NBA: I am the card dealer

rest for a day.

The Nets continued their journey, and this time they faced another strong opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The last time the two sides met, they had a verbal battle over the MVP competition. Westbrook and Will Barton got too excited and failed to show their true strength.

This time, Westbrook finally calmed down. The two sides did not spit at each other before the game. Facing the interview with reporters, Westbrook was very calm: "He is the best player in the league. He has won three championships in three years and his dominance is undoubtedly revealed. Being able to compete with him for MVP is the greatest recognition for me. I feel very honored."

As the Nets' record continued to improve, Xue Liancheng's MVP support also skyrocketed, and Westbrook was completely reduced to a runner-up role.

At this time, no matter how arrogant Westbrook was, he had no confidence to say that this MVP belonged to him.

Because he did not show the same dominance as Xue Liancheng.

Using his extraordinary strength, he brought this seemingly weak Nets team to the top position in the league. That kind of shocking power was absolutely unparalleled.

At least this season, no one has achieved such an outstanding performance.

Westbrook's statistics are still unparalleled, but everyone knows that the main factor for the Thunder's success this season is still Gasol Jr.

If Westbrook can guarantee a playoff spot, then Gasol is there to raise the team's ceiling.

Although Gasol's statistics are not impressive, his role is huge. His tactical core position is even no less than Westbrook. The two of them form a dual-core drive, which is why the Thunder has achieved the first-tier results in the Western Conference.

Simultaneously.

Westbrook's words also illustrate a problem, that the mainstream voice also recognizes Xue Liancheng's great achievement of winning three championships in three years.

Reporter: "But you've averaged a triple-double for two consecutive years, which is unprecedented. Don't you think you're a better player than Xue?"

Westbrook: "That's the interesting thing. His achievements are dazzling, but I haven't been conquered yet. This year I will prove to the world that I am also one of the best players in the league."

Reporter: "You mean, you are at the same level as Xue?"

Westbrook: "That's a no-brainer."

The game begins.

Westbrook really showed his top level. His attack on the basket in the pick-and-roll was really fast.

Especially his first step, it's like he was equipped with a motor, plus his explosive power is at its peak, his finishing ability at the basket is very strong, he can slam the ball into the basket even against opponents.

Gasol Jr. played with the team on the outside, and the two of them worked around the clock, transferring the ball very smoothly and maintaining a very good offensive rhythm.

In the meantime, once Westbrook becomes tired, Will Barton can step up and take over the ball, which is very critical.

The reason why many stars are known as ball-holding cores is mainly because they have enough ability to handle the ball, which many stars cannot do.

Even if you were given unlimited firing rights, you still failed to perform at the top level.

Because the ball possession is there, and a player's energy and physical strength are limited. When he becomes slack, someone needs to step up and take advantage of the ball.

The arrival of Will Barton solved this problem perfectly.

But the Nets are no pushovers.

Xue Liancheng's personal ability to attack and push fast breaks is enough to leave many teams helpless, and the Nets also have their own high-post support points, which makes their offensive tactics richer, the offensive options become more, and scoring becomes easier.

As the team with the most powerful offensive firepower in the league, it is definitely not a false reputation.

On the defensive end, the Nets are clearly the better team.

Although Xue Liancheng and Sabonis Jr.'s lateral movement speed is not very good, they are not leaches on the defensive end. After more than half a season of experience, Anunoby has made a qualitative improvement in both offensive and defensive skills, becoming one of the main candidates for leading the defense of the opposing guard and small forward. His ability to assist and make up for defense has also improved visibly.

Covington is a 3D player. Three-pointers and defense are his specialties. His defensive ability is definitely top-notch in the league. Among the current 3D players, Covington is a rare figure.

Given Vonleh's height and weight, he is particularly good at defending power forwards, like James. When Vonleh is defending against him, he can show certain advantages.

There is also a James Johnson, who is also a strong defensive force on the heavy forward line.

This gives them a certain size advantage when dealing with the Thunder.

In addition, Xue Liancheng knew Gasol Jr. very well, so he specifically took advantage of this point and beat him hard.

Finally, in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, they reversed the score.

Then Xue Liancheng made three consecutive three-pointers and directly won the game, defeating the Thunder 116:109 and ushering in a three-game winning streak again.

Throughout the game, Xue Liancheng made 23 of 12 shots, 10 of 6 three-pointers, and 13 of 11 free throws, scoring a total of 41 points, plus 15 assists and 6 rebounds. The overall statistics are still good.

And most importantly, he kept attacking the Thunder basket, putting tremendous pressure on the Thunder.

阿奴诺比13中6，三分5中1，拿到了15分7篮板，表现还是很稳定的。

But this data is obviously not up to the All-Star level.

There is no doubt that Anunoby was selected because of the Nets' best record in the league.

Sabonis Jr. made 12 of 6 shots and had comprehensive statistics of 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. His overall performance has gradually improved, but it is still not stable enough.

Especially after the big battle with the Spurs, Sabonis Jr. should have a deeper understanding of the intensity of the playoff level.

In this game, the Thunder also showed great defensive intensity, and Sabonis Jr. was able to maintain a certain offensive efficiency and rhythm, which shows that he has grown a bit.

Thunder side.

威斯布鲁克27中12，爆砍32分11助攻9篮板，再次打出令人惊艳的数据。

小加索尔16中7，拿到了18分9篮板6助攻，表现得非常全面。

Will Barton has found a second spring in Oklahoma, and his offense has been very obvious this season. In this game, he also performed very well, making 16 of 8 shots, scoring 20 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds, becoming the third scoring point after Westbrook and Gasol Jr., sharing a lot of offensive pressure with the two core players.

After defeating the Thunder, they need to go to their next away game to challenge the Bucks in Milwaukee.

The Bucks have been unlucky this season. Jabari Parker is out for the season, Bledsoe, who was acquired at a high price, has not adapted to the local environment and has not shown any strong performance from the back line. Even super sixth man Brogdon has been constantly injured, and the whole team is in pieces and has not been able to come together at all.

Forget about super combat power.

Now they should not be thinking about getting out of the Eastern Conference, but fighting for a playoff spot.

But even though their performance was disappointing.

But as of the end of this season, they still have a record of 24 wins and 22 losses, with a winning rate of over %.

This is mainly due to Antetokounmpo and Middleton.

The former has been established as the core of the team, and Antetokounmpo has not disappointed. He has played like a top star this season, averaging 27+10+5 per game, and has already shown signs of becoming a new generation of superstar.

His physical fitness and impact are also amazing. He can be said to be at a historical level. Coupled with his exaggerated shoulder breadth, he has an unstoppable momentum when he charges.

The latter's offensive skills have also improved qualitatively in the past few years. For the first time in his career, he averaged 20+ points per game and has become a top scorer.

With his assistance, Antetokounmpo's potential can be further stimulated.

But it was clear that just the two of them were not enough.

finally.

After four fierce quarters, the Nets defeated the Bucks 123:116 and won four consecutive victories.

The game was very intense, but Xue Liancheng still relied on his hard-solving ability to win the game.

Xue Liancheng made 22 of 13 shots, 12 of 6 three-pointers, and 9 of 8 free throws, scoring 40 points again, plus 14 assists and 8 rebounds. His performance was still above average.

小萨博尼斯18中10，也拿到了23分7篮板5助攻。

阿奴诺比17中8，三分6中1，得到了19分9篮板的准两双数据。

During this period, Anunoby's three-point shooting fluctuated greatly and was not very stable.

But his role as a fast break spearhead can still support most of his points, and his efficiency is quite good.

Bucks here.

Antetokounmpo made 20 of 14 shots, 3 of 3 three-pointers, and 11 of 10 free throws, scoring 41 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. His performance was quite explosive, but he still couldn't lead the team to win the game.

This illustrates a problem.

His influence on the court has not yet reached the level of Xue Liancheng.

of course.

In other words, the Bucks were able to fight the Nets until the last moment, and Antetokounmpo's strong performance played a decisive role. Vonleh and Covington took turns to deal with Antetokounmpo, but were still beaten badly.

Middleton made 14 of 9 shots and scored 21 points. As a second-in-command, his performance was definitely satisfactory, but they had no choice but to face the Nets, who had extremely strong offensive power, and they could only accept their fate.

Bledsoe was disappointing as usual, shooting 16 of 5 and scoring only 14 points. His performance was hard to describe.

It was his slump that caused the Bucks to lose hope of competing at the last minute.

This is basically a microcosm of Bledsoe this season. His finishing ability is too poor and he does not have the strength of a first-class guard at all. He is obviously overrated.

After playing against the Bucks, they came to Minnesota, the fourth stop of their five-game road trip. The Nets once again challenged the young Timberwolves, this time in a back-to-back game.

Since the All-Star announcement, their record has plummeted and they have fallen from the first tier. Their current record is only 30 wins and 21 losses. They no longer have the aura of a super strong team.

The result of the game was also as expected.

The Nets defeated the Timberwolves 123:111, adding salt to the wound on this young team.

薛连城21中14，三分9中6，罚球11中11，爆砍45分14助攻7篮板，这是他连续三场比赛40+了。

If this happened to any other star, it would be another explosive news.

But when it came to Xue Liancheng, there was no surprise at all, and there wasn't even much of a stir.

The main reason is that his performance in last year's playoffs was too explosive. He averaged 40+ points per game in three consecutive series and finally won the championship. This gives people the feeling that scoring for him is as easy as taking candy from a sack.

Scoring 40 points in a game is not surprising.

This is because superstars are at different levels and people have different expectations of them.

Timberwolves here.

Wiggins scored 20 points with 9 of 21 shots, which was a good performance, but in terms of ball possession and his contribution, Wiggins' scoring efficiency was really limited.

Butler made 14 of 4 shots, which is a very average efficiency, but this guy is also very good at hitting on players. He got a total of 14 free throws, made 12 of them, and also got 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Towns made 17 of 7 shots and scored 16 points and 19 rebounds. He always played outside and was not very keen on physical confrontation, which resulted in his efficiency as an inside player not being able to improve.

Another star, Jeff Teague, made 4 of 0 shots and only scored a pitiful 2 points. His performance was hard to describe.

The Timberwolves' performance has declined rapidly in recent times, and they are showing a tendency to compete with the Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Pelicans, which is somewhat unexpected.

After all, before the start of the season, when Minnesota signed Butler and Teague, the momentum was extremely huge, and many people thought they would become another super battleship.

After all, Wiggins and Towns, the two No. 20 picks, are young and have great potential. Last season, they averaged + points per game and have already entered the ranks of top scorers. They should make greater progress in the new season.

Then, with the All-Star level Butler and former All-Star Teague, their lineup is very strong, giving the illusion of a mountain pressing down on one's head.

result.

They are now only able to compete with the Clippers for a playoff spot, which is extremely disappointing.

The Nets immediately headed to their next stop, returning to New York to challenge the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

This is the last stop of their five-game road trip.

Everyone was very surprised that the Nets could win five consecutive games in such a tough schedule. The five opponents were the Miami Heat, the sixth in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a powerhouse in the upper half of the Western Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, a strong contender for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the fifth in the Western Conference.

None of these five teams are easy to deal with.

And except for the Miami Heat, there are four away games left.

Such a schedule is extremely difficult, and it is basically impossible for ordinary teams to pass it safely.

But the Nets did it.

They actually made it through and achieved five consecutive victories, which fully demonstrates the saying that in the face of absolute strength, everything is a paper tiger.

And their last game of a five-game road trip is against the Knicks, the third-place team in the Eastern Conference.

in between.

The fans exclaimed: Xue Liancheng's dominance is absolutely at a historical level.