am i proud?

Chapter 116 The Fierce Battle in Dallas
On October 10, the regular season of the NBA30-2001 season finally kicked off.

For the fans, after waiting for several months, and finally waiting for this day, the inner joy is no less than a festival.

For the NBA teams, after several months of preparation, it is finally time to see the truth.

The Pistons will fly to Dallas early in the morning, and they will challenge the Mavericks led by Nelson in an away game tonight.

Speaking of Old Nelson, veteran fans should know that his real name is Don Nelson, and he is a very famous coach in the NBA.It is also in this season that he will become the third "thousand-win coach" in NBA history... The first two "thousand-win coaches" are Lenny Wilkens and Pat Riley.

Of course, if the ABA coaching career that was not yet incorporated into the NBA is also counted, then Larry Brown is the third "coach with thousands of wins", and old Nelson can only be counted as the fourth... Brown is still very famous, otherwise Bill Davidson, the former Pistons owner in time and space, would not have asked him to replace Carlisle.

About to confront one of the greatest head coaches in NBA history, Carlisle is undoubtedly full of fear, but his character has always been soft but strong, so... Even if he is just a rookie coach, he can't help but feel a bit eager to try.

Isn't he the legendary marshal?I will do it sooner or later!

In the morning, everyone had some simple training, mainly rehearsing defensive tactics.

In this drill, Carlisle was very satisfied with Wang Dalin, because there were very few players in the entire league who could imitate Nowitzki's style of play, and Wang Dalin happened to be one of them.

During training, Wang Dalin imitated Nowitzki's usual high-post singles, and Robinson, Moore and others who defended him were all beaten and complained.

It has to be said that after being equipped with the skill of "Aldridge's back and back", Wang Dalin's back attack level has been improved immediately. Although it can't be compared with the "old driver" of the later "Golden Rooster Independence" Dacheng, it is already very powerful in this era.

Wang Dalin himself was also very happy. For a long time, he had been perplexed by the lack of back-up attacking methods, but now he turned into a "back-up master", how could he be unhappy?
Unconsciously, this 19-year-old young man has taken another solid step towards the circle of the league's top stars.

The night's starting lineup has undergone some changes. Carlisle put Billups on the bench, and Atkins, who has been the team's starting point guard last season, returned to the starting lineup again.

Wang Dalin speculates that Carlisle is trying to make Billups adapt slowly, and it may also have the meaning of appeasing Atkins, the "old man of the team".

After all, you have started a season and played pretty well, and at this time you are suddenly kicked into the bench lineup, no one will feel uncomfortable.

The general trend of the team, Atkins has already seen it very clearly, but he will definitely play hard on the court at this time, even if the team wants to trade him, at least they must first show their value, right?
Atkins signed a six-year, $6 million long-term contract with the Pistons. It is only the second year of the contract, and he does not want to be called "high salary and low ability".

At the beginning of the game, Big Ben easily defeated Nowitzki at the jump ball... That's right, the Mavericks stood in the middle circle to jump the ball in this game. "Old Driver", he is the center in the starting lineup.

Carlisle frowned slightly off the court, he was a little confused about old Nelson's intentions...why did Nowitzki play center forward?Is it just simply wanting to speed up the pace of the game?

He guessed right, that's what old Nelson thought!

After Wang Dalin scored the first goal, the Mavericks immediately sent the bottom line.Point guard Steve Nash rushed to the front court like lightning. Seeing that Atkins' defensive position was a little behind, he pulled it up and scored a three-pointer. The ball went into the basket cleanly.

Not to be outdone, Wang Dalin turned around and immediately hit a three-pointer in front of Finley, and then Nash launched a fast break again.

This time he just made a fake shot in front of Atkins. When Atkins lifted his center of gravity, he hit the ground and passed the ball accurately and connected to Finley who cut quickly.

Wang Dalin wanted to catch up and give him a big hat, but the "old driver" suddenly stood between him and Finley, and he could only watch helplessly as Finley easily completed his shot from within the free throw line.

At 5:5, both sides were evenly matched at the beginning of the game.

The Pistons attacked for the third time. This time, Wang Dalin mentioned a high-post catch and responded. He wanted to pass a pass to Hamilton, but he didn’t expect the opponent’s shooting guard Greg Buckner to follow Hamilton. In desperation, he had to call a pick-and-roll... With his speed, it is obviously unrealistic to break through Finley, who is 10cm shorter than him.

Is there anyone who can keep up with a "long-distance runner" like Hamilton?
Wang Dalin couldn't help being a little curious about this player named Buckner.

In fact, this is also normal. Hamilton's physical fitness is indeed good, but at the beginning of the game, whose physical fitness is not good?
And the reason why he is difficult to be defended is more because his running position is erratic, making it difficult to judge.

But Buckner obviously did enough homework to defend Hamilton, and this guy is only 193cm tall, and his speed is comparable to a small point guard. It is really difficult for Hamilton to get rid of him for a while.

Big Ben came out and made a solid screen for Wang Dalin. Wang Dalin dribbled towards the three-second zone. The Mavericks starting power forward Juwan Howard slipped over and was about to double-team Finley.

Wang Dalin didn't panic, but turned his back to Howard, and before Finley double-teamed him, he turned around and hit a fadeaway jumper... The goal went in!
"It's a beautiful shot!" Nowitzki couldn't help but exclaimed in his heart, "Hey, this move seems familiar?...Damn it, isn't this my style of play?"

After getting the star skill, it is actually very important whether it can exert the same power as the original version.

For example, Wang Dalin got the "McGrady dry pull" last season. Because his height and wingspan advantage is too great, when he uses this trick, the effect is actually better than McGrady himself.

And if the skills he drew at that time were Iverson's "Butterfly Piercing Step", or James' "Tank Breakthrough", it is estimated that he would not be able to play half of the power.

This move "Aldridge leaning back" is undoubtedly very suitable for Wang Dalin, because his figure itself is very similar to Aldridge.And after improving the ability value of leaning back and adding this skill, he can almost perfectly display the power of the original version.

Looking back, Nowitzki did the same thing and returned a backside, but the ball was a hit...Even if he is called "Old Driver", it is impossible for him to make every ball.

To tell you the truth, Nowitzki's combined shooting percentage of short-range two-pointers, mid-range two-pointers and long-range two-pointers last season was only 43%, which is not as high as that of the opposite Wang Dalin!

The "old driver" in this period is far from reaching the height of the "Nuotian King" in later generations. His real peak period should start from the 2005-2006 season.

It was also in that season that the "old driver" won the first MVP trophy in his career...Of course, because he was staged a "black miracle" by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, his MVP has become one of the biggest stains in his career.

Wang Dalin gradually became excited, and when he turned his head, he wanted to lean back again, but when he turned his back on the wing and asked for the ball, he realized that the defender behind him had been replaced by Nowitzki.

"Darling-Wang wants to single-handedly fight Dirk!" In the live broadcast room of TNT TV station, Smith couldn't help but exclaimed.

Barkley on the other side smiled and said, "It seems that Dirk is going to suffer!"

Smith was puzzled: "Didn't you always dislike Darling Wang? What happened to you today? Could it be that you are now his fan?"

Barkley suddenly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the No. 8 Pistons jersey inside. He laughed and said, "That's right, I declare: from now on, I'm Darling King's No. [-] fan!"

Smith hurriedly asked, "Then do you still bet today?"

Barkley smiled and said: "Don't worry, watch this ball first!"

Wang Dalin turned his back to ask for the ball, and Nowitzki tried his best to fight, which made him obviously struggle a lot this time, but he still received the ball.

Facing Nowitzki, who was no less tall than himself, Wang Dalin was much more cautious with this shot. He made two consecutive shoulder shaking movements before turning around and completing a fadeaway jumper.But Nowitzki didn't hesitate, and the long arm stretched out when he shot, which obviously interfered.

"when!"

The ball hit Lan Neck and bounced high. Ben, Howard and others under the basket desperately seized the position to grab the rebound. Unexpectedly, the ball fell vertically into the basket after bouncing.

"Shh!"

Barkley laughed and said, "What did I say? Is Dirk deflated?"

Smith said stubbornly: "This is obviously a dribble!"

Barkley said with a smile: "Dear Kenny, don't you think... luck is also a part of strength? You shot so many three-pointers in the Rockets back then, which one was not made by luck?"

Smith was furious after hearing the words: "Nonsense! Which of the three-pointers I made back then was tricked by luck? You tell me clearly!"

"Don't be angry!" Buckley shook his hand and laughed, "Why are you so ignorant of jokes? Can't you take a joke?"

Smith said angrily: "Who the hell is joking with you? Come and bet if you have the guts!"

"What bet?" Barkley asked easily.

"Just bet on whoever scores more points between Darling Wang and Dirk today. If Dirk has more points, lose your MVP trophy to me!" Smith said through gritted teeth.

The smile on Barkley's face faded after hearing the words, and he said seriously: "Do you want to bet so big? You have to know that I only have an MVP trophy in my life. If Darling-Wang's score is higher, what will you lose to me?"

Smith said decisively: "Is it qualified to bet on the championship ring in 1995?"

Barkley hurriedly asked: "Is this true?"

Smith grabbed his big hand and clapped his hands, angrily said: "That's right! Let's use Darling-Wang's Chinese custom to make this bet, it's called 'high five'!"

……

It has to be said that during the live broadcast of the opening game, Barkley and Smith made the most valuable bet in history, but it is not known who will cry and who will laugh after the bet is over.

After Wang Dalin hit this mid-range shot, he hit all 4 shots since he played, scored 9 points in just over three minutes, and continued his good touch since the preseason.

And after Nowitzki missed the last attack, he did not continue to meet the high position requirements, but played a low-key cover for Nash.

Seeing this scene, Smith gritted his molars... Dirk, you are so aggressive, what cover are you doing?
If you want to ask who is the best pick-and-roll point guard in this era, it is estimated that Nash should be ranked third in the league... The first two probably have to be John Stockton and Jason Kidd.

However, if you only talk about who is the most powerful individual with the ball after the pick-and-roll, it must be the young "Son of the Wind" who is better.

After Nash picked and rolled and saw Wang Dalin switch in front of him, he began to show off his dazzling dribbling skills... Facing a big player like Wang Dalin, how could he not make a "dislocation attack"?
That's right, in the sport of basketball, it's certainly a "displacement attack" to play big against small players, so why not play big against small players?

Nash's dribbling skills are extremely coquettish, and his starting speed is very fast. Wang Dalin's center of gravity was unsteady, and he saw this guy pass by him, and then completed a fadeaway jumper before Daben helped defend.

"Shh!"

At 9:7, the Mavericks finally continued their offensive firepower and did not give the Pistons a chance to open the score.

Facing Nash who had not yet reached his personal peak at this time, Wang Dalin still felt powerless.

His lateral speed is indeed faster than most big players, but if compared with the young "Zonda", it is purely inferior.

In fact, the so-called "can defend from No. [-] to No. [-]" by some defensive champions in NBA history is just a flattery.

For example, Kevin Garnett, his defensive strength is indeed very strong, but if he is really asked to defend a small point guard with extremely fast speed, he can only return home in most cases... There is no way, he is too tall!
And some small forwards are good defensive players, such as Andrei Kirilenko who has the reputation of "AK47". He also claims to be able to defend from position one to position five.
Not to mention a pervert like O'Neal that no one can guard against, even Dwight Howard, who has extremely rough offensive skills, can he guard against it?
Therefore, the so-called "defense from position [-] to position [-]" is just a polite remark. It is true that you can defend in a misplaced position, but the defensive effect is definitely not as good as that of a professional in this position...

Wang Dalin felt that he might have to increase his perimeter defensive ability to 90, and his lateral agility to more than 85, in order to be able to hold down the current "Son of the Wind".

After tasting the sweetness, Nash began to frequently play pick-and-roll with Nowitzki, and Wang Dalin was in a dilemma for a while...

Let's defend Nash in a misplaced position, basically he can only delay his breakthrough a little bit, and everyone knows this guy's passing skills;
It's not a bad position to defend Nowitzki, Nash's breakthrough is not a vegetarian, and it is far from enough to rely on Atkins to chase and defend from behind.

Fortunately, the Pistons did not have any problems on the offensive end. After Wang Dalin scored 4 goals in a row, Hamilton finally ran out of space... After all, Buckner is just a mediocre role player, how can he keep up with this guy?

About 6 minutes into the game, Carlisle called the first timeout of the game, replacing Atkins with Billups.

The pick-and-roll between Nash and Nowitzki really caused the Pistons a headache. If Billups is not replaced, "Zonda" is probably about to open up.

The game continued, and Billups just hit the field with a sudden three-pointer.

Nash was caught off guard and didn't make any defensive moves at all...Of course, with his little defensive ability, it's useless to make any moves.

Da Ben came over and gave him a high-five with excitement: "Well done, second brother!"

"Brother, don't worry, I will send you a comfortable message later!"

Wang Dalin: "...I said you two are enough! In such a serious competition field, you two dare to show your "basic love" here. Aren't you afraid of being harmonized by the "404 God"?"

Wang Dalin probably would not have imagined that not long after, there would suddenly be a "worship trend" in the alliance, and it was his two "righteous brothers" who initiated it.

The word "Yijie Jinlan"...sounds cool, doesn't it?

As a representative of "simple mind and well-developed limbs", how can NBA players resist such an attractive thing?
As a Chinese with the highest average IQ in the world, it is really difficult for Wang Dalin to understand what most NBA players do.

For example, when later Chairman Yao got married, his good friend O'Neill gave him a wedding gift that he thought was "cool" - a shiny silver car wheel!
It is estimated that Yao Ming must have complained secretly at that time...

Why don't you come with a gift?
Doesn't matter whether it's US dollars or soft sister coins?

What are you doing with a wheel?
Which of my cars is missing a wheel hub?

Besides... If you want to give it away, you can give it four, and how can I change it to the car if you give it one?

In 2006, Professor Richard Lynn, a British scholar who studied ethnic IQ, did a study. He collected the ethnic IQ test results of 130 countries and finally concluded that Chinese, Japanese and Koreans are the smartest people in the world. They have the highest IQ in the world, with an average IQ of 105, which is significantly higher than that of Europeans and other races.

As the world's most economically powerful United States, their average IQ is only about 99, which is why Yao Ming is obviously smarter than others after coming to the NBA in the future.

The average IQ is only 99, and most NBA players are "simple-minded and well-developed limbs". It is estimated that the average IQ may not even be 90, and it is estimated that Yao Ming's IQ must be higher than the average IQ of the Chinese. Isn't that a proper IQ crush?

Of course, not all NBA players are "simple-minded and well-developed limbs". Among them, there are also smarter ones, such as Kobe, James and Duncan. They have shown a very shrewd side no matter on or off the court.

However, most players do owe their IQ. For example, Sean Kemp and Delonte West are representatives of such people. They earned tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars while playing, but ended up begging on the streets after retiring.

Fortunately, although Wang Dalin's two "righteous brothers" are a bit funny now, they will not be mixed up in that field. In the original time and space, their lives after retirement are very rich, obviously better than most NBA retired players.

……

The game continued. With Billups on the court, the Pistons' offensive and defensive ends have been upgraded to a higher level. Although Nash is still playing pick-and-roll with Nowitzki on the Mavericks side, the offensive efficiency has dropped significantly.

The team was in trouble, and Mavericks boss Dirk Nowitzki finally stood up. He faced Wang Dalin's defense on the flank three times in a row and completed a behind-the-back jumper. He made 3 of 2 shots and performed quite efficiently.

If someone else made a fallback jumper in front of Wang Dalin, it is estimated that his height and long arms would make the opponent's shooting rate very impressive.But the "Old Driver" with a height of 213cm is different. Even in front of "Stone Buddha" and "Wolf King", he can show off this move. No one in the entire league can restrict his shots.

Wang Dalin "painted a ladle according to the gourd", and he also leaned back three times after his defense, but unfortunately his hand felt a little slipped and he only hit 1 goal.

In addition to the reason for the decline in hand feeling, the gap in the skill level of the stars cannot be ignored.

"Aldridge leaning back" is only an A-level star skill, while Nowitzki's "Golden Rooster Independence" is a proper S-level star skill.Even if Nowitzki hasn't mastered this unsolvable "big killer" move during this period, his current back-up technique should be considered A+ level, which is indeed better than Wang Dalin.

As time passed bit by bit, the head coaches of both sides began to deploy troops.

The Pistons replaced Corlis Williams, Mickey Moore and Joan Barry, and only Big Ben remained on the field from the starting five.

On the Mavericks side, Old Nelson chose to be the main force. He only replaced Buckner, who was tired enough, and Howard, who had been fighting under the basket for a long time, and replaced them with "big bamboo poles" Sean Bradley and Tim Hardaway.

That's right, Hardaway was traded to Dallas during the offseason this year, and the Heat got a second-round pick from the Mavericks-this makes people sigh "the hero's twilight".
Seeing Hardaway stand up, Wang Dalin ran over to say hello to the big brother enthusiastically. The relationship between the two was still very good.

But the arena is the arena, not a place for the players to reminisce about the old days. The two just said hello and separated... From this moment on, they are already rivals!

No matter how good the relationship was before, the brotherhood can only be put aside on the field, and there is only tit-for-tat between the two sides.

Seeing Hardaway dribble across the midfield line with slightly heavy steps, Wang Dalin couldn't help but sighed on the bench... The "Beetle", which used to have a gorgeous playing style, can no longer spread its wings under the carapace!
Billups didn't "respect the old and love the young" when facing Hardaway. His close pressing caused Hardaway to make a dribble error.

Hardaway desperately wanted to get the ball back, but Billups picked up the ball and rushed to the frontcourt, leaving Hardaway with "exhaust gas" on his face.

Originally, Hardaway played a total of 54 times with the Mavericks this season, 52 of which came off the bench, averaging 23.6 minutes per game, scoring 9.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. As a backup point guard, his performance is still very competent.

However, as his physical fitness continues to decline, his shooting percentage is getting lower and lower, and his offensive efficiency is getting worse and worse than last season.

In the second half of the season, Hardaway was traded to the Denver Nuggets for former All-Star point guard Nick Van Exel.

Of course, Hardaway, who is old and frail, will definitely not be able to switch to Exel. This is a big deal involving 7 players.

Among them, the Mavericks sent Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey, a 2002 first-round pick and $100 million in cash in exchange for Riff LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson and Wahad.

……

Closer to home, Billups came to the frontcourt after stealing and went directly to an empty basket.

Looking back, Hardaway was extra careful with the dribble this time, and didn't give Billups another opportunity.He ran a solid pick-and-roll with Nowitzki, then stepped back and hit a [-]-pointer.

Although Hardaway's shooting percentage has dropped to around 36%, his three-point shooting percentage has remained above 34%... "Old Beetle" obviously still has some fuel in the tank.

It was the Pistons' turn to attack. This time Billups and Williams played a wonderful duo. Williams made a mid-range shot after receiving a wonderful pass.

因为是赛季中段才被交易到了底特律，科里斯.威廉姆斯上赛季只代表活塞队打了27场比赛，不过他却能贡献出场均15.2分6.2篮板1.0助攻1.3抢断。

If it weren't for the fact that he played as a starter in the Raptors and didn't make enough substitute appearances, it is estimated that Wang Dalin might not have won the "Best Sixth Man" last season.

As a powerful small forward with a height of 201cm and a weight of 111KG, Williams had a very high offensive efficiency at this distance from the free throw line last season, especially his completion rate at the basket was as high as 65.8%, which is already considered a leader among strikers.

This season, he plays the role of the sixth man in Carlisle's tactical system, mainly as a substitute for Wang Dalin, and occasionally swings to the fourth or second position. It is estimated that he can get about 22 minutes of playing time per game on average.

Compared with Atkins, his offensive power is stronger, his offensive efficiency is higher, and he also has good defensive ability.

The first quarter of the game ended quickly, and the two sides drew at 28:28.During the intermission, Wang Dalin noticed that Wang Zhizhi on the Mavericks bench had started to warm up.

This scene was obviously also seen by the live commentary and the "non-famous cross talk group" in the TNT live broadcast room. Smith smiled excitedly: "Charles, you see that Wang Zhizhi is going to play. Can this match be regarded as a 'Chinese Derby'?"

Charles said disdainfully: "What 'China Derby'? That guy is just a bench player, how can he be compared with Darling-Wang?"

Smith smiled and said, "What you said is so reasonable, I can't even refute it!"

In fact, the domestic media used to make a lot of hype whenever Chinese players met in the NBA. They would call this kind of game the "Chinese Derby".

But in this life, when Wang Dalin and Wang Zhizhi meet for the first time in the NBA, what kind of sparks will there be between them?

……

　Thanks for the encouragement of the monthly ticket sent by "Bland is True", Lao Wang sent a 7200-word chapter for the first time, please give me a reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)