Chapter 368 It seems that nothing can stop the rise of the sun
On New Year's Day, the Suns defeated the Clippers 119-92 at home and won their 10th consecutive victory.
Lu Yu did not clock out in the third quarter of this game because after halftime, he had already collected a triple-double and went straight to rest and never played again.
Clippers fans feel miserable. Every time they meet Lu Yu, they feel like their shit will be beaten out.
That guy, the guy who clashed with Lu Yu during Lu Yu's rookie season, get out.
Since the Suns' tactics were revised, the main force used a strategy with Lu Yu as the core, and the second and third lineups used run-and-gun tactics, which actually turned a group of mediocre substitutes into bench thugs.
In fact, to put it bluntly, isn’t the role of a substitute just to score points?
The substitutes of the two teams are fighting together, what's the point of both playing defense? Besides, the defense of the substitute lineup does not have a fixed defensive core. Really, no one is better than the other in defense.
Haslem has been working hard recently, because D'Antoni asked Barbosa to play shooting guard last time, and then the positions of all players were adjusted. Marion played power forward. In this lineup, Lu Yu was not present
Sometimes he still has a chance to play, but if Lu Yu is on the court, he can only be reduced to a substitute.
So he trained hard to make this happen as rarely as possible.
Lu Yu finally found a teammate who loved training, so every time Haslem trained, Lu Yu would accompany him, which moved Haslem deeply.
And in the confrontation with Lu Yu, he gradually grew up.
On January 5, the Suns defeated the Cavaliers 123-89 in an away game, winning 11 consecutive games.
James felt miserable.
Seeing that Wade of the Heat and Anthony of the Nuggets have already touched the threshold of the playoffs, only he can't even see the shadow of the playoffs.
Are you still embarrassed to say that you are a king?
Which king is so cool?
Of course, he has reason to blame because the Cavaliers' lineup is so trash, but no matter how trashy the lineup is, can it be worse than the Suns before Lu Yu left?
Look at the Suns, they are now ranked fifth in the Western Conference.
James originally wanted to break out and prove himself in front of Lu Yu, but he found that Lu Yu was a gap that he could never overcome.
The cooperation between Lu Yu and Haslem directly killed the Cavaliers. Big Z's footsteps moved so slowly, how could he guard Lu Yu? Even without Haslem's pick-and-roll, Lu Yu only had to let his teammates pull away.
Playing Big Z is the same as playing.
If Lu Yu is allowed to keep playing like this, James feels that Chamberlain's record may not be preserved.
But Lu Yu didn't seem to care much about this record.
What's more, it allows teammates to increase their statistics, and teammates continue to score, which also greatly enhances the self-confidence of the Suns' role players.
They dared to vote.
The key was to make a real score.
Haslem, in particular, made 7 of 7 mid-range shots. The Cavaliers had no choice but to let their players press the defense. As a result, Haslem's air cuts left the Cavaliers with nothing to do.
James alone assisted in defense and got three fouls on Haslem.
Haslem scored 33 points and 12 rebounds in the game, which was the highlight of his life.
The Cavaliers wanted to use zone defense, but the result was even worse. The Suns' shooters all showed off their power from the outside. Even Nash, who usually doesn't score much, made four three-pointers this time.
In fact, Lu Yu's style of play is more like an enhanced version of Nash. Because Nash is easier to target, he will be defeated every time he encounters a tough battle. This was also Lu Yu's previous life, and the Suns would lose to the Spurs year after year.
s reason.
But Lu Yu is different. Who in the alliance can target Lu Yu?
Lu Yu is confident that at least the Suns will not have to worry about their regular season record.
After the interview after the game, the Suns and others flew to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves back-to-back.
After the glory of the first two seasons, the Timberwolves are now in shambles.
The season started with problems, with Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell both expressing dissatisfaction with their contract situations. They both took that dissatisfaction onto the court and performed throughout the season.
Not good, both have dropped significantly from last season, and the Timberwolves have never been able to move forward smoothly.
In Lu Yu's previous life, the Timberwolves, whose winning percentage hovered around 50% throughout the season, seemed to have encountered a fog that lasted the entire season. They lost 7 of the first 8 games in January, and the struggle continued into February. Coach Philip Sander
Steve was fired, and general manager Kevin McHale took over the team to try to save the season.
But the miracle did not happen. The Timberwolves continued their mediocre performance throughout the season, finishing third in the Northwest Division with a disappointing 44-38 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
The situation is even worse now. Even in February, rumors of Sanders being fired have already spread.
Lu Yu analyzed the situation for his teammates before the game. Now they are fifth in the Western Conference. They must continue to win and strive to enter the top four. It is best to be first in the Western Conference to have home court advantage.
To be number one in the Western Conference, the winning rate must be at least over 70%.
Lu Yu remembered that in the previous season, the Suns had the first winning rate and the Spurs had the second winning rate. Both of them had a winning rate of over 70%, and the fourth-ranked Mavericks also had a winning rate of over 70%.
The top six teams in the Western Conference all have winning percentages of over 60%.
This is simply too scary.
You must know that in the entire Eastern Conference, only the Heat and Pistons have a winning percentage above 60%.
The West is not a good place to be.
A 70% winning rate means that after a season, they cannot lose more than 25 games in the regular season, and the Suns have now lost close to 20 games, which means that they cannot lose more than five games in all the remaining games.
It's best not to lose a game, only then can you have a chance to top the Western Conference.
The reason why Lu Yu told his teammates in advance was that he hoped they would understand that the team's goal this season is definitely not to end after entering the playoffs.
They promised before that they would make the entire alliance tremble.
It took no effort to beat a weak team like the Timberwolves, winning the game 117 to 96.
It seems that the point difference is not big, but it is a bit scary to see Lu Yu's statistics. Lu Yu scored 33 points and 21 rebounds. 3020 seems not uncommon for Lu Yu, but you must know that Lu Yu only played more than 20 games.
minute game.
Haslem broke out again in this game. Look at the data of 37 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and one assist. He also hit two three-pointers from outside the three-point line, proving that his hard training during this period was not in vain.
.
Garnett's performance was mediocre and he was beaten by Haslem. Sometimes talent is one thing, but having the right person is another.
No one could have imagined that a superstar like Garnett could be defeated by a blue-collar player like Haslem.
However, how can Haslem, who can continuously score such statistics, still be a blue-collar worker?
The reason is very simple, all his points came from Lu Yu's assists.
He scored so many points while helping Lu Yu.
At the press conference, the Timberwolves were interviewed. Sanders knew that he was not far away from being fired, so when the reporter asked him to evaluate Lu Yu, he simply praised him directly.
"Lu Yu is the best player I have ever seen. Not even Michael Jordan has the ability to lead a team like him. I think other teams in the league can choose to fail because no team can beat the Suns."
of."
The reporter asked: "Did you praise Lu Yu like this because he lost the game?"
Sanders shook his head: "No, I acknowledge Lu Yu's excellence from the bottom of my heart. If I were Lu Yu's head coach, I could choose to sit on the sidelines and eat donuts every game and be a free spectator. This
It feels great.”
The reporter asked again: "Is it true that the Suns' record is not due to D'Antoni?"
"You didn't think D'Antoni's tactics at the beginning of the season would make the Suns like this, did you?"
Sanders smiled: "It's a pity that we didn't pursue Lu Yu in the summer. If it were me, I would give Lu Yu a lifetime contract. Think about the combination of Lu Yu and Garnett. No other team in the league would have to fight."
But even without Garnett, Haslem is enough. Haven't you seen Haslem grow from a rookie to a superstar with Lu Yu's help?"
The reporter interviewed Garnett again.
Garnett was silent for a long time.
Finally sighed.
"My career may be a tragedy. In the early stages of my career, I encountered the Lakers dominating the game. Just when I was about to break through the Lakers' blockade and win my championship, I met Lu Yu again. If this is still the case, I think
I can only try my luck in the east."
All reporters were in an uproar.
Garnett is the symbol of the Timberwolves, but I didn't expect him to leave.
The reason why he wanted to leave was precisely because he couldn't see any hope in the west, and the dark cloud covering his head was none other than Lu Yu.
But if you go to the east, can you win over Lu Yu?
There is a question mark in everyone's mind.
You must know that during the two years Lu Yu was in the Eastern Conference, the teams in the Western Conference also complained a lot.
After finally going through all kinds of hardships and reaching the finals, they were repeatedly defeated by the Bulls led by Lu Yu.
After Garnett finished speaking, he sighed: "There is no way. Who wants to be a loser all the time when playing basketball? I also want to win the championship, but I can't win it. I can't let my youth be consumed like this. I have to fight once."
I think there must be many players in the league, especially in the Western Conference, who have the same idea as me, but some people choose to stay in the Western Conference for salary, while others want to fight for the championship trophy.
"
Lu Yu just wants to spit on Garnett, what the hell are you talking about?
He had just moved away from Stern's sight. When Garnett said this, he was probably going to be targeted again.
Why are you so unlucky?
If you want to go to the east, go to the east. What does it have to do with me?
When reporters were interviewing the Suns.
D'Antoni laughed when he heard the reporter repeating Sanders' words: "He's right, but unfortunately there are no donuts at the Timberwolves' home court. I have to spend my own money to buy them, which I can't bear to part with."
"Coaching Lu Yu is a very easy thing, but it also makes me feel that I may not win the best coach because of this. This is a sad story."
During Lu Yu's two years with the Bulls, when his reputation was not high, Cartwright could still win the best coach.
But now the entire league knows that Lu Yu is too good, and the coach is just a decoration.
In fact, this is not the case. Lu Yu does not play much time in a game now, and D'Antoni still has to control the team in the remaining time.
D'Antoni has contributed a lot to the team's success so far.
It's just that D'Antoni is very smart. He knows that only by hugging Lu Yu's thigh can he get that salary steadily. As for the false honor of best coach, how can money be real?
Reporters weren't interested in asking D'Antoni questions either.
When Lu Yu came out, all their firepower was aimed at Lu Yu.
The reporter asked him to express his thoughts on Sanders's words.
Lu Yu just smiled and said: "I don't have any feelings. What he said is not true. D'Antoni is still very important. At least he didn't play games on the sidelines... Haha, just kidding. You can see that I don't play much time."
, most of the time it’s the credit of my teammates and coaches.”
The reporter asked: "Lu Yu, are you confident in winning the regular season MVP this year?"
The number one regular season MVP this year is Duncan, because the Spurs' current record is ridiculously good, and the number two is Nowitzki. Don't look at the fact that the Mavericks are ridiculed as the stupidest team in the league. They gave up Lu Yu just to keep him.
Nizhnynowsky.
But this moved Nowitzki badly.
I'll work hard for my life.
I wish I could shout out, "A scholar will die for his bosom friend, he will do his best to die," and then he will recite the "Master's Certificate" on his back.
Lu Yu ranked third, but everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Lu Yu rushed up.
The reason why the current ranking is not high is because the Suns have an average record.
When the Suns' record improves, Lu Yu is likely to rush directly to the first place.
Lu Yu smiled: "Of course I am confident. I am thinking about winning a Grand Slam this season. Regular season MVP, scoring champion, triple-double champion, assist champion, rebound champion, finals MVP, championship, etc."
Once again.”
The reporters were stunned.
They didn't know whether Lu Yu was joking or telling the truth.
If someone else said this, reporters would probably take it as a joke, but the person who said this was Lu Yu, the number one person in the league. If he really has this ambition, what if he really achieves it?
the next day.
Lu Yu wants to spread the news about the Grand Slam overwhelmingly.
Some people say that Lu Yu is boasting.
Some people also asked what to do if they really got it?
But after Lu Yu said this, no one paid attention to Garnett going to the East. It can only be said that Lu Yu did it on purpose. In order not to be targeted by the league, he deliberately said such big words.
I really don’t blame Lu Yu for this, I can only blame Garnett’s big mouth.
If you want to go east, just prepare yourself secretly.
Why do you want to say it?
Lu Yu was in trouble, so Lu Yu could only push himself out to block the gun, making himself a public enemy of other players in the league.
He would rather be the player's enemy than David Stern's enemy.
After all, Lu Yu originally wanted to compete with players across the league, and it didn't matter whether he wanted to attract hatred or not.
But David Stern, that's an old fox.
He said a word, and the referee will not brag himself to death in the future.
No matter what, it seems that nothing can stop the sun from rising.
