NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

The Knicks only lost one game in the entire month of November, and their performance continued into December.

In the first half of December, the Knicks had a run of 12 wins and 9 losses. Before Christmas, the Knicks firmly occupied the top spot in the league with a record of 2 wins and 22 losses!
Everything about the Knicks this month is very similar to last month. Lin Tian's playing time is still very short, and old Nelson is still giving as many opportunities as possible to Stoudemire and Anthony to perform. The playing time of the three is now staggered as much as possible to let them perform on their own.

This is also the most terrifying thing about the Knicks right now.

Everyone could see that they did not try their best. They were testing the lineup, practicing while playing, and fighting to support the battle.

If a team that doesn't try its best can achieve a record of 22 wins and 3 losses, then if they try their best, if they suddenly evolve and play at full strength at some stage, then wouldn't their results be sky-high?

From any perspective, the current Knicks are the number one favorite to win the championship and the strongest team this year!
For the first time since the team was founded, they felt a little invincible!

After all, in the previous two seasons, although they won two championships, their regular season results were just so-so. Whether in the playoffs or the regular season, there were always some teams that could cause them trouble.

The Pistons, Celtics, Lakers, and Suns can all cause some trouble for the Knicks.

But the situation this year seems to be completely different.

At least until this point in the season, everyone feels: No one can stop the Knicks this year!

December 12th, Christmas.

This day is the NBA's annual Christmas game. The NBA generally arranges 3-4 games on this day. These 3-4 games are definitely the most discussed, most anticipated and most sensational games in the entire season!
Either it is a showdown between old rivals, a dialogue between top teams, or a tit-for-tat confrontation between giants in big cities.

This year is certainly no exception.

First up is the Lakers vs. the Suns!

Although the Lakers' McGrady was ruled out for the season this year due to surgery without playing a single game, the Lakers still did quite well this year as they selected Durant, Bynum made significant progress, and most importantly, Kobe is still in great form.

So far, they have achieved 17 wins and 7 losses, ranking first in the Western Conference!

Of course, the first place in the Western Conference is not stable at all. Their opponent, the Suns, also has 17 wins and 7 losses, but can only rank third in the Western Conference.

The second team in the Western Conference is the Spurs, also with 17 wins and 7 losses!
Three teams with the same record, tied for first place!

They can only rely on small scores such as divisional records and mutual records to barely rank 1, 2, and 3.

In addition, the Warriors, who are now ranked 7th in the West, actually have 15 wins and 9 losses. They are only 2 games behind the first-placed Lakers! The Mavericks, who have been a league powerhouse in the past few years, have fallen to 13th in the West, but their record is also 11 wins and losses.

They are also only two games behind the Warriors and four games behind the top team in the Western Conference.

Not only do they have great hopes for the playoffs, they even have hopes of making it all the way to first place in the Western Conference!
I can only say that the Western Conference this year is truly horrible!
Their competitiveness and the gap between teams are even smaller than in the past few years!

The other matchup is between the second-ranked Celtics in the Eastern Conference and the second-ranked Spurs in the Western Conference. It is also a strong dialogue, and it is also a focus battle in which Duncan will face his old team again.

Then comes the third game tonight, which is also the most watched one.

The Knicks will challenge the New Orleans Hornets away.

On the surface, this game is between the Knicks, who are ranked first in the league, and the Hornets, who are ranked sixth in the Western Conference.

But for Chinese fans, this is another Chinese derby!

It was also the first time that Lin Tian and Abdul-Jabbar faced off on the NBA stage.

Although the two are completely incomparable in terms of team status, league status, personal ability, achievements, etc., the Chinese people love to watch it!

Half a month ago, Yao Ming and Abdul-Jabbar staged an inside derby in the NBA.

The ratings are going to explode!

It was that matchup that completely reassured the officials who had been anxious when they were originally designing the schedule.

Even if Americans don't buy it, the Chinese people on the other side of the ocean still love to watch this game!

The basic plate is definitely there!

Of course, in addition to the first NBA encounter between Lin Tian and Yi Jianlian, there are other reasons why this game can be put on the stage of the Christmas game.

For example, Deron.

Deron, who has been selected to the All-Star Game before, has always been considered a strong contender for the No. 1 point guard position in the league in the future.

At the same time, because of his tank-like physique, gorgeous and varied playing style, and signature continuous and large-scale changes of direction, people feel that he is more like Lin Tian's successor than Paul.

After all, Paul is only 183 cm tall, and he is still a point guard who relies on agility and speed.

Deron is a point guard who has the physical strength, speed, skills and shooting type.

At least in terms of physique and playing style, he is more like Lin Tian.

Although it is a much weakened version.

It is also worth mentioning that although Deron and the Hornets do not receive as much attention as the Warriors and Paul, his personal data and reputation are not as good as Paul, and he was even selected for the All-Star Game earlier than Paul. Some people also said that he was "lucky to be selected because New Orleans hosted the All-Star Game."

But at least this guy can pin Paul to the ground and beat him every time he meets Paul!

Even this season, when everyone's attention is on the Warriors and Paul, Deron has been moving forward with a low profile, leading the team to a very good record. So far, he has even surpassed the Warriors!

In the first meeting between the two this season, Deron played a crushing performance against Paul.

In that game, Deron made 13 of 11 shots and scored 29 points and 11 assists.

而保罗却只有11投3中，只拿到6分6助攻，还有多达5次失误！
A complete crushing and a thorough blast.

This game can be regarded as a comparison between the two players' careers so far.

Paul can beat most of the point guards in the league. He is strong and has a steady style of play.

But every time he meets Deron, he loses.

The person Paul fears most is Deron!

As for Lin Tian?

I can’t say I’m afraid.

Paul has completely accepted his fate and is lying down.

It's like a 9-year-old child would be afraid of the fat bully in the same class, but he would probably not be afraid of Tyson.

There is a high probability that Tyson will not beat him. Even if he really beats him, it would not be shameful to be beaten by Tyson.

But the fat boy in the same class really beats people up every day.

However, tonight's game has nothing to do with Paul.

The main issue is Deron vs. Lin Tian.

The No. 1 guard in the NBA today, and the guy who may become the No. 1 point guard in the future.

Also, tonight is Lin Tian’s last visit to New Orleans as a player.

It is also worth mentioning that: including this game, the Knicks will embark on a 7-game road trip in the West.

This extra-long away trip will also allow Lin Tian to say goodbye to the home courts of seven teams in a row.

Of course, there are also some people who have given this wave of Knicks road trip a different name.

“Chicago Tour of Shame.”

"The Battle of Seven Cities was too embarrassing for Chicagoans to watch."

"Seven cities took turns slapping Chicago's broken face."

"See what respect is. If you can't learn it once, learn it seven times!"

"The will of Seven!"

"I bet that by the end of this trip to the West, Lin Tian can collect seven tributes and directly summon a statue."

"Then the question is, which visiting team would give him such a statue?"

Giving Lin Tian a statue is, of course, ridiculous and impossible. In any world, there are no statues of Jordan flying around, right?

But even so, the Western team's tribute ceremony to Lin Tian was absolutely full.

On Christmas afternoon, before the game between the Hornets and the Knicks began, the lights at the scene dimmed again, and then the big screen lit up.

Alian appeared on the screen, and behind him were more than a dozen Asian faces. They began to sing together, a song in Chinese.

Lin Tian had heard this song before.

"True Hero"!
I won’t post the lyrics, they’re not just watered down.

But it was definitely a show of heart that more than a dozen of Lin Tian’s compatriots, led by his younger brother A-Lian, sang Chinese songs together to pay tribute to Lin Tian.

After all, it is the capital of music, and what it has produced is quite consistent with the city's business card.

The only problem is that the singing is really terrible.

A-Lian, who had the loudest voice, obviously had no musical talent and no one knew what he was singing.

As for the dozen or so compatriots behind me...

Forget it, let’s not mention it.

Anyway, it proves one thing: except for some ethnic minorities, the vast majority of the Chinese population are really not good at singing and dancing.

Racial talents don't go in this direction.

After singing such a song that was completely pitch-less, tone-deaf and almost the same as a noise bombardment, the fans at the scene burst into good-natured laughter, which made the already thin-skinned Alian scratch his head in embarrassment.

God knows how the Hornets persuaded Al-Farouq Aminu to be the lead singer.

Then the lights came on, and the owner of the Hornets team came forward with a Hornets jersey without a number but with Lin Tian's name on it and handed it to Lin Tian.

"Lin, we want you to be an honorary player of our Hornets. Even though you haven't played a day here, I want you to know that you are one of the most beloved players in New Orleans and the greatest player in the entire league."

"We have infinite admiration and respect for you. Perhaps because there is only music but no strong wind here, the music will leave respect behind, while the strong wind will blow away all the beauty that once existed."

Check it out!

Lin Tian took the jersey with a smile and sighed: These capitalists are really bad! They are full of bad intentions.

While organizing a tribute event, they didn't forget to make fun of Chicago next door.

This year's Bulls team is truly going to be engraved on the pillar of shame.

And the ways are varied.

For example, two months into the season, their record has collapsed, and they are currently 8-17, ranking 12th in the Eastern Conference. At the same time, fans will shout "Lin" in front of the players in almost every home game and all away games.

It's really an indiscriminate continuous blow from the soul to the body.

A more serious problem than the collapse of the record is the mentality of the Bulls players, which has also completely collapsed.

The youngsters basically didn’t know how to play basketball and were all confused.

Da Ben is experienced, old, and has enough prestige.

But the problem is that, firstly, his offensive ability is close to zero and he has no way to lead his teammates. Secondly, he is Lin Tian’s best friend and almost regards Lin Tian as his adoptive parent.

The Bulls treated Lin Tian so well, and Ben didn't stir up trouble internally, form cliques and completely mess up the Bulls' locker room, which was already considered quite professional.

And let him work so hard to rally the hearts of this Bulls team?

Next time, we’ll talk about it next time we have a chance!

In short, on such a happy day when everyone is mocking Chicago, the Christmas battle between the Knicks and the Hornets begins!

Of course, the Knicks still started with their previous five-man lineup, while the Hornets also brought out their strongest starting lineup.

The center is "Boxing Champion" Tyson Chandler, the power forward is the Chinese "Space Yi" Yi Jianlian who they acquired for a large sum of money this year, and the small forward and shooting guard are Bonzi Wells and Dyson Made Mason respectively.

As for the point guard, it is of course their absolute core Deron Williams.

What do you think of this lineup?

His athletic talent is quite strong. Chandler was able to be selected in the top three as a high school student because of his size and strong athletic ability. One of Al-Farouq Aminu's biggest selling points is his physical fitness.

In addition, there is Mason, who has won the dunk contest championship, and Deron, who is fat but has top speed and jumping ability and loves to dunk.

Among these five people, only Wells, who is known as the "double fat boys" of New Orleans together with Deron, has slightly poorer physical fitness due to his age.

Although Wells can't jump high or run fast, his weight is enough to surpass most of the power forwards in the league. Coupled with his aggressive playing style, fat butt and good touch, this guy is, in a sense, a nightmare for all his opponents.

Defending him is really tiring and painful.

Of course, the Hornets' lineup also has some big problems.

Such as shooting ability and spacing.

Chandler is a pure blue-collar player who can only dunk and layup. Mason's special move is to turn his back to the restricted area and make a small jump shot. Wells' special move is to turn his back to the basket and make a strong shot. Deron's special move is also to break through and pass the ball, and his 3-point shooting percentage is not stable enough.

As for Yi Jianlian, although his other big selling point is his shooting ability, he is good at mid-range shots. He has not yet adapted to the NBA's three-point line, and his 3-point shooting percentage is only 27%!

But even so, his 3-point shooting percentage is already second among the starting five!

In a team, three of the five starting players have no shooting ability at all, and the remaining two are just about the same. This shows the style of this team.

They have not been able to improve further this season and have never made it to the top half because this weakness of theirs is always discovered and exploited by their opponents.

Whenever the opponent shrinks their defense at a critical moment, the Hornets' offense will immediately fall into trouble.

Of course, the Hornets have several good shooters on the bench, such as Bobby Jackson, Maurice Peterson, and Janelo Pargo.

But the problem is that among these people, only Jackson has seen big scenes, has a strong fist and a big heart. The rest are not the type that head coach Scott can rest assured to put on the court at the last moment.

But Jackson is a short point guard. If he is allowed to be on the court at a critical moment, Deron will have to play the No. 2 position.

The team's perimeter and front line defense will collapse immediately.

So yeah, Scott is difficult.

Quite difficult.

Anyway, whenever the Hornets are unable to break through and miss three-point shots because the opponent shrinks the defense, Scott and many people on the team will miss Peja.

Why was Peja traded?
Fortunately, the player that Peja got back in exchange for, Yi Jianlian, is pretty good.

Although his efficiency is not high, he is hardworking and plug-and-play, and he also plays very well in pick-and-roll with Deron.

Whether it's a slam dunk or a mid-range shot, it can always make people's eyes light up from time to time.

The only problem is that it is not stable enough.

For example, earlier this month, when facing the Bobcats, Al-Farouq Aminu made 17 of 13 shots, and at one point made 12 shots in a row, scoring a big double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds.

但他在这场比赛之前和之后的2场比赛中，总计13投4中，只拿到9分7篮板。

Simply put, you still need to practice.

At least Scott has a very clear understanding in his mind: if this team wants to really achieve results, it will have to make 1-2 more trades to add some players, and then let the players on the team develop further.

It will take at least 2-3 years to truly become a contender for the championship.

As for now?

Get into the playoffs and gain some experience. If you can win a game, you earn a game. If you can win a round, it’s even more profitable!
But of course, Scott would not say these words to his teammates.

It will affect the vitality of young people.

At least Deron and a few others think that the team can win the first place in the Western Conference and the championship this year!
Although everyone knows that the probability is very small, but as a young person, who wouldn’t have some beautiful daydreams and imagine themselves reaching the peak of their life?
It's human nature! (End of this chapter)