NBA: I am the card dealer

this time.

A group of media reporters also specially found Xue Liancheng to interview him about his views on this wave of schedule.

Reporter: "You will face a tough schedule next. No team in the six games will be easy to deal with. How many games do you think you can win next?"

Xue Liancheng: "We are not afraid of challenges, nor do we think anyone is invincible. We have the strength to defeat any opponent."

This answer is really domineering.

But the reporters obviously didn't believe it: "The Thunder, Knicks, Raptors, and Pacers are all playoff-level teams. The Heat and Wizards are also fighting desperately for a playoff spot. Are you sure you can beat these six opponents? Have a 13-game winning streak?"

If the Nets can really beat these six opponents, the value of their record will soar.

after.

No one will ever say that the Nets bully the weak and fear the strong again.

But is this possible?

Xue Liancheng said with a little bitterness: "Anything can happen."

It is indeed true that they are not afraid of any opponent.

But his original intention in saying this was to motivate his teammates and boost their confidence, not to sweep the opponents in six consecutive games.

Or to be more precise, he is not afraid of any of the six opponents, but if he keeps sniping at them, that would be a big problem.

The back-to-back game between the Knicks and the Raptors is really a huge test. The strength of the two teams is there, and they are definitely not easy to deal with. It is a huge challenge to confront them alone.

Not to mention back to back.

This will test your physical fitness, perseverance, resilience, condition, continuity and so on.

The most important thing is that the Knicks and the Raptors are two completely different teams, and you need to adjust your defense and offense.

Therefore, the long and arduous regular season schedule is not the most terrible thing. The most terrible thing is consecutive back-to-back games, or 9 games in 5 days.

That's really annoying!

Reporter: "So among these six opponents, who do you think is the toughest?"

Xue Liancheng: "Didn't you just say that? None of these teams are easy to deal with. They are all very difficult to deal with."

Reporter: "What do you think of your next opponent, the Thunder?"

Xue Liancheng: "Gasol is very good. I think he is the best inside player. He has played All-Star level data again this season. There is no doubt that they will be the spoilers in the Western Conference."

As for Westbrook, there was no mention of him.

Another former teammate, Will Barton, also did not appear on his list of commendations.

The reason is also very simple.

He said this on purpose, and these nosy reporters would definitely pass on all these words to Westbrook and Will Barton.

Although their playing styles are very different, they have one thing in common.

That is they play very emotionally.

If you are stimulated by something, feel unhappy, or your mentality explodes, you will keep swinging the basketball hoop even if it smokes.

Why is the Thunder's record so good?

In addition to the adaptation of Gasol Jr., Westbrook and Will Barton, the most important thing is that Gasol Jr. serves as the central point, filtering out the unreasonable shooting choices of Westbrook and Will Barton.

That's why he's pissing off Westbrook and Will Barton.

really.

The reporter asked: "What about Westbrook and Will Barton?"

Xue Liancheng said: "Westbrook's statistics are very good, but I don't understand why he grabs so many rebounds? Is it to launch a better fast break? No! Obviously not. I guess he does this to get a triple-double and become a historical figure."

He almost pointed at Westbrook's nose and said: You are just a complete idiot.

This is a huge humiliation for a superstar.

Although a large part of this is true, the problem is that you can't tell the truth!

The saying that lies hurt no one, but the truth is a sharp knife, is perfectly illustrated by Westbrook.

Xue Liancheng then commented on another person: "Will is great, but the whole world knows his level."

Jumped from the Knicks to the Magic, and from the Magic to the Heat.

Basically Will Barton completed a triple jump.

Instead of jumping up three levels, it rolled down three levels in a row, with all kinds of defects and problems exposed clearly.

This sentence is so heartbreaking and extremely embarrassing.

Will Barton would definitely be furious if he heard this.

And the facts are just as expected.

After hearing the reporter relay Xue Liancheng's words, Westbrook's face changed drastically and he responded: "His mouth is indeed very sharp, much better than his skills. Many people say he is the best player in the league, but I don't agree. If you don't believe it, you can tell him that I will beat him in a one-on-one match tomorrow."

Will Barton was immediately shocked: "Yes, my level is known to the whole world, but some people's level is overshadowed by their excellent teammates. Without these excellent teammates, that person will be nothing."

But these words.

Xue Liancheng turned a deaf ear to it and didn't take it to heart at all.

Because this is not the truth, he naturally does not feel hurt.

And time flies by.

The next day.

The two sides came into close combat on the field.

The Thunder's starting lineup is still very good: Westbrook, Will Barton, Robertson, Grant, and Gasol Jr.

Although Grant's current reputation is not widespread and he has not yet reached the 20+ level, he has made great progress this season and can already contribute 11.3 points per game, becoming another powerful fulcrum on the offensive end.

Not to mention Robertson, although his offensive role is very limited, especially three-pointers, which are basically nonexistent, his contribution on the defensive end is indelible, and he is definitely the mainstay of the Thunder's defense.

Before Durant left, he was the starter, and he has been so for many years, which is a good example.

Will Barton has been resurrected again, averaging 15.5 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game this season, becoming another major attacking point for the Thunder's outside line, sharing a lot of offensive pressure with Westbrook.

This was not the case last season.

Gasol Jr. has returned to his All-Star level. So far this season, he is averaging 16.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 53% and a three-point shooting percentage of 34%. His role on both offense and defense is enormous. The most important thing is that he completely liberates Westbrook in organization, so that Westbrook does not have to organize the ball distribution, but can instead devote all his energy to combining breakthroughs and points and looking for opportunities in pick-and-rolls.

The effect is quite obvious. The Thunder's overall offense has become very smooth. When encountering difficulties, Will Barton also stepped up to help. This has made their offensive efficiency rank among the top five in the league, making them one of the most offensive teams in the league.

The game begins.

Westbrook really turned on the violent mode. Although Anunoby has strong explosive power and fast speed, he is still stretched to the limit when facing Westbrook who has historical athletic ability, and was beaten into a sieve by the attacks.

In addition, due to Anunoby's height, his center of gravity cannot be lowered, resulting in his defensive effect not meeting expectations.

But it doesn't matter.

Xue Liancheng was not in a hurry at all, because he knew that Westbrook would definitely get excited.

as predicted.

The first quarter lasted three minutes and twenty-nine seconds.

Westbrook first missed a zombie jump shot, then pulled the opponent fiercely on the defensive end, and then turned around and made another nonsensical mistake.

In the last two and a half minutes, Westbrook went completely crazy, missing four shots in a row, leaving the audience dumbfounded.

Even though Gasol Jr. received the ball in the middle circle and was unwilling to give it to Westbrook, he still couldn't beat Westbrook in the end.

Up!

Totally over the top!

They don't care about anything you do or any bullshit tactics, they just swing the ball when they get it.

The Nets took advantage of this opportunity and went on a crazy 14:4 run, going from a 3-point deficit to a 7-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter of the game.

Thunder head coach Donovan finally got his way and kept Westbrook on the bench during rotation time.

Unexpectedly, the other singles king finally seized the opportunity and swung the ball towards the basket.

That kind of eagerness to prove oneself is really obvious to everyone!

But Will Barton's level is indeed limited. He does not have the amazing athletic ability of Westbrook. His shooting is just average, his breakthroughs are not outstanding, and his dribbling and control are far from Irving.

This leads to Will Barton giving up once he encounters a little confrontation.

After only three minutes of the second quarter, the score difference widened from 7 points to 14 points.

The Thunder has become precarious during this time.

Fortunately, Donovan still has some skills. I don’t know what he said to Westbrook and Will Barton for a while, but the two became much more normal after they came back on the court.

The Thunder finally had the strength to deal with the Nets. The two sides fought back and forth, and at the end of the third quarter, the score difference did not narrow.

The fourth quarter begins.

Westbrook suddenly broke out and Gasol Jr. also hit three-pointers repeatedly. The two teamed up to launch a 12:4 small attack wave and immediately narrowed the score difference.

But Xue Liancheng responded immediately and stopped the bleeding.

In the last six minutes, the two sides entered into a hand-to-hand fight and neither could do anything to the other. The Nets' four forwards came into play at this time, seizing the problem of Gasol's lack of mobility and constantly harassing and blocking him, and the Thunder's offense was greatly reduced.

In the last two minutes, the score was 110:105, and the Nets were leading by 5 points. Xue Liancheng no longer hesitated and directly activated the % hit rate skill to use the Soul-Breaking Sword on the Thunder.

The results were no surprise.

The Nets defeated the Thunder 123:109, won the game and extended their winning streak to 8 games.

With 18 wins and 6 losses, the Nets became the most dazzling team in the Eastern Conference.

But they are still third because the Knicks also won.

薛连城25投13中，砍下了38分15助攻4篮板，继续引领球队往前突飞猛进。

The Thunder are the third in the Western Conference!

With 19 wins and 5 losses before the game, the Nets' record is better than that of the Warriors. Except for the difference in wins and losses, the Rockets, who are the best in the league, have a better record than them.

The Spurs, who were considered the favorites to win the championship, were defeated by the Thunder. You can imagine how outstanding the Thunder's record is this season.

This can be seen from the fact that both sides were evenly matched in the second half.

If Westbrook and Will Barton hadn't gotten too carried away, it would be hard to say who would have won the game.

Anunoby made 13 of 6 shots and scored 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Vonleh made 12 of 6 shots and scored 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Covington made 11 of 4 shots and 9 of 3 three-pointers, and also scored 11 points. His performance was not too good, but not bad either. He defended Grant to only 8 of 1 shots, and he only scored 3 points in a very tragic way.

小萨博尼斯这场比赛在与小加索尔对抗中落了下风，全场只上了二十二分钟，8中5拿到了10分6篮板3助攻。

Relatively speaking.

Gasol Jr. was excellent, making 17 of 10 shots, 7 of 3 three-pointers, and scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. His performance was as comprehensive as ever.

Westbrook was affected by his high emotions. He made only 27 of 10 shots and barely scored 31 points, plus 8 rebounds and 6 assists. He was still far from completing his task.

Westbrook has always had a problem of not being able to control his emotions and bombing the basket crazily.

But even though we know about it, there has been no effective solution.

Will Barton made 16 of 6 shots and only scored 15 points, once again performing extremely inefficiently.

Obviously.

Xue Liancheng's words before the game had a huge impact on him.

The two failed to control themselves in the first half, which caused problems with the team's offensive rhythm. This was the reason why the Thunder lost the game.

But the fans don't watch that.

As soon as the Nets won the game, Xue Liancheng's fans went into a frenzy.

"Tell me what it means to bully the weak and fear the strong? Are the Rockets and Thunder strong enough?"

"There are always people questioning a team that is in the top three of the division. I don't know what their thinking is like. It's really bizarre."

"That's right! How can a team that can always be in the top three be a pushover?"

"The facts prove that Xue Liancheng's dominance is the best in the entire league. I will not accept any rebuttal."

"There are always people waiting to see Xue's joke, but unfortunately, I disappoint you. You will never see it."

"We have won the toughest game among the six games. Are the rest far behind?"

The fans think so, and some Nets players also think so.

Eight consecutive wins and the elimination of the third place in the Western Conference have given some of them a lot of confidence.

They also feel that the next Heat will not be a problem.

But Xue Liancheng doesn't think so.

Even though the Heat's current record of 12 wins and 12 losses is not very good and they are currently excluded from the playoffs, the legendary coach Spoelstra is no pushover. In addition, the Heat's overall lineup is actually not bad. If it weren't for the injuries, they would have a great chance of making it to the playoffs.

After 24 games this season, Wade missed six games, Porzingis missed seven games, Whiteside missed nine games, Dragic missed three games, Richardson and Winslow also missed one game, and All-Star George was lying in the hospital bed.

The entire main rotation is almost on the verge of collapse.

But they still managed to achieve a record of 12 wins and 12 losses, which shows that the Heat are definitely not simple.