The Pope of Basketball Community

Chapter 71 [Mission Impossible]

The Nets didn't call a timeout, and the offense was always initiated by Cassel. Calipari knows nothing but is good at using point guards.

If Yang Rui were to switch to coach, then the team would definitely consider letting Casar organize as the main player, cover Kittles on the inside side, catch and shoot, or play Ewing in a misplaced position.

Kittles was selected by the Nets with the 8th pick in 1996. Before the serious injury, the ball was elegant and the breakthrough was sharp. The three-point arrow made people feel like a mosquito's needle pierced into the opponent's skin, and scored silently. Fans Give it the nickname "mosquito".

His three-point shooting rate this season is as high as 41.8%, and his mid-range shots are also excellent, but Calipari didn't help him arrange tactics at all. He averaged only 3.4 three-point shots per game, made 1.4 shots, scored 17.2 points and 4.7 rebounds 2.3 assists.

With Kittles as the core offense, relying on excellent shooting, at least Ewing can be withdrawn from the basket, and teammates will also benefit from it.

Cassel's personal ability is outstanding, with back-turning jumpers, step-back jumpers, and scoring goals against defenders. But he is mainly two-pointers, the efficiency is mediocre, the connection with his teammates is cut off, and he can't drive the whole team.

In the first quarter, the Knicks focused on Ewing and Johnson, scoring 8 and 11 points respectively, leading the team to a 32-17 lead.

In the second quarter of the bench contest, the Knicks sent Atkins, Starks, Mills, Ben Wallace, and Oakley.

Regular season starter Charlie Ward continued to sit on the bench, which was Yang Rui's arrangement. The Nets' backup point guard Sherman Douglas is 183cm tall and very flexible, making Atkins, who is similar in size, better on defense than Ward and Childs.

The Knicks lost to the Nets once in the regular season, and Sherman unexpectedly showed off his power and scored 19 points and 8 assists, leading the bench to show off.

The Nets deployed two generals Williams and Gatlin inside to withstand the Knicks' attack, but they couldn't catch up with the score. The Knicks also defended tightly.

The playoffs are more confrontational than the regular season, and the Knicks' two blue-collar players have great potential.

Oakley is a real tough guy, good at constantly looking for physical confrontation to disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm. This kind of defensive method bullies those with a softer style of play, but it is still useful against the strong man, but the result is often that after the game, both of them are covered in bruises, and Oakley still enjoys it.

Ben Wallace is Oakley's apprentice, the same way, facing Williams, who was selected as an All-Star, did not flinch.

Oakley restricted the thinner Sterling on the defensive end, and Big Ben had to work harder.

At 4 minutes, Big Ben took an iron elbow while defending Williams and fell heavily to the ground. He showed the quality of a beast and got up immediately. The referee didn't blow, and he didn't argue. Williams, who is heavier than himself, gets stuck and grabs the board, fighting for every inch of land.

In fact, Yang Rui doesn't like players like Oakley and Ben Wallace very much, because their offense is too bad, especially Da Ben can't make free throws.

Yang Rui has to admire them again, because they are like fighters who never back down, competing for the position at the basket, and when grabbing rebounds, they are serious as if they are fighting for the border of the country. This hard work can infect the whole team.

They will twist together with the opponent's arms, keep pushing against the opponent's waist, even if they are running while marching, they will be accompanied by pulling, and they will make every movement with staggering steps, using the "duizi" method Help the team.

In the third quarter, the Nets shot from the outside and clung to the score. If the Knicks hadn't started unexpectedly, it would not be easy to beat them.

In the final quarter, the Knicks star showed his power and finally opened the score, and the physical advantages of the players began to appear. The Nets have only 8 main rotation players, but the Knicks' substitutes can withstand the counterattack of the Nets' main players for a certain period of time.

Van Horn's performance on the defensive end was so poor that Calipari didn't dare to use him anymore and only let him play for a little over 10 minutes. Veteran center Ronnie Secali was traded from the Magic in the mid-term, and his playing time was also short.

Sekali was the first Lebanese to land in the NBA. In the 1993 game between the Heat and the Washington Bullets, he scored an astonishing 34 rebounds alone, setting a single-game personal rebounding record for the team.

The Nets changed Sekali to improve their performance in the second half of the regular season, so as to avoid the Knicks in the first round, but failed.

Sekali has recorded double-doubles for five consecutive seasons. Last season, he averaged 17.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for the Magic. This season he played 47 games for the Magic, scoring 15 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He is a good player, with outstanding low footwork, nicknamed "Dancer", and his signature move is a low turn.

However, this is of no use. Calipari will not use Secali at all. He is just a blue-collar in the Nets. He is 211cm tall and weighs 104kg.

After playing 5 minutes in the last quarter, the Knicks led 103 to 76 by 27 points, and the victory and defeat were already divided.

Nets manager Ed Stefanski didn't want to see the end, turned off the TV depressed, and the phone rang. It was the owner, Alan Cohen.

"Ed, are you watching tonight's game?" Cohen asked.

"Yes." Ed replied feebly. He knew that the boss had been thinking about selling the team since the beginning of the season. This season, he recruited horses and horses to make a last-ditch effort. On the one hand, he wanted to increase the value of the team.

Once the boss changes, the manager is likely to change as well. It will be difficult for Ed to sit in this position next year.

Cohen said lightly: "Although the Nets are likely to be swept by the Knicks in the first round, Lewis Katz is very interested in the Nets and hopes to take over. The NBA should be suspended in the summer, so there is still a possibility for you to stay on the team .”

"Thank you..." Ed thought it was just words of comfort. If there is a lockout, just no trading of players is allowed and the new owner has a lot of time to find a new manager.

Cohen smiled and said: "I'm not calling to comfort you, but I want to tell you good news. If you can do this, you will continue to be the manager of the Nets 100%. This is what Lewis meant. Find someone in Xia Tian."

Ed raised his hopes and asked excitedly: "Who does he want? As long as it's not a superstar, I will try my best to get it before the draft day. Did he say that anyone must be kept in the team? It's not easy to trade if there are not enough chips. "

He doesn't want to leave the Nets. With his poor work experience, it is very difficult to find another job as a general manager.

"No bargaining chip is needed. He wants to change the head coach and find a free agent to replace Calipari. This man is very young, and now the Knicks are an assistant coach. As long as he is offered a long-term contract, he is likely to agree, so there is no need to leave New York. Alright." Cohen said with a smile: "I think you should have guessed who it is, if Jerry Young coaches the Nets, it will be a good gimmick."

Ed took the phone and petrified on the spot.

Yang Rui was chased away by him and Calipari back then, he doesn't look like a person who will turn back, so it would be good if he didn't ridicule him a few words.

"Hey, are you listening? Why aren't you talking? Hey..."

It was an impossible task, and Ed felt like the Nets manager was at the end of his game.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like