Basketball Dragon

Chapter 273 Preparing for the playoffs
Just when everyone was discussing how many games the Knicks could win in a row, the results caught people off guard.

To put it simply, they defeated the Wizards and lost back-to-back away games to the explosive 76ers on the second day.

In this game, the 76ers played very well both defensively and offensively, as if they were the defending champions.

Six players scored in double figures, and three scored 20+ points. No one can do anything about this kind of thing. The Knicks have been beaten by the opponent since the first rotation period.

"It's not a bad thing. Failure allows us to approach the next game with a more complete mentality."

"And, we've set a new record, haven't we?"

Just like Li Hai said, failure is not a bad thing, and they also have the capital to ignore the failure of a single game.

On April 4, the Knicks returned to their home court and defeated the Raptors.

Although Bosh performed well, the Knicks have a lot of advantages inside and outside the line.

When the substitute came on the court, Crawford showed his power, and then the Knicks kept maintaining the advantage. The Raptors had absolutely nothing to do.

On February 2th, the Knicks came to the away game to beat the Raptors again. This time the two sides played very fiercely. The main reason was that Bargnani broke out. He and Bosh both shot from the outside. .

But they couldn't defend the Knicks. At the end, Li Hai scored 6 points in a row and still grabbed the victory. This is the role of the stars, and the Raptors are still slightly behind.

On February 2, the Knicks beat the Bobcats by 27 points at home, starting the winning streak again.

Although Okafor came back, he was no longer able to play a key role in the game.

On February 2, the Knicks easily defeated the Eagles in an away game.

Li Hai scored 44 points, and now he is 2 points ahead of No.3 Kobe in the scoring list. If there is no accident, he will be the scoring champion of this season.

Just when the outside world was speculating how many games the Knicks could win in a row this time, they lost to the Magic in an away game on March 3. Howard's double 1 performance suppressed the Knicks inside.

Howard's strength this season has revived the dispute over the No. [-] center after O'Neal got old.

On March 3, the Knicks ushered in the challenge of the Hornets, which has a very good momentum this season, at home.

Chris Paul's rapid growth has made this team full of competitiveness.

There are David West and Tyson Chandler inside, both offensive and defensive, and even Peja Stojakovic ushered in a second spring here.

In the first quarter, the insides of the two teams began to explode each other, because both were good at mid-range insiders, and it was hard for anyone to restrict anyone.

But on the perimeter, the Knicks are obviously a little stronger.

Li Hai has experience in dealing with Peja, which makes this big pitcher very depressed.

In terms of substitute players, the Knicks had a complete advantage, so when the main players of both sides returned to the field in the second quarter, the Knicks had already taken the lead in the score.

The Hornets' response is to strengthen their defense. Their team defense is still very good, and the two insiders also have a certain level of blocking.

If the average team encounters such a lineup, it will definitely get into trouble, but the Knicks are different.

They have excellent players who can tear through the team's defense, and they can break through with just one point.

As long as Li Hai was half a beat faster than Peja who was defending him, his precise mid-range shot would break the opponent's tight defense.

At halftime, the Knicks took the initiative 53:49.

However, at the beginning of the second half, Paul suddenly began to show his power. Not only did the mid-range shots and breakthroughs become aggressive, but he also hit two consecutive three-pointers.

Relying on Paul's performance, the Hornets immediately caught up with the score.

There is a reason why they have such a good record this season. The team's defense and Paul's ability will make it difficult for the team they meet for the first time.

In the critical fourth quarter, Li Hai began to take over the game.

The Hornets don't have the right players to limit him, and this is their biggest weakness.

Peja would definitely not be able to guard Lehi, so the Hornets replaced him with Maurice Peterson to limit him.

Maurice Peterson's defense was not bad. If it had been a few years earlier, he would have been powerless at this time. Although he wanted to stick to Li Hai like brown sugar, he couldn't keep up with his pace.

"It's just one step. This is Li Hai's unique skill. You can gain shooting space by squeezing one step away. Even if you know what he is doing, you can't stop him."

"Lee hit another hit, and the Knicks' lead came to 5 points. Before the Hornets could figure it out, it would be too late."

"Paul went in, and the Hornets still stood up at the critical moment. His speed and rhythm made it difficult for taller players to keep up..."

"Hat, Li Hai stopped Paul with his excellent defense, the Hornets are in danger."

Paul's height will not be his weakness most of the time, but when the star needs to solve the problem at the last moment, his height becomes an insoluble pain.

Obviously at critical moments, Li Hai's lethality is stronger.

With only 2 minutes left, the lead of the Knicks became 10 points with Li Hai's three-pointer, and the outcome was already sealed.

98:90, this is the final score, and the Knicks won after a fierce battle.

At the last moment of the game, Randolph was injured and left the field early. Although Randolph's injury was not serious, it reminded the Knicks.

Then the playoffs approached, and if they want to successfully defend their title, they must keep their players healthy.

Their original plan was to take a rest after a period of time. Now it seems that this arrangement has to be brought forward. Many players consumed a lot of energy when they broke the winning streak. At that time, everyone might not feel it. Likely to be injured.

On March 3, they ushered in the Cavaliers who made a trade at home.

The Cavaliers made a three-team trade with the Bulls and Sonics after the All-Star break and got Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for reinforcements.

Randolph's truce, and David Lee, who became the starter, is still weaker in ability now.

The Cavaliers seized the opportunity, and James felt overwhelming to help the team defeat the Knicks.

Regarding the loss, Li Hai didn't worry too much. On the basketball court, there is no team that can not lose. The most important thing is who can have the last laugh.

Therefore, the Knicks still started the rotation plan. In back-to-back games, some players with injuries will rest to ensure their state.

In the game against the Pistons on March 3, Marbury was the first to start the rotation.

The Knicks, who lost two starters, showed their background and still defeated the Pistons.

(End of this chapter)