NBA: I am the card dealer

This is the end.

The Nets' record is 24 wins and 8 losses. Although they are still ranked second in the Eastern Conference, their dominance has undoubtedly declined. They were defeated three times by the Pacers!

This is really an unacceptable fact.

What injuries? What back-to-backs?

Neither is an excuse.

Losing three games in a row shows some problems, and they must learn from them.

But this is the result, they are unwilling to accept it and cannot change the facts.

Xue Liancheng still had to calm down and move on.

rest for a day.

They headed to San Antonio.

The Spurs' record has declined this season, but they are still a force that cannot be ignored in the Western Conference. They currently have 24 wins and 10 losses, ranking third in the Western Conference, which is still very strong.

The record is very close to that of the Nets, with only one win difference.

This is the first time the two sides have met this season.

There is a sense of imminent confrontation between two powerful forces.

As soon as the game started, both sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat, which shows how fierce the game was.

The Spurs regard the Nets as a forge, and the Nets also regard the Spurs as an imaginary enemy. The focus of both sides is definitely at the playoff level. They have been unwilling to give in to each other from the beginning and have entered a state of tit-for-tat with top teams.

Leonard and Aldridge are still very powerful. Although Gasol is old, he is still able to make a living.

Tony Parker is also getting stronger with age, and his pace of breaking into the penalty area is still ferocious.

The most important thing is that the Spurs' bench is also strong. Mills, Ginobili, Slam Anderson, Rudy Gay, Forbes, Dejounte Murray, there are too many talented people who can fight.

The most important thing is that Popovich is very good at using teamwork to curb your defensive counterattacks and fast breaks, making your small lineup still have no advantage.

of course.

The Nets are also very aggressive.

Anunoby and Vonleh returned together, and the two attacked the basket like wild beasts, making it impossible to defend against them.

In the first quarter, the game was evenly matched at 28:30.

In the second quarter, the game was evenly matched at 29:26.

At the end of the first half, the score was 57:56, and no one got the advantage.

In the third quarter, the Spurs became anxious, their offensive efficiency began to decline, and the team cooperation was not as tacit as before.

On the other hand, the Nets' offense was not affected because Xue Liancheng controlled the rhythm.

In the third quarter, the Nets led the Spurs by 31 points, 25:6.

At the end of the third quarter, the score became 88:81, and the Nets took the initiative.

This is very fatal.

Everyone knows how terrifying Xue Liancheng's ability to harvest in the end is. There is even a media report that if Xue Liancheng's team is leading in the last quarter, the winning rate will be as high as 93%.

In other words, they rarely lose.

Now the Spurs are trailing by 7 points and are really on the verge of collapse. It is as despairing as falling into an endless abyss.

But how could such a legendary coach like Popovich lose his composure?

In the fourth quarter, they played steadily and slowly narrowed the gap.

With four minutes left, the Spurs' Mills made a three-pointer and finally tied the score.

The home fans saw hope.

Just a moment later, it was extinguished by Xue Liancheng.

A running three-pointer and a breakthrough layup 2+1 regained the initiative of the game.

And in the last minute and thirty seconds, Xue Liancheng once again performed a death triple combo, directly killing the Spurs early.

finally.

The Nets defeated the strong rival Spurs 123:111 on the road, bringing the team back on the winning track.

The morale that had been wiped out by the walkers was rekindled.

It’s really not easy!

Xue Liancheng made 23 of 13 shots, 13 of 7 three-pointers, and 7 of 6 free throws, scoring 39 points, 16 assists and 6 rebounds. These statistics are only average for him this season.

But these are the statistics that other All-Stars dream of. Even in a whole season, they may not be able to get such accurate statistics.

no doubt.

Xue Liancheng's current rank is already far ahead of other top stars.

Anunoby made 13 of 8 shots and scored 21 points and 8 rebounds. After almost half a season, he has become more and more mature and is no longer the kid he was at the beginning of the season.

Sabonis Jr. made 12 of 6 shots and scored 15 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Similarly, Sabonis has also grown rapidly. Now his playing time has gradually stabilized at around 30 minutes, and his overall statistics have also become good.

冯莱9中4，三分3中0，只得到10分。

Vonleh's current problem is that his three-point shooting is not very stable, but he has become more selfless and handed over more finishing tasks to Anunoby, that is, letting Anunoby complete simple balls and simple scores.

Being willing to sacrifice one's offensive performance is something that not ordinary players can do.

of course.

The main reason is that Anuno is faster, has better explosiveness and better jumping ability, which makes him the first choice for fast breaks.

But there is no doubt about Vonleh's selfless attitude. He puts more energy on the defensive end, especially protecting the rim and assisting in defense. His contribution cannot be ignored.

Another defensive giant that we have to mention here is Covington, who is also very dedicated on the defensive end.

The front line defense cluster composed of him and Vonleh has improved the Nets' overall defense by at least one level.

This can be seen from suppressing the opponent's scoring.

Before Covington and Vonleh came, the opponents' scores were also terrifying, often reaching 120+.

After the two arrived, they successfully suppressed the opponent's score to below 110, and even many teams such as the Wizards, Kings, Thunder and others scored seriously low.

That's their contribution on defense.

Their arrival filled the gap in interior defense and prevented Sabonis Jr. from being under tremendous defensive pressure.

It can be said that these two transactions were absolutely profitable.

As for the Spurs.

Leonard was still very stable, making 18 of 9 shots and scoring 23 points.

Aldridge was also a killer, shooting 15 of 7 and scoring 20 points and 9 rebounds.

His scoring is not the kind of scoring by catching cakes like Anunoby, but the result of real shots one by one, which will bring deterrence on the court and attract a huge amount of defensive attention.

Gasol also did well, making 10 of 6 shots, scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, an absolute performance from a veteran who is still going strong.

Parker also made 10 of 6 shots and scored 14 points.

Ginobili and Mills from the bench both scored 11 points and performed well.

Even the new player Rudy Gay has not yet adapted to the Spurs' teamwork. He just plays alone when he gets the ball, which seems very abrupt. He only got 5 points with 2 of 4 shots.

The Spurs currently have a lot of problems. The biggest problem is that the team cooperation seems to be not enough in front of the superstars, which casts a shadow on their prospects of winning the championship.

In addition, they seem to have not yet recovered from the failure of last season and have not shown the confidence of a top team.

The Nets had no time to stop and think. They rushed to New Orleans without stopping to challenge the Pelicans with their twin towers back to back.

This season, the Pelicans have not become the biggest threat to the Warriors as the media expected. Their current record is only 17 wins and 16 losses, and they are still lingering on the edge of the playoffs.

This is really disappointing.

You know, they are a team with the league's best power forward and center, but they ended up with such a mediocre record, which is really disappointing.

But no one dares to underestimate them.

Anyway, Xue Liancheng is still very wary of the Pelicans. After all, the attack power of the twin towers is no joke.

The result was quite unexpected.

In the first half alone, the Pelicans scored 69 points. Even though the Nets also had a strong offensive power and scored 60 points, they were still suppressed by the Pelicans.

And his head was covered with bruises.

In this game, the Nets' shortcomings were exposed. Their inside confrontation strength was simply no match for the Pelicans' twin towers, especially when Covington and Vonleh played at the four position, they were directly beaten.

Atkinson tried to play Lopez Jr., but the problem is that Lopez Jr.'s offensive ability is relatively poor and he doesn't have a long-range shot, which is a big disadvantage for the Nets.

After weighing the pros and cons, Atkinson finally chose to fight on offense and let Vonleh continue to play the power forward position. They hoped to use speed to drag down the Pelicans' twin towers.

But Davis during this period was actually not slow, his body was not that bloated, he could jump high, his wingspan was long, and the defensive area he covered was terrifying.

This meant that the Nets' fast break advantage was never fully utilized.

But the Nets are still more mobile than the Pelicans, and they have the capital to deal with the Pelicans.

In the second half.

The Pelicans' offensive firepower began to decline, but they still scored 29 points in the third quarter, which is not a low score, but it was not as fierce as in the first half.

In the fourth quarter, Jrue Holiday and Moore exploded.

Especially Moore, who made three-pointers one after another.

With four minutes left, the Nets were already trailing by double digits and were in a desperate situation.

Atkinson took great courage and directly put out this lineup: Xue Liancheng, Crabbe, Joe Harris, Anunoby, and Covington.

Just go all out for three-pointers, push the offensive firepower to the limit, and see if you can turn the tide.

Xue Liancheng got off to a good start, hitting a three-pointer right at the start.

thereafter.

Crabbe, Joe Harris, Anunoby, and Covington followed suit, almost all of them shooting three-pointers.

It really fits into the frame.

With 1 minute and 07 seconds left in the game, they finally took the lead 122:121 with Covington's three-pointer.

Then the two sides entered the final ultimate contest.

Xue Liancheng lived up to expectations and made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to successfully save the Nets from danger.

The key to their successful comeback was that Atkinson was bold enough to use five shooters and directly shoot through the Pelicans.

In the end, the score was fixed at 130:128, the Nets narrowly won by 2 points, and Xue Liancheng contributed the first buzzer-beater of the season.

Throughout the game, he made 24 of 14 shots, 13 of 7 three-pointers, and 10 of 10 free throws, scoring 45 points, plus 18 assists and 8 rebounds. His performance was crazy.

But besides himself, the heroes who contributed to the victory included Joe Harris's two three-pointers in the last few minutes, Covington's two three-pointers, Anunoby's one three-pointer, and Crabbe's one three-pointer.

In the last four minutes, including Xue Liancheng's three-pointer, he made a total of 9 three-pointers, scoring an astonishing 29 points, which led the team to complete this incredible comeback.

On the Pelicans side, four players scored 20+ points, which is really unbelievable.

Davis made 19 of 11 shots and delivered a top double-double of 33 points and 11 rebounds.

考辛斯也不遑多让，19中10，拿到了27分14篮板5助攻。

The twin towers performed very tough and had strong offensive capabilities, and the Nets could not defend them at all. Even if Lopez Jr. came up, he could only provide some support and could not form an effective defense.

The No. 1 power forward and the No. 1 center are not just titles for nothing.

What is even more shocking is that Rondo delivered an astonishing 25 assists, clearly showing Rondo's superb vision.

Besides.

Jrue Holiday made 17 of 10 shots and scored 23 points.

摩尔11中8，三分4中4，得到了21分。

The offensive assistance of these two players was the main factor that almost defeated the Nets.

But even with everyone playing so well, the Nets still won the game, which is enough to show that the Nets also performed well in this game.

The three-point shooters were a great help.

The Nets won back-to-back against the Pelicans, achieving a hard-earned victory and bringing their record to 26 wins and 8 losses.

The Celtics lost today, suffering a three-game losing streak, with a record of 27 wins and 10 losses, and the win difference between the two sides has reversed.

The Nets are half a game ahead of the Celtics.

In terms of winning percentage, the Celtics are 72.9% and the Nets are 76.4%.

In other words, the Nets have stood at the top of the Eastern Conference and become the boss of the Eastern Conference.

In fact, the Nets' record during this period was not very good. After all, they lost to the Pacers twice, and there was a feeling of lack of momentum. As a result, the Celtics themselves fell into decline first and gave up the position of the leader of the Eastern Conference.

This is definitely an unexpected result.

The outside world was also in an uproar at this time.

"Oh my god! Before we knew it, the Nets are already No. 1 in the Eastern Conference?"

"ESPN suffered the biggest slap in the face in history. Before the season started, they actually ranked the Nets 10th in the Eastern Conference. This is simply an insult to Xue Liancheng."

"Xue Liancheng is really too strong! He is undoubtedly a historical superstar."

"The single core has brought the Nets to a level that does not belong to them."

"This is what is hard to understand. Why does ESPN underestimate a superstar who can lead a team to a championship? They actually think that his team can't even qualify for the playoffs."

"This shows one thing, ESPN is just a second-rate media, speculating on the dominance of superstars based on their own preferences."

"Xue Liancheng has shown ESPN with his actions what a historical superstar is."

"In fact, with the Nets' lineup before the season started, it was hard to believe they were a playoff-level team. But Xue Liancheng dragged the Nets to first place in the Eastern Conference, which was incredible."

"I think Xue Liancheng is the most dominant superstar."

Everyone was marveling at Xue Liancheng's greatness.

Once again, he did what others dared not think of.

From the predicted tenth place in the Eastern Conference, they fought their way to first place in the Eastern Conference, giving ESPN a loud slap in the face.

And he accomplished this feat in just 34 games.