50 points + 54 points + 64 points! No. 1 in the league! NBA Score Boy was born, and he is going to be an All-Star starter
In the small-ball era, high-speed offense and defense are the basic strategy, and high scoring is the norm in the league. Take the new season as an example, a total of 5 stars in the league (the Great, Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Durant and Alexander) can average 30+ per game, and the competition for the scoring title is unprecedentedly fierce. Among them, Doncic has scored 30+ in 9 consecutive games, tying his personal career record of 30+ consecutive games. Given Doncic's current form and the backdrop of Irving's injury, he definitely has a chance to set a new record for that statistic. Doncic is so aggressive in scoring points, but he only ranks second on the scoring list with an average of 32 points per game, and the top scoring list belongs to Embiid, the scoring champion of the past two regular seasons.
The Great once said: As long as I want to score, I can win the scoring title every year like Jordan. The Emperor is a bit crazy to say this, but we have to admit that the Emperor has the same scoring skills and the same ability to touch porcelain as Harden, and he does have a chance to hit the scoring title three times in a row! Up to now, the Emperor has averaged 33.8 points per game, beating out super scorers such as Doncic, Brother Alphabet, Durant, and Alexander, and staged scoring shows again and again. Among them, on November 7, the Emperor scored 48 points against the Wizards, on December 7, he scored 50 points against the Wizards, and on December 14, he played the Pistons, and the Emperor scored 41 points in the third quarter. This is the Emperor, who has first-class ability to abuse vegetables, and will never show mercy to his opponent because he is too weak.
In addition to the Great, there are two players who have completed the feat of scoring 50+ in a single game this season, they are Maxey of the 76ers and Antetokounmpo of the Bucks. Among them, on November 13, the 76ers VS Pacers, Maxey scored 50 points, setting a new career single-game scoring record, on November 10, the Bucks VS Pacers, Brother Alphabet hit 54 points, on December 14, the Bucks VS Pacers, Brother Alphabet scored 64 points, setting a new career single-game scoring high, and refreshing the Bucks' personal single-game scoring record, Brother Alphabet became the 12th active 60-point club member, comparable to Harden, Lillard, Booker, Curry, James, Tatum, Beal, Walker, Thompson, Downs, and Irving.
Maxey and Antetokounmpo took turns setting new records, but they nailed the Pacers to the shame post. According to statistics from the NBA's official website, the Pacers are the only team in the new season that has been cut by opponent players many times 50+. In another statistic, the Pacers have conceded at least 150 points in a single game three times and at least 140 points in a single game five times this season, both of which are the most in the league. It is no exaggeration to say that the Pacers are a veritable NBA scoring boy, and this is inseparable from the offensive and defensive strategy of the Pacers in the new season.
So far this season, the Pacers are far ahead of other teams in many offensive statistics, ranking first in the league in number of rounds (104.5), points scored (128.4), inside points (59.7), fast break points (17.5 points), bench points (47.8 points), offensive efficiency (123), shooting percentage (50.7), and true shooting percentage (61.4%). On the defensive end, the Pacers ranked second to last in the league in points conceded (125.5 points) and limited opponent shooting percentage (50.3%), third from the bottom in the league in defensive efficiency (120) and defensive efficiency (120), and fifth from the bottom in the league in three-point shooting percentage (38.1%).
In a sense, the Pacers let Maxey, Brother Alphabet and other opponents score infinitely, but in fact, they are playing their own small calculations, they just want to use an undefended strategy to speed up the pace of the game, create more rounds for themselves, and practice the law of offense to win the regular season. At least from the current situation, the Pacers' strategy is effective, they have gone from a fish belly team to a big dark horse in the East, reached the midseason finals, and finished in 5th place in the East with a 13-9 record! Of course, the Pacers dare to make such calculations, in the final analysis, they have a unique ball-handling core Haliburton, who can attack and pass without making mistakes, like a combination of Nash + Kidd + Paul + Magic.
So far this season, Haliburton has averaged 26.1 points + 4.3 rebounds + 12 assists (1st in the league) + 1 steal per game, with an assist-to-loss ratio of 4.8! The Eastern All-Star starting lineup predicted by the American media shows that Haliburton is among them, and the other 4 are Brother Alphabet, Embiid, Tatum and Maxey! According to the NBA's official arrangement, the 2024 Indiana All-Star fan voting will start on December 20 and end on January 21, of which, December 26, January 2, January 6, January 13, January 16 and January 20 are triple voting days. Haliburton's consistent output is the cornerstone of the Pacers' rise from the East, and with the Indiana Pacers hosting the 2024 All-Stars, he definitely has a chance to make a splash at the Eastern Conference All-Star starting lineup. Fans, what do you think about this?