Chapter 937: Late stage

The big deal between the Rockets and the Celtics attracted the attention of most people in mid-January.
Harden made his debut in the Celtics vs. Hornets game on January 16, wearing a Greens shirt for the first time. He scored 27 points and sent 7 assists to help the Celtics beat the Hornets.
In the team lineup, Stevens put Thomas on the bench as the sixth man.
Harden's No. 13 has not retired in the history of the Celtics, so it is a miracle that there is no need to change numbers.
The attention and ratings of the entire East have been greatly enhanced by Harden's arrival.
The Alliance must be quite relieved to see this situation.
It is foreseeable that in the next one or two seasons, Harden's whistle will not be missing.
After all, balance.
Before this deal, the king got PJ-Tucker's operation, but it was ignored.
In fact, this may be a transaction that really affects the situation.
The Kings finally made up their last shortcoming-defense on the front line.
At the same time, the sixth man problem of the team was solved by the way.
After Tucker arrived, Li Liang decisively referred him to the starting position 3 to reduce his defensive pressure on the 4th position.
Rudy Gay was put on the bench as a fully capable sixth man.
In this way, a lineup of the Kings starting Cousins, Li Liang, Tucker, Gordon and Rondo has basically taken shape.
In general, this lineup is similar to Li Liang's thinking when he was in the Pacers.
On the field, Cousins, Gordon, Rondo, all have the ability to solve problems on their own offensively, and they can also integrate into the team's offensive system.
In defense, the Pacers use a tough one-on-one defense, and the Kings actually have the ability to defend one-on-one.
With the five starting players, Cousins ​​has strong defensive abilities in one-on-one standing without the need for constant defense.
Therefore, while Mike Brown continues to refine his bee defense, he is also using the simple but used 1on1 to consolidate the team's defensive foundation.
Relying purely on the little bees, the problem is that you will get into trouble when you encounter some teams with strong offensive strength.
For example, in the game against the Warriors in early January, the two teams met for the first time this season.
The Kings were completely crushed by the Warriors.
After the Warriors have James, the team's offense has taken a step further, reaching a state of continuity and compliance.
Offensive efficiency, fluency, ability at critical moments, outside field goal percentage, and ball transfer have reached a peak.
LeBron's three-pointer also reached the highest point in history in the Warriors, and the shooting percentage exceeded 40% for the second time.
The last time he shot 40% in the regular season was in the 2012-2013 season, but that season he averaged only 3.3 shots per game.
He averaged more than 5 three-pointers per game this season, a career high.
If there is any problem with the Warriors, it may be that Green's role in the offense was offset by James.
Also, the Warriors' bench is weaker than in the past.
But in general, this warrior is a well-deserved golden team.
Facing the outstanding offense of the Warriors, the "swarm defense" is just tickling the King.
James' wide-ranging transfer of the ball and the Warriors' air cut moves disturbed the swarm.
Li Liang did his best in this game, scoring 48 points in a single game, and the Kings still lost by 7 points.
After this game, the Kings got PJ Tucker, and Mike Brown combined the little bees and one on one.
The Bees are really good at dealing with weak teams, especially those with poor offense.
Continuous harassment in the defense will cause the opponent's offense to not perform well, and eventually gradually fall into endless singles.
And this kind of harassment defense does not consume a lot of physical energy, and the Kings players' offense has not fallen at all.
Therefore, the king's abuse of food is quite stable.
They ushered in a wave of winning streaks, and throughout the second half of January, they never lost again.
Including victory over a strong team like the Thunder.
Li Liang is more handy in the position of coach.
He gradually realized what Mike Brown meant by "ruling by doing nothing."
The regular season, the player's state, the simplicity and continuity of the tactics have a great influence on the record.
As a coach, he needs to keep the players in good physical condition and mental stability, while ensuring a certain intensity in training.
Just like a long-distance running, the most important thing in a midway run is to ensure a smooth breathing rhythm. The playoffs are the time to sprint.
He delegated most of the tactical matters related to team training and games to Mike Brown and D'Antoni.
With the two of them, there is no need to worry too much about tactics, as long as he makes key decisions.
During the rest of the time, Li Liang participated in the training as a player, while cooperating with Lu Gui, often thinking about life with the players.
Tyronn Lu is fundamentally a direct disciple of Phil Jackson, who stayed with the Lakers who won three consecutive championships that year.
He is a player coach and knows what the players think.
Playing basketball is actually the same as other jobs. As an employee, you will be lazy, lazy, and emotional.
After all, whether or not to win the championship does not directly affect the players' wages.
As for how to appease the players and get along with this group of hey boys, Director Lu has his advantage.
After all, Li Liang is too authoritative, except for seniors like Cousins ​​and Rondo, everyone else always feels distanced from him.
When you always bring Tylen Lu by your side, you have a middleman, messenger, and buffer. When you get along with your teammates, you will feel much better.
In February, on February 3, after the Kings defeated the Suns at home, they have already won 12 consecutive victories!
This wave of consecutive victories allowed the Kings to rush to the second place in the West with a record of 40 wins and 10 losses.
The Golden State Warriors, second only to 44 wins and 6 losses, left the Spurs, Thunder, and Lakers all behind.
This wave of victories has brought the entire Western Conference back to its head and drew everyone’s attention from Harden’s deal. It turns out that the Sacramento dragged the Kings. Beneficiaries.
With PJ-Tucker, the Kings defense has become extremely stable, and the rotation has become quite abundant and stylized.
Li Liang truly achieved "rule by doing nothing" and put the king in a good state of self-circulation.
In terms of court performance, Li Liang averaged 8 assists, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in January. With an undisputed performance, he won the Western Conference's monthly best and weekly best.
For the first time, Li Liang showed people what it means to "make power in the future."
The fear of Li Liang once again fell on the Alliance and the Westerners.
On February 4, the Kings will face the Warriors back to back at home.
At this time, the warriors who have formed a super strong team are no longer the so-called big devil, but the brave who wants to challenge the devil.
The heavy task of saving the west and defeating the devil lies on them. </div>