In a post-game interview, Dunn threatened to study his All-Star opponents, which undoubtedly seemed a bit arrogant.
The Western Conference forwards are star-studded. Duncan, Garnett, Nowitzki, Roaring God, Malone, Peja, Webber, there are so many veteran All-Star forwards sitting there, where is the turn of Duan, a first-year rookie?
For a time, many media outside Los Angeles criticized Du En one after another. They asked Du En where he had the confidence to say "already studying All-Star opponents"?
However, before Du En could speak, the local media in Los Angeles had already begun to protect him.
I would like to ask, is the small forward who averages 24.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game qualified to become a Western Conference All-Star forward?
What's more, his team's star players often miss games! But with his help, his team currently ranks second in the Western Conference!
After the Los Angeles media listed Duane's game statistics and the Lakers' record, a large number of the media that had originally smeared Duen stopped. Some even began to change their tune and shamelessly promoted Duen.
After all, Duane's data and the team's record are a bit tough. You must know that Tracy McGrady, who averages the highest scoring average this season, is only 28.7 points.
Kobe, who is also on the Lakers, averaged only 24.9 points per game, which was just a little higher than Duane.
The problem is that Kobe Bryant has not played as many games as Duen, and his rebounds, assists and blocks are also not as good as Duen. At most, his steals are slightly better than Duen.
Also playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Payton and Malone's statistics are also much lower than Duane's.
Looking at the WS (win shares) in the advanced data, Duane is 3.4, Kobe is 3.1, Malone is 2.8, and Payton is 2.6. Currently, Duane is indeed the player with the highest win shares in the Lakers team.
Judging from win shares alone, the Lakers' second-best record in the Western Conference can be said to be the result of Duen's leadership...
Looking at another high-level data, PER (efficiency value), Duan ranked second with a high score of 28.2, second only to Garnett with 29.1.
It can only be said that simple ball scoring and sewer play are very suitable for brushing high-level data.
Regardless of his basic statistics or advanced statistics, Du En is so strong that it's hard to fault him at all.
It is precisely because of this that the newborn calf who originally spoke out wildly became the biggest dark horse in the 2003 draft.
The gold content of the No. 13 pick in the first round is comparable to the No. 1 pick, No. 2 pick, and No. 3 overall pick.
The Lakers also suddenly upgraded from F4 to the Big Five.
Even if Kobe and Malone will be absent in the next few games, the Lakers will continue to charge towards the first place in the Western Conference and the first record in the league.
On January 14, the Lakers faced the Nuggets at home.
Previously in the Denver Plateau, the Lakers lost back-to-back games due to unfavorable weather.
Today is different from the past. Even if Kobe missed the game, the Lakers still easily defeated the Nuggets.
It is worth mentioning that, perhaps because of the previous public opinion about the All-Star forward Duan, which has caused a stir. The Nuggets have also regarded Duen as an All-Star player and double-teamed Duen extensively in this game.
Fortunately, Duan has basically digested the Pippen template, and his ball control and passing skills have been greatly improved. With O'Neal and Payton beside him, he is not afraid of double-teaming at all.
Because of this, Duane didn't suddenly hit the rookie wall just because he was double-teamed.
In the game against the Nuggets, Duan became more and more courageous as he battled, recording a near-triple-double of 28 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.
Not long after the game against the Nuggets, the NBA officially announced the results of the second round of All-Star voting.
Dunn received a total of 778,000 votes, still ranking third among Western Conference forwards, but one step closer to Garnett and Duncan.
The first two received 823,000 votes and 801,000 votes respectively.
It can be seen that Nike's marketing of Duen and the public opinion that Duen proactively aroused during the post-game interview were somewhat helpful in helping Duen become a starter in the Western Conference All-Stars.
Even though Garnett's nickname is "Big Box Office", the increase in votes in the second round is obviously not as good as that of a real box office player like Duane who has a Chinese box office!
At the same time, the vote gap between O'Neal and Yao Ming is getting wider and wider.
At his peak, O'Neal was still arranged by Chinese fans in the All-Stars.
In the blink of an eye, January 16th came, and the Lakers challenged the Sacramento Kings, currently No. 1 in the Western Conference, away from home.
It is worth mentioning that there is only one win between the two teams.
Since the 1998-99 season, when Rick Adelman coached the Kings, the Kings have always been a championship-winning team.
It's a pity that the current Kings are not born at the right time. They either encounter the Spurs led by Duncan and the general, or they encounter the Lakers led by OK combination.
During the regular season, there was no pressure for the Kings to play against the Spurs and Lakers.
When it came to the playoffs, the Kings either lacked superstars or were unlucky. They fell short from beginning to end.
Especially in last year's playoffs, the Kings' lineup was even more gorgeous than the Spurs'.
However, Webber suffered a knee cruciate ligament injury in the Western Conference semifinals against the Mavericks. The Kings reached the tiebreaker with the Mavericks without Webber, the team's leader.
Until now, Weber is still recovering from his injuries!
In the absence of Webber, the Kings took advantage of the fact that other strong teams were still in the running-in period and relied on the Princeton system to play steadily and slowly reach the first place in the Western Conference.
Coincidentally, the Lakers, second in the Western Conference, are also missing their star.
“No one can take away our first place in the Western Conference, not even the Los Angeles Lakers!
Verratti, don't forget who abandoned you!
Brad, show Shaquille O'Neal your muscles!
Peja, I heard that the Lakers' rookie No. 31 wants to become a Western Conference All-Star forward. I think you should give him a try.
Doug, if Kobe doesn't participate in tonight's game, no one can guard you and you can fully demonstrate your offensive capabilities.
And Mike, it's time to become an All-Star, beat Gary Payton, and go enjoy the spotlight in Los Angeles! "
Before the game, Rick Adelman cheered on the Kings players.
Then he began to warn everyone that they must defend their home victory.
If the current tactics of the Kings are perfect, they will not be able to defeat the Lakers without Kobe and Malone.
So in the playoffs, why should they defeat the Lakers, who have the Big Five, in a seven-game series?
Champion, champion, champion!
Only by defeating the favorite Los Angeles Lakers and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, the Sacramento Kings, who are number one in the Western Conference, will be the real king!
Only then are you qualified to break out of the Western Conference and win the championship that belongs to the Kings!
For the championship, Rick Adelman and the core players of the Kings have been fighting for five years!
How many five years are there in life?
How many players in the NBA can maintain their peak period for five years?
Kings players can’t wait! If it fails to succeed this year, Rick Adelman, Webber, Peja and others will also part ways, and the Kings, who are united and offensively gorgeous, will also fall apart.
"Must win!"
The king and his team, united as one, walked out of the locker room and walked to the competition venue of the Golden One Arena...
PS, to celebrate Shang Sanjiang, there will be an extra update tonight, and there will be another update later.
