On December 16, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Eagles' game against the Magic officially began. Before the game, I believe most fans will predict that the Hawks will easily win this game. After all, the Magic are the second-to-last team in the East. Sure enough, the game magic only withstood the impact of the Eagles' first quarter. Entering the second quarter, the Hawks slowly took the initiative on the court, and the Hawks led by 14 points in the two quarters. In the second half, the Hawks still firmly grasped the initiative on the court, and finally won the fourth quarter to win the Magic 111-99.
Well, let's first look at the data handed over by the two teams in this game. Rebounding: The Hawks grabbed 40 rebounds and the Magic grabbed 46 rebounds. In terms of assists: The Hawks gave 25 assists and the Magic delivered 25 assists. In terms of turnovers: the Hawks made 13 turnovers and the Magic made 16 turnovers. Shooting percentage: The Hawks shot 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. The Magic shot 38 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range. Realistically speaking, the Magic's loss is nothing more than losing on offensive efficiency, and their offensive efficiency is really too low.
After talking about the magic of losing, let's talk about the eagles who won. There is no doubt that the main reason why the Hawks won this game so easily is because of the excellent performances of Trae Young and Collins. Trae Young played 30 minutes and had 28 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Collins played 36 minutes and had 21 points and 10 rebounds. To put it bluntly, they really made the Magic suffer on the offensive end. But then again, in addition to the offense of Young and Collins, there is another reason why the Hawks can play this smoothly, and that is the strength of Capela's interior. Capela played 27 minutes, 3 of 7 shots, 1 of 1 of 1 from the free throws, and got 7 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, plus or minus +21.
Of course, Capela's numbers really aren't shining enough. However, I would like to say that Capela's role on the pitch is something that the stats cannot represent. In other words, Capela is now a top blue-collar player whose value is not reflected by the data. Capela on the offensive end is a diversion point on the inside, and the offensive Capela will be on the top of the block and then down. After the blocking, if the opponent focuses on defending the outside players, then Capela can get opportunities on the inside. Conversely, if opponents put the focus on Capela, then the Hawks' outside line has a chance. In a word, although Capela has few opportunities on the offensive end, Capela is the most important link in the Eagles' offensive end, and the Eagles' internal and external lines can be connected together.
If the offensive end is Capela's disadvantage, then the defensive end is Capela's advantage. Defensive end, Capela is conscientious, all the dirty and tiring work on the inside, Capela will never "pick and choose". Capello's strength and height don't lose to any center player when defending alone, and Wendell plays very awkwardly under his defense. What's more, Capela's rebounding sense of smell is very sensitive. Whether it's the protection of rebounds in the backcourt or the scramble for rebounds in the frontcourt, Capela can do a good job. To borrow a phrase from fans, Capela alone can support the inside line of a team.
Speaking of which, I can't help but think of everyone's doubts about Capela. Recently, many fans have said that Capela's strength has declined significantly compared to last season, and that Capela is not worth 46 million US dollars for 2 years. However, I do not agree with these views. To put it bluntly, Capela's stats this season really aren't as shiny as they were last season. But I'd say a top blue-collar player like Capela who's worth an absolute $46 million.