Chapter 264 Counterpoint Cousins, Yao Ming's New Comprehension!
During the transition between offense and defense, Tyreke Evans passed the half court with the ball.
However, the person guarding him was not Curry, who was also a point guard.
Rockets coach Mark Jackson chose to use the Paul George formation to guard him, and let Curry go against Kings shooter Benno Udrih.
But even if George is used to defend Evans, the latter still has a strength advantage.
I saw him dribbling like a butterfly through flowers towards George, and the last crossover completed the pass.
After arriving in the penalty area, Evans took a European step, successfully dodged Yao Ming's defense, and hit a layup with an underhand shot.
2:2, the two teams tied.
In the stands, Shen Fei nodded with appreciation.
After Evans returned to the point guard position, he really regained his style last year.
"Tyrek should be in good condition recently, right?"
Shen Fei asked.
"Well, he has averaged 23.4 points per game in the past month, and his shooting percentage at the basket has reached 58%, ranking first among the point guards."
Ajiali responded with a smile, her tone full of pride.
Shen Fei nodded after hearing this, feeling happy for Evans in his heart.
As a high defender, Evans not only has a crushing body, but is also very good technically.
In Shen Fei's eyes, his dribbling rhythm, skills, and feeling of combining man and ball are among the best among the new generation.
It can even be said that before Irving, Evans was the most arrogant point guard ever.
However, Shen Fei didn't think he was a "winner".
After all, without the support of shooting ability, players who rely solely on breakthroughs cannot kill anyone.
Even James has to be equipped with a bunch of shooters and has to hone his shooting skills.
But in Evans' impression of Shen Fei, three-pointers have always been below average.
It wasn't until his physical fitness declined and he lost his excellent explosive power that his three-point shooting increased to over 35% (in the later period of wandering).
"Cousins and Evans, inside and outside, are indeed good building blocks for the team."
"I suggest that we can introduce some high-quality shooters in the future, and then try to develop a third core player."
"In this case, the king may at some stage, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes."
Shen Fei suggested.
He was not a good teacher, but he was already very familiar with Ajiali, so he gave his opinion straightforwardly.
Ajiali nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "I think so too! The Kings' overall performance has improved now, but their performance is very unstable. Often, when Evans and Cousins are in good form, it's a big win; they are restricted If it stops, the game will collapse."
"Um."
"They are both still young and it is normal for them to be unstable."
"With Coach Malone here, the Kings will gradually become a strong team. It's just a matter of time."
Shen Fei said lightly.
In the original time and space, Mike Malone took over as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2015.
In the first year after taking over, the Nuggets only achieved a record of 33 wins and 49 losses. The team ranked 11th in the Western Conference with a winning rate of 40.2% and missed the playoffs.
In the 2018-19 season, the Nuggets led by Mike Malone achieved a record of 54 wins and 28 losses, and the team ranked second in the Western Conference with a winning rate of 65.9%.
In the same year, Malone became the coach of the Western Conference All-Star team.
Moreover, Mike Malone's achievements are far more than just improving the team's record. He also trained an MVP-level player-Nikola Jokic.
[If the Kings’ management wasn’t so chaotic and could always let Malone lead the team, maybe Cousins could go further.]
Shen Fei thought to himself.
............
As the two talked, the Rockets had gradually established a lead.
McGrady took the lead.
Facing the defense of Kings forward Francisco Garcia, he first succeeded from outside the three-point line.
Later, he used a shame-god to pass Garcia in the fast break, and put the ball into the basket with a freehand finger-roll (finger-tip pick) under the basket.
After scoring five points in a row, the Kings began to double-team defense against McGrady.
The rest of the Rockets also got easy shooting opportunities.
The first to bear the brunt is Griffin.
He took the initiative to set up a pick-and-roll for McGrady, and when his opponent double-teamed McGrady, he moved down in time.
T-Mac's pass came in an instant.
The next moment, the White Monster came out of the cage and ignited the atmosphere of the Toyota Center Arena with an ultra-long gliding dunk!
At 9:2, the Rockets hit a 7:0 climax in just two minutes.
Mike Malone on the sidelines saw that the situation was not going well and immediately called a timeout.
After the timeout, the Kings shifted their offensive focus from the outside to the inside.
In the first round, Evans hit the ball to Cousins in the low post.
Facing Yao Ming's defense, Kaoshen chose to attack facing the frame.
Unlike ordinary centers, he just took the position far away from the basket.
Therefore, Yao Ming chose a one-step defensive strategy.
Unexpectedly, Cousins, who was posing as a triple threat, actually chose to take action...
"Shua~"
Basketball goes hollow into the net.
9:4, Cousins stopped the bleeding in time for the King.
A minute later, Kaoshen received the pass again.
This time, he even stood outside the three-point line.
After seeing that Yao Ming did not follow up immediately, Cousins decisively shot a three-pointer.
The basketball left his fingertips and spun at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hit again!
Cousins scored 5 points in a row, which stunned Yao Ming.
[Is this...the new era center that the boss is talking about?]
Dayao secretly thought in his heart.
As early as before the start of the season, Shen Fei mentioned the term "new era center" when he emphasized to him that he should practice three-pointers.
The original words are that future centers must be able to open up space on the offensive end while ensuring frame protection, and three-pointers are a conventional method.
At that time, Yao Ming didn't take it seriously. He just thought that since Shen Fei asked to shoot three-pointers, he should practice it.
As for the center, he has been playing as a center for more than 20 years, but no team manager understands this?
The center's job is to dominate the basket. On the defensive end, he helps the team turn the restricted area into a no-fly zone, and on the offensive end, he uses his body to crush the opponent's inside line.
This is what Dayao has always done!
However, as the season began, Yao Ming followed Shen Fei's request and took 2-3 three-pointers in a game.
With just such a change, Dayao felt that the game suddenly became much simpler.
This season, due to the strong opponents in the team, his average shots per game dropped sharply from 17.1 in his peak period to 10.1.
But Yao Ming's scoring average remains above 20 points per game, and his shooting percentage has also reached a career high.
Moreover, when Dayao hit a three-pointer from the outside, the opponent's center did not dare to "sit down" to defend and often had to rush to the three-point line.
This gave the Rockets' perimeter players an opportunity to easily lay up after a breakthrough.
However, even though three-pointers have improved Yao Ming's efficiency, Yao still has no idea about the "new era center".
Until the appearance of Cousins today, Dayao has embodied this concept for the first time!
A center who really couldn't hit him in the paint actually became difficult to defend by changing his playing style.
And this strategy of proactively seeking three-point shots gave Yao Ming a hint of enlightenment.
[My shooting ability is no worse than his, can I still play like this?]
Dayao secretly thought in his heart.
If he can "shoot" from the outside from time to time, his opponents will naturally not dare to double-team him at will!
At this point, after switching offense and defense, Yao Ming took the initiative to ask for the ball from outside the three-point line.
Curry, who was organizing the attack, was also a little surprised when he saw this scene.
Although Dayao shoots three-pointers in every game, he usually makes sudden shots during fast breaks or unguarded open shots.
But now, Cousins, who is facing Yao Ming, does not help defend, and his attention is on Yao Ming.
[What does Yao want to do?]
Curry was confused, but passed the ball anyway.
After Yao Ming caught the ball, he observed Cousins.
Seeing that he did not attack and was still waiting inside the three-point line, Dayao decisively chose to take action...
bingo!
answer.ball!
After scoring the goal, Yao Ming pumped his fist excitedly.
However, what makes him happy is not that he made a response shot, but that he has a new understanding of the game - he can be more proactive in attacking from outside the three-point line!
Looking back, Cousins wanted to continue playing against Yao Ming, so he continued to choose singles.
But Dayao, who had lost weight, chose to defend closely this time.
Although he was eventually passed by the young and strong Cousins, Yao Ming relied on his height and long arms to successfully interfere with Kaoshen's layup.
Griffin jumped high and protected the rebound, and the Rockets launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, Curry was two steps outside the three-point line, raised his hand and hit a three-pointer.
He shot extremely decisively and very quickly. Evans, who was responsible for the defense, did not expect such a situation at all.
It wasn't until Curry threw the ball that he reacted and stretched out his hand symbolically.
Three-pointed arrow, flames of hell.
Curry hit the target with one hit, helping the Rockets continue to expand the score.
At this time, Ajiali frowned slightly in the stands.
Although the game had only lasted less than half a quarter, she was already aware of the gap between the two teams.
This gap is the gap between the first team in the Western Conference and the team on the edge of the playoffs.
"One victory will not determine anything. The development of the Kings team still needs to be considered in the long term."
When Shen Fei saw Ajiali's worried look, he comforted her.
"Well, you're right."
"It's just...it's still a little uncomfortable to see the team defeated so easily."
Ajiali nodded and forced a smile.
Her father often warned her to take a long-term view and not be too concerned about immediate gains and losses.
But it is always difficult for Ajiali to do this, which has something to do with her character.
"Shen, how did you make the Rockets go from being a lottery team to number one in the league within half a year?"
Ajiali expressed the biggest doubt in her heart.
"em...you are the first person to ask such a direct question."
"There are many factors involved here, timing, luck, etc. are all important."
"If I have to talk about one thing...maybe it's the eyesight, the way you look at people."
Shen Fei talked eloquently.
His brain is now in a state of nonsense.
After all, Shen Fei can't tell Ajiali... I am a time traveler, so I am a prophet, and I also have cheats, right?
"How you look at people?"
Ajiali's bright eyes were still full of doubts.
"Um."
"Basketball is, after all, a game for stars."
"So...theoretically if you gather five superstars, you can win with any formation."
"The Rockets have powerful stars like Yao Mai, and supernovas like Curry, George, and Griffin. With a little training, they will naturally become the only ones in the league."
Shen Fei explained.
On this point, he didn't talk nonsense.
Although Shen Fei taught Mark Jackson many tactics of the Universe Warriors in the original time and space, but to be honest...
With the Rockets' current lineup, even if they continue Adelman's Princeton system from last season, they can still become the league leader.
The only difference is that with the knowledge of advanced theory, the Rockets can win the game more easily.
"But...I study the scouting reports every day, and I still can't see which player can become a superstar?"
Ajiali blinked her big eyes and said helplessly.
"This... is more difficult to explain clearly."
Shen Fei spread his hands.
"Why don't you recommend a few to me when you have some free time?"
As she said that, Ajiali leaned slightly forward towards Shen Fei.
The faint fragrance made Shen Fei's mind wander.
I don’t know if this is the smell of some brand-name perfume or a girl’s body fragrance.
Ajiali was looking forward to Shen Fei's reply, but when she raised her eyes, she found that the other person was distracted.
And...it seemed...that he was distracted because of her.