On January 9, the Warriors returned home to face the Trail Blazers.
The two sides met for the first time, and the Blazers won a resounding victory.
In this meeting, the Warriors are no longer what they used to be. Their overall strength has improved a lot. It's hard to say who will win and who will lose.
Moreover, the Trail Blazers rested Brandon Luo Yin in this game, and Oden and Batum and other main players were absent due to injuries. The Warriors' winning rate greatly increased.
After the start of the game, the two sides were evenly matched, and the game was inseparable, with the scores taking the lead alternately.
The Trail Blazers relied on senior Miller and Aldridge to score.
The Warriors fired as a team and played smooth teamwork.
The game reached a turning point in the second half of the second quarter.
As Aldridge and others' physical strength declined, their shooting percentage also dropped, and the Blazers' offense was paralyzed.
The Warriors performed reasonable rotations and did not suffer from physical exhaustion. The offense was still extremely smooth and they took the opportunity to widen the point difference.
When the third quarter started, the Warriors came out with all their firepower and launched a wave of offensive climax, widening the point difference again and sealing the victory in one fell swoop.
In the end, the Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 121-96, winning their sixth consecutive victory.
In terms of statistics, 7 Warriors players scored in double figures.
Sun Yi scored 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks.
Curry made 4 of 9 three-pointers and scored 19 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Ellis scored a team-high 21 points, plus 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
Morrow scored 15 points; Reggie Williams scored 12 points; Maggette scored 14 points; Randolph scored a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Trail Blazers' best player is Aldridge.
In the 32 minutes he played, he scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block.
After the game against the Trail Blazers, the Warriors rushed to Memphis non-stop to challenge the Grizzlies back to back.
In this game, the Grizzlies showed playoff-level defensive intensity, causing the Warriors' shooting to plummet.
Even if you use the "elevator door" tactic, you won't be able to make a shot if you don't feel good.
The Warriors are very fond of touch. If the touch is hot, even the league's No. 1 team can win, but if the touch is not good, a weak team cannot win.
In this game, the Warriors' shooters collectively felt cold. In addition to back-to-back games, most of the players were no longer in shape and the defense was also very loose.
The Grizzlies seized the opportunity, based on their strong defense, and then used the twin towers inside to score inside, expanding their lead little by little.
In this way, the Grizzlies played steadily and did not give the Warriors a chance to come back, maintaining their lead until the end.
In the end, the Warriors lost to the Grizzlies 86-99, ending their six-game winning streak.
In terms of statistics, the Warriors' best player is Sun Yi.
In the 40 minutes he played, he scored 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
The Grizzlies' best player is Zach Randolph.
In 42 minutes on the court, he scored 24 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists.
After this game, the Warriors returned home and defeated the Timberwolves and Wizards one after another, and lost to the Jazz and Bobcats on the road.
On January 19th, the Warriors got a day of valuable rest.
At the same time, voting for the 2010 Dallas All-Star Game officially ended, and the NBA official website announced the list of starting players for the Eastern and Western Conferences that day.
The first to be announced is the much-anticipated All-Star vote winner.
LeBron James narrowly defeated Kobe Bryant with 2.55 million votes to win this year's All-Star vote.
Other starting positions for the Eastern Conference All-Stars:
Dwight Howard was elected as the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Stars with 2.36 million votes.
Kevin Garnett was elected as the starting forward for the Eastern Conference All-Stars with 1.98 million votes.
Dwyane Wade was elected as the Eastern All-Star starting guard with 2.32 million votes.
Allen Iverson was elected as the Eastern All-Star starting guard with 1.27 million votes.
The most controversial among them is Iverson.
Judging from the data this season, Iverson has indeed passed his peak, cannot perform brilliantly, and is no longer an All-Star level player.
But the Amys wanted to see Iverson on the All-Star stage for the last time, and they voted him into the Eastern All-Star starter.
But things were not always so perfect. The arrogant Iverson found an excuse to withdraw from this year's All-Star Game, feeling that his current strength was no longer enough to stand on the All-Star stage.
As for the Western Conference All-Stars, there is basically no suspense. The starting lineup has been determined from the first day.
Due to Dayao's season reimbursement, other centers in the Western Conference have been given opportunities.
Stoudemire was elected as the starting center for the Western Conference All-Stars with 1.82 million votes.
For forwards, Sun Yi was elected as the starting forward for the Western Conference All-Stars with 2.31 million votes.
Another Western Conference All-Star starting forward is Carmelo Anthony, who received 1.28 million votes.
In terms of guards, Kobe Bryant won the Western Conference All-Star vote with 2.45 million votes.
The other All-Star starting guard was won by Steve Nash, who defeated Chris Paul with 1.22 million votes.
There is basically no doubt about the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup.
Although Sun Yi is a rookie, his performance is obvious to all, and he is currently averaging a triple-double per game.
Moreover, Sun Yi's fan base is very large, and the clues can be seen from the first round of voting.
Therefore, his ability to win the All-Star starting position did not surprise many people.
As for the Eastern and Western All-Star bench lineups and coaching lists, NBA officials will officially announce them on January 23.
After the All-Star starting players were announced, the outside world's attention was basically focused on the upcoming All-Star Game, and they were no longer so concerned about the "gun scandal" incident.
Seeing the situation improving, NBA President David Stern showed a long-lost smile.
"This is not enough. We must continue to increase our efforts to promote the All-Star Game."
Immediately, Stern called his assistant and explained the next publicity plan, and then thought about how to continue to make the NBA brand bigger and stronger.
At the same time, news reports about the All-Star starters are fermenting on the Internet.
For Sun Yi to be selected as the All-Star starter, some stars in the league who are close to Sun Yi have expressed their support.
Kobe Bryant: "I have doubts about Sun's strength and look forward to fighting side by side with him."
James: "Sun's performance reminded me of my rookie days. He was much better than me."
Nash: "Sun's playing style is very good, and I appreciate it very much."
…
Even as the alliance was building momentum for Sun Yi, some famous experts who were looking for a sense of presence still voiced doubts in a strange way.
"If I were a Chinese player, I could be selected as an All-Star starter through the support of the fans."
"Sun Yi's data looks good, but there is actual moisture. His teammates have given him too much help."
…
Regarding the doubts of these experts and celebrities, Sun Yi, the person involved, has not come forward to clarify. Fans who support Sun Yi fought back online, leaving these experts and celebrities speechless.
At the same time, Sun Yi, the person involved in the whirlpool of public opinion, turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside the window and only wanted to improve his own strength.
In the Warriors training hall, Sun Yizheng is undergoing daily training under the guidance of trainer Procopio.
"Sun, take a rest for a while. Long-term high-intensity training will be harmful to the body. You must know how to combine work and rest." Procopio said.
Sun Yi nodded, stopped, and came to the sidelines to rest.
Although he has [Steel and Iron Bones] and doesn't worry about getting hurt, others don't know, so it's better to keep a low profile.
"Sun, congratulations on being selected as the starter for the Western Conference All-Stars." Procopio congratulated.
"Thank you, Mike." Sun Yi wiped the sweat on his body with a towel and replied.
"You are rewarded for your efforts. If other players see your training volume, they will not envy you for being selected as the All-Star starter." Procopio said sincerely.
"If my talent is incredible, I won't make up for it through hard work. Who doesn't want to become stronger while lying down." Sun Yi replied teasingly.
Procopio thinks Sun Yi is a Versailles.
With your physical talent, there are very few players in the league today who can match it.
After Sun Yi chatted with Procopio for a while, he opened the system panel and prepared to upgrade the badges that needed to be upgraded.
After the start of the new season, he played nearly 40 games. Not only did he gain a large number of training points, but he also achieved some of his badge upgrade goals.
The badges that can be upgraded are: [Arc Top Dealing], [Restricted Area Deterrence], and [Iron Ambition].
After Sun Yi accumulated enough training points, he upgraded all these badges to one level.
After the badge level is increased, the effect is further enhanced, further enhancing Sun Yi's overall strength.
"These are all external forces, and to make iron you need to be strong yourself."
Sun Yi regained his strength and continued to come to the court for high-intensity training.
…
…
On January 20, the Warriors faced the Spurs at home.
The two sides met again and there were no sparks.
Since January and February are the period of high incidence of injuries, Spurs head coach Popovich chose to rest "GDP" and use the remaining lineup to deal with the Warriors.
Regarding the Spurs' arrangement, the Warriors did not take it lightly and still went all out to win.
The playoff threshold in the Western Conference is very high, and the Warriors must compete in every game if they want to reach the playoffs.
After the game started, there was no one-sided situation.
Although the Spurs lack three main players, the other players are also very strong and have a good back-and-forth with the Warriors.
The Warriors did not exert any force in the first half and maintained a slim lead to end the first half.
After the start of the third quarter, the Warriors
In the end, the Warriors defeated the Spurs 108-89, ending their two-game losing streak.
In terms of statistics, the Warriors' best player is Ellis.
In 38 minutes on the court, he scored 27 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Sun Yi's performance was quite satisfactory, scoring 15 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal.
Curry scored 18 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists.
For the Spurs, the most outstanding player is George Hill.
In 38 minutes on the court, he scored 20 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists.
After this game, the Warriors once again face a new challenge. They will set off to Oklahoma City to challenge the Thunder away from home.
At this stage, the Thunder are ranked seventh in the Western Conference with a record of 26 wins and 14 losses.
The Thunder's rapid rise this season is inseparable from Kevin Durant.
Under his leadership, the team's record improved by leaps and bounds and entered the playoffs.
After two years of training, Durant did not disappoint the Thunder management and finally broke out this season.
At this stage, Durant is averaging 30.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, making him an All-Star player.
Second-year rookie Westbrook is also improving very quickly.
This season, Westbrook is averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. Except for his poor shooting percentage, there is nothing wrong with him.
In addition, the Thunder also have talented players such as James Harden, Jeff Green, Yin Baka, Sefolosha, and Collison.
It can be said that as long as the Thunder maintains such a team, they will win the championship sooner or later.
But the Thunder's management only knows how to train players, but they don't know how to retain them.
In later generations, the Thunder were nicknamed the "Whampoa Military Academy" of the NBA by fans.
Since the records of the two teams are similar, whoever loses will fall out of the top eight in the Western Conference.
Therefore, both sides attach great importance to this game and prepare for it with all their strength.
…
…
January 22, Oklahoma City, Ford Center Arena.
At this time, the stadium was already full, and the fans were patiently waiting for the game to start.
Although Oklahoma City is a small city, the fans here are extremely passionate about the home team.
When the Thunder play at home, fans will wait until the home team completes its first possession before taking their seats.
In the VIP box, Thunder general manager Presti watched halftime of the Warriors' warm-up activities and fell into deep thought.
If he had been willing to take a gamble and randomly select one of Sun Yi or Curry, then the Thunder would have started a dynasty mode.
Presti believes that the future achievements of Sun Yi and Curry may not be higher than Durant.
These two guys performed much better than Durant as rookies.
But at this stage, Durant, who has completed his leveling, is much better than Sun Yi and Curry.
Although Presti missed Sun Yi and Curry and worried about gains and losses, he believes that the Thunder can reach the top with the current team.
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Back on the court, Sun Yi and Curry were chatting with Harden.
Harden can only envy Sun Yi and Curry's treatment in the Warriors.
At this stage, he plays the role of the sixth man in the Thunder. Not only does he have little playing time, but he also has no ball rights. He is unable to produce good statistics at all.
Regarding this situation, Sun Yi could only pat Harden on the shoulder to comfort him.
"These are just tests. Before the time comes, there will be a day when all the hardships will be over."
Harden looked confused and couldn't understand what Sun Yi was talking about. He thought it was very philosophical.
After discussing philosophy with Harden, Sun Yi and Curry returned to the Warriors' warm-up half to continue their warm-up activities.
Not long after, the warm-up activities ended and the players from both sides returned to the bench one after another.
The starting lineups of both teams were displayed on the big screen.
Warriors starting lineup: Curry, Ellis, Maggette, Sun Yi, Randolph.
Thunder starting lineup: Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Jeff Green, Kostic.
The referee blew the whistle and signaled the players from both sides to come to the center circle and prepare for a jump ball.
The battle between the Warriors and Thunder is about to begin!
