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Chapter 147: Price and Repayment, Awkward Outside Line Combination (5K chapters, begging for monthly subscription)

In December, Qin Yue's playing time was reduced, which irreversibly shook the foundation of the defending champions.

Although on paper, Ma Long only gave Qin Yue three more minutes of rest time per game to ensure that Qin Yue's average playing time could be reduced to 35 minutes.

But it was during this three-minute break that the Warriors' opponents gradually realized that this team, which had won the championship for two consecutive seasons, was losing their former dominance.

three minutes.

Considering the league's current game pace of about 80 rounds per game, this is about five offensive and defensive rounds.

In the past, the Warriors had many ways to survive these five offensive and defensive rounds.

But now, Davis' injury and Artest's self-destruction have put Malone in a situation where he is unable to make a meal without the necessary resources.

Moreover, after the team finished its game in early December, the beautiful team doctor Ryan once again warned Ma Long that Qin Yue's playing time still had to be reduced.

The reason is that this season Qin Yue has undertaken more offensive tasks on the field than ever before.

The increase in Qin Yue's attack load was related to the lack of attackers in this incomplete Warriors team.

Although in the past two seasons, the Warriors seem to be a team that lives on shooting.

But without Qin Yue, Davis and Artest inflicting damage on the opponent's inside line, how could the Warriors' outside shooters get the opportunity to easily shoot from the outside?

Therefore, during the period when his playing time was reduced, Qin Yue's average number of shots per game increased to a career-high twenty-four.

The Warriors need their King to complete more difficult tasks on the court and use this to drive this team that is currently missing its two second-in-commands.

Moreover, this situation will continue visibly until Artest recovers from his injury.

Because only when Artest recovers from the injury and all teams confirm his health, can Chris Mullin trade for a striker who can share the pressure of Qin Yue's attack on the court with the Warriors.

"Chelsea, in your opinion, how many minutes should Messiah's playing time be limited to next?" Malone asked in an almost collapsed tone.

Ryan thought for a while and said, "Thirty minutes per game."

thirty minutes?

Then what the hell is going on!

You know, the core of this Warriors team, whether in offense or defense, is Qin Yue.

If Qin Yue can only play 30 minutes per game, the Warriors will not be able to maintain their level of performance on both offense and defense in a 48-minute NBA game.

Seeing this, Lionel Hollins, an assistant coach recruited by Malone this summer, suggested: "If we take the initiative to slow down the pace of the game and use it to shorten the offensive and defensive rounds of a game, can Messiah's playing time remain the same?"

Ryan pondered for a moment and said, "This may be a solution to the problem, because in theory, a slower game pace can indeed reduce the risk of Messiah's injury."

Hearing this, Malone was overjoyed and went a step further, saying, "If we only play 75 offensive and defensive rounds per game, Messiah's playing time can be increased to 38 minutes."

Ryan frowned and said, "Mike, please don't joke about Messiah's health! He is an inside player who is 211 cm tall with shoes and weighs more than 124 kg. The energy he consumes in a game is definitely not comparable to that of an ordinary outside player!"

Malone smacked his lips and said, "I just said that. I'm not the kind of head coach who wants his star player to play the full 48 minutes in every game."

Therefore, the Warriors' playing style changed 180 degrees starting in mid-December and has since completed its transformation.

The Warriors, who always liked to speed up the game, turned into a slow-paced team that focused on positional warfare and won the game through hand-to-hand combat and ensuring the combined efficiency of each round.

Malone called the team's style transformation a necessary change.

However, this change has indeed improved the Warriors' recent winning rate.

Because Qin Yue and Brown are a perfect team on the defensive end, they can always use their talents and experience to help the Warriors win every inside battle.

Brown, who lost further weight in the summer, was in charge of the sweep.

Qin Yue, who has the protection of a star whistle, is responsible for collecting tolls from players who dare to challenge the Warriors' no-fly zone.

The defensive deterrence of this pair of No. 1 picks not only ensures the Warriors' lower limit, but also greatly improves the Warriors' winning rate on nights when their outside shooting is not good.

As a defensive expert, Hollins has created a pocket-like defensive system for the Warriors.

Since mid-December, the Warriors' forward and guard lines have often adopted the strategy of defending only one side of the breakthrough and actively putting the opponent on the strong side, and then using the defensive range of Qin Yue and Brown to effectively disrupt the defensive strategy initiated by the opponent's tactics.

But that hateful injury is still the Achilles heel of the Warriors this season.

The beautiful team doctor Ryan was also helpless about this.

Before Qin Yue was selected, players such as Richardson and Murphy of this Warriors had never even played in the playoffs.

Therefore, in the past two years, the Warriors have played far more games than other teams, which has indirectly led to the current team, except for a few players, being basically at high risk of injuries.

The Warriors aren't the first quasi-dynasty team to be ravaged by injuries.

Historically, the Chicago Bulls in the 97/98 season also suffered from frequent injuries.

The NBA's last dynasty team, the Los Angeles Lakers, was relatively lucky.

Because at that time, when O'Neal was sidelined due to injury, the Lakers still had Kobe to lead the team.

Malone doesn't want to say that the Lakers' luck at the time was mainly due to the fact that they had a second-in-command who could fully devote himself to both offense and defense, but without Kobe, it would not be easy for the Lakers to survive that difficult period.

In addition, Phil Jackson, who led the Bulls to two dynasties, is more experienced than Malone at this moment.

Comparing the regular season playing time of O'Neal and Kobe in the second and third championships, it is not difficult to find that
This old man Jackson did not just "practice Zen" on the sidelines, but he intentionally reduced the playing time of O'Neal and Kobe in the regular season of the 01/02 season.

Of course, if Davis had not been injured in the preseason training camp, Malone would definitely have more room to maneuver in the new season.

just
Davis's injury and the various injuries the Warriors have suffered in the new season are not just their repayment for winning two consecutive championships.
In any competitive sports, no dynasty team can dominate for a long time using the same lineup.

The high risk of injuries to key players is just one of the prices that must be paid for a temporary dominance.

……

12 month 25 day.

The Warriors hosted the annual Christmas game at home.

Their opponent is the Cleveland Cavaliers who have the "A-Jan" combination.

As the runner-up of last season's NBA, the Cavaliers successfully got rid of O'Neal through a trade and brought back Allen Iverson to assist James. Since the start of the new season, they have been experiencing a pain called running-in.

Iverson is in charge of providing output in the starting lineup, while Mo Williams is in charge of leading the team as a substitute.
On the surface, the Cavaliers seem to have more powerful offensive firepower.

But in actual games, Iverson's overly strong personality caused James, who had regarded him as an idol in his early years, to fall into deep trouble.

It is true that James was obsessed with Iverson when he was young.

And in various public occasions, James has said more than once that he often imitates Iverson's dribbling in games.

"Allen is my role model. I'm glad you noticed that my crossover is similar to his. In fact, I also think that my dribble breakthrough has many similarities with Allen."

But past admiration does not mean that James can now tolerate Iverson trying to take away the ball and control of the team from him.

As Iverson's last peak season in history
Just as Qin Yue remembered, Iverson has maintained a very good competitive form this season.

His shooting percentage, three-point shooting percentage and true shooting percentage all set new career highs.

However, Iverson still inevitably squandered some shots on the court.

Especially when Iverson rushed to the basket for a heroic finish
James simply couldn't understand why those points that seemed easy to him were so difficult for Iverson to complete.

This season, James, who has gained further weight, has a finishing rate of nearly 75% at the basket.

Many times, in James' view, as long as the overly arrogant Iverson could pay more attention to him, the Cavaliers could play a more efficient offense on the court.

In addition, as his status in the industry has risen, James also doesn't like Iverson's habit of telling people, "Look, this is my little brother LeBron," wherever he goes.

If it were his rookie season, James would never mind Iverson's always condescending way of speaking.

But now, James always feels that Iverson wants to prove to others that the Cavaliers traded him so that he can assist him.

And the most annoying thing is that because Iverson has a high status in the black basketball world, James has to flatter the arrogant Iverson. For example, during the pre-game warm-up of this Christmas game.

James, who had quietly become a "surface brother" with Qin Yue, didn't want to go over and say hello to the other party.

But Iverson made the decision for him: "Hey, Brown, why don't you go say hello to your good brother?"

then
James had no choice but to go to the Warriors' half with Iverson.

Half a year later, looking at James' increasingly strong body, Qin Yue discovered that he actually looked slimmer in front of James.

He really deserves to be the executive vice-GOAT in my memory!

Qin Yue knew very well that, generally speaking, a forward player of the same height as James would have trouble dribbling or even walking, let alone breaking through.

But James can not only withstand such weight, but judging from the Cavaliers' games in the new season, he can even maintain quite good speed and flexibility.

In Qin Yue's eyes, if you still say that James' physical talent is not at the historical level, it is basically the same as slandering him.

During the Warriors halftime, Qin Yue had a brief chat with James.

As for Iverson?
Qin Yue basically ignored Iverson's existence.

Qin Yue has never had a good impression of Iverson, and even felt a little disgusted with him.

Qin Yue's dislike for Iverson stems from his various bad behaviors when he comes to China to make money in the future.

Qin Yue really couldn't understand why this NBA star who had no professional ethics could be so popular.

However, when Iverson called himself the new GOAT, Qin Yue couldn't help but look up to this Hall of Fame guard whose actual height was probably only 178 cm.

The Warriors are facing an extremely difficult journey to defend their title.

The Cavaliers hope to regain the dignity they had as the top team in the Eastern Conference last season after the painful period of adjustment.

After the warm-up, the starting players of both teams took their positions in the center of the field.

Cavaliers: Big Z, Gooden, James, Pavlovic, Iverson.

Warriors: Brown, Qin Yue, Barnes, Dunleavy, Jack.

Richardson and Murphy, who were doubtful to play due to injuries before the game, were not included in Malone's game roster for this Christmas game.

After the jump ball, the Warriors have the ball.

In the first offensive round, Qin Yue lost interest immediately when he saw that the Cavaliers did not send James to defend him.

On the right side of the court, Qin Yue was seen holding the ball with his back to the basket, and with a light pass behind his head, he found Dunleavy who was cutting to the Cavaliers' basket.

After getting the ball, Dunleavy made a low layup.

Coming back, the Knights attack.

Iverson, who was responsible for dribbling the ball across half court, dodged Jack's long two-point shot and missed, forcing James to complete his first return run on the court.

James frowned as Iverson glamorously ignored his request for the ball.

In James' view, this kind of heroic singles is meaningless except for showing off.

So, in the Cavaliers' next offensive round, James rushed into the Warriors' restricted area with the help of Big Z's screen, and successfully broke through and passed the ball to Pavlovic who was ambushing in the bottom corner.

Although the latter failed to seize the opportunity and his three-point jump shot bounced out of the basket, in James' eyes, this was at least a reasonable attack.

However, when retreating, Iverson said to James: "Hey, Brown, you just got a great chance to attack the basket, why didn't you take it yourself?"

"."

James feels that Iverson has been away from the center of the basketball world for too long due to the team's poor performance in the past two years.

Fight by yourself?
Didn't you see that Qin Yue was waiting on my route just now?
In another offensive round of the Cavaliers, as if to teach James how to play, Iverson passed Jack with an ultra-low-center-of-gravity crossover on the outside.

Then, Iverson, who was moving swiftly in the Warriors' restricted area, used his rhythm to deceive Brown, who was responsible for assisting defense. But when he was about to complete the layup, Qin Yue, who had returned to defense, mercilessly nailed his layup to the backboard.

Iverson's height and age limit his efficiency in getting to the basket.

Moreover, his height means that once he penetrates too deep and his teammates cannot follow up in time, his passing vision is bound to be limited.

However, despite the teaching failure, Iverson was not wrong just now.

Because of the powerful propulsion ability that James' current weight gives him, if he had played more decisively in the last round, then even if he failed to score the ball in the end, he would have a great chance of getting two free throws.

In short, after only a few rounds, this pair of outside line combinations that were originally compatible in theory
This has fully exposed their differences in basketball philosophy.

James plays awkwardly without the ball.

This is related to the fact that "young James" had not yet mastered the scoring technique that was later called "stupid scoring".

In later generations, using the new version of the hand-over rules, James, who can often get another kinetic acceleration after receiving the ball, often uses direct cutting, cutting after pick-and-roll, and weak-side sneak attacks to launch off-ball offense.

These uncomplicated off-ball cuts, when combined with James' historic body, produce astonishing destructive power.

But the current version of the NBA game and James' preference for playing with the ball mean that Iverson's excessive possession of the ball will inevitably affect his game rhythm.

And what about Iverson?
Iverson is really good at cutting without the ball.

But who would be afraid of the off-ball cutting by this 32-year-old man who will be called the GOAT under 1.9 meters by James in the future?
First quarter of the game.

Facing Iverson, who is sure to block shots again after the first one, Qin Yue admitted that he had blocked three shots on Iverson alone and had gradually fallen in love with this GOAT who is less than 1.9 meters tall.

This season, Iverson is no longer the Iverson who was untouchable.

During the game, even when Iverson wanted to ask the referee for a whistle, the referee didn't even want to pay attention to him.

In the second quarter, James, who already had PTSD about Qin Yue, traveled during off-peak hours, demonstrating with his actions how much he understood this Warriors team.

On the court, James was successful in his rush after calling for pick-and-rolls, and no one on the Warriors' bench could control the Cleveland King who was dominating his own restricted area.

It was no use for Malone to try to pile up players in his own penalty area.

Because James also has a signature jump pass that can deal with the tight net set by the Warriors in the interior.

Until Qin Yue and Brown reappeared.

James immediately restrained his edge and instead used his steals from the outside to score points for the Cavaliers.

Whether it is the playing style or the personal offensive choices, James can only be described as rational and perfect in this Christmas game.

He always avoids the Warriors' strong period to launch personal attacks, and he will never be greedy for scoring when it is time to break through and pass the ball.

But James's playing style and offensive choices in this game
But it gives people the illusion that he is more like the second-in-command of the Cavaliers.

Throughout the game, the Warriors' energy was almost entirely focused on Iverson, who was responsible for performing heroic singles for the Cavaliers.

In the second half, Qin Yue, who started playing singles only when the team's offensive efficiency dropped, scored 27 points for the Warriors. In the whole game, he scored a total of 35 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 blocks and 1 steal.

The final score was 88 to 104.

In this slow-paced positional offensive and defensive battle, the Warriors easily defeated the Cavaliers, who were stronger than them on paper.

詹姆斯全场16投8中，其中三分球4投1中，罚球8罚5中，总计砍下22分7篮板5助攻。

艾弗森24投8中，其中三分球5投2中，罚球6罚5中，总计拿到23分3篮板5助攻。

Compared with the Eastern powers we played against before
In Qin Yue's opinion, if the Cavaliers cannot make quick changes in the next games, they will definitely have no hope this season.

This Cavaliers team has good strength on paper, but due to differences in basketball philosophy.
They simply cannot bring out the 100% level of the "A-Jan" combination.

As the Christmas War came to an end, Qin Yue turned from 23 to 24.
After a terrible second half of 2007, the Warriors, who had been struggling, finally received good news in January of the new year.

……

PS: 5000-word chapter, begging for subscriptions and monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)