It's been a while since I've written about the Suns' games. As you may or may not know, the Suns have made a lineup change, correcting the mistake of starting Bill Nujian with a left-leaning bias and demoting them to the bench.
The Suns have witnessed a rare phenomenon - a 50.2millionBillanda17.8 million Nujian serving as substitutes for a combined $4.5 million Dunn and Plumlee.
This strategy of the Suns, akin to Tian Ji racing his horses, has been both effective and ineffective.
It has been effective in that the Suns have achieved a record of 4 wins and 1 loss after the lineup change.
Booker is averaging 26.6 points and 8.8 assists, while Durant is averaging 24.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, seemingly more at ease, as if saying to Bill: "We were already doing this before you came."
Bill, on the other hand, is averaging 17.4 points and 4.2 assists, having taken off the crown of the most expensive substitute in history.
However, it has been ineffective as they even dared to lose to the Hornets, who were on a 10-game losing streak, resembling the righteous bandits of Liangshan.
Indeed, the leader determines the temperament of the team.
A small episode occurred when a Suns fan asked: "Describe Durant's era in Phoenix with a song title or lyrics!"
Unexpectedly, a large number of haters emerged - "This Is the End," "Goodbye, Goodbye," "Less Talk, More Action," "Unearned," etc.
This angered Durant, who personally expressed his dissatisfaction: "Oh my god, Suns fans, I thought we had a better relationship."
Later, a Suns fan asked Durant: "Which team will you consider your home after retirement? Or are you just a wanderer?" (Do you have roots?)
Durant replied: "I have a home in four cities."
Durant, with homes everywhere, isn't this the style of the Liangshan heroes?
Today, facing the Eastern Conference Hawks and the rookie No. 1 pick Lisha Xie who just joined the NBA Liangshan, Durant truly showed his demeanor as a big shot - in the third quarter, Durant faced the No. 1 pick and gave him a unique military training lesson by posting up and playing one-on-one.
The 37-year-old Durant broke through with a two-handed dunk over Lisha Xie, completing a 2+1 and then performing a magnificent waltz loop around the rim.
In the next round, Durant's mid-range shot, which is invincible, did not have alcohol, and Lisha Xie was drunk like a dog, being shot again for a 2+1.
Having scored twice in a row with 2+1, Durant's way of welcoming the new No. 1 pick was really unfriendly.
Lisha Xie was extremely frustrated and had no choice but to leave the court to continue his growth.
The Suns, relying on Durant's wave of domineering military training, launched a 10-0 run, directly reversing the score and turning the situation around.
However, the Suns quickly became worse again.
Bill injured his left ankle while fighting for a rebound, stepping on an Atlanta player's foot at a 90-degree angle, which was quite terrifying.
Despite his minor injury, Bill still insisted on walking a few steps on the court to test his condition.
Unable to continue, Bill left the court in frustration, covering his head with both hands and returning to the locker room.
However, a touching scene unfolded shortly after.
Bill returned to the court heroically from the locker room.
It could be seen that Bill's foot seemed to be not fully recovered, but the team needed him, and Durant and Booker needed him, so he still stood up with his injuries, fearlessly.
Considering how the Suns treated Bill, it's really commendable that Bill could still do this, earning respect, and it wouldn't be too much to say he repaid evil with virtue.
However, Bill's heroic return did not provide more encouragement and inspiration for the Suns.
The Suns' trinity seems to be an unpredictable and unstable system.
They soon started to collapse.
From the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth, the Hawks' Krajic, Daniels, and Bogdan linked up to make three-pointers in a row, launching a 13-0 run, directly overtaking and regaining the lead.
The Suns once again found themselves in a desperate chase.
Booker's three-pointer narrowed the gap to 2 points, only for the Hawks' Okongwu to respond with 2 points.
Booker scored 2 points to tie the game, and Young immediately responded with a three-pointer.
Booker scored another 2 points, and Young scored another 2 points.
The thrilling chase and the godly responses in the battle of the immortals.
At a critical moment, the Hawks gritted their teeth, and the Suns always fell short.
Until the last 41 seconds, Booker hit another miraculous three-pointer to close the gap to 5 points, still unwilling to give up, and started a tough penalty kick tactic. Booker even committed a foul by brutally knocking down Young, and both sides exchanged trash talk.
The mature Young remained stable and tough, not getting carried away, and made his free throws without hesitation, ultimately sealing the game with free throws. The Hawks defeated the Suns 122-117.
The mayor of New York's aura is really tough.
He scored 13 points in the final quarter alone, totaling 43 points for the game, his 34th career game with 40+ points, and also his first 40+ game of the season, single-handedly taking the Suns' stars out of the game.
Perhaps, some things are etched in our DNA.
The soaring Hawks are destined to chase the divine eagles of the sun.
After this battle, the Hawks have won 11 consecutive home games against the Suns, with their last loss occurring 11 years ago on March 24, 2014.
At that time, were there any players from both teams except Booker? Please check for us.
After losing to the Hawks, the Suns' three-game winning streak was ended, and their ranking dropped directly to 11th in the West, falling out of the playoff play-in zone, while the Spurs rose back to 10th in the West without lifting a finger.
Durant is really unwilling!
He went 13 for 20 from the field, 0 for 2 from beyond the arc, scoring 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
The 37-year-old two-way Durant still couldn't carry this Suns team, causing Durant to sound the whistle and return to the locker room without uttering a word.
Is the 37-year-old Durant Curry not great anymore?
He is still great!
But the young are even greater.
As the timeless saying goes, no one is forever 18, but there will always be 18-year-olds.
The 37-year-old Durant Curry and the 40-year-old James are still the top superstars in the NBA, but the torrent of the times rolls forward. They can still play games at will, but they can no longer control the whole game at will.
The twilight of the gods does not believe that the long night will come, but indeed, the long night is difficult to see.
If the Lakers "sacrificed" Anthony Davis,
then the Suns "sacrificed" Booker.
Durant is unwilling, how could Booker be willing?
Booker also played 38 minutes, going 12 for 23 from the field, 7 for 14 from beyond the arc, scoring a total of 35 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, as flawless as his older brother, the two of them combined for 66 points but couldn't win against a single Young.
Just like Curry's helplessness.
It's worth noting that the Suns are 19-20 and ranked 11th in the West, while the Warriors are also 19-20 and ranked 12th in the West.
Guess what? Will one of the Suns and Warriors fail to make it to the play-in tournament in the end?
It's truly a sad story.