The longest river

Chapter 212 The Team Leader Who Only Scores Scores by Lack of Skill
Yang Shuai's trash talk wasn't for gaining points, but to dampen McGrady's fighting spirit.

It proved to be very effective. Facing Yang Shuai, who was much stronger than him, McGrady was like a child being scolded by his parents, very angry but not daring to talk back.

In this round, McGrady did not attempt to move into position.

The Kings' offense began to move more towards the paint, and Webber gradually found his rhythm in the low post, scoring repeatedly against Wallace.

However, Carlisle welcomed this change.

The Kings' offense is strong in teamwork. Allowing Webber to take more isolation plays is essentially relying on individual star ability, and the Kings are no match for the Trail Blazers.

Carlisle's judgment was correct; by the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers were leading 34-28.

However, an unexpected situation occurred at the start of the second quarter, with the Kings going on a run during the bench break to quickly catch up in the score.

Because Barkley entered the game early in the first quarter, Carlisle arranged for Pippen and Sabonis to lead the team during that period.

Pippen's offensive performance was mediocre after returning to the court.

However, for the Kings, their backup forward Peja Stojakovic has had a breakout performance.

This Croatian lottery pick, selected by the Sacramento Kings in 1996, didn't make it to the NBA until last season, where he plays the role of the Kings' sixth man this season.

He made two of his three-point attempts at the start of the second quarter, plus a layup, for a total of eight points.

Seeing this, Carlisle substituted Barkley back into the game, and the Trail Blazers gradually stabilized the situation on the court.

Barkley was like a universal key for the Trail Blazers, plug and play.

Once both teams' key players returned, the Trail Blazers began to gradually pull away from the score.

During this period, Yang Shuai not only continued to dominate McGrady, but also took over the team's offensive control.

The Kings' already fragile defense was no match for his relentless barrage of attacks.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Kings 62-50.

It turns out that offense alone is not enough to gain an advantage against the Trail Blazers, because their firepower is more intense.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Kings 117-107 to start their season with a winning start.

Six Trail Blazers players scored in double figures, with Yang Shuai leading the team with 38 points, followed by Wallace and Barkley with 20 points each.

国王队韦伯得到29分14板，斯托亚科维奇19分，麦迪高开低走，在杨帅的防守下14投4中仅得10分。

"The Kings will be a spoiler in the West in the future."

After the game ended, Ernie Johnson exclaimed from the commentary booth.

Despite his support for the Trail Blazers, the Kings' offensive talent is undeniable.

If they can acquire a defensive specialist in the future to improve the team's defense, the team's performance will inevitably undergo a qualitative change.

Of course, that's in the future.

At least for now, the Kings don't have the ability to compete with the Trail Blazers.

A week later, the Trail Blazers swept the Kings 3-0 to advance to the second round.

McGrady's "Black Eight" comment was ultimately deemed a joke by the media.

Because of Yang Shuai's constant marking of him throughout the series, his performance was abysmal.

Even Sacramento media outlets are analyzing whether McGrady, who is set to re-sign this summer, deserves a maximum salary from the team.

Especially with the team's backup forward Stojakovic performing well in this series, McGrady doesn't seem irreplaceable.

Of course, that's all irrelevant to the Trail Blazers now. After Game 3, the Trail Blazers returned to Portland to await their next opponent.

The series between the Suns and the Spurs is not over yet, but the Suns have a 2-1 lead and are likely to face their next opponent.

It was at this time that the league announced the winners of the new batch of important awards for the season, namely the DPOY and Coach of the Year awards.

This year's DPOY went to Mourning, and Yang Shuai failed to retain the title.

This was somewhat expected, as Yang Shuai has played a larger role on the offensive end this season, and his defensive stats haven't been as impressive as last season.

This result also drew some dissatisfaction from the media, after all, Yang Shuai had just defended McGrady terribly in the first round, and his defensive ability had not declined compared to last season.

Because Yang Shuai has such a huge influence, it has even brought up the old topic: should the best defensive player award be the best defensive statistics award?

Supporters believe that defensive statistics are visible and can be quantified, while invisible defensive statistics seem too vague.

Those who oppose the award argue that the evaluation should focus on changes in the offensive efficiency of opposing players; otherwise, one day players might intentionally pad their stats to win the award.

The problem was ultimately left unresolved.

However, the Coach of the Year award was once again given to Carlisle!
This result was quite unexpected, considering that there was a long-standing rule in the NBA that the Coach of the Year award could not be won consecutively.

比如1995~1996赛季最佳教练给了率队打出72胜的菲尔·杰克逊，但是1996~1997赛季却没再给到带队打出68胜的杰克逊，而是给了伯德。

The Trail Blazers' record this time is still below 68 wins.

Carlisle's success was partly due to luck.

One of the key reasons Phil Jackson didn't award Coach of the Year was that the Bulls' record actually declined in their second year, giving the impression that they had regressed.

However, Carlisle was caught in a shortened season, and while his 38-win season, which was the best in the league, didn't seem particularly strong.

The team's record has now reached 67 wins, which is a qualitative leap in terms of performance.

Carlisle thus became the first coach in NBA history to win the Coach of the Year award twice in a row, and in the first two years of his coaching career.

And because he defeated Phil Jackson, he was therefore compared to Phil Jackson.

Even the Cleveland Plain Dealer couldn't help but feel envious this time: the Trail Blazers spent a lot of money to buy two cards, one of which turned out to be an SSR card; the other card also turned out to be an SSR card.

Historically, the Trail Blazers were known for their incredible luck and unpredictable fortune, but now they are the undisputed champions of basketball, where money can make them invincible.

On the training day following the announcement of the awards, Yang Shuai finally found an opportunity for revenge.

Carlisle sprayed himself all over with champagne along with Lou and the others, and now it's finally his turn.

He went out of his way to buy champagne, and then tricked Carlisle into going to the locker room, where his teammates gave him a generous champagne bath.

Carlisle was soaked to the bone, but he smiled at Yang Shuai and then hugged him to express his gratitude.

Look, I let someone shower him, and he still thanked me.

However, even if Carlisle had the ability, if he hadn't met Yang Shuai, he would have had to go through a series of setbacks before finally achieving success, just like in history.

Now he has avoided so many detours, and his thanks are only because there were so many people in the locker room.

During the waiting period, Rondo brought Yang Shuai some news.

The documentary "Road to Conquest" has received a positive response in the global market and will participate in the Venice International Film Festival in Italy in August.

If Yang Shuai had chosen to join the Dream Team IV, he wouldn't have been able to go, but now he can walk the red carpet.

If this had happened back in Indiana, Yang Shuai wouldn't have been very interested in this kind of time, but now that he's moved to Portland and developed a love for travel, he certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Moreover, since European and American actresses are often associated with each other, he also wanted to get to know some European actresses and broaden his horizons.

Two days later, the first round of the playoffs concluded.

Contrary to expectations, there have been frequent upsets this year.

Besides the expected upset by the Suns against the Spurs, there were two other surprising developments in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers defeated the Heat 3-2, marking their second consecutive second-round matchup against the Pacers.

The Raptors also eliminated the Knicks 3-2 and will face Jordan's Wizards.

Carter played exceptionally well without Bowen's foul, averaging 29 points per game in the series.

Suddenly, the Eastern Conference has become a battle between Reebok's rising stars, Allen Iverson and Vince Carter, and Nike's veteran stars, Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller.

The Trail Blazers' second-round opponent is the Suns, which is expected.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Trail Blazers lost to the Suns 93-103 in Game 1 of the series, which was a major upset.

In this game, apart from Yang Shuai scoring 40 points, no other player on the Trail Blazers scored more than 15 points.

For the Suns, including Jim Jackson off the bench, five players scored in double figures.

What truly caught the Trail Blazers off guard was their defense.

The Suns employed a lot of full-court press defense against the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers seemed quite uncomfortable with the loose defense they faced against the Kings in the previous round, suddenly switching to the Suns' tight defense.

After Game 1, Yang Shuai spent a long time in the video room with the coaching staff studying the video footage.

Although it was just one game, it still exposed the Trail Blazers' problems with their form.

Just like in the first quarter of the first round against the Kings, winning by too much isn't necessarily a good thing.

After watching the video, Yang Shuai and Carlisle concluded that with Kidd, Marion, and Clifford Robinson, the Suns were able to maintain this high-pressure style throughout the series.

Therefore, the Trail Blazers have two options.

One is to slow down the pace of the game and increase the success rate of positional warfare;
Another tactic is to press and contest the ball, which is a style of play that the Trail Blazers excel at.

This situation suddenly reminded Yang Shuai of the two choices Bird gave him back then: to be the sixth man or a pseudo-starter.

Carlisle's final choice was exactly the same as Yang Shuai's back then: I want them all.

If the Suns dare to go all out with the Trail Blazers' full-court press, then they must fight back, especially since the Suns have already taken the first game. Avoiding direct confrontation will only make the Suns more confident.

This is not only related to the momentum of the current series, but also to the team's morale in defending their title.

As for positional warfare.

"give it to you."

Carlisle patted Yang Shuai on the shoulder, placing the entire burden of the team on his shoulders.

Two days later, Game 2 of the series between the Suns and the Trail Blazers continued at the Rose Garden Arena.

The stadium was still packed to capacity.

Despite the Trail Blazers losing Game 1, no team is immune to losses in the playoffs, and they believe their home team will bounce back immediately.

Especially when the camera focused on Yang Shuai during the pre-match warm-up, the confidence in the fans' eyes was palpable.

After Yang Shuai led the Trail Blazers to victory over Jordan and win the championship last season, he has become the new basketball god in the hearts of Portland fans.

Of course, this wasn't just a sentiment held by Portland fans; many viewers watching on television shared similar thoughts.

The camera quickly switched back to the Suns.

Former Portland stars Clifford Robinson, Penny Hardaway, Shawn Marion who shone on defense in the last game, and of course, the team's star player Jason Kidd.

Back when Yang Shuai was still in Indiana, there were even rumors of a trade between him and Kidd.

The camera then focused on Barkley.

Compared to the Rockets, the Suns are clearly the team Barkley feels more emotionally connected with.

However, whether it was Barkley or the other Trail Blazers players whose expressions were later captured by the camera, they all looked much more serious than in Game 1.

Although Yang Shuai was there to protect them, they weren't facing the Lakers. Their collective slump in Game 1 served as a wake-up call.

If they face the Lakers in this state, there's a high probability they'll lose.

Failure is a bad thing, but sometimes it can have a positive effect.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.

Suns: Kidd, Hardaway, Robinson, Marion, Luke Longley

Trail Blazers: Billups, Young, Pippen, Wallace, Sabonis

Longley gave the Suns the first possession.

After both sides settled into their positions, Kidd passed the ball to Longley in the low post.

Jordan went to DC, and his former teammates also went their separate ways. Pippen was with the Trail Blazers, Kukoc was traded to the Pacers before that, and Longley was signed and traded to the Suns last season.

His low-post offense combined with his playmaking skills would make him a star anywhere.

However, unlike the previous game, the Trail Blazers opted for a double-team strategy in this game.

The pressing that Carlisle mentioned is not the same as the Suns' full-court press.

Langley, having seen his share of big games, reacted quickly and returned the ball to Kidd.

Billups instinctively wanted to rush out, and just then, Yang Shuai's shout came from afar.

"Ignore him, he won't score!"

Although they were separated by half the court, Yang Shuai's voice was clearly audible, and Billups abruptly stopped the car.

The other players on the field instinctively turned to look at Kidd.

Kidd's face looked extremely grim.

Being told you can't score in the NBA is like a woman saying a man is no good.

Kidd decisively opted for a three-pointer.

Basketball was immediately shortlisted.

Contrary to Yang Shuai's stereotypical impression of Kidd as "not good at attacking," Kidd's career three-point shooting percentage reached 34.9%, which is not very high, but it is still barely acceptable.

Even in the later stages of his career, he had two seasons with a three-point shooting percentage of 40%.

Even this season, he has a 33.7% field goal percentage.

Although Kidd is not known for scoring, it would be a complete insult to give him such a wide-open shot and then say he can't score.

Kidd slapped Yang Shuai hard across the face. He turned to look at Yang Shuai, expecting to see a hint of surprise in his eyes, but what happened next almost made him vomit blood.

"It's nothing, he just got lucky."

Yang Shuai walked up to Billups and patted him on the back to comfort him in front of Kidd.

"Negative energy from Jason Kidd +418".

If this were off the court, Kidd would definitely want to have a go at Yang Shuai's fists.

Yang Shuai received the ball in the attacking third and then broke through Hardaway's defense.

Hardaway has talent and size, making him a suitable candidate to defend Yang Shuai, but that was before his injury. He had two major surgeries on his left knee in Orlando, leaving him struggling defensively against Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai used a crossover dribble to get past his defense, and before Marion could help, he launched a mid-range shot. Suns head coach Scott Skiles immediately noticed Yang Shuai's change in strategy.

In Game 1, or rather this season, Yang Shuai usually chooses to get his teammates into the game first, but tonight he went straight for the kill.

However, he had no idea what Yang Shuai and the Trail Blazers were up to, so he could only wait and see.

The Suns are in their own half; they've started executing their tactics.

However, this time Billups didn't need Yang Shuai's reminder; he decisively abandoned Kidd and went to double-team Robinson who was making runs.

This left Kidd, who was once again in an empty seat, in a somewhat awkward position.

He just made a three-pointer!
Where did you throw away that damn respect?
Robinson, who has the physique of a power forward, played small forward, and his movement was constantly being shut down, leaving him with few good opportunities.

Kidd glanced at the court and knew that shooting from the three-point line was the most appropriate option for him.

This is the ability of a historically great point guard: to instantly determine the best option.

Although he didn't like that choice, as a traditional point guard, he clearly wanted to energize the whole team rather than constantly taking shots.

But since the Trail Blazers, especially Yang Shuai, look down on him so much, he doesn't mind making them pay a heavy price.

"Rebound!"

But just as he was about to make his move, that annoying voice once again cut through the middle of the court and into his ears.

For a split second, his hand trembled.

"when!"

The basketball bounced off the rim and went out of bounds.

That's tasteless, absolutely tasteless!
Yang Shuai, Reebok's top player, the face of the league, and the new basketball god, actually used such petty tricks from the amateur court in the professional arena!
Kidd angrily went to look for Yang Shuai, only to find that Yang Shuai had already rushed to the basket and jumped high to grab the defensive rebound.

This surprised him again.

It's worth noting that in the past, when this kind of ball occurred, Yang Shuai was almost always the first to launch a fast break.

However, as he landed, Yang Shuai had already sent the ball out with a long pass.

Pippen rushed out of the three-point line early.

Robinson was running a tactical play ahead, so it was too late for him to catch up.

After receiving a long pass from Yang Shuai, Pippen sprinted to the frontcourt and finished with a two-handed dunk.

Although his athleticism has declined due to injuries, he still plays this kind of fast break countless times with the Bulls, and it's something he does effortlessly.

Pippen also excitedly clenched his fist in celebration after the dunk.

When Carlisle said before the match that he wanted to play a defensive counter-attacking style, he knew his time was about to come.

Skiles hadn't reacted yet, but Kidd's basketball IQ was so high that he immediately understood the Trail Blazers' tactical intentions.

Once he got to the frontcourt, he didn't rush to shoot, but instead organized the attack from the top of the arc.

However, the fact that he was unguarded within those two meters looked somewhat out of place.

And just as he patiently continued to organize the attack, Yang Shuai's familiar voice came again.

"I told you, he won't attack. You can give him another meter more space."

Kidd waited a while longer, but the Suns still didn't have any good offensive opportunities.

With little time left to attack, he ultimately chose to break through inside.

He hoped to draw the Trail Blazers' help defense with his drive to create opportunities for his teammates, but the Trail Blazers assumed he couldn't shoot, letting him into the paint and then using their interior defense to stop his layup.

Sabonis secured the defensive rebound.

The Trail Blazers also launched another fast break.

This time, Yang Shuai and Pippen attacked from both sides simultaneously.

Finally, Pippen received a pass from Yang Shuai and quickly made another layup.

This time, Yang Shuai and Pippen high-fived each other during a defensive retreat.

He said those things to Kidd in an attempt to distract him and make him make the wrong choice.

However, the results were mediocre, even though the 27-year-old Kidd remained remarkably calm.

But that kind of calmness cannot solve the fundamental problem.

This Suns team is good on both offense and defense, but it has a fatal weakness: poor outside shooting ability.

While Kidd and Hardaway's three-point percentage of over 30% is sufficient, it doesn't quite reach the point where they can create a series of consecutive three-pointers.

This is the basis for the Trail Blazers' ability to use a collapsing double team and effectively shut down the Suns' half-court offense.

So letting Kidd go was the right thing to do, even if he makes one or two three-pointers like he did at the start of the game, it would still be worth it.

It was at this moment that Skiles, on the sidelines, realized that continuing to play like this was not the right thing to do.

With a wave of his hand, the Suns began their full-court press.

However, they failed on their first attempt.

The Trail Blazers' loss in their last game was due to a number of reasons, with being caught off guard being a significant one.

In Game 2, Carlisle made targeted adjustments, and the players had ample time to adjust, so everything naturally changed.

Billups, Young, and Pippen—they are three players who can control the ball even when double-teamed and then pass it to teammates on the far side.

Even Sabonis stood near the midfield, acting as a pivot.

The Suns' tight press not only failed to work, but also gave the Trail Blazers an opportunity.

Sabonis passed the ball to Yang Shuai, who pretended to go one-on-one but suddenly threw the ball to Pippen, who cut in from the far end. Pippen then made a layup and scored two more points.

This presents a dilemma for the Suns. The purpose of the full-court press is to launch a fast break, but if the Trail Blazers keep scoring, then a fast break becomes impossible.

The Suns were forced back into position.

Kidd then started trying to run pick-and-rolls.

However, the Trail Blazers were quite effective tonight, focusing on preventing drives and allowing shots, giving Kidd plenty of opportunities to score from the outside.

Kidd opted for a mid-range shot.

"when!"

It slammed into the basket again.

Kidd is like a buff on the field, increasing the performance ceiling of his teammates. He's the type who gets stronger the stronger his teammates are.

But letting him hold the ball like that is really not his forte.

Fortunately, Kidd reacted quickly this time, fouling Yang Shuai who had grabbed the rebound, preventing the Trail Blazers from launching another fast break.

The Suns then made a clean break, abandoning their full-court press and switching to half-court pressing.

Their full-court press in the last match changed the rhythm of the game, and their positional pressing was equally effective.

Kidd was targeted in half-court sets, and the Suns can do the same to Pippen.

Pippen's three-point attempt, which was left wide open on the perimeter, also missed.

The Suns finally launched a fast break, with Marion receiving a pass from Kidd on a fast break to break their scoring drought.

During this period, Kidd's outside shooting was inconsistent, and this kind of defensive counter-attack was the best way to utilize his abilities.

Moreover, Marion and Kidd are a perfect match, with strong defensive abilities and high mobility. Although he is still a rookie, his talent is already undeniable.

6:5.

The Suns have temporarily stabilized the situation on the court.

Yang Shuai received the ball again.

The Suns had already prepared a response.

Although Marion plays the power forward position, they have Robinson guard Wallace on the weak side, Marion guard Pippen, and he roams around the free-throw line ready to help defend Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai held the ball with one hand, and this time he broke through to close the distance with Hardaway, and then changed direction in front of his body to get past his opponent.

Hardaway used to use this technique a lot before he got injured, but now he can only watch helplessly as Yang Shuai gets past him again.

At the same time, Marion's reinforcements arrived.

For a fleeting moment, the Portland fans in the arena felt that the rookie number 31, who looked like an ape, had more presence on the court than Pippen.

Marion's defensive support was timely, but what he didn't expect was that Yang Shuai's attack tonight was also very resolute.

Facing Marion, Yang Shuai stepped forward and used a Euro step to lay up.

Marion, being a rookie, didn't react immediately.

However, he was indeed very talented. After realizing what had happened, he continued to chase after Yang Shuai, preparing to strike back.

But he gave up quickly.

Because after Yang Shuai's Euro step, he suddenly burst into the air and slammed the ball into the basket with a one-handed dunk!
The fans at the scene were stunned. Most people would be lucky to make a layup after using the Euro step, but Yang Shuai was able to fly up and dunk.

The visual impact is absolutely stunning.

The next second, the Rose Garden Arena was filled with cheers from the fans.

When Yang Shuai wants to score, no one can stop him.

This is the new basketball god!

After landing, Yang Shuai turned around and made his signature listening gesture.

To be honest, because of the playing style he figured out last season, and the team winning a lot of games, he hasn't had such a full-force output at the start of a game in a long time.

The changes brought about by his improved breakthroughs and jumping ability have proven to be quite significant.

If he wants to get past his opponent and score, he needs to be surrounded by multiple players. Even with a defensive monster like Marion, he still can't be stopped.

Kidd attempted another three-pointer, but he missed again.

Kidd is certainly capable of scoring high points; his career-high is 43 points.

However, Kidd played 19 seasons and only scored 40+ points twice, which is a low-probability event.

His luck wasn't so good tonight.

However, the Suns retreated on defense very quickly this time, or rather, Kidd seemed unsure of himself when he took the shot and immediately retreated on defense and directed his teammates to retreat.

Moreover, after reaching the frontcourt, Kidd switched to defend Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai wasn't too surprised when he saw this.

If Yang Shuai had to choose between Kidd and Nash as his point guard partner in the backcourt, he would choose Kidd over Nash.

It's not that Kidd's act of blocking the ball in the middle of the shot is particularly responsible, but rather that Kidd has the defensive ability to do so.

Yang Shuai didn't immediately ask for the ball, but instead pushed Kidd to the high post and then turned his back to the ball.

Once his teammates had spread out and he had noticed Pippen's defensive position, Yang Shuai started post-up plays.

He started practicing his back-to-the-basket skills during the offseason specifically for these mismatch isolation opportunities.

Kidd is a full-size point guard, standing at 1.90 meters tall barefoot, which is only 11 centimeters shorter than Yang Shuai, and his weight of 93 kilograms is only 3 kilograms lighter than Yang Shuai.

But for Yang Shuai, these gaps are already enough.

He leaned his entire body on Kidd, then turned and drove towards the baseline, stopping abruptly for a jump shot.

Kidd was slow to get up and catch up because of his pressure, but Marion's help defense arrived at that moment, and he and Yang Shuai jumped almost at the same time.

Marion's wingspan is freakish; with shoes on, he has a wingspan of 2.21 meters, which is a major weapon in his defense.

However, Yang Shuai has a clear advantage in jumping ability, and he also used a backward lean to shoot this ball.

Increased explosiveness and jumping ability significantly enhance the effectiveness of fadeaway shots.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

They rarely see Yang Shuai back down, and even less often see him use this kind of fadeaway shot.

But it must be said that this lean back is just like Yang Shuai's name: handsome.

Or rather, given Yang Shuai's current physical condition, he is the closest to Jordan in terms of appearance.

The basketball flew over Marion toward the basket, amidst the expectant gazes of the fans.

"Shh!"

It falls precisely into the net bag.

The next second, the Rose Garden Arena was once again filled with cheers from the fans.

Every shot Yang Shuai made tonight was difficult, but he managed to score every single one.

Moreover, every time Yang Shuai makes a difficult shot like this, the Trail Blazers' morale gets a huge boost.

In the next defensive possession, Marion cut to the basket after setting a screen for Robinson, finally creating a good tactical opportunity.

Kidd's pass was also very timely.

But before the ball could be passed, Wallace seized the opportunity and intercepted it!
Moreover, Wallace reacted quickly after stealing the ball, turning around and passing it to Yang Shuai immediately.

Yang Shuai quickly advanced forward, and after attracting the Suns' defense, he passed the ball to Pippen in the middle.

Pippen had already scored 6 points in a row after the start of the game, and he was in a good mood. Instead of going for a layup right away, he waited for Wallace to follow up and then made a high bounce shot.

Wallace received the ball and slammed it down with both hands to score.

Today's top 5 goals are locked in.

The Suns are also forced to call a timeout!
As the Trail Blazers players left the court, the crowd erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.

They knew the team would bounce back tonight, but they didn't expect them to play so smoothly, wave after wave, leaving them breathless.

The cheers reached a peak, especially when the camera focused on Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai's fast breaks tonight didn't end with a single attack; they were all hard breaks in positional play.

This style of play may not seem very smart, but it really boosted the team's morale!

(End of this chapter)