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

Chapter 249 Christmas War!Anthony, shine at Madison Square Garden!Scored 18 points in a single quarter!
On the 25th, the league ushered in the annual Christmas game. The Knicks sat at home to meet the challenge of the luxury battleship Los Angeles Lakers.

When the four Lakers stars entered the court, the New York fans burst into deafening boos, as if they wanted to use this method to create psychological pressure on the Lakers generals.

On the other hand, when the Knicks players came out, they received warm applause, which was completely different treatment.

Kobe was expressionlessly doing his shooting warm-up, vowing to himself that he would give Anthony a good deal later. Little did he know that Anthony had the same idea, and he couldn't wait to go under the knife on Kobe's head.

Before the game, Lu Yong encouraged Anthony to make a bold move. Even if he lost the game, he could not lose to Kobe in terms of personal data.

The Knicks are currently ranked first in the league with 22 wins and 4 losses. Losing one game is not the end of the world, but once Anthony is beaten by Kobe, public opinion will really explode, which will be very detrimental to his competition for the regular season MVP.

Lu Yong does not require Anthony to lead the team to win, as long as he can suppress Kobe in personal performance, this will be a perfect Christmas game.

Interestingly, Lakers center Howard and Kobe Bryant have a similar mentality. They want to play a good game at Madison Square Garden and establish their dominance in Los Angeles.

Howard has not been happy at all since joining the Lakers this season. All statistics have dropped significantly. His averages of 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.4 blocks per game are far inferior to last season. He has almost fallen from an MVP-level star to a senior blue-collar player.

Howard and Kobe had a lot of mental discord, which was no secret in the league.

Since the Lakers have gone through three coaching changes this season, during the coaching changes, the Lakers have experienced great changes and their tactics have been constantly changing. As a result, Howard's role in the team has also been changing. In the end, Howard's main task is The pick-and-roll and the finishing after the pick-and-roll are very different from the way Howard plays with the Magic.

Howard, who averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks per game last season, is naturally unwilling to adapt to this style of play, because in this style of play, Howard cannot perform a dominant performance, and can even be said to play extremely well. Frustrated.

Howard is not playing well, the Lakers are not playing well, and injuries are constantly attacking the team, and the record is not good. The outside world's criticism of the team is like a wave.

Team boss Kobe was very anxious when he saw this. He hoped that Howard could shoulder the heavy responsibility and lead the team out of the swamp with him. However, Howard was still young at this time, and his understanding of the game was not at the same level as Kobe's.

Howard treats the game and basketball with an attitude of enjoyment and is not too serious. If the Lakers are in a good situation, it is okay for Howard to treat the game with this attitude. But at this time, the Lakers are in a bad situation and cannot find the key to victory, so they lose the game. Game after game, the season passed day by day, and the goal of winning the championship was getting further and further away. Kobe was very serious about the game, but Howard looked optimistic, which made Kobe very angry.

Kobe hoped that Howard would be more serious and take the game seriously, but Howard's mentality at the time just couldn't do it. This made Kobe angry and openly said that Howard was a "softie".

This undoubtedly touched Howard's heart and made the already quarrelsome relationship between the two more tense, causing internal problems.

In addition, Howard has been deeply affected by back injuries in recent years. After undergoing surgery, the injuries have been recurring, which has seriously affected Howard's performance.Kobe, who is eager to lead his team into the playoffs, publicly expressed the hope that Howard can learn to play through injuries. As long as his spirit is right, everything will be fine. In short, don't let everyone down.

Howard expressed difficulty in understanding Kobe's attitude. He believed that this was just Kobe's personal opinion.

The two have completely different understandings and concepts of basketball. Currently, they are still fighting on their own on the court, and they are unwilling to pass the ball to each other. This has caused the team's new coach D'Antoni to have a headache and has been unable to find a way to balance the stars. .

D'Antoni was the head coach of the New York Knicks last season, and he also didn't want to lose when facing his old club in the Christmas game.

Unfortunately, the Lakers are currently in internal turmoil, and the atmosphere in the locker room is far less united than the Knicks. This makes him full of pessimism about this Christmas game, and he looked low on confidence before the game.

At [-] p.m., the starting lineups of the two teams were announced on the big screen.

Knicks five: Deron Williams, Butler, Anthony, Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler.

Lakers starting: Nash, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, Howard.

Lu Yong returned Chandler to the starting lineup this time. Facing players like "Warcraft" Howard is his strength. The two DPOY-level centers are worthy of each other. The Knicks are not afraid of Howard's singles under the basket.

When the ball jumped, Chandler focused on the referee, leaped high before Warcraft, and helped the Knicks get the first offensive ball.

The Knicks players pulled away, and Deron and Chandler played a pick-and-roll in the middle to get rid of the elderly Steve Nash. Seeing his teammates out of position, Howard could only move one step laterally to block Deron, showing off his flexible feet.

When Deron saw this, he didn't force the ball. He took a sudden step and passed the ball to the middle.

Chandler caught the ball and hit the basket, facing Gasol who was coming from the wing to cover up, and violently dunked the ball with both hands. Bang! 2 to 0.

Deron Williams handled the ball very calmly. Although it was a misplaced opportunity for him to challenge Howard one-on-one, as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Howard is still very capable of defending small players.Deron, who was well aware of this, did not take the initiative and passed the ball in time to find his teammate who was cutting at the basket. He completed a wonderful pick-and-roll cooperation from the beginning.

Kenny Smith said: "Chandler seems a little excited to be back in the starting lineup this time. His scoring ability is really not strong, but once Howard is transferred out of the penalty area, it will not be easy for the Lakers to prevent his air cuts. The Lakers should today Pay more attention to the Knicks' pick-and-roll tactics to ensure there are no mistakes inside."

Barkley smiled: "The Knicks' high pick-and-roll is a big killer this year. The addition of Deron Williams has made Stoudemire and Chandler more threatening on the offensive end. This is the role of top point guards. .”

The Lakers attacked, and Howard fell into the basket just after halftime and asked for the ball in singles, hoping to return one.

Nash looked up at Kobe, hesitated and passed the ball.

The Lakers' tactics this season are not complicated. In addition to fast breaks and pick-and-rolls, they also allow the stars to play individual singles after the formation is spread out.Nash's current tactical status in the Lakers is not as good as Gasol's. He has no conflicts with Kobe and Howard. He will give the ball to whoever has the best opportunity on the court, and no one will find fault with him.

Howard caught the ball with his back and leaned against Chandler twice, used his strength to squeeze out the space, turned around in the middle and shot from close range.

Howard's shooting percentage for this kind of ball is still very good, and he often plays like this in the Magic.

However, Tyson Chandler's defensive ability is also very strong. He has had experience playing against Howard for many years. After being pushed away by the force, he did not continue to step forward and get close to him. He jumped directly on the spot to predict Howard's next move.

When Howard turned around and made a throw, Chandler just rose to the commanding heights and directly hit the ball out of the sideline with a volleyball block, crushing Howard's offense.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Chandler successfully blocked Howard's shot, which greatly boosted Bo's morale.

"Pretty!"

Lu Yong stood up from his seat and applauded. This shot was very powerful. Chandler was obviously serious tonight. He did not allow Howard to act recklessly on him.

Serving the ball from the sideline, Kobe used the screen to come out and feint, took a step forward to face the defense and made a pull-up jumper, and the rebound was protected by Chandler.

At the beginning, the Lakers' two stars each hit an iron, and the fans at the scene couldn't help but cheer loudly.

In a positional battle, Anthony also got into trouble in this round. He wanted to pose a three-threat on the ball. In a one-on-one single, Artest continuously dribbled under his hips to adjust the rhythm. He took a strong step to the left and suddenly took the ball to the baseline and turned around. After opening up the space, he turned over and scored a jump shot. 4 to 0.

Lakers head coach D'Antoni felt bad. He had confidence in the Lakers' defense, but the Knicks' offensive firepower was too strong, and he always had a bad feeling in his heart.

When the Lakers attacked, Nash and Gasol played a pick-and-roll in the middle. He broke through from the right and was followed by Deron. He hit the ground and passed the ball to Gasol in the middle.

Gasol took the ball on the left side of the free throw line, took a feint shot, and made a pull-up jumper against Stoudemire.

Butler picked up the rebound in the backcourt and quickly dribbled across the half court to promote a counterattack. Seeing the "little bully" Stoudemire behind him, Butler caught up with him. Butler immediately passed the ball.

Butler's progress this season is very obvious. Not only can he defend and shoot, he now has the ability to control the ball and counterattack, and his playing style is becoming more and more like a star.

Stoudemire caught the ball, took a big step forward, flew up against Kobe's defense, dodged the block, and dunked the basketball with one hand. Bang! 6 to 0.

Knicks fans stood up and cheered. They beat the Lakers 6-0 at the beginning, and the atmosphere was pushed to a climax in advance.

In the next round, the Lakers finally scored. An angry Kobe turned around and asked for the ball from the left corner. He pushed Butler twice and made a jumper, facing the defensive hole and falling into the net. 6 to 2.

Butler couldn't guard Kobe, but he didn't show any fear during the confrontation. He tried his best to consume Kobe's energy and displayed the momentum that a tough guy should have.

Lu Yong told Butler before the game started that he didn't have to blame himself for not being able to guard against Kobe. As long as he fought with all his strength and consumed his physical energy, it would be considered a meritorious service.

The Lakers seem to have a lot of four stars, but only Kobe can have the final say at critical moments. As long as Kobe doesn't perform well, the Knicks still have a good chance of winning.

In a positional battle, Deron and Stoudemire played a pick-and-roll. This time Nash caught up. Deron took a look and decisively passed the ball to the center.

Stoudemire took the ball and accelerated in a straight line, heading toward the basket with Pau Gasol in his sights. His position in the three-second zone attracted Artest to help defend.

Stoudemire observed that Artest was not trying to help in defense, so he turned around and passed the ball to Anthony who was waiting on the outside.

Anthony faked a shot and missed Kobe, who stepped forward to defend. He took a step into the three-point line and made a two-point pull-up jump shot. 8 to 2.When retreating, Anthony high-fived Stoudemire with a smile on his face. The ball was passed well, and the Knicks' positional battle cooperation became sharper.

When the Lakers attacked, Kobe did not attack again. He knew that attacking too hard in the first quarter would speed up his physical exertion. It would be difficult for him to sustain this style of play.

There was a pick-and-roll with Pau Gasol in the middle. Kobe broke through from the right and leaned against Butler, and passed the ball to Nash who was squatting on the outside.

Nash now has little explosive power left, and his main means of scoring is shooting. He caught the ball and glanced at the basket, and shot the three-pointer through the net bag steadily. 8 to 5.

Nash's shooting level is historically top-notch. He has been selected to the 180 Club many times in his career. His three-point shooting percentage has remained above 40% all year round. This season, it is 43.8%. If his organizational skills were not so eye-catching, he would have become a top shooter.

The Knicks attacked, Anthony singled again, and after repeated attempts by the triple threat, he took a sudden step to the right and made a jump shot. 10 to 5.

Melo's shot was relatively simple, but he firmly remembered Lu Yong's pre-game instructions, and would rather lose than score high points, so as to frustrate Kobe's prestige.

When Anthony returned to defense, he nodded his head with his fingers, which is as classic as the "Three Shots to the Head" celebration.

This goal seems relatively simple, but it is actually a reflection of Anthony's personal ability.

This is the difference between a star and a role player. Status is achieved with fists, not with blows.

The Lakers attacked, and Nash's pick-and-roll breakthrough in the middle was blocked, and the ball was sent to the outside.Artest had a good chance to shoot a three-point jumper, but missed it due to slight interference from Anthony. The rebound was grabbed by Chandler.

The Lakers' poor record this season is related to the serious aging of their lineup. Starting Nash, Artest and Gasol are no longer young. They lack passion on the offensive end and rarely run.

Simple offensive tactics may not necessarily be ineffective, but when the Lakers play like this, winning depends entirely on the stars, and the role of role players is very limited.

In the positional battle, Anthony attracted the defense and passed the ball to Butler. Butler did not shoot in the face of Kobe, and took two steps to find an opportunity and passed it to Deron who came forward to respond.

Deron held the ball and beat Nash one-on-one. He used his strength to push away the defense and hit the basket. He rushed to the mid-range position and shot a jumper.Nash's legs were almost useless, and he couldn't cover it even when he took off with all his strength. Whoops!The ball went in, 12 to 5.

D'Antoni couldn't sit still and quickly stood up and asked for a timeout.

The Lakers must strengthen their defense and continue to play, this game will collapse.

Barkley said with a smile: "The Knicks were more blooming on the offensive end tonight. A large number of passes and transfers made the Lakers very uncomfortable. The SuperSonics used this style of play to win two championships back then, and the Knicks have copied it perfectly now. "

Kenny Smith said: "Not only did the Lakers fail to limit their opponents' scoring on the defensive end, they also had problems with their own offense. Kobe and Howard's offensive efficiency was not high. If the two of them didn't step up and take over the game in time, the Lakers would be in danger. "

When the players came off the field, Lu Yong stood on the sidelines and high-fived the players one by one.

The team's offense was very good in the first half. If we keep it up, the Knicks will definitely beat the Lakers today.

At the end of the timeout, the Lakers gave up man-to-man defense and switched to a 2-3 zone defense. Howard and Gasol guarded both sides of the basket, and the other three tried their best to rush to the outside.

D'Antoni arranged this because the Knicks had not scored a three-pointer in the opening game. He focused on two-pointers, betting that the Knicks' gun had no bullets.

When the Lakers attacked, Howard went to the low post on the left to ask for the ball. He leaned on Chandler and arched his back twice. Using his strong upper body strength to open up the space, he turned toward the baseline and hit the ball from close range. 12 to 7.

Chandler was suppressed by strength and did not jump up in this round. He did not suffer a disadvantage in defending Howard alone, but his personal ability is still slightly weaker. It is normal for Howard to score occasionally, and it is impossible to defend every ball.

Lu Yong didn't care. The Lakers had to play from the outside if they wanted to win. Just relying on Howard's one-goal inside attack would be too exhausting to gain an advantage.

The Knicks attacked, and Anthony ran across half court to get into position. He turned around and asked for the ball near the free throw line, trying to challenge Artest.

His only goal tonight is to score high points, and even though Artest is a regular on the All-Defensive Team, Anthony is not afraid.

After a back-up move, Anthony used his big butt to push against Artest, leaned back twice, turned over in the corner and made a jumper.

Anthony's turning movements are very smooth, and he also has a small arc of backwards. It is difficult for Artest to block the shot head-on without fouling, so he can only interfere.

"Shh!"

14 to 7, Anthony continued to show off his power.

The Lakers attacked. Kobe took the ball in singles this round. He broke through from the left and was double-teamed by Deron. He passed the ball to Nash for a jumper three-pointer. This time it missed the basket. The backcourt rebound was protected by Stoudemire.

Deron Williams dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it directly to Anthony, who was back-pedaling for the ball. Anthony turned his back to Artest and turned to the middle. He ignored the defense and made a fadeaway jumper, making another one, 16-7.

Barkley laughed: "The Lakers' zone defense tactics failed. Howard was guarding the penalty area and couldn't wait for anyone. Although the Knicks haven't scored a three-pointer today, they hit a high percentage from two-pointers. The Lakers are in danger."

Kenny Smith said: "To guard against Anthony's singles, you must double-team. Artest has proved with facts that he cannot guard Anthony alone. Melo's offensive touch was too hot tonight."

When the Lakers attacked, Howard pulled out to cover and helped Nash get rid of Deron Williams. Nash took a step towards the basket and hit the board with a throw on the way, 16-9.

In the position battle, Deron still handed the ball to Anthony for singles, and the players moved around.

If Howard defends, Anthony will give the ball to the inside and Kobe will also miss Butler. This kind of personal heroic play is not efficient, but it is recognized as difficult to defend.

The Bulls were able to win six championships that year because Jordan's singles ability was too unpredictable. Once a singles space was created, it was difficult for opponents to defend him.

Anthony is definitely not as strong as Jordan, but in an environment where defensive actions have been greatly reduced, the resistance he encountered has also been reduced, and scoring is much easier than in Jordan's era.

Anthony still made the same technical move as before, turning to the center and shooting a fadeaway jumper. Artest couldn't cover it even if he jumped with all his strength. He was really old.

Anthony had a great shooting touch today. He turned over and made another jumper in the position battle, 18-9.

When returning to defense, Anthony clenched his fists with both hands and roared in the direction of the bench, causing cheers from the fans at the scene.

In fact, Anthony rarely yells on the court, but tonight he was obviously happy and extremely excited.

It's not like he's never done this before, but it's the first time in his career that he's been as happy as tonight.

D'Antoni had just called a timeout, but he still couldn't prevent it. He sat on the sidelines and stared at the court with a depressed face, not knowing what to think.

When he coached the Knicks last year, he also arranged for Anthony's personal singles, but Anthony's performance was far inferior to this season.It was precisely because he had it before that he felt depressed when he saw Anthony show off his power tonight. He seriously suspected that this guy just wanted to play himself!

Barkley sighed: "Anthony's performance tonight was simply amazing. It reminded me of the game when he scored 51 points in a single game. He may have another big breakout today."

Kenny Smith said: "Since Lu Shuai joined the team, Anthony's output environment on the offensive end has obviously improved a lot. This season he may have a bumper harvest of honors. Both personal data and team performance are impeccable. He has played well in New York. The style of a king.”

Barkley smiled: "Speaking of head coach, D'Antoni was fired by the Knicks just last year. His performance against his old team tonight was quite embarrassing. The better Lu Yong leads the team, the more incompetent and immoral he becomes." Can Anthony safely spend this season with the Lakers?"

In the next few rounds, the Lakers and Knicks started a passionate battle, and the enraged Kobe began to step up and take over the game.However, the Knicks' overall efficiency tonight is much higher than that of the Lakers, and the point difference is widening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Chandler was fouled twice in the second half of the first quarter and had to rest. Lu Yong sent substitute center McGee to defend Howard.McGee's single defense efficiency is not as good as Chandler, but he has outstanding athletic talent and is good at protecting the frame. It is not easy for Howard to score easily at the basket.

41 to 22, the Knicks scored an astonishing 41 points in the first quarter, knocking the Lakers' Big Four to the ground in just one quarter.

安东尼打满12分钟，11投7中，三分球2中1，罚球3中3，单节砍下18分3篮板1助攻。斯塔德迈尔也发挥抢眼，打了10分钟，6投4中，罚球2中1，得到9分4篮板1盖帽。

In the star data competition, Anthony had the upper hand tonight, beating Kobe with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Artest is no longer young, and his foot speed can no longer keep up with the "offensive kaleidoscope" of Anthony, and he was almost blown away.

Deron Williams played 9 and a half minutes and scored 5 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists. He performed better than the Lakers' starting point guard Nash.

　It’s the holidays, I wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)