I really can't handle the ball

Chapter 289 The All-Star Weekend Begins

November 12, Houston, Toyota Center Arena.

Tonight, the Raptors will challenge the Mosaics away.

Before the game, the outside news media hyped the game uproariously, which attracted the attention of the fans.

The biggest highlight of this game is the duel between Li Xuan, McGrady and O'Neal.

Although the Mosaic team formed the OM combination this season, the effect was not good and they are still in the process of running in.

At this stage, the Mosaic team has only achieved a record of 16 wins and 14 losses, ranking eighth in the West. If they want to make the playoffs, they have to work harder in the second half of the game.

The Raptors don't have such troubles. They are strong in the west and weak in the east, making it easier for them to reach the playoffs.

After the warm-up activities, the starting players of both sides came to the middle circle to prepare for the jump ball.

Raptors starting lineup: Delk, Jaylen Rose, Li Xuan, Bosh, Chandler.

Mosaic starting lineup: David Wesley, Bob Sura, McGrady, Juwan Howard, O'Neal.

In the jump ball session, Chandler took off vigorously, touched the basketball first, and returned the ball to the backcourt to get the first offense for the Raptors.

Delk quickly dribbled forward, came to the top of the arc and passed the ball.

Li Xuan, who was standing outside the three-point line on the right, received the pass, faced McGrady, made a fake shot, quickly released the ball, and broke through the three-point line.

McGrady didn't hesitate, and quickly moved laterally to block, but was ruthlessly knocked away by Li Xuan.

Li Xuan broke through to the mid-range area on the right and hit a jumper with an emergency stop.

The possession of the ball was converted, and the Mosaic team attacked.

Wesley dribbles to the three-point line and lobs the ball inside.

O'Neal received the pass, sat back with his butt pouted, pushed his back a few times, turned quickly towards the penalty area, and made a throw.

Chandler picked up the basketball on the ground, quickly exited the baseline, and sent the ball out.

Li Xuan received the pass, quickly advanced to the frontcourt, and launched a fast break.

The players of the Mosaic team were overwhelmed and did not expect the Raptors to come to this trick at all, so they failed to retreat in time.

Li Xuan dribbled the ball to the outside of the three-point line, and after attracting the defense, he passed the ball to the middle.

Following up, Bosh received the pass, rushed into the penalty area, and dunked the ball into the basket with one hand.

Immediately afterwards, the Mosaic team still had O'Neal play inside.

This round, Bosh rushed back to the penalty area and double-teamed O'Neal with Chandler.

Fathead Shark had nothing to do about it and passed the ball.

At this moment, Li Xuan rushed out quickly, intercepted the pass in the air, and rushed to the front court at the first.

When he came outside the three-point line, he immediately stopped and jumped, chasing and hitting a three-pointer.

It was the Mosaic team's turn to attack. This round they changed their offensive strategy, and McGrady ended the attack.

McGrady received the pass, grabbed the ball with one hand, and made a three-threat move.

Li Xuan immediately stepped forward for personal defense and gave physical confrontation.

McGrady immediately released the ball and started to explode at the fastest speed, trying to pass Li Xuan in one step.

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.

Li Xuan quickly posted it up and stood in front of McGrady.

McGrady, who broke through with the dribble, did not stop and had a physical confrontation with Li Xuan, but was knocked staggering.

Seeing this situation, Li Xuan immediately cut the ball and successfully cut off the basketball in McGrady's hands, then grabbed the basketball and rushed towards the frontcourt.

The players of the Mosaic team have not yet realized what happened, and failed to chase and defend immediately.

Li Xuan came outside the three-point line, didn't ask for two points, and directly chased and shot a three-pointer.

Swish!
Hollow into the network!

Seeing that the score was drawn, the head coach of the Mosaic team, Jeff Van Gundy, immediately requested a timeout and called the players back to the bench for adjustment.

Not long after, the timeout ended and the game continued.

After returning from the timeout, the Mosaic team's offense still did not improve, and the defensive end could not limit the Raptors' offense.

In this way, the first quarter ended, the score on the big screen was 26 to 18, and the Raptors led by 8 points.

The intermission is over and the second quarter begins.

In the rotation stage, the Raptors had a lot of bandits on the bench and once again suppressed the Mosaic team.

By the time the Mosaic team replaced the main players, the point difference had widened to 15 points.

After the two sides made substitutions and adjustments, the Mosaic team relied on the personal abilities of McGrady and O'Neal to get the score back to single digits.

The Raptors adjusted immediately, and Li Xuan stood up and scored 8 points from inside and outside, opening the gap again.

In the following games, the Raptors replaced the defensive giant Iguodala and others, which improved the defensive strength, making it impossible for the Mosaic team to easily break through the Raptors' defense.

After the end of the third quarter, the Raptors opened the point difference to about 25 points, and the fourth quarter basically became garbage time.

Thinking that this was a Christmas game, the Mosaic team did not give up the game easily, and resisted again for more than 4 minutes before disarming and surrendering.

In the end, the Raptors defeated the Mosaic team 98 to 75, winning four consecutive victories.

In terms of statistics, Li Xuan won the honor of the best player in the game.

在上场的30分钟内，投篮20投14中，其中三分球9投5中，罚球4罚4中，砍下37分6篮板5助攻2抢断2盖帽的全面数据。

The best player on the Mosaic team is O'Neal.

在上场的32分钟内，投篮18投10中，罚球8罚3中，得到23分11篮板1盖帽的两双数据。

After the Christmas game, the Raptors defeated the Heat, Bucks, and Nets in succession in the following games, ushering in a wave of seven consecutive victories, ending the game in December.

On January 1, the NBA officially announced the list of the best players in the East in December.

In the West, Li Xuan's former teammate Nash averaged 16.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 11.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, leading the Suns to a record of 12 wins and 12 losses in December, and won the Western Conference player of the month.

东部方面，李轩以场均35.2分7.8个篮板7.2次助攻2.1次抢断的数据，带领猛龙队在12月份获得11胜3负的战绩，荣获东部月最佳球员。

Immediately afterwards, the Raptors began the regular season in January.

Under the leadership of Li Xuan, the Raptors had an excellent record of 9 wins and 4 losses in January, securing the third place in the Eastern Conference.

Moreover, Li Xuan once again won the honor of the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, making other players extremely envious.

With the start of the game in February, the Raptors once again won a wave of winning streak relying on their strong defense.

During this period, the Raptors completed a signing and traded "Glove" Gary Payton, which further improved the team's strength.

At the same time, the Lakers also completed reinforcements, trading Odom from the Heat, and became the favorite team to win the championship.

After the addition of Payton, the Raptors' defense has improved again, comparable to the iron wall of the Pistons, making other teams miserable.

With the rapid passage of time, the blink of an eye to the 2005 Denver All-Star Weekend.

(End of this chapter)