The Atlanta Hawks are one of the toughest opponents of the Pacers' closest opponents.

The Hawks have always been a playoff team in the East, but there has always been a gap between him and the top four in the East.

It's fair to say that the Hawks are a very good team to implement Pat Riley's "five forwards" philosophy, and they don't have a particularly tall center or a particularly short guard on their team. Their rebounds all come from the collective rush for rebounds.

This team is not too strong, but it also secures a playoff spot every year.

Recently, the Pacers really need a quality team to test their overall strength, and Lee Sung, who shone in the opening game, was asked by Stegan to reduce his playing time.

"You've been playing so well lately and covering up a lot of problems in our team, so you're going to have to limit yourself a little bit next. Our goal is to win the championship, not the regular season championship. After the game against the Bulls, O'Brien and Stegan talked to Lee Cheng together.

This conversation also basically made it clear what path the Pacers are going to take next.

The Pacers have had a lot of rookies this season, and Stegan's training plan has only helped them find a path that suits them. But those rookies still need more playing time and more opportunities to work.

Now that Ibaka and Lopez have basically found their way, Hibbert has recently come to some realizations. Now the Pacers' rookies are only Moneymoss and Rush, and they still don't know which direction they should go.

However, Stegan talked to them one after another, mainly because Stegan had approached Rush. Originally, Rush's future should have been very bright, but he was left with a shadow in his heart because of a serious injury. This psychological shadow directly affects his future development.

Named Mos, constrained by talent, he can only be a blue-collar player who contributes his energy to the team, not an All-Star.

But Rush is different, he could have been a very promising player, but his heart made him a little afraid to do a strong physical confrontation. Especially after the take-off. He did not dare to collide with his opponent in the air. Sometimes, after a player has jumped, it's a matter of who can overpower the opponent in terms of momentum, and the winner is likely to be a successful goal or defense.

So Stegan's training plan for Moneymos and Rush was to make them a 3-and-D player.

A 3-and-D player is a player who can defend, run, and shoot threes.

Bowen was one of the first 3-and-D players in the league, and it was he who opened up such a position for players.

Bruce Bowen was also an obscure bench player who couldn't find his place on the team. He doesn't have a very good physique, nor does he have a big-picture view like Nash, he only has a heart to pursue his dreams.

But Bowen eventually found his way. He found his niche. He allowed himself to take on more of the team's defensive duties, and he also practiced a beautiful three-point shot.

"A player who averages 20 points per game is nowhere near as good as a player who averages about 10 points per game but can provide tough defense." These were Stegen's exact words, and Rush and Chanmos accepted such a task.

Rush struggled, but he knew it was the only way he could go. He should have come to his senses, he had come to the walker, and he stopped his descent into the abyss. If he had gone to another team and had not met Stegan and Li Cheng, perhaps he would have fallen into the abyss at a faster and faster pace. And then at the pinnacle of basketball, it was all gone.

Rush has recently been learning from Li Cheng to run without the ball, which will be his main scoring tool in the future. A good player will definitely have a legacy. It's like Miller taught Lee Cheng, and Lee Cheng gave Rush the off-ball run.

In the locker room. Li Cheng has become the absolute core of the team, he is the center of the team. On the court, Li Cheng is still the absolute core, and his super scoring efficiency is the superweapon that leads the team to victory.

A team with Lee as the core. Tactically, they are almost finished, and all they need to do is wait for those players to grow slowly, and then they gradually deepen their understanding.

In the next game of the Pacers home against the Hawks. Lee was replaced in the third minute of the first quarter and replaced by Rush.

Of course, Rush didn't have the deterrence and scoring ability of Li Cheng after coming up, but he always did what he had to do and helped his teammates by the way.

The Pacers' defense has gradually improved this season, and they can no longer be a big sieve on the defensive end like they did last season. Every team that can win the championship must have a tough defense.

Even the Bulls and Lakers under the Zen master, the two teams that created a dynasty, they can play tough defense.

Of the former Bulls, Miller said: "They will play a suffocating defense at one point in the game. At that time, it was very difficult to find an opportunity to shoot. ”

So this season, even Li Cheng began to gradually increase his investment on the defensive end. As his physique improves, he can also start defending with the team. Although Li Cheng's defense is not too strong now, at least he will never become a black hole on the defensive end again.

When Li Cheng was just replaced, some people were still puzzled, wondering if Li Cheng was injured. But then everyone reacted that the Pacers' pursuit was not a regular season record, and their goal was to win the championship.

The Pacers want a championship, so they have to give the rookies more playing time. In that case, Li Cheng and Granger will have to reduce their playing time.

After Li Cheng reined in his offensive firepower, the Pacers naturally would no longer blow up one of the opponent's positions in every game as before, and then rely on Li Cheng's huge advantage to easily win the final victory of the game.

But the more this happens, the more rookies the Pacers have to bear, and the faster they can grow.

Against the Hawks, the Pacers trailed by nine points at the start of the final quarter, 76-85. Then Li Cheng and Granger came on the court, and the two of them went up to bombard, sending 11 and 8 points respectively, leading the Pacers to overtake the score in one fell swoop.

In the end, the Pacers defeated the Hawks 108-100 at home, making it 10 consecutive wins of the new season.

After the game, Eagles Smith's helpless expression at the press conference became a portrayal of everyone in the Hawks in this game, "Today, Li Cheng's playing time was only 28 minutes, and he delivered 24 points and 7 assists. ”

"This is a guy who can blow up a qiē in half a game, it's terrible. In the future, no one in this alliance will be able to prevent him. The head coach of the Eagles faced reporters after the game, and he was also very helpless.

After a 10-game winning streak, the Pacers will face the Magic head-on. Regarding this game, O'Brien and Stegan are divided on whether the team should give it all at this stage.

Stegan thinks the current roster is only one frame and immature, but O'Brien believes the Magic are one of the Pacers' biggest opponents in the playoffs and they should go all out.

"We want a championship, Jim." Stegan was a little annoyed, and what he was most frustrated at this time was that he was not the head coach of this team, even though he had a lot of power in the team now.

O'Brien is even more helpless, the guy in front of him is notoriously stubborn in the United States.

"Orlando is our biggest opponent and we should give it our all. We need to know our opponents. ”

"We're 72 games away from the playoffs, so when that time comes, we'll be much stronger than we are now. When we're strong enough, who do you care who our opponents are? ”

In the end, O'Brien was speechless by Stegan, who won the "debate contest". The Pacers continue to use the same discussion from the previous game.

Lee's minutes were cut from the previous game, he played only 25 minutes, he dished out 26 points and five assists, but the Pacers still suffered their first defeat of the new season at home.

With a score of 98 to 105, the fans at the Conses Center were a little disappointed. The team still did not usher in an 11-game winning streak in the new season, and the team's unbeaten streak was broken. However, the fans are excited when they think about the team's goals, and they all want the team to bring them a trophy.

Next, the Pacers ushered in three consecutive road trips, and these three opponents are all strong teams. The next three opponents of the Pacers are the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets.

Of the three opponents, the Miami Heat are the weakest and a very good opponent for the Pacers today.

Ibaka is now averaging 8.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and Hibbert's improvement has been significant, as he averages 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. In addition, Lopez's 3.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game have exceeded expectations.

The Pacers' roster has become complete, and they are moving in a better direction.

In the away game against the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade scored 38 points, 4 steals and 5 assists, but the Heat only scored Wade. Against a team like Miami, the Pacers' defense is unfazed. They let Wade score alone, but they only let Wade score alone.

In the end, Li Cheng played 26 minutes and scored 28 points in this game, and the Pacers defeated the Heat 99-91 away, Li Cheng continued his super high efficiency and the Pacers did not let the losing streak happen. (To be continued......)