NBA: I am the card dealer

Chapter 350: Mentality!

The Knicks are currently full of injuries, which is the most difficult moment.

As we all know, tired players are the most vulnerable to injuries, especially if the game wear and tear is too great and there is no time to rest, they will easily be injured during the game.

But the problem is that with the current strength of the Knicks, if they don't fight hard, they are likely to lose.

If you want to rest, you are destined to sacrifice your record.

But the Knicks' current situation is not too permissive.

First of all, if Xue Liancheng wants to compete for the MVP of the series, his record must be guaranteed.

Secondly, there is the issue of home court advantage in the playoffs. They occupy the first place in the Eastern Conference, so before they break out of the Eastern Conference, they have always enjoyed the convenience of home court.

Don't underestimate this home field advantage.

When there is not much difference in strength, the home court allows the players to feel the enthusiastic atmosphere of the fans, inspire fighting energy, and get into the state in advance.

Moreover, the players are familiar with the home court and have a sense of belonging, which will significantly improve their condition.

The performance of many players at home and away is completely different. At the All-Star level at home, they will die when they go to the away game. This is because they are disturbed, unfamiliar with the venue, slow to enter the state, or it affects their emotions or mentality.

These are very important things.

Therefore, it is imperative to compete for home court advantage...

In the end, it’s still the same problem. Among the top three in the Eastern Conference, under normal circumstances, the first place in the Eastern Conference has the most advantage. The Cavaliers and Heat are playing brilliantly, and they can reap the benefits.

of course.

The surprise is that the Heat or Cavaliers fall to fourth, but this should be unlikely.

This is the dilemma the Knicks are currently facing.

If you want to win, you can't rest.

If you don't pay attention to rest, you will be easily injured.

Once he gets injured, it really makes things worse.

The most important thing is that they are stuck in this endless loop, but they don't have a good way to break it.

but.

Xue Liancheng and Lopez lead the team, which seems to be barely enough at present, and they will not fight until the last minute or overtime.

That could really lead to exhaustion.

Take two days off.

They ushered in another strong enemy at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder led by Du Shubao and Master Wei.

This season's Thunder didn't go very smoothly at the start of the season, and it even made people wonder if they were going to die.

But at the end of January, when everyone looks back, the Thunder are still the same Thunder and cannot be underestimated.

because……

They have one of the most luxurious lineups in the league.

Two top ten superstars, Durant and Westbrook.

With one person alone, they have the confidence to compete for a playoff spot.

The combination of the two is really 1+1>2, allowing the Thunder to jump directly to the championship level.

these years.

They have always been a force that cannot be ignored in the Western Conference, and they even reached the Finals in 12.

After losing Harden, they continued to compete in the fierce Western Conference in 13 and 14, unable to defeat the San Antonio Spurs.

Last year, Durant was retired for the season after playing only a few games. Although Westbrook won the scoring title, he did not even make the playoffs. Due to the difference in wins and losses, the Pelicans took the playoff spot.

This season, with Durant back to health, they can finally make a comeback with a complete lineup.

The current momentum is very fierce.

With 33 wins and 13 losses, it is also a record that stands out among the rest. In the Western Conference, it is only lower than the Spurs and Warriors of Klass.

This game is a huge test for both sides.

The Knicks' lineup is uneven, coupled with the devilish schedule, they will first play the Jazz, who are eighth in the Western Conference, then the Clippers, who are fourth in the Western Conference, then they will fight the Hornets competing for a playoff spot, and now they have to fight the Thunder again.

Such a high-intensity game takes a huge toll on the Knicks' mental energy.

This is not over yet.

Then, they need to beat the extremely ferocious Toronto Raptors, and then finally come the underdog Suns, but this is a back-to-back!

Below are the Hawks, Celtics, Pistons, and Grizzlies. They are either in the playoff seats or desperately competing for the playoffs.

Calling such a schedule a devil is no exaggeration.

It is also a huge test for the Thunder.

Because the Knicks are connected to the Cavaliers, Warriors, Heat, and Spurs, they are very popular and very fierce.

The Thunder themselves also have varying degrees of injuries and are not in their best condition because they lost in the last game.

before the game.

Reporters interviewed the leading stars of both sides.

Reporter: "Xue, I met Durant and Westbrook again. Is there anything you want to say to them?"

Because the last time they met, the two sides had a quarrel about the scoring champion.

Xue Liancheng also provoked a relationship between Durant and Westbrook.

In addition, the two sides had some minor grievances on the court last season, and their duel still attracted much attention.

The reporters naturally put all the spotlight on these three superstars.

Xue Liancheng's answer was simple and clear, "I admire Westbrook's explosive style of play. He is one of the best leaders I have ever seen. They have achieved a very good record this season, and Westbrook also showed my Just as dominant as last season."

Hearing this...

The reporter's eyes suddenly popped out.

The two had conflicts last season, but in the NBA, they are still very separate on and off the court.

There can be tit-for-tat confrontations on the court, and even tit-for-tat confrontations. As long as it's not too much or very inappropriate, off-court they are still very harmonious and friendly.

Furthermore, Westbrook has a sweet temperament, and when they meet again after a conflict, he seems to forget about the conflict, and does whatever he wants with Xue Liancheng, without taking the conflict to heart.

Therefore, reporters were not surprised when Xue Liancheng praised Westbrook.

The reason why they were so shocked was because Xue Liancheng was talking about Westbrook the whole time, and Durant?

That’s really not a word mentioned!

Is this...really treating the Thunder as Westbrook's team?

A reporter kindly reminded: "What about Durant?"

Xue Liancheng seemed to have just remembered, "He! He is great, absolutely a perfect helper. This is another factor in the success of the Thunder."

The reporter laughed, "In your opinion, Durant is just a helper?"

Xue Liancheng: "Did I say something wrong?"

After saying that, he blinked his eyes in confusion.

And these words were passed intact to the ears of Durant and Westbrook.

First up is Durant.

Reporter: "Do you agree with what Xue said?"

After hearing this, his first reaction was stunned, and then his eyelids jumped wildly, and then he replied in a suppressed voice: "Any team needs players with different positions. Westbrook and I both have our own responsibilities." , we know best what we can do, and no matter what he says, it can't change my relationship with Westbrook."

As a superstar, he was criticized as a helper. This was simply a humiliation for Durant.

What was even more unacceptable to him was that the person who made such a comment was another superstar with huge influence.

The last time the two sides had a quarrel, he didn't take it seriously.

Now that he hears this topic again, it is undoubtedly difficult for him to accept it.

Because of what?

Because Westbrook really played a super performance, 23+10+7, which is almost the same as last season when Xue Liancheng won the MVP.

In addition, Westbrook already won the scoring title last season, and the momentum became fierce instantly, which truly threatened his position in the team.

This was why she couldn't accept it.

Pause.

He bit back, "Xue actually has a very clear positioning of himself. With his help this season, Lopez led the Knicks to a shocking record, which is eye-catching."

Westbrook's answer obviously didn't have that much thought, and it didn't have that many twists and turns. He directly rebuked: "It's completely bullshit. Durant and I are the core of the team. We are good brothers." , We don’t have who is helping whom, who is whose helper, we are just achieving each other and growing each other, this is the reason why the Thunder has achieved such impressive results.”

The reporter then spread their words to Xue Liancheng's ears.

Reporter: "Do you agree with what Durant said?"

Xue Liancheng just smiled and asked, "What do you think?"

Since then.

The reporter also laughed.

Obviously.

No one believes the Knicks are Lopez's team.

Because that's not true.

Fans know.

The media knows.

Journalists know it too.

Even Lopez himself knew it clearly.

This is nonsense.

Since it is not true, Xue Liancheng cannot have any abnormal reaction.

There is no need to even respond. The best response is for reporters to laugh along.

On the other hand, Durant and Westbrook are different.

They have indeed become a dual-core driver. As a result, there is confusion about who is the first core and who is the absolute boss of the team.

There is no problem at all in saying that the Thunder are Durant's team.

Because Durant still maintains the top level and is the team's number one attacker. Or, to be more precise, since Durant entered the league in 07, he has always been the core of the team and has never changed.

But there is no problem at all in saying that the Thunder are Westbrook's team.

Durant missed most of the game last season due to injury, and it was Westbrook who led the Thunder forward step by step.

Although in the end the Thunder only ranked ninth and failed to enter the playoffs.

<divclass="contentadv">But the eighth-place Pelicans have the same record as the Thunder, both 45 wins and 37 losses. They just missed out on a playoff spot by one win.

In fact, their record is not bad, with a winning rate of 54.9%. In the past, it would have been a safe thing to enter the playoffs.

All I can say is that the Thunder are unlucky...

What's more, Westbrook really tried his best, averaging 28.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game, and became the scoring leader of the season.

With such a performance, there is absolutely no problem in calling him a top star.

This season, Westbrook's average data per game has reached 23.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 10.5 assists, which is almost the same as Xue Liancheng's MVP data last season, and even the rebounds are much better than Xue Liancheng.

This kind of performance cannot be questioned by anyone, it is the level of a superstar.

Is there a problem with saying that the Thunder is Westbrook’s team?

No problem at all...

The Thunder are a dual-core driven team.

This creates the illusion that Westbrook has been replaced by Durant.

After all, Westbrook was at best a second-in-command before, playing a clear role as Durant's helper.

Now, Westbrook has jumped in front of Durant. Can Durant accept it?

Psychologically, it will definitely be difficult to accept for a while.

Xue Liancheng took advantage of this and adopted the Durant mentality.

He still wants to see if there is a chance to bring Durant over in the offseason.

In this case……

Then it's their turn to become Cosmic Ni.

Thinking about it... I'm actually a little excited.

At 11:30 noon, the game was held as scheduled.

Knicks starting lineup: Xue Liancheng, Tyler Johnson, PJ Tucker, Von Lay, Lopez.

In this game, Tyronn Lue made a small adjustment.

Let Tyler Johnson step up and test the waters.

Thunder side: Westbrook, Dion Waiters, Durant, Singler, Whiteside.

Robertson was absent for this game and was replaced by Waiters.

The game begins.

The Thunder attacked, and after Durant moved the pick-and-roll, the Knicks entered unlimited defense mode, and Xue Liancheng happened to face Durant.

Durant was in a rare good mood and said with a smile: "Let me, your helper, teach you a lesson today."

of course.

Don't look at Du Shubao smiling.

But since I mentioned this matter, I must be concerned about it.

Xue Liancheng: "Don't laugh so loudly, I bet you will be kicked out during the offseason."

Durant's expression changed, but he soon smiled more joyfully, "Brother! After I jumped out of my contract during the offseason, I became a completely free agent. I was kicked out?"

Xue Liancheng: "Yes, you can leave with dignity, but the greater possibility is that Oklahoma no longer has a place for you, or after failing to win the championship, you will completely become a street rat in Oklahoma."

As soon as these words came out, Durant's face turned completely ugly, "Don't talk nonsense, let me teach you a lesson today."

talking.

The debugging rhythm has started and it’s time to start moving.

Xue Liancheng, however, remained calm and said, "Don't keep telling me to teach me a lesson. I'm not your helper...!"

Durant sneered: "Hey! You have a tough mouth. Let me see how tough your mouth is today."

The words fell.

Just start and take one step forward.

then.

Jump on the spot and shoot directly.

Xue Liancheng used his precognition ability to actually capture it.

But my body can’t keep up!

In addition, Durant is really tall and has very long arms, so he can't even reach him even if he jumps desperately.

But that doesn't mean he has no interference with Durant.

Having been with PJ Tucker for so long, I can still sum up a defensive experience when chatting.

In addition, he has mastered PJ Tucker's skills in defending Durant under the influence of his own eyes and ears.

Complete lockdown?

That is absolutely impossible to do.

As for trying to interfere?

That is also a very outrageous thing.

Because Durant is too tall, has a long wingspan, good athletic ability, and bounce.

With so many layers of talent accumulated, if he can still effectively interfere with Durant, then what kind of hexagonal warrior he must be.

and so……

To sum up, in one word, it is consumption.

That's right.

It’s just consumption.

It consumes Durant's physical energy, consumes Durant's mind, and consumes Durant's patience.

Just like this round.

From the beginning, Xue Liancheng stepped forward and pressed forward, using physical contact to increase the confrontation.

Then Durant pulled back when he started.

Then when Durant retreated, Xue Liancheng used his precognition ability to seal Durant's eyes.

But in the end.

Swish!

Still got in!

Xue Liancheng had to sigh that Durant's touch was really soft and his shooting feeling was very good.

The latter is even more important than the former.

Shooting feel.

As the name suggests, it is the feeling when you are ready to take off the ball. You can feel the position of the basket, you can feel the height of your take-off, you can feel the strength of your shot, and you can feel what it looks like the moment the ball is pushed out... …

Even after you throw it, you can feel whether the ball can go in or not.

This is what it feels like.

Then it comes to the softness when taking action.

Because the feeling of release comes first and the softness of the hand comes later, the former is more important than the latter.

Or to be more precise, the two complement each other to create a smooth and beautiful shot.

Durant is obviously the best among them.

It's not just that you can prevent it if you want to.

After Durant landed, he grinned and taunted, "It's easy to deal with you."

Xue Liancheng just smiled and said, "I hope you keep this sentence and say it to me again after the game is over."

This sentence directly choked Durant.

The implication behind the words is: It’s just an offensive round, what are you talking about?

As both superstars, we both understand that the final winner will be today’s winner.

Rather than how many points you scored, what awesome dunks you made, what gorgeous passes you made...

Xue Liancheng advanced quickly and quickly looked for opportunities.

The Thunder's defense is relatively tight, but sometimes it's easy to lose everything.

Two steps away from the top of the arc, Feng Lai quickly lifted it up, ready to pick and roll for Xue Liancheng.

result.

Never thought.

Before Feng Lai could lift it completely, Xue Liancheng pushed the ball straight over.

Before anyone could react, Feng Lai threw the ball back to Xue Liancheng, who rushed to the arc.

then.

It was smooth sailing, and he reached the basket in three steps and two steps.

The Thunder's defense was wide open, and by the time they reacted, Xue Liancheng had already shot high.

Hit steadily.

This kind of fake pick-and-roll cooperation is actually a surprise.

He and Feng Lai had used this style of play in college, so they were naturally familiar with it.

As soon as he saw Feng Leti coming up, he subconsciously threw the ball over.

Then, without using his eyes to signal, Feng Lai sent the ball back immediately like a machine.

Then he came out of position to help block people.

mission completed.

Finish work.

Both sides fought cleanly and clearly in these two rounds.

And often such a start heralds a high score.

The on-site commentator said, "This game is likely to be an offensive battle."

The commentator also agreed, "Yes, their offensive rhythm is very fast, and the two leading stars look in very good condition."

The host said at this time: "If we attack each other, it will not be very beneficial to the Knicks!"