Build a Dream Dynasty

On January 2, at the Target Center, the Nets challenged the Timberwolves in an away game. The Timberwolves lost to the Clippers by a big margin in the last game. This season, they continue to be on the edge of the playoffs. , can contribute 26.5 points per game, and as a center, his three-point shooting percentage is as high as 41%, but the strength of the rest of the team really can't keep up with Towns, and Towns himself is really not a very qualified leader. The team's average record is partly due to his laziness on the defensive end. For a team, if the boss takes the lead and doesn't focus on the defensive end, the whole team's spirit will be down. From this point of view, Towns is indeed not good. too mature.

When encountering such a team that does not actively switch defenses inside, Curry is the opponent's nightmare. Whether it is running around without the ball to stun the opponent, finding a chance to hit a shot, or a small game after a pick-and-roll, Curry is facing the Timberwolves. The team can be said to have whatever they want. They made 19 of 28 shots, 7 of 11 three-pointers, and 8 of 8 free throws. They scored 53 points and led the team to expand their winning streak to 8 games. He played all 13 games this season, and the team won all of them, which more or less covered up the embarrassment of missing many games due to injuries.

For the Timberwolves, although Towns also performed well on the offensive end, scoring a large double-double with 39 points and 13 rebounds, he was chased by Curry for military training on the defensive end, and even Porzingis was not limited. Boshen made 8 of 8 shots in this game and scored 18 points and 11 rebounds. Although the statistics are not as good as Towns, but the efficiency is extremely high, and it also exposed the Timberwolves' defensive problems very obviously. If there is no way to solve the team's defensive problems, it is difficult for the Timberwolves to do much this season.

The final score was fixed at 107:129, and the Nets won away, raising the team's record to 33 wins and 12 losses.

Curry's wonderful performance after his comeback made the media once again cheer for the strength of the Nets. No one, including Jiang Mingliang, expected the team to be invincible now. Originally, the team's strategy might still be to keep three and fight two in the regular season, and strive for a home field advantage in the second round of the playoffs, but if this momentum continues, maybe it is not impossible to fight for the number one in the Eastern Conference? After all, the team is now only three games away from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the problems of the Cavaliers are also being exposed. The team created this Royal Salute lineup for James, but whether it is Irving or Griffin, it seems that they are not very good. If you can drive this team, once James is not there, the team's combat effectiveness will decline very obviously. James and Irving are very complementary to each other. The combat power of top-level field control and top-level explosive points is amazing, but the current James is no longer the James five years ago. He needs to maintain his body and save his energy in the regular season, but this A team built only around him can only be supported by him, and no one else can carry it. This is extra pressure for him.

In comparison, Harden last season was just the opposite. Harden can also support this lineup, but he played with James, but he is not as harmonious as James-Irving. For James, it is also a matter of choice.

Before the All-Star Game, the Nets continued to reap victories on their road trip. The Hornets, Pacers, Raptors, and Magic became the soul of the Nets. The Nets improved their record to 37 wins 12 losses to further narrow the gap with the Cavaliers, the gap between the two sides is only 2 games left.

The next two games will be the direct dialogue between the Nets and the Cavaliers. If the Nets can win a big victory, they will overtake their opponents and directly take the No. 1 position in the Eastern Conference.

I don't know if it was intentional by the league or a coincidence. The battle between the Nets and the Cavaliers happened to be held on New Year's Eve. Jiang Mingliang specially arranged for Curry and Yi Jianlian to accept an exclusive interview with Yang Ma before the game. Huaxia fans sent New Year's greetings, and at the same time, he himself appeared on the sidelines, with Jessica, Krystal, and Hong Chengcheng by his side, which is a further recognition of Hong Chengcheng's identity as the "third wife"~. During the intermission, he also needs to go to the commentary booth where Yoga and Weiping Bryant are located, and briefly comment on the game.

Leonard, who took a break in the last game, ushered in a comeback in this game. The Nets' strongest lineup came out. Curry, George, Leonard, Robertson, Porzingis, the team equipped James with three It should be said that it is not good news for the Cavaliers. Of course, if Griffin, who has become the third master of the team, can make good use of his advantage in the interior, the team also has own strengths. As for the Cavaliers, Stephenson, who joined the team after a buyout from the Pelicans, was placed in the starting lineup. It seems that Blatt is going to compete with the Nets for talent.

Porzingis got the basketball before Thompson. George firmly protected the basketball and handed the ball to Curry.

Curry was controlling the ball from outside the three-point line at the top of the arc. Seeing that Porzingis was about to reach the bottom line of the basket, he threw the ball in his hand into the air. Porzingis faced Tan Gu after receiving the ball. Sen's defense turned over and hit a jumper, scoring the first two points of the game.

Thompson is 206 tall, and he is a very athletic type in the interior, but it is inevitable that he will suffer from Porzingis, who is 221 tall and has a wide shooting range.

The Cavaliers attacked, James held the ball to face Leonard's defense, used Thompson's pick-and-roll to find a gap and resolutely broke into it, Robertson made up in time, but was still fouled by James.

There is nothing wrong with the defense itself. It is true that James has a lot of experience and is too good at finding fouls.

After two free throws, the Cavaliers tied the score. The Nets continued to compete with the Cavaliers. Curry took the ball to the frontcourt and handed it to George who asked for it. Using a reverse run to run out, forcing Thompson to make up for the position outside, and then sent the ball to the inside, Porzingis received the ball and took advantage of the opportunity to complete a dunk against Stephenson.

The strength shown by the Nets is that once they focus, they are really unstoppable on the offensive end. You pay attention to the big defense and small defense in terms of technical characteristics, and Porzingis will punish you for this. It is also the reason why many fans call the Nets "the strongest team in history".

The Cavaliers attacked. Irving and Griffin played a pick-and-roll at the free throw line and then made a mid-range shot. James' performance is the basic set for the Cavaliers. A strong defense can ensure that the Cavaliers have the capital to challenge the Nets.

However, before Jermaine O'Neal had time to be proud, in the next round, Irving's weakness in defending the pick-and-roll was exposed again. Curry made an easy mid-range shot and calmly retreated.

Since joining the Nets in 2012 and ranking second in the MVP list in the first year, Curry has been the number one point guard for almost five years, and he was expected to become the "Heaven's Favorite" in his rookie period Owen, who is both popular and energetic, has always been very eager to defeat Curry. In the next round of offense, he still chose to fight Curry one-on-one, but the result was very disappointing. Due to his physical condition, Curry's defense was considered a Not great, but never bad, 90% of the time will appear in the correct position, and even in terms of defensive efficiency, Curry can be ranked in the top ten point guards.

"Kyrie, don't mess around, give me the ball." James came out in time to respond, and suspended Irving's forceful move. Griffin hurriedly came out to pick and roll, and then followed James' point to hit the basket. Robertson cut the ball Foul, accumulated two fouls, but Stevens did not choose to replace him.

The current striker group of the Nets is not as large as in the past. To resist the first wave of James' impact, Robertson plays a huge role. Therefore, Stevens would rather take the risk of letting him stay on the court, and wait until the rotation time. Everyone else's playing time to make up.

Griffin made two free throws as the home fans roared behind the basket. The score is 6:5.