you. Next time we meet, I think you will beat me to pieces."

Although Xue Liancheng thought so in his heart, he did not say, "Man, be confident, you have beaten the best in the league."

Done.

The two smiled at each other.

Then, hug deeply.

This is the end of this road trip.

The Knicks finally returned to New York, and the start time was very intensive. They were all very tired, especially the planes flying around, which affected their sleep.

Now back in New York, they can finally relax.

Tyronn Lue may not be the kind of coach who is crazy about training, or he may be inexperienced as a head coach for the first time, so he announced his break the next day.

All the people, birds and animals dispersed and went home happily.

Xue Liancheng didn't know what to say.

Mud...

After a day of rest, we have to play the Cavaliers tomorrow!

That's right.

They soon ushered in a second battle with the Cavaliers.

This is an important game!

Tyronn Lue doesn't talk about practicing tactics and doing high-intensity confrontation training, but he should also call everyone to sit down and watch game videos or something.

Only in this way can we have a sense of urgency.

result……

Just rest...

How willful!

But when Xue Liancheng appeared in the training hall, he was slightly surprised.

Good guy...

Tyronn Lue squatted alone in the video room watching the video...

Xue Liancheng: "???"