Although he was unable to travel with the team, Lin Ying was not idle when he returned to Denver.

Because just the night before returning to Denver, Karl pulled him into the room and had a long talk.

That is a piece of content that can never be made public.

Because the things Karl and Lin Ying said were shameful things.

The reason why it is said to be shady is because it is unclean.

Karl talked to him about how to survive in the NBA and some "basketball skills" that must be learned in order to survive.

Or it can also be understood as small actions within the rules.

What Karl said has a premise:

Within the scope allowed by the rules, it is either an action aimed at hurting others or a reasonable application of the rules.

Obviously James Harden is not the first person to study rules, but his research direction is different.

Some of those small actions are very common. Here are some examples:

One, pull the jersey.

This sounds incredible, but in fact it can be seen everywhere in the NBA.

When a player defends a layup, he or she will pull the jersey to achieve the purpose of "holding on the wall" and finally block the offensive player's shot.

Or, when defending without the ball, when one's own speed cannot keep up, the purpose of catching up is achieved by pulling the jersey.

In fact, as long as you watch too many games, it is not uncommon for jerseys to be torn.

Two, swing your elbows.

The elbow is probably the part that NBA players use most frequently.

The representative figures among them are "Iron Elbow" Malone and O'Neal.

Even Kobe, James, and Howard, I guess you can't find anyone who can't shake their elbows.

Including the Spurs game, Lin Ying learned how to use his shoulders and elbows from Duncan.

Because whether it is a low post attack or a breakthrough attack, using the elbow appropriately to clear the way is the easiest way to create offensive space.

However, there are many details in the use of this elbow. Among them, turning the curved arm into a straight arm is likely to be criticized, so you need to pay special attention to it.

Three, cover your eyes.

This defensive action invented by Battier actually falls into this category.

The CBA later strictly prohibited this action, because if your reaction speed is not fast enough, covering your eyes will accidentally turn into poking your eyes.

But this trick is really effective, especially for non-star players. Not everyone can rely on strong muscle memory to put the ball into the basket.

…

In addition, there are many other things, including non-offensive hand hugging, proper arm clamping, etc.

Lin Ying didn't feel any disgust after saying this.

Because there are many of them, I have seen them in the few NBA games he participated in, and Kobe and Duncan also used them.

Everyone is using it, but he wants to be alone and be a white lotus?

It's not necessary and impossible.

Even the cleanest defensive players in the NBA cannot be used at all.

Just grasp the scale. Small moves that don't hurt anyone and won't be caught by the referee are good moves.

Of course, Lin Ying did not say that he was prepared to use small tricks as his conventional weapons like Paul did in history.

His physical condition does not require constant use of those.

He needs it now because he is not mature enough either offensively or defensively.

Before he matures, he will use it when necessary.

For example, in the current game, Kobe uses a roll call tactic to beat him alone, and his teammates cannot help defend him.

With his current defensive ability, there is a high probability that he will be exploded if he doesn't make some small moves.

The competition is not a private one-on-one duel, it is a matter of survival.

For another example, his three-point touch is very poor, so he has to fight inside, and he encounters players one size larger than him, such as Duncan.

Same reason.

So in the past two days, he will digest the movements that Karl told him, and then try to use them when training with Handy.

Just like basketball skills, small movements also need to be practiced. Otherwise, if you don't grasp the scale well, you will get fouled every time you use it in a formal game.

Of course, Lin Ying trained more than just this.

He also started high-intensity mid-distance training under Handy's guidance.

In history, this technology gradually disappeared from the league with the advent of the small ball era.

But in fact, the mid-range is the real killing weapon.

Because unless you have Curry's unique three-point talent, no matter how accurate you are in shooting, once the intensity of the game increases, your shooting percentage will drop.

However, since the mid-range is close to the basket, it is relatively easy to maintain a high shooting rate.

Give two typical examples:

The first one was the familiar Magic Ball Rockets, who made 0 of 27 three-pointers in the tiebreaker. As long as Paul was there at that time, or there was someone with stable mid-range ability among others, it would not be the result.

Another example is the 2021 Tokyo Olympics final when the US team played against France. They repeatedly missed shots from beyond the three-point line, but the final solution to the problem was the mid-range. Durant's unsolvable mid-range directly took away the game.

This thing is the same as the three-pointer, there are not too many fancy things, the shooting posture and shooting hand shape must be mastered, and then it is a matter of practice.

…

On the night of the game between the Nuggets and Suns, Lin Ying and Iverson watched the game live in the team's video room.

Although they were unable to play, their original plan was to travel with the team to Phoenix and support their teammates on the sidelines.

But now that Karl asked them to come back first, they can only support by watching the live broadcast.

The live broadcast cameras scanned the players one by one, and when they spotted Anthony, they found that Anthony was very motivated.

Much more energetic than when we played the Spurs before.

This made the two of them look confused.

Because they are here, Anthony can't use it?

Then...they leave?

Just kidding, seeing Anthony's fighting spirit put them in a good mood.

The competition in the Western Conference is now fiercer than ever.

Use Lin Ying, a time traveler, to open your eyes. This year, the Nuggets won 50 times and were eighth in the Western Conference...

So the outcome of every game will be crucial.

Especially between teams in the playoffs, if the wins are the same, the head-to-head record is the second factor in determining the ranking.

Two teams, Suns: Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Marion, Stoudemire.

Nuggets: Carter Sr., J.R. Smith, Anthony, Martin, Nene.

During the draft, Lin Ying predicted that the teams he was most likely to go to were the Lakers and the Suns.

In fact, he personally prefers the sun.

Because the Suns are also suitable for him in terms of playing style, and the opportunities will be greater.

It will be difficult to squeeze out Marion, but the chance of replacing Hill is very good, instead of facing several mountains like the Nuggets now.

Just as I was thinking about it, the game on the field had already begun.

Martin beat Stoudemire and the Nuggets took the lead.

Anthony holds the ball and acts as a triple threat.

Hill was so strong that he actually followed.

But it was Hill after all. Anthony got to the basket and knocked him away, then dunked!

Really full of fighting spirit!

Of course, Stoudemire's defense is also really eye-catching.

He just watched Anthony dunk without helping to make up for it.

The live footage showed D'Antoni, and D'Antoni did not have any emotional fluctuations.

It seems that Lin Ying's original suggestion was in vain, and D'Antoni still doesn't care about defense...

The same team's defensive data is not good, but Karl and D'Antoni are still fundamentally different.

Of course, the Suns don't win by defense, they are strong on offense.
To be continued...