Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chris Kyle's successful steal was successfully converted into a score by Wu Dao.

Although Kobe Bryant tried very hard to stop Wu Dao from scoring, Kobe, who was physically weaker, had no chance of winning against Wu Dao in the running battle.

After failing to steal the ball, Kobe had no way to deal with the powerful Wu Dao. He could only stand behind and watch Wu Dao put the ball into the basket and score successfully.

The Timberwolves fans burst into cheers, but the fans were not praising Wu Dao who had just scored, but Chris Kyle who helped the Timberwolves complete a steal.

The fans at the scene are the most fair group of people. They will praise whichever player on their home team plays well.

The fans are especially tolerant towards the substitute players, and when the substitute players perform well, the cheers from the fans will be even more enthusiastic.

Apart from the substitutes themselves, perhaps no one wants the substitutes to perform well more than the fans.

Because the entire team is often viewed as a whole, they are oriented towards winning. When the substitute players perform well, it is easier for the team to win. This is a truth that everyone understands.

And it is precisely because the fans view the Timberwolves as a whole that they hope that the team's shortcomings can grow, perform well, and help the team win.

"Nice steal, Chris."

"Keep up the good work!"

After returning to the field, Wu Dao immediately found Chris Kyle. After coming to his side, he gently patted Chris Kyle's arm and praised him with a smile.

In response to Wu Dao's praise, Chris Kyle seemed to be very pleased and his face was full of excitement.

"Um!!"

"We widened the gap in the second quarter!"

Although Chris Kyle is just a substitute player, he also desires to grow into the pillar of the team. If possible, he does not want to sit on the bench and watch his teammates perform. He also wants to be a starter, get a high salary, and enjoy the cheers of the fans on the court.

Every time he takes the field, it is a precious opportunity for substitute players like Chris Kyle.

The Lakers' backcourt players have reorganized the offense, and after being intercepted by Chris Kyle, Nick was obviously much more cautious in handling this attack.

After all, he is an All-Star player. Having just been intercepted by Chris Kyle, he naturally wants to regain the advantage over his opponent.

After entering the frontcourt, Nick did not choose to pass the ball immediately. Instead, he slowed down after approaching the top of the lake and made a pick-and-roll gesture to his teammates on the wing.

Kobe Bryant moved his feet and quickly came to Chris Kyle's side and set a screen for Nick.

And Wu Dao, naturally, followed Kobe's footsteps and reached the top of the arc as soon as possible.

Nick noticed Kobe Bryant coming to open it out of the corner of his eye, and he also saw Wu Dao following closely behind Kobe Bryant.

Nick also has a deep understanding of martial arts' defensive capabilities.

He actually didn't want to face the tall and strong Wu Dao, and did not choose to use Kobe's pick-and-roll. Instead, he dribbled in a pocket, faked a breakthrough, and then changed direction in front of his body and accelerated directly from his left side.

Nick's preparations for the breakthrough were quite sufficient. Chris Kyle on the defensive end was also fooled by Nick's fake breakthrough. Without moving in advance, he had no way to stop Nick who broke through from his right side in the first time.

Seeing the opponent passing by his side, Chris Kyle quickly turned around and chased after Nick who broke into the basket.

Although the Knicks' single attack was sudden, the Timberwolves' inside players were actually well prepared.

This is not the first time that the Timberwolves and the Lakers have faced each other, and players on both sides are very clear about the characteristics of their opponents.

Although Ben Wallace is a player who focuses on the inside, he will always pay attention to the movements of the outside players when defending, especially Chris Kyle.

He knew very well that Chris Kyle was not at an advantage in a one-on-one match with Nick.

Chris Kyle's stock price is bigger than Nickel and he is taller than Nickel. If we just compare their physical confrontation abilities, Chris Kyle has a huge advantage.

But Nick is an experienced point guard, and a point guard with excellent independent offensive capabilities.

Playing small against bigger opponents is not a big problem for a player of Nick's level.

It is true that the Knicks may find it difficult to limit a player of Chris Kyle's size in a one-on-one matchup. But being unable to defend against the opponent does not mean that he has no way to break through the opponent's defense.

Ben Wallace, who was always paying attention to the movements on the outside, quickly stepped forward to fill the position as soon as Nick broke through. He was so fast that Nick was stopped by Ben Wallace before the free throw line.

As Nick paused, he quickly raised the basketball in his hand and looked towards the basket.

Pull-up jump shot?!
Obviously, Nick did not choose such a reckless attack when facing a jumping man like Ben Wallace. After a fake shot, he quickly pressed the ball down with both hands, and the basketball hit the floor directly at the feet of Ben Wallace and bounced back to the inside.

Robert Horry received the ball in the paint, jumped up, and dunked the ball into the basket with both hands.

A very outstanding breakthrough pass, Nick used his personal ability to tear through the Timberwolves' defense and help the Lakers score smoothly.

After all, he is an All-Star level player. Although Knick's level has been lowered due to injuries, such players should not be underestimated on the court.

Because you have no way of knowing when the other party will explode.

The basketball was sent from the Timberwolves' backcourt, Stanley Roberts passed the ball to Chris Kyle, and then he dragged his heavy feet and ran towards the Lakers' half.

The Timberwolves' offense and defense transition rhythm is actually not fast. After Garnett and others left the court, the Timberwolves' fast break trident only had Wu Dao and Tom left.

After Shaquille O'Neal left the court, the Lakers' overall defensive pace was not slow. It was not easy to chase them and fast break over their heads.

Compared to speeding up the overall offensive and defensive rhythm, a steady positional battle is actually a better choice for the Timberwolves, because they have martial arts with exceptional individual abilities.

After Chris Kyle brought the ball into the frontcourt, without waiting to get close to the top of the arc, he passed the ball to Wu Dao on the wing. After passing the ball, Chris Kyle had no intention of going to the top of the arc, but went directly through the right side of Wu Dao and went directly to the right bottom corner along the sideline.

After glancing at Chris Kyle who was in a relatively low position, the Knicks chose to follow up and leave the top of the arc vacant.

At this time, only Budo and Kobe Bryant who was defending him were left in the high position on the right wing.

"Go up, don't give them a chance to fight one on one!"

"Make it up!"

In the Lakers rest area beside the court, Lakers coach Del Harris saw this scene, hurriedly stood up from his seat, ran to the side of the court, and shouted to Robert Horry on the court.

This kind of one-on-one high-post situation is too disadvantageous for the Lakers. Coach Del Harris doesn't think Kobe Bryant can defend against Wu Dao.

After all, Budo's 1-on-1 ability is well-known in the league, and few players can defend him. Although Robert Horry heard the voice of his coach, he did not intend to move forward to raise his defensive position at the first time. Instead, he glanced at Ben Wallace beside him, took only one step toward the outside line, and stopped immediately.

Robert Horry's positioning was also rather tricky, completely cutting off the passing route between Wu Dao and Ben Wallace.

But his defensive choice seemed a bit stupid to coach Del Harris, who had studied the Timberwolves' game videos for a long time.

Ben Wallace does not appear at all in the Timberwolves' offensive system, and in the Timberwolves' previous game videos, there are almost no scenes of Wu Dao passing the ball to Ben Wallace and assisting Wallace in scoring.

Even if there are such scenes, they are very, very rare.

After all, Ben Wallace only averages five points per game and is a real role player. You can understand what kind of performance he can produce on the offensive end without even watching the video.

Therefore, in the eyes of coach Sedel Harris, Robert Horry's vigilance against Ben Wallace was simply meaningless.

It’s just that Coach Del Harris can see the situation on the court clearly, but he has no way to accurately grasp the thoughts of each player.

Who is Robert Horry?

When he entered the league, he was the 11th pick in the first round and was a person who was focused on training by the Rockets.

He is a standard swingman at the three or four positions. He has excellent defensive skills and excellent three-point shooting ability.

In the 94-95 season, Robert Horry even set the record for the most steals in the Finals - seven steals.

During his time with the Rockets, he had just as much star power as ever.

After leaving the Rockets, his statistics were badly damaged by the system in the Suns, and then he was traded to the Lakers at a high price. In fact, Robert Horry himself was full of expectations for the future. Leaving the Suns, which almost made him sink, is a good thing for him.

However, this good thing did not last long. After all, the Lakers were assisted by Shaquille O'Neal, the most dominant player in the league. For Robert Horry, the proportion of the player role would inevitably be reduced.

But O'Neal is O'Neal, and other Lakers players are other Lakers players.

Robert Horry was willing to play a supporting role to O'Neal, but it was hard to say about other players.

Robert Horry is actually somewhat dissatisfied with his position in the team. He hopes that the team can develop more of his abilities, rather than just sticking him in a 3D position and using him at will.

It is not a problem to let him face off against a strong man like Ben Wallace, but letting him be isolated from the team's offensive system is not what Robert Horry wants to see.

He feels that he has more than just three-pointers as an offensive weapon.

But in the Lakers' view, Robert Horry's only three-pointer on the offensive end can make some contribution to the Lakers.

The role of ball handler has never come to Robert Horry.

You know, Robert Horry once averaged 12 points per game when he was in the Rockets. He was young and on the rise.

If he hadn't been traded to the Suns and got really cheated, he might have been trained to be an outstanding swingman who could average 20 points per game.

But all these expectations were completely shattered when he came to the Lakers.

"Let Kobe defend alone. If he can't defend, I'll try."

"I guess he's better than Kobe."

Robert Horry's truest thought is that there are only a few ways for role players to gain player status.

If I can score a goal that others can’t, I am a star player; if I can defend a player that others can’t defend, I am also a star player.

On the court, Wu Dao, who received the pass from his teammate, lowered his center of gravity. He approached Kobe Bryant's defense with the ball while observing the Lakers' defensive lineup with the corner of his eye.

Originally he thought that the Lakers would double-team him, but he didn't expect that the Lakers' lineup at this time seemed to let Kobe play one-on-one with him.

This is really good news for martial arts.

Without any further hesitation, Wu Dao, who was dribbling in the low altitude, quickly pulled the ball up, changed his footwork, and directly blasted the ball with his left hand, quickly sticking his body to Kobe.

The huge force directly hit Kobe's chest, forcing Kobe to take two steps back involuntarily. Without waiting for Kobe to readjust, Wu Dao, who had successfully found a gap, paused, took a step back, and distanced himself from Kobe, and took a jump shot with his feet close to the three-point line.

The entire series of martial arts movements is very smooth and fast.

Kobe, who had suffered a fierce physical confrontation, had no time to adjust his center of gravity and rush towards Wu Dao to defend.

All he could do was watch the basketball fly over his head.

Wu Dao's shooting accuracy is terrifying, and he is also a player who sticks to the ball. The longer the basketball is in his hands, the more preparatory actions Wu Dao makes before shooting, and the higher his shooting accuracy.

For a player like Wu Dao, shooting as soon as he catches the ball will actually reduce his shooting accuracy to a certain extent.

"Uh-huh!!!"

Without any surprise, Wu Dao's step-back three-pointer went straight into the basket, creating a flurry of basketball moves.

The cheers of the fans poured into the stadium. Wu Dao raised his right hand and made an OK celebratory gesture towards the ceiling. His interaction with the fans also made the cheers in the stands even more enthusiastic.

“f**k!!!

Seeing Wu Dao successfully score a goal, Coach Harris on the sidelines couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Robert Horry's defensive choice really made him furious. He had clearly reminded the opponent to double-team, but Robert Horry didn't listen to him at all. Wu Dao's goal at this time also intensified Harris' dissatisfaction with Robert Horry.

However, he remained calm in his mind and did not choose to change the court with Robert Horry at this time. Instead, he tried to control his emotions and shouted to Robert Horry on the court:
"Don't worry about that afro, got it?!"

"Don't you understand who you need to guard against?"

"Defense martial arts, understand? Robert!"

Robert Horry, who was running slowly toward the front court, heard what the coach said and suddenly turned his head and smiled brightly:

"Okay, coach."

(End of this chapter)