basketball pope

Chapter 71 [Impossible Mission]

The Nets didn't call a timeout, the offense was always initiated by Cassell, and Calipari was good at using point guards as nothing else.

If Yang Rui is the coach, then the team will definitely consider letting Casal organize as the main team, give Kittles cover on the inside side, catch the ball and shoot, or play Ewing in a dislocation.

Kittles was selected by the Nets with the 96th overall pick in 8. Before the serious injury, the ball was elegant and his breakthrough was sharp. The three-point shot made people feel like a mosquito's needle pierced into the opponent's skin, and scored without a sound. Fans Give it the nickname "Mosquito".

His three-point shooting rate this season is as high as 41.8%, and his mid-range shooting is also excellent, but Calipari did not help him arrange tactics at all. He averaged only 3.4 three-point shots per game, made 1.4 shots, and scored 17.2 points and 4.7 rebounds. 2.3 assists.

Attacking with Kittles as the core, relying on excellent shots, at least Ewing can be removed from the basket, and teammates will also benefit from it.

Cassell's personal ability is outstanding. He can turn his back and make a jumper, and he can also score a goal against the defender.But he is mainly two-pointers, the efficiency is average, and the connection with his teammates is cut off, unable to drive the whole team.

In the first quarter, the Knicks dominated Ewing and Johnson, scoring 8 and 11 points respectively, leading the team to a 32-17 lead.

Substitute contest in the second quarter, the Knicks sent Atkins, Starks, Mills, Ben Wallace, Oakley.

Regular season starter Charlie Ward continued to sit on the bench, which was Yang Rui's arrangement.Nets backup point guard Sherman Douglas is 183cm tall and very flexible, making Atkins, who is similar in size, better in main defense than Ward and Childs.

The Knicks lost to the Nets once in the regular season, and Sherman accidentally scored 19 points and 8 assists, leading the bench to show off.

The Nets sent Williams and Gatlin on the inside to withstand the Knicks' attack, but they couldn't catch up with the score. The Knicks' defense was equally tight.

The playoffs are more confrontational than the regular season, and the two blue-collar Knicks have a lot of use.

Oakley is a real tough guy, good at constantly looking for physical confrontation to disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm.This defensive method is a must for bullying people with a soft style of play, and it is still useful for the slugger, but the result is often that after the game, both of them are covered in bruises, and Oakley still enjoys it.

Ben Wallace is Oakley's apprentice, the same way, the face of the All-Star Williams did not back down.

Oakley limited the thinner Sterling on the defensive end, and it was going to be harder.

In 4 minutes, Big Ben got an iron elbow while defending Williams and fell heavily to the ground. He showed the quality of a beast and got up immediately. Williams, who is heavier than himself, is in position, grabbing the board, and fighting for every inch of land.

In fact, Yang Rui doesn't like players like Oakley and Ben Wallace, because their offense is too bad, especially Big Ben can't make free throws.

Yang Rui had to admire them again, because they were like fighters who never flinched, fighting for the position of the basket. When they grabbed rebounds, they were serious as if they were fighting for the borders of the country. This kind of hard work could infect the whole team.

They will twist with the opponent's arm, press against the opponent's waist constantly, even if they are running, they are also pulling and pulling, staggering and doing every movement, using the "duizi" method. help the team.

In the third quarter, the Nets shot from the outside and clenched the score. If the Knicks didn't start by surprise, it would be hard to beat them.

At the end of the quarter, the Knicks star showed his power and finally opened the score, and the advantages of the players' physical fitness began to appear.The Nets have only 8 main rotation players, but the Knicks' bench can withstand the Nets' main counterattack for a certain period of time.

Van Horn was so poor on the defensive end that Calipari didn't dare to use him, only letting him play for the early 10 minutes.Veteran center Ronnie Sekali was traded from the Magic in the mid-term, and his playing time was equally short.

Sekali was the first Lebanese to land in the NBA. In the Heat's game against the Washington Bullets in 1993, one person scored an astonishing 34 rebounds, setting the team's single-game individual rebounding record.

The Nets switched to Seikali to improve their performance in the second half of the regular season, thus avoiding the Knicks in the first round, but failed.

Seikali has played a double-double for five consecutive seasons. Last season, he averaged 17.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for the Magic. This season, he played 47 games for the Magic, with 15 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists.He is a good player, with outstanding footwork in the low post, nicknamed "Dancer", and his signature move is a low post turn.

However, this is of no use. Calipari will not use Seikali at all. In the Nets, he is just a blue-collar, 211cm tall and weighs 104kg. He is not qualified to resist people, and the data has dropped to 4.7 points and 4 rebounds.

After 5 minutes of play in the final quarter, the Knicks led 103-76 by 27 points, and the outcome was already divided.

Nets manager Ed Stefanski didn't want to see the end, so he turned off the TV depressed, and the phone rang. It was owner Alan Cohen.

"Ed, are you watching tonight's game?" Cohen asked.

"Yes." Ed replied feebly. He knew that the owner had been considering selling the team since the beginning of the season. This season, recruiting horses for a last-ditch effort was on the one hand to increase the value of the team.

As soon as the boss changes, the manager is likely to change too, and it will be difficult for Ed to sit in this position next year.

Cohen said lightly: "Although the Nets are likely to be swept by the Knicks in the first round, Lewis Katz is very interested in the Nets and hopes to take over. The NBA should be suspended in the summer, so there is still a possibility of you staying on the team. ."

"Thank you..." Ed thought it was just words of comfort.In the event of a lockout, just not allowing players to trade, the new owner has a lot of time to find a new manager.

Cohen smiled: "I'm not calling to comfort you, but I want to tell you good news. If you can do this, you will continue to be the manager of the Nets [-]%. This is what Lewis meant. In the summer, dig someone."

Ed ignited hope and asked excitedly: "Who does he want? As long as it is not a superstar, I will try my best to get it before the draft day. Did he say that there must be someone in the team? If there is not enough chips, it is not easy to trade. "

He didn't want to leave the Nets, and with his terrible work experience, it was very difficult to get another general manager job.

"There is no need for a bargaining chip. He wants to change the head coach and find a free agent to replace Calipari. This man is very young, and now the Knicks are an assistant coach. As long as he is offered a long-term contract, he is likely to agree, so he does not need to leave New York. Yes." Cohen smiled: "I think you should guess who it is. If Jerry Young coaches the Nets, it will be a good gimmick."

Ed took the phone and petrified on the spot.

Yang Rui was chased away by him and Calipari at the beginning. He didn't look like someone who would eat back grass. It would be good not to ridicule him a few words.

"Hey, are you listening? Why don't you speak? Hey..."

It was an impossible task, and Ed felt he was done as a Nets manager.

(End of this chapter)