Basketball: Starting from the Rodman template

Chapter 127 The end of November

Wade's comeback battle was actually not chosen very well.

Their opponent tonight is the Timberwolves, currently number one in the Western Conference!

Kevin Garnett has won the "Best of the Month" consecutively and is already the unanimous "MVP of this season" in the eyes of major media.

Winning this year's regular season MVP is just a matter of time, just like Woody winning this year's "Rookie of the Year".

Such an opponent is really not suitable as an opponent in a "comeback battle".

But the problem is...

The Heat's wins during this period are too exaggerated!

In such a good state, if he could still win against the Timberwolves without him, his position on the Heat would be even more embarrassing.

Although he returned from injury last time, Stan Van Gundy still asked him to return to the starting lineup.But if he can win against the Timberwolves, who knows if Stan Van Gundy is still willing to trust him so firmly!

So he has to come back.

If he doesn't come back, I'm afraid his name will be missing from the Heat's starting lineup.

However, his return also destroyed the chemical reaction formed by the team during this period.

In addition, Woody met Kevin Garnett, who was equivalent to an "enhanced version" of himself, and his performance could not be suppressed. Instead, he was restrained by the opponent at every turn, which made the Heat lose their previous strengths.

The Heat lost this game very simply. Except for taking the lead in the first two or three minutes, they were almost ten points behind the Timberwolves at other times.In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves went on an 3-1 "scoring wave" to seal the victory with a 11-point margin.

伍迪这位“2月东部月最佳”在“2月西部月最佳”的面前，表现逊色很多，只拿到了16分13篮板3盖帽2助攻1抢断的数据。

Not much different from his usual.

But the shooting percentage dropped below 50%!

Kevin Garnett's mobility prevents him from taking advantage of his offensive strengths.

而凯文-加内特在这场比赛最终砍下了24分14篮板5助攻3抢断2盖帽的数据，投篮命中率在50%以上！

Woody was not too discouraged.

After all, he is facing an enhanced version of himself, not to mention that Kevin Garnett has also reached the peak of his career and is the favorite to win the regular season MVP this season. If he can suppress him as soon as he debuts, then His reputation is not just what it is now...

In addition, if we really want to trace the source of the Heat's defeat and find the main reason, it will definitely not be his turn.

Wade, who had just come back, should have an advantage in facing the "alien" Cassel, and he should be able to give full play to his ability to break through with the ball. However, in the end, his breakthrough performance in this game was not very impressive. He has been away from the battlefield for a long time. He was struggling tonight, especially when he had to face Kevin Garnett's defense, which made him even more constrained.

He only hit 15 goals in 5 shots...

The number of mistakes was as high as 5 times!
Not only that, his return allowed Odom to return to the No. 4 position.

At the same time, it also made Odom's playing style no longer so determined. After holding the ball, he always wanted to give the ball to Wade.

Wade and Woody's pick-and-roll was the Heat's core tactic before.

Odom, who does not take the ball, really has no obvious presence on the offensive end.

This is equivalent to losing another main player.

Coupled with Wade's return and Caron Butler also returning to the bench, the Heat's perimeter lacks a long shot for shooting and cannot create better space for the Heat...

These reasons combined made the Heat suffer a heavy defeat tonight.

Wade, who appeared at the post-game press conference with his big cheeks, looked embarrassed and his whole face turned red.

When he didn't come back, the Heat were about to win 10 consecutive games. As soon as he came back, the team immediately lost so many points.

This……

Even he himself knows whose problem lies with him!

It was also at this time that Wade came to his senses. He was only thinking about what would happen if the Heat defeated the Timberwolves without him, but he did not expect that what would happen if the Heat lost to the Timberwolves when he came back...

"I have not fully adjusted to my best condition. I must say that the reason for this defeat is all my fault. I will work hard to adjust my condition. I am very sorry to my teammates..."

In the end, Wade was filled with guilt and took the initiative to take the blame on himself.

Pat Riley was not surprised when he watched Wade's post-game interview the next day.

If he wasn't so honest, this wouldn't be Wade!
Such a stupid kid, luckily I met him, otherwise, he might not have been deceived by someone first...

Regarding this defeat, the "champion coach" who has experienced so much ups and downs will naturally not take it to heart.

Wade's poor performance will not affect his position in Pat Riley's mind.

But in this game, Pat Riley still saw a big problem:

This team has the problem of overlapping functions of core players!
Especially reflected in Wade and Odom.

Before Wade was injured, it was not obvious, but after he was injured, this was fully reflected.

Odom is also a guy who needs the ball.

But if he is allowed to hold the ball, Wade's performance will be affected again.

We have to find a way to solve the coexistence problem between the two of them, or...

A thought came to Pat Riley's mind:
Keep trading!

After losing the first game in March, the Heat continued their schedule.

In the second game in March, the opponent's strength suddenly dropped a lot. They had to face the Atlanta Hawks!
This is currently the last team in the Eastern Conference. The Heat solved them without much effort and avoided "two consecutive losses".

Wade's condition in this game is obviously much better than the last one.

In 11 shots, he scored 21 points, in addition to 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

This game enhanced Wade's self-confidence. In the following schedule, his performance gradually stabilized at 18.5 points, 6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.

However, the Heat lost and lost during this period, and their overall state was up and down. Fortunately, they caught up with the Nets' record after March 3. In mid-March, they surpassed the Nets in the rankings and climbed to the second position in the Eastern Conference. Stan Van Gundy began to arrange the subsequent personnel rotation according to the Nets' winning and losing trends.If the Nets win, he will do his best; if the Nets lose, he will carefully "play badly" and start preparing for the playoffs.

Finally, March ended, and in the remaining 3 games, the Heat had a record of 13 wins and 7 losses, which was barely above 6%.

This record is definitely unqualified in the Western Conference. Even the eighth-ranked Nuggets in the Western Conference have a record of over 50%!

But in the East, this is the strength that only the second best in the East can have...

Woody played 3 games in March and rested one game.

After another month of hard training, Woody's mid-range ability reached 75 points.

Now on the court, his shooting percentage is stable at 40%!

Although the proportion of mid-range shots is still not that of shooting players.But now, compared to before, there is still a bit of a fluke. The head coaches of other teams basically acquiesce that they cannot just let Woody open for a mid-range shot.

Only in the second half of the game will he be given a certain amount of space in the mid-range.

Because Woody's touch is also easily affected by physical fitness and multiple attacks on the frame.

在这14场比赛中，伍迪场均可以拿到20.5分13篮板3.5助攻2.5盖帽1.5抢断。

The shooting percentage is 54%!

As the mid-range becomes more and more stable, and the schedule enters the second half, the top eight in the Eastern and Western Conferences are gradually settled. More teams are starting to compete for the 04 lottery picks, and their opponents have become more and more stinging. Not as good as before the All-Star break.

Woody's scoring average began to stabilize at more than 20 points at this time.

In 14 games, he scored more than 20 points in more than 10 games!
It wasn't just his performance that was more outstanding.

Most of the rookies also passed the "rookie wall" at this time, and played a stronger performance.

Except for Woody.

As I said before, Wade's performance is getting better and better, and this is part of the reason.

After LeBron James entered March, his average game data rose to 3 points, 22.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists. With his performance, the Cavaliers also won consecutive victories. In 6 games in March alone, they scored a total of 3 wins.

It is one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning percentage of over 50%.

This can be regarded as a strange "landscape" in the current league.

Because the March schedule is gradually coming to an end, teams that cannot make the playoffs are striving for a higher "lottery ranking."That is to say, lose as much as possible.

As a team that is basically determined not to make the playoffs, the Cavaliers are almost the only team that is still striving to win.

Currently, they have climbed to the tenth position in the Eastern Conference. They are still 2 games away from the ninth place in the Eastern Conference. However, they are still about 7 games away from the eighth place in the Eastern Conference. There are only 7 games left on the schedule. , they want to tie the eighth in the Eastern Conference, and there is only a theoretical possibility left.

Ordinarily, one shouldn’t “travel at off-peak hours” like this. It’s better to strive for victory at this time...

The 04 draft is not a small event!
The difference between the top ten in the first round and No. 14 and No. [-] in the first round is still huge!

It’s really puzzling…

But this gives the LeBron team and ESPN the opportunity to continue to build momentum for LeBron James.All kinds of boasts overwhelmed him.

As for why they suddenly dared to "sneeze at the face" after being quiet for such a long time, the reason is also very simple:
The regular season between the Cavaliers and the Heat this season has ended. It is impossible for them to meet the Heat again. Since they cannot meet, it will be "Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong", blow it!

To say that LeBron’s team is really up to something, they specifically contacted the Nike team and asked them to contact the representatives of the Jordan brand. After all, the two companies are one, and whether it is LeBron or Cameron who wins the “Best Rookie of the Year” -Anthony is definitely better than Woody!
They wanted Anthony to talk less about Woody and praise LeBron more. After all, when he entered the league, these were the "peerless twins" who shined in the entire league!

Suddenly, Carmelo Anthony boarded Woody's "thief ship"...

It just so happened that a reporter from "Sports Illustrated" recently asked different rookies questions about who they thought was the "Best Rookie."

Almost all rookies gave the same answer:
Woody!

There is no way, LeBron James was pressed to the ground and rubbed by him, and in terms of leading the team, it is even more surprising.

Now everyone knows that Wade is the "add-on". With or without him, the Heat can perform strongly as long as Woody is the core.

wrong……

Having Wade is really better than not having Wade!
How can this compare!
However, when interviewing the "three geniuses", they changed the question.

"Woody, who do you think is the best rookie this season besides you?"

Woody subconsciously wanted to say it to himself, but before he opened his mouth, his brain filtered the question... Oh, remove me...

Then...

"Cameron!" Woody gave such an answer.

He was the first among the "Three Talents" to be asked.

When word of his answer reached Denver, it came as a surprise to Carmelo Anthony.Because he thought Woody would choose LeBron James.Although this guy's record in leading the team is not very good.

But his numbers are really good.

在经过3月份的努力后，他的场均数据已经来到了20加5加5，用他们团队的话来说就是“迈克尔-乔丹之后No.1”！
And he and Woody were former high school teammates.The relationship between the two of them is still so "good"!
Unexpectedly, Woody chose him instead of LeBron.

What else is there to say? ?

"My answer is of course Woody!" Carmelo Anthony felt a warm feeling in his heart. At that time, he forgot what his agent told him. He was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered to make up for it:
"Of course LeBron is a very good player, we are called the best high school students, we have a good friendship in high school, but... on this question, I don't think I can give any other answer, The Heat's record, and Woody's personal performance, everything is so perfect, he is the best rookie I have ever seen!"

After "making up" and "making up", this guy stepped on LeBron again.

When LeBron heard this, he called him "good guy."

For those who didn’t know, I thought you were Woody’s high school teammate!

Am I part of your play?

Ah!
LeBron James was so angry that he wanted to skip the topic, but he finally hesitated and said: "me!"

Under the reporters' doubtful eyes, he said: "In the topic of Best Rookie, I cannot be removed. Woody and Cameron have encountered a lot of difficulties, and they have overcome them very well, but we have encountered It's not the same situation. Their teams haven't suffered such big trade changes. Under such circumstances, I think I gave the best performance, so no matter what the situation, I think I am the best rookie. !I won’t make any changes on this!”

(End of this chapter)