Chapter 1124 1123. Goal, Surpass Nash!

The last time I came to Indiana, Liu Mang felt very strange. The fans of the Pacers booed their own players.

It was just that the Hawks had just finished their sweet schedule and entered the devil schedule that started after the Christmas game. How could they care about the affairs of this team on the edge of the top eight in the East? At that time, the Hawks were on a 26-game winning streak. The Suns were in a mess. How could they take the Pacers seriously? At that time, the Hawks regarded this as a joke, and finally the winning streak was ended.

Although this time... it is still regarded as a joke...

If you have to say it, Reggie Miller, who has been sticking to the team for 18 years, was ruined by a fight in the year with the greatest hope of winning the championship. As an opponent, it feels very regretful, because Reggie Miller was not eliminated in the playoffs when the team lineup was complete, and it was not even because of the team's many injuries. It was completely a natural disaster.

The fans of the Pacers hate the three best players in their team. Artest, Stephen Jackson, and O'Neal are all top ten players in their respective positions, but the fans of the Pacers just don't want to see them. They ruined Reggie Miller's last chance to win the championship, although the final result was that the Hawks were invincible in the East. Even if there was no fight, the Pacers' chances of winning the championship were not great, but they didn't even have the last chance to fight.

This is something worthy of sympathy.

But... seeing the Pacers players being booed by their own fans, the Hawks can't sympathize with them! Really... funny...

Not only the Hawks, any team that comes here to play can't restrain the mentality of watching jokes.

Liu Mang is the same. After feeling sorry for Artest, he can't help but smile in his heart.

However, Liu Mang is a little regretful when he sees Artest now. Artest is not as active as before. Artest recently made public that he has psychological barriers, which affects his trading value and future contracts, and makes the fans of the Pacers and the general manager Bird more dissatisfied with him.

Liu Mang knew that Artest was a good man and would sell his championship ring for charity in the future. He felt sorry for Artest. Otherwise, even if he had a fight, with his average performance of 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.9 steals per game this season and such good defense, it would not be a problem for him to get a 10 million contract after the 4-year, 24 million contract he signed in 2003 expired in 2007. However, as of now, Artest's biggest contract in his entire career may be this one.

Apart from the generally low salaries in the 1980s, Artest was the worst among the best defensive players after the 1990s.

Liu Mang looked at the Pacers' ability evaluation. Artest's comprehensive ability evaluation was 89, which was at its peak. Offense 83, defense 96, three-pointer 77, mid-range shooting 75, layup 88, pass 75, rebound 74, speed 90, strength 94... He had everything he wanted, and could defend from the first position to the fourth position.

Artest is still very good at his peak, although he doesn't have the 90 ability rating of the peak games before the fight last season. As the strongest player of a team with a salary of 6 million, he is extremely worthwhile.

Stephen Jackson, ability rating 87, peak, offense 88, defense 84, three-pointer 82, mid-range shot 69, layup 91, speed 87, strength 88...averaging 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

Jermaine O'Neal, ability rating 86, offense 89, defense 81, three-pointer 46, mid-range shot 91, layup 90, speed 78, strength 92...averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 blocks per game, accompanied by an average of 4.6 fouls per game, the highest in the league.

No one would have thought that O'Neal was the first one to decline among the three major stars of the Pacers!

In just one year, he collapsed from a top star to an ordinary first-class star.

But even so, Liu Mang feels that the Pacers, with three first-class stars, should not have such a record.

The reason is that Liu Mang feels that Jim Carrey with hair is not a good NBA head coach.

Rick Carlisle, the head coach of the Pacers, has lost control of the team again.

…

The Hawks sent out Liu Mang, McGrady, Horry, David Lee, Kwame Brown as the starting lineup for this game today. Prince and Rasheed Wallace took turns to rest today.

The Pacers sent out Jamal Tinsley, Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal, and Jeff Foster as the starting lineup.

Kwame Brown easily won the jump ball. After Liu Mang received the ball, he advanced to the frontcourt. Artest came up and tried to defend Liu Mang with strength.

The speed can keep up with the fast point guard, and the strength can resist the inside. Artest's defense in his peak period was really buggy.

However, the Hawks were well prepared. Liu Mang reached the three-point line and turned to the left when Artest was about to press forward. Artest wanted to catch up, but was blocked by David Lee, who was not as tall as Artest but had a wider body!

After being blocked, Artest forced his way past David Lee and continued to defend Liu Mang. Liu Mang passed the ball to David Lee who cut in from the middle after a pick-and-roll.

O'Neal Jr. chased after him, trying to block the shot from behind without putting pressure on his body. David Lee was very good at catching the ball. He took two steps in a row without dribbling and stopped suddenly. O'Neal Jr. immediately flew up to block the shot. , after David Lee bent down to avoid it, he stood up and threw the ball over Foster's head.

The Eagles have made specific adjustments to the Pacers' defense. The last time they lost to the Pacers, it was mainly due to the physical fitness of Iguodala and Josh Smith, the two receiving and scoring points or supporting points. When there is a chance to attack the basket, they are straightforward. Good physical fitness is very important, but occasionally there will be trouble. For example, these two are only in their second year and have too much experience.

Moreover, compared with David Lee, these two people have not played as much time with adults as David Lee, a rookie who completed four years of college. David Lee is known for his good skills in college. Averaged 25 points per game for four years.

Although his physical fitness is not that good, he pays more attention to some details.

In transition between offense and defense, the Pacers attack.

Artest received the serve, ignored Tinsley, dribbled to the frontcourt, and singled out McGrady!

McGrady's task today is to work with Iguodala on the bench to fight Artest in a physical battle!

The last time they played the Pacers, McGrady didn't play. Iguodala gave Artest some restrictions, but Iguodala couldn't last the whole game. The Hawks failed to give Artest continuous restrictions. This time it's different. !

Artest broke through to the basket like a tank, and his forced layup was interfered by McGrady's long arm, and he failed to score. McGrady guarded the rebound, handed it to Liu Mang, and then ran to the frontcourt to open up the space.

Liu Mang protected the ball under Artest's guard, came to the frontcourt, took advantage of David Lee's pick-and-roll, and broke through to the inside!

Liu Mang burst into the basket. Foster, who is mainly responsible for coaching, plays well and can stay with the Pacers for the rest of his career. He will also help Paul George become a top star in the future. His always focused attitude is very important.

Liu Mang reached the inside and took off. Foster and Artest, who were catching up, both jumped toward Liu Mang. Liu Mang passed the ball to Kwame Brown behind Foster, and Kwame Brown hit it in the air. One click and the ball falls into the basket!

So relaxing!

Liu Mang felt that the Pacers had no defensive discipline at all!

The last time they played against each other, although the Pacers still played their own offense on the offensive end, they still cooperated on the defensive end, but now, there is no cooperation at all!

The Pacers' single defense is okay, from position one to position four, they are very good in single defense, but there is no communication! They all defend their own defense. When encountering a pick-and-roll, they do not switch defenses, but continue to chase their defenders.

Since January, after Artest announced that he had a mental disorder, the Pacers' conflicts have intensified.

I saw that the Pacers had no communication throughout the whole process, and the three major stars were playing singles against each other...

This is because the Pacers have many stars to continue to maintain their playoff hopes...

Liu Mang knew why James was so depressed yesterday, being beaten up by such a team...

At this stage, there is a very obvious gap between James' defense and McGrady. The day before yesterday, James was beaten by Artest for 31 points. Today, Artest missed consecutive shots under McGrady's defense. What about Artest's offensive performance? He knows a little bit, but he is not good at anything. Even James' type of crushing breakthrough is half-baked.

On O'Neal's side, facing Kwame Brown's single defense, he was blocked 3 times in singles. Kwame Brown's help defense was average, incomparable to Rasheed Wallace, but his single defense was very strong. -With the decline of Wallace and Duncan, Kwame Brown is almost the best player in single defense among centers.

Stephen Jackson was frightened when he met Liu Mang. He looked down upon Liu Mang when it came to fighting, and when it came to playing ball... What impressed him most about Liu Mang was the "flying" feeling he experienced in his rookie year...

Compared with the last 26-game winning streak, the Hawks took turns to rest McGrady and Kwame Brown. On the inside, Rasheed Wallace was beaten by O'Neal in a single. On the outside, only Iguodala could carry Artest. Sterling and Prince were beaten by Artest, and the Pacers still maintained a defense that ranked among the top ten in the league at the time. Iguodala and Josh Smith's air cuts gave O'Neal 5 blocks...etc. All factors combined, the Hawks were beaten to death by the Pacers.

The Hawks coaching staff was fully prepared for this game. On the defensive end, McGrady and Iguodala battled against Artest, and inside Kwame Brown guarded O'Neal, who was past his peak. Moreover, the Pacers' own defense had already Like a ball of loose sand, players are all waiting to be traded, with no cooperation...

The Eagles had an absolute lead from the start!

Liu Mang started to get assists!

In today's game, he will surpass Nash's assists per game!

The next chapter is half an hour away. It’s still a little bit closer. I’ll finish writing the update before clocking out~