NBA: I am the card dealer

Chapter 346 The stubbornness of the legendary coach!

of course.

There are also many people who were young: Tracy McGrady, Duncan, O'Neal, Wade, Durant, and James.

This distinguishes it from a question of influence.

In terms of the current popularity of stars in the league, Kobe is undoubtedly the top player.

The only one who can compare with it may be James.

only.

After being swept by the Heat in the playoffs last season, James' momentum plummeted. Compared with the unparalleled dominance reflected in the historical trajectory, there is a gap of a galaxy.

That's right.

It’s a gap of one galaxy.

In the historical trajectory, James reached the Finals in 07. Although he was swept out in the end, James became more and more courageous. In 09 and 10, he led the team to dominate the Eastern Conference for two consecutive years and won the regular season MVP.

In fact, James has been perfect up to this point and is loved by many fans.

Even after successive setbacks at the hands of the Celtics and Magic, people still agree that James has a bright future.

Because James was less than 26 years old at the time.

But James finally lost his temper and chose to take a shortcut and announced on TV that he would bring his talent to Miami in front of all Cleveland fans.

This time.

James has experienced a major reversal in public opinion for the first time in his life.

Many people believe that as the league's top player, James chose to join a team at his peak age, which is simply contemptible.

For the city of Cleveland, James' actions were simply a humiliation to them, and many fans burned their clothes in anger.

The defeat in the 11 Finals hit James to rock bottom.

Fortunately, James has a solid foundation and his good brothers are also strong enough to help him win the regular season MVP in 12 and 13, and win the championship for two consecutive years.

Regardless of whether it’s a shrinking championship or not, or whether it’s Ray Allen’s life-saving championship, we still win the championship.

Only then did James' momentum stabilize.

4 MVPs, 2 championships, 2 FMVPs, and a lot of honors have made his position as the number one player in the league more and more stable.

In the 13-14 season, they were successfully revenged by the Spurs.

At this time, James was already at his best. Seeing that Wade was not doing well, he immediately ran away.

This ushered in the second wave of decline in James' reputation.

Everyone laughed at James because he thought his thighs were not thick enough, betrayed his brother, and so on.

In fact, the Cavaliers traded No. pick Wiggins for Timberwolves star Love, which proved that the fans' ridicule was true.

James is indeed looking for thighs.

Moreover, the person he found replicated the Heat's staffing.

For example, Irving has excellent singles ability, has a ceiling of movement control, and is very powerful in attacking tough situations. His role almost overlaps with Wade's.

It's just that this is a younger version of Wade.

Another example is Love, who is also a space-based inside man, a data maniac, a double-double master, can shoot three-pointers, and can also play in singles. He is somewhat similar to Bosh.

The difference is that Love's data is more violent.

Originally, everyone had high expectations for this Big Three model combination, thinking that they were aiming for the championship.

result.

It fell apart during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Moreover, the car flipped extremely ridiculously, directly from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

Leading 3-0!

It was unexpectedly counter-swept.

It was his old club, the Miami Heat, that swept him out.

Wade proved in this battle that he is not a liability.

And what greets James is undoubtedly the ups and downs.

The throne of the league's number one man immediately collapsed.

This is the third time James' reputation has dropped.

The old brother that I originally disliked actually took care of his Big Three with a super nova.

That feeling is equivalent to being slapped in the face.

How can James' momentum be established?

And if we follow the historical trajectory, even if he lost last season, James was still at the level of a god descending from the earth. Without the two giants, he actually led a bunch of grassroots and defeated the Warriors in two games in a row.

Such a performance is truly heartwarming.

Coupled with the fact that James has broken out of the Eastern Conference for the fifth consecutive year and reached the finals stage to compete for the championship, his dominance has reached a new level.

But it was cut off last season, and it was done in such a shameful way.

This further reduces James' influence.

and so……

In terms of the current popularity of league stars, Kobe is still firmly at the top.

James was obviously a little behind.

Wade instead stepped up to the next level.

Durant is still tepid.

Curry's popularity has risen and he is the most representative figure of the new generation.

Harden's statistics are exploding, but the Rockets have had little movement this season, so they still fall behind.

Westbrook is a strong man, but because he is suppressed by his elder brother, his influence is much weaker.

But whether it's Curry, Harden, or Westbrook, they are still a bit inferior to Janduwe.

reason?

They don't have any honors to offer.

James has 4 MVPs, 2 championships, and 2 FMVPs.

Although Wade does not have an MVP, he has 4 championships, 1 FMVP, and 1 scoring champion.

Durant won the scoring title at the age of 21. He is the youngest scoring champion in NBA history. Four scoring titles, plus a regular season MVP, are enough for him to stand out from the crowd.

They all have their own major honors. On the other hand, Curry, Harden, and Westbrook have nothing.

The only one who does is Westbrook, who won a scoring title last season.

and so……

The three of them were still far away from Janduwe.

The only person who was close was Xue Liancheng.

In the first season, he won the regular season MVP, championship, and finals MVP. The gold content of such honors is even higher than that of Durant.

After all, the championship + FMVP means that you are leading the championship, which is much more valuable than the scoring champion.

What's more, Xue Liancheng also leads the assists list.

When he came to New York this season, he continued to lead the team to great success, becoming the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the strongest contender for regular season MVP.

Once he wins two consecutive MVP awards, he will really have the momentum to dethrone James.

It is definitely not a joke to say that Xue Liancheng is the most powerful top star in the league.

When the Spurs faced this powerful enemy, everyone was very energetic.

Even when Popovich talked about Xue Liancheng, he sincerely praised him, "Although his physical talent is not high, his basketball talent is at a historical level. His passing is everywhere, and his three-point ability It turns into a sharp blade and stabs into your heart one by one."

Duncan was also full of praise for Xue Liancheng, "He is very special, and the sky is his limit in the future."

The words reached Xue Liancheng's ears, and he responded, "Popovich is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, and Duncan is the greatest power forward in the league. They are both very good. They are in their teens and twenties." Year after year, we are at the top every season, always on the road to the championship.”

And the game was held in such a beautiful atmosphere.

The Spurs' starting lineup is basically the same: Parker, Emma Green, Leonard, Duncan, and Aldridge.

Due to the addition of Aldridge, the Spurs have been revitalized, and the hard power of the dual-German combination is still very strong.

Coupled with the assistance of the old and strong GPD, the Spurs' overall strength cannot be underestimated.

And record is the best answer.

of course.

The Western Conference seems to be a duo of the Warriors and Spurs, but in fact the Thunder are also very scary. The combination of two MVP-level superstars is not much different no matter what.

It's just that Durant was reimbursed for the season last year and needs to find his form after his comeback. It will take some time to get back to the familiar rhythm.

As a result, some games were delayed.

Thunder has slowed down recently and is very fierce.

The game begins.

The Spurs showed their strong inside attack power.

Lopez is still too young. In the confrontation with Duncan, he suffered a lot of hidden losses on both offense and defense.

Not to mention Feng Lei, he couldn't stop Aldridge at all.

There is no other way, Tyronn Lue can only ask them to switch defenses.

But the results weren't very good either.

Aldridge is one of the best power forwards in the current league. He has a very soft touch. Once the shot is released, with his height and wingspan, there is nothing you can do against him.

Although Duncan is old, his offensive ideology is still there. He does more support and helps his teammates find good offensive opportunities.

The most important thing is that Duncan's defense is still there and his pace is a little slower, but his defense ability and frame protection ability are still top-notch in the league.

It is still very intimidating for a breakthrough like Oladipo.

of course.

For Xue Liancheng, the effect is not so obvious.

<divclass="contentadv">Because Xue Liancheng has very good footsteps, has the ability to predict, and has dynamic images in his mind, he can seize Duncan's shortcomings of slow footsteps and give him a hard hammer.

only……

Facing Leonard's leading defense, he was not too happy.

When the two met last season, he could still take advantage of Leonard's matchup, but this season, he clearly feels that Leonard is more comfortable guarding him.

That's probably why he's been studied.

After all, he was unfamiliar with Xue Liancheng last season and was just starting out. Leonard didn't regard him as a piece of cake at all, so he naturally wouldn't study his playing characteristics and offensive rhythm attentively.

But now it's different.

Xue Liancheng is a double MVP, a true top star. This season, he has led the Knicks to the top spot in the Eastern Conference. It is really a time of great success.

Leonard, as the league's top defensive player, will naturally devote his attention to studying him.

This is why Xue Liancheng felt so hard when playing against him.

Because Leonard's height, weight, wingspan, and strength are all here, he is not afraid of confrontation. His core strength is very stable, and he can very restrain Xue Liancheng's bulldozing style of play.

In addition, Leonard's wingspan is terrifying, how did the famous death coil come about?

It came when I was defending James.

Facing such a powerful James, Leonard is not afraid. You can imagine how strong Leonard's core strength is.

Leonard doesn't seem to be fast, nor can he jump very high, but in defense, reaction is the first element.

As long as you can hold your position, withstand the impact, and have excellent reflexes, you will be able to keep you within your envelope and make the beating very uncomfortable for you.

And Xue Liancheng often needs to use pick-and-rolls when facing Leonard.

no way……

I really can't kill him in a duel...

This is entirely a limitation of physical conditions and is difficult to change.

The Spurs' defensive strategy is also very resolute. They don't switch defenses and let Leonard pursue the defense with all his strength.

Fortunately, the Spurs are indeed old.

Duncan obviously felt unable to run, especially being caught in the Knicks' fast-paced offensive system, and he was out of breath.

Parker's sports car seemed to be running out of gas. Without his speed advantage, he couldn't do anything defensively, and became the target of Xue Liancheng and Oladipo taking turns to attack.

With six minutes left in the second quarter, the Knicks made a sudden effort and evened out the nearly 10-point difference.

The Spurs' offense seems to have encountered problems.

Everyone knows that in Popovich's offensive system, everything is based on moving the ball.

Sharing the ball and cooperation are the foundation for their survival.

Even if he is as strong as Duncan, he has become a screw in Popovich's system.

But the new Aldridge is not such a selfless person.

Or to be more precise, not such a selfless style of play.

This raises a very serious problem.

Their offense sometimes gets stuck.

In other words, once the ball is in Aldridge's hands, it's basically the end, and everyone else is watching.

And once Aldridge's touch drops, the jam will come.

They couldn't move the ball and naturally couldn't get any offensive opportunities.

So at this stage, the Spurs are still figuring things out.

The reason why they have achieved such an impressive record is mainly because of their defense.

Coupled with the offensive firepower of the double-German combination, it can cover most games, so there will generally be no problems.

But when encountering a strong team like the Knicks, especially a team that is very aggressive on the offensive end, the Spurs' aging decline became apparent, and the problem of offensive uncoordinatedness also emerged.

They still need a break-in time.

The next game also proved this.

After the Knicks completed the lead, they went all out in the third quarter.

Tyronn Lue directly pushed the five players, maximizing the offensive firepower, and immediately penetrated the Spurs' defense.

Duncan can't protect the frame anymore, or in other words, he can't protect it.

Green was like a headless fly, overwhelmed by the super athletic impact of Oladipo and Vonlei.

Leonard rarely assisted in defense in this game because he had to lead the defense against Xue Liancheng and did not dare to relax at all.

This caused the Spurs' defensive system to collapse.

Section 3.

The Knicks scored a high score of 41 points, and the Spurs were completely unable to stop them. Several waves of players tried, but they still could not withstand the impact of young people.

The Spurs' offense was pretty normal, scoring 27 points.

But after one plus one subtraction, the Spurs lost by a full 14 points!

Losing 14 points in a single quarter is a very scary thing for a team that relies on defense.

Popovich is a very strange coach who often makes some strange moves on the court.

But in fact, that's not the case.

Popovich has a set of standards for what players can and cannot do, what mistakes can be forgiven, and what mistakes must not be made. He is strictly implementing this set of standards.

That's why Popovich can sometimes call two or three timeouts within a minute.

That means that someone has made an unforgivable mistake, and he must point it out immediately and correct it.

But now, the team actually allowed the opponent to score 41 points in the third quarter, and Popovich was very angry.

In anger, the fourth quarter was not the main force at all.

That's right.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, even Leonard and Aldridge didn't play, and seemed to have given up on the game.

The audience was stunned.

The commentator was also confused.

I have no idea where the old man is going to cause trouble?

Leonard, who was sitting off the court, was expressionless, and Aldridge was also a little sluggish. Only veterans like GDP were normal.

This left the final result of the game without any suspense at all.

The Knicks easily won the game at the San Antonio Spurs' home court.

Post-match interview.

When a reporter asked Xue Liancheng: "What do you want to say about Popovich giving up the game?"

Xue Liancheng: "This is just a regular season game, but he used the high standards of this game to adjust his team. There is absolutely a reason why he can become a legendary coach."

If you say compliments and admiration before the game, it is business flattery.

So now, he really admires Popovich.

How courageous!

Use a highly watched game to alert your players and tell them: You have made an unforgivable mistake, so don’t play. I don’t care who you are.

Not many coaches can do this.

Not many superstars can bear it.

Tell the truth.

Xue Liancheng couldn't stand it anyway.

Because he has the ability to turn the tide when trailing by more than ten points.

Just push him down. Isn’t this child’s play?

and……

As a superstar, does he have no need to lose face?

Sacrificing for the team, serving the whole, and obeying the coach's arrangements in everything...

It's simply incompatible with his style of play.

No wonder Leonard is so rebellious that he pulls his arms and wants to leave.

You really can’t stand this kind of competition, right?

In this game, Xue Liancheng only played three and a half quarters. After hurriedly showing off his 24% shooting skills, he took a rest and scored a simple triple-double of 15 points, 11 assists and rebounds.

Oladipo has begun to feel comfortable next to Xue Liancheng. He made 18 of 11 shots and scored 28 points. His efficiency has become more and more stable, and he is very happy to eat the cake.

And the public also affirmed its performance.

Although independent offensive scoring does not account for a lot, it is only half, but the statistics are here, this is an All-Star level performance, no one can deny it.

Lopez's playing time was limited and he only scored 10 points.

Vonleh scored 13 points and Tyler Johnson scored 12 points.

Crowder seemed completely resigned to his fate and no longer made bad shots. He made 8 of 4 and scored 10 points.

As for the Spurs.

The main force only played three quarters.

Leonard scored 18 points. Aldridge had 16 points, Duncan had 9 points and Parker had 11 points.

Green has truly become Tielin, shooting 7 of 1, 4 of 0 three-pointers, and only scored a pitiful 2 points, which is comparable to PJ Tucker.

But PJ Tucker can at least guarantee a certain three-point shooting percentage, which is a deterrent.

Green's recent performance is basically gone.

This is another reason why the Spurs' offense has broken down.

The Knicks will let you go, what can you do?

Xue Liancheng was slightly thankful that he had not agreed to Green's sky-high asking price.