Chapter 898 897. The Battle of Little New Year's Eve (20,000 Words Completed, Monthly Vote Requested)
"Say! Uncle, what do you want to do! Do you want to trick Dinah into buying you something again? Dinah's pocket money is going to be used up! No money!" The little Loli hid far away. She was attacked by the evil uncle last time. An ice cream man cheated her into buying a laptop, and now the little loli is quite afraid of Liu Mang.
"..." On his way home from training, Liu Mang saw that Dinah's favorite dessert shop had new products, and bought a box specially. Who knew that he was considered to be a conspiracy to defraud her of money!
Liu Mang is so angry. Are he that kind of person?
Liu Mang angrily put the snack on the table and angrily took the ball to the backyard to continue practicing shooting.
When the little Loli saw Liu Mang leaving, she carefully opened the snack box and took a bite. It was not poisonous and was delicious, and then she ate it all...
During the three days from the 27th to the 29th, the Eagles players had a day off on the 27th, and the coaching staff met to continue studying the style of play for the next game.
The six remaining opponents before the All-Star Weekend are on the 28th, playing the Rockets away; playing the Clippers, Bulls, and Timberwolves at home; and finally playing the Grizzlies and SuperSonics back-to-back.
On the 29th, I was in Atlanta to train for the game against the Rockets. This game against the Rockets has four days of rest, so there is no need to take a rest. It can also be regarded as a preview for the first game after the All-Star Weekend - against the Heat.
Because Liu Mang was going to have his own child in more than nine months, he wanted to have more little lolita, but he didn't expect to be rejected!
Alexia now avoids Liu Mang when she sees Liu Mang's attentiveness, for fear that Liu Mang will become animalistic and do something.
Liu Mang just wanted to pay more attention to his girlfriend who was pregnant with the child!
Only then did Liu Mang realize what it meant to go too far, so he simply stayed as usual, and spent the past few days spending the night with Levia...
On the morning of January 30, Liu Mang and Dinah came back from a morning run together, took a shower, and then set off for the airport to go to Houston to play Yao Ming!
…
…
"Ace, you are doing great this year! So amazing!" Yao Ming exclaimed.
Liu Mang is currently averaging 36.5 points per game, which is very stable, and since he is competing with Kobe Bryant for the 40+ points ranking, Yao Ming feels that Liu Mang's points per game may still increase.
Kobe was really an iron man. The team doctor said he had to rest for a few games, but he managed to play. Just like Liu Mang's memory, Kobe will continue to play until there are two months left in the season. Si couldn't bear it anymore and had a heart-to-heart talk with him before he chose to rest.
Moreover, due to Liu Mang's relationship in this time and space, Kobe's summer progress was a little faster than before. At this time of the Lakers, coach Tomjanovich has been absent for a month on and off, and he has not completely collapsed. Compared with Kobe and Liu Mang, It is expected that even faster progress will be inseparable.
However, Liu Mang feels that the threat to Kobe this season is no longer great. When Kobe was super talented, he could score more than 50 points. However, due to his physical breakdown, he often had dozens of games. Kobe had two games this season. "Classic Battle". When they played against the Bobcats for the second time, they threw 46 times and only hit 22 times to score 55 points. The Lakers were beaten by the Bobcats by a 15-point difference. The Bobcats 133 to 118 doubled this season. Lakers.
Unfortunately, Boss Joe didn't even watch the home game since he was beaten by the Eagles last time...
When Kobe shot more and made fewer shots, it was miserable. In one game against the Pistons, he only made 7 of 28 shots and scored 17 points. The Lakers were beaten.
But with Kobe, who can always score high points, Yao Ming feels that Liu Mang will feel the pressure, and there will definitely be more 40+ players.
Yao Ming is really envious, he has only scored 40 points twice so far.
"Dayao, you are also very good, the number one center in the Western Conference, haha..." Liu Mang joked.
"Haha, that's because O'Neal went to the Eastern Conference, otherwise he would be the best." Yao Ming did not refuse the title of the No. 1 center in the Western Conference.
"He is older than you. As long as you protect your knees and feet like him, you will definitely be the number one center in the NBA one day!"
"I will, I believe you will become the number one player in the NBA one day."
Liu Mang and Yao Ming looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.
Business flattery always makes people feel good...
The Hawks arrived in Houston in the afternoon. After Liu Mang took a nap, he received a call from Yao Ming and asked him to have dinner at his house.
They only made an appointment with Liu Mang. What Yao Ming was mainly afraid of was that he would treat guests to dinner at home. The Chinese food cooked by Ye Li, who retired from the WCBA and later accompanied Yao Ming in the United States, was not used to the Chinese food.
Liu Mang hadn't eaten Chinese food for a long time, so he didn't have any dietary restrictions today. He had a big meal and probably trained two more sets of fat-reducing exercises.
…
Liu Mang and Yao Ming were having dinner together happily, but at dawn in China, the day before the game between the Hawks and the Rockets, the heat of the game had begun to heat up.
Chaoting Sports Channel will broadcast live on February 1st, BJ time, which is the morning of Little New Year's Eve. The day before the game, domestic fans are looking forward to this "Chinese Derby" approaching the New Year.
The Hawks currently rank first in the Eastern Conference with 38 wins and 7 losses.
Although the Rockets' record is not that good, their record of 30 wins and 16 losses is still ranked among the best in the league. They are firmly ranked fifth in the Western Conference, beating the Kings, the top team in the Western Conference in the past few years.
The Rockets are stronger
Not only at home, but also in the United States, the game between the Eagles and Rockets also attracts much attention.
The Hawks and Rockets are representative teams of the new and old styles of play in the NBA. The Hawks are naturally the representative team of the "run and gun" tactics that are now rising strongly, while the Rockets are the representative team of the traditional positional warfare team.
The Rockets have a characteristic that the closer they get to the middle of the season, the better they play! It's a very strange characteristic. At the end of December, the Rockets were once overtaken by the Nuggets and the Kings, but as the game went on, the Rockets returned to the fifth place in the West.
The most important thing is that the Rockets seem to be able to restrain the run-and-gun teams. The Rockets played against the Suns four times this season. The first game was a miserable loss, 87 to 107, losing 20 points, but in the second game, the Rockets responded with a 20-point massacre 131 to 111.
They relied on using the rebounding advantage of Yao Ming and Richard Jefferson to rush for frontcourt rebounds and reduce the Suns' chances of directly starting fast breaks. Yao Ming grabbed 22 rebounds in that game, including 11 offensive rebounds, which refreshed his career record for frontcourt rebounds.
In the third match, the Rockets went one step further and restricted the Suns' positional warfare. Richard Jefferson defended Nash to only 6 points and 10 assists, and the Suns were defeated by the Rockets 89 to 95.
Not long ago, the Suns lost the seventh game, and the opponent was the Rockets again. This time, both teams played well. In the end, the Rockets' new player Mike James scored 11 points in the final quarter and defeated the Suns with a difficult 1-point advantage of 99 to 98.
The Rockets also became the only team in the league with a record advantage over the Suns!
The Rockets can't speed up even if they want to, mainly because of Yao Ming. Yao Ming's presence makes it impossible to speed up the game rhythm, so no matter how the Suns speed up, the Rockets look like the Spurs, and they have been steadily fighting positional warfare.
The Rockets have a winning rate of 70% in the games Yao Ming has played this season. He has played a total of 40 games so far, winning 28 games. In the 6 games he didn't play, the Rockets only won two games.
When the Rockets, a team that seems to be naturally restrained against running and gunning teams, met the Hawks, a famous "running and gunning" team, both Chinese and American fans were very interested in this game.
…
…
On January 31, which is February 1 in China, at 7:50 p.m., the Hawks' away game against the Rockets was about to begin, and the players of both teams had already entered the court.
Playing away in Houston is a wonderful thing for the Hawks, because there are not many boos. The locals of Houston are too calm, all highly educated, and "disdain" to cheer or boo.
Moreover, this game attracted many tourists from China, fans from Chinatowns in various cities in Texas, and many Asian fans. When Liu Mang's Hawks team came out, they also received cheers.
After entering the court, Liu Mang looked at the strength of the opposing players.
Yao Ming, ability evaluation 90, offense 92, defense 89, three-pointer 61, mid-range 88, layup 98, speed 72, strength 98.
What a great strength, mid-range shooting and basket play!
Richard Jefferson, ability rating 87, offense 86, defense 88, three-point shooting 85, mid-range shooting 77, layup 92.
The core duo of the Rockets is still very strong, which is the key to the Rockets ranking fifth in the West, but the others are just average.
Rockets guard Bob Sura, ability rating 74, power forward Juwan Howard ability rating 76, the best player in the starting lineup besides Richard Jefferson and Yao Ming is actually the 34-year-old veteran David Wesley who was traded from the Hornets at the end of December!
David Willis ability rating 79, offense 79, defense 80, three-point shooting 84, mid-range shooting 79, layup 85, strength 77, speed 92.
However, the Rockets' bench lineup is really a group of players. Mike James from the Bucks, Jon Barry from the Nuggets, and Mutombo from the players cut by the Knicks... Either they are homeless or they are players who can't get any older.
Liu Mang felt that Yao Ming was really pitiful, and when more than 2,000 fans who knew Chinese or simple Chinese shouted for a "snap shot", he went up and threw a Los Angeles-style sniper shot in a coquettish manner, and the "clang" sound was beautiful and pleasant.
Yao Ming was so angry that he couldn't see so many Chinese fans at ordinary times! It made the home court lively at ordinary times, and the players had no interest in playing at home.
Van Gundy was also very depressed. Usually, the fans didn't make any noise. He also gave free tickets to college students, asking them to pretend to be away fans to boo their own team, so that their own team would feel like playing away.
Of the 30 games won by the Rockets, 21 games were away wins, and only 9 games were won at home. Van Gundy really didn't understand.
The day before the game, Liu Mang and Yao Ming were very friendly when they met, but it was different the next day.
Such a game is related to the "face" of the two. Now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, the ratings of the game between the Hawks and the Rockets are very high in China, breaking 1 for a long time. The ratings of this Chinese derby will be even higher.
Who doesn't want to win the game that fans in their own country pay the most attention to? Liu Mang and Yao Ming both want to. Before the game, their parents called and said they got up and waited to watch the game, so they both worked harder!
The game is about to start. The Eagles are practicing on their own. Those who should do their pre-game moves are doing their pre-game moves. When Prince was dancing, there were fans with Asian faces dancing with him. Except when he was playing against the Knicks, he was booed every time he danced in an away game. Unexpectedly, when he danced in an away game in the Western Conference, the opposing fans actually cheered him! It made Prince twist even more excited!
As for the Rockets, playing at home, Van Gundy habitually calls the players together.
"You have to win honor for the home fans! Hope, no, definitely! We must score more than 100 points today, we must score more than 100 points at home for the tenth time this season, and win hamburgers and Cokes for the fans... ..." Van Gundy was helpless, why did he have to do such a job!
But just like when he said he won honors for the home fans, the players unconsciously looked at the fans who had no reaction when the game was about to start. In the end, he could only talk about the weird way to encourage the players.
For these home fans, only hamburgers and Coke can keep them high.
The Rockets players are also mysteriously motivated to win hamburgers and Coke for the home fans.
As for why these highly intellectual, senior white-collar workers with an estimated per capita annual income of $100,000 rewarded their favorites with a hamburger and Coke meal, the Rockets management and coaching staff were also confused.
Why the Rockets players got excited about giving gifts to fans also confused the Rockets management and coaching staff.
The Rockets have scored over 100 points a total of 13 times this season. The most ridiculous thing is that the home winning rate is so low, but 10 of the times they have scored over 100 points have been completed at home.
In away games, the Rockets have a long-standing problem of scoring over 100 points. At the beginning of the season, they did not score over 100 points for the entire first month. The Rockets once fell to ninth in the Western Conference due to their poor offense, which made the Rockets management and McDonald's, which sponsors the Rockets, struggled to think of a way to come up with a campaign where fans who scored 100 points at home would give away hamburgers and Coke packages to the fans.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the event came out, the Rockets players became more active in playing at home. As long as burgers and Coke were mentioned, the players were very excited.
The Rockets management and coaching staff don't understand this at all.
Anyway, Liu Mang, who came next to Yao Ming and raised his hand to put on Yao Ming's shoulder, didn't understand.
"Dibane, don't worry, we are playing against the Hawks today, the pace is so fast, we will definitely get 100 points!" Yao Ming said to his substitute Mutombo next to him, then he saw Liu Mang and patted Liu Mang said over his shoulder: "Right, Ace, we will definitely get 100 points!"
"Yeah." Liu Mang responded quickly.
Yao Ming turned around and was about to encourage other teammates to focus at home, but suddenly he felt something was wrong... Why is that bastard Liu Mang here!
Yao Ming turned to stare at Liu Mang. The Rockets players also felt something was wrong when they heard Liu Mang's voice. Then everyone on the Rockets stared at Liu Mang.
So...
Liu Mang was sandwiched between Mutombo and Juwan Howard and thrown back to the Hawks bench...
This scene happened to be noticed by the sharp-eyed cameraman in advance, and the live TV picture continued until this scene. The fans in front of the TV sets in China and the United States laughed until their stomachs hurt, especially Yao Ming who patted his shoulder. Instead of "discussing tactics" with Liu Mang, the last 12 Rockets players who had a chance to play today reacted and stared at Liu Mang, which almost made the fans burst into laughter.
When Liu Mang was pushed back to the visiting team's bench by Juwan Howard and Mutombo, the fans were already laughing...
Liu Mang originally planned to sneak over to listen to the tactics. How could the Rockets, the only team in the league that had defeated the Suns at least twice, restrain fast breaks? Liu Mang wanted to know, who knew the other team was discussing hamburgers? !
Could it be that when hamburgers are distributed to home fans, players like them can also get one? Got a hamburger and Coke that only cost $4?
That's enough!
Liu Mang didn't know what kind of material the brains of the Rockets were made of.
…
At eight o'clock, Liu Mang maliciously sprinkled the powder in the direction of the Rockets' bench, and walked onto the court in front of the speechless eyes of a group of league officials on the technical stage.
For the Eagles, today's game was played with all the main players due to four days of rest. Against this legendary opponent who is the most experienced opponent in running and gunning teams, this time it was Varejao's turn to play in the Development League, because Vallejo Joe barely gets a chance to play. Korver's three-pointers are getting better and better now. He is very good as a running shooter in the bottom corner area at a 45-degree angle on both sides of the three-point line. His practical experience in the Development League allows him to The running position had the opportunity to be exercised in official games, which had an unexpected effect.
Liu Mang, Tracy McGrady, Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Kwame Brown started.
The Rockets sent out a starting lineup of David Wesley, Bob Sura, Richard Jefferson, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming.
Yao Ming and Kwame Brown came to the center circle to jump the ball. There was no suspense. Kwame Brown was like a chicken when he met the "number one center". He jumped up and hit Yao Ming, who only had a matchbox bounce. Move the ball backwards.
Liu Mang caught the ball and threw it to McGrady, then rushed toward the frontcourt.
Unexpectedly, when Liu Mang rushed to the center line, he was hit by Yao Ming who was trying to block him. He was almost knocked to the ground. He finally managed to stabilize his body, but his speed was suddenly reduced. Seeing the Rockets retreating to their positions, Liu Mang stared at Yao Ming. Yao Ming had become thick-skinned and ignored Liu Mang's gaze.
Liu Mang was so angry that he stared at the referee and pointed at Yao Ming and complained in an Orlando-style manner: "Referee, he hit me!"