Chapter 14 [Simply Unbelievable]
At the end of halftime, the SuperSonics led the Timberwolves 52-30 by 22 points, and the game lost the suspense early.
Bob Weiss didn't plan to let Jane Yang rest, and even forgot about helping Sherrell Ford brush the data. Weiss now wants Yang Jian to take more shots to see how far he can do it.
During the break, Weiss looked for a place with no one to call George Karl and talked about Yang Jian's performance.
"This kid's performance is unbelievable. He opened with nine straight points, three top-five dunks in the half, and made a three-pointer."
George Carr asked, "How's his shooting percentage?"
"He just missed a three-pointer, and the others made all-in. His defense is also good, he blocked one shot, followed the defense actively, and his opponents haven't scored too much." Weiss was a little excited. "He has a lot of room for improvement on the defensive end. He relies on his body to defend, and if the distance is widened, he will almost miss it."
"Signing a year-end salary is too short." George Karl sighed.
"Yeah, you contact Walker (general manager) and tell him not to trade the shooting guard, it will affect the training of Yang. Yang should be able to be a starter after practicing, we have to give him enough playing time to exercise, so in the playoffs he can help the team." Weiss said sternly.
"I'll call in a while. Walker said before that he wants to use Kendall for an insider who can protect the rim. Both the Nets and the Hornets are very interested in Kendall, and Walker is dragging them." George Karl doesn't like procrastination and is impatient. .
The salaries of each team are not ample, and it is impossible for a championship team to hoard multiple excellent players in the same position.
The Sonics' introduction of a shooting guard outweighs the gains. In exchange, the contract of immediate combat players is definitely not small, which not only affects the training of new players, but also disrupts the team's future contract renewal plan.
The Sonics' interior lineup has obvious flaws. Most of the time, they play small ball tactics and lack big men who are good at rim protection. The team sent off the starting shooting guard Kendall Gill, who fell off the chain twice in the playoffs, and Nate McMillan. There is no shortage of shooting guards.
McMillan was the sixth overall pick in the second round in 1986. After being selected, he has been playing for the Sonics and is a veteran of the team.
Yang Jian's performance not only won the coach's trust, but also conquered the audience, including the two local reporters who came to watch the game.
The flat-headed white man in his thirties said: "Peter, we split up after the game so as not to miss the interview opportunity. I'm going to interview Garnett, you go to the Asian No. 21."
Just joined the newspaper, Peter, who was blond and parted, put on his glasses, feeling a little unconfident. "How am I supposed to interview him? I don't know his name, what if he doesn't speak English well?"
"Idiot, how can he not speak English when he sits next to the coach and talks so much during the break? It doesn't matter if he doesn't know his name, he's not famous. You can ask him to introduce himself first, then ask him how he feels about winning and his past. ." Flat head is more experienced.
"Thank you, I know now."
"Have you taken a picture of the dunk number 21?" Flathead asked.
"I got it, I don't know how the effect will be, I will stare at him in the second half." Peter touched the camera.
"Yes, keep an eye on him, maybe there is a wonderful dunk. The news doesn't have to use Garnett's photo." Flathead sighed: "This Asian No. 21 is more like the No. 5 show, and high school students can't fight against each other."
In the second half, Yang Jian's mentality was more relaxed.
He's an undrafted, no pressure at all. He played well is a surprise, and no one will blame him for playing badly. Soon he hit another 3-pointer and made two free throws for a layup on the counterattack.
Yang Jian played for 6 minutes and was replaced to rest. Weiss chatted with him alone about tactics and the timing of air cuts.
"You will play again in a while. When the inside line is withdrawn, you will cut empty. No one will help you to defend yourself. If someone helps defend, you will split the ball. You must remember this tactic clearly, and you will play it often during the regular season."
"When Kemp is at a high position and Perkins is at the bottom line?" Yang Jian asked.
"Yes, this is the time, this is the work you must do well in the new season." Weiss smiled and thought that Yang Jianruzi could be taught.
Sean Kemp is a high mid-range shooter, and Sam Perkins is an insider who can shoot 3-pointers. Coupled with the team's best shooting forward, Schramf, the Supersonics' positional battle formation is very open, and the shooting guard can quickly cut through the air, which will make the opponent very uncomfortable. When Yang Jian stands outside the three-point line, it can make Kemp and Payton's pick-and-roll more powerful.
Last season's starting shooting guard, Kendall Gill, could only cut in the air and shoot badly from the mid-to-long range. He was air-dropped in the playoffs, and George Karl was so angry that his liver hurt, which greatly shortened his playing time.
There is no coach who doesn't like a young man like Yang Jian, who knows everything. As long as players with good physical fitness can understand tactics, they will be more powerful.
The Timberwolves players didn't have any tactics, they couldn't pass open shots, and they fell back into singles.
To put it bluntly, the individual ability of the players is not good.
The Sonics are a strong team in the Western Conference, and many players with NBA experience are willing to represent the Sonics in summer league in hopes of securing their contracts.
The Timberwolves are sparsely populated in Minnesota, and it is difficult to make the playoffs. Rookies don't want to play there if given a choice. Therefore, the Timberwolves' reinforcement mainly depends on the draft, and the starters of the summer league are some inexperienced rookies.
The final score was 101 to 68, and the Supersonic won by 33 points.
Yang Jian has been playing according to tactics, and staged another dunk with both hands. As soon as he cut away from the defender, Snow's ball arrived, and Garnett was too late to help defend.
Five of the SuperSonics scored in double figures, and the one with the most points was Yang Jian, who was also the most efficient player in the game. He played 27 minutes and went 7 of 9 from the field, 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Got 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
He used the same defensive method he used against Snow, and the opponent who tried to defend himself as close as possible didn't score a single point. After a few challenges, the opponent stopped hitting him hard.
With such a strong physical quality as Yang Jian, it is difficult not to become a super defensive player. As long as he is not distracted and is willing to follow the defense, it is almost impossible for the opponent to get rid of it, and he will catch up if he starts first.
Eric Snow also played well, playing 25 minutes and scoring 4 points and 8 assists. Four of his assists were passed to Yang Jian, and the two had some tacit understanding.
Sherrell Ford made 6 of 16 shots and 1 of 2 free throws, scoring 13 points and 5 rebounds. If it weren't for his low shooting percentage, the Timberwolves would have lost even more.
On the Timberwolves side, only Garnett and Mark Davis scored in double figures. Garnett made 7 of 17 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Garnett's successful one-handed dunk is the only bright spot, and the other shots are outside the penalty area. His organizational skills also failed to play well, his teammates were too bad, and the penalty area was almost completely controlled by the Sonics.
This is called "the insider wins the world". When the player does not have a reliable long-range shooting ability, try to shoot as close to the basket as possible, and the hit rate is higher.
The premise is that the player has the ability to hit the basket, whether face-to-face or post-up. In the 1990s, NBA players accounted for a very high proportion of offense in singles with the ball.
The SuperSonics won the physical confrontation, and the starters almost had a strength advantage. The 196CM bench player Byron Houston has a strength advantage in the power forward position. He is nearly 30 pounds heavier than Garnett, which is quite outrageous.
Yang Jian obeyed the "tactics" of this era. He took four shots from beyond the arc, and turned out to be the player with the most three-pointers and three-pointers made by the two teams in this game. Except for him, Frank, and Garnett, all of them tried their best to rush to the basket, no matter what height or size.
This style of NBA will last for a long time. It's okay for players to score inefficiently. If they don't play like this, it's not hard enough. Until the American Dream Team has been beaten many times in the international arena and failed to win the championship for many consecutive years, the overall play style of the NBA will not change.
"I have practiced the three-point shot, I have practiced one move and stepped back three points, and then I have practiced to rely on the speed to break through... Maybe I can change the NBA ahead of time and become a leader of an era?"
Yang Jian didn't intend to follow the customs of the countryside, practiced his back attack skills and went to the basket hard. His height is also not suitable for playing the back, that is a brain-dead behavior.
After only one summer league game, he was bursting with confidence. He believes he has the potential to be a star in his rookie season.