Chapter 1365 1364. The Eagles Are Crazy! (Second Update, Also 4000 Words)
While negotiating with the Heat, the Hawks began a new year's journey that was tight but had relatively weak opponents.
On January 1, the Hawks and the Wizards started the first game of the new year.
101 to 92, the Hawks defeated the Wizards without any danger.
Liu Mang scored 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks. During the defense, Liu Mang made Arenas only score 16 points in 30 shots.
It seems that the score difference is small, but fans who watched the game know how badly the Wizards played.
At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks beat the Wizards 38 to 11, leading by 27 points in the first quarter!
Arenas can be said to be angry with everyone he sees in the regular season this season. He played 36 games. Although he only scored 40+ points 4 times, he scored more than 30 points in 25 games, and there was no game with less than 20 points.
But... Arenas made 0 of 10 shots in the first quarter today...
Liu Mang's defense is not that good, and it is definitely not as good as Prince, but he defended it.
It was mainly a psychological effect. Arenas became weak when he saw Liu Mang. The more he wanted to prove himself, the more shots he made, and the more missed shots he made. Liu Mang had 3 steals and 2 blocks in the first quarter, and abused Arenas.
However, after Liu Mang started to rest in the second quarter, he couldn't help but complain about his teammates.
They were so wasteful that they lost a 20-point lead at the beginning, and at the end of the half, the score difference was only 9 points, 60 to 51, and the opponent scored 40 points in a single quarter...
Jamison was really amazing, scoring 22 points in a single quarter and beating Marion and Granger.
Jamison made 17 of 31 shots, 7 of 12 three-pointers, and scored 46 points. However, it was useless for Jamison to go crazy alone. After Liu Mang returned to the court in the third quarter, he stabilized the situation again. Although Arenas dared to fight and fight in garbage time after Liu Mang left in the last quarter and raised his score to 30+, the Hawks still won.
Liu Mang played for 23 minutes, 9 of 15 shots, easily got 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks, helping the Hawks win.
…
After playing against the Wizards, the Hawks rested for a day, and had a home back-to-back game on the 3rd and 4th, playing the Grizzlies and Rockets, two teams in the Southwest Division, and then rested for a day on the 5th, and played three games in five days on the 6th, 8th and 10th, playing the Timberwolves, Celtics and Bucks.
It was okay during the back-to-back game, just getting into this rhythm, and the team's physical fitness had not yet been affected. The home back-to-back games were won.
Liu Mang scored 20 points against the Grizzlies, playing for only 23 minutes, 6 of 11 shots, 4 of which were three-pointers, and easily beat the Grizzlies, who ranked third from the bottom in the Western Conference; he scored 39 points against the Rockets, just one point away from tying the 40+ times last season. Iguodala always defended Liu Mang well, and this opponent knew him too well. Liu Mang used all his skills, 13 of 30 shots and 39 points, helping the Hawks win five consecutive games.
But the remaining three games are three consecutive away games every other day, especially the Timberwolves who just played back-to-back games against the Grizzlies and Rockets. Although Liu Mang scored 45 points, tying the 40+ times last season and getting the eighth 40+ this season, McGrady had no choice but to score 2 of 12 today, only 6 points, and 5 turnovers. The Hawks lost to the Timberwolves 87-99 away.
This is purely because of his poor condition. Liu Mang finally understood why the Mavericks lost to the Grizzlies and Celtics.
But in the next game against the Celtics, Liu Mang only scored 30 points, while the Hawks beat the Celtics by 33 points.
In the last game of the brutal schedule, Reed, who fought alone, performed well in this game, scoring a large triple-double of 39 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, and led the team to defeat the Hawks led by Liu Mang who scored 35 points.
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…
At the beginning of the new year, the Hawks had 4 wins and 2 losses, which was generally good.
The record also improved to 24 wins and 13 losses, which has a clear advantage over the Raptors' 22 wins and 17 losses.
The Heat has fallen to eighth in the East, and the Hawks' third place is basically stable now.
The Hawks coaching staff and Liu Mang's ideas are to keep it stable.
It was a rare time that he did not get the first place in the East. Liu Mang felt the record of the upper and middle reaches of the East and understood that it was not that difficult for the East to enter the playoffs... and the top four were not particularly difficult either. However, the first place in the East is really not easy. The first and second places in the East are often very different from the ones behind.
The Bulls, now ranked second in the Eastern Conference, have 29 wins and 10 losses, two more games than the Hawks, and three fewer losses.
Now there are only three teams in the league with less than 10 losses, the Mavericks, the Lakers, and the Cavaliers.
After three consecutive away games, Liu Mang and his teammates returned to Atlanta. There are five games in the next 10 days, which is not as tight as the first ten days, but the opponents have become stronger.
It is already the middle of the season, and many teams are beginning to feel a little tired. The Hawks are relatively better. The previous schedule is easy, but it also indicates that the next is a cruel test.
First, there are three home games, the Nuggets, the Suns, and the Jazz. The games against the Suns and the Jazz are back-to-back home games, followed by two consecutive away games, back-to-back away games against the Bulls and the Magic. The weakest Magic team is a tough stubble. Don’t look at their average record. They have just improved to a 50% winning rate of 15 wins and 15 losses, and climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference, but they are very tough!
The main reason is that the 34-year-old Grant Hill miraculously maintained an appearance rate of 70%. He played in 21 of the 30 games. The games he did not play were all the second games of back-to-back. In the last year of his big contract, the Magic Also use it sparingly.
Moreover, Hill averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.4 steals in 26 minutes per game, playing a crucial role in the Magic's entry into the playoffs.
They are not easy opponents to deal with.
…
"Iverson, Anthony, wow, we finally have to play against them." McGrady came to the arena early this morning to practice shooting and was very excited.
"Are you going to guard Iverson or should I be guarding you?" Liu Mang asked a very important question.
"Ace, you are the favorite for the best defensive team, come on." McGrady decisively complimented him.
"No, no, no, Tracy, you are already a master of secondary defense, so you should do it." Liu Mang responded immediately.
Guard against Iverson, damn it!
The person Liu Mang hated guarding the most was Iverson. He would rather be elbowed by Kobe than have his leg broken by this guy.
"Ace, you..." McGrady stared at Liu Mang speechlessly, "You can't guard against it, how can I guard against it?"
"..."
"..."
Liu Mang and Maddie looked at each other and fell silent.
Suddenly, a figure flashed through Liu Mang's head...
"Why don't you let Jian stay on guard?" Liu Mang made a suggestion.
"Ace, is this okay?" Maddie said like this, but her eyes also lit up.
Who wants to guard Iverson, who is getting better in the mid-range and can pass the ball?
"Tracy, this is an experience for Rajan. Only by fighting against the strongest opponent can he become stronger!" Liu Mang said sonorously and forcefully.
"...Ace, what you say is always right!" Maddie was speechless for two seconds and immediately agreed.
The two high-fived and it was decided!
…
After a while, Mike Woodson came, and Liu Mang and Mike Woodson talked about asking Rondo to guard Iverson.
Mike Woodson thinks it's okay: "Rajan has enough speed and defensive awareness. Ace, you can just take a rest. You have been too tired from attacking recently."
Although Mike Woodson has clearly rejected the Eagles' contract extension, many teams are already waiting to poach players at the end of this season.
But in his position, he should be doing his job. Mike Woodson did not just deal with the current assistant coach job casually just because he was ready to change teams and become the head coach.
A very important thing for the Hawks this season is to allow Liu Mang to rest more and recuperate Liu Mang's body, which has been consumed by playing at least until the Eastern Conference Finals every year for the five seasons since he entered the NBA.
Rondo's offensive end... is just like that, basically no improvement, the free throw shooting is a little better, but almost half a season has passed, and the free throw shooting rate is just 50%, which is 48% compared to the total shooting rate. The shooting percentage, this free throw shooting rate is eye-catching, and the 12.5% three-point shooting rate is even more eye-catching.
Rondo has made 16 three-pointers so far this season and only made two... According to the data table on the NBA official website, Rondo averages 0 three-pointers per game, because he averages less than 0.1 per game...
But Rondo's defense has improved significantly, just like the passing he is becoming more and more familiar with, as if God provides food, passing and defense have natural instincts.
With Rondo who can keep up with Iverson's speed, Liu Mang's burden will be lighter, and Mike Woodson thinks it is feasible.
After Mike Woodson had a chat with Liu Mang and decided to use Rondo to defend Iverson this time, he went back to the office. Liu Mang continued to compete with McGrady in shooting.
McGrady is really no match for Liu Mang in this regard. McGrady's various skills, in addition to relying on breakthroughs in physical fitness, other skills such as shooting or footwork, have all reached the peak of the first-class level. When he was closest to the top, he stagnated.
His talent allows him to quickly master any technique, but the upper limit is there. He cannot practice to the extreme like Liu Mang, Kobe, and Duncan.
This leads to the fact that if McGrady is healthy and has no good helpers like he did with the Magic in the 2002-03 season, he can use his ability to excel in all techniques to achieve epic efficiency, but in a situation that requires When playing in a role-based strong team, apart from passing, he may not be as outstanding in other aspects as Klay Thompson, an extremely dedicated player.
However, McGrady’s comprehensiveness allows him to do things that players like Klay Thompson can’t do most of the time. For example, if Klay Thompson has an abnormal three-point touch, he will be a sinkhole, while McGrady has many Adjustment method.
Each has its own advantages. For Liu Mang, a pure pitcher is certainly not as good as a Maima who can throw out anything he doesn't want to do.
Another shooting duel between Liu Mang and Tracy McGrady was about to begin, and Mike Woodson suddenly came back in a hurry.
"What's wrong Mike, did the coach say he won't let Rajon play more?" Liu Mang's heart suddenly trembled.
McGrady is also in pain, no one wants to guard Iverson!
"No, Ace...Tracy, please come too..."
Mike Woodson took Liu Mang and McGrady to the office together.
Something big happened...
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"The Eagles are crazy!" 》
On January 12, 2007, when the Eagles were preparing for their game against the Nuggets on January 13, T.N.T gave such a title on the headlines of its official website.
"Shocking trade, Hawks acquire Dwyane Wade"
ESPN gave a decent headline.
Subsequently, NBA officials, Hawks officials, and Heat officials confirmed the transaction.
The Hawks gave away the Rockets' 2007 first-round pick with lottery protection, the Hawks' 2007 second-round pick, the Hawks' 2008 second-round pick, Kyler Korver, and Tayshaun Prince. , Rasheed Wallace, Paul Millsap, and acquired Dwyane Wade and Antoine Walker from the Heat.
This is news that suddenly came to light. Neither the Hawks nor the Heat had revealed any news before. People were paying attention to the potential trades of the Nets and SuperSonics in the middle of the season. Unexpectedly, the Hawks and Heat actually conducted a trade. About Wade’s trade!
Using two important rotation players to replace Dwyane Wade, people felt that the Eagles were crazy!
This is gambling!
Time Warner commentator Bill Walton analyzed: "The Hawks' record this season is only ranked third in the Eastern Conference. As the best team and the greatest team in the new century, they must be dissatisfied with such results, and It is foreseeable that in the next two or three years, their lineup will not be as dominant as before. They are betting that Wade can return to health next season. If Wade returns to 70% to 80% of his strength, the Hawks' deal will be made money.
But this risk is very high. Wade's salary next season is more than 12 million. If Wade cannot return to the ideal state of the Hawks, they will be saddled with Wade's big contract until 2010, just like Grant. -Hill dragged the Magic down like he did. "
Bill Walton's analysis has been widely recognized.
Just like the headline used by ESPN was that the Hawks "took over" Wade, rather than the MVP combination of Liu Mang, Wade, and McGrady on the outside, almost no one had much hope for Wade at this time.
Wade's injury is the first in the history of NBA injury records. He is the only one who tore his cruciate ligament without a meniscus.
The Eagles are totally acting like a gambler this time around.
but……
This kind of gambling-style transaction is very consistent with the temperament of the Eagles...
The Hawks seem to be gambling every year, from the big dog at the beginning, to Tianzun, to Tracy McGrady. Except for one steady performance in the 05-06 season, they have been gambling before.
Generally speaking, people think that this transaction by the Eagles has a positive meaning. The Eagles are seeking changes and are not satisfied with the status quo.
As for the Heat...
Pat Riley is under fire again...
Wade had just been injured, and he was sold in less than a month!
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I updated 8,000 words today~ Before my body recovers, I will update 8,000 words on Buddhism every day. Two or three chapters, adding up to 8,000 words.
The beginning of the new year was originally so good, with subscriptions reaching the peak of the book and monthly subscriptions reaching the highest level, but Xiaofeng messed up on his own.
Thank you friends for your monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, rewards, and subscriptions, thank you!