Billups seems to have a lot of choices, but in fact, unless he wants to be flat, there are really not many teams that are suitable for him.
The Thunder, which focuses on Youth Storm and is full of talent, is his best choice.
After all, the Thunder made it to the Western Conference Finals last season. The only thing missing was that they didn't know how to earn the ball, and were properly arranged by the old boys of the Mavericks.
In the end, the Thunder successfully signed Billups with a two-year, 8 million contract through bidding and their own advantages.
In Subei's previous life, the Clippers signed Billups in a flash and only offered a short-term contract of US$4.3 million. In fact, there were some bonus clauses.
In other words, Billups may not get all the money yet.
In fact, due to a heel fracture that year, he only received an annual salary of 2 million from the Clippers.
Including the Knicks' 12.2 million, it is also top-notch.
All he needs is a chance, not to prove how strong he is, but to regain what he has lost.
In the 10/11 season, Billups averaged 17 points, 5.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
The Knicks shot 40% from two-point range and 32.8% from three-point range, which looks average.
However, that's because he was traded to the Knicks after most of the season and needed to adapt again.
When he was with the Nuggets, his two-point shooting percentage was 43%, and his three-point shooting percentage reached a peak of 44%. They are considered a strong group. It should not be difficult to play the role of the 38-year-old Kidd.
With Su Bei and Billups joining one after another, the Thunder have become the most beautiful team in the championship competition, overpowering the Heat's Big Three and becoming the most popular team for the championship.
December 25, Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Night falls.
It is the Christmas game and the opening game of the 11/12 season.
The Thunder vs. Magic attracted the attention of all of North America and the world.
As the strongest contender for the championship in the 2011/12 season, all the media's attention has fallen on this small city team with ceiling-level draft vision.
What kind of game can they play tonight?
Does the youth Thunder team have championship potential?
What will be the chemistry between the new players and the old players?
Whether the Thunder continue to charge up and play, or lower down to play, the anticipation and focus are full.
Home team locker room.
Durant and Westbrook went inside together.
I gave my teammates high fives and hugs one by one.
The communication ceremony is very simple and relaxing.
This team, with an average age of just 23, doesn't look like a professional team, but more like a college team.
Scott Brooks walked in and immediately intensified his tactics.
“The tactics remain the same, it’s still the original way of playing.
The body rushes up, uses physical talent, and hits the basket.
As long as we take down Howard, we have already won half the battle.
The other half is making the shot."
Simple and direct!
This is Scott Brooks' coaching style.
Away team locker room.
The atmosphere seems very happy!
With the emergence of the Heat's Big Three, they can only compete for the playoffs, and their mentality is very peaceful.
Howard grinned, twirled and danced.
It's like participating in an all-star game.
Hearing Stan Van Gundy's roar, this took shape.
There is nothing to say about tactics!
Just ask and the stars will shine.
…
Amid landslides and tsunamis of cheers and applause.
Thunder players walked out one after another.
Su Bei saw the blue ocean once, and there was no fluctuation on his face.
After all, he is an old bird and has had a lot of experience, so that's all.
During warm-ups, Durant and Howard chatted about a few cents.
Westbrook high-fived Ryan Anderson and hugged each other. They both debuted in 2008, so they said hello.
Others have nothing to talk about.
The core players of the Thunder are too young and have no friendship.
Su Bei quietly warmed up and shot, received Harden's pass, and found the feeling of three-point shooting.
At this time, the lineups of both sides for tonight's match were also displayed on the big screen in the arena.
The Magic's top five, Howard, Ryan Anderson, Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, Nelson Jr.
Thunder team 5 players, Perkins, Yin Baka, Durant, Su Bei, Westbrook.
This game was broadcast live by TNT. In addition to Barkley partnering with Kenny Smith, Jeff Van Gundy was also invited as a guest.
"Billups, who has received the most attention, did not play tonight, which makes sense!
He signed with the Thunder relatively late and had almost no time to adjust.
Moreover, Westbrook's position is undeniable, and it is really difficult to force him into it.
This has to happen slowly.
In the Thunder's lineup, only Su Bei replaced Sefolosha.
Subei's three-pointers are better, which can be regarded as an enhanced version of the adjustment of the matchup, and the tactical play is very likely to be the original one." Kenny Smith analyzed.
"Jeff, you and Stan are brothers. What do you think of the path the Magic took in 2009?"
"In 2009, the Magic reached the Finals, proving that a one-star, four-shooter strategy with Howard at the core was the most suitable strategy for them.
At the same time, Howard does not have James' ability to organize the ball and make breakthrough shots. Re-trading Kotgrew, who was sent away two years ago, can be regarded as bringing order to the chaos!
Kotgrew can bring something that Howard doesn't have, and Carter is naturally very strong, but he can't replace Kotgrew, it's that simple."
"In other words, Stan Van Gundy has no other tactical assignments and can only modify the original assignments.
Ryan Anderson is equivalent to Lewis, and Richardson is a better 3D player.
I don’t know the running-in situation, but just looking at the lineup, the 12 Magic team is now the enhanced version of the 2009 Magic team..."
Beep——!
When the whistle sounded, the referee threw the basketball high into the air. Howard defeated Yin Baka and won the first possession of the ball for the Magic.
Nelson dribbles the ball forward, and Westbrook watches the defense.
Su Bei followed Jason Richardson.
This man, in his previous life in Jiangsu Province, was signed by Bobcats owner Jordan to become an All-Star.
It's just that my strength is limited and I couldn't fight it out.
Now he can only be a role player.
The Thunder used man-to-man tactics, and Richardson ran directly to the right corner.
Su Bei also felt relaxed and followed him.
"Nelson dribbled the ball to the top arc. Howard caught Perkins in the low post on the left, and then reached for the ball.
Durant shrank inward, trying to prevent Howard from getting the ball..."
With Howard's monster-like physical talent, he is a threat with the ball.
Coupled with the fact that the Thunder's inside line is not good at protecting the rim, getting the ball to Howard is likely to be a scoring problem.
At this time, Ryan Anderson, as a power forward, stayed in the left corner three-pointer with his pulling ability, making the Thunder's defense very uncomfortable.
】
If Yin Baka is out, Perkins alone can't stop Warcraft. If not, Ryan Anderson's three-point shooting ability will probably teach the Thunder's defense.
"This is the power of one star.
On both sides of the corner, there are shooters who can shoot three-pointers, and on the wings and in the top arc, there are main attackers who can burst and shoot.
The Thunder's defensive hands and legs were instantly tied..."
Pulling like five horses torn apart a corpse, this kind of pulling ability is really hard to resist.
There are two bottles of poison before the Thunder. Should they go inside? Or should they go outside?
The Thunder are very ambitious and choose to have both.
"While limiting Howard's ability to catch the ball, the Thunder's idea of using mobility and taking care of perimeter defense is a good one.
But Nelson hoisted the basketball into the basket, Howard got the basketball, and then became reckless towards Perkins.
Peng——!
Perkins took half a step back.
Seeing that Howard continued to be reckless, Perkins couldn't compete. Letting the monster drive to the basket was a point problem.
Yin Baka can only shrink back and attack Howard..."
At this time, Yin Baka had just moved, and Lane Anderson in the left corner also moved and moved to a high position.
Howard passed the ball to Nelson, took the ball two steps further, and then passed the ball to Ryan Anderson who was completely free.
At the 75-degree two-point line on the left, Ryan Anderson caught the ball, jumped up, faced the block blocked by Durant, raised his hand and shot a two-point jumper...
"Durant was very fast and defended very actively. His hand caught Anderson's hand and the ball went in.
It’s a beautiful 2 1…”
Swish——!
Beep——!
When the basketball hit the net, the referee's whistle also sounded. Anderson's two-point goal was valid and he also got a chance to score three points with an extra penalty.
Durant's active defense only prevented a lonely one.
This is why the Magic insist on having one star everywhere.
James has his own system.
Howard can only replace James, and naturally he has a system, which is really worthy of him.
Swish——!
At the free throw line, Anderson made a steady free throw, giving the Magic the first three points.
3 to 0!
Ryan Anderson is an open forward, a first-round pick in 2008. In the 2010/11 season, he averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting 43% from two-pointers and 39.3% from three-pointers.
It’s not without reason that the Magic sent Lewis away with peace of mind and focused on cultivating him.
The question is, there is a basket and it’s cheap!
It matches Howard's style very well.
Outside the court, Stan Van Gundy rushed to the court and applauded.
Not only did he praise Ryan Anderson, he was also very satisfied with Turkoglu's return.
He only needs to stand on the court to increase the Magic's offensive space.
Off the court, Scott Brooks was calm.
The question is that the Magic can score, but they are not as good as the Thunder. I still have some confidence in this.
"Westbrook rushed up and quickly rushed to the frontcourt, watching the defense of Junior.
After a pause, he continued to dribble the ball recklessly.
Nelson could only fight and retreat, and the Magic's defense shrank.
There was no wave, Westbrook distributed the basketball to Durant on the outside.
Outside the three-point line on the left wing, he picked up the ball and saw Kotgrew approaching. He immediately hit his right hand with his left hand, moved to the center, brought it to the free throw line, immediately raised the ball, and made a flat shot with his hand.
A strange two-point jump shot..."
Kotglu was shaken and lost half a step. He rushed to block the shot. Even if he didn't lose half a step, it was of no use.
He is 2.08 meters tall, and with his wingspan, he can't reach the shot blocker, so he can only listen to the gunshot.
Swish——!
With the knife in hand, Durant easily hit two points.
3 to 2!
"This is Wang Zha. If you encounter them, you can only bet that they don't have bullets in their pistols.
It's not that our side is too weak, but that the other side is too strong..."
Su Bei started off in a soy sauce manner and didn't care.
The Thunder team, with their explosive combination, is so powerful.
Didn’t you see that Tanhua Lang, who was born in 2009, will have to stay on the bench and eat ashes for four years.
No matter how strong Durant is and how much he can score, will his salary be as high as him?
Does he have more championship rings than him? He doesn't have any. Su Bei can look down on him from a high position and make money while lying down.
"This is Durant's personal ability.
No one in the Magic team can stand up, and with Westbrook's reckless play, it is impossible to defend. The Magic team can only do their best now, let the bullets fly for a while, and come back on offense.
…”
Magic offensive possession.
Continuing to expand the formation, Nelson dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and immediately distributed the ball to Turkoglu on the left. Ryan Anderson ran over to cover. Yinbaka could not ignore it and let Anderson and Turkoglu face Durant.
Play mixed doubles.
However, as soon as he made the save, Turkoglu passed the basketball to the top arc. Nelson took the ball and immediately broke through inside.
"Howard pulled out, screened Nelson, and immediately cut to the basket.
Little Nelson casually sent the basketball into the sky, and Huo HuaDe, the monster, flew up, caught the ball in the air, and beat Perkins, who was 2.08 meters tall, and it was a two-handed slam dunk..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Bang Dang——!
Howard made an alley-oop with his entire body hanging on the basket.
5 to 2!
"Continuous pick-and-rolls allowed Howard to have offensive space and get the basketball. He was also unstoppable.
The superstar basketball played by both sides was unstoppable.
Next, let’s see how the Thunder come back?
Or push the attack quickly.
Westbrook dribbled the ball into the frontcourt. After being pressed, he didn't play blindly. He distributed the ball to Durant, lifted the ball a little, collected the ball, and changed direction to break through to the right.
Kotglu was passed easily, and his reaction was too late.
Durant broke through into the penalty area and Richardson shrank back.
Pulling the ball up, Durant raised his hand in the paint and shot a two-point pull-up jump shot... No, Howard flew over and covered the basketball. He swept too fast and engaged in physical confrontation. Durant was empty.
After hesitating, he finally threw the basketball away.
Outside the 45-degree three-point line on the right side, Su Bei received the basketball. When he was free, he took the ball and raised his hand to shoot a three-point jumper..."
By the time Richardson pounced back, it was already too late, and he could only bet that Su Bei's three-point pistol had no bullets.
Swish——!
I guessed wrong, Su Bei's pistol has bullets.
He took a three-point jump shot and hit it steadily.
5 to 5!
“Very nice!
Su Bei, a high-level role player, can plug and play.
The three-point shot is so solid!
It was still invisible just now and showed nothing.
But we can't ignore his offense. He will kill every chance he gets, so the Magic will know that it's not just the Thunder's explosive combination that can kill the game."
"Snapped--!"
"Su, it's a beautiful throw!"
"You passed the ball so well!
"
When returning to defense, Durant high-fived Su Bei to celebrate the connection. Of course, there was also a business exchange.
Su Bei scored this goal and got the first blood to join the Thunder from Durant, opening his personal scoring account.