Chapter 060: Downfall
The January losing streak was finally ended at the head of the Nets, and the New Yorkers were still okay with the result, although they could already anticipate another wave of defeats to come, but the phrase "drunk today" is not exclusive to Chinese, and people in the United States are well aware of it.
"Don't be too happy!" New Jersey fans were upset by the excitement of New York, and they were very kind to analyze the situation in December for the Knicks, who were determined to share the ups and downs with their good partners in the city.
The Big Apple's suspension runs until late December, and if nothing else, he'll be back before the Christmas game, a fortunate coincidence, but also a sign that the Big Apple will still miss the Knicks' next eight games.
Starting December 1, the Knicks will first have two consecutive road trips, first flying to Dallas to take on the slightly exuberant Cowboys this season, and then two days later, they will travel to Salt Lake City to visit their former loser, the Jazz led by Sloan Sr.
In both games, even the New Yorkers themselves didn't hold out much hope, and in most people's eyes, another two-game losing streak for the Knicks was all but a foregone conclusion.
After two consecutive road trips, the Knicks can return to their home court for a small rest, and two days later, the Nuggets will visit their counterparts in New York in person, and given the Nuggets' reach for the Western Conference Finals last season and their excellent form this season, the Knicks have little hope of winning.
Game 4 is a chance for the Knicks, who will take on Charlotte Bobcats at home. While the Bobcats have been in good form this season, the Knicks are not out of the cracks, and Curry, who was sent to the Bobcats in a three-way trade last season, has proven that he's still a pitfall. Even the head coach didn't bother to put him on the 12-man roster, and it was clear that there was a big problem with the Bobcats' interior line.
Bobcats' core player Gerard Wallace is also a super blue-collar who is weak in defense and attack, and the only thing he fears is his excellent physicality and excellent game attitude, but other than that, his offense is not enough to be too threatening.
For the game against the Bobcats, the Knicks have made up their minds. If you lose the first three games, then you must win this game safely, otherwise. A long losing streak will have a big impact on the stability of the team.
And the two opponents after the Bobcat made the Knicks more determined to take down the Bobcats, and the magic that had beaten him not long ago naturally needless to say, just sacrificing a Howard Nix was already kneeling, not to mention Lewis and Carter.
After the magic. The Knicks' next opponent is just as tough to deal with. Although the Hornets are not in good shape, they have Paul on the outside and Okafor on the inside, and their balanced offensive and defensive strength and excellent interior and exterior offense are not like what a team like the Knicks can beat.
Of course, the Knicks here refer to the Knicks after the Big Apple ban, if the strongman who scored 59 points in a single game returns, even if the defending champion comes to Madison again, the Knicks will have the courage to fight a battle.
In the seventh, New York will get another respite. Away against the Bucks, this season's Bucks have been a bit of a surprise. The 50+ cut by superstar Jennings the other day was seen as a challenge to the Big Apple in New York, but even so, the Bucks' strength was still not accepted. D'Antoni is confident of beating such a team backed by a super-rookie.
The final game before the Big Apple's return was a bit Alexandria for New York, with Brandon Roy's Trail Blazers surprisingly strong this season and a brief spring after the return of Champion Auden.
With Aldridge and Oden the Great on the inside, the Trail Blazers have both offense and defense, and with Roy, one of the league's best scorers at the moment, Portland has finally been able to get rid of the name of "prison", and the 14-3 record so far this season shows their toughness.
New Jersey doesn't list the games after the Big Apple's return, and even if they don't want to admit it, it's a fact that the Big Apple is unpredictable, but these games alone are enough.
7-1 win, the New Jerseys' prediction still saves some face for New York, in their opinion, this is the best ending for the Knicks, if you want to be better, you can only count on the league to open a ban on the Big Apple, otherwise, New York will be like this.
"Coupled with the previous 5-9, the Knicks' record before the Christmas game is most likely to become 6-16, 82 games a season, excluding the past 22 games, there are still 60 games, although the strength of the East is not good, but if you want to enter the playoffs, you must win at least about 40 games, that is, New York will win more than half of the games in the next schedule."
"Here, we can already say goodbye on behalf of the Knicks and this season's playoffs!" The New Jersey summary made New York as uncomfortable as eating a fly, and it is true that many of what people said were true, and according to that situation, the Knicks' prospects were really a little tangled.
However, even if they lose psychologically, the result will still depend on the game to reveal, even if it is seven losses and one win or even eight consecutive defeats, the Knicks have to experience it for themselves, and they have to do their best to contribute to the team before the big apple returns.
On the first day of December, the Knicks got themselves off to a good start with a 103-109 game, and although they didn't win against the Mavericks, the Planters were still praised for their fighting temperament throughout the game, showing the dignity of the so-called underdogs.
The win against the Nets gave the Knicks a lot of confidence, and they played a much more fluid offense against the Mavericks, and D'Antoni's civilian run-and-gun tactics were on display in this game.
Curry played well, with 24 points and 5 assists, and people can't help but want to compare him to Jennings and Evans in the same position, and eliminate defensive disadvantages. Babyface's shooting percentage is obviously better, and New York fans are very surprised by the rookie's unexpected outburst. Losing isn't scary, it's about what you can gain from losing.
The second game against the Jazz was still praised. Of course, the Knicks still lost, but that didn't stop people from admiring Dolan, a Curry, a Thorton, and two rookies broke out at the same time at an extraordinary level, with the former shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range. The latter scored seven straight points in three minutes of the third quarter, and Dolan's vision was once again commended.
The words of "Daily New York" represent the thoughts of most fans, "Watching two rookies keep surprise us. One has to look forward to the day when the Big Apple returns, and fortunately, that day is not far off, what the Knicks are currently doing. It's about making sure you try to stabilize the situation as much as possible before the Big Apple returns. ”
But. This thought lasted only a few days, and after the third game, New York reverted to its old ways, and the two rookies were taken seriously by their opponents, and the targeted defense caused them to hit the so-called rookie wall headlong, and the only surprise was lost, and the game was completely out of suspense.
The Nuggets, as last season's Western Conference Finals-caliber team, faced the gloomy Big Apple. They played with ease. Little Melon from New York played a dominant performance in this game, and 31 points is not much. But when you add 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks, such a statistic is terrible enough, and it's no wonder that local New York fans would make a mutinous act of applauding melons.
"You really don't give face!" Li Chen, who learned the news after the game, called Anthony, "Just treat my team while I'm not there, New York is also your hometown, you're done, I'll go to Denver to smash your field when I come back!" ”
The battle of chances, the game against the Bobcats, New York still lost regrettably, the fan mutiny in the last game broke the hearts of the players, some old players such as David Lee and Hughes were okay, new players like Curry and Thorton were not good, and the poor performance made the Knicks not even survive the fourth quarter.
The Giant Killer finally got a taste of the Belly Killer, and after giving New York a spectacular four-game losing streak, the Bobcats themselves were able to end their three-game losing streak. Putting joy under the pain of others, generations of players have worked tirelessly for this great cause.
"Four consecutive defeats are coming in an instant, how far is a five-game losing streak?" That's the headline of the New York Times, losing a crucial game against the Bobcats, especially after the third quarter, and the Knicks' performance disappointed New York fans.
In response to the tragic situation of the Knicks, the local media also deliberately found Li Chen, who has been making guest appearances as male models recently, and the latter's performance made many people very dissatisfied.
'We've had a tough time for the team, but I'm sure the guys will fix it, they're the best, I'm convinced of that. As for when I'm back in the team, I'm sorry, it's going to be a while away because I'm imagining fighting with them all the time, but it doesn't mean I'm going to have to be in the stadium all the time, you know, in that situation, it's hard for me to keep myself from playing. ”
Although Li Chen said it very tactfully, everyone can understand the meaning, if nothing else, before the ban ends, the big apple will not return to the arena, and accompany the team to endure one defeat after another, which is intolerable to the proud Mr. MVP of the finals.
Li Chen's speech did not bring much encouragement to his teammates, in the fifth game against the Magic, Madison Square Garden fell again, and the martial arts of the Warcraft on the inside line made Chandler sitting in front of the TV very unhappy, although he couldn't help others when he played, but just thinking about it and not losing a piece of meat, not to mention that the boxing champion classmates have always been full of confidence.
In Game 6, Chandler was able to make a comeback, and the Knicks were finally able to put together a starter that looked good, even without the Big Apple, but the combination of Chandler, David Lee, Battier, Hughes, and Curry was enough for them to be able to fight against most teams in the league.
Of course, it's just the power of the first battle, Chandler met his former good partner Paul in the first fight of his comeback, and the queen bee is still the same, but the people around the queen bee have been replaced by Okafor, and the boxing king who saw this scene couldn't help but have a feeling similar to jealousy in his heart.
With 20 points and 11 rebounds, Chandler's return was surprisingly excited, and the rare 20+10 made Paul, an old partner, sincerely happy for the boxing champion, even if he had just given his opponent a defeat.
At 112:116, the Knicks lost to the Hornets by four points, but the result was satisfying, because compared to previous games, the Knicks were finally able to make his presence felt, and this presence is crucial for the proud New Yorkers, who can accept defeat, but they will not accept ugly defeat.
Finally, as the New Jerseyians analyzed earlier, in the Bucks, the Big Apple finally tasted the feeling of a winner. The main theme of this game is the war between rookies, and the performance of rookies on both sides is eye-catching, although the Bucks' Jennings scored an impressive 38 points, but compared to the Knicks, he is still slightly behind.
Curry played his best game so far, with a quasi-triple-double of 26 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, which made people mistakenly think that he was possessed by the Big Apple, and Thorton, who came off the bench, also showed the potential of his super sixth man with a 19-point point.
At 112:107, the Knicks are better in the battle for the future. (To be continued......)