basketball pope

Chapter 79 [You were born to carry the urinal]

After the game, Jordan was not arrogant or impetuous: "The Knicks' offense is very strong. This time we defended very well and we must keep it up."

"Zen Master" Jackson said: "We will use the holiday to study how to deal with the Knicks. The players have shown their due level, and the total score is still behind. We must make persistent efforts."

The Knicks didn't say much at the press conference, neither praising their opponents nor complaining.

Van Gundy's mind was all about preparing for the battle. The coaching staff met the next morning to study tactics and plan to adjust both offense and defense.

At present, the bulls have figured out the routine of off-ball screening on the strong side. Ewing and Houston are not feeling well, and the Knicks' offense will be in trouble.

On the defensive end, Van Gundy decided to let Oakley return to the starting lineup, which would be more deterrent to protect the restricted area.

On the offensive end, Yang Rui proposed to let Starks start and Bowen as a substitute, and let Johnson and Atkins lead the attack in the second quarter.

Starks played well in the playoffs this year, averaging 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three-point range.

He has played well in the playoffs for several years in a row. He is experienced and has a big heart. It would be a waste to play about 25 minutes per game in the playoffs.

Bowen is a rookie season, even if he works hard and gains the trust of the coaching staff, he will still be soft-handed and make mistakes at critical moments.In the playoffs, sometimes a small detail can change the final result. There are too many examples of this.The key game is that the veteran is more reliable.

When Van Gundy had a headache for Ben Wallace's free throw, Yang Rui offered alternative advice. "Jeff, how about letting Ben try a urinal?"

This shooting posture was pioneered by Rick Barry. The free-throw player stands behind the free-throw line and shoots the ball from directly below to the basket with both hands. The advantage is that it has a high arc and it is easy to shoot straight. Lose.

No matter how ugly, Barry's career free throw percentage was 89 percent and over 6 percent for the next six seasons.And his jump shot is very beautiful, he can shoot three-pointers, and he uses a urinal to increase his free throw percentage.

The three coaches are embarrassed, with a big ben with a killer face, standing on the free throw line "holding the urinal", this picture is too beautiful, people can't imagine.

Seeing that no one responded, Yang Rui smiled and said, "Please, you won't all object, will you? 'Success but looks stupid' and 'Failed but looks cool' which do you think is more important? Ben is just a newcomer, he should Do everything you can to help the team, rather than being cool on the field to attract fans."

Van Gundy smiled and said: "Okay, I agree, but you go and tell Ben, I don't think he will agree."

"Well, I'll go."

It is Yang Rui's habit to be fully prepared.As long as he believes that one thing is to be the best, he tries his best to think about every step, rather than just living by his habit and resigning himself to fate.

The Bulls have high morale because of a victory. If they win the fourth game, the series will be variable, and the Knicks will only have home-court advantage.

On the contrary, as long as the Knicks win an away game and get match point back to New York, the pressure on the Bulls players will skyrocket, and [-]% of them will be out in Game [-].

Yang Rui didn't want any accidents to happen, and he didn't want to see the so-called historical inertia.In his previous life, he had seen a movie starring Nicolas Cage called "Foreseeing the Future", and he liked the saying in the movie very much.

There is an important feature about the future, every time you look at the future, it changes because you look at it, and then other things change with it.

Yang Rui believes that as long as he participates, he will change the future, and he will be a winner, not a spectator.

If there is a god in basketball, he is more like Jordan!

During the team training in the afternoon, Yang Rui called Ben Wallace aside alone and said his thoughts. Ben Wallace was also embarrassed, and his face was full of reluctance.

"Jerry, do I really want to try that free throw? Shame."

"If you can make free throws, even if the hit rate is 10 percentage points higher than now, I recommend you do it. One or two more points against the Bulls may be the key to deciding the outcome, and the key to breaking the shark tactics. I'm not I told you to do it, because you haven't tried it yet, and maybe you only have a 35% hit rate."

Ben Wallace was a little angry, more ashamed, and lowered his head.

15% lower than O'Neal, he's the worst free throw shooter in the league, and if he's on the court, the team might win.

Yang Rui continued: "Many experts have said that if O'Neal can make more free throws, his team will win more in the playoffs. When O'Neal was in the Magic, although Rick Barry had advised him to learn The urinal was used, but O'Neal ruthlessly rejected it because he thought it was too ugly and would be laughed at. Do you know O'Neal's record?"

Ben Wallace nodded.

“93年没进季后赛；94年被横扫出局；95年干翻中途回来打篮球的乔丹，总决赛被横扫；96年被公牛横扫出局；97年到湖人被爵士4比1干翻，今年0比3落后爵士，今晚大概会被横扫，你觉得奥尼尔酷吗？”杨瑞笑问。

Cool, almost all of them are swept out of the game...

Ben Wallace vomited in his heart, and suddenly began to waver, seeing his own shortcomings.

Shaquille O'Neal will not be so miserable in free throws. His offensive ability is not half as good as O'Neal's, and his free throws are worse than O'Neal. How much can he help the team on the field?Has he been a burden on the offensive end for the rest of his life?

"Jerry, I'm willing to try." Big Ben made up his mind.

"Very good, Ben, if you take a free throw like this, it might be considered cool by the fans, and it might become your logo, so don't be too pessimistic. We don't ask you to do more, just rush it. , as long as it can reach 50%, it is qualified." Yang Rui smiled.

After persuading Big Ben, the two began to practice free throws on half the court alone. Yang Rui was responsible for passing the ball and Big Ben shooting.

After throwing 400 balls, Yang Rui was shocked. Big Ben actually shot a 65% hit rate.

In his previous life, he didn't remember that Big Ben did this on the court, and the media didn't have any hope for Big Ben's free throws. Maybe Big Ben's coach never thought of doing this.

Yang Rui also tried it casually, but he didn't expect that it would actually make a difference.This kind of shooting from the bottom to the top, the hand shape and strength are relatively easy to grasp.

Van Gundy, who was watching, was delighted. "It really works? It's much more accurate than normal, Ben, have you practiced before?"

"No, today is the first time." Big Ben said awkwardly.

"For the first time, this talent... is amazing. It seems that you were born to carry the urinal." Yang Rui praised.

Big Ben has a black line and is praised for free throws for the first time in his life.

Damn, I'm not happy at all!Can't you say something nicer?

(End of this chapter)