am i proud?

Chapter 139 The Western Powerhouse (Today's second update)

The reason why the Pistons lost to the Cavaliers was because they played too poorly, and secondly because the Cavaliers really played very well in this game.

This team doesn't even have an All-Star. The biggest players on the team are Andre Miller and "Big Z" Zajunas Ilgauskas.

If these two players are placed two or three years later, they can barely be considered quasi-All-Stars, but this season Miller is just in his third year, and "Big Z" is only in his fourth year in the league.

The young Miller was "forced" to become the boss of this team this season, and the statistics he played are very good, but the team's record has not been good.

If the East does not have a super belly like the Bulls, it is probably the Cavaliers' turn to be at the bottom.

In this game, Miller made 16 of 12 shots and 11 of 10 free throws. He scored 34 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists in a "large triple-double".

The starting players of the Pistons in this game are relatively solid. Among them, Robinson made 14 of 5 shots, Billups made 14 of 6 shots, Wang Dalin made 19 of 7 shots, and even Hamilton, who has always been the most stable, only made 13 of 5 shots... This can win the game unless the Suns come out from the west.

After the loss, the Pistons players didn't have time to be sad, and they flew back to Detroit overnight. They had to face the Seattle SuperSonics at home on the night of December 12th.

In Wang Dalin's impression, the Sonics were a strong team in the West from the early 90s until Gary Payton left. Making it to the playoffs was a basic operation. They even made it to the finals once...Of course, they were cleaned up by the "old hooligans" with the Bulls.

He was a little surprised by the performance of the Sonics this season. It wasn't that they performed too well, but that they performed too badly... They actually had a terrible record of 9 wins and 11 losses in front, can you believe it?

Look at the Knicks. Their current record is 11 wins and 9 losses. The head coach Jeff Van Gundy has already resigned voluntarily... Everyone knows that he is not really because he "want to spend more time with his family", but because he can't stand the New York fans who are always shouting "Van Gundy get out" at the home stadium!

With a record of 9 wins and 11 losses, they may not be able to rank in the top eight even in the East. It is conceivable in the stronger West. They are now ranked No. 11 in the West... as it should be!

Wang Dalin was a little puzzled. In his impression, the Sonics should be very good. How could they play so poorly?

The boss of the team, Gary Payton, is just 31 years old and is at his peak. He can average 21.9 points, 4 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. As a point guard, his shooting percentage of 44.8% is already very good. The problem is naturally not with him.

Although the team's main power forward, Wen Baker, likes to drink heavily and has long-term arrears of IQ, his performance on the court is still good. He has played 13 games so far this season, averaging 18 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 blocks per game.

The third scorer in the team, Rashad Lewis, also performed very well this season. He averaged 15.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, and his shooting percentage was 41.8%. It seems that his offensive efficiency is a bit stretched, but his three-point shooting percentage is 35.7%, which is very good in this era.

The team's current No. 13.5 is Brent Barry, who is also the younger brother of Joan Barry in the Pistons. So far this season, he has averaged 5.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and [-] steals per game. He has performed well on both offense and defense.

The fifth person is Drummond Mason on the bench. As the sixth man of the team, this rookie who is in the same class as Wang Dalin has averaged 13.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.7 steals per game so far this season.

So Wang Dalin really doesn't understand. With five players averaging double figures per game, why does the Sonics play so poorly? Is it just because the Western Conference teams are too strong?

At the press conference before the game, Sonics head coach Nate McMillan said in a low-key manner that the Pistons are a very strong team, and tonight's game will be very difficult.However, they will still go all out and strive to win this away game.

Carlisle also behaved very low-key in front of reporters. He said that the Sonics are a very competitive team in the West. Their strength is very strong, but their current record is only temporary.

He also said that it will be very difficult for the Pistons to beat the Sonics tonight, but the team's coaching staff and players will go all out to win the game.

The two acted surprisingly consistent in front of the reporters. In fact, it was just business bragging and a show of determination to the fans. Anyway, the game has to be played as it should be played.

Atkins had a certain degree of discomfort in his calf in the last game, so he will miss tonight's game, so Carlisle deliberately put Damon Jones into the 12-man squad for the game.

对阵尼克斯队时琼斯就在垃圾时间上场打了7分钟左右，他4投2中拿下6分1助攻……值得一提的是他投的全部是三分球。

These days, he can make his three-point shooting percentage close to 37%, no matter what position he plays, he will not be so down that no team wants it.

At the beginning, Dumars also took a fancy to Jones' excellent outside shooting ability, so he chose to sign him. Anyway, it was only 3 years and 196 million US dollars.

Judging from his average performance of 19 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 3.2 minutes per game with the Grizzlies last season, this contract must be worth the money.

……

Not surprisingly, the game was not scheduled to be televised across the United States.

It has to be said that the Pistons committed too many crimes back then, and the NBA's top management didn't like them very much.

Especially David Stern, who saw all kinds of bad fouls against Jordan by the "Bad Boys Corps", he wanted to send Chuck Daly, Bill Lambiel, and Dennis Rodman to hell with his own hands.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Pistons are the most unpopular championship team in the league... none of them!

When warming up before the game, Payton came over to the Pistons with a smile and said hello to everyone. It seemed that he had a good relationship with Robinson and Barry.

As a veteran who has been in the league for many years, although Payton has always been known for his outspokenness and offended many people, he also has a lot of friends in the league, such as Jordan, Pippen, O'Neal, Malone, Barkley and Webber, and others have a good relationship with him.

"Wang, I heard that when you played against the Knicks, you beat Alan to the ground, and even spat him with trash talk until he was almost autistic!" Payton patted Wang Dalin on the shoulder with a smile and said, "People in the league are less and less able to talk trash now. You are very good, and I like a kid like you!"

"Hey, Gary, I'll be embarrassed if you say that!" Wang Dalin laughed, "With your trash talking skills, shouldn't you speak harshly in front of me now? Why, have you changed your sex?"

Payton laughed loudly: "Wang, such things as trash talk must be said during the game. It is useless to say more before the game!"

Wang Dalin said with a smile: "Okay, I'll have to learn from it in the next game!"

Payton smiled and didn't say anything, turned around and went back to his home half to continue shooting.

……

At eight o'clock that night, the game officially started.

The Sonics' starting lineup is center Calvin Booth, power forward Vin Baker, small forward Rashad Lewis, shooting guard Brent Barry and point guard Gary Payton.

Payton is 193cm tall and has a slight advantage over Billups, which is rare.

And this guy's defense is very strong. He won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) that year. He is also the only person in NBA history to win this award as a point guard.

Faced with such a strong defensive player, Billups naturally dare not make mistakes. He has always played very steadily. He will only bully the opponent's point guard when he has an absolute physical advantage. Most of the time he plays the role of court commander and outside spot shooter.

So when Big Ben won the first attack for the Pistons, Billups dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and immediately handed the ball to Wang Dalin at the top of the arc, while he continued to run without the ball.

Facing Lewis, who was about the same height as him, Wang Dalin couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

Although his weight has reached 106KG, his strength has always been only 65. It is naturally worthwhile to fight against most small forwards, but he may not have much advantage.

But Lewis...he is also too thin. He is 208cm tall and weighs only 98kg, which is 2kg lighter than when Wang Dalin first arrived in the United States. He is basically a "big bamboo pole".

Since it is so rare to have an absolute advantage in strength, how could Wang Dalin let it go easily, he immediately put Lewis on his back and dribbled towards the three-second zone.

After advancing a few steps, he immediately turned around and made a fallback jump shot. Lewis was pushed back a step by him, and it was too late to make an interference. Wang Dalin's shooting space was quite wide.

"Shua", the ball was scored without any surprise.

In all fairness, if Lewis can gain a few pounds of muscle, his career will definitely be more successful... Although he has been selected to the All-Star team and won a championship, everyone knows that he is not at the level of a superstar. After retiring, he was not selected into the "Nay Smith" Basketball Hall of Fame. This is the best proof.

Think about the future Kevin Durant. He is about the same height as Lewis, and he was as thin as Lewis when he first entered the league. But what kind of achievements did he achieve later?
I dare not say that I can surpass James in the future, at least it is appropriate to be selected into the Hall of Fame after retiring, right?

Lewis was not bothered by being beaten by Wang Dalin. His defensive hips are well known, and it is not because of this that he can gain a foothold in the league.

Looking back, Lewis took the initiative to ask the boss Payton for the ball, and he wanted to hit an ANSWER-BALL.

Payton is naturally so happy. Although he has a high scoring average per game, he has always been passing the ball, and he does not have to play the first attack by himself.

Lewis's dribbling skills are not very good. After all, he is a big player of 208cm, and he certainly cannot compare with a small forward of ordinary height.

However, relying on the pick-and-roll, he can also find shooting opportunities. As long as he flashes a certain space, he can give the opponent a fatal blow in the middle and long distances.

From this point of view, his skills are indeed very similar to Wang Dalin's.

Wang Dalin was blocked by Wen Baker, although it was less than 0.5 seconds, but it was enough... I saw Lewis put his bow and arrow outside the three-point line and hit it with one blow.

Not only was Wang Dalin not annoyed by the way he was most familiar with on the spot, but he found it very interesting... This kind of game really feels like the small ball era of later generations!
NBA players these days, if they don’t know how to attack with their backs, like Wang Dalin last season, no matter how well you play, people will not agree with you, they will always think you are a softie.

Sometimes, people are always impressed by someone's opinion... Just like Nowitzki, since the start of this season, he has averaged 23.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 47.2% from the field and 38.4% from the three-point field.

And since the start of this season, as Wang Dalin used back-up attack techniques to score many times in the game, people felt that this rookie has a bright future... Finally, he is no longer a softie!

Wang Dalin, who traveled from later generations, knows that the "soft guy" in everyone's heart is often the more powerful person, just like Lewis, who he is facing in this field, is not easy to deal with.

In comparison, Wang Dalin felt that it was much easier to defend against a striker with strong impact like Mashburn. At worst, I will let you go one step further. If you have the ability, you can shoot?
After Lewis hit an ANSWER-BALL, Billups of the Pistons naturally passed the ball to Wang Dalin.The meaning is very simple... "Third brother, hit him again, brother, I support you mentally!"

Of course Wang Dalin would not refuse, anyway, Lewis's defense is bad and his physical fitness is poor, since it is rare to meet someone who can be forced by his body... then bully him as much as you want!

Lewis was pushed into the three-second zone by Wang Dalin's back dribble, completely powerless to resist, Wang Dalin turned back again, but the ball in his hand was slapped off as soon as he turned around, and Payton dribbled the ball and rushed towards his own half.

"Fuck! Careless!" Wang Dalin complained secretly in his heart, "What a 'glove', you actually sneaked up on me, a second-year rookie, is that okay?"

Payton's speed is very fast, and Billups tried his best to catch up behind him. He wanted to give him a big cap, but he rushed to the basket and just made a fake layup.

Billups jumped out of the baseline and looked back at Payton with resentment in his eyes...Gary, you have changed, shouldn't you go straight to the basket?
Payton scored two points with an easy layup, and then followed up with Lewis high-fived to celebrate.

5:2, the Sonics lead by 3 points.

Looking back, Wang Dalin didn't push back to bully Lewis this time. This move looked really tough, but after pushing into the three-second zone, there might not be room for shooting, and who knows... When you dribble with your back, will a hand suddenly appear to steal your ball away?

Compared with the narrow three-second zone, how much space is there on the outside line?

Wang Dalin called Daben to help him set up a screen, he flashed the space and immediately pulled out his shot. Lewis, who was the main defender, and Booth, who was helping to defend him, all rushed up, but it was too late, Wang Dalin had already made a shot, and the ball was hit accurately.

5:5, the score was tied.

The fans at the scene cheered for Wang Dalin's wonderful performance. During this time, the fans in Detroit were really happy.Since Wang Dalin came to this team, the Pistons have been performing very well this season. They have every reason to believe that this team can reach the playoffs next year and go very far in the playoffs.

Looking back at the Supersonics, Payton slowly dribbled the ball across half court. He usually dribbled while observing the movement of his teammates, and then raised his left hand in a "one" gesture.

This gesture represents "Tact One", that is, the power forward mentions the high pick-and-roll and then quickly rolls down, and he can directly attack the basket after receiving the ball.

At present, the team with the highest average score per game is of course Payton himself, but his style of play has always been very selfless. He will not attack personally until the critical moment, especially Pistons point guard Billups is obviously not easy to deal with. It is not easy to break through his defense.

And the team's second offensive option is undoubtedly power forward Vin Baker. No matter how brain-dead and alcoholic this guy is, he is indeed the star of the current team second only to Payton... After all, he was also selected to the All-Star team back then, and he was also selected for the US men's basketball team to play in the Olympics. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse!
想当年还在雄鹿队时，文.贝克曾在1996-1997赛季场均砍下21分10.3篮板2.7助攻1抢断1.4盖帽，在那个时期完全可以与四大中锋相提并论。

Seeing Payton's gesture, Vin Baker immediately came out to cover him. He has a height of 211cm and a weight of 108KG. The quality of this screen is very high, and Billups is firmly blocked by him.

Payton immediately wiped from the other side, and the dribble was about to approach the three-second zone. Robinson had already made up, just blocking his breakthrough route.

A gleam flashed in Payton's eyes, and he was about to shoot when he received the ball and raised his hand. Robinson hurriedly raised his arm and took a step up, but Payton had already hit the ground and passed it to Wen Baker who was going down.

"Clang!"

If it weren't for O'Neal's three dunks on the rim in the 90s, the quality of the basket, rebounds, and rim in the NBA would all have been further improved. Wang Dalin really doubts that this guy can pull the rim down.

Three-pointers are indeed more cost-effective than two-pointers, but this kind of violent dunk undoubtedly has a better effect on boosting the team's momentum.So Vin Baker roared immediately after landing, and all the players on the Sonics became excited, and even the white towels on the sideline bench were dancing wildly.

"Isn't it just two points? There's no need to be so excited!"

Wang Dalin complained in his heart, and then came to the frontcourt to receive a pass from Billups.For this ball, he decided to hand it over to his teammates... In terms of playing selflessly, Wang Dalin is no less than Payton.

Robinson moved back and forth on the baseline, Billups ran to the left three-point line and settled down, Ben fought fiercely with Booth under the basket, and Hamilton took Brent Barry for a while, and had a good walk.

Brent Barry once performed a flying dunk from the free throw line in the 1997 slam dunk contest. After landing, he excitedly unzipped his jacket, and saw the words "White Men Can Fly" printed on the T-shirt inside.

As the first white player in history to jump and dunk from the free throw line, Brent Barry's physical fitness is naturally very strong. In this regard, he is better than his father Rick Barry and brother Joan Barry...Of course, only physical fitness is better.

Perhaps Rick Barry left fans with the only impression of his "piss pot" free throw action. In fact, he was selected to the All-Star team 8 times, the best team 5 times, and won the scoring and steals of the season.

This is a historical superstar. Compared with his brilliant career, both sons are just role players, which is far from it.

Brent Barry's physical fitness is indeed very good, especially his jumping ability, but in terms of long-distance running...Hamilton can completely beat the entire league, including him of course!

Running...catching the ball...jumping...shooting, all the actions in this series are done in one go, and Hamilton perfectly interprets what is called "the killer without emotion".

At 7:7, the score came to a tie again.

Wang Dalin liked to mention an assist, and then he gave Hamilton a high-five to celebrate. This scene made the two righteous brothers very jealous, especially Billups... Third brother, I was in a good position just now, why didn't you pass it to me?

In fact, it's not that Wang Dalin thinks that Billups' offensive certainty is lower than that of Hamilton, mainly because he is playing against Payton.

Even if the ball was passed to him just now, how could he complete the offense in front of Payton?
Dry pull... Payton's 203 wingspan is not fake!

Breakthrough... Is Payton's close defense a vegetarian?And his stealing ability is at the historical level, and Jordan suffered under his hands back then!
So the "Second Brother" was doomed from the very beginning of this match, unless it was two or three years later, he would be able to bully the old Peyton, but now... only he will be bullied!

Looking back, Payton played a pick-and-roll with Vin Baker again, but this time he did not pass the ball to Vin Baker who was running down.

This scene seemed familiar to Wang Dalin, and he didn't remember it until he attacked again... Isn't this the "Director Long"?

I have to say that Payton's shot just now is too much like the later Rajon Rondo. It is also fast, with a long wingspan, and it is also appropriate to finish at the basket.

If you have to say what is the difference between the two, it is probably that Payton's shooting ability is better than that of "Director Long"... Although his mid-range and long-range shots are not very accurate, compared with the level of "Director Long", he is still much more accurate.

Looking back, Wang Dalin also made a pick-and-roll for Billups. After receiving the ball, he saw Payton in front of him and couldn't help smiling: "Gary, how dare you change positions to guard me?"

Payton said with a smile: "Wang, the best defensive player in the NBA is in front of you, you better be careful!"

Wang Dalin smiled and pulled out immediately, and Peyton rushed forward immediately.

With his height, trying to block Wang Dalin is undoubtedly a dream, but his long arm can barely reach Wang Dalin's chin... The "one-leaf blindness" trick is indeed not unique to Sean Battier, but Payton is still a little short after all, and it is difficult for him to even block his eyes when Wang Dalin jumps up.

"Shh!"

For this level of interference, Wang Dalin was not affected much, who made him high?If Payton grows 10cm taller, he may be able to defend this shot.

"Haha, Gary, you are too short. I can only bring myself to disgrace by switching positions!" Wang Dalin made up for it at the right time... Since he spat a lot of trash on Houston last time, he really likes this feeling a little bit.

Payton is not angry either. As a generation of trash talk masters, he knows that trash talk must be combined with on-court performance to exert its greatest power. Now is not a good time to talk back.

Looking back, Payton and Lewis played a wonderful cooperation. After the pick-and-roll, Lewis bounced out to the right flank. Wang Dalin was blocked by Payton with his body and did not have time to interfere. Lewis made the shot.

"Hehe, Wang, it's not a skill to only attack by yourself. If you have the guts, you can also pass a pass to your teammates, just like mine?"

After returning a trash talk, Peyton turned around and left in a cool manner.

No way, that's how it is sometimes, when you get smacked in the face within 20 seconds of being proud, it really sucks.Wang Dalin was also extremely upset and vowed to pass another pass to Hamilton in the next attack.

Although he was indeed provoked by Payton's trash talk, Wang Dalin did not lose his mind. He originally planned to pass the ball to Hamilton for the shot.

The game lasted less than 5 minutes, and Brent Barry had already begun to breathe heavily. Every time he returned to the defensive end, he could only desperately chase Hamilton. No wonder he was so exhausted!
With such an efficient pitcher, Carlisle has already designed several sets of cover running tactics for Hamilton. With the cover of Robinson and Big Ben, he can often run out of open positions in the game.

Both Billups and Wang Dalin are very good at passing the ball. As long as he runs out of the open space, he will be able to send the ball to him in all likelihood. All he has to do is shoot.

Speaking of shooting, Hamilton's mid-range shot is more accurate than Wang Dalin's. How difficult is it to make such an open mid-range shot?
"Shh!"

After receiving the pass from Wang Dalin, Hamilton succeeded in one blow, then turned around and ran towards his home court... "The killer with no emotions" is so chic and unrestrained, he immediately fled thousands of miles away with one blow!
McMillan finally couldn't help calling a timeout. Brent Barry was really tired, so he had to be slowed down a bit.

And Carlisle also made personnel adjustments. He replaced Williams in advance and replaced Robinson.Brent Barry's consumption is high, and Robinson's consumption is not small.

After all, it was a back-to-back game, and Robinson was 35 years old, and he was already panting...

　Thanks to "Chen Xiao Zui Zi Drunk" for the monthly pass encouragement!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)