From today on is the king

Chapter 1372 1371. Top score list

"Steve's joining is a great thing for us. He is the NCAA champion and he can bring great help to our team..."

As soon as Liu Mang arrived at the arena on the morning of the 15th, he was surrounded by reporters and asked about the latest Blake deal.

The Bucks fans generally gave Blake, who was in the last year of his rookie contract, to the Eagles for free, which made many fans complain that the Bucks would do anything to show off.

Take a look at the Knicks, they are not bad, even if they have no hope of the playoffs, they are still fighting every game. They have 17 wins, and they are not far behind the Heat with 19 wins. They are already far away from the bottom three in the Eastern Conference.

However, Blake is in the last year of his rookie contract, and it is understandable for the Bucks to let him go. Blake and Reed partnered this season, averaging 11 points and 5 assists per game. There is no contract close to the middle class that cannot keep him.

Moreover, although the Bucks only won 11 games this season, there is no lack of performance in winning strong teams, and they won less than 11 long games in half a season. For them...too much...

Since the Bucks got Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decades ago, they have been dreaming of getting a super center again. Unfortunately, Bogut is not strong enough, so they can only do it again.

Blake was also a player in the 03 class. He was selected by the Wizards with the eighth pick in the second round. After the selection, the Wizards gave this second-round pick a four-year rookie contract.

Blake's strength lies in his leadership qualities. He was a winner in college. He reached the finals twice in his four-year college basketball career.

Although talent is limited, he was born in February 1980, and he was 2 and a half years old when he participated in the draft in 2003, but leadership ability has little to do with strength.

If it is to lead troops to fight, too many people with strong leadership ability are concentrated in one team, and there will be a lot of trouble.

But basketball is different. A team has more people with leadership skills, and it is easier to adjust their mentality.

As the core point guard who helped the University of Maryland win the NCAA championship, Steve Blake is an excellent leader. Liu Mang has always wanted to partner with such a guard.

Except for Stockton, Liu Mang has never partnered with a defender with such excellent leadership ability.

Although McGrady and Jason Terry are strong, and Rondo's field control ability is also good, but when it comes to leadership ability, neither of them can compare with Blake.

After the interview, Liu Mang entered the arena. Unexpectedly, Blake had already arrived early in the morning and was undergoing a team physical examination.

The Eagles are still worried about getting such an excellent point guard for free. After the deal was concluded yesterday afternoon, the Eagles contacted Blake and asked him to come for a physical examination today.

Blake is also very excited about being able to play for a team in the playoffs, and couldn't wait to arrive in Atlanta last night.

Liu Mang didn't bother them, and watched Blake's ability evaluation from the side.

"Steve Blake, ability evaluation 79 (peak), offense 77, defense 78, passing 83, three-pointer 84, mid-range shooting 71, layup 82, speed 88, strength 84..."

The 27-year-old Blake is at his peak, and Liu Mang is very satisfied with having such a backup combo guard.

Although the ability evaluation is less than 80, it is enough for a substitute.

After watching the trial for a while, Blake's basic skills are very solid, but his strength is not strong. It has something to do with his physical condition. The solid basic skills he has acquired in four years of college are still very good.

Liu Mang looked at it for a while and then went to practice shooting. The addition of Blake is very important for the relatively weak back line. If Tracy McGrady and Battier mainly play small forwards, and Granger mainly plays small forwards and power forwards, there are only Liu Mang, Jason Terry, and Rondo left in the back line. There is one more near-first-class backup combo guard, and there are more choices.

Liu Mang practiced shooting for a while, and his teammates who had a day off yesterday arrived one after another, and began to prepare for the games against the Suns tonight and the Jazz tomorrow night.

The two games were not easy to play. The Suns, the Jazz, and the Supersonics fought for the fifth place in the Western Conference.

If they are sixth, they will have to face the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, and if they are seventh, they will have to face the Lakers, and if they are fifth... against the Nuggets, the difference is quite big.

After Blake passed the medical examination, he came to the training ground and greeted his new team teammates.

"Hey, Flash, we are teammates now." Liu Mang said while shaking hands with Blake.

Blake was puzzled. He used to be an opponent, and Liu Mang called him The Flash. He could understand that Liu Mang mocked him for his slow speed, but now they are all teammates. Why does Liu Mang still call him that?
"Ace, why did you call me The Flash?" Blake finally had a chance to ask.

In the United States, Wade does not have the nickname Flash. Flash is a nickname given to Wade by domestic commentators. Wade’s nickname is D-Wade, and D means defense. Wade, a second-year player in the 04-05 season, is known for his defense, so he got this nickname.

In the United States, the nickname Flash was given to Blake by Liu Wei. Of course, fans and the media treated this nickname with a mocking attitude.

"Uh..." This question is so embarrassing, and Liu Mang suddenly became speechless. Although a few years later, Blake used his strength to explain what the Flash is when facing the league's top shooting guard, but now Blake is a slow guard. On the defensive end, he usually goes to the shooting guard or even some small forwards who are less than two meters tall to keep up.

Liu Mang thought about it, and there it is!

"I've always thought that you look a lot like Barry Allen, with a small face and a thin face..." Liu Mang said without blushing or panting.

"looks like?"

Blake thought of that cartoon character, it is true that he is tall and thin with a small face...but does it look like it?Blake still wanted to continue to ask, and the person who rescued Liu Mang came.

"Hi, I'm Rajon Rondo, and we'll be teammates in the future." Rondo greeted Blake.

Seeing Rondo's expression, Blake didn't seem very friendly... He didn't remember offending this young man!When he was still in the Bucks before, although Blake scored 16 points to help the Bucks win the Eagles, he and Rondo did not match up, but McGrady...

Seeing Liu Mang and Blake chatting enthusiastically, Rondo became jealous...

Originally, the Eagles only had him as a backup point guard, but now there is another one, who is stronger than him. The sense of crisis and Liu Mang's attitude towards Blake are very good, and Rondo is jealous...

They all got to know Blake, and Fizer and Mark Madsen, who had further physicals after Blake.

Others in the latter two Eagles teams didn't care too much. The ten-day short contract was just a short contract. Blake received a little more attention.

Although Blake is thin, he has a tough style of play, and his ability is just like that, but his impression on the opponent is very outstanding, which is reflected in his unwavering attitude no matter how strong the opponent is.

McGrady, Jason Terry and other stars who have played against Blake all appreciate Blake.

Blake joins the Eagles, and there is an extra person who dares to throw the ball at a critical moment, and the open shot is good. The Eagles are very happy on the outside except Rondo, who feels a sense of crisis.

……

The 13-man rotation has been gathered for the time being, and two emergency tactical training sessions have been held in the afternoon. At [-] pm, there are still two hours left. The second match of the season between the Eagles and the Suns is coming. The Eagles rested at [-] o'clock and began to warm up.

The Eagles are 25 wins and 13 losses, and the Suns are 23 wins and 18 losses. The Suns have already played half of the schedule and are now ranked sixth in the Western Conference.

Only when there is pressure can there be greater motivation. After being blown up by Liu Mang, the Suns have been under the most pressure since the beginning of the season in the last few games. Their record collapsed at the beginning of the season, and the collapse lasted for a month. For a while, no one paid attention to them, but Liu Mang helped them return to people's vision.

After all, the strength of the stars is there. After the other teams valued them and listed them as strong enemies and went all out, the Suns made rapid progress and became the No. [-] team in the West after the Lakers and Bulls.

And one thing...Thomas Carter is too good!
The knee pain that plagued O'Neal last season, played for half a season in the Suns, was taken care of by Thomas Carter!

Except for a few games off at the beginning of the season, O'Neal has not missed a game since December.

In the last month, O'Neal averaged 23 minutes per game and scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He performed well and was very efficient.

Nash ranks first in the assists list, averaging 12 assists per game in the most recent period.

Josh Smith averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

They gradually played what was expected of them when they first acquired Josh Smith and O'Neal.

After warming up, Liu Mang studied the Suns' scouting report.

What an opponent Liu Mang was very interested in.

Because O'Neal went to the Heat more than a year earlier, Stoudemire and Marion switched to Josh Smith's rookie contract, and there is still a year of bonuses to eat. If Josh Smith fails to make the best team in the past two years, Josh Smith's next contract is a 4-year 5000 million starting salary of 1000 million.

The Suns may also become a continuous strong enemy in the future. After all, Nash's peak can be maintained until 2012, and he still has the strength of the assist king. Coupled with Josh Smith, who is in better health and younger...

……

……

At [-]:[-] p.m., Liu Mang entered the stadium.

The Suns just defeated the Heat yesterday. O'Neal scored a season-high 36 points to help the Suns win their 23rd game and beat the Heat 126-91. O'Neal let out a sigh of relief.

So neither Josh Smith nor Calderon went to the arena for a stroll during the day today, and they spent the whole day catching up on sleep.

Liu Mang and the Suns players simply greeted and chatted. They were all back-to-back games. The Suns still had the second back-to-back game, but the Eagles did not take advantage of the physical strength. The Suns won too easily yesterday.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the nationally broadcast game started.

After a lapse of one day, the Eagles of the anti-bombing brigade went online again.

Rondo, Liu Mang, McGrady, Marion, and Kwame Brown will be the starting lineup for the time being. Use this first, and let McGrady return to the back line when a suitable starting small forward is found.

At the beginning of the game, the Eagles had the upper hand, playing a 9-4 start. Taking advantage of the two weaknesses of the Suns center O'Neal, who has no quick down ability and slow return defense, the Eagles had a clear advantage in the first 3 minutes.

However, the Suns took advantage of Rondo's pass error on the Eagles' side, replaced O'Neal, and replaced Nash, Raja Bell, James Jones, Josh Smith, and Diaw's lineup, and neither team could defend the other.

The scores of the two teams in this game were not as explosive as the Eagles played against the Nuggets in the previous game, mainly because the two teams played more organized games.

Rondo played well. In addition to scoring, he was better than Nash in passing, rebounding, and defense. Even if Nash tried his best, he couldn't prevent Rondo from breaking through.

However, even if the defensive end has been well defended, the Suns point guard-power forward-center three-man connection can pass the ball. With Raja Bell and Barbosa two pitchers who can cut and shoot, the Eagles can't defend.

After the first quarter, the Eagles led the Suns by two points 29 to 27.

In the second team, the Eagles fell into a disadvantage.

Fizer is very useful. He is like a stone pillar in the low post. It is difficult for O'Neill to squeeze in, but O'Neal is a full ten centimeters taller than Fizer, and he can play with the small hook.

Although Liu Mang continued to play in the second quarter, he had more chances to score. He scored 5 points in a single quarter when he only scored 14 points in the first quarter.

However, the substitute lineup is not without bright spots. David Lee was replaced when Fizer couldn't guard O'Neal. Although the defensive end was still the same, the offensive end worked well. He turned around outside the three-second zone twice in a row and scored.

But generally speaking, the Eagles failed in the second and third quarters. After three quarters, the Suns have led 93 to 81 by 12 points.

Although Liu Mang scored 17 points in a single quarter in the fourth quarter and his personal score increased to 51 points, he could not recover the disadvantage.

In the end, the Eagles lost to the Suns by 113 to 121, 8 points.

刘莽拿到51分7板3助攻，麦迪表现也很好，拿到30分8助攻，隆多有4分7板7助攻的表现。

The defense against Nash is also good, Nash only scored 7 points and 13 assists.

But without Prince, Diaw's defense was not good. Dior scored 33 points, plus O'Neal's 17 points and 9 rebounds, and Calderon's 15 points and 6 assists. Although the Suns did not defend the Hawks, they scored more.

25 wins and 14 losses, the Eagles lost again.

But there is good news, Liu Mang has reached the top of the scoring list...

He averaged 30.3 points per game, and only scored 17 points in Arenas' poor form. After the average scoring dropped to 30.2 points per game, Liu Mang overtook it!

(End of this chapter)