basketball scientist

This showdown with the Grizzlies was the Knicks' seventh game of the season, and for the third time in these seven games, the team reached a critical moment with its opponent. With one and a half minutes left in the game,

The two sides fought to a tie at 97, and the fans watching the live broadcast had their hearts in their throats. Especially in the Huaxia University cafeteria, the three floors around the TV were full of people, with nervous expressions on their faces.

The Grizzlies had the ball. Conley held the ball for half the game. After controlling the rhythm of the game, he handed the ball to the Welsh Chandler on the wing. The latter did not stop the ball and handed it directly to Randolph who was in the low post asking for the ball.

The Big Black Bear caught the ball, made a fake shot, then lowered his body to connect with the breakthrough move, and hit the inside with a strong force. Kevin Love still couldn't stop him, but Larry Hughes helped defend from the side, and Bra

DeMille's early interception finally stopped Randolph.

Randolph's vision is not outstanding, and he has just joined the team and has not formed a good tacit understanding with his teammates, so he still chooses to force a fadeaway jumper under double teams, and the result is no surprise; but Gasol

I grabbed the offensive rebound neatly and put the ball firmly into the basket before Brad Miller returned to defense!

At the transition of the round, Curry played a pick-and-roll with Brad Miller outside the 45-degree three-point line on the left, while other Knicks players provided cross-screens on the weak side.

Gasol stepped forward with his teeth bared, blocking Curry's view, and then quickly returned to Miller after Mike Conley squeezed through the screen.

Curry's pick-and-roll with the ball failed, but Mac Miller on the weak side ran out of the opportunity. He first came out of the inside, and Love made a cross screen, disrupting the Grizzlies' defense, and then ran back and cut into the inside.

, Curry has excellent passing awareness. When Mac Miller ran into the penalty area, he threw the ball hard. After receiving the ball, the latter took three steps, shot an elegant shot from close range, and hit the board. (99:99)

Half a minute passed, but the situation did not change much. The atmosphere in the stadium and the cafeteria was still tense.

Looking back, the Grizzlies still played Randolph. At this time, a weakness of the Grizzlies was exposed. There were not many players who could play key balls.

Historically, the Grizzlies' iron-blooded foursome are very special. Conley belongs to the "I do everything I can do, and I leave the rest to you"; Tony Allen belongs to the "I don't know much about offense, but you also

Don't even think about it"; Gasol "Although his statistics and efficiency are average, he always does the right thing on the court." If you define them as role players, each of them is top-notch, so they are perfectly compatible with Randolph.

A killer whose other abilities are not outstanding except for attacking the top level with a hob inside.

But a truly top team needs not only "perfect compatibility", but also "overflow of strength", that is, no matter how reasonable you are, I will always be able to kill you. Just like the Splash Brothers, give

The first shooter in history and the second shooter in history can even achieve each other's success.

The Knicks deployed heavily to defend Randolph. The Black Bear passed the ball to Conley, who was open on the outside. The latter did not take a shot and transferred the ball to Chandler in the corner. He missed a three-pointer!

Frankly speaking, Conley felt a bit like "passing the blame" for this goal.

Love did not let history repeat itself, steadily protected the rebound, and then sensed Curry's movement and directly sent a "long pass from the quarterback."

Conley took two steps back, and then his steps slowed down. Curry, who rushed forward immediately, had already thrown away the Grizzlies' latest defensive player by more than three positions.

At this time, Curry had no intention of slowing down and dunking, and scored two points with a steady layup, helping the team build an advantage.

After one attack and one defense, the time was less than 40 seconds. Hollins decisively called a timeout and arranged tactics.

"The Grizzlies must use Mark to serve the sideline ball. His height can ensure that he has enough vision to hang to the basket! Brad, you have to protect the basket, and you don't have to worry about any openings elsewhere!"

"Zhu, you replace Larry, I want you to be like Mayo! This guy dares to play key goals!"

"When Randolph is holding the ball, he should still attack firmly. His movements can be a little bigger, and the referee's standards are relatively loose!"

Ke Yan immediately made strict arrangements for the next defense. Gasol was unable to pass the ball to a dangerous position. In the end, he could only hand the ball to Conley nearby, and then stepped forward to set a pick-and-roll for Conley. The latter cut into a three-pointer.

One step inside the line and missed two points under Love's defense!

Brad Miller protected the backcourt rebound and handed the ball to Curry. Keyan waved forward directly, signaling not to call a timeout!

This time is called a timeout. Although our team has the opportunity to deploy offensive tactics, the Grizzlies can also rearrange their defense.

Curry dribbled the ball into the frontcourt and directly called Love to come up to cover. But Conley was very smart in getting around the screen and kept up with Curry's movement as much as possible. Curry frowned and tried to play a pick-and-roll with Love again.

However, Conley caught up with him in time.

There was not much attack time left, and Curry could only wave his hands to signal his teammates to pull away and beat Conley alone.

Curry took small steps, constantly crossing steps and changing directions in front of his body, trying to induce Conley to change his center of gravity.

But Conley's defense was very sophisticated. He slightly adjusted his position and followed Curry's movements from time to time. His tight muscles showed that he was fully prepared.

Curry suddenly made a drastic change of direction in front of his body and handed the ball to his right hand. Conley had to take a big step to the left to block Curry's breakthrough route. Curry immediately leaned to the left and dribbled the ball behind his back.

, handed the ball from behind to his left hand, Conley could barely keep up, but his "short" stature was unable to interfere with Curry's next move.

With a sway of his left shoulder, Curry attempted to break through from the left side, completely shaking Conley's center of gravity. He then handed the ball to his right hand and at the same time took a big step back to the right, creating a huge shooting space. He raised his hand and threw a shot.

Score three points!

Conley could only watch as the basketball spun rapidly in the air, drew an almost perfect parabola, and fell straight into the net!

99:104! With a 5-point gap and 7 seconds of attack time, the game has almost lost its suspense. Conley paused, and behind him was Curry turning around and pointing his hands in the sky in celebration.

Hollins did not call a timeout, and no one on the Grizzlies team had a special need to score points. After the last few seconds passed calmly, the two sides shook hands politely. After all.

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Many players on both sides were playing against each other not long ago.

During the post-game interview session, Ke Yan was cued about the team's thrilling victory at a critical moment again.

"For now, our offense can achieve fruitful performance in front of any opponent; but on the other hand, we do not do well on the defensive end, and we often lose points continuously. This requires our players to perform well on the defensive end.

Put in more effort. But fortunately, our players are still young and there is room for continuous improvement. I believe that as the schedule progresses, the team can perform better."

The Knicks have many young people, and continued improvement may indeed bring greater surprises, but they do not rule out the possibility of hitting the rookie wall. However, with the team's current perfect start of 5 wins and 1 loss and its own average of 20 points per game

With an outstanding performance of 6.6 assists, the doubts surrounding Curry are slowly decreasing.

There are two main arguments for stubborn resistance. One is Curry's "poor" shot selection. Curry is keen on fast break three-pointers and strong shots with the ball on top of people, with a shooting rate of less than 20%; the other is his physical condition.

Being on the thin side and suffering from a disadvantage in combat has led some people to think that his upper limit is not high enough.

Look at the Thunder's Westbrook, who has all the strength, confrontation, speed, explosiveness, and endurance. Even if he only has 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in his rookie season, so what if he only averages 3.3 turnovers per game?

Like? What if the shooting percentage is only 39.8%27.1%? People’s physical talents are good, and the upper limit is high!

Coincidentally, the Knicks' next opponent is the Oklahoma City Thunder!

Compared with the Knicks' excellent record since the start of the season, what surprises the outside world is that the Thunder have only achieved 2 wins and 4 losses so far. You know, after acquiring Garnett, the Thunder are expected to make it into the NBA.

The top four in the Western Conference can even attack the Lakers.

But in fact, the running-in between Garnett and the Thunder is going very poorly!

Outside the game, whether it was Durant, Westbrook, or even Yin Baka, who had some "position conflicts", they welcomed Garnett's arrival and gave the veteran enough respect on the training ground.

But in the game, both Westbrook and Durant are still used to treating the inside line as "tool men". They passed two passes to Garnett at the beginning to show respect, and then started "Durant swung, Durant swung, Durant swung."

The singles mode of "Lant swipes and Westbrook swipes";

In terms of position, the Thunder also asked Garnett to support the center more and Yin Baka to do more defensive tasks. This also made Garnett very unhappy!

You know, during the Hawks period, unless it was a critical moment or a specific opponent, Ke Yan would rather let Diaw be beaten by the opponent than let Garnett be the center for the entire game.

As Durant grew up, he even gave up the small forward position to Durant. Jeff Green, who gained weight and switched to power forward, performed poorly after returning to the bench, which also affected the relationship between the two parties to a certain extent.

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From the perspective of the Thunder management: Garnett got a big contract and a starting position, but he was reluctant to switch to center according to the team's plan to protect the young people in the team;

Looking at the problem from the perspective of Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, and Yin Baka: Garnett pushed Jeff Green to the bench, but still wanted Yin Baka to gain weight and play center;

From Garnett's point of view: I took a salary cut to come to the Thunder to teach you how to win and lead the team to become a strong team! When Durant truly takes over Kobe's class, Westbrook will also be able to mature a little more.

, our three giants compete for the championship together;

The start of the game is still short, and everyone is willing to accept a period of running-in, but if the problem continues to be unresolved, especially if the team's record cannot be improved, the detonator will most likely have to take some actions.

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At the same time, the Knicks rushed to Oklahoma City overnight, just for three things, fairness, fairness, damn fairness!

That night, Thunder fans cheered extremely loudly at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Ke Yan looked at the score on the big screen in mid-air with a blank expression on the sidelines. There were only 2 minutes before the end of the game, but the Knicks trailed the Thunder 87:101, and the situation was over.

This is the team's first big loss this season, and it is basically in line with the strength comparison between the two sides. The Knicks' defeat itself was at an absolute disadvantage. The team's extremely poor interior defense was chased by Dewey and the two young men.

There is no way to fight back.

Against Westbrook, who fans say has a "higher ceiling", Curry performed quite well. He made 9 of 20 shots, 4 of 10 three-pointers, and scored 27 points and 8 assists. While his statistics were not inferior to those of his opponents, his efficiency was also high.

A complete victory, and if fans watch the game instead of Excel, it is not difficult to get a feeling of "IQ being beaten".

But there is no way, Westbrook's breakthrough is more violent. He takes off one step inside the free throw line and dunks Love. The scene is very visually impactful, enough to offset the defensive end's confusion when facing the pick and roll; compared to last season, Westbrook

He has developed a zombie jump shot. Although the hit rate is average, it at least proves that he can develop his shooting ability. Is it possible for Curry to develop the muscles of Westbrook? The most important point is that the Thunder won the game and the winning team

, I have confidence in whatever I say.

After the game, Ke Yan and Garnett also talked a lot in the game. As proud as Garnett is, of course he would not tell Key Yan that he was not going well in Oklahoma City, but he and Ke Yan would just reminisce about the glorious past.

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From Garnett's point of view, his knee injury really changed the fate of too many people.

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After the press conference, Ke Yan returned to the room to wash up and prepare to rest, but unexpectedly received a call from Thunder general manager Sam Presti.

"Hello, Sam." Ke Yan was a little surprised by the call from "Detonator". After all, he "does not come to the Three Treasures Palace for anything".

"Hi, Kimi." After greeting Keyan, Presti quickly expressed his intention to come. He wanted to know the price the Knicks asked for "Mike Miller."

"Mike?" Ke Yan's mind raced quickly, and he immediately understood the Thunder's intentions.

After collecting three talented superstar embryos in Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, the Thunder took advantage of the situation and signed Garnett. It made it clear that they no longer planned to waste their talent and wanted to improve the record to stimulate Oklahoma City.

But Harden is still in the adaptation period, and it will take time before he can support the team at the second position. The Thunder want to improve their performance and find a second position with starting strength to replace Harden.

Derian Griffin is very important.

And what the Thunder can offer is a more suitable bargaining chip.

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.It’s Jeff Green, whose position in the team is somewhat awkward!

Thinking of this, Ke Yan finally understood why Presti came to test him at the beginning of the season, before the door to the trading market was opened! There is no doubt that Jeff Green's current strength is no less than that of Mike Miller.

, "potential", "cap" and the cost-effectiveness of the contract are much higher than Mike Miller.

Objectively speaking, if the detonator takes out Jeff Green, the Knicks will take advantage.

"Frankly speaking, we exchanged a first-round pick for Mike. He is in our long-term plan. And since the new season, his performance has been very stable. I have no intention of trading him." Ke Yan said clearly.

Everyone behaves like this when negotiating deals with unfamiliar people, and Ke Yan also learned it badly.

Ke Yan's words always emphasized the importance of Mike Miller, but did not reveal a word of "not for sale". The meaning was obvious, "you need to add money."

"Mike can fill the Thunder's vacancy at the second position, and the Thunder can provide the Knicks with a better candidate at the third position. I think Jeff Green's impact can help the Knicks to a great extent." Press

Ty said, "Jeff was the fifth pick in 2007. Frankly speaking, I originally thought he would be Pippen next to KD, but I didn't expect that KD couldn't adapt to the playing style of the second position, causing the two of them to overlap. Otherwise, I didn't expect him to be the No. 2 pick.

, I won’t trade him no matter what. So, maybe you need to add some additional compensation in the transaction.”

Presti was so frustrated that he wanted more.

"Sam, if Mike is traded away, the Knicks' established system will be greatly affected. I can't guarantee the team's record. Unless you can provide me with better talents so that the Knicks can have better

A good future, otherwise I would not be willing to consider the transaction?" Ke Yan was not polite, if you dare to open your mouth like a lion, I will break a few of your teeth.

"Please, you're not going to ask me for KD, are you?" Presti smiled. Even if Ke Yan matched up with his "Messi", he was just daydreaming!

"I know that KD in your eyes is like Curry in my eyes. It is not for sale in an absolute sense; I don't need a player like Westbrook. In comparison, I am more optimistic about Harden. I think he and Curry can

Become a very complementary backcourt partner.

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"You're still kidding, Kimi!" Presti interrupted eagerly before Ke Yan could say anything.

"If you are willing to trade Harden, what will the Knicks choose besides Curry? Including future draft picks." Ke Yan said with a smile.

"You really spent a lot of money! But I can only say that it is impossible." Presti said firmly. He is very aware of how complementary Harden's potential is to Durant and Westbrook!

On the other hand, Love, whom the Knicks are willing to offer, is the "icing on the cake" for the Thunder.

"What about Yin Baka? Is it possible to include it in the transaction?" Ke Yan tried the next best thing.

Presti was silent for a moment and said seriously: "Kimi, I really think you are great!"

The knives are cutting into Lei Ting's flesh, he is really ruthless.

"Sam. Trading doesn't mean pushing players to others if you don't want them, and letting them send you players who you want. You can get what you want without paying anything. How can there be such a beautiful thing?

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After a few more pleasantries, Ke Yan hung up the phone.

Being "educated" by Ke Yan, Presti took a long time to recover after hanging up the phone!

Wouldn't the Knicks make a profit by exchanging "Jeff Green" for "Mike Miller Holiday"? I proposed the trade plan after considering the needs of the Knicks!