They just had a fierce battle with the Mavericks yesterday until the last second, and the exhaustion was obviously self-evident, because in this kind of game everyone has to do their best, and there is no so-called three-quarter clock-out treatment.
Therefore, when all the Knicks players arrived at New York International Airport at 5:30 in the morning, they no longer had the slightest energy to go back to their respective homes.
So, everyone checked into the hotel arranged by the team.
This is not the first time this season that we have stayed in a hotel during a home game, and many people know that this will definitely not be the last time.
Although it was already 12 noon, Lian Dao and the others had actually slept for less than eight hours.
They arrived at New York International Airport at 5:30 a.m. and arrived at the hotel at 6 a.m., so they only rested for six hours.
"Good afternoon, Tony!"
Although Lian Dao was saying hello to Tony Allen, his body was lying on the bed not wanting to move at all.
But in the end, after countless struggles and great perseverance, he defeated his desire to stay in bed.
At this moment, Lian Dao was particularly eager for the All-Star Game and the offseason to come. He just wanted to use his rest time to have a good sleep.
After getting up, Lian Dao went to the bathroom to wash up, while Tony Allen fell asleep again.
Their training camp is at 3 p.m., so Tony Allen still has a certain amount of sleep time; but Lian Dao habitually warms up in advance to get his body into an excited state in advance.
I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious that I hadn't slept well.
After Lian Dao warmed up for two hours, Tony Allen and a group of teammates also went downstairs to have lunch. Only then did Lian Dao realize that not only himself, but everyone in the Knicks had no energy.
Even Millsap, who talked the most about one thing, and Hayes, who had just returned from injury, were lifeless.
Hayes came back in the last game and faced his Rockets teammate Yao Ming. He was also rude. Hayes, who came on as a substitute, withstood Yao Ming hard every time and continued to engage in physical confrontation.
It's just that Yao Ming has a height advantage and is excellent in the mid-range, leaving Hayes helpless.
D'Antoni, who had two dark circles under his eyes, couldn't help but feel worried when he looked at the state of the players.
His first concern is about the players' health. If they get injured again at this time, they may have to pay in the playoffs, and then it will be difficult for them to have time to adjust back to form.
The second is that they just lost to the Mavericks in their last game. If they lose to the Eastern New Jersey Nets again this game, it will be a losing streak.
It's understandable to lose to the Mavericks, a super team, but to lose to the Nets, who have won less than 10 games, will hurt morale.
Over the years, there have been examples of strong teams losing to bottom teams.
Especially this season, the season has been greatly shortened, and this phenomenon is even more common.
Even the Knicks themselves suffered an upset loss to the Bobcats at the beginning of the season.
This kind of failure may not have much impact once, but if it happens more times, it will have a bad impact on the team.
This thing was like a swan being licked by a toad. Although he didn't feel any physical pain, he felt a terrible feeling in his heart.
"Sickle's physical condition is recovering well, but it's best to control his playing time."
"The physical condition of DeMarcus and Zhu can only be regarded as barely passing. It is best to limit the playing time to about 35 minutes; Amare's physical condition has not reached the passing line. It is not recommended to play for a large amount of time, and there is a risk of injury...
…”
The Knicks' strength and conditioning coach is reporting to D'Antoni on each player's physical condition.
The NBA coaching staff has a very detailed division of labor and clear tasks. Therefore, some NBA head coaches will actively ask for the opinions of physical coaches when arranging lineups.
For example, the most famous rest master: Popovich.
In the face of a shortened season, the Knicks have already had players injured due to this, so D'Antoni pays special attention to the fatigue of each player, and he will also take turns based on each player's different circumstances.
After D'Antoni heard the report from the physical fitness coach, he felt confident about the next arrangements.
That night, the Knicks narrowly defeated the New Jersey Nets at home, and the hero of the back-to-back victory was Millsap. Stoudemire's physical condition did not reach the passing line, so Millsap replaced him.
That night, the two teams were in a stalemate in the final quarter, and the situation was very tense. In the end, Millsap hit two consecutive three-pointers from the outside in the last two minutes, directly helping the Knicks to open the score.
Millsap has also improved rapidly this season, especially his three-point shooting, which often surprises the team at critical moments this season.
In the last attack against the Celtics, D'Antoni chose to put Millsap on the court because Millsap's three-pointers were more stable than Stoudemire.
In this game, Millsap played 38 minutes and scored 26 points, the second-highest score in the game. His performance was very good. If he can maintain this state, I believe Stoudemire will be anxious.
This season, as Deron Williams gradually regains his form and Brook Lopez improves, the Nets are actually much stronger this season than last season.
But they are really unlucky. They have a powerful neighbor next to them, and they lost to the Knicks in both games this season.
The key is that with the Knicks around, the New Jersey Nets' presence is very low.
Especially when the two teams play against each other, even at the Prudential Center, home of the Nets, the Knicks have more fans than the Nets.
Originally, there was another team in the league that was in the same boat as the Nets, and that was the Clippers, which shared the same home court with the Lakers.
But this season the Clippers formed the Galaxy Battleship. Although they cannot crush the Los Angeles Lakers in terms of popularity, they can at least rival them.
At the same time, in terms of strength, the Clippers this season are stronger than the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nets are far behind the Knicks in terms of popularity and strength.
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Two days later, on February 22, the Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks at home.
The Hawks are not in very good shape this season. Their center Al Horford was injured unexpectedly after playing 11 games and was relegated to the regular season.
In this game, Lian Dao and Stoudemire, who had returned to form after taking a break, had a linkage effect. The two scored 60 points in this game and clocked out in the third quarter.
But then, they lost back-to-back away games against the Heat on February 23.
This time, the Heat still defended Lian Dao tightly, and he did not have as hot a touch as the last time they met. The most important thing is that the Heat once again strengthened the bench lineup.
The talented JR Smith returned from the CBA and joined the Miami Heat by accident.
Historically, JR Smith should have followed in the footsteps of Carmelo Anthony and joined the Knicks.
But the reality is that Lian Dao's rebirth has disrupted many transactions.
In particular, Anthony did not come to New York, but went to Los Angeles, but the Clippers had no intention of signing JR Smith.
At this time, the Heat sent a contract to sign JR Smith.
The Knicks lost this game not only because of Lian Dao's mediocre touch, but also because of JR's explosive performance in this game.
Especially in the third quarter, it was like winning a Michael Jordan experience card, hitting all kinds of magic balls one after another. In the fourth quarter, two three-pointers helped the Heat establish their victory advantage.
In the whole game, four members of the Heat scored 20 points.
In the end, the Knicks lost to the Miami Heat.
At the end of the game, the Big Three of the Heat reveled in excitement. They finally avenged the Eastern Conference Finals and previous games.
After James cheered, he deeply let out the frustration in his heart.
Since losing to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, James has been suppressed by Lian Dao all the time.
After such a long time, James was finally able to look down at Lian Dao with a victor's attitude.
Now James' mood is somewhat similar to Nowitzki's mood when he defeated the Knicks. They had been preparing for this victory for too long.
"The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks at home, which also gave the Heat a tenth consecutive victory. The Heat and the Knicks currently have the same record. Both teams are 30 wins and 5 losses, tied for first in the league."
The Heat really felt invincible in this game. Both the strength of the lineup and the level of integration have reached a new level.