The Rockets and Celtics' big deal attracted the attention of the vast majority in mid-January.

Harden made his debut in the Celtics' match against the Hornets on January 16. He made his debut in the Celtics' first battle jersey, scoring 27 points and giving out 7 assists to help the Celtics defeat the Hornets.

In the team lineup, Stevens put Thomas Jr. on the bench and acted as the sixth man.

Harden's No. 13 has not retired in the history of the Celtics, so it is a miracle that no longer needs to change the number.

The attention and ratings of the entire East have been greatly enhanced by Harden's arrival.

The alliance was quite pleased to see this situation.

It can be foreseen that in the next one or two seasons, Harden's whistle will not be missing.

After all, it's necessary to balance.

Before this transaction, the king got pj-Tuck's operation, but was ignored.

In fact, this may be a transaction that really affects the situation.

The Kings finally strengthened their last shortcoming - the defense on the front line.

At the same time, the team's sixth man problem was solved.

After Tucker arrived, Li Liang decisively mentioned him to the starting third position to relieve his defensive pressure in the fourth position.

Rudy Guy was placed on the bench and acted as a comprehensive sixth player.

In this way, the Kings' starting lineup of Cousins, Li Liang, Tucker, Gordon and Rondo are basically formed.

In general, this lineup is similar to Li Liang's idea when he was at the Pacers.

On the court, Cousins, Gordon, and Rondo all have the ability to solve problems alone in the offense, and can also integrate into the team's offensive system better.

In defense, the Pacers use tough one-on-one defense, and the Kings currently have the ability to defend one-on-one.

Cousins, the five starting players, has a strong one-on-one defense ability without constantly assisting in defense.

So, while Mike Brown continued to refine his Bees defense, he was also using a simple but 1on1 to consolidate the team's defensive foundation.

The problem with relying solely on the Bees is that when encountering some teams with strong offensive strength, they will be in trouble.

For example, in the game against the Warriors in early January, the two teams met for the first time this season.

The Kings were completely beaten by the Warriors.

After the Warriors had James, the team's offense went to a higher level, reaching a state of smooth flowing and never breaking the rules.

Offensive efficiency, fluency, ability at critical moments, outside hit rate, transfer balls, etc. reached a peak.

James' three-pointer also reached the highest point in history for the Warriors, with a second shooting percentage breaking through forty percent.

The last time he hit a shooting percentage of 40% in the regular season was in the 2012-2013 season, but that season he averaged only 33 shots per game.

This season, he averaged more than 5 three-point shots per game, the highest in his career.

If there is any problem with this Warriors, it may be that Green's role in offense has been offset by James.

Also, the Warriors' bench is a little weaker than in the past.

But overall, this Warrior is a well-deserved Golden Team.

When the King faces the Warriors' super attack, the "swarm defense" is just a tickling.

James's wide-range transfer and the Warriors' empty cuts disrupted the swarm.

Li Liang used all his strength in this game, scoring 48 points in a single game, but the Kings still lost at a disadvantage of 7 points.

After this game, the Kings got PJ Tucker, and Mike Brown combined the Bee with one-on-one.

The Bees are really useful against weak teams, especially some teams with poor offense.

Continuous harassment in defense will lead to the opponent's offense being poor, and eventually gradually fall into endless singles.

However, this kind of harassment defense does not consume much physical energy, and the Kings players' offense is not at all.

Therefore, the king is quite stable in slapping vegetables.

They ushered in a row of winning streaks, and they never lost again in the second half of January.

This includes defeating a strong team like the Thunder.

Li Liang is more skilled in the coaching position.

He gradually realized the meaning of Mike Brown saying "rule by doing nothing".

In the regular season, the player's status, simplicity and sustainability of tactics have a great impact on the performance.

As a coach, he needs to keep players in good physical condition and psychological stability, and at the same time ensure a certain intensity during training.

Just like a long-distance running, the most important thing about running midway is to ensure smooth breathing rhythm, and the playoffs are the time to sprint.

He handed over most of the team's training and game-related matters to Mike Brown and D'Antoni.

With the two of them in the tactics, he doesn't need to worry too much, he just needs to make critical decisions.

For the rest of the time, Li Liang, as a player, participated in training by himself and partnered with Coach Lu, often thinking about life with the players.

Tyron Lu, from the perspective of the roots, belonged to Phil Jackson's direct disciple, stayed in the Lakers who won three consecutive championships that year.

He is a player-type coach and knows what the players think.

Playing basketball is actually the same as other jobs. As an employee, you will be lazy, and you will be emotional.

After all, whether to win the championship does not directly affect the players' salary.

Coach Lu has his advantage in how to appease the players and get along with these hey boys.

After all, Li Liang is too authoritative. Except for seniors like Cousins ​​and Rondo, others always feel that they are far away from him.

I often bring Tyron Lue by my side, and there is an intermediary, a messenger, a buffer, and when I get along with my teammates, I feel much better.

In February, February 3, the Kings had already won 12 consecutive victories after defeating the Suns at home!

This wave of winning streak allowed the Kings to reach the second place in the West with a record of 40 wins and 10 losses.

The Golden State Warriors, second only to 44 wins and 6 losses, left the Spurs, Thunder and Lakers behind.

This wave of victory brought the entire West back and let everyone take their attention from Harden's trade - it turned out that Sacramento dragged the Kings was the biggest beneficiary of the recent trade.

With PJ-Tuck, the Kings' defense became extremely stable, and the rotation became quite abundant and programmed.

Li Liang truly achieved "ruling by doing nothing", leaving the king in a good state of self-circulation.

In terms of stadium performance, Li Liang averaged 287 points per game, sent 8 assists, scored 93 rebounds and 25 steals in January. With an undisputed performance, he won the Western Conference's Best of the Month and Best of the Week.

For the first time, Li Liang showed people what "the future development" means.

The fear of Li Liang once again came to the league and the Westerners.

On February 4, the Kings will face the Warriors back-to-back at home.

At this time, the warriors who formed a super strong team are no longer the so-called great devil, but the brave ones who want to challenge the devil.

The heavy responsibility of saving the West and defeating the Demon King is on them.
Chapter completed!