[Star] Irving vs Hornets slashed 50 points
Seven minutes and 28 seconds before the end of the first half of the Nets' road game against the Hornets, Irving rested, changed into his training clothes, rode a fitness bike on the sidelines, and had a relaxed smile on his face, as if everything was under control.
At this moment, the score on the court is 50-30, the Nets control the situation, Irving has scored 20 points, holding the ball to attack, catch the ball and shoot, the killing of the earth is turning over the sky, the Nets' cloud of consecutive defeats is being dispersed, ready to usher in the sun shining.
132-121, the Nets received the victory as desired, four consecutive losses finally stopped, the ranking rose from the ninth to the eighth in the East, Irving bombed 30 points in the second half, 16 points in the fourth quarter, and scored 50 points in the whole game, setting a record for the highest single game since February 1, 2020 Beijing time, once again immortal possession.
Irving, sometimes he's like an "alien visitor", both on and off the field. After losing to the Celtics last game, Irving was asked in an interview how long it would take for the Nets to get together, and he said something like this: "I really wish I could know the answer to that question, it's been a turbulent year for us, a lot of things have happened, a lot of people have left the team, in the whole league, our lineup has changed the most, and if you can't keep your lineup stable, you're going to have difficulties." ”
As soon as Irving made this statement, it instantly angered the fans, why is the Nets unstable lineup, Irving really does not know what the root cause is? The whole team does not vaccinate, the whole league you "part-time", the lineup is not shaken. Why did Harden go, don't you count in your heart?
Owen, who is concerned about the universe, really has a mind that ordinary humans on the earth can guess, but when he can play, he is really very capable of fighting. Before beating the Hornets, the net's first win was on Feb. 27 with the defending champion Bucks, when Irving scored 38 points to cut the Bucks under the horse. Irving only scored 19 points against the Celtics, one of the main reasons was that the ball had not been played in three consecutive games before, with an interval of more than a week, which was equivalent to taking a small long vacation and coming back with "rust".
March 7 to play the Green Army, March 9 against the Hornets, this interval is much smaller, Irving's game rhythm is very coherent, coupled with the Hornets do not have the Celtic kind of defense, always very "hospitable" to the Nets a variety of vacancies, the Hornets in the offensive end of the front line configuration and blocking points are not enough against the Nets' lineup weakness, the Nets defensive pressure is not large, focus on the offensive end, play smoothly. Irving shot 9-of-12 from 15-of-19 shooting, and without Durant drawing his knife (KD scored only 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting), Irving killed the Hornets.
'His performance is unbelievable and I think the young players should all look at this game and learn a lot from Irving's level of attack. Durant said.
That's how Owen makes you love and hate, sometimes you think this person is incomprehensible, and watching him play often feels incredible. Perhaps it can be understood that it is precisely because he plays well that he has the courage to be different, if he is replaced by ordinary players, all kinds of "team breaking" behaviors have long been cut, but the Nets can only "get used to" Irving.
This long-lost victory can at least make the Nets breathe a little relief, they have four away games in the next 8 games, and Irving can play half of the ball in 8 games. In addition to playing magic, the other three games are hard battles, namely against the 76ers, Grizzlies and Heat, especially the Philadelphia trip on March 11, the grievances are burning, and the game is exciting to think about. Moreover, if the Nets play the playoffs in the end, they may be locked in the seventh place in the East, and the second place in the East in the first round of the playoffs, and it is the 76ers who are now sitting in the second seat in the East.
Of course, the premise is that the Nets can make the playoffs.
After the next wave of 8-4 away games, the Nets have 8 regular season games, only two away games, one of which is still playing the Knicks, and Irving can't play, which means that the Nets can only play one of the last 8 games of the regular season. This is a loss for the Nets in two ways, one is to take out Irving's combat power output, and the other is that if Simmons returns in the final stages of the regular season, the team will go through a new run-in period, but Irving's last 8 games are 7 games off, and there is still a run-in.
The Nets now have a 5.5-win difference from sixth in the East, and their direct entry into the playoffs (division top six) could theoretically exist, but it's actually very difficult, especially considering that Irving can only be seen in one of the last eight games of the regular season.
The Nets are more likely to play the playoffs than to get playoff tickets outright, and the playoff format is more unsettling to the Nets and their fans. The playoffs are teams ranked seventh to tenth in the Regular Season in the East and West, seventh home to eighth, winner locked in the seventh seed of the playoffs, ninth home against tenth, the loser out, the winner will compete with the team that lost seven games before (home) for the eighth seeded seat.
If the Nets can move up to seventh in the East, the playoffs will have to be played at home, and Irving won't be able to play. If the Nets are eighth in the East, they have to play seventh on the road in the first round of the playoffs, and now the seventh is the Raptors, Toronto has a vaccine restriction order, and Irving can't go without vaccination. Without Irving, it is on the road again, a game is decided, the Nets are sure to defeat the Raptors who have good frontal strength and defense do not play according to the routine?
If the Nets lose seven games, they have to play the second round of the playoffs to grab the eight games, according to the rules, the Nets are still at home, Irving is still on the wall, a set of lineups that lack run-in, Irving is absent, play this kind of win to advance to the game of losing and going home, it is really five or five.
The more Irving is out of the game, the more anxious the Nets are, obviously a tiger who can slash and slash the flag, but it is to compete with the vaccine, putting himself and the team in an embarrassing situation (Irving may not feel embarrassed).
The Nets can't expect Irving to suddenly change his attitude and take the initiative to get vaccinated, nor can they persuade him, because there will be public pressure, and can only expect New York to give the green light to unvaccinated athletes, and The new mayor of New York, Adams, does have such a statement, seeking a way to let unvaccinated players play at home, which gives the Nets a glimmer of hope.
Fight with opponents on the court, with the expectations of fans on the off the court, the requirements of the team, the laws of the city, and then fight on the court to convince the opponents, let the fans be painful and happy off the court, let the team serve softly, let the municipal government prepare to adjust the regulations, the NBA's most cattle hitman, is Irving, his stubbornness on and off the court, are not giving in.