On the night of the game, the Nuggets flew to Dallas overnight to take on the Mavericks on the road.

'Back-to-back', such a devilish schedule, is a very serious test for any team. But in the 1998-99 shrinking season, the league scheduled dozens of 'back-to-back' games.

Even the Lakers can't escape the fate of 'back-to-back', while the Nuggets have two rounds of 'back-to-back' and more than ten rounds of back-to-back, which shows the extent of the schedule.

Playing three games in three days, such a schedule is definitely a big test for the Nuggets.

How to distribute the physical strength of the players will become the biggest problem for the Nuggets coaching staff.

If you want to deal with 'back-to-back', the first thing the team needs to do is to rotate reasonably to ensure that the players have plenty of physical fitness, and for many young players, this is also their chance to play; the second is to defend first, use defense to drive the attack, and at the same time reduce the tempo, not blindly fight with the opponent to attack; the third is to maintain a balanced mentality, not to be intimidated by the schedule, and to support the team with tenacity.

On the plane to Dallas, the players began to fall asleep, and for the players, sleeping on the plane and bus is also a homework, especially for the intensive schedule, which allows the players to better maintain their condition.

Ji Liang closed his eyes, put on his headphones, and tried to clear his mind, but he couldn't sleep, which required a certain amount of adaptation.

Lafrentz, who was sitting next to him, was no better, his eyes were closed, but his eyelids moved from time to time.

Unlike the 'old ball ruffian', both are rookies, and it will take some time to get used to such a process.

For rookies, how to fall asleep as soon as possible on the plane is also one of the lessons of whether they can adapt to the NBA.

I don't know how long it took, Chi Liang slowly fell into a deep sleep, but before he could sleep for long, the plane arrived at the airport. Yawn and take the airport bus to the hotel where you are staying.

On February 25, the Nuggets played the Mavericks again, which was also their second game of the season against the Mavericks.

Compared to the Nuggets, the Mavericks have a worse record, with a total of 12 games and only a 3-9 record, which can be broken at any time.

In the first quarter, the Nuggets collectively had a poor hand, scoring only 17 points in the first quarter, while the Mavericks played normally, scoring 26 points and almost extending the margin to double digits.

didn't rest well, which caused Ji Liang's condition to be very poor, and his performance was naturally affected, although he was not beaten by Nash, but it was not much better.

Although Nash's physical confrontation is very poor, his speed is extremely fast, and he is known as the son of the wind, and he is also the type of headache for Chi Liang.

In this case, Ji Liang had to switch defenses with Billups, but the Nuggets players still felt cold, and although the Mavericks were also in poor shape, they had the last laugh.

90:81

This was the final score of the game, and Ji Liang did not continue the good feel and state of the previous game, playing 32 minutes, and he scored 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and three turnovers.

In this game, the Nuggets' top scorer was Billups, but he also scored 14 points, while McDeis, like Ji Liang, also scored 13 points.

As for the Mavericks, Michael Finley and Cedric Ceballos both scored 20 points, and the latter grabbed 13 rebounds, but he was an outside player.

In addition, Nowitzki played five minutes and only grabbed one rebound in the backcourt, and the rest was all zero.

Among the rookies in the same class, Nowitzki can be said to be a 'late bloomer'. He is not a starter at the moment and can't even guarantee enough playing time.

On Feb. 26, the Nuggets returned home to face the visiting Bucks, the last opponent of back-to-backs.

With such a cheating schedule, all the Nuggets players are secretly complaining, even if the Bucks are not very strong, but they are already very tired, and naturally feel very painful.

Unlike the Nuggets, the Bucks' schedule was loose and then tight, with a 6-3 record on the premise of three games less.

The current Bucks team consists of 'Big Dog' Glenn Robinson and 'Gentleman Ray' Ray Allen, who are now one of the most famous backcourt combinations in the league.

Glenn Robinson, the 1994 No. 1 overall pick and still in his prime, is a gifted and natural top scorer, averaging 21.9 points per game in his rookie season. But his shortcomings are also obvious, because he is too lazy, he does not fully realize his talent.

Even so, Glenn Robinson is a well-deserved All-Star and even a Hall of Fame candidate in the future, which shows his strength.

In the first quarter of the game, the Nuggets collectively sleepwalked, their hands were extremely cold, and they made mistakes again and again, scoring only 12 points in a single quarter, and the angry D'Antoni jumped straight to the sidelines.

Deeply affected by back-to-back, Ji Liang was still in poor condition, feeling heavy and tired, but he still cheered up and wanted to win for the team.

Unfortunately, the teammates were not in good shape, and they finally completed the breakthrough, but they couldn't find their teammates in the open position.

So, Ji Liang chose to shoot, but it was difficult to convert the shot into a score due to the cold touch.

When he came on the court in the second quarter, Chi Liang resolutely changed his style of play and mainly attacked the penalty area to win free throws, which also helped him get rid of the scoring drought.

In the second quarter, the biggest contributor to the Nuggets was Billups, hitting three three-pointers in a row to narrow the gap for the Nuggets.

45:47

It was the final score of the first half, with the home team in front and the visitors behind, and with all the team united, the Nuggets almost erased the point difference.

"Chi Liang, I'm going to put you in the position of power forward, and you will guard the penalty area! Also, protect your backcourt rebounds! ”

At half-time, D'Antoni changed his tactics and put Ji Liang in the line with McDyes, so his teammates would have more chances as long as they defended.

Ji Liang has no objection, and when his hand is cold, he can play as a big forward instead, but he can better play his ability, especially in defense.

With his guard-like movement speed, combined with excellent reach and anticipation, as well as a good sense of rotation, even if he can't block the opponent, he can still create interference and reduce the shooting percentage of opposing players.

Compared to the Nuggets, the Bucks won on the outside, with Robinson, Ray Allen and Trill Brandon ensuring strong firepower.

However, compared with the outside line, the inside line is obviously much worse, and it can't be used at all, which can almost be said to be the worst inside line in the league, which is the main reason why D'Antoni arranged for Ji Liang to become a power forward.