NBA: I am the card dealer

three days later.

At the Barclays Center, the Nets faced the challenge of the Pacers.

Pacers starting lineup: Russell, Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ingram, Turner.

Thaddeus Young was removed from the starting lineup after the All-Star Game, and Ingram was moved back to the starting lineup, and the results were good.

This lineup is very young and talented as a whole.

Russell was the second pick in 15 and is only 22 years old this year. He still has a lot of potential to be tapped. However, now in the Pacers, he can only be a three-point shooter and a passer because his offense is too unstable.

Oladipo was the second pick in 13 and is only 26 years old this year, but he has already become one of the top guards in the league. Moreover, after working with Xue Liancheng and James for the past two years, he has developed strong personal psychological qualities and top-level offensive capabilities. His stability is also much better than before, and his passing is like opening the eye of awakening, and his assist ability has greatly increased.

Compared with the historical trajectory, he has improved by at least two levels this year, which shows how much the championship two years ago helped him improve.

Bojan Bogdanovic entered the league in 14, but he is an older rookie. He is 29 years old this year. He is not young, but at his peak age.

Ingram was the second pick in 16. He is only 21 years old this year and has already scored nearly 15+ this year. He is definitely a rising star. With his height and wingspan, many people think he is a little Durant. He is very lethal in singles. There is absolutely no problem for him to become an All-Star in the future. He will be the best partner for Oladipo.

Turner was the 15th pick in the 22 draft. Being selected at this pick also shows that he has unique physical talents. He is only 12.7 years old this year, but he can already average 6.4 points and rebounds per game. His overall performance is quite good. Most importantly, he can also shoot three-pointers.

of course.

The Nets aren't bad either.

The Nets' starting lineup remains unchanged: Xue Liancheng, Anunoby, Covington, Vonleh, and Sabonis Jr.

Although Xue Liancheng is a second-round pick, this does not affect him being the most dominant player in the league. I have to add here, no doubt about it.

Although Anunoby was the last pick in the first round, he averaged 17+6 in his rookie season and was selected to the All-Star team. His performance on the finishing end was particularly eye-catching. If he can stabilize his three-point shooting and do a good job of breaking through with the ball, his future will be limitless.

Covington has a poor background and is just an undrafted player, but he is included in the latest All-Defensive First Team, becoming one of the best defensive players in the league, which shows how outstanding his defensive efficiency is.

Vonleh was the fourth pick in the 14 draft. Except for his dismal performance with the Magic, he has averaged 10 points per game with the Knicks, Lakers, and even the current Nets, and is also an expert in rim protection for the Nets.

The front line defense combined with Covington and Anunoby is definitely the strongest defensive combination in the league, but the defensive power is lowered by Sabonis Jr. and Xue Liancheng, making the Nets' defense look mediocre.

Sabonis Jr. was the 16th pick in 11. He actually has decent physical talent, but when he first entered the league, he was not strong enough, which caused confrontation to become a big problem for him. This season, the muscle gain effect has been seen. He averaged 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and has grown into Xue Liancheng's right-hand man. His future is also bright.

True.

Judging from the origin alone, the Nets can never compete with the Pacers, but in terms of actual combat effectiveness, the Nets are no worse than the Pacers.

This first collision was basically exploratory.

The Nets' strategy is to pin Oladipo down, and this important task falls on Anunoby, with Covington and Vonleh as his assistants. They are basically matched up with the Pacers, and have a slight advantage.

First of all, Covington is a top defender, and he definitely has an advantage in defending the tall and thin Ingram.

Vonleh also has an advantage over Bojan Bogdanovic in terms of height and weight, and he is not slow at all, so he can definitely keep up.

After a whole season of experience, Sabonis Jr. is no longer the same as before and will not lose to Turner.

Not to mention the matchup between Xue Liancheng and Russell.

The game begins.

The Pacers still let their star player Oladipo try his touch. After missing the mid-range shot, he began to rush to the basket.

It's not just about breaking through and finishing. Oladipo now combines breaking through and passing quite perfectly. At the same time, he can also cooperate with his teammates, observing the people and the situation first, and then decide whether to attack or pass.

These things were the influence that Xue Liancheng had on him two years ago, and they were deeply ingrained in his genes.

This is what made Oladipo so successful with the ball.

Because the passing threat is just as important as the finishing threat. As long as you can strike a balance between the two, you will be able to seize many opportunities to score easily and directly assist your teammates.

This is also the reason why Oladipo's scoring has become more stable, his efficiency has improved, and his scoring explosiveness has increased, and it is also the reason why his assist data continues to rise.

He has already understood some of the secrets of being a ball-handling core.

Under Oladipo's destruction, cracks did appear in the Nets' defense.

But there is a reason why the master is the master.

Xue Liancheng quickly taught Oladipo a lesson and led his teammates in an offensive frenzy, widening the score gap.

Halftime ended.

The Nets lead the Pacers by 61 points with 54:7

Xue Liancheng made 10 of 5 shots, 3 of 1 three-pointers, and 5 of 5 free throws, scoring 16 points. He also had 8 assists, which made the team's offensive rhythm as smooth as flowing water. He proved with practical actions why he is the best player in the league.

The commentator commented: "Xue Liancheng's details in handling the ball and his sense of timing for passing the ball are much better than Oladipo's."

Commentator: "Isn't this nonsense? Xue Liancheng averaged 15 assists per game, breaking the record for the highest assists per game in the regular season. His vision, passing, overall view, and ability to seize opportunities are currently unmatched in the league. This is not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing is that his offensive ability is even more terrifying. He averages 35+ per game and is a historical scorer. With the combination of the two, it is really difficult to stop him."

Host: "I wonder if you have noticed a strange phenomenon?"

Commentator: “What?”

Host: "Xue Liancheng's scoring in the first half and even at the end of the third quarter was not impressive. But after the whole game, he easily got 35+15 and his shooting percentage exceeded 54%. This is really mysterious."

Commentator: "In the first three quarters, he mainly passed the ball, but in the decisive game, he seemed to have his blood boiling and was able to hit some difficult shots. This is the role of a superstar, and there is nothing to be surprised about."

I almost said it directly, Xue Liancheng seemed to have extra energy in the fourth quarter.

In fact it is.

At the end of the third quarter, Xue Liancheng's stats were only 14 of 7 shots, 5 of 2 three-pointers, and 7 of 7 free throws. He barely got 23 points and did not show that kind of scoring dominance.

However, his assists have been reflected. He has already had 13 assists. His ability to capture shots is so strong that it is visibly strong. He is absolutely unique.

But in the fourth quarter, the situation suddenly changed.

Xue Liancheng, who was originally indifferent on the offensive end, suddenly went wild, shooting 8 of 6, 6 of 4 three-pointers, and 4 of 3 free throws, scoring 19 points. In the last two minutes, he shot directly through the Pacers, killing them on the spot.

in this way.

Throughout the game, he made 22 of 13 shots, 11 of 6 three-pointers, and 11 of 10 free throws, scoring 42 points, in addition to 17 assists and 5 rebounds, once again showing his superstar style.

He got 40+17 data without realizing it. It is really incredible.

He led the team to a 126:113 win, getting off to a good start in the second round of the series and also shattering the rumors that the Pacers were the Nets' nemesis.

Apart from him, Sabonis Jr. was a little sluggish, making 13 of 5 shots and only getting 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Anunoby was as steady as ever, making 16 of 9 shots, 7 of 3 three-pointers, and 5 of 4 free throws, scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds. He ate most of the rebounds distributed by Xue Liancheng, so he was very efficient.

That was his job, and he did it very well.

From this point of view, he deserves to be an All-Star.

Xue Liancheng's ability to pass the ball is absolutely unquestionable, but sometimes it becomes difficult, mainly because his teammates fail to catch the ball he passes, resulting in him being surrounded.

It's pretty good that Anunoby does this well.

The Pacers.

Oladipo didn't have a good touch, but he still helped the team in his own way. He made 24 of 10 shots, 13 of 5 three-pointers, and 7 of 6 free throws. He scored 31 points and also had 10 assists.

The overall shooting percentage was a bit poor, with only 41.6%, but the three-point shooting percentage was okay, with 38.3%.

It was his continuous breakthroughs and tearing through the Nets' defense that allowed the Pacers to maintain the score and fight until the last moment without being defeated on the spot.

Ingram gradually became Oladipo's right-hand man. In this game, he made 17 of 10 shots, 7 of 4 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 28 points and providing great help to Oladipo.

There is indeed a faint shadow of Durant.

Russell played poorly, shooting 13 of 4 and scoring only 12 points. It's really hard to describe.

Bojan Bogdanovic was not very good either, making 12 of 4 shots and scoring only 10 points, while Turner only scored 8 points.

However, Thaddeus Young performed well, standing out from the bench and scoring 15 points.

Their overall performance was only average, but there were many people who could play.

Especially with Ingram's growth, the double-star configuration will support each other, which will undoubtedly reduce a lot of defensive pressure.

And after the game.

Discussions arose.

"Just because you won the regular season, do you really think you are the Nets' nemesis? Reality will slap you in the face."

"There is no nemesis problem in the first place. Winning a few points is nothing at all."

"There is no team in the Eastern Conference that can stop the Nets right now, I say."

"The Nets' strength is obvious. They suppressed the Pacers from beginning to end."

"When the Nets were still leading by 9 points in the fourth quarter, I knew the outcome was decided. The gap in strength between the two teams was quite obvious."

"Oladipo was brought up by Xue. If there is anyone who knows Oladipo best, it must be Xue. With a 41% shooting rate, do you still want to win?"

"But that Ingram is really good, his shooting is very stable!"

"Forget about it this season. Next season, when Ingram grows up and finds a strong inside player, that's when they can succeed."

"According to what you said, the Nets will be even more invincible next year when Anuno is in the team."

"This series is basically decided. Those haters are disappointed. Let's see who to support next."

This game greatly destroyed the confidence of some fans who supported the Pacers.

But there are also some people who are stubborn. Their opinion is: The Pacers lost this game because of Bojan Bogdanovic, Russell, and the inside. If they played normally, it would be hard to say whether they would win or lose.

This actually won the recognition of many media reporters: With all the Nets players performing normally, the Pacers were able to hold on to the end, which is enough to show that the Pacers' strength should not be underestimated.

But Xue Liancheng's fans scoffed at it:

"Did Sabonis play normally? Did Vonleh play normally? They still didn't feel good, but that's not an excuse."

"Lowry once said: In the match against Xue Liancheng, the game is not over before the whistle blows, and anything can happen. What does this mean? It means that you have to lead from the fourth quarter onwards. Do the Pacers have the strength to do so?"

"Before the series started, you said the Pacers were the Nets' nemesis. Why did you change your tune and say they were capable of fighting?"

"You will never have to doubt Xue Liancheng's dominance."

"If we don't win 4:0, we'll be sorry for all of you arrogant people."

They all agreed that it was a sure thing to take control of the Pacers.

After all, in this first game, the Nets still showed strong offensive power. On the other hand, the Pacers were suppressed everywhere and did not show any strength to compete with the Nets.

In the post-match interview, the reporter asked this question.

Reporter: "Since there were 2 minutes left in the first quarter, you have been behind the Nets and have not shown the strength to compete with them. Do you have anything to say about this?"

Oladipo: "First of all, we must admit that the Nets are a very strong team. As the No. 1 team in the league, they have already proven themselves, so we must fight with 100% attitude and fight for every ball, so that we can see the hope of victory, but obviously, we did not do this."

Reporter: “Is this the reason for your defeat?”

Oladipo: "There are many factors, this is just one of them, but I have the confidence to fight back, please believe me."

When these words came out, the reporters were stunned.

After the game, many people predicted that a huge change had taken place, and believed that the Pacers might repeat the Heat's old path and be swept.

In this situation, Oladipo still declared that he must win. This...

A little funny, right?

The reporter asked with a smile: "Are you sure?"

Oladipo's eyes were firm: "I am very sure that we can fight back."