On January 2, 2013, the Trail Blazers ushered in the first game of the new year. Wang Zelin and others came to New York, the most prosperous city in the United States and even the world.
Their opponent is the New York Knicks led by Melo Anthony.
As a team that has remained unchanged for thousands of years, the Knicks only made the playoffs twice in the first ten years of the new century. They are the younger brother in the league who can bully anyone they see.
However, this does not prevent the Knicks from becoming the highest-paid team in the league.
After Melo Anthony and his partner Chauncey Billups joined the Knicks in the 10-11 season, they entered the playoffs for two consecutive years... which made many old fans burst into tears.
The last time the Knicks had such a grand occasion was when Gorilla Hawks led the team.
Well, forgive the Knicks for being the younger brother for so long that even making it to the playoffs has become a luxury.
…
During the afternoon tactical meeting, Batum looked sad, with sadness flowing back into the river.
As one of the representatives of the 2003 Platinum Generation, Carmelo Anthony's unique offensive instincts make him one of the most dangerous super scorers in the league.
The reason why Melo is called Melo is definitely not because of his baby face. He scores points just like chopping melons and vegetables. This is his real capital for being famous in the league.
Under Anthony's leadership, the Knicks are no longer a weak team. Their current record is 21 wins and 8 losses, ranking second in the Eastern Conference, and only one win behind the Trail Blazers, who have 22 wins and 8 losses.
The Knicks now have a very bluffing nickname - "Team Killer!"
Gein's teams that were hailed as championship seeds this season all lost to the Knicks led by Anthony.
On November 3, the Knicks beat the Heat 104:84 in the opening game, ushering in a good start to the new season.
Before the start of the season, the defending champion Miami Heat, which has the top three Big Three, topped the list of team strength for the new season by major authoritative media in the United States.
Even the authoritative sports media on the other side of the ocean regard the Heat as the number one seed to win the championship.
As a result, Anthony slapped all the expert media in the face with a strong performance of 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Not long after beating the Heat, in mid-November, the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs back-to-back...
In the second half of November, the Pacers and Mavericks lost to the Knicks one after another.
If it weren't for the inexplicable loss of the Knicks to underdogs such as the Timberwolves, maybe Anthony would be the best player in November.
Anthony's condition this year is frightening. It's no wonder Batum was so worried before the game.
The pre-game tactical meeting set a tone: superstars like Anthony cannot be guarded. Instead of wasting time and effort to target them, it is better to let Batum defend the opponent in the frontcourt and let them perform a large number of singles.
After all, Anthony is also notoriously easy to fool.
This is undoubtedly a dangerous move. If Anthony gets high, he may end the game by himself.
But, what if!
…
In the afternoon, Wang Zelin and his teammates came to the famous Madison Square Garden.
The last time I came here was during the draft.
And this time, he will visit again as a supernova.
Entering the arena, Knicks players are warming up.
When Anthony saw the Blazers coming, he walked straight to Wang Zelin and greeted him in an exaggerated way: "Oh, My King is here, I am your loyal fan!"
"Oh, my brother, it's nice to meet you. I'm your fan and I grew up watching you..."
"..."
"Ah, no, I grew up watching you play ball."
Looking at the sturdy No. 7 player in front of him, Wang Zelin showed an ecstatic expression and hugged him.
Fake squid! This kid is just like LeBron said, he always likes to say "I am a fan of xxx."
Obviously, the performance of the two was a bit too exaggerated, which made the two teams have dark thoughts.
It has to be said that there are only wrong names in the world, not wrong nicknames.
Although Melo's behavior is not as exaggerated as his good gay friend LeBron James, who is surrounded by brothers, he is still easy to get along with.
As long as you don’t mention the donuts…
After the grandiose hug, Wang Zelin adjusted his mentality: "Mello, you are in such good shape this year, it seems that you must be the scoring champion."?
"I think so!"
Anthony nodded in agreement, without any hint of humility on his face.
In the 2012-13 season, the 28-year-old LeBron James had his best season. Carmelo Anthony, who was one of the top two players in 2003, and who was only half a year older than the former, also came. His peak period.
After two months of playing, there are only two players who have averaged over 30 points per game in the new season. One is Carmelo Anthony, who currently ranks first in the league with an average of 31.6 points per game.
The other is Kevin Durant of the Thunder, who currently ranks second in the league with an average of 31.2 points per game, a gap of 0.4.
Ranking third is Kobe Bryant of the Lakers. The 34-year-old blacksmith averaged 29.8 points per game to prove that his firepower is still as good as before.
This is also thanks to Nash's early comeback, which made the Black Mamba put away its fangs. During the period when Nash was sidelined due to injury, Kobe had a crazy 14 games with 30+ points, once ranking first in the scoring list.
Some time ago, I don’t know how many people were frightened by the Black Mamba’s full display.
It’s already 34, almost 35, and the donkeys in the production team don’t dare to score points like this!
According to the practice of previous years, the beginning of the season is the peak period for the superstars' data explosion, because some players have not yet entered the game state, and players who entered the state early have dominated the major data lists early.
But I don’t know since when, the old-school players gradually got older, the main theme of the league changed from hostility to kindness, and brothers began to play basketball.
In recent years, once someone takes an early lead in the scoring list, it is difficult for others to catch up.
This year, it is rare for the league to see a scoring feast between three super scorers, which has made many fans recall the fierce competition for the scoring king between the stars of each league team at the beginning of the century.
With the strong promotion of the Utah people, this season's scoring battle has become a highlight worth looking forward to this year.
…
Led by the leaders of both sides, the players from both sides greeted each other very friendly before the game.
This is also understandable.
After all, there is no deep hatred between the Trail Blazers and the Knicks in team history. In addition, the bosses of both teams are well-known gentlemen, so the atmosphere before the game between the two teams naturally seemed extremely friendly.
However, in the eyes of reporters on the sidelines...the two teams seemed to be a little too good.
Is it possible that some people really think that "Friendship comes first, competition comes second!" in sports arena is not true...
After separation, Wang Zelin took a look at the strength analysis of the future scoring champion, focusing on the analysis of offensive capabilities.
"Carmelo Anthony
Position: Small Forward/Power Forward
…
Offensive ability
By playing 91, layups 86, mid-range shots 97, long shots 80, dunks 77, passing 62, ball control 88, free throws 84, breakthroughs 82
defensive ability
…
Overall score: 94 (superstar)
Evaluation: The only thing left to become a super giant is a strong enough mentality.
"
