Henson's "gift" to Siakam, before he could cover the heat, was robbed by a big man who hadn't played a game this season.

DeMarcus. Cousins, before his injury, was a super center who averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. Although Cousins suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon last season, most people still believe he can hold on to his form.

Now, without Cousins, the Golden State Warriors are the most dominant team in the league outside of the Pacers. Add one Cousins, and no one knows how strong the Warriors will be.

So while Steve. Cole and Bob. Myers only announced an approximate time for Cousins' comeback, but it was enough to cause an uproar in the league. After all, there has never been such a luxurious starting lineup in the history of the NBA.

The "Lakers F4" back then was indeed luxurious enough, but Payton and Malone were both past the peak of their careers at that time.

The Warriors are different, Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Cousins are all in their prime. Such a starter consisting of five peak All-Stars has never been seen before, and it is very likely that there will be no one to come!

"There's really no way to take them, a lineup that has never actually appeared can attract such a wide range of attention."

The day after the Warriors announced Cousins' comeback, Becky . Harmon noticed that Henson's brow had been tightening.

"Don't worry so much, Henson. We don't know what DeMarcus' status is, and besides, he doesn't necessarily fit into the Warriors' system. ”

"No," Henson shook his head, interrupting Becky. Harmon, "Theoretically, Cousins should be a good fit for the Warriors as long as he has something wrong with his brain. He can run and jump, and he has a good shot. In Steve. Under Cole's system, he's sure to shine. We must not leave anything to chance, and we must be prepared to face a strong enemy. ”

As he spoke, Henson looked up the schedule for January 2019, which is next month, from his phone.

Looking at the schedule, the Chinese coach's brow furrowed even deeper. The first month of 2019 will be the biggest test of his team's strength.

Starting in January, the Raptors and Celtics will be the first to test the Pacers. While both teams have lost to the Pacers this season, the wins and losses of one game are not a problem, and the two teams are still the Pacers' fierce rivals in the East.

Later, the Pacers will meet the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia 76ers, Henson remembers that he used to sweep the 76ers 4-0 in the playoffs with little to no effort. The Pacers also had a win over the 76ers before this season.

But the current 76ers are different from the 76ers that the Pacers have defeated before, because they actually gained Jimmy. Butler!

In the opening game of the season against the Timberwolves, Henson found that the locker room atmosphere within the Timberwolves was not very good, and he was used to Jimmy, who was working hard for victory. Butler may not be too comfortable with the Timberwolves.

I just didn't expect Butler to choose to transfer so soon. Moreover, it actually turned back to the east!

On the eastern side, having Leonard is already troublesome enough. Now there's Jimmy again. Butler stirred up the game, and Henson was really a head and two big.

Originally, in the possession of this. Simmons and Joel. In Embiid's case, the 76ers are already tough enough. Now there's one more Jimmy. Butler, the 76ers have undoubtedly increased in strength.

It turns out that since November 11th Jimmy. Since Butler joined the 76ers, the 76ers' record is indeed much better than before. Unlike the Timberwolves, the 76ers' goal is to win. Therefore, Jimmy. Butler must have had a great time in such a group.

To face his two best disciples in the east at the same time, Henson sighed helplessly.

And after playing the 76ers, Henson is about to face his old enemy - with DeMarcus. Cousins' Golden State Warriors!

According to Kerr and Myers, Cousins should return between mid-January and the end of January. The next time the Pacers meet the Warriors is Jan. 29. At that time, Cousins was already on the Warriors' roster nine times out of ten.

Five-star Warriors, just thinking about their starting lineup, Henson is under pressure. Whether he can leave this year depends on whether he can defeat the warriors with a luxurious lineup.

Henson turned off his phone's screen and burned the key game at next month's airport into his mind.

"Everyone, please keep up the good work. Next month's race will be the real test for us! ”

※※※

In the final game of December, the Pacers beat the Pistons at home. While Blake. Griffin played very well, scoring 18 points with great efficiency. But helplessly, the configuration of the Pistons is the configuration of a second-rate team. Just by one Blake. Griffin, there's no way to make the piston complete its metamorphosis.

Speaking of which, Henson is also quite sorry, Blake. When Griffin was with the Clippers, Henson didn't like him, thinking he had a big temper and only dunked on offense. Moreover, the results of leading the team are really average. Henson always felt that he was a player whose fame was far greater than his strength.

But now in the Pistons, Griffin's performance has made a big difference for Henson. He has a well-rounded technique and a calm personality. In order to carry the team into the playoffs, he also worked hard.

He was enlightened, and he became a real superstar. But alas, his team is now not talking about championships, but can only fight for a playoff spot.

125-88, the Pacers slaughtered the Pistons by a brutal scoreline. After the game, Blake. Griffin was very helpless, he had done everything he could. Results...... It's hard to put into words.

After defeating the Pistons, the Pacers officially won nine in a row. And their 2018 competition is over, and the next thing to greet Henson is the very "interesting" January schedule.

The first two games of January, against the Hawks and Bulls, were pretty much warm-up for the Pacers. In both games, the Pacers also won by double-digit margins.

However, on January 7, the Pacers' first fierce rival in January, the Toronto Raptors, left Henson with a big headache.

The game is still being played in Toronto, where temperatures have reached minus 25 degrees Celsius in January!

But even so, even in such a cold and biting situation, tens of thousands of fans still gathered in the square outside the entrance of the arena of the Air Canada Center!

Needless to say, you know how much Toronto fans expect from this game.

It is generally believed that the Raptors will not be able to win after Antetokounmpo's return. After all, last time, Henson didn't use Antetokounmpo, he ate the Raptors to death.

But the charm of competitive sports lies in the uncertainty. A lot of times, there are things that go beyond people's expectations.

For example, today, Henson didn't expect the Raptors to have a surprise move.

"Norman. Powell, he made a decisive three-point shot at the critical moment! The ball was interfered with by Oladipo, but ...... Incredible! Still hit! Norman. Powell, whose three three-pointers in the final minute of the game almost killed the defending champions! ”

On the commentary stage, Kenny. Smith was shouting excitedly. Norman. Powell, the little-known 2015 second-round pick, became famous today.

His three-pointer with Oladipo's lens gave the Raptors a five-point lead over the Pacers at a critical moment. At this point, there are only 23 seconds left in the race. In other words, Powell almost contributed a quasi-lore.

Today, Powell's performance doesn't stop there. He came off the bench for VanVleet and had already scored 23 points. This is also thanks to the consistent performance of "Van Jordan" as always, and today he shot 1 of 6 from the field, making Nick . Nas didn't dare to use him anymore.

And the most critical thing is that in the last two minutes of the game, Powell hit all three three-point shots. If it weren't for those three three-pointers, the Raptors might be behind right now.

Norman. Powell's whole person was an unexpected surprise to Henson.

In the end, although the Pacers gritted their teeth and insisted, the 5-point difference was too big, and the Pacers still regrettably lost.

121-118, the Raptors took revenge by 3 points on their home court! This game also allowed the Raptors to successfully interrupt the Pacers' 11-game winning streak and become the third team in the league to defeat the Pacers this season!

"Unexpectedly, I was very unexpected. To Norman. Powell, I was very surprised by those three three-pointers. My players have done well enough, but the unexpected happened. ”

After the game, Henson had this to say about the game. Among them, one of the words he repeats the most is "accident".

In the first game of the Pacers' focus game in January, Henson had an accident. Therefore, against such a team, you can never think that you are stable. You never know what's going to happen in the actual game.

In the first game of the pivotal battle, Henson experienced the deep malice of January. It seems that it will not be easy to win against these teams.

Tremendous pressure came in an instant.