In the NBA arena, the Houston Rockets have recently caught the eye with their performance. Despite the absence of key players Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., the team has continued to win games in a row. What secrets lie behind this remarkable record? After in-depth analysis, two key factors have emerged. VanVleet Changes His Playing Style to Energize the Team's Offense VanVleet was once controversial for his shot selection in games, leaving an impression of being "selfish." However, during the period when Eason and Smith were absent, he made a timely adjustment to his strategy, transitioning from a "scoring priority" to an "organizational core." Aware that the team's margin for error had decreased after losing two key defenders, VanVleet stopped taking unnecessary shots. He focused more on organizing and connecting the team, using his excellent passing vision and overall perspective to create excellent scoring opportunities for his teammates time and again. In the game, we often see him skillfully break through the defense, attract defenders, and accurately pass the ball to open teammates. This change has been significant, with his assist numbers skyrocketing. Although his personal scoring statistics have declined, the team's overall offense has become smooth and efficient, laying a solid foundation for victory. Amon Starts to Activate the Lineup, Bench Firepower Continuously Outputs Promoting Amon Thompson to the starting lineup is undoubtedly a stroke of genius by the Rockets coaching staff. This talented rookie is at ease in the starting position, showcasing extraordinary strength on both the offensive and defensive ends. Offensively, Amon can use his outstanding…

Karl-Anthony Towns was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He played for the Timberwolves for nine seasons, participating in 573 regular-season games and averaging 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game with a shooting percentage of 52.4%. His performance lived up to his status as the number one pick. Towns set many franchise records, including scoring 40+ points 13 times in the regular season, which is the highest in Timberwolves history. However, a young player is on the verge of breaking this record. That player is Anthony Edwards. In the game between the Timberwolves and the Wizards on January 14, 2025, Edwards scored over 40 points again. In this game, he made 14 out of 25 shots (including 5 out of 11 three-pointers) and went 8 for 8 from the free-throw line, totaling 41 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, leading the Timberwolves to a 14-point victory over the Wizards. After scoring 41 points in this game, Edwards has now scored 40+ points 12 times in his regular-season career, just one time short of Towns' franchise record. It seems that Edwards will break this record soon. To date, Edwards has played 341 regular-season games, significantly fewer than Towns' 573 games with the Timberwolves. Surprisingly, Edwards' number of 40+ point games is already close to Towns', indicating that Edwards' scoring ability is even more formidable. Throughout his career so far, Edwards has averaged 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks…

On January 15th, Beijing time, three pieces of news about the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged, and fans who care about the Clippers should not miss them. Leonard's Restriction Lifting Soon Yesterday, the Clippers faced the Miami Heat at home. It is unknown whether it was due to the impact of the Los Angeles mountain fires, but the entire Clippers team did not enter the game in the first half and quickly fell behind by double digits. Fortunately, after a halftime break, the Clippers woke up from their dreamlike state, launching a super attack wave of 36:20 in the third quarter, directly reversing the momentum of the game. They ultimately defeated the Heat 109:98, ending their two-game losing streak. In this game, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard performed poorly, playing only 20 minutes, shooting 3 out of 9 for a total of 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, without receiving a single minute of playing time in the entire fourth quarter. As a result, many fans are concerned about when Leonard will regain his form and when his playing time restrictions will be lifted. Today, according to Clippers beat reporter Law Murray, both the coaching staff and Leonard himself have no objections to the current game plan. They agree that Leonard's playing time cannot be blindly increased and needs to be adjusted through more games. At the same time, Law Murray stated that Leonard's physical condition and competitive state are continuously improving. Following this trend, he could lift his playing time restrictions as early as February. A healthy…

The Western Conference is heating up with some unexpected twists and turns that are as thrilling as a palace drama series! Firstly, we saw the return of Jokic, who led his team to an overtime comeback victory. Then, without Curry and Morant on the court, the Warriors managed to defeat the Grizzlies! Most surprisingly, the Rockets did nothing but found themselves in second place in the West. What a magical plot twist! Jokic, after losing to the Spurs, came back strong, scoring 14 points in the first quarter alone. In overtime, he went into overdrive, making it seem like Wembanyama was just a child in front of him. Jokic finished with 46 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading his team to a 122-111 win and pushing the Lakers down to fifth place in the West. The Warriors, without Curry and Morant, played a fantastic team game, with points coming from everywhere. Green's crucial three-pointer sealed the deal, and the Warriors won 121-113 against the Grizzlies, securing their second consecutive victory. Meanwhile, the Rockets, without lifting a finger, became the second in the West due to the Warriors' win over the Grizzlies. With a record of 22 wins and 12 losses, they have one more win than the Grizzlies. However, whether they can maintain this position depends on their upcoming game against the Lakers. The Western Conference is sure to get even more exciting, with rankings changing rapidly and new surprises every day. It's anyone's guess which team among the Lakers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Rockets will come out on top!…

The game between the Nets and the Trail Blazers was quite exciting, despite both teams being considered underperformers. The match featured many young players who played with great energy, making it very interesting to watch. Prior to this game, the Nets had suffered five consecutive losses. Russell, a guard who was traded from the Lakers to the Nets half a month ago, had been out due to an injury sustained during a game against the 76ers. He made his return today, but the Nets did not start him; instead, they had him lead the bench squad while Ben Simmons continued as the starting point guard. The biggest star of today's game was undoubtedly Henderson, the Blazers' guard. Henderson has been in poor form this year, averaging only 10.9 points per game. Many believe that if he continues like this, he will likely end up signing for the minimum wage after his rookie contract ends, unable to secure a substantial renewal deal. However, Henderson unexpectedly exploded today, without any warning. He shot 13 for 18 from the field, including 8 for 10 from three-point range and 5 for 8 from the free-throw line, scoring a career-high 39 points along with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, delivering a terrifying performance. Henderson's three-point shooting was particularly impressive, with an 80% accuracy rate. He scored 25 points in the first half alone, with an astonishingly high shooting percentage of 9 for 10. Despite Simmons being known for his top-tier skills except for shooting, and also for his strong defense, he could not…

On the morning of January 15, the NBA's Phoenix Suns were thrust into the spotlight by two explosive pieces of news, igniting heated discussions among fans and media. The Nurkic trade negotiations have hit a snag, leaving the Suns in a difficult position to resolve their frontcourt issues. According to veteran American journalist Sidery, the Suns are facing a stalemate in their trade talks involving Nurkic. It seems that other teams have tacitly agreed to take advantage of the situation by raising their asking prices and trying to get the best deal out of the Suns. As a result, the Suns are even considering placing Nurkic on the DNP (Did Not Play) list, and his trade prospects are becoming increasingly bleak, making it almost impossible to find a new team for him. This situation has sparked intense debate among fans, with some advocating radical views that the Suns should trade their superstars Durant and Booker to embark on a rebuilding path. After all, under the current circumstances, maintaining the existing lineup is unlikely to lead to any breakthroughs, and rebuilding may be the only viable option. Looking back at the Suns' management's past decisions, they have been plagued by constant mistakes. Initially dismantling the lineup that made it to the finals, they criticized Ayton for being too soft in his playing style and felt that Paul's high salary was not worth it. In hindsight, these decisions were self-destructive, plunging the team into difficulties. Domestic media personality Yang Yi's comments also caused a stir. He openly stated that compared to legendary…

NBA has a big game tomorrow, with the Nuggets facing off against the Rockets. This will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Nuggets, who just defeated the Mavericks effortlessly today. Their star player, Jokic, only attempted 7 shots, clearly conserving energy, possibly considering another back-to-back game tomorrow. Besides Jokic, only Murray from the Nuggets shot frequently, while Westbrook took 11 shots, Gordon 9, and Porter Jr. 9, indicating they are saving their strength for the decisive battle against the second-ranked Rockets in the West. The Rockets have been in great form recently, securing a four-game winning streak that has solidified their position as second in the West. Although they are currently unable to catch up with the first-placed Thunder, they are not worried about being overtaken by the Grizzlies, who are two games behind them. During this four-game winning streak, the combination of Jalen Green and Amen Thompson has given fans hope for the Rockets' future backcourt. Jalen Green scored 33, 29, 27, and 42 points respectively, with a shooting percentage of 56.3%. Amen Thompson also had impressive performances, scoring 23 points with 16 rebounds, 20 points with 15 rebounds, 10 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and 19 points with 13 rebounds and 5 blocks! During the four-game winning streak, Amen Thompson averaged 13 rebounds per game, which is remarkable for a player who started as a guard. He was primarily a guard during his rookie season but has now become a rebounding machine. Since being promoted to the starting lineup, the Rockets have an…

In the intense match against the Hawks, the Suns suffered a disappointing defeat with a score of 117-122. This was already a hard-fought loss that was difficult for the team to accept, but for the Suns' owner, the anger went beyond just the loss on the scoreboard. Behind this, there were four deep-seated problems that weighed heavily on him, making it unbearable. The Weakness of the Frontcourt Exposed, Becoming an Opponent's Breakthrough Point During the game, Durant and Booker shone as the twin stars. Durant had an efficient game with 13 out of 20 shots made, scoring 31 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists; Booker also unleashed his firepower, making 12 out of 23 shots, including 7 out of 14 three-pointers, to score 35 points. However, despite such impressive statistics, they were unable to help the team win. The key issue lay in the Suns' weak frontcourt. Plumlee performed averagely on the court, contributing only 3 points and 5 rebounds, with numerous defensive lapses. This allowed the Hawks' Okongwu to dominate the paint, scoring 20 points and grabbing 20 rebounds for a super double-double. This contrast exposed the Suns' frontcourt weakness, which became the fatal flaw in their loss. The Backcourt Struggles, Bench Players Fall Short The Suns' starting guard Jones shot 3 out of 5 in the game, scoring 8 points and providing 6 assists, which seemed average at first glance. However, when compared to the Hawks' Trae Young, the gap became clear. Trae Young shot 13 out of 30 from the field, including 6 out…

The NBA regular season is nearing its halfway point, and the competition in the Western Conference has intensified to a white-hot degree. The top-ranked Thunder can be disregarded as they look down from above, while the bottom three teams - the Trail Blazers, Jazz, and Pelicans - are not worth considering as they focus on targeting the highly sought-after number one draft pick, Victor Wembanyama, for the upcoming summer. However, there is constant change among the middle-tier teams, particularly between the Mavericks and the Warriors, where an interval of just three wins has managed to squeeze in eight teams. The Mavericks face issues with injuries to their European duo, leaving them to pray that they don't drop out of the top ten before February, as it would be too difficult even if Doncic were to return. Although the Clippers have been hovering around the sixth and seventh spots, it's clear that Leonard has no intention of exerting himself during the regular season; in fact, his presence on the court seems to negatively impact the team's offensive and defensive efficiency. The Kings and Suns are both in a period of resurgence, but it's common knowledge that they are preparing for significant trades. The Kings are unable to retain Fox, while the Suns wish to trade away Beal, who, however, holds a veto power and is unwilling to leave Phoenix, creating a stalemate. As for the Warriors, their performance can be disregarded; they started with 12 wins and 3 losses, but then went on a downward spiral with 7 wins and 17…

In reading an article, Wade stated that in the post-Jordan era, from a strict and essential perspective, only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant can truly be considered as superstars. In my mind, James and Kobe are on par with Jordan as historical top-tier figures. I completely agree with this viewpoint. From his rookie days to the present, James has given fans a sense of dominating the world. Before the age of 35, James was capable of anything, performing various tomahawk dunks, breakthroughs, and high-difficulty blocks, essentially able to soar through the air and move freely. However, since turning 35, he has indeed been gradually declining, with a less efficient scoring rate than before. Yet, his assists have been increasing, averaging as high as 9 per game this season. To date, James has won a total of 4 championships, 4 MVP awards, 4 Finals MVP awards, and is the all-time leading scorer in history. These achievements are the most impressive, and currently, he is the only player in the league to have achieved such statistics. Let's talk about influence. Without James in the NBA Finals, viewership rates drop below 60 percent. However, when James is in the Finals, NBA viewership rates soar above 75 percent, and even regular-season viewership rates are high. Moreover, he has consistently invested in basketball projects for charity and owns his own basketball school, providing free tuition and accommodation for children who dream of playing basketball. He has donated a staggering amount of approximately 134milliontocharity,whileearningonly134 million to charity, while earning only 134milliontocharity,whileearningonly237 million in his 15 years…