Why do you say January, the craziest month of this season, has nothing to do with the Eagles?

In addition to the fact that the Eagles are not one of those competing teams, the most important thing is that no matter how hard other teams compete or try to win, when they meet the Eagles, they are stepped on by the Eagles' iron hooves...

The advantage that veterans have over new recruits is that they know where their strengths lie, and they are unlikely to make any significant progress, and they know how to integrate into the new team.

After defeating the Nets, the Eagles have played 35 games. After O'Neal Jr. has returned, the Eagles have a neat lineup and good tactical integration. The most important thing is the change in Wade's style of play after his return, focusing on leadership.

The rotation lineup maintains defensive continuity, and the offensive end accommodates the playing style of teammates...

As a result, the Eagles have entered the best stage of the season so far!

On January 10th, 12th, and 14th, the Hawks’ remaining three consecutive home opponents are the Bulls, Nuggets, and Cavaliers.

They are all strong rivals, two teams were in the Eastern and Western Conference finals last season, and one was a strong team that played the Eagles in the tiebreaker in the second round last year.

This was a battle originally arranged by the league to attract fans' attention. Of course, fans were also very excited to see the duel between the needle and Maimang.

But the three games were all one-sided...

The Eagles are too aggressive!

Against the Bulls, the Eagles scored 36 points in the first quarter!

The Bulls' core style of play this season is still focused on defense, but the Eagles scored 36 points in a single quarter!

Of course, compared to last season, the Bulls' offense with Reid was much better, and they scored 26 points in the first quarter, but they couldn't hold off the Eagles' 36 points in a single quarter. The Eagles took a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

Advantage.

Reid was in a state of ecstasy when he was traded to the Bulls in the summer. He was playing on a truly strong team for the first time in his career.

The Bulls' record also makes Reed feel wonderful. They have stayed in the top four for a long time despite the fierce competition for the top five in the Eastern Conference.

This time against the Eagles, Reid was prepared to perform well.

However... the Bulls were suppressed by the Eagles from the beginning, and there was no chance to counterattack!

The Eagles' state was so explosive. Liu Mang scored 19 points in the first quarter, no matter how hard he shot, especially the 3-for-3 three-pointers. Reid was shocked, but Liu Mang still made the shot.

What else can Reid do?

The Bulls began to adjust their defense in the second quarter and attacked Liu Mang from all directions.

At this time, Rondo began to take advantage of Liu Mang's ability to attract a large number of defenders after receiving the ball, and directed his teammates to use Liu Mang as the ball transfer station, creating a beautiful team offense.

At the end of halftime, the Eagles scored 67 points and once again scored over 30 points in a single quarter in the second quarter...

The Bulls conceded 67 points in the half, setting a new high for points conceded in a half this season!

The Bulls scored 26 points in the first quarter, but only scored 23 points in the second quarter. Liu Mang was blocked offensively and could only pass the ball, so he focused on Reid's defense.

The Hawks led the Bulls by 18 points 67-49 at halftime!

The Bulls' half-time points loss and half-time deficit both set their worst records this season!

The Hawks played like an unstoppable team and never gave the Bulls a chance from the beginning to the end. In the end, Liu Mang, who played 33 minutes, scored 29 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, and Rondo scored 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

Assists and 4 steals, Tracy McGrady's 19 points, Jason Terry's 21 points, Wade and Kwame Brown both scored 10 points, and Marion's 7 points and 14 rebounds. Five Eagles scored in double figures.

118 to 93, a 25-point margin of victory over the Bulls at home!

Can there be a situation where there is nothing worth talking about in a strong showdown?

Yes, the Eagles played a game like this.

The Eagles suppressed the Bulls throughout the game, and the Bulls failed to respond effectively. Maybe they actually responded, but the Eagles' suppression became more fierce, leaving the Bulls unable to fight back!

This kind of one-sided game was of course ecstatic from the perspective of Eagles fans. The fans at the scene were always very enthusiastic. The Bulls fans in front of the TV had already turned off the TV.

But in the eyes of neutral fans and some neutral TV commentators, this game... was too boring. Judging from the scene, the Bulls never struggled.

The game of a team like the Bulls, which is based on stable defense, is actually nothing to watch. The Eagles did it!

After defeating the Bulls, the Eagles tied the Spurs' record of 9 consecutive wins this season, and their record became 30 wins and 6 losses, not far from the Spurs' 32 wins and 5 losses!

And...it's not over yet!

On the 12th and 14th, the Nuggets and Cavaliers are playing, and the Eagles continue to move forward!

In the game against the Nuggets, the Hawks defeated their opponent 95-87.

In this game, the Eagles played defense. In fact, they couldn't make any shots on their own. However, in recent times, the Eagles have not only been in good offensive form, but their defensive form has also exploded.

Iverson has no choice. Occasionally he will encounter this situation, where his opponent is in such good condition that he cannot deal with it.

The three centers Kenyon Martin, Nene, and Camby were blocked 6 times by a defender. How can they fight?

Kenyon Martin's counterattack and flying dunks were all blocked. He couldn't escape on the run and couldn't score in a positional battle...

After the Nuggets were eliminated, the Hawks became the first team to win 10 consecutive games this season!

On the 14th, after the Eagles defeated the Cavaliers again 97-91, the Eagles had won 11 consecutive games!

The Cavaliers also fought hard, but in the end, the Eagles came out on top.

The Eagles showed a strong attitude and won all eight games in the first half of January, a month full of strong opponents!

The Hawks are like a breath of fresh air in the league. Other teams have lost after entering the new year, including the Spurs. The Spurs lost to the Suns on the 4th, and other teams have lost.

Don't mention it, when strong teams meet, they will always lose, especially the Western Conference teams. Nine of the 15 Western Conference teams have a chance to win 50 games, and the confrontation will be a bloody battle.

No matter who the opponent is, no matter what the situation in the league is, the Eagles always win!

…

"The battle for first place in the alliance begins"

The NBA official website gave this headline.

After the Hawks won 11 consecutive games and saw their record become 32 wins and 6 losses, the gap between them and the Spurs, who have also won 6 consecutive games and have a record of 34 wins and 5 losses, is already very small.

There has always been a gap between the records of the Eagles and the Spurs before, but now, the Eagles have a chance to overtake them!

The Spurs are really a strange team. Just last season, they were eliminated in the first round, and the fans celebrated with singing and dancing.

But this season, the Spurs have become a popular team.

Except for Duncan, the popularity of other Spurs players may be just that. In the All-Star voting, it is obvious that Ginobili and Parker did not get many votes.

But the Spurs team has become very popular.

The Hawks and Spurs have begun competing for the top spot in the league, and their official support ratings in the NBA are actually evenly matched!

The Hawks' support rate was 53%, and the Spurs' support rate was 47%. More than 90,000 fans participated in voting on the first day, which is quite representative.

In other words, judging from the support of most fans, there are really many people who support the Spurs to win first place in the league!

As for the Eagles, why not strive for first place in the league?

Moreover, the Eagles don't want to end their 11-game winning streak.

The Hawks had a day off in Atlanta on the 15th and headed to Milwaukee on the 16th, followed by two consecutive visits.

On the plane, Liu Mang was asked by the coaching staff to have a small meeting to discuss the matter of rest breaks.

The main reason is that the next opponent is not as exaggerated as the first half month.

In the first half of the month, the Hawks played eight games, eight in 14 days! They also played two games against the Cavaliers, and one game each against the Hornets, Bulls, and Nuggets.

The opponents in the second half of the month are relatively less exaggerated. Although there are 5 opponents who are among the top nine in the Western Conference or the top five in the Eastern Conference, and the last five games in January are five consecutive away games, the Eagles' schedule in January is completely devilish.

It's much better than the first half of the month.

Now that the team is in surprisingly good shape, Coach Kruger is a little worried and decided to start taking a rest.

Liu Mang supported this idea, and he did not expect the tragedy he encountered with the Mavericks in the playoffs.

However, Liu Mang himself is very firm in his stance that he will never take a rest.

The coaching staff could not defeat Liu Mang. Indeed, Liu Mang had never been so-called "tired".

So I will base it on my experience in the past few years.

Against weaker opponents, McGrady and Kwame Brown take turns.

Marion and Jason Terry's rotation depends on the situation, and Wade will not play in the second game of a back-to-back.

Another advantage of resting is that players who have less playing time in the early part of the season can have more playing time in the middle of the season and improve their condition to cope with the schedule in the second half of the season.

After deciding on the rest plan, the Eagles moved on.

The Eagles players, who were in good condition, began to compete with the Spurs for the top spot in the league with high spirits!

On the 17th and 19th, the Hawks played two consecutive away games against the Bucks and Trail Blazers.

McGrady and Marion didn't play in the first game, and Jason Terry and Kwame Brown didn't play in the second game. The Hawks easily won the games with an advantage of more than 10 points.

They defeated the Bucks 113-101 and defeated the Trail Blazers with second-year players Roy and Aldridge. The Hawks also relied on Liu Mang and Tracy McGrady both scoring 30 points to easily defeat their opponents 106-91.

After defeating these two opponents, the Eagles won 13 consecutive games, continuing to set a new winning streak this season and improving their record to 34 wins and 6 losses.

But... when the Hawks returned to the hotel after playing an away game against the Trail Blazers, Liu Mang saw the news that the Spurs, who were playing at the same time as the Hawks, had also won eight consecutive games... 36 wins and 5 losses!
Chapter completed!