The Godfather of Basketball

Irving made 13 of 25 shots and scored a season-high 34 points. In the fourth quarter, he scored 16 points to harvest the game.

This is his current mentality. He actively applied for a trade with the Cavaliers just because he wanted to prove himself. Playing the Warriors is the best opportunity.

Now he seized the opportunity and fully proved his ability.

In addition to Irving, George had 20 points and 6 rebounds, Butler had 18 points and 3 assists, Jokic had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, Mitchell had 16 points and 2 assists, and the Nets had a landmark victory.

At the press conference after the game, Tang Tian brought Owen and Mitchell to attend.

"We know that you had some conflicts with Green during the game. What did he say to you?" The reporter asked Mitchell.

"It's nothing, we're fighting against each other, but that's something on the field, it's over." After being reminded by Tang Tian, ​​Mitchell was obviously not so flustered when facing media questions.

"If you encounter such a thing in the next fight, will you still do it? Although it may cause a conflict." The reporter asked unwillingly.

"I will. There is no such thing as backing down in my life dictionary. I will face my opponent head-on, no matter who he is." But Mitchell is still tender, and when the reporter asked him again, his true nature was exposed.

Tang Tian smiled and shook his head, but this character is also one of the reasons why he reused Mitchell.

"Kyrie, you have achieved a new season high after joining the Nets, but we know that your touch in the first quarter was not good. You only scored 1 goal in 5 shots. What prompted you to make such a change?"

Unlike Mitchell's performance, Irving did have an obvious process of first suppressing and then rising in this game, until the climax in the fourth quarter.

"Yes, I was not in shape in the first quarter. It was Mitchell who inspired me. All the first-year players played so hard. I must also give my best and not lose to him." Irving said with a smile.

"You mean Mitchell inspired you?"

"Yeah, he inspired me and the rest of the team."

"Then he is the spiritual leader of the team."

"Yes, he is."

Irving's answer made Mitchell bow his head a little shyly. Few rookies can be praised by the team boss like this.

"They are the future of the team, George, Jimmy, and Nicola, they are very young, but I believe they can do it." Tang Tian also gave him a very high evaluation of this group of players in the interview.

The post-match press conference of the winning Nets was enjoyable and harmonious, but the losing Warriors did not take it seriously.

"Mitchell is a very good guy. I like him very much and enjoy playing against him. There is no problem between us."

"They did have a good game, but it's just a regular season and we're going to defend the title. I'm looking forward to beating them in the finals, if they make it to the finals."

Green admired Mitchell, but he didn't care too much about the loss.

His attitude is also the attitude of the Warriors. They aim to defend their title and dynasty, and the outcome of a regular season will not make them pay too much attention, nor will they care too much.

But winning the Warriors is a great incentive for the Nets.

In the next more than half a month, they achieved a record of 8 wins and 1 loss, firmly occupying the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Time came to the end of January in a blink of an eye, when the league announced the final results of the All-Star voting.

The All-Star voting for the new season has undergone some changes from the past. It is no longer just voted by fans. Fans account for 50% of the votes, the rest of the media account for 25%, and league players account for 25%. Whether a player can be selected in the end , Need to combine fans, media and players votes.

Western starters: Curry, Harden, Durant, Cousins ​​and Davis.

Eastern Conference starters: Irving, DeRozan, George, James and Antetokounmpo.

Both Irving and George of the Nets were selected as starters, Jokic was selected as a substitute, and Butler replaced Wall who was absent due to injury. Since Tang Tian took over, this is the first time that the team has four players selected for the All-Star Game. It is also the first team after the Eastern Eagles.

The same is true in the west, Curry and Durant were selected as the starters, Thompson and Green were selected as substitutes, and 4 people were also selected.

The two regular season games have all been played, and while fans are looking forward to the possible finals, they can also see the two teams confront each other in the All-Star Game in advance.

In addition to the four selected for the main game, Mitchell, Markanen, and Brogdon were all selected for the rookie game.

While the Nets have the present, they also have an extremely bright future.

However, because he was elected as the head coach of the All-Star Game last year, Tang Tian will not coach this year.

A similar situation also happened to the Warriors. After the Rockets traded for Gordon from the Magic in January, their strength has increased significantly.

This is tantamount to giving Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers and D'Antoni of the Rockets a chance to coach two teams with four stars.

However, although it has not been made public, Tang Tian said that this year he will appear in the All-Star game in an unprecedented way.

The All-Star Game is about to start, but at this moment, Jones received a trade proposal.

The Bucks hope to trade their first-round pick for next year for Brogdon.

The Bucks just signed Middleton in the free market, but the outside firepower is still not enough. They especially need a player like Brogdon who can shoot three-pointers and organize with one hand.

Jones’ suggestion is not to trade. Brogdon still has a good 2-year contract. Although Mitchell squeezed out of the rotation, his strength is there. If the team suffers from an injury, he can immediately step up and trade him away. If so, it will be difficult to do this.

Tang Tian basically agrees. Although it is a pity that Brogdon fell out of the rotation and sits on the bench, this is the NBA. You must know that Mitchell is on the bench at the beginning of the season. Opportunity and competition are what ensure that a team will always maintain High competitive approach.

However, the Bucks' first round still gave him some ideas.

George will renew his contract next year, and the Nets will face the issue of luxury tax for the first time after Tang Tian took over.

And that's not all. Yi Jianlian's contract renewal and Mitchell's contract renewal will come in waves like a tide.

This is also the meaning of the salary cap set by the league. A team does not allow too many superstars to appear.

So in this case, three to four core players, plus some high-quality rookies are the best combination.

This is the reason why Tang Tian traded Gordon for Markkanen last year and sent Booker away to train Mitchell.

This is also the reason why many people will collapse after playing 2K. It is very dangerous to patronize the collection of stars without future replacement.

Now Mitchell and Markkanen can be used, and Kuzma can also be used next season, but it is still not enough for the Nets who will renew their contracts later.