This time the Lakers played four consecutive home games. After winning three consecutive games, their next opponent was the New York Knicks.
The New York team's current record is only 29 wins and 41 losses, but in the Eastern Conference, this record is promising to enter the playoffs. It's just that the current New York matchup is a bit uninterested in fighting.
Melo Anthony has become the "king of free throws" this season, averaging 21.3 shots per game, but his shooting percentage is quite satisfactory, especially the three-point shooting percentage, which barely reaches 40%, and he averages 27.4 points per game.
What is the concept of averaging 21.3 shots per game? For example, in the 2006-2007 season, Kobe averaged 22.8 shots per game and averaged 31.6 points per game. This season, players like Harden who prefer to hold the ball only average 16.5 shots per game. Durant is averaging 32 points per game this season while taking 20.8 shots per game. Both of these men are considered the "ball tyrants" of their respective teams, but neither takes as many shots as Anthony.
None of Anthony's helpers were great.
Stoudemire's data are much worse than those in his rookie season; Bargnani was reimbursed after playing only half a season; Felton continues to be fat; JR Smith is still obsessed with his data. Rookie Hardaway Jr., the No. 24 pick in the draft, was a surprise for the Knicks, but everyone knows that Hardaway Jr.'s upper limit will definitely not reach the heights of his father.
The current Knicks lineup does not look weak, and Anthony's statistics are also very good, but they just don't win, or the Knicks suddenly become unable to win.
The same was true for this game. The scene was very lively. Five Knicks scored in double figures, Anthony scored 33 points, and then the Knicks also lost by more than 30 points in total.
With four consecutive victories, the Lakers went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the East to challenge the Bucks away from home. The Bucks' record is only 13 wins and 58 losses, ranking last in the Eastern Conference and the league, worse than the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, what is unexpected is that after the game entered the second quarter, the Lakers have been lagging behind.
In the current Bucks team, both starters OJ Mayo and Ilyasova are injured. The core of the team is Brandon Knight. Knight also has good athletic ability, speed and agility. He is outstanding, his ability to finish offense is also very strong, and his defense is also of a certain level. But as the core of the team, Knight is not enough. Strictly speaking, Knight is the kind of player who is neither good enough nor good enough.
Facing Zhang Guan's defense, Knight basically misfired. Once Knight misfired, the Bucks also basically misfired, and the game seemed to become unsuspicious.
But at this moment, a big man stood up on the bench of the Bucks. He was this year's rookie, a Greek, and had a very long name: Giannis-Antetokounmpo, because the name was too long. , even the narrator couldn’t remember it, so he simply called him “Alphabet”.
This person is none other than "Antetokounmpo" Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo came on as a substitute and made 6 of 9 shots in the first half, plus 6 of 6 free throws, scoring 18 points. He also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks. The data is not only comprehensive, but also perfect.
"Where did the Bucks come from with such a guy who can shoot, pass, and block shots? He is so tall and can play as a center, but he plays like a guard!" Marshall, sitting on the bench, said. Speak up.
"You mean 'letter', he is a Greek, this year's 15th pick, participated in the Rookie Challenge and the Skills Challenge." Ryan Kelly said next to him. Also as a rookie this year, Ryan Kelly knows Antetokounmpo relatively well.
"Skills Challenge? This guy looks like a seven-foot-long man. How can he participate in the Skills Challenge?" Marshall asked in surprise.
"Less than seven feet, 'Letter' is the same height as me, both 6 feet 11 inches. We played against each other in rookie training camp. This guy has the height of a center, the body of a forward, and the skills of a guard. He is on the court. , can play five positions!" Ryan Kelly lamented.
…
The scores of the two teams were still rising alternately, but the Lakers were always five or six points behind and could not catch up with the Bucks. This situation remained in a stalemate until the last two minutes of the game.
The Lakers are really not very comfortable with defending Antetokounmpo.
The current Antetokounmpo is known as the replica of Durant, because his side data is almost a weakened version of Durant, so when Antetokounmpo was drafted, the best template given was Durant. However, in fact, Antetokounmpo and Durant's playing styles are completely different. The similarities between the two are only superficial, but they are actually quite different.
Durant is good at playing without the ball. His main scoring method comes from mid-to-long-range shots, and less than 20% of his shots are in the penalty area. Antetokounmpo needs to hold the ball to a certain extent, and he mainly attacks the basket. More than half of his shots come from near the penalty area. Only 30% of his mid-to-long-range shots are taken, and the shot distance is only half of Durant's. His shooting is indeed not as good as Durant's. Strictly speaking, Antetokounmpo's offense is more like Westbrook when he first entered the NBA.
Therefore, it is definitely useless to defend Antetokounmpo with the same method of defending Durant.
In the entire NBA, there is no second player like Antetokounmpo. The Lakers' defense was relatively passive for a time. It was not until the fourth quarter that the Lakers players gradually found a way to deal with Antetokounmpo.
After all, Antetokounmpo is still just a rookie. He will catch defenders off guard when he first appears, but as he slowly adapts to it, experienced players will know how to defend. For example, the current Lakers put Jordan Hill on the court to defend Antetokounmpo, and achieved good results.
After all, Jordan Hill has played in the NBA for five years. Even if he doesn't meet people's expectations for him, he still has some experience. Although his defense is not very good, this kind of black, rough and hard type Players are barely competent against a rookie.
Antetokounmpo failed to score three consecutive shots, and the rookie's instability was exposed at this time. The Lakers tied the score and the game entered the last two minutes.
The Bucks probably rarely experience this kind of fight to the last moment. In most games, the Bucks have fallen far behind by the fourth quarter, and the game will enter garbage time. This situation of fighting until the last two minutes is very rare for the Bucks. Faced with this situation, the Bucks' players seemed to suddenly lose their ability to play. Not only did they miss consecutive shots, they also made a mistake.
The final score between the two sides was 113 to 108, and the Lakers won by five points.
This can be regarded as a thrilling victory for the Lakers. If the Bucks hadn't suddenly died in the last two minutes, maybe the Lakers would have really lost. And all this is because of Antetokounmpo's superb performance. Antetokounmpo also scored a career-high 32 points in this game, as well as 9 rebounds and 7 assists, which is close to a triple-double.
…
Although he won the game, Zhang Guan was not happy.
"Although Antetokounmpo has a high ceiling, he is only a rookie. Such a rookie has defeated our entire team!" Zhang Guan shook his head and silently looked at his teammates around him.
"We still don't have enough strength on the forward line. Although Wesley Johnson is pretty good, his upper limit is just that. It seems that we still need a forward player, at least a forward who can defend decently." Zhang Guan thought of this and decided to discuss it with D'Antoni.
The second chapter has been delivered. Please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket. Thanks to Thai Style Zhang Laotou, Dongfang Yiying, Hunan Army 1, Duo Duo Cai Ni, Bubble 2016, and Lao Guo 003 for the reward!
(End of chapter)