NBA: I am a master dealer

Chapter 362 It’s simply too scary!

After the game against the Nets, the Knicks did not rest and flew to Minnesota to challenge the Timberwolves back-to-back.

This is their second and last meeting this season.

The current Timberwolves still have no improvement, with a record of 17 wins and 38 losses.

But it finally gives people some hope.

Wiggins, Towns, and Zach LaVine have shown tremendous potential, and everyone believes that their future is absolutely limitless.

In addition to the three potential new stars, they are also assisted by emerging young people such as Rubio, Dieng, Muhammad, and Bjelica.

and so……

Overall, although their current record is not good, their future is definitely full of hope.

The result was as expected, the Knicks won now, defeating the Timberwolves 110:95.

And Wiggins, this stupid guy, doesn’t know what’s going on. Every time he meets Xue Liancheng, his performance is average. This game was no exception. He made 20 of 8 shots and only got 24 points and 5 rebounds. It’s not like that. It's eye-catching, but it can only be said to be quite satisfactory.

Towns was very reckless in this game. He made 23 shots, hit 10 goals, and only scored 24 points, but he did have 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Rubio didn't make a single hit in this game, but it wasn't much better. He made 6 of 2 and only scored 9 points, but he had 16 assists. The golden boy's passing was still very smart.

only……

Lu Yuanwai's offensive ability is too poor and he always hits one goal, which is destined to prevent him from growing into a true ball-handling core.

Now except for the serial organization, there is nothing to show for it.

Muhammad, who came off the bench, made 14 of 8 shots and scored 20 points. He still has potential.

LaVine scored 14 points, 7 rebounds and 14 assists on 5-of-3 shooting. He is now the sixth level player of the Timberwolves. His singles ability has gradually shown its edge, especially his flying dunks and runs to the rim. From time to time, he will be on the top five goals of the day.

The Knicks here.

薛连城只是浅浅发力，20投13中，就疯狂揽下35分16助攻7篮板。

It still has top-notch data, full efficiency, impeccable performance, and almost no faults can be found.

Oladipo scored 18 points on 9-of-22 shooting. His performance was already good and he looked a bit like an All-Star.

Lopez was absent from this game, and Rooney was replaced in the starting lineup.

Because it was the first time to partner with Xue Liancheng for a long time, he was a little nervous. In addition, Rooney was not very clear about his position in his first start. As a result, his performance was average, only 7 of 3 shots and 6 points. 6 rebounds.

Feng Lai scored 11 points on 5 of 12 shots.

Crowder had 13 points, David West had 10 points, Galloway had 7 points, and Tyler Johnson had 5 points.

Even without powerful players such as Lopez, Jeff Green, and Ilyasova, the Knicks are still very strong.

In this game, they still won the game with a relatively large score.

And this is a back-to-back game.

After defeating the Timberwolves, they have won 16 consecutive games, surpassing the previous 15 consecutive victories and becoming the team with the second most consecutive wins this season. They have officially launched a charge towards the Golden State Warriors' 24 consecutive victories.

After returning to New York for a day off, they faced the Raptors again at home.

After suffering a defeat last time, everyone on the Raptors team was obviously a little unconvinced.

They always feel that their strength is comparable to that of the Cavaliers and Heat, and they are members of the first echelon in the Eastern Conference.

In fact...

Judging from their record, it does make sense. With 35 wins and 19 losses, they are also top-notch in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers' record is 38 wins and 16 losses, and the Heat's record is 37 wins and 17 losses. The Raptors are actually not far away from them. Even if they had not lost to the Knicks, they would only be one win or loss away from the Heat. , this is the source of their confidence.

It's just a shame.

Neither the media nor the public recognize them as members of the first echelon.

Because the Raptors have yet to prove themselves in the playoffs.

Or more accurately, the Raptors' two cores have never proven themselves competitive.

James of the Cavaliers is the core of the championship, with 4 MVPs, 2 FMVPs, and a lot of honors in hand. As long as James exists, that team will definitely be the favorite to compete for the championship.

Not to mention the help of two first-class stars in Irving and Love, the Cavaliers' lineup can be said to be very strong.

The Heat are in the Big Three model.

With 4 championships in hand, Wade is a definite third shooting guard in history, and his achievements in leading the team are obvious to all.

Coupled with the assistance of Gasol and Anthony, there is no doubt that the Heat are powerful.

Needless to say, the Knicks, with 48 wins and 9 losses so far, are known as the Eastern and Western double hegemons with the Golden State Warriors in the West, leading the entire league.

The record is more than one step ahead of the Cavaliers and Heat, but far ahead.

If nothing else, the Knicks are number one in the Eastern Conference, because they are not far away from 50 wins.

What's more, they will lock in a playoff spot in advance after a few games.

With twenty or thirty games left to lock in the playoffs in advance, this kind of record is enough to scare anyone.

Furthermore, Xue Liancheng was the MVP and FMVP last season and led the team to win the championship. This season's statistics have increased instead of falling, making him the player with the most explosive statistics this season.

Not even one.

With such a proven leader, coupled with the assistance of two All-Stars, Lopez and Oladipo, the Knicks are equally powerful.

And what honors do Lowry and DeRozan of the Raptors have?

What is your best record as a team leader?

Nothing but All-Stars.

Is this enough to be compared to the first echelon?

I'm afraid I'm not crazy.

and so……

No matter how good the Raptors' record is, they will never be compared in the first tier. This is the reason.

Their core competitiveness has not yet reached that level.

In other words, their points worthy of reference and trust are almost zero.

Their record is not convincing.

What's more...

Their record has not reached an invincible level, not to mention far behind the Knicks, and now it is not as good as the Cavaliers and Heat.

Only ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference.

That's it?

How can you be convincing if you are placed in the first echelon?

Look at the Warriors, Spurs, and Thunder in the Western Conference. Which one is not a superstar? Their lineup configuration, record, and all aspects are at the ceiling level.

The Raptors are still far from this level.

The result of the game once again speaks for itself.

Without Lopez, the Knicks completely let go and started the offensive mode directly, winning another victory at 133:122.

The average of 133 points is 33 points per quarter. Only the Warriors and the Knicks can currently achieve such explosive scoring power.

薛连城22投14中，飙下40分15助攻6篮板的顶级数据。

奥拉迪波也大爆发，24投13中，干下了32分6篮板5助攻的一流数据。

The two scored 72 points together and staged a real surge.

Fonlei scored 16 points, Crowder also had 14 points, and even PJ Tucker, who usually doesn't do well offensively, scored 11 points.

Galloway had 10 points, Rooney had 5 points, and Tyler Johnson had 5 points.

The Raptors' offensive firepower is actually not weak, with a total of 122 points, which is quite a lot.

他们三人得分上20，德罗赞22分，洛瑞22分11篮板11助攻的三双数据。

Without Lopez to contain him, Valanciunas finally broke out, scoring 14 points and 9 rebounds on 20-of-6 shooting.

In addition, they have 4 people scoring in double figures.

James Johnson had 12 points, Joseph had 13 points, Terrence Ross had 12 points, and Biyombo had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Their overall shooting percentage was 53% and the three-point shooting percentage was 44%. Their overall efficiency was much higher than the previous game.

But they still lost.

And there was no suspense about losing.

You can imagine how fierce the Knicks' offensive firepower is.

It can also be explained from the side how powerful the offensive system led by Xue Liancheng is.

After the Raptors lost the game, their record has reached 35 wins and 20 losses, which is a long way away from the Heat, which is third in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks' record has reached 49 wins and 9 losses, and they are within easy reach of the 50-win club.

And they are about to lock in a playoff spot in advance.

Next.

They came to Indiana to challenge the Pacers.

Xue Liancheng received courtesy here, and Feng Lai also benefited from it.

The big screen played their college videos as a tribute.

But Xue Liancheng knew that the Pacers were trying to win people's hearts. They obviously hoped to take this opportunity to impress him and then acquire him in the offseason.

But he just pursed his lips and smiled without much reaction.

After all, the Pacers don't need to pay anything at all. Just show a video and you will be moved to tears. Then your move is too cheap.

Before the game starts. George came over specifically to say hello to Xue Liancheng, "Xue, your style is still the same after the All-Star Game!"

Xue Liancheng replied: "You're not bad either."

They only met during the All-Star Game, but they didn't know each other very well.

But we are all at the All-Star level. As the saying goes, we still feel sympathy for each other.

Especially for a first-class star like George, face must be given.

George: "I hope this will be a wonderful matchup and I look forward to your performance."

Xue Liancheng smiled and said, "I won't let you down."

And the game started.

On the contrary, George went online and took action desperately, as if he wanted to prove himself.

Xue Liancheng immediately understood that George was demonstrating to him.

Because everyone knows that the Pacers management recruited him, and now they have given a tribute video, so the intention should not be too obvious.

George is not a fool, so he can naturally see it.

So at this time, George wanted to show him his strengths and prove that he was a qualified leader.

The subconscious meaning is: If you come to Indiana, help me.

That's right.

That’s what it means.

It can be seen that George at this period was still quite arrogant and felt that he was also a superstar who could be a leader.

Xue Liancheng had no intention of proving anything to George, but focused on passing the ball and playing fast break counterattacks.

soon……

The gap between the two teams is reflected.

The Knicks scored 34 points in a single quarter, and almost everyone contributed. The Pacers were George's personal show, but they didn't show off. They only scored 6 points on 1 of 2.

If it weren't for the outstanding performance of George Hill, Ma Xinmi, and Ellis, the Pacers would collapse in one quarter.

In the second quarter, George still couldn't recover. He made 3 of 0 shots and swallowed a zero egg alive.

This is where Oladipo is similar to George.

You said he doesn't have the ability to solve problems?

That's nonsense. The two of them are absolutely top-notch in the league in terms of their ability to attack in isolation.

But you want to say that their hard solving ability is very fierce?

8-for-1 and 9-for-1 situations often happen in the half, and the state is extremely unstable.

Fortunately for Oladipo, playing next to Xue Liancheng, the defensive pressure is less. He can play alone a little bit, but it is not the norm. Even if he can't score, Xue Liancheng still has fast break cooperation and assault cooperation to lay the foundation.

Therefore, Oladipo's personal data is still relatively good, at least much better than George.

His shooting percentage is higher than George's, and his condition is much more stable than George's.

In this game, Oladipo was actually not in good shape. He made 8 of 3 in the half and only scored 7 points.

Of the three goals scored, except for one that he scored by using a screen to rush in for a layup, the remaining two were direct assists from Xue Liancheng.

Without Xue Liancheng's backing, Oladipo would have been 6-for-1, definitely not much better.

But when you think this is about to end.

George broke out, making 6 of 4 shots in the third quarter, scoring 10 points bravely, and dishing out 3 assists.

At the same time, Turner also helped, scoring 7 points on 4 of 10 shots.

In the third quarter, the Pacers got the score back a little, but the point difference was still huge, 89:80, with the Knicks leading by 9 points.

of course.

Oladipo also responded very fiercely, hitting 7 of 4 in a single quarter and scoring 9 points.

in this way.

George made 15 of 5, and his efficiency finally improved.

Oladipo made 15 of 7, and his efficiency was obviously much better.

at this time.

But no one knew that in the box of the live game, someone was commenting on Xue Liancheng and Oladipo.

An old man in a suit stared at Xue Liancheng on the court, "His passing is superb and full of imagination, but the offensive end doesn't look that strong!"

Another white man with a hawk-nosed voice said: "Let's see again in the fourth quarter. Sir, you may have different feelings."

That's right!

The two are the bosses of the Pacers. The former is the Pacers' owner Herbert Simon, and the latter is the famous Bird.

Simon nodded and turned his attention to Oladipo, "That young man is pretty good, he is very aggressive, has excellent athletic ability, and his success rate in attacking the frame is not low! He even looks tougher than George."

Bird: "This is indeed a very good prospect, and... he also came out of the Indiana University Mountain People."

Simon's eyes lit up: "Mountain people are quite good at cultivating talents..."

Bird: "If Xue Liancheng doesn't come, he can fight for it. This is his third season and he can already renew his contract in advance. We will see when the time comes..."

Simon was silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke, "What do you think about trading George for him?"

Bird was shocked, but he still explained seriously: "This way we still only have one All-Star, which is not competitive enough!"

Simon thought for a while and murmured, "That's also true..."

Bird said at this time: "In fact, during the offseason, we can try to contact Oladipo. I believe he is definitely not a guy who is willing to be inferior to others. In this way... we will have a chance. "

Simon: "Yeah! Just work hard and try for it. I'm very optimistic about this young man."

When the two of them said this, they stopped and began to concentrate on watching the ball.

George finally ushered in a complete explosion, scoring 8 points on 5-of-15, trying to turn the tide.

But Xue Liancheng taught him a lesson.

I also taught a lesson to the two big guys in the box.

The time before the fourth quarter was relatively normal. Xue Liancheng only scored 2 points. When it came to the last two minutes, he finally exploded like a volcano.

Use the screen to break in, step up and down to pick up the basket.

Pushing the ball past half court, he pressed the clock and faced George with a three-pointer, hit!

Push for another half, press the clock again, encounter an early double-team, slip around and use the screen to pull out again, catch the ball, shoot the three-pointer again, and hit it again.

Pushing for another half and pressing time again, this time the Pacers did not dare to double-team in advance. Xue Liancheng met George and made a three-pointer. George knocked Xue Liancheng down, but the ball returned, 3+1.

The Pacers missed, and the Knicks played a defensive counterattack, pushing directly to half court. When they were two steps away from the top of the key, they jumped high and passed through with a three-pointer, killing the game.

Simon, the Pacers boss in the box, was stunned and muttered unconsciously, "FK Ward, he's so damn strong."

In the fourth quarter, Xue Liancheng scored 17 points, and in the last two minutes alone, Xue Liancheng scored 15 points. The last three points and four consecutive hits were simply terrifying.

There really was no room for resistance at all, just watching the team being killed.

That feeling of powerlessness really came out of my heart.

Bird smiled bitterly on the side, "He will do this kind of drama from time to time. This is his explosive scoring power. The threat on the offensive end cannot be underestimated."

Not to be underestimated?

It was simply too scary.

Simon's eyes straightened and glowed fieryly: "No matter what, we must bring Xue Liancheng here. I hope I can see him in the home arena next season."

Bird: "I'll try my best."

Simon added, "Any price can be paid."

The two gave Xue Liancheng full recognition.

But he also gave Oladipo high praise.

Simon: "And that young man, let's find a way to get him, so... we have our own Big Three."

Bird: "Don't worry, I will find a way."

奥拉迪波本场20中10，则拿到了25分4篮板4助攻，表现也相当不错。

And George was not bad either. With his counterattack in the second half, he raised his efficiency to a higher level. He made 23 of 10 shots and scored 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

so……

This kind of All-Star player often performs crotch stretching.

But it’s still rare to be able to pull off a whole game.

It can be seen from this that their adjustment ability is not comparable to ordinary players.

And Oladipo directly raised his shooting percentage to 50%. Compared with George, he is obviously more eye-catching.

For the Pacers, in addition to George, Turner also made a huge contribution, scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds on 24-for-6.

The newly joined Ellis continues to be lost.

Obviously.

One ball, played by two people, is a little confusing.

This means that the Pacers' operations in the offseason failed slightly.

(End of this chapter)