After Smith had a great game, there were a lot of people cheering on social media.

"George Karl has an instruction manual for JR Smith", "Lin and JR showed a tacit understanding that existed in Denver", "This is the best signing of the Nets in the offseason"...

Compliments like this came one after another.

This is very realistic.

Just like what Lin Ying had thought about, in competitive sports, being dishonest is the original sin. If you are no longer good, many things can be tolerated.

Of course, some people are worried that Smith's performance may be a flash of inspiration.

After all, "convulsions" ranks quite high in Smith's label.

Time finally gave the answer.

Smith has changed.

It's true that he's still inconsistent and won't be able to perform as well as he did against the Heat every night.

But he did change.

The biggest point is that his defense has changed from the road in the early morning to the path in the forest.

Maybe his defensive skills are not very good, but he is really very motivated and looks decent.

This change could allow Carr to keep him on the court longer.

Statistics show that in the half month after the game against the Heat, Smith averaged 30 minutes per game, averaged 14.6 points per game, and shot 43% from three-point range.

He became the Heat's well-deserved sixth man, which is also the role the Nets have always wanted him to be.

Fans don't know the stories behind Smith. They only know that Smith ushered in a new life with the Nets.

In the past half month, the Nets' record has gradually begun to get on the right track, achieving a record of 6 wins and 2 losses.

The season's record of 9 wins and 5 losses also puts them in the third place in the Eastern Conference, following the Knicks and Pacers.

All this can be explained.

A large part of Smith's increased playing time came from Joe Johnson.

This allowed Johnson to get enough rest and his condition began to gradually recover.

Smith's performance and Johnson's recovery greatly reduced Lin Ying's pressure, and the injury on his hand gradually improved.

He doesn't have to fight until he gets injured like he did in Phoenix.

Just like an equation, changing one of the factors will cause the result of the entire equation to develop in a completely different direction.

Smith's X factor has brought the Nets back on track.

…

After the training that day, Lin Ying was training, and Cole called him to the office.

In the office, Carl and MacMillan were both there.

"Lin, we are going to let Deron rest for some games. What do you think?"

After Lin Ying sat down, Karl spoke.

Unlike Sloan who makes a decision and informs him, Carl prefers to deal with problems through discussion.

The matter of Deron taking a rest is not only related to the coaching staff, but also to Lin Ying, the core of the team.

"I'm fine."

Lin Ying gave her answer without much thought.

Everything is on track for the Nets, but the only exception is Deron.

Delong chose conservative treatment for his knee injury and surgical treatment for his ankle.

The Nets season last year lasted until June, which meant that he only had three months of rest before returning.

This caused him to suffer from recurring injuries before he could regain his form.

Although the coaching staff consciously controlled his playing time, it did not work.

In order to ensure the situation in the playoffs, proper rotation is the best solution at present.

There was no problem seeing Lin Ying, so the decision was finalized.

Of course, time will tell whether it will work or not.

If that doesn't work, they can only ask Deron to call a truce.

That was the last step, and it was not what the coaching staff wanted to take. After all, it would be more difficult for Deron to regain his form after returning from the truce.

After the chat was over, Lin Ying left the office.

As for the question of who will replace Deron when he takes a rest, the coaching staff will decide on their own and his input is not required.

He went straight to the medical room.

After Deron finished training, he went to the infirmary to recover.

Lin Ying went to see him.

In the infirmary, Delong is arranged and Livingston is also there.

Karl has been addicted to three guards since playing against the Heat, and Livingston pushed Kirilenko out of the rotation.

The good news is that it took Livingston five years to finally recover from his serious injury.

However, out of caution, he would still go to the infirmary for treatment after each game.

When a person has experienced the horrific injury of breaking his leg at a 90° bend, it is difficult to become careless.

"Coach Karl just came to see me, and he told me that he would arrange for you to have a rest."

Lin Ying first cared about Deron's injury, and then revealed the coaching staff's decision in advance.

"I can still hold on."

Deron did not appear happy, but rather worried.

The Nets finally got back on track, and he was worried that his rotation would put the team in trouble again.

"Don't worry, we have a lot of people playing. Look at Sean, he can only go all out after his injury."

Lin Ying opened his mouth and gave Livingston an example.

"Yes, mentality is very important. Believing in yourself is more effective than anything else."

Livingston on the side said in agreement.

This is what he has learned over the past few years.

Injuries are uncontrollable, but human emotions can be controlled.

If you don’t believe in yourself, then everything may not exist.

Delong nodded.

What Lin Ying just said was about injuries, but it actually reminded him that the team is very rich in the point guard position this season.

Barbosa, Billups, including Livingston who is now with him.

Lin Ying turned around and gave Livingston an affirmative look.

…

The Nets next game is on November 28.

This day happens to be Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Lin Ying didn't feel much about this festival. As a time traveler, he knew that this festival was a bit ironic.

102 Puritans fled to the American continent, and the severe cold in winter almost killed them.

The enthusiastic Native American Indians helped them and taught them hunting, planting and other survival skills.

The Puritans were so moved that they set a day called Thanksgiving and invited the Indians to participate.

Then a few years later, these descendants of the Puritans became the rulers of the American continent and drove out the Indians.

However, this holiday is a very important day for Americans, second only to holidays like Christmas.

The Nets held some gratitude activities before the game on this day. Players dressed as chefs gave some food to the fans at the entrance of the audience.

This kind of activity is not unique to the Nets, many teams will use this method to bring closer the relationship between players and fans.

After participating in the event, the team trained normally.

Karl also announced before training that Deron would miss tonight's game due to ankle soreness.

The good thing about having an old injury is that you don't have to make up excuses like hip tightness that might sound misleading.

By the way, Karl also announced the candidate to replace Deron.

Barbossa.

This result is expected.
To be continued...