After returning home and resting for two days, the Washington Wizards came to challenge.
The Wizards have been the team most affected by injuries in the past few seasons. Several core members of the team have been injured in turn. Agent Zero Arenas played 13 games last season and has not yet played this season.
Comeback.
Caron Butler's attendance has been very low for two consecutive seasons. In the 2006/07 season, he only played 63 games, and in the 2007/08 season, he only played 58 games.
Jamison is the only one of the three who has regular attendance, but one Jamison obviously cannot support an entire Wizards team.
But injuries also helped the Wizards discover a group of outstanding role players, such as second-year Nick Young, Gavaris Crittenton, who was traded to the Wizards by the Grizzlies, and Andrew Crittenton, who only has offense but no defense.
Blatche, No. 1 James Black, the scrappy DeShawn Stevenson...
But as long as Gilbert Arenas did not return, the Wizards' record never improved.
In this game, all the Knicks need to face is a Wizards led by Caron Butler and Jamison.
As a result, they encountered a tough battle...
"The Wizards are in great shape, every one of them is like a god!"
When the game was about in the third quarter, Kenny Smith in the commentary box shouted this sentence.
And the situation on the court was exactly what he said. The Wizards were in great shape and everyone had a blast.
"Nick Young, he played singles on the left, faced Lin Yu, and scored this three-pointer!"
On the court, Lin Yu spread his hands, helpless.
"This is Nick Young's fourth three-pointer in this game. He made all 4 shots. This shooting guard who looks very thin to the naked eye, a second-year unknown, ignored Lin Yu's defense face to face in this game.
, we have already scored 24 points in three quarters!”
Nick Young's crazy scoring made Lin Yu feel helpless. His defense was already in place. It can only be said that Nick Young in this game has entered a crazy mode.
Not only Nick Young, the Wizards also have an old Mike James who is also going crazy. He has already made three three-pointers in this game.
In addition, there are two crazy players from the Mesozoic era, Caron Butler and Jamison, and Blatche who only scores but does not defend on the bench.
Offensively, the Wizards are firing on all cylinders.
That's not counting the super-crazy shooter Gilbert Arenas wearing a suit jacket on the bench.
For the Knicks, only Lin Yu can keep up with the Wizards. Before the third quarter has passed, he has scored as many as 33 points.
In the past, I shot very restrained three-pointers, but I have already scored 6 in this game.
But in terms of overall score, the Knicks still lag behind.
Facing the Wizards' somewhat crazy offensive, the game was completely chaotic. Both sides were filled with continuous singles, and the Knicks were also dragged into this situation of endless chaos and infinite singles.
The score could not get closer for a long time. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks lost one of their generals. Lowry sprained his ankle and was forced to leave the game.
Lin Yu also had problems with his physical fitness, and in the end he was unable to sustain the end of the game.
Just like that, the Knicks returned to their home court, hoping to regain their winning streak, but were robbed of a victory by the Wizards, who punched them to death like a master.
After the game, Lin Yu was still smiling and did not seem annoyed by the defeat.
After the game, he also found Nick Young who had beaten him in this game: "Nick, you shocked me in this game."
He opened his mouth to praise, and Nick Young was a little flattered: "Thank you, Lin, but the same goes for you. I have tried very hard, but I still can't stop you."
In terms of statistics, Nick Young scored 33 points in this game, but Lin Yu scored more, 45 points in the game, but he still failed to prevent the team from losing.
When he arrived in the locker room and faced reporters, Lin Yu also commented on the game calmly: "The Wizards performed great. They pushed us into a desperate situation. We lost this game. This is not a bad thing. Losing in the regular season
The ball is acceptable, and I hope we can find some problems from these lost games."
What is the problem? Of course, there is still the problem of lack of a qualified sixth man.
In this game, the Wizards gave Lin Yu some inspiration. He wanted a player who could hold the ball in singles and score without the ball. Isn't that the opposite Nick Young?
Although the defense is a bit poor and the offensive firepower is not that strong, the current Nick Young can only be regarded as a low-end version of the super sixth man, but for the current Knicks, the low-end version is enough.
Thinking of this and noticing the reporters who were still crowded in the locker room, Lin Yu got dressed and pushed out the door.
After walking around a corner, Lin Yu dialed Donny Walsh's phone: "Donny, regarding the sixth man, we have a target..."
Lin Yu informed Donny Walsh about Nick Young's target, and Donny Walsh naturally agreed. He would go to the Wizards to inquire about the price, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to get the deal.
Lin Yu can also understand that this is the current situation. The Knicks do have bargaining chips, but most of them are not for sale. Therefore, if the transaction is to be successful, luck is needed.
After making the call, Lin Yu returned to the locker room.
The reporters had already left one after another, and Lin Yu noticed that Lowry was not in the locker room.
"Where's Kyle?"
Dave Joerger replied: "He is still in the hospital for examination."
Lin Yu frowned: "Is there anything unusual?"
It stands to reason that it was just an ordinary ankle sprain and would not be still in the hospital. Therefore, Lin Yu felt something was wrong at the first moment.
"The ankle did not recover after applying ice, and we were worried that there was a deeper cause, so we sent Kyle to the hospital for further examination."
Lin Yu nodded, expressing understanding.
But I started to worry about this matter in my heart, for fear that something big would happen to Lori.
In my impression, in his previous life, Lowry had a period of poor attendance. In one of the seasons, he ended the season early due to injury. In addition, Aaron Brooks of the same team also suffered from injuries, forcing the Rockets to trade him.
Goran Dragic emergency.
Lin Yu left Madison and returned home with a big knot in his heart.
Late at night, unable to sleep, he called the team's doctor, Vincent Martino.
"Vince, it's me, Lin, are you following up on Kyle's examination?"
"Yes, Lin."
After receiving a positive answer from Martino, Lin Yu then asked: "What's the specific situation?"
"The result is already there, ankle ligament strain."
Ankle ligament strain is not serious, and a month or so of rest is enough.
Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Lowry is still very important to the Knicks. He is the Knicks' main point guard. Compared with the substitute Chalmers, his ability to hold the ball in singles is stronger and his defense is also better.
If it's only for a month, you can still get through it if you hold on.
"Thanks, Vince."
Lin Yu hung up the phone and was finally able to sleep peacefully.
#
Because they lost the game, the Knicks still arranged training after the game day.
Lin Yu drove to Queens early in the morning. In terms of training, he never lags behind others.
However, when he arrived at the training facility, Wilson Chandler had already arrived.
The Knicks' two young main players last season, Wilson Chandler and Lowry, were no worse than Lin Yu in terms of training efforts.
But today, Lori started to recover from his injuries.
"Morning, Wilson."
After saying hello to Wilson Chandler, Lin Yu also changed into training clothes and started a day of training.
Teammates are also arriving one after another, and Lin Yu likes to keep statistics on who is the earliest and who is the latest among his teammates.
In the past, according to his statistics, Randolph was the last to arrive on the team, but it seemed a little different today. It was not until the official start of training that Mario Chalmers arrived late.
"Mario, you're late!"
There were cheers in the training hall, and Mario Chalmers was a little embarrassed. He was pulled aside by Hollins and scolded him a few words.
Although it was a training session after losing a game, Hollins' arrangement was still the same as usual. He still started with warm-up and physical training, and then started shooting training.
The afternoon schedule is also about tactical training and watching videos and videos.
But in the morning, during the physical training phase, not long after running, something else happened.
Mario Chalmers suddenly started limping, and Vincent Martino quickly stepped forward to check and make a judgment.
"Maybe it's a strained thigh muscle."
Thigh muscle strain can be recovered in two to three weeks, and it is not very serious.
But what Martino said is possible, that is to say, there are still accidents.
Therefore, Chalmers also went to the hospital urgently.
Lin Yu shook his head: "Obviously, the warm-up was not done properly..."
If it was a muscle strain, the cause would be obvious. Chalmers arrived too late, had not warmed up properly, and threw himself into high-intensity physical training.
If the intensity is too strong or too fast, the body cannot bear it and it will naturally get injured.
Chalmers was taken away by Vincent Martino. The Knicks players felt uncomfortable, and the training hall was not so lively.
Lowry and Chalmers suffered injuries one after another. This situation makes it clear that they are about to encounter a wave of injuries.
This season, the Knicks are relatively lucky.
Since the beginning of the season, they have only experienced a few minor injuries and illnesses.
Kwame Brown, James Posey, Lowry, Nazr Muhammad... all had injuries that only required them to miss one or two games, and they returned quickly, which is not a big deal for the Knicks.
Impact.
But as the season entered the middle, the schedule became tighter and the competition became more and more intense, injuries finally began to invade the Knicks more deeply.
Lin Yu immediately thought of the chemical reaction Steve Mills mentioned a few days ago.
This time, he thought more deeply.
Chemical reactions are quite mysterious.
Some teams, no matter how they change their lineup, have always had good chemistry and good results. The Spurs and Mavericks in those years are typical examples.
And some teams, no matter how they make trades and substitutions, the chemical reaction is very poor and there is no improvement. It is like a black hole.
There are also some teams that may have been playing well for one or two years or even three or four years, but suddenly there will be some minor changes, conflicts within the team, changes in coaching tactics, or injuries.
In a short period of time, it affects the so-called chemical reaction.
When it comes to conflicts within the team, the first thing Lin Yu thinks of is the Lakers at the beginning of the century. OK broke up and the three consecutive championship dynasty fell apart.
Regarding tactical changes, Lin Yu was thinking of the Knicks during the Jeff Van Gundy era and the Knicks after he fired Jeff Van Gundy. Just by changing a coach, the Knicks fell from the front of the playoffs to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
As for injuries, they are very common. Almost all teams in the league are affected by injuries. Some even suffer from injuries. Others may even be unable to achieve their goals at the beginning of the season due to injuries.
For example, the Wizards in recent seasons.
The Knicks in front of us will obviously be affected by injuries. The most direct one is that after Lowry and Mario Chalmers were injured, the only point guard position available for the Knicks is Anthony Johnson, a veteran.
Already.
Whether it is defense or long-range shooting, Anthony Johnson is not as good as Lowry and Chalmers. His advantage lies in passing and controlling, which is exactly what the Knicks need the least.
Perhaps Anthony Johnson's greatest value to the Knicks is that he can stand up for emergencies at this moment.
At noon, Chalmers' injury status was sent to the training center. It was confirmed that he had a strained thigh muscle and would be sidelined for two weeks.
Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief and still had time to find Anthony Johnson and joke: "Anthony, it's your turn to play this time."
Anthony Johnson also shouted jokingly: "No, I don't want to play. Wouldn't it be better for me to finish the season leisurely?"
There was laughter in the Knicks restaurant.
Two minor injuries. For the time being, the impact of this wave of injuries suffered by the Knicks will not be significant.
Therefore, the atmosphere within the team is still very relaxed.
#
After losing to the Wizards at home, the Knicks only had one set of rest and then went to Washington the next day to challenge the Wizards away from home.
Adhering to the concept of never being killed more than once by their opponents during the season, the Knicks achieved revenge in this game.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Wizards are far weaker than the Knicks. The loss at home was just because the opponent's state was too hot.
And once the hot state disappears, the Knicks will be able to win against such an opponent.
In this game, in addition to leading the team in revenge, Lin Yu also taught Nick Young, who had an exchange of blows with him in the last game.
Lin Yu, who has been called a Dpoy-level defender by the outside world, directly defended Nick Young in this game. He made 2 of 10 shots and made 4 turnovers, all of which came from Lin Yu's steals.
It can be seen how miserable Nick Young was in this game.
But even after guarding Nick Young so badly, Lin Yu still expressed his appreciation for Nick Young after the game.
Donnie Walsh's inquiry about Nick Young soon came to fruition.
"Not for sale!"
"Really or not? Nick Young is also not for sale to them?"
Lin Yu was a little doubtful whether the Wizards wanted to use this to get a high price.
But he thinks it's reasonable, because indeed, second-year Nick Young has already averaged double figures in points per game, plays a lot of singles with the ball, and looks full of potential. The only shortcoming is his poor defense.
But the Wizards can accommodate players like Arenas, Jamison, and Blatche, and it seems that they have no requirements for defense.
This is understandable.
"Forget it, Donnie, let's find other targets."
"I will, Lin, but my suggestion is, don't be so anxious, and don't be too persistent. If there is no suitable target, I think we would rather not make a deal. After all, our chemistry is very good. If we force a deal, it will be
It'll ruin our chemistry."
It was another chemical reaction. Lin Yu was helpless and didn't say anything more.
Anyway, in the end, what he can be sure of is that James Dolan will support him, not Donnie Walsh or Steve Mills.
Who makes him the most indispensable person for this team?