Author: Tiamo the Withered

"2:0 Green Army, Magic back in contention?"

"Securing first place in the Eastern Conference, the Magic have regained their form. They are still the strongest in the league!"

"The best newcomer is already in the lineup! The Magic's 19-year-old Li scored 28 points to help the team win and suppressed KG strongly."

"Howard: Lee is the Rookie of the Year, that's what I said."

…

This game made the headlines of major sports media within an hour after it ended. It was a live broadcast across the United States. It was a game between two teams competing for the first seed in the Eastern Conference. At the same time, Garnett, the top vote-getter, and China's super rookie

Lee's fame has also attracted the attention of all NBA fans in the two major countries on both sides of the Pacific.

As we all know, the NBA is not actually the top competition in North America. It once ranked fourth among professional leagues in the United States.

However, they are the one that has done the best in globalization among these professional leagues.

More and more international players are coming to the NBA, and Dayao's joining has directly opened up the Chinese market on the other side.

Therefore, NBA commercialization is also becoming more and more prosperous, and there are many broadcasts around the world.

Such a key position battle has naturally attracted the attention of fans from all over the world. In China, there was already a fight to the death on the forum two days before the game.

Nowadays, the term "poisonous milk" is not popular, and there is no routine of "nurturing" opponents in advance before the game. Everyone is fighting from a distance, ranking each other's advantages and disadvantages in a serious way, and then making pre-match predictions.

Otherwise, it would be a direct war of words, especially in the most popular forums nowadays, where two forums would even "conquer" each other.

Today you say that I "do not respect our seniors", tomorrow I will say that you are "too small to accommodate others", and the day after tomorrow I will say that "foreign basketballs are rounder", and the day after tomorrow it will be that "Chinese people are not black."

Of course, at the end of the game, this kind of dispute is also the most lively time. Even the trinity of "Magic Bar", "Lee's Bar", and "Howard Bar" combined to explode Garnett's forum.

However, this kind of thing happens often, and it is not at the level of Kobe, James, Tracy McGrady, and Dayao. Li's foundation for fame is not enough. Both the number of participants and the rhythm of the posts are just childish, so the impact is not big, and it is not

As for it really directly affects the reputation of the players.

However, the media who had previously questioned the Magic team because of their three losses in four games immediately changed their tune.

And they did not hesitate to praise Li Chengming for his outstanding performance. Of course, Li Chengming's performance in this game also deserves their praise.

Barkley even said bluntly in the "NBA Insider" column, "Our little friend Lee has saved the Magic more than once. I now agree with some fans that Rashad should give half of his salary to Lee.

It has to be before tax..."

Well, Fliggy is very good at starting a group by stepping on and causing trouble.

Even though he seemed unaffected on the surface, Li Chengming still secretly observed the attitudes of his teammates during training.

It doesn't seem like much has changed. If there were any changes, they wouldn't be able to hide them so well.

Let’s not talk about the issue of acting skills. According to Li Chengming’s interaction with them, the real faces of these guys are clearly visible during training without external packaging. Whoever has conflicts with whom or has a good relationship with them has no problem.

You can't fake it at all.

And there is no need to cover up these things. As long as the contradiction is not directly revealed to the outside world, there will be no big problem. Isn’t it easy to talk about the situation?

Therefore, all secrets are kept in the locker room. This is also an internal unspoken rule of the NBA, a circle that is already closed enough. Internal matters are kept internally. Once it is violated, it will be ostracized by the whole.

There was even a beating incident in the team before, and the cause was just a small quarrel. Just because the two of them were water dispensers, they were easily suppressed without causing any trouble.

Of course, this kind of thing will not even spread. Firstly, the news value is not high enough, and secondly, everyone consciously keeps silent. The Magic team can still do a good job in internal management.

So what is presented to the outside world so far is a harmonious atmosphere. Fans will not know how depressing the atmosphere was when they lost three out of four games, as if everyone had nothing to say and everyone had their own thoughts.

Of course, it has been reversed now, not only because the team won, but also because they defeated the Green Army. A good opponent can even help them cohere and unite.

Then three days later, the Magic returned to their home court to face the Knicks, which was also the second game between the two teams this season.

Li Chengming did not play in the last home game of the Knicks in the Big Apple City. Facing the same opponent this time, Li Chengming got the chance to start. This was his second start this season.

It's not that anyone on the Magic team is injured and out, and there's no physical issue with the three-day interval between games. It's just that Van Gundy wants to train.

Is there any more suitable training target than mud?

Sitting in a big market like New York and a basketball mecca like Madison Square Garden, the Knicks are like a loser who cannot be helped up.

Owner James Dolan was unwilling to make progress, and general manager Isiah Thomas acted recklessly, resulting in the mess that the Knicks are today.

Since 2000, they have only made the playoffs twice, and were eliminated in the first round both times.

In the past three seasons, it has been at the bottom of the conference. After finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference, it will go directly to fishing at the end of the season. Judging from the current situation this season, it has not improved.

What is even more desperate is that their situation will have to continue for at least another 10 years. By then, the contracts of many players in the team will expire, and there will also be some big fish in the transfer market. Maybe they can try it by then.

Clean up the garbage contracts and then sign the stars to gather a certain amount of combat effectiveness.

The players in their team actually have certain abilities, but in this team atmosphere, no one wants to play well. Everyone wants to produce good data and get a big contract.

As for victory, what does it have to do with them?

For them, the competition is just like clocking in and going to work, and honors are not worth mentioning.

No matter how ambitious the players are when they come here, they will sink to the end, and every player who comes here will also be called a "cancer".

There are also people like Zach Randolph, who has experienced the baptism of "Portland Prison". He is good if he doesn't lead others into bad ways, but he feels like a fish in water when he comes here.

They are not even sure of a stable starting lineup now, and how they play every day seems to depend on the mood of the coaching staff.

Just like the starting lineup this time was very different from the previous one, David Lee and Randolph swapped the starting lineup, while Jeffries, who usually played the 4th and 5th positions, played the 3rd position.

As a result, the game was almost decided in the first half. Howard grabbed 8 points and 8 rebounds in seven minutes, leading the team to a 19:5 lead.

Another "Baby Shark" Eddie Curry was directly beaten by Howard, and he committed two fouls in 2 minutes.

Li Chengming also went off the court to rest first. Van Gundy was no longer training, but more like playing. He made three or four substitutions in more than half a quarter.

And when Li Chengming came up again, he felt like he was looking in the mirror when facing Randolph, whose height, body shape and even playing style were somewhat similar to his own.

I have to say that the Knicks really have a lot of tools, and they are all good at scoring points. Randolph is skilled in low-post offense. Although he is a little short, he has a strong body, a big body and a round waist.

But it can definitely be regarded as the first-class level in the league.

It is impossible for Li Chengming to completely guard the opponent. He can only limit it as much as possible by predicting his footsteps and creating physical confrontation, especially not giving him room to take action.

His long arms came into play, and coupled with his strength to withstand it, Randolph was miserable when squeezing him.

But the fat man's hands and feet are extremely flexible when attacking. Even if the ball is cut off for a moment, he can quickly recover it. In addition, his floor flow style is even more thorough than that of Li Chengming. He is almost walking close to the ground and is hit.

Even though I staggered, I was still able to stand firm.

What's even weirder is that after he is blocked, the ball will often return to his arms as if there is suction, and then directly attack again.

This results in his shooting percentage not being very good, but he does not particularly occupy the offensive rounds.

Of course, the Knicks' current style of play is inherently weird. This is determined by their team formation. Marbury and Crawford are good at chaotic battles, but Randolph, David Lee and others prefer positioning.

Offense, the separation between inside and outside, allows them to basically fight their own way.

The biggest problem is actually defense. His door is always open and he is waiting for people to come.

Everyone seems to have a tacit understanding that they want to focus on the offensive end. They only focus on one-on-one defense and occasionally make up positions. If it's too late, they just ignore it and drop back to collect rebounds.

As a result, although the Magic's defensive intensity decreased in the second half of the quarter, allowing the Knicks to score some points, the Magic also scored equally, and the point difference remained unchanged.

At the end of the first quarter, the Magic led by 15 points, 37:22.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Li Chengming was still on the court. This time the opponent was replaced by David Lee. Then he saw a defense worse than Randolph. Whether it was position selection or marking awareness, he was amazing.

.

Li Chengming even only needed a fake move to get away from him and get a good shooting space.

On the offensive end, David Lee and Randolph are two different types. They are good at catching and shooting after the pick-and-roll, attacking the frame directly from the cake, and the second offense under the basket, which is commonly known as picking up misses.

This type of Li Chengming is even more difficult to defend because his defense switching ability is average.

However, David Lee didn't feel very good today. Once he made two consecutive layups under the basket before scoring.

The two sides were in a back-and-forth stalemate for four minutes, and the Knicks even took a slight lead because the Magic's offensive efficiency dropped, and the appearance of "little potato" Nate Robinson also caused a lot of trouble for the Magic.

This "Wu Dalang" player, who may not be 1.75cm tall, uses his speed to frequently break through from Li Chengming's side, either making three-pointers from the outside or passing through for layups.

What's more, he almost contributed a dunk that shocked everyone, but because Li Chengming had a premonition of his purpose in advance, he stepped aside directly.

When he jumped down, this kid raised his eyebrows provocatively at Li Chengming, which made Li Chengming a little confused.

In fact, the game has already lost its suspense. There is already a gap in strength between the two teams. Once the score is drawn, even if the Knicks get back to their offensive state, it will be easy for the Magic to score with their defense. So next It looks more like a tacit understanding of the game.

By the time halftime passed, the Magic had opened up a 20-point gap.

Then Li Chengming didn't play again in the second half...
Chapter completed!