Legendary star

Chapter 708 Turning point of a generation

"This kid is so strong, he held off Shaq again!"

"El, I remember you called Darko a parallel importer a few days ago!" After Michaels sighed because Darko Milicic blocked O'Neal, Magic Johnson unceremoniously exposed him.

"Haha, Erwin, when did I say something like this? You must have remembered it wrong." Michaels despised Magic Johnson for stabbing him in the back, but for Magic Johnson's "slander "My own words, Michaels will never admit it.

Although he never admits that he said such a thing, in his heart, Michaels has secretly regretted what he said. As Magic Johnson said, there may be idiots in this league, but there are no fools. , As long as the player is selected in the draft, he is not talented but also has his own advantages. Darko Milicic can play in Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Powell West these stars were selected before, and he has his reasons. Although he did not realize his talent in the Pistons, sometimes this is not the player's fault.

After moving between the Pistons and the Kings, Darko Milicic, who came to the Pacers, gradually began to emerge. Through today's performance in this game, Darko Milicic also let the world know why he was in the Pacers back then. In the draft, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were overwhelmed.

. . . . . .

Due to being eliminated by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals last season, the Heat played extremely seriously in every game against the Pacers this season, especially today at home. Both Shaq O'Neal and Dwyane Wade chose to come back early, and "lost" Jermaine O'Neal as the inside pillar in addition to the Pacers, so for today's game, fans who support the Heat Very optimistic before the start of the game.

But as the game continued to progress, the Heat fans on the scene became optimistic and worried. After Jermaine O'Neal was absent, the Heat's main lineup, which should have the upper hand, was still suppressed by the Pacers from the beginning to the end. After the first quarter, they were 22 to 26 behind and gave the Pacers 4 points behind. After the substitute lineups of both sides came on the field, the Heat's substitute lineup could not beat the James Posey-led bench lineup. As a result, the score between the two sides was further widened.

Perhaps it was the outstanding performance in the first quarter that made Darko Milicic's confidence soar. Therefore, when the main players of both sides played in the second half of the second quarter, Darko Milicic's performance on the defensive end Compared with the first quarter, it was a lot tougher, topping, wrapping, wrapping. Under Darko Milicic's omnipotent defense and double-teaming by NN-Hilario, O'Neal was in the second quarter. The half-time play is getting worse and worse, and has failed to score many times in a row, and the point difference between the two sides has also been widened to more than 10 points.

For O'Neal, today's game is definitely the worst game he has played since he joined the Heat. In O'Neal's career, he has played worse games than today, but like today, it is full of hopelessness. Helping and unwilling, and even making O'Neal feel ashamed of the game, O'Neal has not played a few times in his entire career.

Because the left knee and hip injuries have not fully recovered, even though O'Neal has no reservations on both ends of the offense and defense, since the second quarter, O'Neal's performance has become worse and worse. In the entire second quarter, he took 6 shots and only Hit 1 goal, so after the game entered the third quarter, the head coach asked O'Neal to give up the ball. Although he was 35 years old, O'Neal was not willing to give up, but after the third quarter started, he fought hard again. Tried a few times, but the result is still far from ideal. Shaq O’Neal, who used to be able to dunk with two defensive players on his body, is now connected to nearly The basket is a bit more difficult.

"The hero is late." Since O'Neal and Dwyane Wade played mediocre today, after the end of the third quarter, the Heat have basically gone. Seeing O'Neal with a lonely face when he was off the court, Meng Xu also Only this word can be used to describe the current O'Neill.

With the serious injury at the beginning of the season, O'Neal's strength evaluation this season has dropped below 95, leaving only 94, and as the age continues to grow, O'Neal's strength will continue to decline, a 35-year-old Players have inevitably entered the twilight years of their careers. No matter how unwilling O'Neal is, he can't change the status quo of his body getting worse day by day. Maybe it will take a few seasons. The most dominant insider who once dominated the league will be Like those players of his generation, he will leave this league.

In fact, it's not just O'Neal. This season is a watershed for many players. Those players who have made a breakthrough in the league before and after Meng Xu entered the league also ushered in their careers this season. At the turning point, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Jermaine O'Neal among the five major forwards have all experienced a decline in strength this season. Tim Duncan fell from 98 At 97, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki dropped from 97 to 96, and Jermaine O'Neal dropped from 94 to 93. It fell directly below 90 this season.

Almost at the same time as the four power forwards, the "four shooting guards" who were supported by the league at the same time, except for Kobe Bryant, have also begun to decline. Perhaps because of their playing style, their strength has declined more than four. The big forwards have declined even more. Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson, the strength of the three of them has fallen from 96 and 97 at their peak to 95 or even 94. Well, maybe within a few seasons, their current positions will be completely replaced by those rising stars, and what is waiting for them is gradually fading out of this league.

In addition to the above-mentioned superstars, many powerful stars in this league, such as Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, are also in the There has been a decline to varying degrees this season, and now they have to face the embarrassing situation of those superstars who are contemporaries of Jordan. They are all old, but they have not yet worn the championship ring.

Corresponding to this is the rise of the younger generation of players. As the most famous draft year in recent seasons, the No. 03 pick of the [-] generation, LeBron James, entered the fourth season of the league. Peak, and after LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have also entered the peak of their respective careers this season. Perhaps the future of the NBA is really Belongs to them!

(End of this chapter)