695: Only children make choices, I want them all

The Indiana Pacers' rampage in the West eventually came to a halt in the Bay Area, where the Golden State Warriors crushed the defending champion Pacers with a six-man double-double. In the end, it was the Warriors who saved some face for the Western powers.

In this game, the Warriors played very well. While Cousins, the top scorer, scored just 19 points, no player scored 20. But the Warriors still used teamwork to stabilize the situation to the end.

On the Pacers' side, the biggest reason for the loss was the extremely poor three-point shooting percentage.

In this game, the Pacers shot just 26.1% from three-point range, which is undoubtedly below average. Among them, 4 people had a three-point shooting record but failed to hit a single shot.

They are Brooke. Lopez, perhaps the reason for the fatigue caused by consecutive away games, this gentleman had a bad hand today, shooting 0 of 3 from three-point range.

George wasn't quite right today, also going 0-of-3 from beyond the three-point line. Bogdanovic is even more exaggerated, with 4 shots today, and he also missed a goal. As a player who survives on three-point shooting, Bogdanovic's performance is indeed a bit terrible.

Thanks to these "blacksmiths", the expansion of "Thanos" ended in the Bay Area. And the Golden State Warriors have also become the sixth team to defeat the Pacers this season.

Well, Henson didn't care too much about the loss in this game, though. Because he was not suppressed by the opponent in terms of hard power and tactics, but the player's poor hand led to the loss.

This way of losing is acceptable to Henson.

Similarly, the media did not criticize the Pacers for this game. After all, they've been good enough before. And it wasn't until the end of the regular season that they lost Game 6. Moreover, the Pacers and Warriors also had a 1-1 record in the regular season. Therefore, this loss was not painful for the Pacers at all.

It's like an honor student who scores 100 points every time, and suddenly one day he only scores 99 points, and no one thinks that he has become worse.

The Pacers were already unmatched in the West before, and they were about to slaughter the Western team. Now that the Pacers have finally lost, it is too late for reporters to shut up, where can they dare to criticize.

For Cousins, though, the win was no small feat.

"We won, and it turns out we can win against the Indiana Pacers as well. Rest assured, we will definitely go to the finals this year. I hope the Pacers don't miss the appointment early. ”

Cousins doesn't care about that, if he wins, he wins, and if he wins, he has capital.

However, this game did give Henson a glimpse of the Warriors' greater possibilities. With five All-Stars at his disposal, Kerr can still keep everyone obedient and cooperative. I have to say that such a warrior is the most terrifying.

How to cut off the Warriors' fluid offense will be key to whether the Pacers can win the series.

But those are things to think about in June, and at least for now, Henson can finish his series of road trips to the West in peace. And with a 4-1 record, he went home happily.

After that, the Pacers have four games left in March. Luckily, all 4 matches were played at home. This means that Henson no longer has to travel back and forth, and he doesn't have to be far from his family.

From the start of the Thunder game on March 14 to today's game against the Warriors on March 21, Henson has not been home for more than a week.

Because it was a back-to-back Western away game, the Pacers rushed to the next city immediately after one game, and there was no time to return to Indianapolis.

It is also the longest period of time Henson has been away from his family so far this season.

Now that he was finally going home, Henson's mood was naturally very, very happy. And the same happy mood is the Pacers basketball operations chairman Larry. Bird.

After waiting for more than a week, he was finally able to talk to Henson.

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If the NBA regular season schedule that starts on October 18, 2018 is compared to a kilometer race, now is the time to enter the final 200 meters, which is the most tense time for each other.

At present, among the 30 teams in the NBA, only the Pacers and the Raptors are confirmed to be in the playoff squad, and the Suns, Knicks and Cavaliers are officially out of the playoffs. The remaining 25 teams will have to fight for the final standings. Because of their ranking, which will directly determine the opponent in the playoffs.

And what opponents they face in the playoffs will directly determine how far a team can go.

But after five months of play, most of the teams are showing signs of fatigue, and injuries have followed. For example, the Lakers, who have withdrawn from the playoff race, should have a chance to make the playoffs if it weren't for injuries.

The Los Angeles Lakers are now full of injuries, and although James has just returned, a large number of players are on the injury list except for James. Tyson Chandler is out with a neck injury, Brandon Ingram is out with an arm injury and Lonzo Ball is out with an ankle injury.

The start point of the drop from No. 4 in the West to missing the playoffs came when James suffered a groin injury against the Warriors and then missed 17 games.

According to Lakers fan statistics, in the 66 games that have been played, the full Lakers team has only played 5 games, and it is estimated that in the next 16 games, Lonzo. Ball and Ingram are unlikely to return. Well, out of a long 82-game game, only five of the Lakers have been fully staffed.

In addition to the Lakers, many teams have also been in a very bad situation during this period. The Houston Rockets lost Faried and Paul, and the Spurs lost Rudy. Guy and Dejounte. Mori, the Raptors lost "Van Jordan" Van Vleet.

There is no doubt that all teams are faced with a choice in the final crunch time. In the end, it is about grades or health.

To get results, you have to accept the risk of injury to your players. This risk is likely to manifest itself in the playoffs. If you want to be healthy, you may have to accept the punishment of grades. And a worse result means a stronger opponent in the playoffs.

So today, whether to be healthy or to get grades is the topic of discussion between Henson and Bird.

"I know you want to win 70 or even break the 73 record! But the recent trip to the West has taught me that every team that meets us will do their best to fight. We play every regular season game like a playoff game! I'm afraid, Henson. If a key player is injured, it may be difficult for us to knock down the five-star warriors. ”

Bird was sitting in his office, and that was what he wanted to talk to Henson about today.

Bird promised Henson that if Henson retired, he would follow suit. So in other words, this is also Bird's final season with the Pacers, a hometown team. If he loses the championship in the final season, Bird will definitely be quite unwilling.

Therefore, he needs to make sure that the playoffs are foolproof.

Bird's concerns are not unfounded, as everyone is eager to beat the Pacers. Second, the Pacers will meet several strong teams in their final games. Even if the players don't get injured, the Pacers' physical strength will be greatly depleted.

After hearing Bird's concerns, Henson smiled lightly, "I didn't expect the famous Larry. Bird was actually thinking about giving up the victory. Have you forgotten? The first time we won 70 wins, it was a record while taking a break. To this day, I still regret that I didn't win 73 straight away. So, I'm not going to choose. Health and victory, I want it. ”

"This year was different," Bird shook his head, "and that time at the end of the regular season, we were pretty much the belly team. So, even a rotating lineup can win. But this year, just this week, you're going to have to run into the Nuggets, the Thunder and the Celtics! ”

"Really?" Henson licked his lips, "Speaking of the Nuggets, do you remember how I won that day?" I consumed them with a long rotation. And the Nuggets are not a fish-belly team. ”

"This ......" Bird was speechless, indeed, against the Nuggets, Henson can be regarded as winning with a rotating lineup. Because at the critical moment in the fourth quarter, it was the rotation lineup that stabilized the situation. It was only in the final two minutes that Henson switched to the ultimate lineup.

"So, I'm not going to make a choice. 70 wins and championships, don't worry, Bird, I'll take a lot of the same. This whole season is destined to belong to us! ”

Bird shook his head, he had to admit that Henson was much more daring than he was. However, this may be the reason for his success.

Bird is already looking forward to the day when Henson will reach 70 wins in his third career season......