NBA: I am the card dealer

The game went smoothly as the Nets easily defeated the Lakers 119:102 and won their eighth consecutive victory.

Kuzma was still very strong, scoring 16 points with 9 of 19 shots, plus 12 rebounds, showing a good game rhythm.

Dinwiddie did not disappoint, shooting 13 of 7 and scoring 19 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds, showing good potential. This may be the biggest consolation for the Lakers.

Anthony made 14 of 5 shots and got 16 points and 8 rebounds from free throws. His performance was neither good nor bad, but it was far from the kaleidoscope super scorer in people's impression.

Needless to say, their gamble failed.

They traded George, who was lying in the hospital bed, for Anthony, who had lost his All-Star status. In the end, they lost both people and money.

Anthony is probably in trouble.

Another player who is about to be in trouble is Lonjo Jefferson. He came off the bench in this game and only scored 9 points with 3 of 6 shots. He has no three-point ability and cannot form an effective offensive force at all.

After all, there is no other Xue Liancheng on the Lakers.

After losing this game, the Lakers' record became 18 wins and 33 losses, and they have completely sunk into the bottom of the Western Conference.

As the defending champions, they are about to miss the playoffs, which is definitely a huge joke in NBA history.

of course.

Some people also believe that the Lakers still have a chance.

After all, the Lakers were once at the bottom last season, but in the end they ran all the way like a wild horse and counterattacked to become the fifth in the Western Conference.

As the fifth-place team in the Western Conference, they launched a mad attack and made it to the top amidst a chorus of pessimism, becoming the most inspirational championship team in history.

As soon as this voice appeared, it was met with ridicule from countless fans.

"Last season, the Lakers had George and Xue Liancheng, a double star combination!"

"Who do you have! And you're still fighting back?"

"When you dream too much, you often think that winning the championship is a common thing."

"Wake up! You want to make it to the playoffs by relying on Anthony and Lopez? You're dreaming!"

“This is the most delusional group of people I have ever seen.”

"You have a chance, just wait quietly until the end of the season to draw lots."

"Unless Xue Liancheng reappears as Putups, the Lakers are basically waiting to die."

This was the only voice that was unanimously considered possible.

After all, the dominance that Xue Liancheng has demonstrated in the past two seasons is truly breathtaking.

As long as Xue Liancheng lands on the broken ship of the Lakers, it is possible for him to complete a miraculous turnaround and lead the team into the playoffs.

But that simply can't happen.

Xue Liancheng is currently living a stable life in the Nets.

Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby, who the team had high hopes for, did not disappoint after more than half a season of experience. They already have the potential to grow into All-Stars. As long as they continue to improve, the Nets will always be competitive. If he runs to the Lakers at this time, isn't that just asking for trouble?

What's more...

The Nets are now number one in the league!

Xue Liancheng is so close to his third MVP trophy, why is he still going to Los Angeles to take the blame?

There is no reason at all.

Besides, if he wanted to go back, he wouldn't have come out in the first place.

and so.

This is actually the biggest delusion, something that is simply impossible to happen.

After the Nets played the Lakers, they faced another extremely difficult schedule.

Until the All-Star Weekend, none of the opponents they faced were easy to deal with.

Look at their next opponents, the Bucks, Rockets, Pistons, Pelicans, Clippers, and Pacers. These six teams are either fighting for the playoffs or are playoff-level teams.

Connecting with the previous wave of difficult schedule, the entire month until February can be described as quite devilish for the Nets.

But fortunately, the Nets are in good shape, winning consecutive games and showing their top strength, and they have the momentum to challenge for the championship.

Their current record is 44 wins and 9 losses, still the best in the league, and at the same time, they have left the Warriors behind and are now the top team.

There is no doubt that it is not them who need to worry and be afraid now, but the teams that meet the Nets.

For example, the Bucks currently have 27 wins and 24 losses, which is very close to the playoffs, but it would be a huge misfortune for them to meet the Nets at this time.

If they lose, they will fall behind by several places, and the playoff spot will become much further away.

For example, the Pistons, their current record is 24 wins and 26 losses. They have already been excluded from the playoffs, and are getting further and further away from the playoffs. If they lose again, then there will be no hope at all, even the last hope will be gone.

In this situation, what would be if not a disaster to face the powerful Nets?

There were no surprises during the game.

The Nets defeated the Bucks 121:109 and continued their winning streak.

Bledsoe finally had a breakout game, shooting 20 of 12 and scoring 28 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds, but their role players were not very strong, so they had to accept the defeat.

Looking at Antetokounmpo again, he made 13 of 7 shots and scored 16 points and 8 rebounds. His overall performance was pretty good.

Middleton also scored 11 points with 7 of 16 shots.

In addition, John Hansen scored 14 points with 8 of 19 shots, which was a very eye-catching performance.

But apart from these few, no one else scored in double digits.

In this situation, it is not so easy for them to win.

Because the Nets have stronger offensive power, greater lethality, and better lineup depth than the Bucks.

Look at how many players they have available besides the starters: Joe Harris, Crabbe, Hart, Powell, James Johnson, David West, and Lopez Jr. It is not a problem to form a qualified starting lineup.

This is mainly due to the growth of Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby, who have become core members of the team, thus freeing up two substitute positions.

Players like Crabbe and Lopez Jr. were starters, but now they have fallen to the bench.

This makes their entire bench look extremely powerful.

This is something that many teams cannot match.

After the game with the Bucks, the Nets finally faced the ultimate challenge.

——Houston Rockets.

As of now, the Rockets' record is 37 wins and 14 losses, ranking second only to the Warriors in the Western Conference and third in the entire league. It is easy to imagine how strong they are.

Compared with last season, it seems like a complete transformation.

It is mainly reflected in their calmness in the game. They can win the games they should win and not lose the games they should lose. They may suffer occasional setbacks, but it does not affect their dominance over the game.

This is definitely the top enemy the Nets have ever encountered.

After all, the Rockets are also a championship-contending team. The combination of Paul + Harden has brought about earth-shaking changes to this team. This combination is definitely a historical backcourt combination.

At the beginning of the game, the Rockets indeed showed a strong offensive.

Their offensive tempo is very fast, they shoot a lot of three-pointers, and fast break counterattacks are also their mainstream tactics. This magic ball style of play is actually similar to the Nets' offensive tactics.

However, the Nets' offense comes more from Xue Liancheng's passing vision. They attack the basket in a point-to-surface manner and shoot more quality three-pointers.

The Rockets' offense is launched by Harden and Paul at the same time, so the whole rhythm is a little different, but the three-point shooting style from the outside is similar.

This led to a tug-of-war between the two sides in offense.

No one can do anything to anyone.

On the defensive end, the tall and strong Covington and Vonleh became their disadvantage. The game pace was too fast and they could hardly keep up.

When the Nets use Joe Harris, Crabbe, or Hart, the defensive effect is not so good.

In the end, the fight returned to a fierce offensive battle.

In the end, the Nets were still one step behind and lost the game 117:123.

It is indeed frustrating that the nine-game winning streak came to an end.

What is even more despairing is that they once again lost to the top team in the Western Conference. Last time they lost to the Spurs, and this time they lost to the Rockets.

This is definitely not a good sign.

But from the Rockets' perspective, it is a very exciting thing that they defeated the league's leader.

In the post-game interview, Harden said: The victory in this game is definitely a huge motivation. It tells us that we can beat anyone.

The last time the two teams met was in late November, when the Nets were still being questioned. Many people said they were a fake strong team, and defeating the Rockets was a good proof of that.

Now it is the Rockets' turn to enjoy this treatment. They actually have a good record against strong teams, but recently they have lost to the Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, and even the Toronto Raptors, which has damaged their reputation and made people feel that the Rockets led by Harden and Paul cannot fight tough battles.

Now defeating the Nets to complete revenge is undoubtedly a good proof.

Paul was also extremely excited: We have only one goal, and that is to win the championship. I think it's time.

For so many years, he has never even touched the Western Conference Finals, but as a veteran who has fought for many years, he naturally feels that the team's strength is different from before after partnering with Harden this year. This is the source of his confidence.

of course!

As for whether they can win the championship, no one can say for sure.

After all, luck is also part of strength.

Paul's luck during his time with the Clippers was obviously not very good. There were many injuries, which led to their failure year after year.

Paul also had some injuries this year, but he has now adjusted and is preparing for the final sprint of the season, looking like he is going to do a big job.

Both of them played well in this game.

哈登23中11，三分10中4，罚球10中10，爆砍36分5助攻4篮板的数据，表现相当不俗。

However, with the integration of Paul, Harden has gradually let go of the organizational power and focused more on scoring. So far, the effect is very good.

保罗15中9，三分8中4，拿到了25分7助攻5篮板的数据，也展现出来一位顶级后卫的水准。

There is no doubt that Paul has also made considerable sacrifices, giving up some ball possession, and sometimes even having to wait for the ball on the outside, which was simply unimaginable in the past.

But in the Rockets, this kind of scene is commonplace and has become nothing strange.

Sometimes Paul even shoots three-pointers as a spot shooter.

This game is proof of that.

Capela has finally found his position and has exploded this season. In this game, he made 12 of 8 shots and scored 18 points and 11 rebounds, which is the abbreviation of his entire season.

Next to Paul and Harden, he only needs to do three things well: defense, dunking, and pick-and-roll. So far, he is doing quite well.

The Rockets have two strong players on the bench.

Gerald Green made 8 of 6 shots, 6 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 16 points, which was quite impressive.

Eric Gordon shot 9 of 5 and scored 13 points, which was also very fierce.

Their overall performance was very good and it is no wonder that they won the game.

Let’s look at the Nets.

Sabonis Jr. lost his spark again, shooting 15 of 5 and scoring only 13 points. His efficiency is really hard to describe.

Anunoby made 13 of 6 shots and scored 14 points and 8 rebounds, which was just average.

Feng Lai made 12 of 7 shots and scored 14 points.

Covington, on the other hand, was wilful, making only 5 of 1 shots and scoring only 2 points.

Only Joe Harris scored in double digits off the bench, making 12 of 6 shots and scoring 18 points.

而薛连城23中13，三分14中6，罚球15中15，爆砍47分13助攻6篮板，依旧吞下了这场败仗。

I really tried my best.

However, their overall performance is far behind the Rockets.

This is the end.

The Nets finally lost the tenth game, and their record became 45 wins and 10 losses.

But they are getting closer and closer to locking in a playoff spot.

Because as the game days go by, the teams in the Eastern Conference that are still competing for the playoffs will also lose games, so they can shorten the time to lock in a playoff spot in advance.

They had no time to think about these problems. After regrouping, they defeated the Pistons 130:115 back to back, once again stopping their decline.

After losing this game, the Pistons became 25 wins and 28 losses, and are getting further and further away from the playoffs.

But they were powerless.

The first time the winning rate fell below 50% was when they faced the Nets.

And it was the Nets who watched them continue to fall.

It's really despairing, but there's nothing you can do.

The Pistons' attempt to trade for Griffin has not been successful so far.

However, the Magic and the Clippers have been flirting with each other frequently.

I guess the Magic also want to make some changes.

And this transaction rumor became a reality in the evening.

The Clippers sent Griffin to the Magic in exchange for Tobias Harris, Elfrid Payton and two first-round picks.

A player who has already shown combat potential + a potential rising star + two first-round picks, this deal is still good for the Clippers, at least they got some good chips.

After the Magic acquire All-Star Griffin, they will have their own core team building. As long as they follow this team building idea, they will be able to make the playoffs next season, which is not a loss.

of course.

This is the view of many media outlets.

Some people also think that the Magic suffered a huge loss. It is not worth it to trade two good potential stocks for this former All-Star who is suffering from injuries.

What is even more incomprehensible is that two first-round picks have to be given away.

You are originally rebuilding the team, but you are using a failed product of someone else's failed team as a cornerstone. Aren't you an idiot?

This question still resonated with many fans.