So I am the god of basketball?

Chapter 82 Meng Lang’s good days are coming to an end
  Ewing faced Turner and scored again with a jump hook.

Speaking of which, Turner was Ewing's former teammate. When FIBA ​​did not allow professional players to play in international competitions, Turner and Ewing were teammates at the World Championships.

Turner was also one of the top players in the NCAA in the past.

Meng Lang also heard O'Neal mention it occasionally, and then he realized that this "invisible man" in the starting lineup actually had such a glorious past.

Just after entering the league, he became a typical "neither three nor four" player, too slow to play the three position and too short to play the fourth position. In the end, he became the majority of the 3600 NBA players who cannot be named.

Compared with Ewing, it is even more different.

It should be said that Ewing's skills are indeed top-notch. ——This has to talk about the information bias caused by another era difference. Meng Lang always thought that the "textbook center" was Olajuwon, but in fact, the "textbook center" of this era is more recognized by the media as Patrick Ewing.

If you think about it carefully, this may be the reason why Ewing has always had an assistant coaching job after retiring.

As for the reason why Olajuwon was not selected, it is also quite interesting:

It's not that "Big Dream" is not as skilled as Ewing, but that for most players at the center position, Olajuwon's movements are not something that can be touched in the inside. The speed is too fast and the steps are too flexible. In a body of 2 meters, , what flows is the outside blood.

The whole thing is a "gene mutation".

Ewing's skills are the top of the mountain that these insiders can see:
  Turn around and jump hook, face the frame and hit the board, as well as his famous stunt "rabbit jump", as well as a stable mid-range jumper.

Although they are both "gorillas", "gorilla" and "gorilla" are also different.

After scoring 4 points in a row, Ewing roared.

Just when he returned to the free throw line in the backcourt, Hardaway dribbled in front of him.

It's so fast!

Pat Riley urged from the side.

The New York Knicks' defense is constantly double-teaming and pressing, allowing opponents to play in a high-pressure state.

Somewhat similar to "SOS", but not as extreme.

This can be seen from the number of rotations between the New York Knicks and SuperSonics. The Knicks stipulate a rotation of 8 to 9 people. The Sonics are eager to bring in all the players in the lineup, so the Sonics score so well. There is no way to balance the situation. The "SOS" tactic consumes a lot of physical energy.

However, it can also be seen from this aspect that forced defense is the main theme of league defense in this era.

After the league abolished the "hand-check" in 04, the threat of forced defense dropped significantly - not everyone can be like Tony Allen, who can always loom over the opponent without touching the opponent's body. in front of you. ——Coupled with the gradual acceleration of the transition between offense and defense, the league's defense has gradually changed its style.

This is clearly reflected in the requirements for position one:
  The first requirement for the No. [-] position in this era is stability; in the later "small ball era", if a No. [-] position has no offensive ability, it is destined to be eliminated.

Hardaway faced the Knicks' more ferocious pressing defense without panicking at all. After the first round, he already knew:
  Harper, 32, couldn't keep up with him.

As long as he breaks through, the Knicks' wings will inevitably come to help cover the defense, or directly attack from a flank.

Just as he expected, watching Starks coming from the side, he gave the ball to Nick Anderson.

Oakley had to cover up the defense. Meng Lang, who was left open, took the ball, retreated to the three-point line in the right corner, and successfully hit a three-pointer.

5-2!

Anderson looked at Oakley with an expression of confusion:
  Meng Lang and I, you actually chose to short Meng Lang?
  He is definitely a sarcastic person!
  The classic saying "No. 45 is not as good as No. 23" came from him.

Chuck Daly nodded secretly, this was a good start.

If the Magic want to win tonight, they mainly depend on their three-point shooting from the outside.

"When that gorilla gets the ball again, drive him towards me immediately!" Meng Lang discussed with Turner about the defense later. Ewing made consecutive shots and scored, so he had to find a way to cause greater interference.

Big, gorilla?
  Turner almost laughed.

Ok……

Mainly, the American media is more accustomed to calling Ewing "King Kong", not only to describe his appearance, but also to describe Ewing's destructive power inside.

Although "King Kong" is the "gorilla".

But "Gorilla" listen...

How many people live in "Bengbu".

Ewing also heard Meng Lang's words and glared at Meng Lang angrily.

He had long heard that this little rookie was particularly annoying. When he saw him today, he felt that he was even more annoying than the rumors said.

He doesn't even like the nickname "King Kong", let alone "Gorilla"!

At this moment, he was filled with the urge to dunk Meng Lang's head.

When Turner saw Ewing taking the ball, he immediately did what Meng Lang said and forced him towards Meng Lang.

Meng Lang jumped up early to interfere with his hook.

Ewing, whose rhythm was ruined, paused, and then his shot fell out of the basket.

Oakley was right next to him, and he rushed toward the rebound.

Meng Lang took a step back and faced him.

With a "pop" sound, Meng Lang's first feeling was:
  hard!
  Second feeling:

Still so hard!

It's like hitting an iron plate.

This "Big Jieba" is indeed not a decoration.

Meng Lang staggered, which showed how fierce Oakley's impact was.

But Meng Lang managed to hold on without losing his position, and successfully blocked half of Oakley's body. Hardaway succeeded in grabbing the rebound.

"Whoo~"

Daley was horrified to see it.

From his perspective, he could clearly see that Oakley was about to rush past Meng Lang. Not only was Ewing already charging up for a second jump, he was only a palm away. Fortunately, Hardaway grabbed it one step ahead. .

If you want to win this game, another key is whether you can protect the backcourt rebounds.

Hardaway grabbed the ball and immediately made a fast break with the ball.

The advantage of having an average height of about 2 meters is fully demonstrated. The New York Knicks have no problem in returning to defense. Oakley and Ewing also ran back, but the Magic still formed a "more attacking, less" pattern in the frontcourt. situation.

Meng Lang and others ran towards the three-point line on both sides, widening the space.

A slightly weird offensive formation for this era completely stretched the New York Knicks' already thin defense, and Hardaway easily attacked the frame to score.

7-4.

Press, press!

The audience cheered loudly, and Chuck Daly signaled to Hardaway and Nick Anderson, who were about to return to defense, asking them to press directly from the backcourt.

Harper couldn't get the ball, and Starks, who ran across the center line, could only turn back.

He is not a very good organizer or passer. Although he averages 5.9 assists per game, he also averages an exaggerated 3.2 turnovers per game in this era.

Facing Scott, who kept putting pressure on himself, Starks did not wait until Ewing was in position. When he entered the three-point line, he immediately broke through with the ball and missed the layup.

"beep!"

The referee's whistle sounded at this time.

The group of people were stunned for a moment, not knowing who had committed the foul.

Then they noticed Meng Lang and Oakley, whose hands were completely twisted together.

Neither of them let go and looked at the referee with innocent faces.

Maybe this was the Magic's home court, and the referee finally gave Oakley a blocking foul.

"Old Oak" suddenly became a little unhappy.

because……

"It was that bitch who wrapped her hands first, not me!" He defended himself loudly.

Meng Lang next to him watched with his arms crossed.

He didn't go up to explain.

Oakley was right. In terms of strength, tonnage, and height, he was no match for Oakley. In addition, this guy's attack was too dark and his strength was too strong, so Meng Lang could only use some technical means. Mainly just to make Oakley angry.

The only thing he can do better than Oakley may be that he has a calm heart.

Unexpectedly, the referee helped him.

"beep!"

Oakley's excited explanation earned him a "T". Pat Riley shook his head helplessly, but did not dare to say anything to Oakley, who was even more angry and a little manic.

He was afraid that if he spoke later, he would become the referee's "scapegoat".

What Oakley likes most is "settling accounts."

I don’t know if such merciless players are so piss-poor.

"Shh!"

A solid hit plus penalty.

Meng Lang also won the ball for the team.

If this goal is scored, the Magic can open the point difference to more than 5 points.

Chuck Daly called a timeout at the right time and drew a tactic for Hardaway and Meng Lang with a tactical board.

Pat Riley quickly called Oakley to his side and comforted him.

It probably means:

Man, I know you are very angry right now, so bear with me and go back to New York to give you a new model to vent your anger!
  Oakley was less angry then.

The game restarted, and Oakley, who regained consciousness, immediately felt aggrieved again.

Because Meng Lang started running wildly.

He only has enough footwork at the fourth position, so it would be too difficult for him to chase Meng Lang.

Meng Lang easily got the open space, and when he raised his hand to throw, Starks pounced next to him, and the ball was transferred to Nick Anderson's hands again.

Shot from a wide open position and the ball went in.

The score instantly came to 11-4!

This time it was Pat Riley's turn to call timeout.

It's just that compared to Chuck Daly, who just called a timeout, his eyes were full of helplessness. While waiting for the New York Knicks' starter to stand in front of him, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

He is naturally dissatisfied with the Knicks' start tonight.

But there is a problem...

He couldn't tell what he was dissatisfied with!
  Didn't these people defend themselves carefully?

Guarded!

Didn't they play their usual defensive style?
  Type it out!

Can……

The Magic's "small lineup" tonight's offensive tricks made them unable to defend.

Somehow, Pat Riley suddenly thought of an idea he said a long time ago:
  He believes that the future NBA must be a team composed of five strikers about 5 meters tall. They pass the ball to each other and use their mobility and versatility to make plays.

Tonight's Magic team has a bit of what he envisioned.

It’s just that the way of attacking is a three-pointer that he never thought of...

It’s no wonder that the NBA only introduced the three-point line from 1979 to 1980. At that time, the league still rejected this “new turtle”. Even now, the tactical status of the three-pointer is not taken seriously.

Of course, with Meng Lang's "11 three-pointers killing the Sonics," there has been a lot of discussion about three-pointers recently.

While they watched Sean Kemp continue to score, the Sonics were widened bit by bit by Meng Lang's three-pointers.

This is definitely a "charm moment" for three-pointers!
  Judging from Pat Riley's experience in the league for so many years, if the Knicks are defeated by the Magic tonight, then tonight's game will probably set off a new wave of three-point shooting tomorrow. .

Beautiful!
  Pat Riley glanced at Chuck Daly out of the corner of his eye and cursed inwardly.

They had squeezed him out of the position of head coach of the "Dream Team", and now they want to come up with a weird lineup that has a shadow of what he once envisioned, and step on him to get the position?
  You really think of me as your regular male partner, don’t you?

Look at what this guy looks like now, standing on the sidelines with one hand in his pocket, as if he doesn't know what an "opponent" is.

Pat Riley has to admit, damn, this is the pose he wanted to pose.

The New York Knicks changed their defensive approach, no longer flanking Hardaway with the ball, and always let him face Derek Harper 1 on 1.

Although Harper can't guard Hardaway, the Knicks also have a huge advantage inside.

Ewing shot 70% tonight at least.

No matter how powerful Hardaway's breakthrough is, no matter how hard Harper can't guard him, it is impossible to achieve such a shooting percentage.

Without covering the ball holder, the number of missed shots will be greatly reduced.

It has to be said that the "champion coach"'s mind is very fast. The key is that he knows how to stop losses.

For several consecutive rounds, Hardaway successfully broke through and scored the ball into the basket.

But just as Pat Riley envisioned, for every Hardaway goal, the Knicks responded to Ewing.

Even though Meng Lang stepped forward in time to double-team Turner, the height difference was there and did not form a very effective defensive interference. Most of the time, he tried his best and could only watch Ewing score the ball into the basket. basket.

Ewing scored 15 points in the first quarter alone.

Even though Hardaway also scored 10 points in the first quarter, the New York Knicks still narrowed the 7-point deficit at the beginning to 3 points at the end of the first quarter.

Sure enough, it's not that simple!

Chuck Daly knows that the opponent cannot double-team Hardaway all the time. Unexpectedly, Pat Riley's mind turned so quickly. After the first quarter, he immediately discovered that double-teaming Hardaway was a defensive "trap."

In that case...

no solution anymore!

He could only use his last resort.

He subconsciously glanced at Meng Lang's statistics. He seemed to be in good shape. After the first quarter, he made 5 of 3 shots and 3 of 2 from beyond the three-point line. He seemed to be continuing his form from the previous game.

In this case, you will be more confident!
  As soon as the second quarter started, the New York Knicks bench was obviously in a more ferocious state.

Coupled with the fact that Scott entered the Magic's starting lineup, the Magic's bench is not as full as before.

The 3-point difference was evened when the two teams came on the bench.

Chuck Daly entered the starting lineup first.

Pat Riley didn't hesitate at all and immediately changed into the starting lineup.

The first attack from both teams' starters belonged to the Magic.

Meng Lang directly mentioned the high position. Oakley hesitated for a moment, but still followed, but just as he paused, Meng Lang suddenly stepped forward and leaned towards Hardaway.

pick and roll?

This was Oakley's first thought, so he chose to retreat so that he could defend for Harper.

But the ball was so sudden that Harper and him had no time to communicate.

Both of them aimed for Hardaway. When Meng Lang reached the top of the key, he was completely open.

As Hardaway was marching, he didn't even look back. He exerted force with his fingers and flicked back, and the ball was in Meng Lang's hands.

"threeeeeeeeeeee!"

Amid the shouts of the commentator, Meng Lang's iconic three-pointer caused a huge sound wave.

Everyone quickly stepped forward to press for the attack.

That was the Magic's overall defensive strategy tonight.

As long as they force the ball into John Starks' hands, they will be more targeted on defense.

This guy is the famous "nerve knife" in the 90s. He could score 29 points in the last game, and he may score 13-for-1 in the next game. He was obviously "nervous" in this game. He took 4 shots in the first quarter and still had no hits.

This made Chuck Daly order with greater confidence, forcing the ball toward his hands.

Because this kid either attacks by himself, or distributes the ball to Ewing for support during the breakthrough.

This is the most common image of the New York Knicks offense.

These two people are also the "number one scorer" and "number two scorer" of the New York Knicks.

Hardaway made a difference this time. He was watching the pass from Starks and accurately captured the moment when Starks wanted to pass the ball to Ewing. He quickly started and grabbed the ball in his hands. .

Fast break opportunity for the Magic.

Before the Knicks' formation was completed, Starks made a mistake, which caused their formation to move towards Hardaway in a very chaotic manner when returning to defense.

At this moment, they forgot what Pat Riley had always emphasized: Don't double-team Hardaway!
  "Shh!"

Three points again!

It's still Meng Lang's big open opportunity.

Oakley simply couldn't keep up with the Magic's counterattack speed this time.

The fourth three-pointer tonight!

Chuck Daly's eyes narrowed into a thin line.

His judgment was correct. Meng Lang was in really good shape tonight!
  No, his judgment was still wrong. Meng Lang was in better shape than in the last game!

He only missed one shot from beyond the three-point line tonight!
  Ok……

This is why Chuck Daly thinks too much. Meng Lang's condition in this game is better than the last one, but the improvement is limited. His touch has been very stable recently, and his 5% buff bonus is also constant.

The main reason why he performed so well tonight is that the stage given by Chuck Daly was big enough.

It is difficult to face Oakley on the defensive end, but it is a very enjoyable thing to meet Oakley on the offensive end.

At the end of the first quarter, Chuck Daly, whose tactics could not open up the situation, only said one sentence:

"I'm out of moves. Whether I can win tonight depends on you and Anfernee. If you get tired, remember to remind me to call a timeout!"

It’s a very rogue passage, but the meaning he wants to express is also very simple:
  I give you and Hardaway unlimited fire rights, you two can create as much as you like!

So back on the court, Meng Lang no longer cooperated with Hardaway to move, and the opponent did not double-team Hardaway at all. And let Hardaway and Ewing compare their shooting percentages, that is "chronic death."

Unlike now, he has two three-pointers. Even if Ewing scores in the next three rounds, it will be in vain!
  "Yeah, fxxk!"

Oakley cursed harshly.

He couldn't accept that he became the "defensive vulnerability" of the New York Knicks tonight.

Can……

He really couldn't keep up with Meng Lang's agile movement.

Pat Riley had to use Blackman at No. [-] to defend in front of Meng Lang and follow the run.

It's just that this guy is not good at defending Meng Lang without the ball.

More importantly...

Other outsiders on the Magic team also imitated Meng Lang. Whenever they faced Oakley, they would keep running and keep him far away.

The result of Pat Riley's use of dislocation to defend Meng Lang was that the entire defensive system was in chaos.

Starting at 6 minutes and 34 seconds of the second quarter, the Magic's outsiders Scott and Anderson also continued to hit three-pointers. Basically, they were three-point goals completed against Oakley's defense.

They definitely didn't have such accurate three-point ability.

It's just a basketball game. Sometimes the atmosphere can drive players' offensive state.

Meng Lang made consecutive shots, and the Orlando people at the scene were cheering one after another. The Orlando Arena was not quiet for a moment during this period.

These cheers stimulated all Magic players on the court.

Until 8 minutes and 45 seconds of the third quarter, in just over one quarter, the Magic team threw a total of 1 three-pointers!

Ewing's condition is as heroic as Chuck Daly expected. This season, he averaged only 24.5 points per game. Before the third quarter of this game ended, his score had already reached 28 points, and he was about to break through the 30 mark.

But the New York Knicks were still trailing by double digits.

Pat Riley made many changes during this period, trying to replace Oakley, and trying to bring in Hubert Davis, the New York Knicks' most accurate three-point shooter, but failed to catch up with the point difference. .

Fortunately, the game entered the fourth quarter, and the Magic's outside shooters' shooting percentage dropped during the constant confrontation, and the score difference did not continue to widen.

However, the New York Knicks were unable to narrow the point difference because the Magic's "three-point shooting group" headed by Meng Lang was inaccurate, but there was also Hardaway, a breakthrough player!
  He broke out in the fourth quarter and scored 8 points with sudden free throws, helping the team stabilize the 10-point difference.

In the last 1 minute and 13 seconds, as Hubert Davis failed to make a three-pointer, Pat Riley took the initiative to replace all the substitutes and surrendered.

Chuck Daly replaced all the main players to save face.

When Meng Lang left the field, the substitute defender from the opposite side had just come up.

"Man, you played really well."

A compliment came in front of him. Meng Lang looked up and, oh, a "pig-headed face" came into view:
  It's Doc Rivers!
  This guy actually played under Pat Riley?
  Meng Lang really didn't understand this guy's playing career.

His playing career was as poor as his coaching career. There is no denying that there have been highlights, but the highlights were brought by others, but he wore the glory on his head.

Hardaway came off the court and sat down next to O'Neal excitedly: "Shaq, this victory is for you!"

He had long wanted to "pick up" this sentence from Meng Lang.

When he first heard this, he thought Meng Lang was so cool and this friend was worth making.

They lost to the Knicks in New York the day before yesterday. When he heard the news yesterday that Shaquille O'Neal would miss tonight's game due to injury, he made up his mind to repeat Meng Lang's "famous saying."

He was very excited and did what he wanted to do tonight.

I completely didn't notice that Shaquille O'Neal's forced smile next to him was a bit forced.

He wanted to say something to Hardaway and Meng Lang:
  It doesn’t have to be so awesome!
  You are so awesome...

Doesn’t this test me out?

The embarrassing thing is that the day before yesterday in the New York Knicks, the Magic team, with him as the main attacker, suffered a huge reversal. Today, the Magic team without him also took the lead at the beginning. Then the Magic team, with Hardaway and Meng Lang as the main attack points, reopened the score and defended the final victory!

This……

God knows how much he feels sitting here on pins and needles, like thorns on his back, and like a lump in his throat!
  If he had known that these two brothers could work so hard alone, he would have gritted his teeth and persisted, even with injuries! ——Part of the reason for taking a break is that he also wants everyone to see how vulnerable the Magic team is against the New York Knicks without him.

result……

The final score was 107 to 98, with a 9-point difference. The Magic defended their home court.

哈达威全场打了36分14秒，拿到了31分7篮板10助攻的“准三双”；孟浪拿到了28分3篮板4助攻，全场投进了6记三分球！

"They were like two sharp knives, piercing our bodies one after another. We had no resistance at all. The performance of these two rookies of the Magic this year was great!"

When Pat Riley talked about the performance of Hardaway and Meng Lang, his eyes were filled with envy. He has always envied Phil Jackson, who can have Jordan. Now he envies Chuck Daly, who can have Meng Lang and Hardaway. What's even more exaggerated is that the Magic also has "Shark" O'Neal on the bench.

"They did a great job, but we were not fully prepared and we did not cope with their changes at all. This is our own problem. This loss has something to do with ourselves. If it happens again, we can definitely do better. good."

Ewing's statistics were finally fixed at 39 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks. He seemed to be omnipotent, but the New York Knicks still lost the game.

He gave Hardaway enough recognition. As for Meng Lang...

Sorry, he really has a hard time letting go of that "gorilla" thing!

"This is entirely my problem. I did not continue the state of the last game. I need to adjust my state well. I am sorry to my teammates."

After the game, Starks felt very guilty. After the game, he showed his "sluggish" characteristics from the beginning. In the end, he failed to find his form. His statistics were only a dismal 15 of 2 shots, plus 3 free throws. , barely got 7 points.

"I must say, he is a fighter, a real fighter, he is not an ordinary pitcher, he is not afraid of confrontation, I respect him, he is a real man!"

Oakley was very angry at one point during the game, especially the foul that the referee misjudged, which resulted in him receiving a technical foul. However, in the subsequent confrontation, no matter how hard he tried to defeat Meng Lang, Meng Lang never backed down. After half a step, every time he was pushed away, he would pounce again and bite Oakley again. Oakley got a higher than usual 14 rebounds in this game, but his scoring did not reach his average this season. He averaged 11.8 points per game this season and only scored 8 points in this game.

As an inside player who mainly eats "cake", Meng Lang's close entanglement made it difficult for him to get easy scoring opportunities as usual.

When he was unable to take action immediately, he was wary of Meng Lang's steal and had to pass the ball out again immediately.

"Okay, everyone, because I defended one of the strongest men in the league today, let me end the interview early!" About 10 minutes after the game, as the body cooled down, the pain gradually It became obvious that Meng Lang asked to "get off work" early.

Insiders in the 90s were really not a place for ordinary people to stay.

How on earth did Rodman manage to fight these monsters all night long?
  Early the next morning, the news of the Magic's home victory over the New York Knicks undoubtedly became a "hot topic."

Chuck Daly's weird "Five Little Lineup"!
  The charm of three-pointers!

And Meng Lang and Hardaway's "Rookie Twins" teamed up to score 59 points!
  There is so much to discuss about this game.

The most discussed among them was the performance of Meng Lang and Hardaway in this game.

Meng Lang has more ball rights. ——Comparing the previous scene, we can draw this conclusion very accurately.

Hardaway can also play more selfishly.

In this game, he fully demonstrated his physical talents and his scoring ability.

It's not that he can't score, but when the Magic have Shaquille O'Neal, he must suppress his desire to score.

Well, despite Meng Lang's repeated explanations, this is an atypical game. He can't hit 6 three-pointers every night. This is impossible!
  Because he can't face a fourth position who is as slow as a turtle every day. Compared with the movement speed of the second position, Meng Lang described it very appropriately.

Hardaway also said: "I am still more accustomed to passing the ball to drive my teammates and score 30 points every night. This is not my style of play."

But inevitably, there are still many media outlets saying bluntly:

"The presence of Shaquille O'Neal affects the two newcomers' better statistical performance. At this point, both of them are at a disadvantage. If no one of them wins the 'Rookie of the Year' award in the end, then Shaq -O'Neal should feel guilty about this."

Ok……

A considerable portion of the media believed that Shaquille O'Neal affected the performance of these two men.

However, it's not surprising that they would think so, just like the lack of "thick eyebrows" in a certain team in the future caused the Rockets to suffer a 33-point defeat, proving the value of "thick eyebrows."

This victory, as well as the statistics of Hardaway and Meng Lang, proved that these two people are capable of not only producing the current statistics.

"Both of them did a good job. I was very touched by what Anfernee said to me when he came off the field. I am lucky to have these two little brothers!"

"Yes, I have always expressed this attitude. I like the joining of these two people. They are a key part of the Magic's success!"

"That's the camaraderie of a luxury team. They know how much I want to win this game, and that gives them motivation. God, I love these two guys to death!"

Shaq O'Neal, who was unable to explain himself, could only face the media cameras over and over again, repeating in his heart how important Meng Lang and Hardaway were!
  The good news is that Hardaway's words "Shaq, this victory is for you" are gradually spreading.

Orlandoans were the most excited.

Is there anything more joyful than having a happy home and everything going well?

In their view, there is only one reason that can prevent this Magic team from succeeding, and that is the conflict between these three cores.

Now it seems that the relationship between these three brothers is very good.

"Shaq will probably thank me very much in the future, right?"

Meng Lang saw Shaquille O'Neal's remarks.

He couldn't help but think of the distant future.

If nothing changes in the future, Shaquille O'Neal will still go to the Lakers in the crazy year of 96. This time he should be very familiar with how to cooperate with capable outsiders.

He actually understood it very well originally.

In the summer of 02, Shaq coolly gave up toe surgery and chose conservative treatment by saying, "I won't let a work injury take up my vacation time." Kobe was very dissatisfied when he found out about this. The conflict between the two people further deepened. In order to ease the conflict, Shaquille O'Neal bluntly said in front of the media: "I hope to see Kobe's name on this year's regular season MVP candidate list."

But at this time, it was too late.

In the 03 playoffs, Shaquille O'Neal suffered from a toe injury. The Lakers were defeated by the Spurs in the semifinals, and the "OK" combination completely fell apart.

This time, he should understand that it’s better to praise others as early as possible!
  After defeating the New York Knicks to complete their revenge, the time has passed on the 20th. Before Christmas, the Magic still have three games to play, including a "back-to-back" round.

Considering that Shaq had just strained his calf, Chuck Daly decisively continued to rest Shaquille O'Neal.

"Big Shark" really wants to say, Coach, I'm fine.

What was even more unbearable than the leg injury was that Hardaway and Meng Lang led the team to continue winning.

Chuck Daly's insistence forced Shaquille O'Neal to comply. ——He originally liked this kind of rotation the most. All I can say is "life is not easy, I sigh".

This time Meng Lang and Hardaway were "very face-saving" and lost 3 of the 2 games.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the opponent.

The Magic have three games before Christmas. The first game once again faces the Atlanta Hawks, currently the number one team in the Eastern Conference.

They never beat the Hawks when Shaquille O'Neal was here.

If he still wins this game, "Big Shark" will really have reason to suspect that these two guys are acting on themselves.

Fortunately they lost.

Lost the second meeting with the Eagles this season by 8 points.

There are two "back-to-back" games. The first game is against the New Jersey Nets, which is seventh in the Eastern Conference. The second game is back at home to face the Houston Rockets.

The Magic gritted their teeth and defeated the Nets, and then returned home and lost to the Rockets cleanly. Another opponent that Shaq has never been able to defeat.

Houston "double-killed" the Magic this season.

After two games, Shaq can finally breathe a sigh of relief. At least the current record of 2 win and 1 losses cannot prove that this team can become better without Shaq.

When the reporter asked him to comment on Meng Lang and Hardaway, he could blurt out the praise without any burden.

这波“1胜2负”期间，哈达威场均可以拿到18.3分4.3篮板8.3助攻2.6抢断；孟浪场均可以拿到21.3分4篮板3.3助攻1.3抢断，三分球命中率高达45%！

You must know that so far this season, there are only three people who have shot more than 40% from three-point range:

Reggie Miller, Mitch Redmond and Dell Curry.

Moreover, the three-point shooting percentage of the latter two was only a meager 40%.

One is 40.2% and the other is 40.7%.

The highest Reggie Miller is 42.1%!

Meng Lang's three-point shooting percentage in these three games is 2.9% higher than the league's No. [-] Reggie Miller.

This is really too exaggerated!
  Although Meng Lang's average three-point shooting percentage this season is only 38.6%.

A bit lower than the top three.

But looking at the upward trend in Meng Lang's three-point shooting percentage since he entered the league, we can see that he is getting better and better and more and more exaggerated.

The number of three-pointers taken by Reggie Miller this season has dropped from 5.1 last season to 3.7, a new low in the past four seasons.

Ok……

This bitch who pandered to Larry Brown took fewer three-pointers in exchange for a more efficient three-point shooting percentage.

Richmond averages 4 shots per game, and Dell Curry averages 4.6 shots per game, both above him.

Meng Lang's average number of three-pointers per game is higher than these two. He takes almost 5.8 three-pointers per game, accounting for 4% of his total attempts!
  Only Dell Curry can compare with him in this ratio.

The other two more shot methods are their mid-range.

The shooting method is mainly three-pointers, and the number of three-pointers taken per game is still the highest in the league. Under such circumstances, Meng Lang, a rookie, shot 38.6%, which is still rising.

It was enough to cause huge discussion in the league.

The key is that his three-pointers have a more profound impact on the game than other shooters.

Other people's three-pointers are used to equalize or overtake the score, or to make the final decision at critical moments.

Meng Lang's three-pointers can not only do the above, but also become a regular tactic used by the Magic to expand the point difference or catch up with the point difference.

This has been especially true in the last three games without Shaq.

The Magic have at least four or five tactics designed to create space for Meng Lang to move.

This brings up another topic of discussion:

The three-pointer has not been taken seriously since its birth. Is the impact it can have underestimated?
  As long as space can be created, the difficulty of hitting a three-pointer by a top three-point shooter seems to be no different from that of other players completing a layup or mid-range jumper.

The key is that three-pointers are 1 point more than these scoring methods!
  Meng Lang also didn't expect that he would actually let the discussion of three-pointers appear in advance.

However, he is from the future after all.

If you want to say what is the biggest difference between basketball in 30 years and now, then it is undoubtedly two words:

space!

Thirty years later, basketball has been studied more thoroughly. To put it bluntly, any tactic is to allow the person who finishes to get space to shoot. Whether it is a layup, mid-range or three-pointer, there is no difference at this point.

Meng Lang relies on his running without the ball, super touch, and excellent static talent. He takes advantage of this era's lack of emphasis on three-pointers and the inertial thinking of the game. His ability to obtain shooting space is better than this. It's much better to help top pitchers.

Of course, this thing is easy to see and has no technical content. Especially for people in this circle, if you watch more of Meng Lang's games, you will be able to find out why Meng Lang is so outstanding in three-point shooting.

Except for the cheating game against the Sonics, it was easy to see patterns and tricks in other games.

in other words……

Meng Lang's good days of using his 30-year lead to shoot three-pointers should be over!
  None of the head coaches in the NBA are vegetarians, and their ability to make targeted adjustments is still very strong.

This is another era of talented head coaches:
  Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Wilkens, George Karl, "Mad Scientist", Adelman, and Popovich, who is about to sit in the general manager position and worry about the head coach's heart... …

Most of the "Top Ten Thousand Victory Coaches" that you will hear about in the future are currently in their youthful years!
  Meng Lang knew very well that the challenge he was about to encounter had just begun.

So even if "Christmas" comes, he still practices at the Orlando Arena.

His ball control has reached 64 points, and his breakthrough points have also reached 63.

60 points is the average for NBA rotation players.

Meng Lang wants to break through 65 points in these two abilities as soon as possible and reach the passing line for the main players. In this way, when his three-point shot is targeted, he can use an unexpected breakthrough with the ball to complete the counterattack.

(End of this chapter)