The longest river

Chapter 232 "GOAT, Beautiful Shot!"

The two sides battled fiercely into the fourth quarter, and in the decisive moment, Yang Shuai switched to guard Kobe.

When O'Neal was with the Lakers, he dominated the paint, while Kobe took more shots from the perimeter, so he didn't need to be too heavy.

However, with the replacement of O'Neal with Jermaine O'Neal, who possessed spacing ability, Kobe was able to penetrate the paint more often.

To better create scoring opportunities, and also for the high-low post-up tactics in the triangle offense, he has gained weight to 96 kilograms this season.

Because he was shorter than Yang Shuai, Kobe's body density was actually higher than Yang Shuai's, which made his speed of breaking through slower than before.

Yang Shuai's weight loss and speed this season have offset each other's progress. In the first possession, Yang Shuai successfully predicted Kobe's driving route, seized the opportunity to steal the ball, and then completed a fast break dunk.

This caused a stir among Los Angeles fans.

Although the Los Angeles media are raving that Kobe has surpassed Yang Shuai, no amount of talk can be as convincing as a face-to-face confrontation on the court.

And this is Kobe.

After Yang Shuai stole the ball, instead of putting his hands on his hips on the weak side or calling for a screen, he took the ball and signaled to spread out and continue attacking.

Although Yang Shuai failed to make another steal, he prevented Kobe from finding a shooting angle for his drive.

Basketball is a sport that relies heavily on talent, and this becomes even more apparent when top superstars clash.

Yang Shuai is bigger than Kobe and doesn't lack speed, making it very difficult for Kobe to break through his defense.

Unwilling to compromise and unable to break through Yang Shuai's defenses, Kobe finally unleashed his ultimate weapon: elbowing him!

He broke through and turned, elbowing Yang Shuai in the waist, then took the opportunity to score a layup.

Goodness, Yang Shuai suddenly remembered Kobe's nickname "Little Malone of Los Angeles," and this is starting to disregard sportsmanship.

Seeing this, Yang Shuai didn't hold back. On the offensive end, he received the ball and faced Artest. He used a shoulder feint and then turned and leaned back to score steadily.

Artest correctly predicted Yang Shuai's choice, but his speed couldn't keep up. Although he looked like he was diving, he didn't actually create any effective interference.

"Let that guy guard me."

After making the shot, Yang Shuai spread his hands and looked at Phil Jackson on the sidelines.

Kobe continued to try to isolate Yang Shuai, but this time Yang Shuai didn't give him a chance to extend his elbow and blocked Kobe's shot out of bounds.

The Lakers' offense ultimately failed.

In the very next possession, Kobe switched onto Yang Shuai.

Phil Jackson certainly wouldn't listen to Yang Shuai's instructions, but Kobe Bryant overheard them.

After gaining weight, Kobe was not at a disadvantage in physical confrontations, and knowing that he was not as fast as Yang Shuai, he locked his hips and elbows, not giving Yang Shuai an easy opportunity to get the ball.

However, Yang Shuai simply turned around and faked a shot, then shifted Kobe's weight onto him before crouching down and making a low-center-of-gravity left-handed breakthrough to get past him, then drove into the paint and scored with a one-handed layup.

After these few rounds, even the blind fans in the arena could see that although Kobe is the strongest perimeter player in the league after Yang Shuai, there is still a gap in skill level between them.

Moreover, that gap is due to talent, and no matter how hard Kobe tried, he could never catch up.

Phil Jackson stood up and made tactical adjustments, and the Lakers began to play the two-man game between Kobe and Jermaine O'Neal again.

Jermaine O'Neal is big and fast, and Kobe was able to use this tactic to get the shot off. He also seemed much more comfortable than when he was one-on-one against Yang Shuai.

However, looking back, the Lakers had absolutely no way to deal with Yang Shuai.

Throughout the game, Yang Shuai gave the impression that Barkley felt: he was undefendable.

It seems that the only thing that can influence Yang Shuai's performance is his own touch.

The last person to give this impression was a young, peak version of Jordan, who didn't need any explosive scoring; scoring 40 or 50 points was just routine for them.

"Charles, what are you trying to say now?"

With one minute left in the game, after Yang Shuai scored a 2+1 against Kobe to seal the victory, Smith posed a probing question to Barkley.

"The Lakers are the better team, but Hansen is the better player."

The quote that Barkley used to describe the Suns and Jordan back then, when spoken by Barkley, made for a truly entertaining show.

杨帅最终30投19中，三分球7投4中，罚球14罚13中，轰下55分8板4助攻。

Throughout the match, Yang Shuai's final impression was one of "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," consistently hitting the ball without any unnecessary movements.

In addition, Yang Shuai's playing style has also changed significantly. He has reduced his dribbling and increased his off-the-ball movement, transforming from a tactical initiator to a tactical finisher.

This may be one of the reasons why he was able to maintain a stable output throughout the game, and fans have seen how terrifying Yang Shuai can be when he is focused on scoring.

The Trail Blazers ultimately defeated the Lakers 108-101, turning the tide on the Lakers' championship night and securing a winning start to the season.

Kobe scored 31 points, and Jermaine O'Neal also had an outstanding performance with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but they couldn't keep up with Yang Shuai's supermodel performance.

The Lakers' title defense has started off with a major setback, but the good news for them is that they are not the only victims.

After winning the opening game, the Trail Blazers returned to Portland for a back-to-back home game.

The first game was against the Raptors, and the outcome was not much of a surprise.

The Raptors had been performing poorly, so the management chose to trade Juwan Howard to the Nuggets because Howard was on a bad contract and the players they received in return were of limited ability, further weakening the Raptors.

Yang Shuai scored 29 points, and the Trail Blazers finished the game in three quarters.

In the second game of the back-to-back, the Trail Blazers faced the Magic.

The Magic welcomed Hill's return, and they also signed Kemp, who had been bought out by the Trail Blazers.

Of course, these are not the focus of the game; the focus is still on McGrady.

Based on his performance over the past two seasons, McGrady is now the de facto leader of the Magic.

At the start of the game, McGrady showed a hotter performance than ever before, making all five of his first shots.

Moreover, his playing style is very different from Kobe's. He tries to avoid one-on-one confrontations with Yang Shuai and relies more on pick-and-rolls and off-ball movement to get shots.

His shots mainly rely on pull-up jumpers. Because of his exceptional physical gifts, it's difficult for others to interfere with him, and his performance depends more on his own shooting touch.

He's on fire tonight.

Under his leadership, the Magic also got off to a perfect start with an 18-8 run.

"GOAT?"

After making another three-pointer, McGrady turned to Yang Shuai, who was not far away, and spoke.

McGrady's statements after entering the league show that he had a high opinion of himself. That confidence came from his top talent among wing players, which is what Nike valued in him.

Unfortunately, he has never won a playoff game since entering the league, and the Magic's poor performance due to Hill's injuries fueled his resentment.

Yang Shuai is like the opposite of him. He went to a championship contender like the Pacers as soon as he entered the league, and then encountered an owner like Allen who was crazy about spending money.

He felt that God had been completely unfair to him. Tonight, he was on fire and vented all his pent-up resentment on Yang Shuai.

This statement is incredibly damaging because Allen previously erected a "GOAT" statue for Yang Shuai, but Yang Shuai subsequently lost the championship.

Yang Shuai didn't seem to show any emotional change, but the Magic were quickly dealt a heavy blow.

Throughout the game, Yang Shuai made 26 of 40 field goals, 6 of 10 three-pointers, and 8 of 8 free throws, scoring a career-high 66 points.

McGrady was on fire, scoring 45 points, and his outstanding performance brought the Magic and Trail Blazers to a decisive final quarter.

But it was precisely this performance that allowed Yang Shuai to win this legendary battle.

Moreover, after this game, Yang Shuai broke a record, scoring 150 points in the first three games of the season, averaging 50 points per game, which is astonishing.

After the Trail Blazers lost last season's championship, it was expected that Yang Shuai would have a breakout season, but no one expected that Yang Shuai's breakout would be so fierce.

"Never provoke Hansen."

After the game, Barkley also issued a warning on TNT.

In the subsequent game, Yang Shuai's score dropped.

After 8 games, Yang Shuai's stats have dropped to an average of 40 points per game.

It wasn't that there was something wrong with his performance, but rather that the other players on the Trail Blazers gradually adapted to Yang Shuai's change, and they began to enter winning mode.

In several games, they secured the victory in the third quarter.

With the outcome already decided, Yang Shuai, who didn't want to rack up points, naturally had no need to continue playing.

The Trail Blazers also announced their triumphant return with an amazing 8-game winning streak.

This has led to a surge in interest from fans for TNT's latest "NBA Insider" episode.

After the last incident involving kissing a donkey's butt, they couldn't wait to see what Barkley would do next.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my previous rankings."

At the start of the show, Barkley showcased his most notable trait: his sharp tongue.

This left Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith speechless.

"The only thing I'm willing to admit is that I underestimated Hansen. Please forgive me, perhaps it was because Hansen was too selfless that I subconsciously thought the Trail Blazers' success was the team's success."

"What do you mean?" Kenny Smith, the ultimate straight man, stepped in at just the right moment.

"Who do you think the Trail Blazers could build a dynasty if they replaced Hansen with?"

Barkley's question silenced everyone else, because they couldn't think of anyone who could answer it.

Jordan had already retired by then, and among the four great shooting guards, Kobe was still immature at that time. In his first Finals appearance against the Wizards, he was brutally beaten by Jordan.

As for the others, the "OK" Lakers can keep them firmly in the Western Conference and prevent them from leaving.

Barkley then began to recount Young's magical performances during the Trail Blazers dynasty in great detail.

In his first championship game against Jordan's Wizards, he replicated an enhanced version of the classic moment where he changed his dunk to a layup, and scored 55 points in the final game, delivering "that pass", averaging 38.4 points per game.
In his second championship game against his former team, the Pacers, he scored 62 points in the decisive game, playing 5 against 8, setting a new record for the highest single-game score in the Finals, leading Pippen to victory with 6 points, and averaging 41.2 points per game.
In his third championship matchup against the strongest Lakers, he scored 21 points in the final quarter of Game 5 and left Pippen wide open to win. In the Finals, he dominated Iverson, saying, "If I don't beat him, people will think he's on the same level as me," before completing the sweep.

“We all thought we had seen Hansen’s limit, but this season he has shown us that his peak has only just begun.”

Barkley shared his thoughts after watching the Trail Blazers vs. Lakers season opener.

His words successfully left the other commentators speechless.

Barkley was clearly proven wrong, but what he said made a lot of sense.

In fact, it wasn't just them; even the fans who were originally just there to watch the show were successfully persuaded by Barkley.

After the program aired, many fans brought up Yang Shuai's comments after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season.

"No team wants to face us next season."

It is happening now.

As if to prove Barkley's point, Yang Shuai scored his third 50+ point game of the season in the Trail Blazers' away game against the 76ers, extending the Trail Blazers' winning streak to nine games.

Right after this game, fans suddenly realized that Yang Shuai had unknowingly beaten all four of the "Big Four" shooting guards.

During Jordan's era, which was still the era of centers, only Drexler was a truly outstanding shooting guard of his time.

But now, these shooting guards who grew up watching Jordan play, who were hailed by the media as Jordan's successors, and who are gradually entering their personal peak, have discovered that there is a contemporary of theirs who is even more ruthless than Jordan.

At this moment, the low-key "Stone Buddha" Duncan stood up and said: He clearly said the future is mine!

Barkley once again successfully capitalized on this surge of attention, and the media began to follow suit, praising Yang Shuai.

As it turns out, just like the donkey-butt incident back then, in this era, no one can beat Barkley in terms of generating traffic; he is the "Northern Qiao Feng" of the traffic world.

Moreover, the biggest difference between him and another future giant in the traffic industry, "Nan Murong," is that he always manages to push things in a positive direction.

However, just as the Trail Blazers were preparing to head to New Jersey to challenge the Nets, their first opponent on their Eastern Conference road trip, Kenyon Martin voiced his dissent.

"Nobody can stop Hansen? That's because he hasn't faced us this season yet."

As the number one overall pick in 2000, Martin only contributed 12 points and 7.4 rebounds in his rookie season, and his field goal percentage as an inside player was only 44%.

"A guy who just looks like he can only dunk," is a common assessment of him, much like that of Swift, the second overall pick in the same year.

But everything changed after Kidd joined the Nets last season.

Led by Kidd, the Nets made a dramatic turnaround, doubling their record and reaching the conference finals in the playoffs.

Martin's stats have also risen accordingly. So far this season, he is averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, making him the Nets' leading scorer. He is currently brimming with confidence.

Besides his own performance, Martin's confidence also stems from the Nets' defense.

The Nets' defensive intensity is among the best in the league. Even Yang Shuai's performance was clearly limited when he faced the Nets last season.

Furthermore, after losing to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Nets management acquired Dikembe Mutombo, a defensive anchor in the paint, from the 76ers during the offseason.

This undoubtedly gave Martin further confidence.

Interestingly, just as Martin made these remarks, bringing the game to the forefront, Nets head coach Byron Scott proactively spoke out before the game to defuse the tension:

“Kenyon showed his passion, and he has always inspired the team in that way, but that was just his personal opinion. We all know how great Hansen is.”

This translates to: You better shut up right now!
After Yang Shuai arrived in New Jersey, Scott contacted him and invited him to his home for dinner.

After retiring, Scott became an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings, and just two years later he became the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

Thanks to the reputation he built during his playing days and his excellent interpersonal skills, his promotion speed was even faster than Carlisle's.

Moreover, he was quite lucky, as he caught the wave of Kidd's success in his second year as a coach, and is now one of the best young coaches.

Yang Shuai readily accepted the invitation from his former Pacers teammate, or more accurately, his mentor during his NBA rookie years.

After they sat down to eat, Scott, besides catching up, mainly told Yang Shuai not to take Martin's words too seriously.

“People who are emotionally agitated always tend to talk nonsense,” Scott said with a forced smile.

Yang Shuai nodded, indicating that he didn't care.

Martin's goal was simply to generate traffic.

However, compared to Barkley, he's just as bad as Draymond Green.

If Yang Shuai responds, he'll be putting himself on the same level as him.

"Byron, you are a good coach."

Compared to that, Yang Shuai felt that this meal gave him a deeper understanding of Scott.

He previously thought Scott was only good at flattery as head coach, but that was clearly a one-sided view.

Even now, not all coaches are willing to be so humble, just to protect their players.

The following evening, the game between the Trail Blazers and the Nets took place at the Nets' home arena, the Continental Airlines Arena.

The Continental Air Center is located in a suburb of New Jersey, so its attendance rate is usually not high.

But the Trail Blazers' visit, coupled with Martin's pre-game comments, resulted in a packed house for the game.

The Trail Blazers players took this game very seriously.

In terms of team strength, the Nets are the Trail Blazers' strongest opponent since the season opener against the Lakers.

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

Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Richard Jefferson (second year), Kenyon Martin, Mutombo (36 years old).

The Nets' starting lineup is no match for other strong teams; they are able to perform because of their tactics.

They are now playing a defensive counter-attacking strategy, and they have the most powerful driving force behind this strategy: Kidd.

This is another reason why Yang Shuai praised Scott as a "good coach" yesterday.

Good coaches are categorized; not all of them have to be tactical masters like Carlisle. Knowing how to tailor training to individual players and designing the most suitable tactics for each player is also a type of coach.

The Nets showcased their team characteristics shortly after the start of the game against the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers' first possession of the game was taken by Reed on the weak side.

That was a good shot opportunity, but the Nets showed their terrifying speed in help defense rotations, and Martin's save successfully disrupted Reed.

Jefferson grabbed the long rebound and immediately passed it to Kidd, launching the Nets' fast break in no time.

Ultimately, Martin received a pass from Kidd and completed a fast break dunk.

In the very next possession, the Nets further showcased their defensive strengths.

Kidd's excellent game reading ability allowed him to make a steal, and this time it was Richard Jefferson who scored, receiving a pass from Kidd and then executing a powerful reverse dunk.

The Nets are a team that can really defend and can really run.

After seeing the Nets' defensive intensity at the start of the game, Carlisle decisively implemented his strongest tactic: give the ball to Yang Shuai.

Then immediately, the Nets' fast break defense strategy failed.

The Nets don't have a top-tier one-on-one defender; their defense relies on high-speed help defense rotations and double-teaming the ball handler.

This kind of defense requires the ball handler to be able to make a decision in a very short time. However, most teams in this era still have their own roles. Except for the Kings' Princeton offense, which requires everyone to share the ball, other teams, except for the point guard, do not have that kind of ball-handling ability.

But besides that, there is another way to break the deadlock, which is the effect currently being presented on the field: someone can score quickly and consistently in positional warfare.

Yang Shuai was doing this on the court.

With adjustments to his playing style and improvements in his abilities this season, Yang Shuai is now able to score before the Nets can double-team him.

The prerequisite for a defensive counter-attack is a successful positional defense. Now that the positional defense has failed, there is no point in talking about a defensive counter-attack.

Yang Shuai used Wallace's screen to receive the ball, leaving Martin stationary for a mid-range shot that went in, sparking a 10-0 run that gave the Trail Blazers a 10-4 lead.

This Nets team is good at fast breaks and defense, but their ability to break down set pieces is really poor.

After making the shot, Yang Shuai shrugged and spread his hands at Martin, ready to start racking up points.

Because of Scott, Yang Shuai did not deliberately target Martin, but he still did not mind leaving a deep impression on the other party by taking the initiative to come forward.

However, what happened next was something he never expected.

After Yang Shuai made the shot, Scott on the sidelines first applauded, then shouted to Yang Shuai on the court:
"Nice shot, Hansen!"

This move stunned everyone on the field.

Even the trash talk that Yang Shuai was about to say was swallowed back down.

Yang Shuai was actually familiar with this phrase, because he had seen Scott, who was still a player, shout it to Jordan during his rookie season.

But now Scott has gone from player to head coach!
However, it must be said that after Scott did this, he really couldn't say anything more to Martin.

(End of this chapter)