NBA: I am the god of basketball

Chapter 378: The older he gets, the more demonic he becomes. Is he human? (Tell me about the update issue)
(Today, let’s talk a little bit about the update issue. This book is scheduled to be finished this month. It is expected to update about 9 words. Those who know me should know that I still have an account. The reason for the slow update at the beginning of this month is because the other account is no longer available. I am working on a new book. Now that the new book has almost stabilized, I will hurry up with the updates here to strive for a stable landing. I will also take this opportunity to promote the new book: "NBA: Old James Wants to Team Up with Me". This book should be completed when it is finished. It will be put on the shelves simultaneously. I hope you can help collect it and recommend it.)
Before the start of the regular season, ESPN made a predicted ranking of the strength list based on the preseason and the lineups of each team in the league.

In this strength list, the Golden State Warriors top the list for a simple reason. Curry, Thompson, and Green's old three are all healthy. At the same time, Ingram is entering his fourth season in his career and his personal abilities have further improved.

Not only that, the Warriors re-signed JaVale McGee this summer, hoping that the other party can make a difference in the Warriors' weak inside line.

This signing is considered the finishing touch in Wang Chao's eyes.

McGee's price itself is not high, only 300 to [-] million, but as a blue-collar player, his contribution on the court is still remarkable.

In the original history, in the 18-19 season, McGee, who served as the Lakers' starting center, averaged 22 minutes per game and contributed 12 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2 blocks to the team, and his performance was very efficient.

In the 19-20 season, the season when the Lakers won the championship, McGee's playing time was suppressed by Howard, with only 16.8 minutes, but he still had 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

For the Warriors, who mainly play a small lineup of death five, a blue-collar center like McGee who doesn't need too much playing time and can be used immediately as soon as he comes on the court is the best choice.

With McGee and Rooney, the Warriors' inside line is basically enough. Combined with the characteristics of the entire lineup, as well as the varying degrees of roster changes and decline in strength of several strong teams last season, they are considered to be the strongest in the new season. One team is no surprise.

The second place on the strength list is the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even though they were swept and eliminated by the Clippers in the playoffs last season, the Lakers' lineup is still too luxurious.

The Big Three combination of James + Cousins ​​+ Towns, as well as Rondo, Tatum and other new and old players, as long as they are well integrated, they will definitely be an undisputed championship contender.

Ranked third is the Los Angeles Clippers.

The successive departures of Tobias Harris and Brogdon made the league generally believe that the Clippers' strength has declined. Even if they successfully retained Wang Chao, Alexander's performance in the preseason was also impressive. , but the decline in the Clippers' overall strength is an indisputable fact. Being ranked third in the strength list is a sign of the league's respect for Wang Chao and the Clippers, the defending champion team.

Fourth to sixth on the strength list are the Bucks, Rockets, Spurs and other teams.

The first battle between the Clippers and the Lakers is a battle between second and third in the strength list.

This game is the home court of the Clippers, but in the Los Angeles Derby, the Clippers rarely have home court advantage. Even though they won the championship last season, the number of Clippers fans has increased a lot, but they can still be seen at home. Many fans wearing Lakers uniforms.

Clippers starting lineup: Wang Chao, Alexander, Anthony, Gallinari, Lopez.

Lakers starting lineup: Rondo, Tatum, James, Towns, Cousins.

Before the game started, Wang Chao noticed something was wrong with Anthony's eyes not far away. He looked at the Lakers, his eyes flickering, as if looking at an enemy.

After thinking about it carefully, Wang Chao understood.

Last season, Anthony didn't have a good time with the Lakers. He was even worse than he was with the Rockets in history. Not only did he become the scapegoat for the Lakers' losses, but he was also humiliated by the Lakers management in various ways. And he His "good brother" never spoke up for him during this process. Even his being waived by the Lakers may have been fueled by his "good brother".

After a season, Anthony, who was almost without a ball to play, returned to the game and faced his old club from last season. Although the situation was different, it was a bit like the 30 years of Hedong and 30 years of Hexi.

Wang Chao knew that Anthony's overall performance this season was actually pretty good, and now facing his enemies might really inspire more of his fighting power.

It's really interesting to watch Anthony kill his enemies with his own hands.

Thinking of this, Wang Chao whispered to Anthony: "Carmelo, I will try my best to help you in this game. You can play your best and beat them!"

Hearing Wang Chao's words, Anthony was startled, then understood and looked at Wang Chao with some gratitude.

When players who leave the team meet their old club again, they usually want to perform better and prove their strength to the old club. It proves that the opponent is ignorant and cannot use people, rather than their lack of strength.

Although Anthony is now a veteran, as a former top superstar and the top 75 star in the league, he definitely has this ambition.

He didn't expect the team to give him this opportunity. After all, Wang Chao's position was much bigger than his, and his opponent was a powerful opponent like the Lakers. Winning was much more important than finding his place.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chao offered to help him find a venue before the game started.

This made Anthony's gratitude to Wang Chao beyond words.

He also knew that the reason why the Clippers accepted him was because of Wang Chao's approval.

While talking, the starting players of both teams came on stage.

Lopez and Towns jump ball, the latter wins, and the Lakers have the ball.

Rondo dribbled the ball past half court and handed the ball to James. Facing Wang Chao's defense with the ball, James had no intention of playing by himself and instead hoisted the ball inside.

With Towns and Cousins, the Lakers have the most luxurious interior configuration in the league. How could they not take advantage of it?

Cousins ​​may not have much advantage against Lopez's defense in the paint, but Towns is definitely an advantage against Gallinari.

No matter how soft Towns is, he can't be so soft that even Gallinari can't play in isolation.

Facing Gallinari with his back, Towns squeezed two steps into the penalty area, came to a comfortable position, turned around and took off to shoot.

But at this moment, Wang Chao, who had been waiting for an opportunity for a long time, came out from the side and slapped Towns' shot directly out of bounds with a volleyball smash.

It started with a bloody big shot. Wang Chao successfully set off the atmosphere in the audience, and the fans filled the entire stadium with cheers and screams!
The Lakers served from the bottom line, and the basketball was once again passed to Towns. He took advantage of the time difference and shot directly from mid-range. However, it was obvious that Wang Chao's big block just now had some impact on Towns' mentality, and the shot missed the basket. , the rebound was picked off by Wang Chao.

When he saw Wang Chao leaping high to grab the rebound, James' eyelids couldn't help but jump.

Seeing Wang Chao's extremely familiar movements, he immediately realized what Wang Chao wanted to do.

Counterattack fast break!

James, like Wang Chao, has an extremely keen sense of counterattack and fast break. Coupled with his super fast running speed, scoring on a fast break is like searching for something.

"Get back on defense!"

After James shouted to his teammates, he quickly retreated towards the backcourt.

Sure enough, after landing, Wang Chao threw the basketball in front of him, and his whole body suddenly accelerated like a cheetah, and he jumped a long distance in an instant.

The Lakers' outside players could only grit their teeth and retreat, not even daring to take the risk of going up to steal and try to stop Wang Chao's pace.

The offensive and defensive transitions between the two sides were extremely fast. In just a breath, Wang Chao had already rushed across the half court to outside the three-point line and headed straight for the Clippers penalty area.On the Lakers' side, James, Tatum and Rondo shrank their defense almost at the same time, and the three of them joined forces to form an encirclement against Wang Chao.

"No matter how strong Wang Chao is, it's not that easy to go 1v3!"

Just when everyone was thinking this, Wang Chao raised the corners of his mouth slightly and threw the basketball in his hand outward.

The basketball passed through the net surrounded by three people and accurately fell into the hands of Anthony who had just arrived behind the three-point line.

In terms of speed, the aging Anthony is no longer able to compete with Wang Chao, James and others, but after all, the foundation of the past is still there. When Wang Chao rushed into the inside and attracted all the defensive attention, he still took position outside the three-point line. It can be done.

With a completely wide open space, Anthony took a deep breath and calmly bent his knees to take off the shot.

The basketball drew a beautiful parabola in the air and then hit the net.

Three point hit!

Three-pointers are not an area where Anthony is good at, but as an offensive kaleidoscope, Anthony's three-pointers are relatively good among the 03 golden generation. His career average field goal percentage is 34.8%, which is slightly higher than James.

Especially in this small ball era that focuses on three-pointers, Anthony is also practicing three-pointers in order to adapt to the league's rhythm.

When Anthony was with the Trail Blazers in the 19-20 season, his three-point shooting percentage was very good, averaging 3.9 shots per game and hitting 1.4 goals, with a shooting percentage of 37.1%.

Therefore, Anthony's three-pointer is still worthy of trust when he is completely open.

The game continues.

As the game progressed, the expressions of the Lakers fans at the scene gradually became weird.

Because the main point of attack for the Clippers at the beginning was actually Anthony.

For several consecutive rounds, Wang Chao was playing ball for Anthony, creating a comfortable shooting environment for the opponent.

Anthony has probably never played so comfortably in his entire career.

He only needs to stand in a certain position and does not need to do anything. The defensive players will leave him inexplicably and run to double-team Wang Chao. Then the ball will be in his hands. He only needs to raise his hand to shoot to score.

At the back, the Lakers began to adjust their defensive strategy and not easily give Anthony open opportunities, but that would only make the situation worse.

If you dare not double-team Wang Chao, then Wang Chao will dare to score.

After holding the ball and breaking through the basket and scoring three goals, the Lakers knew what to choose.

If you let Anthony shoot, the opponent may lose touch and miss the shot. If you let Wang Chao hit the basket at will, I am afraid that the Lakers' two interior towers will have to foul out in a short time.

首节比赛，安东尼8投4中，得到9分，次节5投3中得到6分。

At halftime, Anthony's personal score had reached 15 points, both in terms of scoring and efficiency value.

The Lakers were already a bit confused, especially the head coach who was sitting on the bench. He felt like his face was being slapped. Although it didn't hurt, he was very embarrassed.

Last season, the Lakers super lineup had just been formed, but the record after the start of the regular season was very disappointing. It was obvious that the Lakers lineup was not well-integrated and there was no tacit understanding between the players.

But for the sake of the stability of the team and to be held accountable, the Lakers chose to use Anthony as a scapegoat. First, they asked Anthony to play as a substitute, and later they even hid the opponent until Anthony was laid off.

The two sides broke up on bad terms, but at least it gave the Lakers an excuse for their poor record.

But what does this scene count now?
Doesn't it mean that Anthony's condition has declined due to age and injuries and he is no longer qualified for the starting position?

Then why is Anthony so good when it comes to the Clippers? In his first game for the Clippers, he scored 15 points in the half. According to this rhythm, it is not impossible to score 30+ points in the entire game.

Of course, anyone who knows football can actually see that it is not Anthony but Wang Chao who is powerful.

Most of the time, Anthony just shoots in open spaces. It is Wang Chao who attracts the opponent's defense with his offense, and every time he is double-teamed, he can accurately find Anthony's position and pass the ball. Come here, this is too strong.

From the beginning of the first quarter, the Clippers took the initiative and suppressed the Lakers. The Lakers' proud twin interior towers had no advantage at all.

Because the Clippers' interior defense is really not bad, when Lopez came off the court to rest, Warcraft Howard came on instead.

Regardless of the fact that no one cares about Howard, who is worth 2000 million, Howard, who is a veteran with a minimum salary, is still quite popular, especially this season. In order to adapt to the fast-paced small ball game, Howard began to lose weight in the summer. So far, he has lost 22 pounds. The effect is obvious, and the body fat rate has been reduced to less than 10%.

Although Howard's ability to protect the basket has declined slightly due to the reduction in weight after weight loss, his improved mobility has increased his defensive radius on the defensive end. Even if it is still not as good as the terrifying defensive ability at his peak, this improvement is definitely It is good.

Howard, who comes off the bench, can easily handle whether he is guarding Cousins ​​or Towns, and his advantage is naturally revealed.

In fact, the Lakers' internal twin towers cannot take advantage. It is not that Lopez and Howard are strong. In fact, it is because Cousins ​​​​and Towns are too weak.

Cousins ​​himself is a data brusher who has never proven himself, and Towns is not much better than Cousins.

The same applies to this game. After three quarters, the statistics of both players are actually not too bad, but their shooting percentage is less than 45%. What kind of insider is this?
When the team needs to attack a difficult situation, it can only rely on James to charge forward.

But in fact, James is a little powerless now, especially in this game, Wang Chao is the main defender.

Last season, Wang Chao didn't play against James very seriously. Harris was usually responsible for guarding James, and Wang Chao mostly guarded Towns inside.

As we all know, James' strength during the Lakers period has declined significantly compared to before. Including the 19-20 championship season, James won the assists king and was second in the regular season MVP list, but whether in the regular season or the playoffs, During this period, his dominance was far inferior to that of the Heat and Cavaliers.

Even James is like this, let alone other players.

Age is always the biggest opponent for professional players.

Only Wang Chao is an exception.

Wang Chao, who is one year older than James, instead of getting weaker with age, has a tendency to get stronger as he fights, which makes people wonder whether this guy is human after all.

(End of this chapter)