Basketball Legends: Strikers Are King

Hawks fans are very happy. Even after Joe Johnson was traded, they are currently unexpectedly ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, only 4 games away from the third-place Pacers in the Eastern Conference.

What's even more gratifying is that the opponent lost three players due to injuries!

"As long as we win this game, we can narrow the gap to 3 games. If everything goes well in the future and we enter the playoffs with the top four or fifth rankings in the Eastern Conference, we will have completed our mission!"

The Eagles fans who came to the away game to support the home team were so excited.

But his companion next to him interrupted:

"If the Pacers miss three starters, wouldn't they become a weak persimmon in the first half? If we lose the game and are ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, would it be better to beat the Pacers who are third in the Eastern Conference?"

As soon as this point of view was raised, the surrounding Eagles fans were immediately stunned.

Yes, the strength of the opponent is affected. If you win this game, you will face one of the Bulls or Nets in the playoffs. With the strength of the Hawks, you can strive to reach the second round;

But if they lose to their opponents, the Pacers can solidify their third position in the Eastern Conference, and the Hawks can take advantage of the trend and fall from fifth to sixth. By then, against the greatly reduced Pacers, there is a high probability that they can advance to the second round!

"Hey, are we going to cheer for our opponents?"

As soon as this idea came up, Eagles fans immediately rejected it.

They are still wearing Eagles jerseys. What will happen if they cheer for their opponents?

But their confidence in supporting the Eagles was somewhat shaken, and their voices were actually much quieter.

The Eagles certainly considered the possibility of this operation, but ultimately rejected it.

"After losing Joe Johnson, we must try our best to win!"

Larry Drew thought of what the president said to him before the game, and he believed it.

The Eagles, who can only rely on Josh, are not qualified to do acrobatics.

"With Paul and the others absent, we must show our energy and not let down the 20,000 fans at home!"

Vogel encouraged the players and let them get on the court.

Stephenson finally got the chance to start. What made him slightly unhappy was that Augustin and Hansbrough also got this rare opportunity.

The Hawks' starters are Petro, Horford, Josh, Dengta Jones and Teague.

"Body men are so difficult to deal with."

Qi Tian, ​​who was promoted to small forward, had to face the impact of Josh Smith, and he felt a little unsure.

This is also true. At the beginning, Josh attacked the basket and scored a dunk. Then he received a pass from Horford and hit a layup.

Hibbert and Augustin scored 4 points in a row to help the team chase points.

"We must control our opponent!"

Qi Tian knew he had to defend Josh, so he had an idea and took half a step back while defending.

Josh was overjoyed when he saw the space and quickly retreated to take a jump shot, but his slow shot was blocked by Qi Tianzheng.

Qi Tian took advantage of the opportunity and scored 4 points in a row to help the team take the lead.

"9-14."

"Hey, Qi Tian performed well this time. I thought he would languish when his teammates were injured."

Seeing Qi Tian's performance, Pacers fans said in surprise.

Qi Tian's strategy of preventing penetration but not shooting against Josh also caused Josh's offense to suffer setbacks, and Qi Tian also completed a steal.

"14-19."

In the last 3 minutes of the first quarter, the Pacers still maintained a 5-point lead.

However, the absence of George and others reduced the thickness of the Pacers' lineup. After replacing the substitutes, the Hawks tied the score with the scoring of Josh and Korver.

"26-26."

"Did you see that the Pacers are no longer strong?"

Seeing the team easily chasing points in the transition period, Eagles fans were overjoyed at first, and then fell into confusion.

How cool would it be if this was a playoff matchup?!

You know, the substitute lineup has always been a shortcoming of the current Hawks. This year's rookie Jenkins did not perform as expected, and the five substitutes who were recruited from the Nets did not show the ability to stay.

But now the shortcoming of the Eagles' substitutes is that no matter how short they are, they are actually longer than their opponents!

"We have to take more action!"

Qi Tian knew that the current Pacers did not have the capital to maintain a stalemate with their opponents, so they started taking action at the beginning of the second quarter.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

He scored 4 points in a row to help the team take the lead, and then cooperated with Ben Hansbrough's pass, causing Korver to foul and go to the free throw line.

"Dangdang, swish!"

The basketball that kept bouncing actually fell into the basket.

2+1!

Qi Tian adjusted his rhythm and hit the extra penalty.

"28-33."

Eagles fans who originally had extravagant hopes suddenly withered.

Korver failed to make the starting lineup because his defense was too poor. As long as he was a little defensive, he wouldn't be unable to guard Qi Tian... Oh no, he wouldn't be able to play as a substitute.

Of course, if he had defense, he wouldn't only get 5 million.

Larry Drew hesitated for a while and did not rush to replace Korver.

The current Hawks are very lacking in offensive space. A three-point shooter like Korver can obviously open up the space.

But he didn't expect that Korver's defense would become the Hawks' fatal flaw.

Qi Tian first hit a three-pointer, and when the Hawks' defense changed, he decisively assisted Hibbert and scored 4 points in a row. The Pacers gradually expanded their lead.

"31-38."

Although the newly debuted Shelvin Mike scored 4 points in a row and Korver also made a three-pointer, Qi Tian also responded with a three-pointer. He beat Korver for a layup and received a pass from Augustin to lead the team.

Wave 15-7 attack wave!

"38-53."

Qi Tian's single quarter score has reached 17 points!

"I bought it!"

Qi Tian sent out an assist, Augustin hit a three-pointer, and the point difference was already 18 points!

The Pacers fans on the sidelines screamed and cheered for Qi Tian's performance.

The Eagles fans on the other side looked at each other. They couldn't believe that they fell behind in just 10 minutes.

The Eagles launched a counterattack in the last two minutes and successfully narrowed the point difference to... 15 points before halftime.

"43-58."

Qi Tian scored 21 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists in the first half, fully demonstrating his presence.

At the beginning of the second half, he showed no mercy. Although he only scored 6 points, he continuously assisted Hibbert to score. The Pacers scored 27-20 in the third quarter, and the lead reached 22 points.

"it's over……"

The Eagles fans sat back in their chairs in despair. Although the fourth quarter hadn't started yet, they already knew the result of the game.

Sure enough, in the fourth quarter, the two sides replaced all substitutes with a tacit understanding. The Pacers' weak substitute lineup was overwhelmed by their opponents. The Eagles shot 31-15 in a single quarter, but in the end they lost the game with a 6-point disadvantage.

"Renew the contract! Must renew!"

Seeing Qi Tian easily score 25 points, Bird determined the focus of his work this summer.