ATPnovel Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Chapter 173
"There is no need to talk too much about the Lakers. I played for them for a season, but I am more concerned about the teams ahead of us now."
Xiang Chu pretended again, but the fans who supported the Lakers could only be angry and cursed. The Lakers are still fighting for the playoffs, but the Nuggets are the top four in the Western Conference.
There are only more than 20 games left in the season. At this time, some teams have withdrawn from the playoffs. For the playoffs or for the future, most teams have a choice.
The top eight in the West are divided into three grades. The Spurs, Thunder, and Clippers firmly hold the top three, the Nuggets and Grizzlies are the second grade, and the Warriors, Rockets, and Jazz are the third grade.
It will not be easy for the teams behind to catch up. The Lakers, who are still desperate, are also short of the eighth and third wins in the Western Conference. Other teams are probably not as resilient as the Lakers.
In the East, the Heat are the only one, the Knicks, Pacers, Nets, Bulls, and Eagles are the second, and the Celtics and Bucks are the third. There is little hope for the rest.
Although the competition was fierce before this season, by this time, the playoff teams have not changed much.
On March 3, the Nuggets played away against the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers still retain hope of the playoffs, but the form is not optimistic.
Their record has been going downhill since before the All-Stars, and they have not yet reversed it.
Sitting at home, the Blazers also hope to win the Nuggets and give them a shot in the arm for the playoffs.
If they continue to lose, they can also give up this season.
So at the beginning of the game, the Blazers played extremely fiercely. Lillard scored first, and then Matthews and Batum also hit three-pointers.
However, the Nuggets were not overwhelmed by the opponent. The Blazers are also a team with individual defense but no team defense at all, and their offensive power is not as strong as the Nuggets.
If the Blazers can't solve Xiang Chu, they can't limit the Nuggets' offense, not to mention that Iguodala feels good at the start.
The Nuggets have no absolute strength on the outside and sometimes it is a weak link, but sometimes the opponent also has a headache.
Now the Nuggets play more on the perimeter whoever feels better, and it is still easy to use against most teams.
After the ferocity of the Blazers' start is gone, Aldridge can only be singled out, but Aldridge's efficiency is only a handful. As time goes by, the Nuggets took the lead.
During the rotation period, the Blazers did not take advantage of it.
In fact, after Chandler played the main force, the Nuggets' bench was a bit small, but the Blazers' bench was too weak, and the score gradually opened up.
After the main force played again, they strengthened their defense against Iguodala, but the Nuggets replaced Ty Lawson's main player on the outside at this time, and they still firmly held the lead.
Moreover, Xiang Chu scored inside rebounds with one hand, which made the Blazers feel desperate.
In the second quarter, the Blazers tried their best not to let the gap between the two sides rise to double digits.
But the gap doesn't look that big, but the scene is a bit desperate.
In the second half, the Blazers simply let Lillard and Aldridge play various singles, but this strategy achieved better results than before.
The two points that the Nuggets' defense is easy to target are Ty Lawson and Faried. The defense is not a constant proposition. Ty Lawson is strong and not afraid of confrontation, but he is not tall enough to meet outsiders with speed and baskets. Not at all, Faried is too short to work hard on defense, and Aldridge can just target it.
Compared with Aldridge, Lillard is a greater threat to the Nuggets. Driven by him, the Blazers' long-range shots almost tore apart the Nuggets' defense.
It's just Xiang Chu's problem, and the Blazers really can't solve it.
O'Neal still had the problem of free throws at his peak, and it's not impossible for so many teams to solve it.
Although basketball is a team sport, as long as one point is strong to the extreme, it can break the game.
Generally speaking, superstars have this ability. Xiang Chu, who has mastered the four magical skills, may still have many weak points, but he has reached this level on the offensive end.
This is also thanks to the withering of the league's centers. After O'Neal left, there were fewer meat shield insiders, so Xiang Chu could get to the basket and do whatever he wanted.
Unlike the first half, the Blazers were much sharper with three-pointers in the second half, and almost caught up with the score during the rotation period in the final quarter.
But it was still a little short. Xiang Chu was too stable to sit on the inside line.
The Nuggets' lead hovered around 10 points. In the last few minutes, the Blazers could only use three-point tactics. When there was a glimmer of hope, time was running out, and they could only accept the outcome of losing.
In this way, the Blazers' hopes of hitting the playoffs are even slimmer.
However, Lillard's performance gave them hope. Perhaps next season, they can also rise rapidly. Selecting a good rookie is the only way for most teams to rise.
With the Trail Blazers, the Nuggets will have to face the hard bone when they return to home court, the second-ranked Thunder in the Western Conference.
Gallinari is recovering well and can return to the home game.
Xiang Chu and Gallinari have no personal relationship. European players generally have their own circles, but he is very happy that this buddy is back. He is the most stable player on the outside of the Nuggets.
Back in Denver, Xiang Chu felt a lot less tired after getting off the plane.
Bought a house here, and now he has a family, which is more secure than living in Xiang Jianzhong's house.
And there is a beauty in the family, although he did not expect to enter the alliance, but the current life is the beauty that he once dreamed of.
Olivia did not have a regular degree in the university here, and rushed back when she learned that Xiang Chu was home. Xiang Chu was a little worried about the progress of this guy's degree.
"Hee hee, I made a playoff table. I think the Western Rockets and Jazz are the weakest. You have to fight against them." Olivia held the tablet and smiled like a little fox.
"Sister, the top eight in the Western Conference is not stable now, your analysis..."
Xiang Chu originally wanted to despise it, but Olivia is not a professional. His analysis of basketball is completely idle, and it doesn't matter if he talks nonsense.
Xiang Chu hugged his girlfriend over, and the two got bored for a while, then ate together, exercised and played games together.
After Olivia was tired and fell asleep, Xiang Chu entered the system space and chose a simulated game. The opponent was the Thunder that was about to fight.
When encountering some opponents who must be taken seriously, Xiang Chu will not be stingy with fifty heat points.
The opponents in the simulated game are very similar to the reality, which allows Xiang Chu to adjust himself to a targeted mode.
The opponents are different, and some details to pay attention to on the field are also different.
Sometimes these things are not helpful, but sometimes they can allow him to make the right choice at the critical moment, which can affect the outcome of the game.
(End of this chapter)