NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

This All-Star Weekend was a resounding success from every angle! It was a huge success in terms of buzz, discussion, the excitement of the individual events, the variety of antics, the drama and excitement of the main game, and the dramatic reversals of Lin Tian bullying Jordan at the end.

This All-Star Game will definitely go down in history. At the very least, after the All-Star Game, Stern shamelessly said to the Simon brothers, "You two owe me this time! I could have held this All-Star Game in New York and made more money."

"But now, for the sake of that promise, I'm giving it all to you."

The Simon brothers are busy counting their money right now, so they're completely too lazy to pay any attention to Stern. Yes, yes, you're right.

You have foresight; you knew five years ago that Lin Tian would retire this year.

You can control everything, even changing the All-Star venue that was announced two years in advance.

We owe you everything, it's all we owe you.

The fact that the bosses and CEOs are all so happy is enough to show how great this All-Star Game is.

After the All-Star Game, players from both the East and West mostly chose to stay overnight in Indiana before heading to their respective cities the following day.

The second half of the NBA regular season is still going on!
On the Knicks' side, after having the best first half of the season in franchise history, they immediately got into form and showed no signs of needing to adapt or change.

Just keep going!
The Knicks started the All-Star Game with a six-game winning streak and a 48-5 record, and then followed it up with a five-game winning streak, extending their winning streak to 11 games.

Then?

Their winning streak didn't end; it ended in February.

There's only a little over a month left in the regular season.

As we all know, besides the All-Star Game, there is another major event in February: the trade deadline!
This year's trading deadline was relatively quiet, with not many noteworthy big deals taking place.

The only thing that could potentially change the course of the league is the Cavaliers making another move, sending Larry Hughes, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, along with several draft picks, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for their starting power forward, Pau Gasol.

The Grizzlies have had a run of bad luck in recent years. They've made the playoffs, but most of the time they've just been terrible! They've inherited the team's perfect history in Vancouver, but for the vast majority of the time they've been utterly awful and not worth mentioning.

While Gasol, who they acquired with the biggest contract in franchise history, is undeniably talented and successfully led the team to the playoffs, that's about all Gasol can do.

He led the team to the playoffs, and that was it; that was all he could do.

Going a step further? Breaking through the first round?

That's clearly beyond Gasol's capabilities; he's fundamentally more suited to being the second-in-command.

In addition, with the league focusing on speed and small-ball in recent years, and Gasol himself suffering from injuries year after year, the Grizzlies have long been dissatisfied with Gasol, feeling that he cannot lead the team to further progress.

With the Grizzlies finishing last in the league this year and Gasol's relationship with the team falling apart, the Grizzlies finally found a buyer and traded Gasol to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

This team, which has been rebuilding for years without success, has officially begun rebuilding once again.

Apart from Gasol joining the Cavaliers, there have been no other All-Star level trades in the league, and teams are clearly still waiting.

They'll wait until the offseason, until Lin Tian retires, and then see if they can form a super team to help their team win the championship.

But this year…

Let it go, I can't beat them, it's just too difficult.

With the Knicks' current momentum, who dares to say they can wipe them out with just two trades? They'd be better off waiting!
Of course, this is the management's perspective; management is always more calm and rational, but the players don't think so.

Just look at the scene at the end of the All-Star game where players lined up to ask Lin Tian to meet them in the finals.

Although the brothers were all beaten badly, few of them were really afraid.

We have to keep going!
Garnett is already struggling to make the playoffs, yet he's still asking Lin Tian to make it to the NBA Finals.

It's clear that the players are much tougher than the management most of the time.

But whether it's tough or not, we have to win first.

The Knicks, on the other hand, continued to project an image of invincibility.

They didn't lose a game in the first half of March! They continued their winning streak.

Their winning streak continued to grow to 21 games before they finally suffered a defeat on their westward journey.

This is their second trip to the West, and also their last trip to the West during the regular season.

This time, the opponent is stronger than the last one!
Whether it's the Jazz and Nuggets in the Northwest Division, or the Suns, Lakers, and Clippers in the Pacific Division, these teams either have an overwhelming advantage in the paint, or they are strong teams in general and have an overwhelming advantage in the paint.

Under this tough schedule, the Knicks first managed to defeat the Jazz and Nuggets in succession, with the game against the Nuggets even going into overtime.

Then they faced the Suns, last year's Finals opponent, back-to-back. In the back-to-back battle with the Suns, the Knicks finally felt some physical exhaustion and fatigue, and were eventually overwhelmed by the Suns' crazy offensive, finally suffering a defeat!
At this point, their record had reached 63 wins and 6 losses!

They still have a chance to break the NBA's all-time record for highest winning percentage and most wins!
After everyone quickly and carefully analyzed the Knicks' next opponents, many people gave the same opinion.

This westward expedition is the best, and perhaps only, chance to stop the Knicks from breaking their historical record!
Because the Knicks' upcoming schedule is too easy!

Aside from the two games against the Los Angeles teams, the Knicks have 11 more games to play.

而这11场比赛之中他们有7个主场，并且11个对手的平均胜率仅有44%！其中7支队伍胜率不足50%，只有5支球队是目前处于东西部前八序列之中的！

More importantly, none of their 11 games are back-to-back, and their schedule is quite relaxed.

It's fair to say that the Knicks have the easiest schedule in the entire league with their last 11 games!

Even Stern, when he drafted the schedule last year, certainly didn't expect the Knicks to play so well and have such a great record!

He gave the Knicks such a lenient schedule at the end of the season so that the players could rest and recuperate at the end of the season and be in the best condition to prepare for the playoffs.

From every perspective, Stern really wanted the Knicks to achieve a three-peat and for Lin Tian to have a perfect final season!

But he really didn't expect this season to be so perfect.

If Stern had known that the Knicks still had a chance to break NBA records at this point, he would have made sure to make the Knicks' schedule easier and reduce the number of back-to-back games!
For example, with four games a week and two back-to-back matches, Stern would never allow him to play!

This is seriously affecting the outcome!

Regret it!

Furthermore, the current NBA regular season best winning percentage is 75 wins and 7 losses, which was achieved by Lin Tian when he played for the Pacers!
If the Knicks want to break this record, they'll have to win all of their remaining 11 games!

They need to win another 11 games to finish the season and break the record!
Honestly, this is no easy task, especially as the season draws to a close, when teams are more eager to take down the Knicks and stop them from breaking records!
This isn't a personal grudge; it's simply that everyone is eager and excited to ruin Lin Tian's perfect year.

It's all about a morbid sense of humor and a refusal to admit defeat!

Of course, for the Knicks, the games must be played one at a time!

Their first task is to take down the two Los Angeles teams!

The Clippers are in a slightly better position. Although they now have a dual-core system of Baron Davis and Elton Brand, they have suffered a lot of injuries this season, and the team was able to hover in the top eight in the Western Conference for a period of time in the first half of the season.

Around the All-Star break, they suffered a long losing streak due to injuries and fluctuating form. In the fiercely competitive Western Conference, the Clippers' chances of making the playoffs dwindled. Even so, they still hold a 34-34 record in the West, a record that would rank 7th in the East, but only 11th in the West!

And the Clippers were in a rather awkward position during this period.

Moving up, they are already 3 games behind the 10th-placed Timberwolves and 5 games behind the 8th-placed Jazz. Moving down, it would be extremely difficult for them to catch up with the 12th-placed SuperSonics, who are 11 games ahead of them!

Starting with the Clippers in 11th place, the teams below them are all precipitously bad.

Therefore, the Clippers should be the first team this season with nothing to play for, unable to move up or down, and completely locked in their positions.

Yes, the second team, the Knicks, also secured their position as the league's number one team early on.

From this perspective, the Clippers and the Knicks are like two equally brilliant men, a hidden dragon and a phoenix.

But this obviously does not prove that the game was definitely easy.

The Clippers are still a strong team!
And to make matters worse, they recovered their health at this time and were able to fight as a whole!

Kaman and Brand's twin towers are both offensive and defensive, and their level is quite high. They are one of the top interior combinations in the entire league. Small forward Maggette has also brought the Northern style of hard-hitting and flopping to its peak in recent years. When he drives into the paint, he will make two free throws.

The backcourt duo of Baron Davis and 'Old Cat' Mobley are equally potent and have a strong offensive impact.

Simply put, although this team is currently only tenth in the Western Conference, if they can stay healthy this year, it's not impossible for them to make it to the top half of the standings!

Now that they are all out in action, they are definitely eager to defend their home court, win the game, and become the obstacle preventing the Knicks from breaking their best record in history!
Once the game started, the Clippers certainly showed their desire and intensity.

With Davis and Mobley's outside shooting firepower, Maggette's shameless flopping style, and the two big men constantly attacking the basket, the Clippers scored more than 30 points in every quarter of the four-quarter game!

But their problem is that their firepower is absolutely formidable, and there are very few teams in the league that can match it.

But their defense is even worse than the Knicks'!

Brand and Kaman are both better at offense than defense, which makes them the best defenders on the team!

Who can blame them when the remaining three players are completely unguarded, yet their defensive abilities are comparable to those of Carmelo Anthony?
The Knicks can field a few players who excel at defense, while the Clippers have absolutely nothing!

Against the Knicks, it's not impossible to abandon defense and go toe-to-toe with them, but 30 points in a quarter is definitely not enough!
The Knicks scored over 35 points in all four quarters, including over 40 points in two of them!

With three minutes remaining in the game, the score was 154-130!

The Clippers scored 130 points and were still down by a full 24 points to the Knicks!
Logically speaking, this should have been a resounding victory! Three Knicks players scored over 30 points, with Anthony scoring a remarkable 44 points. He went on a scoring spree in the fourth quarter, racking up 21 points and being the biggest contributor to the team's massive lead.

However, the Knicks' key players didn't leave the court until the last two minutes of the game tonight.

As for the reason?

Of course, it's the Clippers' firepower that's terrifying!

They even narrowed the gap to just 2 points at one point in the fourth quarter!
If Lin Tian hadn't stepped up his defense and locked down Davis one-on-one, he would have effectively shut down the Clippers' offensive initiation point.

Since then, the Clippers' offense has fallen into complete disarray, relying solely on Brand's isolated scoring attempts. The Knicks have launched a counterattack, unleashing a furious barrage of attacks on the Clippers' defense.

The gap between the two sides widened rapidly from 2 points in a few minutes, until it reached more than 20 points in the last few minutes. Only then did Nelson finally call it quits and withdraw his main players.

The Knicks won the game, but their starters were all exhausted tonight.

Stoudemire and Anthony both played for more than 44 minutes, and Lin Tian also made an unprecedented appearance tonight, playing a full 41 minutes!

It's worth noting that Lin Tian's average playing time this season is the lowest since he left the Bulls, at only 35.6 minutes per game!

He played for a full five minutes longer tonight.

This actually shows that Don Nelson really wants this regular season best record! He really wants it.

That's the first in history! It's not shameful to want it at all.

That's why Don Nelson chose to go all out when facing the tenacious Clippers, even though it would consume a lot of the players' energy and stamina.

But how to say it?

Anyway, Lin Tian has been playing conservatively all season, and Anthony and Stoudemire haven't had much playing time either. So from the perspective of the whole season, losing one game is no big deal and doesn't matter.

But the Knicks have to stay overnight in Los Angeles!

They have to play the Lakers again tomorrow night! This is their second game of a back-to-back, and also the Knicks' fourth game in six days! They're playing two back-to-backs in six days, both on the road!
Tomorrow's game will be the Knicks' real challenge.

With a series of games, consecutive away games, and back-to-backs, the Knicks will undoubtedly be quite exhausted tomorrow.

Especially since they are facing the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference and are only one game behind the first place!
The Lakers' record this season is certainly not comparable to the Knicks', and due to McGrady's season-ending injury, they have never played at full strength this season.

The good news is that Kirilenko has recovered his health this year, rookie Durant has already secured the Rookie of the Year award, and the team has also welcomed back Kobe's old partner Fisher from the past few years.

With Bynum making rapid progress and averaging 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season, the Lakers are now a formidable force. They held the top spot in the Western Conference for a full 21 days this season, which is the third longest streak in the entire West.

All these factors combined make up the outcome of tomorrow's match.

It is precisely because of these factors combined and the fans' careful analysis that everyone agrees that tomorrow's game is the Knicks' biggest challenge in their quest for the highest winning percentage in history!
If they win this game, their next ten or so games will be relatively easier. They have more home games, fewer strong teams, no back-to-back games, and an easy schedule. It is quite possible that they will win all their games and become the team with the highest winning percentage in the regular season!

However, if the Knicks lose to the Lakers, they can only catch up but not surpass them, which are two completely different things in a sense.

Therefore, when you have the chance to go for it, you must go for it!
"Get ready to win this game! Think about it, what an opportunity this is!" Before the game against the Lakers, Don Nelson once again stood in the middle of the room and started a pre-game pep talk.

He has held very few meetings this season, giving the vast majority of opportunities to Anthony and Stoudemire. This year's Knicks are truly striving for victory and the best record while also honing the skills of their two future leaders.

Both Old Nelson and Lin Tian were truly worried sick.

"I don't need to explain how important tonight is, do I? I'll just say one thing: Tonight is our chance to make history! Tonight is a pivotal moment for us to become the greatest team in NBA history!"

"Win tonight's game, aim for the best regular season record in NBA history, then have a great playoff run and win a three-peat!"

"I don't need to explain what this means, do I?"

"You will be forever recorded in history. Even 20, 30, or 50 years from now, when you recall this year, you will smile and feel incredibly proud!"

"Let me put it this way, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you! Just this once! If you miss it, you'll never have it again."

"Well, besides Lin, Lin has already been a substitute for two of the strongest teams in history."

"Speaking of which, guess what Lin will say when he's interviewed years later, when reporters ask him: Who was your best teammate? Which team was the strongest you've ever played for?"

"Do you want him to constantly talk about Jordan, Pippen, Miller, Carter, and Barkley?"

"Do you expect him to name the 74-win Bulls and the 75-win Pacers without hesitation, but not mention the Knicks at all? Do you hope that day will come? Do you want that day to come?"

"Coach, I'm still here. Shouldn't we talk about this after I go outside?" All eyes were now on Lin Tian, ​​as if they desperately needed an answer from him right now. (End of Chapter)