Regarding this, Lin Ying is not the only one who thinks so, there are also fans on social media who are aware of this.

Caruso's ability is definitely limited, but he is the best supplementary puzzle piece for the Nets.

If an NBA team wants to win the championship, it must have a strong enough core, but a good winning puzzle piece is also essential.

Even because of his humble attitude after the game, many fans gave him many affectionate nicknames, such as King Kaiser, Bald Mamba, White Mamba, and Vulture.

These nicknames are basically understandable at a glance, and even players like White Mamba and Bald Eagle have been called such nicknames before.

But the most unusual thing is the nickname given by domestic fans: programmer.

This is more connotative.

Because programmers generally have less hair, they feel like they are 25 years old or 45 years old.

Caruso is already bald on the back of his head at such a young age, which has the same purpose.

But these are obviously not belittling or ridiculing, but the fans' love for him.

Just like the Rockets back then and the Nets today, fans use these nicknames because they love them enough.

The more they raise, the more they like it.

then……

One month later.

The Nets' record has seen some ups and downs, and they were overtaken by the Hornets and dropped to second place in the Eastern Conference.

It's not that they didn't play well. In fact, after Caruso started to join the team, although he didn't play well in every game, the team had stronger perimeter defense, and the team and substitutes were more balanced.

The team's performance has become significantly more stable, and the certainty of winning games has been significantly enhanced.

Instead, the Hornets are starting to get better.

After Durant first arrived in the Hornets, he went through a period of adjustment and a battle for team status.

But in the end, he overpowered Butler and became the team boss with his outstanding performance.

Butler also showed his own character traits. He is the type who wants to lead you if you are weaker than him. If you are stronger than him, he can convince you and willingly help you.

The combination of the two combines offense and defense, making it very difficult for the opponent.

Moreover, the Hornets' head coach James Borrego also showed his coaching ability. He often asked Horford to play the fifth position in a small lineup, which made the Hornets' offense very interesting to watch.

It was at this time that the NBA All-Star voting results and player voting were finally released.

Eastern lineup: Leonard, Antetokounmpo, Durant, Lin Ying, Jokic;

Western Conference lineup: Curry, Harden, Paul George, James, Davis;

A very interesting thing happened about this voting, that is, the Rams and Bucks moved both Leonard and Antetokounmpo into the backcourt!

This sounds quite outrageous, but because the NBA has no clear regulations in this regard, Kobe Bryant was selected as an All-Star as a small forward in history.

Now that the center position has been eliminated and only the front and backcourt are divided, there are even fewer restrictions.

Of course, there are reasons for these two teams to do this, because in the East, the positions of Durant, Lin Ying and Jokic are unshakable this season, and it is impossible for them to sign up for the frontcourt.

So in the end, this unprecedented "Five Death" Eastern All-Star team appeared.

Of course, this outrageous operation also caused dissatisfaction among many players, especially those guards who could have been selected as All-Stars in the backcourt.

The league responded quickly and will amend the rules in the next session.

Well, next time.

But this is just one of the surprises about this All-Star voting.

Another thing that is equally surprising is that Durant's votes are closely behind Lin Ying, beating James and ranking second!

This seems a bit strange, because Durant seems to have become more popular after leaving Lin Ying.

But taking a closer look at Durant's performance this season, he averaged 31.8 points per game, the second-highest score of his career, and his shooting percentage was as high as 53%, and his three-point shooting percentage of 43% was a career high.

In the words of fans, this is the best Durant.

When Lin Ying saw this, he was also very emotional. In history, if Durant was not seriously injured and did not meet the gods, he would be like this.

The January game ended quickly. In the selection of the best of the month, Durant, Lin Ying and Porzingis became candidates. In the end, Durant also ended Lin Ying's season streak with his outstanding performance.

Won the best of the month.

Such a performance made many fans begin to realize, is this the era of James? The era of Lin Ying? Or...is it Durant's season?

Against this background, the first meeting of the season between the Nets and the Hornets in early February became a major focus of attention from the outside world.

Although this game is not a Christmas war, it is even more popular than the Christmas war.

In the end, Lin Ying and Durant did not disappoint the fans. Under the spotlight, they both scored 50+.

Especially Durant, who scored 56 points, setting a new career high.

And his crazy scoring performance at the last minute allowed the Hornets to defeat the Nets and win the game.

One point that is easily overlooked is Butler's role on Durant. He can help Durant share a lot of defensive pressure, allowing the latter to devote himself to the offense.

This is Charlotte's Jordan and Pippen combo.

After this game, Durant's evaluation reached the highest point of his career.

In addition, Leonard, who has been reborn after arriving in Toronto, once again demonstrated his offensive and defensive dominance; Antetokounmpo, who welcomed new coach Budenholzer, the team's record has improved, and his reputation has improved; this season has become more and more chaotic.

The more interesting it becomes.

You can even say with emotion that this is the NBA's most exciting and fan-attracting season in the past ten or even fifteen years.

Then, in a season like this, something happened shortly after the start of February, which gave this season another flavor.

It was a game between the Bucks and the Knicks.

The Knicks are now a standard loser, but the team's new core Porzingis is gradually growing up and getting better.

Last month, the Knicks had an unexpectedly good record due to his outstanding performance, and he himself was selected as a candidate for the best of the month.

His form has not diminished since February, and his form was even more impressive in the game against the Bucks.

Because the Eastern Conference's four teams, the Hornets, Nets, Men's Dragons, and Bucks, have very close records, it can be said that they have entered the position battle early.

At this time, the outcome of every game is crucial, especially this kind of game against a weak team, which must be won.

However, Porzingis was in such good shape that the Bucks were unable to establish an advantage and even tended to be pulled away from the score.

It was against this background that Porzingis made a beautiful change of direction for a breakthrough dunk. When he landed, he stepped on Antetokounmpo's foot and was injured.

This kick not only caused the Knicks to lose the game, but the injury report came out after the game. He suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee and was reimbursed for the season.

This brought the Knicks' season to an early end and cast a huge shadow over the team's future.

Because injuries like knee ligament tears are really serious for NBA players, especially insiders, there is basically no way they can recover.

This also put Antetokounmpo deeply in the center of public opinion.

Because fans watched the replay after the game and discovered that it was not entirely an accident that Porzingis' foot stepped on Antetokounmpo's foot. Antetokounmpo's script should not have appeared there.

This also made many people question whether Antetokounmpo was deliberately stepping in.

But in the end, this incident did not attract wider attention.

Because Porzingis can only be regarded as a rising star at best, and he is not very popular in the Knicks, whose popularity in New York is declining.

In contrast, Antetokounmpo is a rising superstar, but this matter was slowly washed away by time.

And soon, fans' attention was attracted by the upcoming trade deadline.

This year's trade deadline is much more lively than in past years.

The deadline has not yet arrived and all kinds of rumors are already flying.

And on the deadline day, transactions also occurred frequently.

Among them, the Menglong team took the lead and completed a key reinforcement.

With Valanciunas as the main body, they traded Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies!

Gasol was still the league's top big man two seasons ago, but his condition declined due to age and injuries. He also started to have conflicts with the Grizzlies despite being saddled with a large contract, and he was immediately put on the shelf.

The Gasol brothers have made great achievements in the Grizzlies, but the same thing is that they cannot play here until the end.

But this deal makes the competition in the Eastern Conference more intense.

Originally, the Menglong team would reach a higher level this season with Leonard, but now they get Gasol at a very small cost, which is simply even more powerful.

This undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on several other teams, and under this pressure, they also took action one after another.

The Hornets acquired Biyombo from the Magic in exchange for Tyson Chandler.

Chandler's contract is expiring and has value in itself, while Biyombo has not performed in line with his worth after signing a long-term contract with the Magic.

But for the Hornets, exchanging a veteran with little combat effectiveness for a young, strong, black and tough inside man will undoubtedly increase their strength.

The only downside is that they will pay more luxury tax in the future.

But this is obviously not what Jordan is thinking about now. He just wants the Hornets to reach the top.
To be continued...