"In this game, we lost completely, we can't refute it."

After the game, at the press conference, Van Gundy said in a low tone: "In this game, we didn't play at all the level that the team should have, the outside players shot inaccurately, and the inside line did not have an advantage in the rebounding competition, and what is even more incredible is that the opponent's bench lineup actually scored nearly 15 more points than our bench players!" ”

"I have to admit that the opponent played very tenaciously, in the absence of the regular season scoring champion, they did not give up the game, nor panicked, we did not lose unjustly."

"In the next game, we are playing away, it will be a match point battle for Tianwang Mountain, we have to show a better competitive state to deal with the next games, otherwise we will only be eliminated."

In this interview, Van Gundy was not as angry as in the last game, and while his temper was hot, Van Gundy's personality was still relatively frank.

In this game, Harden did not touch the porcelain fake fall, and many times rushing into the interior to make fouls is also real physical contact.

So he didn't continue to talk about fake falls, and admitted defeat very realistically.

Compared to the dullness of the Magic's press conference, the Wizards' press conference was much more relaxed.

"I'm very proud of my players, who have been able to show a very high level of competition even after their teammates have been injured, especially James, who has been completely surprised in the three games that I had to start, and he has been instrumental in winning those two games, so I suggest you talk to the rising star as much as you like."

Wang Xiao's speech caused the reporters to chuckle, but it did not mean the slightest ridicule.

There is no problem with what Wang Xiao said, Rising Star, this word is not too much to use on Harden.

The average of 18+8 per game in the regular season in the rookie season is a little hard work, and with a little effort, there will definitely be a chance to enter the All-Star in the future.

And Harden played more eye-catching in the playoffs, especially in the games where Curry was injured and he was promoted to the starter.

In these three games, Harden averaged 24.5 points and 7 assists per game, which is the team's leading scorer, and his 24.5 points per game is also the highest scoring average in the series between the two teams.

If Harden hadn't stepped up, the Wizards would probably have been swept out of the game by the Magic.

While marveling at Harden's excellent performance, people have to sigh again that Wang Xiao's vision is really amazingly vicious.

A Curry and a Harden both proved their superstar potential in the first season of their careers, and they were both personally selected by Wang Xiao.

Not to mention these two rookies, namely Beverley, Green and Jordan Jr., their performance this season, especially in the playoffs, has also made many people red.

Needless to say, Green, who started both the regular season playoffs and was given a heavy role, showed defensive ability and enthusiasm that most teams don't have on their bench lineups.

If Curry also stays healthy, will this Wizards team be able to beat the Magic and go straight to the Eastern Conference Finals?

At this point, the vast majority of people still believe that the Magic have a better chance of winning the series.

After all, you can't expect players like Carter and Lewis to be out of shape every game, and once either of the two plays well, the Magic will have an advantage on the court, after all, without Curry, the Wizards' offensive firepower will be affected too much.

……

At this time, the Wizards had returned to Washington to recuperate, and Wang Xiao and others also began to prepare for the fifth game between the two sides, the battle of Tianwang Mountain to decide who would get the match point.

In the fourth game, he used the tactical skill card position master, and the effect was quite good, and Wang Xiao was ready to continue to use this skill to protect the rebound in the fifth game.

At the same time, at the same time, Wang Xiao began to consider continuing to strengthen the team's starting defense.

Wang Xiao also knows that he can't always expect the Magic team to have a bad outside hand, and in this current situation, if you want to win the game, it is impossible to rely on offense alone, and the quality of defense must also be improved.

His choice was to be Caron. Butler came on to make Green up small forward, and Harden moved from point guard to point guard and started Beverley.

Butler is a typical wing player, good at cutting the inside line, catching and shooting, and has a poor offensive ability with the ball, with little breakthrough ability.

Before Curry was injured, Butler, a shooter who could pull space, was naturally very popular, but now that Curry is injured, opponents don't need to care about Curry's long-range threat, shooters like Butler are often targeted, and once someone follows Butler, it will be difficult for him to continue to score.

In the series between the Wizards and the Magic, Butler didn't play particularly well, averaging only about 12 points per game.

Replacing Butler from the starting lineup may make the team's starting scoring ability a little less, but Beverley can provide outside defense that Butler can't match.

Beverley is definitely not comparable to Butler in terms of scoring, and there is a big difference between the two offensive means, but Beverley is definitely not a player who can be empty on the outside.

In another time and space, since joining the NBA, Beverley's three-point shooting rate has never been below 35%, and the three-point shot is one of the few ways he can score.

However, to replace Butler from the starter, Wang Xiao still needs to talk to Butler, after all, no player will be willing to be delegated from the starter to the bench.

Caron. Since Butler joined the NBA, he has basically started games, and so far he has only played more than 30 games off the bench, and this is also because of the recovery period from injury.

History hasn't changed, Butler will move from the Wizards to the Mavericks, Clippers and other teams, and has been a starter until the 13-14 season, when the 34-year-old Butler began to enter the bench.

Now, if Butler, who is only in his early 30s, to sit on the bench and watch others play, according to normal thinking, Butler will never agree.

Of course, Wang Xiao doesn't care whether Butler agrees or not, as the head coach, he is the controller of the team, and who starts and who comes off the bench is up to him.

However, he did not want Butler's attitude towards him to change from good to evil.

In his plan, Butler is an important part of the team, and in the future the team gets Paul. After George or Leonard, who are good offensive and defensive forwards, Butler will gradually turn to the bench and become an important scoring firepower on the team's bench.

So at least in the past two years, when Butler was still in his prime, he didn't want Butler to leave.