NOVEL NEXT Chapter 257: Sprinting for regular season MVP, the last chance to change your fate!
Although the Knicks' record surpassed the Cavaliers and soared to second place in the Eastern Conference,
Lin Fei also surpassed LeBron James in the latest regular season MVP rankings and rose to the first place in the Eastern Conference.
But compared with the stars of several powerful teams in the Western Conference, his personal data advantages are obvious, but there is still a big gap in the team's record.
At present, the Dallas Mavericks have upgraded their team's foundation after acquiring Jason Kidd. As a veteran, Kidd has quickly integrated into the Mavericks' tactical system.
The Mavericks' current record has reached a terrifying 53 wins and 6 losses, five games ahead of the Timberwolves behind them. As long as there are no major accidents in the next 5 games,
The league's first regular season record has basically been locked in.
At the same time, many Mavericks fans are also looking forward to the Dallas Mavericks continuing their efforts and breaking the Chicago Bulls' 72-win myth.
Judging from the current winning rate of the Mavericks, it has reached 89%, which is higher than the 72% of the Bulls' 87-win season. As long as the situation continues as normal,
The Mavericks have a very good chance of tying or even breaking the Bulls' season record of 72 wins. So with Dirk Nowitzki's personal data of 26 points and 9 rebounds, he has a good chance of defending the regular season MVP.
Even though Nowitzki's personal data is far behind Lin Fei, he still leads the team with a single core. Josh Howard, the second-leading scorer on the team, only averages 18 points per game, and Ginobili, the sixth man, It's 17.5 points.
It seems that after the failure in the finals last season, all members of the Mavericks are united in their hatred and have become more dominant this season.
Moreover, the current players of the Mavericks are basically in good health. Nowitzki, Ginobili and Josh have all reached the peak of their careers. Jason Kidd is also strong and strategizing.
Coupled with the full support and logistical guarantee of team owner Mark Cuban, the Mavericks have always ranked first in the league in the team strength rankings in the past two months, beating the Suns, Timberwolves and Spurs.
The huge advantage in record makes Dirk Nowitzki undisputedly ranked first in the regular season mvp list.
The Minnesota Timberwolves ushered in a six-game winning streak after the All-Star break, and their record also surpassed the Phoenix Suns, ranking second in the Western Conference and the league with 6 wins and 48 losses.
The addition and rapid integration of Ray Allen has significantly improved the Timberwolves' offense and defense on the back line.
The offensive and defensive capabilities of Gerald Wallace, Ron Artest and Kevin Garnett have allowed the Timberwolves' defensive efficiency to always rank among the top three in the league.
The excellent record improvement has allowed "Wolf King" Garnett to rank second in the regular season MVP list with his comprehensive data of 24.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Then in third place was Lin Fei from the east.
Although Lin Fei's personal data exploded, the new season led the Knicks to complete radical changes and created many classic moments and high-scoring performances.
But after all, the Knicks' record is only 37 wins, 16 games worse than the Mavericks and 11 games worse than the Timberwolves. Ranking third in the MVP list is already high enough.
The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs rank third and fourth in the Western Conference respectively, and both teams have more than 45 wins.
However, because the single-core leadership data of the Suns and Spurs are not outstanding, neither Nash nor Duncan ranked among the top five in the mvp list.
The fourth place is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the fifth place is LeBron James of the Cavaliers.
After entering March, the Knicks once again faced a fierce battle, that is, at home against the Dallas Mavericks, who had the league's first record.
In an away game last year, even though Lin Fei scored 60+ points, the Knicks still lost the game in Dallas.
Now sitting at Madison Square Garden at home to welcome the arrival of the Mavericks, the whole team is united in their hatred and strives not to be beaten by the powerful Mavericks.
But the mainstream media is obviously more optimistic about the Mavericks. After all, the Mavericks are united. Their record of 53 wins and 6 losses is even higher than the Bulls' 72 wins in the same period in terms of winning percentage.
After acquiring Jason Kidd, this team has become even deeper.
The handicap given by Spinach is that the Dallas Mavericks have an away handicap of 10.5 points. It can be seen that in the eyes of the mainstream media, the strength gap between the two teams is still quite disparate.
Fortunately for Knicks fans, Eddie Curry will return in this game, and the Knicks will face the suffering Dallas Mavericks with a complete lineup.
Before the start of this focus battle, fans of the two teams at home and abroad had already been tit-for-tat on online forums, refusing to give in to each other.
"How terrible is the strength of the Dallas Mavericks this season? I shouldn't need to explain it anymore, right? With a record of 53 wins and 6 losses, coupled with a relatively loose schedule in the later period, surpassing the Bulls' 72 wins in the season is already a certainty! "
"The Knicks should just show off in the Eastern Conference. When they get to the Western Conference, their record will definitely not rank among the top six!"
"The Eastern Conference is really full of bonuses this season. Even teams like the Knicks and Cavaliers can reach the top three. The Warriors and Nuggets in the Western Conference are crying with envy!"
"As long as the Mavericks break the Bulls' record of 72 wins this season, even if Lin's personal score reaches 45+, the regular season MVP will definitely go to Dirk!"
"Without Dwayne and Shaquille, it's impossible for Lin to beat Dirk!"
The Knicks coaching staff and management are also paying close attention to the Knicks vs. Mavericks game in early March and are fully preparing for the game, striving to defeat the strong and prevent the Mavericks from breaking the Bulls' 72 wins.
For the Knicks, if the Mavericks really break the Bulls' 72 wins at the end of the regular season, Dirk Nowitzki will have a huge record support in the competition for the regular season MVP.
Even though Lin Fei brought the Knicks to the first place in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks' record is really far behind the Mavericks.
In this way, Lin Fei's final personal data is a terrifying 40+10+3+2, but it is still difficult to compete with Dirk Nowitzki.
当年87-88赛季的常规赛mvp虽然给了只拿到50胜的迈克尔·乔丹，但毕竟那一年的联盟第一湖人队也才62胜，东部第一的凯尔特人则是57胜。
If in the 87-88 season, a Lakers or Celtics team had created a miracle of 72 wins,
那么拉里·伯德的29.9分9.3篮板，或者“魔术师”的19.8分11.9助攻，依然可以凭借巨大的战绩优势力压乔丹的35+6+3。
So here's the problem. Lin Fei's personal data this season can be said to have completely crushed Michael Jordan in the 87-88 season. At the same time, the Knicks' final record is also expected to break through 50+ wins.
But whether they can win the regular season MVP in the end depends on how high the Mavericks and Timberwolves' final records can reach.
This is also the main reason why Lin Fei only ranked third in the latest regular season MVP rankings.
In the home team's locker room an hour before the game started.
Knicks head coach Isaiah Thomas also solemnly warned the players to go all out in tonight's game.
"It is now clear to the entire league that the Dallas Mavericks are trying their best to break the Bulls' 72 wins, and their schedule in March-April is relatively loose!"
"I believe that except for the Mavericks, none of the other 29 teams in the league wants to see the Mavericks break 72 wins!"
"Even the Memphis Grizzlies, who were completely ruined, almost achieved a super upset in last week's game against the Mavericks!"
"The Knicks' current record has improved to second place in the Eastern Conference. If we lose to the Mavericks tonight, we will be overtaken by the Cavaliers and return to third place again!"
"We have already lost one game to the Mavericks in November, so tonight we must strive to win and refuse to be double-played!"
Isaiah Thomas did not say anything about Lin Fei and Nowitzki's competition for MVP, but the Knicks players are already aware of it.
Zach Randolph was the first to wave his fist and said passionately:
"Am I going to face that soft white guy Dirk tonight? This is indeed an exciting thing! I want to tell Dirk personally on the court that he is not qualified to compete with Lin for MVP!"
Eddie Curry also quickly spoke for the boss: "Dirk is just taking advantage of his teammates. In terms of personal strength, how can he compare with Lin? Lin is the best candidate for regular season MVP!"
Stephon Marbury also mobilized everyone and said: "Since everyone hopes that Lin can win this year's regular season MVP, let us clench our fists and win this game!"
Lin Fei felt the enthusiasm of his teammates and finally encouraged everyone:
"Tonight's game will definitely be very difficult, but I believe that as long as everyone unites, there is no unwinnable battle!"
"I never care who is the MVP, I only care about winning the game!"
The time soon came to seven o'clock, and the game officially started at the referee's whistle.
The Knicks' starting five are:
Point guard (pg): Stephon Marbury,
Shooting guard (sg): Lin Fei,
Small forward (sf): Trevor Ariza,
Power forward (PF): Zach Randolph,
Center (c): Eddie Curry.
The Dallas Mavericks' starting five are:
Point guard (pg): Jason Kidd,
Shooting guard (sg): Trenton Hassell,
Small forward (sf): Josh Howard,
Power forward (PF): Dirk Nowitzki,
Center (c): Eric Dampier.
The Mavericks acquired Lin Fei's former teammate Trenton Hassell in a trade with the Timberwolves during the offseason, focusing on his defensive strength at shooting guard.
Trenton Hassell was not an outstanding player in the original world. The highlight of his career was in the 03-04 season when the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals. He then served as the Timberwolves' starting shooting guard for several consecutive seasons.
Although he was not selected for the All-Defensive Team, Hassell's defensive level is still worthy of recognition. He is hardworking and capable of doing dirty work. He is just a little behind on catching three-pointers.
In today's parallel world, with the guidance and encouragement of Lin Fei, a former teammate, Hassell has made greater personal progress, earning an annual salary of 500 million, and is more actively polishing his skills in training and competitions. Defensive skills.
After coming to the Mavericks this season, Hassell has gradually established himself as the starting shooting guard in the competition.
The reason why Avery Johnson has always insisted on letting Manu Ginobili play the Mavericks' best sixth man is to expand the depth of the team's lineup.
There are now three scoring players in the starting lineup: Kidd, Nowitzki and Josh Howard. Hassell's more important task is naturally defense.
Before the game started, Lin Fei also chatted with Hassell on the sidelines. The scene when the Timberwolves won the championship was still vivid in his mind.
As soon as the game started, Lin Fei was quickly double-teamed by Hassell and Josh Howard. He could only try his best to pass the ball to find his teammates in the open space.
"Little General" Avery Johnson obviously has a lot of experience in defending Lin Fei. The loss in the tiebreaker in last season's finals can be said to keep the coach awake at night.
But Ariza's opening touch tonight was obviously mediocre, and he missed the first open three-pointer.
"Bang!"
The defensive rebound was caught by Dampier. Jason Kidd took the ball and organized it. After coming to the frontcourt, he started a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki and assisted the latter in a high jump shot.
"Shh!"
Zach Randolph failed to keep up with Nowitzki in time on this ball. The Black Bear's shortcomings in speed and explosive power made him suffer when defending outside players like Nowitzki.
Looking back, Lin Fei attracted the defense from the outside. Marbury and Eddie Curry performed a high pick-and-roll, misplaced the ball and directly accelerated to break through the basket, and there were also flying layups.
Knicks (2): (2) Mavericks.
Both teams played with their own characteristics at the beginning, but the Mavericks soon showed a huge advantage in strength.
Kidd, who is getting older and more sophisticated, intercepted Marbury's pass on the defensive end, leading the Mavericks' counterattack and fast break. He controlled the change in rhythm and assisted Nowitzki, who used the pick-and-roll in the high post to run back to the basket for a direct layup. .
"Shh!"
Looking back, Lin Fei used the pick-and-roll to accelerate and break through the penalty area. Facing the two men's defense, he hit the ball to Eddie Curry in the air and assisted the latter for a dunk.
The Mavericks attacked again. This time Nowitzki continued to hold the ball in the high post and hit the Black Bear with his back to the basket. He turned over and shot, which directly caused Randolph's shooting hitter to foul.
"Beep!"
The referee indicated that this was a 3-point foul, and Nowitzki made three free throws.
With the cooperation of Kidd and Nowitzki, the Mavericks' offense is very precise. Not only are positional battles and rotational singles efficient, but the counterattack and fast break are also sharp.
Although it is an away game, Lin Fei was the one who led the Heat to defeat the Mavericks last season, so the entire Mavericks team has huge motivation.
Especially in the face of the huge honor of hitting 72 wins, every player of the Mavericks showed unprecedented unity.
On the other hand, for the Knicks, Lin Fei was constantly being double-teamed offensively, making it difficult to attack with the ball. The other four Knicks' main players were also in relatively average form at the start of the game.
After the first quarter, the away Mavericks quietly led by 7 points.
Knicks (24): (31) Mavericks.
In the second quarter, Lin Fei came off the court to rest. Under the leadership of Ginobili, the Mavericks set off a scoring climax, and the point difference was quickly widened to double digits.
Standing on the sidelines, Isaiah Thomas frowned and had no choice but to call a long timeout.
Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, who were responsible for the on-site commentary, also hit the nail on the head about the problems existing in the Knicks today:
"The Knicks' home games are often like this. Once the team is playing well, the role players will be able to step up. But once they encounter a strong opponent and are lagging behind, the role players will most likely be in a sluggish state. We can only rely on Lin alone to break the situation!"
"This situation has happened too many times this season. The Knicks have a good record against average and weak teams, but against several strong teams in the East and West, the winning rate is quite dismal!"
After the whole game, even though Lin Fei was tightly double-teamed, he still relied on his strong personal shooting and breakthrough ability. He made 22 of 13 shots and scored a game-high 39 points, plus 7 assists and 3 steals.
But in the end, the Knicks unfortunately lost the game at home 98:110.
Lin Fei's 7 assists also illustrate the problem. Except for himself, the overall shooting percentage of his teammates was successfully suppressed by the Mavericks' systematic defense.
When Zach Randolph faced off against Dirk Nowitzki tonight, he fully exposed his personal defensive shortcomings. His bad temper also caused him to receive two technical fouls in the third quarter. Throw out.
Ariza's 6-for-0 shot from the open three-pointer tonight was also a major reason for the Knicks' loss.
Although Jason Kidd is old, his defensive level is still there. Marbury, who was tortured, made 15 of 4 shots tonight and only scored 11 points and 6 assists.
Eddie Curry also tortured Eric Dampier, only getting 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Facing a victorious team that is about to sprint to 72 wins, the young Knicks are indeed unable to compete with Lin Fei alone.
Lin Fei and the Knicks management also have a clearer understanding of the problems the team is currently facing. The second place in the Eastern Conference is just an illusion. Compared with the strong teams in the Western Conference, the gap between the Knicks is still very obvious.
After losing the game against the Mavericks, the Knicks also ended their five-game winning streak, but they soon tasted winning again in the subsequent game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Facing the Bucks' star Michael Reid, Lin Fei completely overwhelmed his opponent, scoring 51 points in three quarters and clocking out early.
After all, the Bucks are a bad team, and it is natural to lose to the Knicks, so they should give warmth.
Michael Reid, who averages 26.8 points per game, also hopes that the Bucks can get the No. pick this summer and select Greg Oden or Kevin Durant to "assist" him.
After winning the Bucks, the Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Dayao, then won the Hawks and Celtics, and then lost to the Pistons...
After the entire March game, the Knicks achieved a record of 3 wins and 10 losses. The team's overall record also reached 5 wins and 47 losses, continuing to rank second in the Eastern Conference.
With the arrival of April, the league's teams have also entered the final stage of the regular season. Lin Fei and the Knicks only have the last 4 regular season games left.
Seeing that the Dallas Mavericks have won 68 games, as long as they maintain a 8% winning rate in the last eight games, they can break the Bulls' record of 50 wins.
Lin Fei's record with the Knicks still hasn't improved significantly, and they are still 2.5 games behind the Pistons, who are first in the Eastern Conference.
After discussing with boss James Dolan, the coaching staff of Isaiah Thomas finally decided to burn the boat and try their best to help Lin Fei achieve his goal of hitting the regular season MVP.
Since there will no longer be a big advantage in terms of record, let's simply let Lin Fei relax in the last few games and improve his personal data to an even more abnormal level.
Use this to compete with the Mavericks' historical record.
On April 4, Lin Fei flew to Chicago with the New York Knicks to face the Chicago Bulls, fifth in the Eastern Conference record list.
Before the game started, Isaiah Thomas also gave Lin Fei a death order in the locker room:
"Lin, I want you to take at least 35 shots tonight! Score as many points as you can. It's best to break your previous single-game scoring record of 78 points!"
Lin Fei suddenly felt confused after hearing this task from coach Thomas.
"Coach, this is not good. Fighting like this seriously damages the team's chemical reaction!"
Isaiah Thomas looked at the other Knicks players and said loudly:
"Do you agree with my decision?"
Eddie Curry was the first to speak excitedly:
"I agree, our strength is not a problem to beat the Bulls. Lin must score more high points at the end of the regular season to have the last chance to complete the counterattack on the mvp list!"
Zach Randolph also followed up and said angrily: "Why is Dirk always the weakest number one in the MVP list? He can't even average 30 points per game, how can he be worthy of Linby?"
David Lee also touched his chin and nodded: "This is indeed our last help to Lin. We must give Lin more chances to take action while ensuring we win!"
Nate Robinson: "Shit data can never match the team's record. As long as the data is more abnormal, it will definitely conquer the entire league! Now everyone is sprinting. Didn't Kobe score 62 points yesterday? Garnett stole it the day before yesterday. 22 rebounds!”
Stephon Marbury finally smiled and said: "Lin, you must take more shots and score more tonight, so that I can happily get more assists!"
The locker room instantly burst into laughter.
Glancing at the sincere eyes of his teammates, Lin Fei suddenly became excited. The suppressed desire to score in his heart was fully unleashed. He patted his chest and shouted:
"Okay, then I will let go of my shooting tonight and try to score 100 points from him at the United Center!"
At the same time, Lin Fei also made a firm decision in his heart: "Since the league is not optimistic about him winning the MVP this season, then he really has to sprint with all his life!"