Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 107

In the Blazers' seven preseason games, because McMillan gave enough playing time, Ye Feng acted like a superstar.Although he averaged "only" 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, comparing his data in each game, it can be found that he is growing at an astonishing speed. In the last battle against the Jazz, he even scored 27 points, 8 A quasi triple-double with 11 rebounds and [-] assists.The defensive intensity in the preseason is of course not as good as in the regular season, but Ye Feng's ability to play such impressive statistics on the court has fully proved that he has initially adapted to the NBA.

However, McMillan took advantage of the preseason to cultivate the tacit understanding between the players, and the results of the game were not very important. This also caused the Blazers to only achieve a record of 3 wins and 4 losses in these seven games, with no winning percentage. More than 50%.But the whole team is quite satisfied with their performance. Old players such as Roy and Alder gradually regained the feeling of the game. Oden, who was reimbursed due to injury in his rookie season, also felt that his body was full of vitality. As a rookie, Ye Feng is full of expectations for the upcoming regular season. He can't wait to show his skills in the hall of world basketball.

But when they saw the team's schedule, everyone was stunned. There was no other reason. The opponent in the opening game was too strong. It was the Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe, who was also the finals team of last season.Although they lost to the Celtics in the end, no one can deny their strength.In addition to Kobe, they also have the most luxurious inside group in the league. The "three-high" combination of Bynum + Gasol + Odom is a nightmare for the other 29 teams.Everyone's sights involuntarily turned to three people: Adelaide, Oden, and Ye Feng, who are the starting frontcourt of the Blazers in the new season.

The young insiders composed of Adelaide and Oden are certainly under a lot of pressure, but in the eyes of others, Ye Feng is the one with the most pressure on the entire team.Leaving aside Odom, who plays small forward with a height of 2.08 meters, there is another troublesome outside defender Ariza in the Lakers. If Phil Jackson sends Ariza to partner with Kobe, it is obvious that Ariza Zha will deal with Roy, then Ye Feng must face Kobe.It is true that Ye Feng is taller than Kobe, but basketball is not just a game of comparing heights. As the most Jordan-like shooting guard in the 21st century, Kobe is obviously at the peak of his career. There are definitely no more than five people who exploded with him.As for Ye Feng?Not being scored by Kobe for [-] or [-] points is already a victory!
Ye Feng naturally thought of what his teammates could think of, his expression was a little stiff.Although it is his dream to play against the strong, but there is no need to meet Kobe in the first regular season, right?Although Kobe's defense should not be encountered on the offensive end, there is a great possibility that he will face Kobe's powerful offense on the defensive end. Whether he can defend it or not is another matter!Prior to this, Kobe had been selected to the All-Defensive Team for eight seasons, so when the Blazers were attacking, he should be marking the team's main attacking point, which is Roy.And when the Lakers start to attack, Kobe will definitely start from him. Unless he is really talented, it will be difficult for any rookie to resist Kobe's offense, and he can only go all out.

But Ye Feng is very clear that his defense is not enough to have a substantial impact on Kobe. At this time, he needs to rely on various methods to improve his defensive ability against Kobe. Yes, it is not to improve his overall defensive ability. It's just for Kobe, the rest can be postponed, and it's serious to finish the game in front of you first.Facing the concerns and concerns of his teammates, Ye Feng just smiled slightly, telling them to calm down and prepare for the game. He said calmly: "I know that the strength gap between us and the Lakers is very big, but I'm not used to it yet. Just admit defeat. So from today to the opening game, I will further improve myself and try to cause trouble for Kobe in the game. In my basketball philosophy, there is no retreat without a fight!"

Ye Feng's words also ignited the anger in other people's hearts. After all, the Blazers are a young guard army. Most of the team's main players are young players under the age of 25. Who doesn't have a bit of blood and impulsiveness at this age?Anyway, they are already weaker than the Lakers, so it's better to take this opportunity to fight. If you win, you will earn money, and if you lose, it is only reasonable.What's more, Ye Feng, a rookie who has just entered the league, has declared that he wants to fight against the top stars in the league. As veteran players, how can they be willing to lag behind?Otherwise, wouldn't it be worse than a rookie?

Looking at this group of impassioned young people, McMillan smiled. This is the biggest shortcoming of the young team, but also their biggest advantage.Maybe they still lack experience, but their drive is something that many mature and prudent teams don't have.Such a team may be defeated at a critical moment because it cannot withstand the pressure, but it will also show a strong desire to fight when facing a strong enemy.As the team's head coach, McMillan didn't feel too nervous, even if his opponent was Phil Jackson.Since becoming the head coach of the NBA team in 2000, McMillan and Phil have played against each other many times. Of course, the record is more defeats than wins, but this time McMillan feels that he seems to have a chance to give Phil a ruthless, Even losing can't make the Lakers feel better.

Although there are still a few days before the end of the preseason and the start of the regular season, this is far from enough for Ye Feng.If you want to guard against a star player, the defender's own defensive ability is the foundation of everything, and on this basis, you must fully understand some of the opponent's habits, such as which foot comes first when breaking through, and whether you should sink your shoulders. To make a fake move, you still have to change the direction of the body and so on.However, now Ye Feng has no time to watch Kobe's videotapes, let alone analyze them. After all, as the golden generation of 96, Kobe has played in the NBA for 12 years. Will feel a lot.

But this is not without a solution, Ye Feng chose a faster but also quite practical method: imitate the defensive style of "Kobe Terminator" to limit Kobe.Any player, including the great Michael Jordan, is not absolutely invincible on the basketball court. Kobe, as Jordan's successor, is the same. In the first 12 seasons of his career, some players really played The center guarded him, and more than once, these players were called "Kobe finishers."Of course, Kobe is not so easy to end, but this title also shows that their defense against Kobe is effective.

There are several "Kobe Terminator" known to fans before this: Bowen, Artest, Battier and Raja Bell.For Ye Feng, Artest's defense method that relies purely on physical confrontation is not suitable for him. Although he has confidence in his physical fitness, it does not mean that he thinks he has reached Artest's level, so The way Battier, Bowen and Bell defended Kobe is more worthy of his reference.Therefore, during the period before the official start of the regular season, Ye Feng almost forgot to eat and sleep watching the video of these three players playing against Kobe, taking notes while watching.This is a habit that Ye Feng developed in high school, so that he can prevent his sudden ideas from disappearing in an instant.

Ye Feng didn't simply copy the defensive methods of these defensive gatekeepers, he had to transform them into defensive moves that were more suitable for him according to his own defensive habits and abilities.In fact, the defense of these three players has its own characteristics. Although Bowen plays "dirty", his thin body conceals his strong strength. Coupled with his flexible footwork, tireless follow-up defense and jellyfish-style defense, Worthy of the nightmare of all scoring machines in the league, he is also the most successful player to defend Kobe.Bell is somewhat similar to Bowen, but sometimes his tough defense will be shown on the bright side. For example, in the first round of the 2006 playoffs, a chokehold against Kobe made "Peter Pan" suffer.In contrast, Battier may be the most civilized defensive player. Ye Feng often used blindfold defense in the NCAA or learned from him. When facing Kobe, Battier will always keep in front of Kobe , read his fake moves, and disrupted Kobe's defensive rhythm.

These three players have their own strengths and weaknesses in defending against Kobe, but the effect is quite good, but obviously Ye Feng is not quite like any of them, the best way is to combine the defensive methods of Bowen, Bell and Battier To create their own defensive skills.In fact, Ye Feng prefers Battier's defensive style of defeating others without fighting, but Battier's defense is based on understanding Kobe's fake moves. It is not something that can be done in a short period of time to ensure that you will not get into foul trouble.Ye Feng kept pausing and playing the screen while holding the remote control, while writing and drawing in the notebook with a pen, many of the details he recorded were about Kobe Bryant.

Although Kobe is still improving and may even develop more weapons, the habit of playing alone is not so easy to change.Kobe has a lot of details in his offense, but Ye Feng has a good mentality, he can remember as much as he can, and he doesn't force himself if he can't remember, maybe one of the things he remembers can change the outcome of the entire game?

(End of this chapter)