basketball never sleeps

Chapter 287 We still have to beat Yao Ming.

"According to the statistics of the two's battles after entering the league, Yao has absolute dominance over Tyson in the paint. If you look for reports from earlier years, you will find that Yao's dominance over Tyson began as early as 98 when he first came to the United States to attend Indiana's training camp. Some of the words were not very polite. Yao said in an interview that it was because Tyson was selected as the second pick that he had the confidence to play in the NBA."

During TNT's daily roundtable meeting, Kenny Smith confidently flicked through the documents in his hand.

"No, no, no, judging from the statistics, Tyson is indeed suppressed by Yao, but we have to know that Tyson's current position is just a blue-collar worker. Regardless of the points, Tyson didn't lose much in rebounding and defense. Moreover, in my opinion, Coach Nelson's transformation of Yao was not successful. He successfully integrated Yao into the Warriors' system, but also made Yao lose his original dominance in the interior. You see, Tyson is now fully capable of defending Yao."

Barkley shook his head. Last season, he was still a firm supporter of Yao Ming. But as Yao Ming lost weight and increased his shooting range this season, old Nelson, who usually "does scientific research", was happy to pull Yao out as a space point, and he turned back to criticizing Yao.

The inside game should be played like an inside game. The height advantage is always of the greatest value near the basket. People like Yao Ming who have enough talent but move more and more to the outside are heretics.

The image of a 2-meter tall guy not staying in the paint but shooting three-pointers from the outside can be said to be a great mental shock, or "mental pollution," to people of this era.

Back then, Barca's height was only 198cm, including a pointy head, but it helped him win the title of rebounding champion and make it to the finals. If he had been 10cm taller, Danzi would have given him two rings.

"My thoughts are exactly the opposite of yours. If Tyson had a chance to face Yao before, now Tyson absolutely cannot face Yao alone. Yao's height means that only inside players can interfere with his shooting, and Yao's increasingly sophisticated footwork is something that most inside players in the league can't figure out. Although he can't attract double-teams in the interior like a traditional big center now, he is even more destructive to the lineup!"

"I admit that Yao's shooting is eye-catching, but the Warriors are not short of outside shooters. Can Yao be more accurate than Mo from the outside? Sampson (the Rockets' No. 2.24 pick in 83, meters tall, who had a worse shooting touch and didn't shoot three-pointers in the early days) was able to be pulled out because Hakeem (Olajuwon) played center. If Sampson was really good, how did the Rockets choose Hakeem!"

"I admit that what you said makes sense, Charles, but Coach Nelson is a Hall of Fame coach with more than 1100 wins. You'd better think more before doubting Yao's playing style."

"..."

As they talked, the two of them debated from Yao Ming's playing style to the definition of center and then to the development of space-type inside players. They quoted classics and exchanged sharp words, which was a wonderful debate.

Snapped!
Feizhu's figure disappeared from the TV, and the dark screen reflected a dark figure.

The figure stood up and walked to the window. The reflection of the glass was a little clearer, but under the cover of his dark skin, one could still not see the man's uneven beard, the acne caused by inflammation, and the expression full of negative energy.

It's just that the pair of red eyes spreading across the white background are particularly eye-catching.

He was just one step away, just one step away from returning to the Western Conference Finals, standing in front of that little kid again, fighting a real series, and proving with his strength who is the league's best guard.

Just two steps, just two steps away and he might be able to step onto the finals stage again, to prove to that fat guy and to all those who doubted and laughed at him that he could lead the team to win the championship alone and become the best player in the league.

But it all came to an end last week.

The dream is shattered and the nightmare comes back.

That damn fat guy, even though his head was shaved, once again raised five fingers when he saw him being eliminated.

Don’t eat sour radish!
The feeling is as refreshing as when the husband who is reading the newspaper in the living room suddenly turns back, when the husband who is sleeping in the hot spring hotel suddenly wakes up, when the cow who works overtime every day suddenly leaves work early...

He was sure he had done his best, but the results once again let him down.

If it's not his problem, then whose problem is it?

The image of the short bald man flashed through his mind, followed by the giant who eliminated them in the previous round, and then Kwame Brown's damn butter hands, and the other lazy bastards in the team...

Yes, they are problems, but they are not the cause of the problem.

[Shaq is old, we can all see his decline, the team plans to rebuild, but his big contract will be an obstacle for us, so I have to give up on him. Even if we win the championship this year, this will not change. If he leaves, you will be the undisputed boss and only one of the Lakers! ]

"We won't give up. Believe me, kid. I'm not the kind of person who has patience. We will find the right helpers for you to keep the team competitive enough. As long as you stay, the team will build a championship-winning lineup with you as the core."

[Rome was not built in a day. Don’t you believe in the management and your own strength? Be patient. Temporary failure is nothing. Time is on our side. Everyone loves Los Angeles. We will eventually bring you the right helper.]

[CP3's recent performance is very good, Brown has also been slowly activated by him. The team does not want to blindly strengthen and change. Trading is a very rigorous matter. You know, chemistry is very important. Misbehaving will only make things worse.]

The gentle but confident voices of old Buss and Kupchak echoed in his ears.

Those solemn promises and reassurances were like shots of anesthetic, relieving his pain but never closing the wound, allowing his time to slip away like blood.

If you think about it, the players who can serve as his assistants in the Lakers were all those who were traded for that fat guy.

what.

When he came to his senses, he noticed that the trophy on the honor display stand next to him was covered with a layer of dust.

It’s been three years.

25-28 years old, this is undoubtedly the period in his career when his physical and technical combination was the most perfect.

Swish, it’s gone.

At this age, Danzi has already conquered the bad boy and stepped onto the long steps to becoming a god, but he can only sit at home and watch others write legends on TV.

If they had an All-Star... a star... an inside player who could hold the ball, would he have fallen into the doldrums he experienced in the first two years?

If there was an inside player in the team who could compete with Yao Ming, would the Lakers be eliminated in the second round?
in case……

The Lakers have no shortage of chips. The team's future first-round pick is like Zhao Dehan's stolen money, and they dare not spend a single cent.

The Lakers are not without trading targets. Baron Davis contacted him when he left the Hornets, Boozer expressed his intention to him when he was insulted by fans in the Utah Jazz, and Artest, who was wasting his life in the Trail Blazers, also asked him about the possibility. He has conveyed these people's intentions to the management.

But the management didn't even go through the trade inquiry process and simply used various excuses to shirk the responsibility, saying that Baron Davis was a glass man, Boozer was strong on offense but weak on defense, and Artest was a locker room bomb.

Kobe has also figured out the reasons for this situation. Brian Grant's $1400 million annual contract, which was the main salary balance when trading for O'Neal, has occupied the Lakers' salary space until this season.

With the Houston clause, the Lakers can lay off players, but the laid-off players will still occupy salary space, which means that if the Lakers want to recruit big-name players during this period, they must pay almost the same amount of luxury tax.

Old Buss is a good boss, but he is still a businessman after all. From his perspective, it is more cost-effective to use Kobe's golden signboard to sell tickets rather than spending a lot of money to overdraw the future to participate in a championship that requires winning all the way.

You see, if they control salaries well, the Clippers can make a net profit of tens of millions every year by selling half the ticket prices of the Lakers.

If the TV program just now was discussing how strong Mo Wen and A Zhan were, he would have gotten so angry that he would have rushed to the training hall under the cover of night.

But they happened to be talking about their teammates.

If he were asked to replace Mo Wen... No, he would not take the initiative to join forces with Ray Allen, and Ray Allen would not be his second-in-command.

But if, instead, he were to lead the excellent teammates of the Supersonics, he wouldn't be too bad even if he didn't have Mo Wen's organizational skills.

If he continues to stick with the Lakers like he is now, he should be like Garnett, a big ticket that is always passionate and full of tears.

Oh, not necessarily. The Lakers still have CP3 now. When CP3 grows up, perhaps Iverson's script will be waiting for him.

In his press conference after the second round, he emphasized that the team must focus on strengthening the inside during the offseason.

But Kupchak has not taken the initiative to call him to communicate so far.

He complained to old Buss, who once again calmly comforted him, promised that the team would undergo reforms, and then boarded a plane to China to start a one-month vacation.

He had had enough, really had enough.

He hopes to become a city legend like Jordan, but now he must let the team know that he has brains, temper, and most importantly, legs.

But before forcing the emperor to abdicate, he planned to give the lake management another chance to strengthen his resolve.

"Hahaha, it seems you've heard the news too. Murphy, Jermaine, Randolph, and Ben Wallace from the Rockets, Gasol from the Grizzlies, and KG are not the targets this time. They're all offers!"

Kupchak shouted excitedly on the other end of the phone.

"???"

Kobe, who had his finger on the hang-up button, was thinking of hanging up after hearing one more word and starting the interrogation process, but he was stunned. He hadn't even made a basic attack yet, so why did Kupchak use his ultimate?

"This year's free market is simply a paradise. There are teams selling inside players everywhere. Oh, and there is one more. Shaq is said to be put on the shelf by Riley, but his contract is too big and he is too fat. I don't recommend you to team up with him again." Kupchak joked.

"I love you, Mickey." The dark figure in the reflection of the glass suddenly softened.

……

The scene shifted to Seattle, where the gangster-like Golden State Headband Gangsters were the first to take the stage.

It can be seen that they are very excited about entering the Western Conference Finals. Almost everyone jumped out of the player tunnel.

Yao Ming, who performed the finale, was somewhat out of place. He had no tattoos, no headband, and, contrary to his usual style, received cheers from many Asian fans in Seattle.

On the other side of the ocean, the TVs were filled with fans who had skipped work or classes, and the live text broadcast website was also stuck under the impact of traffic.

Although the "Demon War" has been held many times, this time it is the playoffs, and it is a very valuable divisional finals!
As the visiting team's players came out, the BGM changed, and a horn full of energy and passion sounded. The first reaction of Seattle fans was goose bumps, and the second reaction was that their tickets had expired.

At this moment, there are no rich people, no white-collar workers, only a group of lovely fans cheering for the home team players at the top of their lungs.

"Moooooreeeeee...Winnnn!!!"

The DJ's shouts mixed with the climax of the BGM and the laser rain, the whole audience burst into cheers that were quite eardrum-shattering, and the noise alarms in the entrance channel also lit up in response.

Mo Wen, with his signature smirk on his face, was enjoying greeting the fans and staff on both sides of the aisle.

The camera swept across the audience, and there was hardly any idle slap.

Du Xiaoshuai in front of the TV looked at the scene with envy.

This is the momentum of the league's top player.

I don’t know when I will be able to enjoy this kind of treatment.

He is paying close attention to this series, not that he has any special feelings for Seattle. Washington, D.C., where he was born, and Washington State, where Seattle is located, are not in the same time zone.

Seattle still has the Bobcats' first-round pick from the Lewis trade, but this pick is protected in the top seven of the first round.

What he cares about is whether Mo Wen can end the center era.

Among the four teams in the Eastern and Western Finals, Yao Ming can be said to be the only remaining orthodox inside core and center with the ability to develop his own offense.

Ironically, the 90s was the peak era of the four major centers, but it was dominated by a single guard, Jordan. After entering the new century, the league started to hype up the concept of the four major shooting guards, but the real rulers of the playoffs were the two inside players.

O'Neal's five championships, Duncan's two championships, and the double Wallace's iron bucket have made people cry out that they can't understand small ball while still sticking to the concept of center-orientedness.

Oden and Noah, who follow the traditional inside line, have also been the favorites for the No. 1 pick. If Mo Wen can beat the Warriors and eliminate Yao Ming, it will prove that the outside line is back and he will have a chance to sit on the No. 1 pick.

The camera swept to the sidelines, and as usual, there was a group of handsome men and beautiful women from Hollywood.

With the current popularity of the Supersonics, no one wants to miss out. The front row ticket prices have been driven up to staggering prices by various celebrity agencies.

The ticket price is enough for you to take a bath on the sidelines of the football stadium to watch the game, but it only buys you a chance to show your thighs at the KeyArena.

What made Du Xiaoshuai's eyes light up was that he saw a beautiful figure that made his heart beat faster.

She should be a movie star, but Mo Wen did not interact with her, and the camera did not stay on her for too long because she is not very famous.

The young Durant planted a seed in his heart. He joined a Western Conference team, advanced to the playoffs step by step, played a Western Conference Finals against the Supersonics, won the game, and then asked the beautiful and sexy lady for her contact information... In the end, the two were buried together under the big oak tree in his hometown, watching the sun rise and set, and the four seasons cycle...

Mo Wen naturally also noticed the beauties on the sidelines, including Black Widow, whose appearance and figure were still at the peak.

However, he is not yet so convinced that any beautiful woman he likes will be conquered by his hormones and will be loyal to him and keep her pants closed, becoming a chaste white lotus in the cesspool of Hollywood's Vanity Fair.

Black Widow's appearance on the sidelines should be like that of most Hollywood artists, either to show her face and maintain popularity, or because she has a new movie or album that needs to be promoted to show her presence.

In order to prevent Mo Wen from being dazzled by the colorful world outside, the Schwarzenegger sisters have been exposing to him the dirty deeds of Hollywood men and women, helping Mo Wen to change his values.

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They were worrying too much. Mo Wen had seen basketball stars whose reputations had not been ruined in his previous life, but he had never seen a (American entertainment) star whose reputations had not been ruined.

Britney, who transformed into a lustful woman, finally became a crazy woman. The country girl who started to have surgery on her face also started to take the bus for long distance travel. The lovely Hermione became a boxer fighter. Megan Fox, who loves small animals very much, did not give her pet a egg but booked a Thai operating table for her three sons. The retired squid Wonder Woman directly revealed that she got to the top by being on top of the woman...

In comparison, it is obvious that my own celebrity sisters are more fragrant.

Back on the court, the referee brought the ball to the middle and both sides stood still.

The Supersonics still have their regular starting lineup, and the Warriors' starting lineup is also the same as the regular season - Yao Ming, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, and Baron Davis.

Mo Wen and Yao Ming looked at each other, but they didn't say much. This was mainly because Yao Ming didn't want to communicate too much and reveal his background.

The Warriors have never had a clear goal for this year's playoffs. Jason Richardson had no idea what the playoffs were, Yao Ming had never seen the second round, Baron Davis once assisted Mashburn and almost made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but when it was his turn to lead the team into the second round, he only won one game, and Stephen Jackson, the martial arts saint, did win the championship with the Spurs, but he was in follow-up mode...

In terms of age, Mo Wen is a younger brother, but in terms of seniority and experience, all the Warriors players can't catch up to Mo Wen's weight even if they pack up and drink some water.

The referee blows the whistle.

Tyson Chandler, blessed with the home team's momentum, took the lead and was the first to get the ball with his excellent jumping ability.

After Mo Wen received the ball, as expected, Stephen Jackson appeared.

After facing two top scorers, Nowitzki and Kobe, in succession, people once again placed the heavy burden of locking down Mo Wen on him.

To be honest, this expectation is quite unreasonable because Jackson failed to block Kobe in the last round.

He has the physical fitness, skills and even attitude of a top defensive player, but he also has a fatal weakness, which is that he is too emotional.

He often gambles when he gets an idea, presses without considering the situation, and even forgets to defend when he is really excited...

Single defense?

This was a good bait, but he chose not to take it, and instead called on Tyson to go up for a pick-and-roll.

We still have to play against Yao Ming.

As Yao Ming's shooting improves, if he wants to wear Yao Ming down, he must start from the offensive end. It is impossible for him to let Yao Ming retreat honestly.

Retreating is the value of a big center, but also its weakness.

Yao Ming's body shape of thick legs and wide hips means that even if he loses weight, he will never be as agile and fast as Samps and Ben Amare.

Mo Wen pulled to one side, waiting for Tyson to get into position and get into a solid posture. Jackson watched his husband commit the usual pick-and-roll tactic and chose to step back half a step and go around the screen. However, Mo Wen did not indulge him. He set a fake pick-and-roll, pulled back and threw a three-pointer directly.

The Warriors players were not discouraged. They waited for Yao Ming to quickly serve the ball from the backcourt and imitated the Suns' fast push. However, the Supersonics returned to defense in a timely manner, so they had no chance and had to wait for Yao Ming to come back and play pick-and-roll again.

Yao Ming's screen quality is quite good. Originally, the Yao-McGrady pick-and-roll in time and space was a BUG-like combination. The only problem was that the referees did not allow it. They often seized on Yao Ming's high center of gravity and unclean footwork to call for screen fouls continuously, forcing Yao Ming to return to the inside and play in the low post.

Old Nelson also discovered Yao Ming's problem, but this version of Yao Ming is qualified to hold the ball on the outside after his shooting is developed. The ball handler cannot be questioned for screen fouls, similar to the later duo of John and Mueller of the Nuggets.

It’s just that Yao Ming’s passing ability is not good enough, and his passing vision is only at an upper-average level after being strengthened, and he can’t play at the organizational level of Yohan Chou.

Some fans always think that Yao Ming can develop like Yohan Chou in the small ball era. Little do they know that Yao Ming actually has congenital deficiencies. He lost most of the hearing in his left ear when he was a child due to nephritis caused by the use of old antibiotics with side effects (such as gentamicin and streptomycin) (it is not uncommon for people born in the 70s and 80s to become deaf and dumb due to antibiotics). This almost cut off his possibility of becoming an organizing center. Historically, Rockets players all knew that they should try to communicate with Yao Ming on the right side.

The field of vision that people often talk about is not just what the eyes see in a narrow sense. The sense of field space is largely inseparable from hearing.

However, no matter how experienced Mo Wen was in squeezing screens, it was not easy for him to bypass the defense of two centers of standard size. Fortunately, Byron Davis, who had the space, did not choose to shoot on the spot, but seized the opportunity to charge forward.

At the beginning of the season, the fat boy Akina found his youthful code after losing weight for a season. Although his nickname is Big Beard, his playing style is more like the second brother of the second generation Big Beard.

Mo Wen's footsteps were also very fast. He didn't need any help from his teammates. He took two steps and faced the defense before he could fully speed up, forcing him to adjust his movements and change from dunk to throw.

After all, Baron Davis is no longer young. Although he is not yet 30 years old, years of injuries have deprived him of a lot of explosiveness and jumping ability. After all, not everyone has Westbrook's script. Every time he comes back from an injury, not to mention the sequelae, his performance may even be strengthened.

To be honest, Baron Davis is considered a sports miracle in the eyes of the public because he can level up (lose weight) every year like Pikachu and return to his peak.

The shot missed and old Nelson raised his eyebrows.

Milicic grabbed the rebound and quickly counterattacked.

The Warriors' defense was very quick. The nickname of the Golden State Gang was not called for nothing. Richardson caught Gay who was running in front and forced him to stop the ball and pass it back.

After returning to the position, the Supersonics were not in a hurry and used the usual high-post pick-and-roll and Ray Allen's off-ball moves.

Jackson was talking trash and wanted to challenge, but he couldn't catch up.

Yao Ming took a step forward this time, but still couldn't solve the problem of leaving space.

Later, Gobert, the three-time DPOY in the small ball era, was almost turned into the "human scope essence" near the three-point line.

Even Howard, who was famous for his large defensive area at his peak, could only defend the area within the three-point line. For example, the area one step inside the three-point line, the retreating big center could only give psychological deterrence, but he was...ugly.

By the way, Warcraft was warmly welcomed by the Pistons fans in the first round of this year's game against the Pistons. He enjoyed a set meal of fire alarms in the middle of the night, ribbons hanging from the ceiling of the training hall to hinder shooting practice, eating salmon and then getting food poisoning...

Sliding sideways to create space, Mo Wen attracted Byron Davis at the top of the arc to help defend. Yao Ming, the bearded man and Wu Sheng who came around to chase him attacked him from three sides, so there was always someone to defend him no matter how he broke through.

The situation in the camera was quite critical, but before the audience could get nervous, the crisis was resolved because - the ball was gone.

Ray Allen and Milicic attracted the defense of Harrington and Richardson on the other side, and Gay became an unattended child, jumping and rushing into the basket like playing.

A well-timed ground pass allowed him to hold the ball steadily as if he were dribbling it himself, and the next step was to showcase his talent.

boom!
5:0 already.

Yao Ming was helpless. This ball perfectly illustrates the idiom of "losing one thing while focusing on another".

He himself thinks he is stupid, but there is nothing he can do. If you ask him to carry people, even if he loses weight, he can still take on most of the inside players in the league. But if you ask him to divide his attention to defending in front and behind, Ala really can't do it.

Old Nelson rubbed his brows. No matter how many ideas he had, they were useless in this situation.

The Lakers in the last round did not have a decent three-point shooter with a hit rate of more than 40%, so Yao Ming could retreat as much as he wanted and the Warriors' forward line could shrink and rotate at will.

But the Supersonics are just the opposite. The top point guard three-point shooters, the top position three-point shooters, and the top inside three-point shooters are all on the same team.

To the extent that someone like Gay, who can shoot 37% from three-point range, can just let go.

In other words, the Heat's 75 wins last season were so shocking that the Supersonics' 69 wins this season looked impressive.

But compared to the previous regular season rankings, 69 wins is a fucking freak!

Back to the Warriors' turn, there was no fast break opportunity again, but Yao Ming showed his strength, making a fake shot from mid-range and a tiptoe shot, helping the Warriors recover after 31 years away from the Western Conference Finals.

5: 2.

There was not much psychological fluctuation among the Supersonics except for their admiration for the anti-aircraft guns.

The only threat that the anti-aircraft gun can bring is pick-and-roll and scoring. From the data point of view, playing like this may be better than him scoring in the low post, but it has less lethality.

Without the problem of fouls in the interior, the Supersonics are not inferior to others in terms of shooting percentage.

"Yao made a beautiful shot, but the Warriors still haven't gotten into the groove as a whole."

In the CCTV live broadcast room, Mo Weiping leaned on his arm and noticed the Warriors' problem.

"The characteristics of the Warriors team are positional pick-and-roll and defensive counterattacks, but the Supersonics started the game very accurately and seized the problems on the Warriors' defense and scored consecutively. The Rockets couldn't launch a counterattack, so naturally it didn't have that flavor." Da Xu on the side further explained.

In the next round, the Supersonics did not repeat the same trick. The Warriors had a lot of cards in their hands. Many old fans would subconsciously think of this year's Warriors when they mentioned the bench bandits. Their bench depth was comparable to that of a championship team. If the Supersonics kept playing the same trick, there was no guarantee that old Nelson would not come up with a solution.

With the ball at 45 degrees on the right side, he held the ball in a three-threat position. After lifting Jackson's center of gravity, Mo Wen smoothly passed the ball and made a Hill-style straight breakthrough.

Seeing that he couldn't stop it anymore, the unruly Jackson made up his mind to give Xing Goose a hand to pluck feathers. Unexpectedly, he met a fellow traveler. The two ghost hands met in the air. Mo Wen used the force to break away from Jackson's entanglement and shook him off at the same time.

Jackson was annoyed, but he was not annoyed at Mo Wen's little trick. He was annoyed that Mo Wen got past him so easily.

Nowadays, confrontation is still a weighty word. After Nash had his nose broken, he would take the initiative to help Parker explain that it was a normal confrontation, because the facts cannot be changed by blood and sophistry, and everyone has a scale in their hearts.

Of course, the Spurs' other tricks targeting people would be despised in any era.

After Mo Wen rushed into the paint, he did not directly challenge the little giant. Seeing Richardson coming to assist in defense, he seemed to have eyes behind his head and passed the ball back when he was about to throw the ball. Ray Allen, who was well prepared, took a step forward to catch the ball and shot from mid-range.

Swah——

Old Nelson wanted to call a timeout.

Just as Da Xu said, the offensive basketball he wants to play is that when the opponent fails to score, they counterattack, and then launch a random punch like the Suns, and then combine with a deep bench lineup to drag down the opponent.

In his system, Yao Ming is like the last calculation question on a test paper. It is very important and can be said to be the key to widening the gap with other candidates, but the basic scores of the previous multiple-choice questions are just the foundation!
(End of this chapter)