Smith was tense when they met, and this time the newcomers, Farid and Arthur, were like two little angels with flapping wings and halos on their heads.

Don't look at the "half-orc" Farid with long braids, full chin and beard, and a little fierce, but he is really quite kind, even a little shy, and he has been smiling since meeting the new team members.

And Arthur is a good gentleman from the outside, this outside player who looks like "Penny" Hardaway is a player in the class of 2008 like Rose, and he can be regarded as an old rival and old friend who has grown up with Rose all the way from high school, and the two greeted each other as soon as they met, and the relationship is naturally good.

In addition to these two "new" newcomers, another "old" newcomer who was traded to the team earlier also appeared in the training hall today, and he has been confirmed by the team doctor to be able to participate in the team's training after recovery, so he is also excited to meet the new teammates.

Like Farid, Claude has long braided hair, a full chin beard, a somewhat ferocious look, and a bumpy muscular mass (both of whom have a combined ability of 80). In addition to the slight difference in height, these two guys have a slight difference in appearance, and they look like twins from the back and side, which makes everyone amazed.

After a brief introduction, the three of them immediately plunged into the day's training. Not to mention, Farid's training enthusiasm is really surprisingly high, although he was supposed to take a day off and then participate in the team's joint practice, but this energetic "half-orc" is so excited that he shouts that he wants to fight against the whole team as soon as he gets on the court.

It's no wonder that he didn't meet the Nuggets, suffered repeated setbacks, and was sold by general manager Connelly everywhere, and he had long held back a resentment in his heart. When he came to New York this time, he was determined to prove himself, even if Coach Hornacek told him that he might have to start with the sixth man, he was full of promises and no complaints.

Anyway, at least this is New York, where there are more spectators, there's more media attention, unlike barren Colorado, where the highland climate makes Denver fans unusually cold. Farid has complained more than once that the Denver fans lack the same enthusiasm as the Texas fans and California fans, and even if they criticize themselves like the fastidious New York and Chicago fans, they can't just watch the game quietly and leave the game every time.

Now that Farid's dream of a big team has finally come true, it's only natural that he wants to put on a good show.

Farid's positivity is obvious to all, and Crowder is also not lagging behind, unlike Farid, who started high and low, and played as a starter on his debut, Crowder's player trajectory is just the opposite, and his debut in the Mavericks has not been reused, and can only sit on the cold bench. It wasn't until the trade came to the Celtics that he was discovered by the discerning Stevens, and slowly played the main team, this time he was traded to the Knicks, not for other reasons, purely because the team's main roster needs to be upgraded, so he also tried his best to prove his worth, to prove that Danny Ainge underestimated himself.

The two pigtails were high-spirited and enthusiastic, and the atmosphere on the court was also lively.

In the internal competition, the veteran players led by Noah, who almost played the best defensive player by Farid and Crowder, were embarrassed, and their positive attitude also stimulated the fighting spirit of Noah and Rose to a certain extent, including another newcomer who had just arrived in the team, Jaylen Brown, was also eager to compete with Roy, and the training ground was full of shouts and high morale.

Noah: "Kenneth (Farid), you're such a beast, but no one ever told you I was a beast tamer before I played basketball?" ”

Claude: "Kenneth (Farid), Joe Jim (Noah) have to be tough-mouthed, so let these All-Stars see what we can do." ”

Rose: "Joji (Noah), don't lose to the juniors, show some big brother momentum." ”

Hernangomez: "Kenneth (Farid), Jay (Crowder), Joe Jim (Noah), you three guys are playing well, this is a duel of the NBA's No. 1 pigtailed player!" ”

There is no doubt that this is the best joint practice for the whole team since Anthony left.

There is no doubt that the long-lost hardcore temperament of the Knicks is slowly being regained.

There's no doubt that tomorrow night's opponents, the Atlanta Hawks, are in trouble.

……

Speaking of the Atlanta Hawks, this year's Hawks are indeed a bit special, and this team has been pursuing steady development and has made a subversive overhaul and makeover of the team this season.

It sounds a bit incredible.

They have made the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons, and they were the top four teams in the East last year and the first in the East in the regular season the year before. They could have continued their solid team building ideas, but the team's owners, Michael Giron and Steven Price, couldn't wait. Every year after reaching the playoffs, the Hawks not only can't get past the Cavaliers, but they also have a hard time dealing with the resurgent Celtics and the rising Toronto Raptors. Not up or down, not embarrassed or embarrassed, this is the saddest state of the NBA team, you can't win the championship, you can't touch the lotto area, wait like this, sooner or later you have to tear down and rebuild, it's better to "stick your head out".

The Hawks have changed dramatically this season, starting with sending away nine-year All-Star Al Horford (who joined the Boston Celtics) for free to sign Dwight Howard, who is on the decline. And another All-Star guard, Jeff Teague, was traded to the Indiana Pacers for a three-way trade (the Jazz's No. 12 pick) before the draft.

That's not all, there are reports that the Hawks will further clean up the team's high-paid players, including All-Star power forward Paul Millsap and three-point king Kyle Korver.

But it is such a seemingly disheartened and nerve-wracking Hawks team, but it has achieved an impressive record of 9 wins and 3 losses since the start of the season, and is currently second in the East behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

How did they do it? If you want to say the credit, the biggest credit goes to the team's head coach Mike Budenholzer. That's right, it's the same Budenhozer who said that Hornacek couldn't lead a star-packed Knicks to success.

The 12th head coach in the history of the Atlanta Hawks and a longtime assistant coach to coach Gregg Popovich. "Those who are close to Zhu are red, and those who are close to ink are black", after many years of hearing and seeing, Budenhozer naturally learned a lot.

Budenhozer has a deep understanding of the essence of coaching, and when he became head coach of the Eagles in 2013, he set out to transform the Eagles from a tough team to a championship contender with a balanced offensive and defensive balance.

Budenholzer did his job, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 60-22 record in the 2014-2015 season, winning the Eastern Conference regular season title and earning the season coach of the season award himself.

But unfortunately, although Budenhozer won the regular season and won the best coach, he couldn't go further in the playoffs despite racking his brains and using all his strength. In the playoffs for two consecutive years, they fell to the feet of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and last year they were swept out by the Cavaliers with a humiliating score of 4-0.

Can rebuild to rebuild, deal with the boss to deal with the boss, Budenhozer doesn't want to completely pile it all on the spot, after the introduction of Howard, he actually still has ideas, no matter how he says, he has to fight for another season, and then see if his tactical theory works.

Budenholzer is stubborn, and the team really lives up to expectations, with a 9-3 record despite the loss of two All-Star players, and there is no shortage of classic battles against the Cavaliers, Rockets, and Bulls.

Before the game, a large number of media rushed to the Madison Garden Plaza Arena, and today their purpose was clear - to see for themselves what kind of fighting power the reborn New York Knicks can explode, and today is the day of the appearance of four new players, and no one wants to miss this opportunity.

As the Knicks players warmed up, the long-awaited media and spectators immediately became agitated.

"Look, look, it's the legendary 'half-orc' Farid!"

"Are you mistaken, that's Claude, and Farid is the big pigtail that came out now."

"I'm not mistaken, the guys who joined the team this time are so rugged, and they can't help but remind me of the Knicks team of Ewing, Oakley, and Mason."

"I'm a little confused, is Phil Jackson's idea to build a team with a bunch of muscular 'black and hard' players? Is the Knicks trying to replicate Pat Riley's 'New York Gangs'? ”

Amid the bustling discussion among the fans, Roy also entered the stadium, he was obviously not the main protagonist on the pitch today, and the fans focused on the other four new arrivals of muscles.

But even without the attention of the media and fans, Roy is now enthusiastic. Why? Could it be that under the influence of Farid, Claude, and Brown, he also has an urge to fight hard?

This is the so-called "close to Zhu is red, close to ink is black"? No, Roy suddenly came to his senses, this may be the strong fighting spirit he has, under the activation of the four newcomers, Roy, and even the whole team's fighting spirit has exploded, tonight, they are all "half-orcs"; Tonight, they will drink blood; Tonight, they're going on a killing spree......