Zhou Xuan had a bad game. He made 1 of 4 shots in the final quarter, plus 10 points and 12 assists from the free throw line, and although he scored a double-double, it was an abnormal performance for him.

Gallinari had a Knicks-most 25 points and four rebounds. Stoudamire had 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, while Pekovic also had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

On the Heat side, James had 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and a triple-double, Bosh had 25 points and 7 rebounds, and Wade had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and three steals. The Big Three combined for 84 points, no one from the bench scored in double figures, and Arroyo was the only other role player to score 11 points.

Van Gundy commented after the game: "The Heat's defense is worth learning from other teams, and if you guard against Zhou Xuan, others won't be able to open it." Young Knicks players have to learn to share the ball and not always shoot the ball. ”

"Magic" Johnson said: "They relied too much on Zhou Xuan's breakout. The outside players didn't dare to attack with the ball, and they looked for Zhou Xuan after a few passes. I really can't do it alone. ”

Van Gundy said: "This loss to the Knicks fans is acceptable, no one expects them to break the Bulls' best regular season record of 72 wins. ”

Interestingly, despite the Heat's 11-game winning streak, few have blessed them. At their peak, the teaming up of three stars caused a lot of dissatisfaction. Now all the teams are trying to beat them as soon as they beat the Heat, and treat it like a playoff game. Winning the Big Three is the easiest way to prove your team's quality.

The Knicks are a young team right now, and they can get applause even if they lose.

Zhou Xuan felt that it was not enough, because he had no advantage over the Heat. He wants to win the championship. Last season's injury and rest had left him depressed for a season, and he didn't want to be killed in the playoffs again this year.

Mitchell after the game? Butler talked to him on the phone and said with a smile: "Be content, you've only lost a few games, and your overall strength is indeed worse than the Heat." Since the start of the season, there have been few teams in the West, and it is estimated that more problems will be exposed when they play the Spurs and Mavericks. ”

Zhou Xuan asked, "What do you think we lack now?" ”

"Defensive inside. Pekovic is too slow, Evans is too short, Stoudemire is easy to shake up, and you lack a good blue-collar worker. ”

Pekovic's weakness is too obvious for this type of player. The Timberwolves send El away? Jefferson, Ken made a trade with the Knicks because he knew how poor the slow interior defense was. Love also belongs to this type, if both interior lines are not good at defense, it is difficult to win the game no matter how good the offense is.

This is a microcosm of the league, now it's not that the interior line is scarce, but the traditional interior line can't keep up with the rhythm of change in the NBA, the speed is slow, the power is powerful, and the pile-type interior line that can shoot is easy to become a hole on the defensive end. When you play a weak team, you can certainly exert your power, but once you encounter a team that is mainly blocking and breaking, it will not work.

Zhou Xuan smiled: "Have you been busy lately?" If you're not busy, help figure out who fits into the Knicks, I'm not here just to make the playoffs, I want a championship, I have to beat the Heat. The magic is not yet right, and it is estimated that it will not be weak. ”

"Well, you can play in peace, I'll leave this matter to me, maybe Mullin and they are also thinking about it. To be honest, it's not easy. ”

If the Knicks' interior line wants to be strengthened, they must break up the existing lineup. Their interior offense is now the top in the league, and except for the Lakers and Jazz, no team dares to say that the interior offense is stronger than them.

It's easier to play the knights back-to-back the next day. Without James and Yao Ming, the Cavaliers became the team of Mor Williams and Jamison.

The current Cavaliers record is 8-19. Having lost the soul of the team, the Cavaliers are now unable to lift their spirits.

The Knicks won easily, and Zhou Xuan scored 24 points and 13 assists.

Then the Knicks played the Thunder at home. Kostic was injured, and the Thunder could only use Ibaka as the starting center and play small-ball tactics. The two rookie interior players, Aldridge and Mulens, had a terrible performance, with the Thunder trailing by a large margin in the first quarter, and Ibaka being too skinny to defend Pekovic alone. Stoudamire hit the inside after blocking and also caused fouls on several occasions.

Sergei Ibaka was plagued by foul plays, played just 20 minutes, didn't score a point, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out a block. The Thunder have a good record this season, with 20 wins and 10 losses. However, to make a breakthrough in the playoffs, they must trade for an interior center who can defend.

With two big wins, the Knicks regained their confidence. Take two days off and see that Christmas is coming. In this Christmas game, the league arranged for the Knicks to play the Bulls at home, and the two emerging teams in the East competed.

After the Bulls recruited this season, their strength improved significantly, with 18 wins and 10 losses. Ranked third in the East, behind the Knicks and Heat, ahead of the Magic. The two teams have already coached once this year, with the Knicks coming out on top, and this time the Bulls want revenge.

On the 23rd, Emma and Zhou Xuan discussed their plans.

"I'm going home for Christmas, and you won't blame me for keeping you in New York, right?"

"No, I'm just having fun at Christmas, if you are asked to go to a football game, I guess you don't like it either, have you booked a ticket?"

"I'll ask the broker."

Zhou Xuan has no special feelings for Christmas, and he doesn't want to keep Emma here to accompany him. She will definitely be very happy to see her family back in the UK, and Zhou Xuan only needs to prepare for the competition with peace of mind. Derek? Rose is in the same grade as him, the two will be battling for many years, and they are in the same East, and the game against the Bulls is a game he doesn't want to lose and can't lose.

Emma's early morning plane went to London, Zhou Xuan took her to the airport, and then went home to sleep.

The next morning, Zhou Xuan received a call from Mozgov, and the big Russian man asked him to have dinner with him.

Christmas is just around the corner, and although the atmosphere in Manhattan's Chinatown is not as strong as in other areas, many restaurants and cold drinks and dessert shops are ready to welcome tourists during the Christmas holidays, offering Christmas specials or Christmas deals to bring a different Christmas flavor to Chinatown.

The well-known hot pot restaurant "Spicy Addiction" has been operating on Edrich Street for many years, and opened a branch on Sheeder Street in November this year, and the newly renovated and expanded branch attracts many customers to wait in line every day despite the cold wind, so that the owner has to set a two-hour meal time. Mozgov likes spicy food and made an appointment here.

Finding a quiet seat in the corner, Zhou Xuan asked with a smile: "Timofei, why did you remember to invite me to dinner today?" What's the matter? ”

"Well, I want to ask something." Mozgov said in English with a somewhat strange accent: "Recently, when the coach played the underdogs, he gave me more time. I want to ask if I'm going to be traded? I didn't mean anything else, I just didn't want to be in the dark when I left, and I wanted to be mentally prepared. ”

"There is such a possibility, but I don't know the specifics. Play well and play at your best, it's good for you. Zhou Xuan said lightly.

"Okay."

It is enough that Mozgov has a general idea of the situation. Where the trade is going must be a team secret and cannot be passed on. He has just joined the NBA and has become a bargaining chip, and it is inevitable that he will be a little depressed. He also knows that being with the Knicks is not good for his future.

"If it's a real trade, you want to open a little bit too, and you don't have a lot of playing time here, and it's not necessarily a bad thing to go to a team that lacks a center, don't you want to wait until your rookie contract is over to sign a big contract? I think you have everything you need to be a good centre-forward, your height and your skills, but you're not tough enough, so it's good to be more aggressive when you're cutting in the air. In the low post, you can develop hooks on the sides and in the middle, like Nikola (Pekovic). ”

"Xie Lu Xie, I will train hard, will I get a chance in this Christmas battle?"

"Definitely, and I have a hunch that your playing time will not be short, all you have to do is to attack in the low post, and you have to cut quickly after blocking, and I will pass it on to you." Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

"For what?"

"Because Noah is injured, we obviously have an advantage on the inside, and their defense will be weaker, so we will definitely win this game. This is your chance to prove yourself, so get ready. ”

On December 16, according to ESPN, Bulls center Joaquin? Noah will undergo surgery on his right thumb and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.

Noah injured his thumb in a Nov. 27 game against the Kings, and he continued to play with a brace after that, but it was aggravated by another thumb injury during a Dec. 4 game against the Rockets. Injuries are inevitable for big men to get their hands twisted together when grabbing rebounds, and it's hard to recover because they have to use their thumbs to grab rebounds or shoot.

Noah is averaging 14 points per game this season and is also grabbing 12 rebounds. Not long ago, he signed a 5-year contract with the team for 60 million. This injury will greatly damage the Bulls' interior strength. This is good news for the Knicks, the Bulls' interior is estimated to be Boozer and veteran Cotter? Thomas.

THOMAS'S HEIGHT IS ONLY 206CM, AND BOOZER'S HEIGHT IS ALSO THIS HEIGHT, NO MATTER WHO HE FACES, MOZGOV'S 216CM HEIGHT HAS A CLEAR ADVANTAGE.

The two talked about basketball. This is the first time Zhou Xuan has eaten and chatted alone with Mozgov, and in the team he either communicates with Stadamyre, Gallinari, and Matthews, or is pulled by Stephenson and Beverley. The Russians, on the other hand, are very low-key, always training silently and lack communication with their teammates.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Xuan found that Mozgov was very smart. Not only did he perceive that he might be traded, but he also asked Zhou Xuan for some insider skills.

Zhou Xuan smiled and asked, "Why do you ask me, a defender, for inside skills?" ”

Mozgov said, "Because everybody knows that you and Duncan are good friends. And I heard Corunna say that you know the characteristics of all the players. ”

Zhou Xuan smiled slightly. "I now believe that you will definitely have a future in the future."

People who like to learn are easy to make progress. Mozgov always made the right choices, including not participating in the draft to join the NBA. He knows which way he should go, but he still has many shortcomings, he needs to improve in all aspects, and the Knicks have too many internal talents, otherwise Zhou Xuan feels that he should keep him.