Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 329 Skill King, Dunk King + All-Star MVP; Season Sprint!

In addition to the outstanding state of the Nets in January, the most attractive thing in the Eastern Conference is the Boston Celtics.

The butterfly effect instigated by Lu Yong resulted in Hayward not breaking his leg this year. After running in during the regular season, the Green Army has become stronger and stronger. They have just won an 8-game winning streak and are ranked second in the Eastern Conference, only 1.5 games away from the Nets. field.

The records of the Raptors and Cavaliers are also closely behind, but both teams have obvious weaknesses. From the perspective of the Nets, the threat is smaller.

Entering February, the Nets lost their first game to the Pelicans, 106-111.

Gentry lost a lot of games in the early stage. After adjusting for most of the season, he finally found a way to use the twin tower combination of Davis + Cousins. The Pelicans are not weak now. They have Big Eyebrows + Cousins ​​on the inside, and Rondo and Holiday on the outside. It is almost impossible to compete for the championship, but as a troublemaker, it is still enough to stir up people's mentality.

The young Anthony Davis dominated the paint and defeated Millsap one-on-one. He scored 34 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. His shooting rate exceeded 60%. He is worthy of being a top star in active service.

Millsap is also an All-Star-level insider, but there is still a gap between All-Stars. He suffered a lot against Davis. He only played 30 minutes in total due to fouls.

The Nets mainly lost because of their inaccurate three-pointers from the outside. When a team composed of young people fails to shoot accurately, it will be difficult to maintain an overwhelming advantage.

With the Nets defeating the Bulls 112-98 in mid-month, the annual All-Star Weekend is approaching.

This All-Star Game was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Nets, which has the best record in the Eastern Conference, have four players selected, including first-year rookie Mitchell, who is very popular.

He specifically asked Mitchell to keep a low profile as an All-Star and not to compete with others because of his youth and arrogance.

After all, in addition to participating in the All-Star Game on the last day, Mitchell will also participate in the Rookie Challenge on the first day and the Slam Dunk Contest on the second day. The schedule is full, which is a test of physical fitness.

It is worth mentioning that the league has made major reforms to the All-Star Game this year. The previous East-West competition has been cancelled. Instead, the two captains of the All-Star Game will select players from among the players selected to form a team to compete. .

The two captains will be the players with the most votes from fans in the East and West.

In addition, the All-Star starters will still be voted by fans, media, and players, while the 14 substitutes will be voted by the head coaches of the 30 teams.

In Lu Yong's previous life, LeBron James never missed the All-Star captain status, but now he has not even won a championship, and his historical status has plummeted. This year's Eastern Conference captain has become Kyrie Irving.

No way, the Nets have a good record, but most of the players are young people who have just emerged recently. They are not as popular as Irving, who plays with a sassy personality, and it is difficult to get the captain position.

There is no suspense about the captain of the Western Conference, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

The two captain selections, Russell, Millsap and Lopez were all selected by Irving, while Mitchell entered Curry's team alone, looking like an undercover agent.

Sitting on the sidelines, Lu Yong found it quite interesting. In this way, teammates may become opponents. Cross-selection can also avoid the embarrassment of a certain division being too weak, which helps to enhance the enjoyment of the game.

The first day was the rookie game, and the world team defeated the United States team 148:125.

史上最贵新秀博格丹-博格达诺维奇18投10中，命中8记三分，轰下28分5篮板5助攻，获得了新秀赛MVP。

Bogdanovic was extremely efficient in this game. He scored 24 points in less than 28 minutes, including a super long three-pointer almost near the midline.

Tonight he played the way he's accustomed to, and found that he felt great.

Because Lu Yong had explained in advance, Mitchell did not play desperately in this game. He played 26 minutes, made 13 of 8 shots, 7 of 3 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. After scoring 21 points, he came off the court to rest.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid became the most embarrassing player on the court. He played 17 minutes and only scored 6 points.

However, the Rookie Challenge is the same as the All-Star Game. The defensive intensity is not strong, and most of them are performances of offense.

Embiid doesn't have a high desire to attack, and he obviously wants to save his physical strength for the All-Star Game. He and Mitchell are the only two lucky ones who can participate in both the Rookie Game and the All-Star Game this year.

On the second day, the league held a three-point challenge of skills/three-pointers/slam dunks.

The first skills competition was an upset. Nets guard Dinwiddie staged a grassroots counterattack. Even with the lowest popularity, he defeated Mark Kanin in the final and won the final skills competition championship.

Dinwiddie originally participated in the competition just as a formality at the invitation of the league. He never thought that he could win the championship, but in the end he was really missed.

In the three-point contest, Booker scored 28 points, and with his record-breaking performance, he defeated Thompson who scored 25 points and became the 18th three-point contest champion.

None of the great shooters who have dominated the league over the years have done what Booker did in the Three-Point Contest. In the final, he scored 28 points and hit an astonishing 25 goals in 20 shots. It can only be said that it felt hot.

The most embarrassing thing in this session is Paul George, who only scored 9 points in the preliminaries.

Thanks to Michael Jordan's humiliating 5 points, otherwise General Joe would definitely steal Booker's limelight.

The last player to participate was the dunk contest, with the four participating players being Larry Nance, Oladipo, Dennis Smith, and Mitchell.

After three rounds of fierce fighting, Mitchell defeated his archrival Larry Nance with a dunk that leaped over three people, and successfully won the Dunk King trophy.

Lu Yong sat on the sidelines watching the game and applauded his disciples.

Although these personal honors do not help much in improving their historical status, they help young players maintain their confidence. The Nets have successively produced skills kings and dunk kings this year, which can be considered a fruitful harvest.

In the All-Star Game, Team Irving defeated Team Curry 156-142. Russell scored 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. With the help of his teammates, he was named the All-Star MVP.

Millsap and Lopez also scored in double figures and made great contributions to Irving's team's win.

Mitchell had 17 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and made 8 of 4 three-pointers. Because he was a rookie, he didn’t have much playing time, but he had an almost perfect performance in his first All-Star trip, leaving a strong mark on his career. Pen.

It is worth mentioning that Anthony was selected by Team Curry and played 31 minutes. He made 20 of 9 shots, 7 of 3 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He played the whole game and scored 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Anthony obviously went for the MVP tonight, but unfortunately, Curry's team lost, and his seriousness became a joke when the fans ridiculed him.

After all, the last time fans saw Anthony play so seriously was in the 16 Finals, when the All-Stars hit hard and ended up feeling lonely.

After the All-Star break, the management of each team completed several blockbuster transfers before the trade deadline.

The first one to bear the brunt was the Los Angeles Clippers, which sent away stars Griffin, Willie Reid and Bryce Johnson, and exchanged Harris, Bradley, Marjanovic, and the 2018 first-round draft pick from the Pistons. rights and a 2019 second-round pick.

This deal is still very important in the middle of the season, and it also gives the Pistons an extra guarantee for the playoffs.

Although the media is still not optimistic that Griffin can lead the Pistons to soar into the sky, he is still a popular star in the league and is still topical.

The Western Pelicans also made moves. In order to secure their playoff spot, they first sent Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson and the 2018 first-round pick, and acquired Mirotic and two gold medals from the Bulls. Round picks are typically made from zero to whole.

One day later, the Pelicans signed a 04-day short contract with Emeka Okafor, the second overall pick in 10, and regularized the contract of team guard DeAndre Liggins. manner.

In addition, several other teams have also made transactions, but they are all marginal players who cannot get on the stage and have little impact on the league structure.

Lu Yong secretly observed the signings of each team and stopped paying attention after finding that it had nothing to do with the Nets.

Nowadays, only the Celtics can pose a threat to the Nets in the Eastern Conference. The two teams are tied 1-1 in the regular season. It is not certain who will stand out in the playoffs.

In Lu Yong's previous life, the Celtics still relied on the outstanding performance of Tatum, Horford, Brown and others to reach the Eastern Conference Finals despite the lack of two stars, Irving and Hayward, and it took them seven games to battle the Big Three of the Cavaliers. Defeated.

Now that the core players of the Green Army remain healthy, there is a high probability that when they meet the Cavaliers in the playoffs, they will cut the melons and vegetables and run for the championship.

There are still some buyout players who have found jobs in the free market. After veteran Greg Monroe was bought out by the Suns, he spent a 48-hour clarification period and joined the Celtics for $500 million a year.

This signing is not a big deal in the league, but it is bad news for the Nets.

The Celtics, who originally had a full lineup, were very strong, but now they have strengthened Monroe without injury. The Nets thought it would not be easy for the Green Army.

After all, the salary lines of the two teams are quite different, and the average age is also very different. If they really encounter each other in the playoffs, they can only give it a try. The Nets did not introduce players in the middle of the season. In the first year of reconstruction, they still focused on running tactics. Frequent changes to the lineup will only make the team struggle.

Anyway, there is no pressure on the Nets this year. No matter how far they go in the playoffs, it will be considered a success. Lu Yong is still taking a steady and steady path, and there is no Stud future draft pick to gain in the present.

For him, the stud pick is a huge loss. Every year in the draft, he can 100% select future stars. As long as he takes it one step at a time, the Nets will be at the top of the league sooner or later.

On the 19th, the Nets faced the challenge from their district rivals, the Raptors, at home.

The Raptors' record is second only to the Nets and the Celtics are ranked third in the Eastern Conference. The victory of this game is related to whether the Nets can maintain the first position in the Eastern Conference.

Before the All-Star Weekend, the Celtics struggled to catch up with a winning streak. If the Nets want to stabilize their ranking, they must beat the Raptors today.

After the baptism of the All-Stars, the atmosphere at the Nets' home court has become even more lively. They have increased ticket prices this season, and the games are still full.

The Nets' starting lineup remains unchanged: Russell, Mitchell, LeVert, Millsap, Lopez.

The Raptors' offense relies on two guns, and LeVert is the best candidate to entangle DeRozan.

Raptors five: Lowry, Miles, DeRozan, Ibaka, Valanciunas.

Luo won the jump ball, Russell dribbled to the frontcourt, played a pick-and-roll to attract Ibaka to help defend, and passed the ball from close range to Millsap, who was cutting on the weak side.

Millsap took the ball and turned around and entered the basket. He leaned against Valanciunas and made a one-handed throw, 2-0.

Ibaka's help defense awareness is still the best in the league, but time has taken away his explosive power and speed. It is difficult to catch up with the ball after it is out of position, and I can only watch Varan fail to block the shot.

The Raptors attacked, Lowry brought the ball to the frontcourt and passed the ball to DeRozan.

The players were all separated, DeRozan faced the frame on the left corner, and the three threats broke through in the middle. LeVert made a correct judgment and followed up in time, but DeRozan was not bad in body and also had good skills, and he followed him smoothly to the baseline. Turn around and score a huge fadeaway jumper, 2-2.

LeVert took off with all his strength and failed to block him. DeRozan has won the title of "King of the North" in the past two years. He has skills and can shoot. The only flaw is that his mentality is a bit bad and he is easily beaten.

Lu Yong knows that he may not be able to defend LeVert one-on-one.

After all, he is the most Kobe-like defender in the small ball era, and there is something about a one-handed turnaround jump shot.

When the Nets attacked, Russell and Lopez played a pick-and-roll in the middle and broke through from the left. They reached the three-second zone to stop the ball and passed it back to the center.

Lopez caught the ball and took a look, ignoring Varan who did not dare to step forward, and decisively hit the three-pointer, 5-2.

Barkley said: "With simple and smooth cooperation, Lopez's three-point shooting percentage is very high this season. He shot 37.1% before the All-Star Game. The Raptors will definitely pay a price for letting him go."

Partner Kenny Smith said: "More than half of Lopez's points come from the basket, but as long as he pulls out, the opponent must follow. The internal and external play is very suitable for Lu Yong's tactical system."

The Raptors attacked, DeRozan broke through and was double-teamed, jumped up and distributed the ball to the weak side.

Ibaka glanced at the open space but didn't shoot, and passed it to Lowry, who missed the three-point jumper.

Ibakala went to the outside to connect, and Valanciunas was the only one left in the penalty area. Lopez got into a good position and helped his teammates easily protect the backboard.

In a positional battle, Russell broke through and took two steps to the right, attracting the defense to pass back.

Lopez received the ball in the middle. Faced with Varan who stepped forward, he raised the ball over his head. After observing the movement, he gave it to Mitchell who came out from the left side.

Mitchell relied on a screen to get rid of Myers, and Ibaka was slow to change defense. He pulled up a three-pointer from the top of the arc, and swoosh, it hit the net, 8-2.

The Raptors attacked, and Miles wanted to return a three-pointer from the outside but had no chance, so he transferred the ball to DeRozan.

Azan singled out LeVert with the ball, and his turnaround jumper missed due to interference. The rebound was grabbed by Da Luo, and he passed to Russell.

The Nets took the opportunity to play a fast break. Russell led the midfielder to LeVert, who cut in from the weak side. The latter took three steps and faced the defense and hit the ball on the board, 10 to 2.

Barkley said: "It is no accident that the Nets have the best offensive firepower in the league this season. Their teamwork is so beautiful, there are no dead spots in the offense, everyone is good at shooting and is active and quick, making them almost unstoppable."

In the next round, Valanciunas caught the ball in the low post and singled Lopez. He leaned back twice, turned around in the middle and hooked, but was blocked by Da Luo.

Ibaka tried to grab the offensive rebound but was stuck. Millsap took advantage of the position and grabbed the rebound with one hand.

Russell organized in the middle, rushed to the free throw line and passed the ball to Millsap.

Millsap received the pass and raised his hand to feint, but seeing Ibaka motionless, he made a mid-range pull-up jumper, 12-2.

Barkley shouted: "Millsap played the ball so smartly. He was able to make use of every little bit of space. His mid-range shot after receiving the ball was as solid as ever."

Less than four minutes into the game, Casey was suspended.

He rubbed his forehead with his hands and found that the Nets' offense was even more powerful than he thought. If the game continued like this, the Raptors would have to lose by 20 points.

The Raptors made substitutions, Lucas Nogueira came on and Valanciunas came off.

Noquila is 2 meters tall but weighs only 13 kilograms. He is fast and can better participate in defense.

Valanciunas was beaten so hard that he couldn't find his way around. He was slow to move laterally and couldn't defend on fast breaks. He didn't have an advantage in singles in the low post. He was just a liability if he stayed on the court.

After the timeout, the Raptors' defensive efficiency has improved, but the offense is still terrible and has not improved.

Nogueira is a typical blue-collar insider. He can only score into the basket. He is not as good as Valanciunas against Los Angeles. His only role is to participate in defense.

The Nets maintained the lead. More than 8 minutes into the game, Lu Yong replaced LeVert with Joe Harris and devoted all his energy to the offense.

With a large number of shooting opportunities created by moving the ball, the Nets threw 7 three-pointers in a single quarter, and the offense was full of firepower.

At the end of the first quarter, 37 to 23, the Nets led by 14 points.

In the second quarter, Lu Yong sent Jeremy Lin, Dinwiddie, Hardaway, Tucker and Wood.

Xiao Linzi usually doesn't play much time. Today, the Nets led by 14 points in a single quarter and he was very excited to play early.

Shooting inside and outside, he scored 6 points in two minutes. It looked like he had been holding it in for a long time.

The most versatile player on the Raptors bench is Delon Wright, who averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal per game. The second team was firmly suppressed by the Nets.

Under the leadership of Dinwiddie, the Nets widened the point difference to 23 points.

The Raptors still couldn't defend themselves in the second half, and were led by Russell to an 11-0 run. Casey felt almost desperate.

Mitchell also had a highlight performance in this quarter, hitting two three-pointers from the top of the arc. He made more shots than breakthroughs tonight.

The Raptors' already weak defense was blown to pieces, and even former shot-blocking leader Ibaka could only be pulled out of the penalty area to walk his dog.

104 to 69, the Nets scored over points in the third quarter, and the entire Raptors team lost their temper. The five main players sat on the bench early and were forced to get off work.

(End of this chapter)