Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

The cheers from the fans at Staples Center were deafening.

After the Lakers' O'Neal scored, the Jazz immediately launched a counterattack. Christon, who caught the ball in the backcourt, immediately advanced to the frontcourt after getting the ball, and used Malone's high cover to cover Lieke and cut inside. After O'Neal's defense, Gao hit the board and sent the ball into the net.

The Jazz's counterattack came quickly. The cheers of the Lakers home fans immediately dimmed.

The smooth cooperation left Sakuragi Hanamichi stunned. And Christon actually dared to hold the ball and attack the Lakers' inside line, which was guarded by a behemoth. His courage also greatly admired Hanamichi Sakuragi.

The game between the Lakers and Jazz focused the offense on the inside. There is no doubt that O'Neal still has quite an advantage in the matchup with the Jazz inside group.

Some people always thought that O'Neal had no way of leading the Lakers to a championship before Kobe Bryant grew up. Although this is an established fact, there is actually no doubt about O'Neal's dominance.

In the league environment of the 90s, there were few centers who could get a bargain from O'Neal in a one-on-one environment.

One of the most familiar arguments among fans is that O'Neal is not as good as Olajuwon, but in fact, O'Neal, who lost to Olajuwon at the time, was just a baby shark and was not in his prime.

And when O'Neal entered his peak period, no one in the league could defeat O'Neal in a one-on-one situation. Teams such as the Rockets, Jazz, and Spurs can often benefit from the early Lakers.

Both teams have a strong front line.

The first quarter of the game between the Lakers and Jazz was not very intense. Sakuragi Hanamichi did not see what Takeru said about the Jazz's measures against O'Neal. If the so-called measures only refer to forward defense, then in Sakuragi Hanamichi's view, such a defense cannot prevent monsters like O'Neal at all.

26: 29.

When Sakuragi Hanamichi saw O'Neal score again, he clenched his fists and let out a low cry. In the high school basketball world, he has never seen such a powerful center. With Sakuragi Hanamichi's limited knowledge, he simply couldn't figure out how to stop an inside monster like O'Neal.

The ball passed directly over everyone's heads and fell steadily into the basket.

But now O'Neal has begun to gain weight slowly, and when guarding pick-and-rolls, his steps are not as flexible as when he first entered the league.

After the first quarter, the Lakers not only failed to take advantage of the jump ball, but were led by the Jazz by three points.

Fisher, who was holding the ball at the top of the arc, had scruples and did not choose to give the ball to O'Neal. Instead, he gave it to Eddie Jones on the other side, who deliberately caught the ball. Relying on his excellent personal ability, after continuous shaking, he accelerated and crossed the three-point line, and then stopped in the mid-range to make a jump shot.

O'Neal, who once again successfully destroyed the basket, clapped his hands and howled excitedly. His arrogant look made Malone frown.

"Dangdang!"

"That O'Neal actually has a huge advantage. Why don't you think of a way to let him play the tough ball?"

In the stadium, another dunk sounded. O'Neal caught the ball in the low post, shook off the defender facing him, and then exploded the ball into the basket and scored a dunk. Malone, who rushed to help defend, was a little slower and missed.

For an inside player like Malone who can pull out and shoot, O'Neal often needs the help of his teammates to defend him perfectly.

For example, with the Spurs, fans tend to only remember that Duncan achieved better data with O'Neal. But they all seemed to ignore that the person who faced O'Neal head-on was actually David Robinson.

For example, when the Rockets faced the Lakers, in addition to Olajuwon facing off against O'Neal, Barkley assisted from the side. Both of them are historical star players.

Even a player like Jokic may not be able to perform such an explosive performance in today's basketball environment.

Eddie Jones and other Lakers players take more shots, while O'Neal's shots have obviously dropped significantly.

During the break, Hanamichi Sakuragi pulled the corner of Budo's clothes and asked in a low voice: "What's going on with the Lakers' offensive arrangement?"

In a confrontation between NBA-level teams, it is difficult to prevent a player from catching the ball at all.

"How can we stop a player like this?"

Somewhat different from the Jazz's arrangement, the Lakers arranged for O'Neal to guard Malone.

"It's so powerful, there's no way to resist it!"

This is also the flaw of most super centers in this era.

In Hanamichi Sakuragi's view, as long as a player of O'Neal's level can catch the ball in the low post, he can score it and convert it into points.

While Wu Dao and Sakuragi Hanamichi were chatting, the Jazz in the stadium had already launched a counterattack. After a high pick-and-roll, Malone received the ball in an open position and scored from a mid-range shot.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was puzzled by this offensive arrangement.

Eddie Jones, who successfully helped the team digest shots in inefficient areas, also won the cheers of the fans with his personal ability.

The Jazz's inside line seems to be the weakest among the three teams, but in fact the Spurs' playing style is famous throughout the league.

Eddie Jones's shooting ability is of a kind that can be hit or miss. He is very accurate when he is accurate and very inaccurate when he is not. Fortunately, his shooting in this game is relatively "smart".

"Players like this always require the entire team to solve."

When it comes to the playoffs, the defensive strength they display will not be weaker than other teams.

"That kind of risk is probably worth taking."

This time, the character's defense on O'Neal began to increase, and Malone gave up Horry decisively, showing an obvious defensive intention before O'Neal caught the ball.

"The success rate of shots that float outside is not as high as O'Neal's."

"Of course it's impossible to guard against peak O'Neal in a one-on-one fight!"

Except for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in ancient times, no other person could do such a thing.

"Although there are some risks in passing the ball, if there is movement and coordination, it shouldn't be a problem to give the ball to O'Neal."

O'Neal was able to average 30+ points per game as a center player in the era of internal fighting, which is enough to witness his terrifying dominance.

For example, in difficult situations like the Spurs and Jazz, which are mentioned most by fans, in addition to having human shield players to confront O'Neal head-on, there are often star players to assist from the side.

Between offense and defense, it was the Lakers' turn to attack again.

"Sakuragi, pay attention, Jazz will find a way."

O'Neal's ability to defend against pick-and-rolls is a little better than that of "Omen Sun and Moon" after gaining weight.

When Budo heard Sakuragi Hanamichi's question, a smile appeared on his face:

"Sakuragi, do you think the Lakers don't want to give the ball to O'Neal and let O'Neal play?"

"It's not that they don't want to, they just can't do it."

"Or it's not that the Lakers can't do it, it's that Fisher can't do it." The Fisher mentioned by Budo is the Lakers' guard who controlled the ball in the first quarter. Sakuragi Hanamichi looked towards the Lakers' bench and stared at the crowd. The short one among them.

"Sakuragi, you think basketball is about players making choices that are best for the team when they are on the court."

"But the game is affected by many, many factors."

"Determining a player's upper limit is not only his skills and talent, but also his mentality."

"You are right about one thing. As long as Fisher is willing to take some risks of making mistakes, he can get the ball to O'Neal."

"But have you ever thought about what the head coach sitting on the sidelines would think when he made one mistake? Two mistakes? What would he do?"

"Will we continue to keep you on the court? I'm afraid not. They have many rotation players on the bench."

"You feel like you made the best choice, but what the coach sees is your mistakes."

"Not everyone has the talent of O'Neal. Even if he plays poorly in one or two games, his status in the team will not be shaken."

"After ordinary players successfully enter the court, their first thing is not to think about how to win, but to think about how to keep themselves on the court."

"So after staying on the court, do you think they will think about how to win?"

"No, they won't. They will consider how to perform and how to improve their data."

"Because only good data can give you a good value."

"Increasing assist data and reducing turnover data is what he considers."

Martial Arts and Sakuragi Hanamichi talked a lot. After hearing Martial Arts' words, Sakuragi Hanamichi silently lowered his head and began to think deeply.

He is no longer a rookie who has just entered the basketball field. Sakuragi Hanamichi can actually understand these things that martial arts talk about.

The position is different, the mentality is different, and what you do will be different.

Although Sakuragi Hanamichi can understand this feeling, it does not mean that he will accept it.

So far, Sakuragi Hanamichi is still playing school basketball.

The cruelty of the basketball world has not yet fully unfolded in front of Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Even if Sakuragihua enters the NBA in the future, given his physical condition, he may not be able to empathize with players like Fisher.

Budao looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi thinking, and the smile on his face did not diminish. He gently pushed Sakuragi Hanamichi's shoulder and said with a smile: "This is the difference between the business league and campus basketball. You must be mentally prepared."

"If you have the opportunity to enter this league in the future, you must perform well in the early stages."

"Reduce your mistakes, get more points and rebounds. Improve your defensive efficiency, that's what you have to do."

For Sakuragi Hanamichi, a little brother, martial arts can be said to be heart-breaking. No one else would tell him these twists and turns. If you want to survive in this league, you can't rely on naivety.

Stepping on opponents, stepping on teammates, and reaching a higher position is the most essential aspect of this league.

Martial Arts' ability to still receive applause from fans in the audience does not rely on humility.

On the court, Wu Dao stepped on his opponents and moved forward. On the team, Wu Dao also stepped on people like Garnett and Marbury to reach his current position.

Big picture? Only after you have achieved a high enough team status will you need to consider the so-called overall situation.

Like now, if Fisher is a teammate of Martial Arts, he can completely use the so-called overall situation to tie up Fisher's playing style.

If it is said that in order to win the game, the team needs one person to make sacrifices for it.

Then this person can be a martial artist who has become a superstar, but he will definitely not be a martial artist who hangs out on the bench and cannot guarantee playing time.

Martial Arts didn't know if Sakuragi Hanamichi could digest what he said at this time. He just wanted his little brother to abandon his innocence when he was a student.

Realizing the cruelty of this world early was only good for Sakuragi Hanamichi, not bad.

The break was spent quietly in the conversation between Budao and Sakuragi, and the second quarter of the game between the Jazz and the Lakers officially began.

In the second quarter of the game, the Lakers made personnel changes.

Fisher, who was holding the ball, was replaced. This year's All-Star was vacant and Nick Van Exelt replaced him.

Nick Van Exel has some minor injuries and is in a period of recovery, but the Lakers now need a point guard like him who can score independently to control the rhythm on the court.

O'Neal was replaced by Kobe, and the average height of the Lakers dropped significantly.

Sakuragi Hanamichi saw the Lakers change their formation and saw Fisher, who was playing steadily, being put on the bench, and the expression on his face quietly changed.

I don’t know what this kid is thinking.

When the Lakers' lineup changed, the Spurs also made some changes. The villain Brian Russell was replaced on the court, and the "little" human shield Greg Foster who had previously faced off against O'Neal was replaced. Next rest.

Not only that, Malone was also replaced and adjusted, and was replaced by 198cm No. 2 Shanton Anderson.

Like the Lakers, the Jazz's average height has also declined.

And when Wu Dao cast his eyes towards the Jazz bench, he found that Malone, who was sitting in the rest area, was breathing very quickly. It seemed that the 35-year-old veteran had consumed a huge amount of physical energy in the confrontation with the Lakers.

Also, the Jazz's little meat shield Greg Foster is no match for O'Neal at all. During the first quarter of the game, Malone needed to make up for his teammates on the defensive end from time to time to face the pressure brought by O'Neal.

On the offensive end, O'Neal, who mainly defended him, also provided enough physical confrontation. Malone was rarely forced by O'Neal. He mostly chose to shoot or pass from the outside when he forced himself inside.

Although Malone is still an MVP-level player, he is already that old after all. Facing the young and strong O'Neal, he is more or less unable to cope.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Jazz played the ball in the backcourt.

After Kobe got the opportunity to play, he also performed quite actively on the defensive end.

Although the overall height of the Lakers has declined, the Jazz's offensive firepower has also weakened after Malone left the court. As Kiefe missed the shot, the rebound was successfully won by Kobe who entered the basket to protect the basket.

Instead of passing the ball to his teammates, Kobe chose to dribble the ball by himself, killing the basket all at once. Then, with everyone in the Jazz chasing and intercepting him, he sent the ball into the net with a lever.

And his goal also set the tone for the second quarter of the game between the two teams!
(End of this chapter)